The Lion King 3: A Fallen Kingdom

By Juliana Davey

The never ending roar of water echoed through the canyon as the flooded river flowed along it. Rain pelted down from the darkened sky, and the occasional flash of lighting glinted off the slippery rocks. Far above the water, two figures – a lion and a young lioness, cautiously climbed to safety.

A third creature remained in the churning water, its body limp. Quickly, the river dragged it downstream, never to be seen again. Or so they thought.

Once the two figures reached the top of the canyon, they were greeted by a large group of lionesses, their fur streaked with dirt and blood. All around them were signs of a battle, but now they stood silently, side by side. The lion stood tall in front of them, thinking for a moment. Then he smiled. Although he was Simba, King of the Pride Lands, he still had many things to learn. Turning to the lionesses huddled nearby in the rain, he cleared his throat.

"Let's go home. All of us."

Simba walked towards Pride Rock, with his mate close beside him. She glanced back once, to where their daughter, the Princess Kiara, walked along close beside Kovu. The dark colored lion had once been part of a plot to kill Simba, and take control of the Pride Lands, but his deep love for Kiara had been enough to help him see the light. Following behind them were a mixture of Simba's lionesses, and Outlanders – lionesses who had long before been banished or left the Pride Lands of their own choice. Among them walked Vitani, the first one to stand beside Kovu and Kiara, in an attempt to stop the war. But as she walked, her heart felt heavy and her steps were slow. In a day, she had lost her older brother and Zira, her mother. Although Vitani had never felt a strong love for either of them, they had still been her family, and Vitani had stood beside Zira as her second in command for as long as she could remember.

When the large group reached Pride Rock, Simba turned to welcome them. The lionesses settled down, some inside the large cave, others out under the stars. Sleep came fast to them, as they were worn out from the battle.

Far at the top of Pride Rock, Simba sat close to Nala. The couple remained in silence for a while, both recalling the events of the day. As Simba sat deep in thought, he looked down at the pride below him, and his gaze rested on his daughter, where she lay close to Kovu. Then, the King glanced up at the starry sky and sighed heavily.

"Kiara is brave and wise," Simba said to his mate. "She saw what I could not."

Nala's blue eyes looked closely at Simba. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Simba. Things are fixed now. Kiara and Kovu have brought us back together. They have healed wounds that have remained since Scar's reign."

Simba looked down at the pride again, his eyes peering at Kovu this time. "Yes, Kovu will make a good King one day."

Nala smiled, glancing down at the sleeping pair as well. Then she stood and turned to climb down. "Are you coming?" she asked Simba.

"In a few minutes."

Simba sat in silence as Nala left, and then he looked up at the stars again. Ever since he had seen his father, he had believed strongly in the Great Kings. But often, he felt frustrated. How could he ever strive to become like them? He remembered his father from when he was a cub. Would he ever be as great? Sighing, the King left the peak and went to sleep as well, his mind filled with thoughts and worries.

Far away, beyond the border of the Pride Lands, the raging river began to slow to a halt as it spread out into a large lake. Tall trees surrounded it, and grass grew deep and thick everywhere. As the river made its way towards the lake, it bundled along the third figure with it, still drenched and limp. Finally, it came to a stop as it bumped into a large pile of rocks. There it remained, still and cold.

As the sun began to set, a young lion made his way through the forest. He was a wanderer who had only recently become old enough to leave his mother's pride. And he walked, his gaze settled on the bundle of brown fur laying in the shallow water. Moving closer to investigate, he realized it was a lioness.

Stepping into the water, he bent down to sniff the lioness. She was cold and still, and yet, he could hear something. Leaning his head towards her chest, he heard the soft, slow beat of her heart. She was alive!

Hurriedly, the lion picked her up, clenching the fur at the back of her neck tightly between his teeth. Carefully, he dragged her out of the water, and over to a nearby tree. Underneath it, there was a thick patch of soft grass, and this was where he took her.

The lion had been taught since he was a cub about being kind to others. Looking down at the lioness, he saw that she bore scars and marks from many battles. He also noted her face, twisted in anger and pain. But putting it all aside, the lion lay down beside her, and used his body to keep her warm. Through out the long hours of the night, he remained awake, watching and hoping that she would be alright.

Please note that Zira, Simba, Kovu, Kiara and the other characters referred to from The Lion King or The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride belong to Disney. All other characters belong to me, Juliana Davey (a.k.a. Sun Rei / Sun Rei Lioness).