Chapter one.
The ravenous fire, by now, had engulfed half of the Pridelands—and any creature that dared to step in its path. The fire acted like a swarm of bees, usurping the kingdom. The dark-furred adolescent bolted through the hungry flames that were dancing into his escape, successfully darting out of the barrier of fire, but tumbling down the haggard cliff with the unconscious princess rolling behind him. The lions had collapsed into the water, Kovu sunk first and of course, Kiara followed. However, she couldn't relieve herself of the water that seemed to swallow her underneath—and if Kovu wanted to remain in Simba's pride, he needed her alive.
Frantically, the male lion tucked his head into the water. The water slowed him down, ceasing him from any sort of rapid actions—to his dismay. Princess Kiara was hovering gently in front of him, but at the same time, she sunk little by little. No longer panicked, Kovu swam towards her, figuring that grabbing her nape would be a much easier way to drag her out of the water. She was a tiny bit heavy for a lioness, though it was believable—as a cub, she was a chubby little adventurous rebel, who had loved to disobey her father to discover new things. Time really did flow by. Now she was a middle-aged lioness on her first hunt.
As soon as they arrived safely on the surface, Kovu carelessly lobbed Kiara on the sandy ground—stimulating her conscience.
She seemed completely unsure of where she was. It was strange...she had only been knocked out for a couple of minutes, and she had lived in the Pridelands all her life! Though Kovu had to admit, she didn't seem like one of those strong lionesses in his pride. Her eyes weren't on Kovu, however the male lion knew she was speaking to him.
"Where am I?" she inquired, her voice clearly distressed with uncertainty.
Kovu smirked—this was the part where she'd thank him for saving her. And he earned it; triumphantly bringing the princess into the Pridelands and saving her life wasn't an easy thing to do...let alone carry her. "You're safe, in the Pridelands."
"The Pridelands...? No!" Apparently not.
From what Kovu had seen since spying on her all his life, her feelings had been twisted. Turned into a rather vicious posture, which had basically explained the frustration that was laced around her throat, confining the usual joyful mood she had always obtained. The honey-furred lioness stood with flashing amber eyes, in a fighting stance. She truly was irritated.
"Why'd you bring me here, who do you think you are?!"
Even her voice seemed to be webbed with some sort of strong exasperation. Kiara did appear as maddened as an African hippopotamus—Kovu'd give her that. However, it could not be agreed that her chance of winning a fight was high; it wasn't enough to work with her vexation in order to terrifying a male—who would be way more stronger than her.
Her attitude at this particular moment was not something Kovu would tolerate. He'd gone through all the trouble, abandoned all his plans, scampered through a life-threatening event...to save this spiteful ungrateful princess who was seemingly his enemy's daughter? Of course he'd need some sort of credit—but Kiara seemed to go about it the wrong way. She hadn't realized how far he'd come to save her, and hope to enter the pride. Curses. She had no right to treat him in such a manner.
Instantly, the adolescent snapped. More than he wanted to. His voice was just as hoarse and dry as hers as that particular moment, with chunks of highly stimulated resentment due to the princess's provocative way of speaking to him. "I think I'm the one who just saved your life!" He seemed to be edging ever so close to Kiara's face; she could almost smell his breath. "You'd be as good as dead out there if it wasn't for me!"
"Look," Kiara scowled, a little humiliated after noticing she was in the wrong. The stubborn lioness would still hold her ground—in other words, refuse that she had done something incorrect, "I had everything under control."
"-Not from where I'm standing." Kovu said cooly. He didn't want to cause a feud with the king's daughter—she seemed like one of those tattle tales. More stuck up and totally more serious from when she was a cub. She was no longer that daredevil that would trespass on other territories and disobey her father. She was a stuck up cat, who was tenacious in her own way. And if she did tell Simba of her and Kovu's argument, Kovu would have a low chance of being accepted into the pride. After all, everyone knew how much Simba cared for his daughter.
"Then move downwind." was the final of many sassy words she had inserted as she tore to her left, walking in such a posh manner that she really did seem like the stuck up princess Zira had forced into Kovu's mind. She was unbelievably impudent at this moment, that he had started to wish Nuka or Vitani were the ones completing this mission.
Kiara's nose was stuck high, and her eyes gently shut. Her thin, black eyebrows were arched; which had loosely translated that she didn't want to discuss with him anymore. However, she was very wrong if she thought Kovu was going to listen to her. He'd try to fulfil Scar's dying wish—which had also become his mother's. And Kiara would be used to initiate the process.
"Don't stick your nose up so high," Kovu teased, allowing a provoking toothy grin to emerge from his face and quoting the exact words that Vitani had told Nuka several times.
She offered him a miserable stare. "Leave me alone." The lioness proceeded to propelling forward to get away from him, but like he had done only moments ago, Kovu seemed to have been blocking her. Following the same technique she had used during her playtime with a cub Kovu, Kiara lowered her head and arched her shoulder blades—this time it was a pouncing stance.
Kovu, on the other paw, knew exactly what she was doing. However, he wanted to remind her who he was... Maybe it'd soften her up a little. So, he said the only thing he could say, that had a high chance of ringing a bell and bringing back her memories of him. "What are you doing?"
Immediately, Kiara's posture changed. She loosened up a little, her frown finally evaporating and her eyes widening. Perhaps she was collecting her thoughts. Clearly, she'd remembered these words, much to Kovu's surprise. Could this mean that she had thought of him all these years? They had been apart for so long... Although she had memorized these words as if they were spoken yesterday.
"Kovu?" as his name had eventually slipped from the tip of her lips, Kovu's mischievous smirk formed. She had remembered. And clearly too.
The female lion was smiling now- well...until a fairly large, bulky lion with bright vermeil mane had pierced into the scene. He had completely misunderstood the whole conception. Kovu had saved his daughter, not killed her. He truly was overprotective.
A grave snarl was plastered firmly on his maw as he furrowed his brows and stared menacingly at Kovu. It appeared to be Simba—the one he was supposed to kill, king of the Pridelands and Kiara's father. Shortly afterwards, a rather beige lioness came bounding afterwards. Except, she didn't snarl at Kovu, she headed straight for her daughter, Kiara.
"Kiara!" she exclaimed, happy as ever to find out her daughter was safe. She continued to barge her face into Kiara's, nuzzling her tenderly. "You're alright..."
More intrigued that her father was being remarkably rude to Kovu and had broken his promise, Kiara seemed to have ignored her mother and focused on her father. Once again, a miserable, but concerned, frown crept onto her face. She stomped her paw on the ground irritably. "Father! How could you break your promise!" she yelled almost tearfully, too upset and taken aback that she couldn't even bother to make it a question.
Kovu, currently perplexed and terrified, studied the whole scene. What promise did he make to her? To let her go out on her own? Since she was a cub, Kiara wasn't allowed anywhere out of sight—here she was reaching adulthood and that rule hadn't changed one bit? This was ridiculous, and Kovu could infer that from Kiara's cries, she was embarrassed...and hurt that her father perhaps wouldn't even allow her to roam beside the waterhole on her own.
"It's a good thing I did," Simba threw back at her, referring to the male lion that stood before him. His tone was unreadable; somewhere between emotional and emotionless. He didn't take his eyes off of Kovu, stirring a rather awkward moment between the two. Kovu had to admit, Simba was right. Kiara couldn't even walk past Kovu—even with all her amusing pounces in attempt to run away from him. She wouldn't last a day or two on her own. Not to mention, collapsing in between flames wasn't a wise move...
"No more hunts for you, not ever." the king continued, stimulating Kiara's flustered mood to an even higher stage.
"But I was doing just fine!" she protested, a claw length away from tears. Her mother stood beside her, not saying a word but staring at her husband with painful eyes that told him to reconsider his ideas to make her more content. "I saved myself from the fire! I was doing just fine, even before Kovu—"
"Kovu?!" ...And now the war would rage.
Instinctually, Simba roared a thunderous roar at once. Kovu followed shortly afterwards, releasing the powerful possession that only lions could possess, which was another strong, menacing roar. Both males growled at each other fiercely, as if they were preparing to leap onto each other and rip each other to shreds.
"Simba!" Nala, Simba's mate, scolded. She had decided now was the perfect time to help her daughter, by making Simba reconsider and hear Kovu's side of the story. Her short lecture relieved both teenagers to be honest. "Listen to what our daughter is saying. You can't just underestimate!"
"No way." Simba allowed his stubborn side to lash out at his mate. "Kiara is to remain at Pride Rock until I say she can leave. Take her home." At his final instruction, he looked up towards Zazu to indicate this was his duty.
"What? You can't confine me to Pride Rock!" Tears rapidly sprung from her eyes as the princess persisted. "This is my one chance to prove myself to my own pride and... you take it away from me?"
"I said take her home," the flaxen king repeated, not showing any sign of concern to what his daughter said. Instead, he added, "Nala, you will go home too and make sure Kiara stays there."
The petite blue bird with an oversized beak soared above the two lionesses gently, a rather disappointed expression drawn on his face. In fact, a dejected mood hung in the air, yet Simba paid no attention to it. He casted his eyes on Kovu, but he was still all ears when his mate approached him.
"You," she addressed in a cold tone, "are truly careless." The adult lioness glared at her mate disapprovingly, before taking off after her daughter and the flying majordomo.
Minutes later, out of the blue, a baboon-mandrill hybrid came darting out from nowhere. Despite the distressed expressions he was seeing, a large grin was rooted on him. He pointed specifically at the new male in the Pridelands, furrowing his brows and allowing his grin to widen.
"You!" he cooed, sounding like he was about to cackle. "How dare you save the king's daughter!"
Kovu was confused. In a way, the strange mandrill/baboon was helping him, despite being a loyal member to Simba. He saw the whole thing, noticing how Simba didn't let anybody explain their side of the story, and decided to give the new teenage lion a hand. Rafiki held his stick up in the air, shutting his eyes in a soothing manner as the breeze brushed against his white mane, and pointed the tufts of fur on his body.
"Why would you help your enemy's daughter?" the mandrill added again.
For a split second, it seemed to have worked. The monkey had caught Simba's attention, while catching Kovu's also with his words of truth. The king turned back to the now-familiar Kovu, a grimace still very visible on his maw.
"You saved her? Why?"
"I humbly ask to join your pride." Kovu said, ignoring the alpha lion's question, and jumping straight to the point. He immediately realized his mistake—he shouldn't rush into things.
"No!" Simba yelled, throwing his face into the younger male's just as Kovu did to Kiara. "You were banished with the other Outsiders."
"I have left the Outsiders." Kovu explained simply. "I am a rogue. Judge me now for who I am...or will you blame me for a crime I didn't commit?"
He then proceeded to smirking as he watched the king pace. Kovu knew he had hit a rough patch. Simba was the king, which meant he had to be fair—or he'd be disobeying his own laws. Punishing innocent ones was something the Pridelanders followed; whatever the crime was, Kovu hadn't taken part in it. After all, he was barely a month old when his mother, his siblings and the rest of the Outsiders were exiled. He had nothing to pay for, nothing to repay to Simba. He hadn't done anything at all. Kovu wasn't responsible for whatever his mother did when she had lived in this land, and Simba knew this. There was nothing he could argue against it.
"Simba, you owe him your daughter's life." it was doubtlessly a female voice. Surprisingly, Nala stood a few feet behind him. It turned out she hadn't left at all. Kiara was nowhere in sight, probably back at Pride Rock with the rest of the lionesses and with Zazu (who also wasn't in sight).
Simba looked at his mate in concern, but said nothing more. He stared at the ground... almost worriedly for a few seconds, before proceeding with his decision. "Alright. From now, you're in judgement." Slowly, he edged away. "But my father's law will prevail. We'll see who you really are..."
For less than a second, Kovu and Nala smiled at each other, before taking off after their king.
Precipitation had moderately spilled over the Pridelands, exhausting the remaining flames and feeding the hungry lakes. It had been the first sight of rain in some time; the last time it had rained was when Kiara was practicing for her hunting exam—almost three distant weeks ago.
Simba clawed his way up the kopje, then pirouetting towards Nala—who'd been sauntering behind him. She simply looked towards her mate with an unreadable expression. Yes, she was glad Simba had at least given Kovu to a chance as a thank you for saving their daughter, yet he had also completely crushed the mood of his daughter. Her first hunt was something Kiara had always looked forward to, training her hardest and determined to become what the pride needed; especially since one of the huntresses had wounded herself and had to repause for a couple of weeks.
Nala saw right through Simba at that moment. He wasn't particularly happy and open arms for Kovu in the pride. The only reason he had accepted him was because he had saved his daughter's life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed Kovu to join at all. Continuing to stare at her husband, Nala's eyebrows arched, and a concerned frown had managed to grow on her face.
"Simba," she acknowledged as she came across him, "I'm sorry for what I said. But just know that Kiara is nearing adulthood—she has to be able to take risks like these in order to survive as the future queen. You can't keep her confined to Pride Rock forever."
"Y-yes, but...Nala," the adult male lion interjected, now facing her with apologetic eyes. "I can't let anything happen to her—especially now that Zira's son is in the pride. Not now. I'm just worried is all. I-if anything happened I would never forgive myself."
Nala's concern deepened.
"I know that; I'm her mother and I feel the same way." she said. "But, if we keep her locked away from the world, it'd possibly be worse. She wouldn't be able to fend for herself, because you hadn't let her try, in times of danger. Or she could begin to believe that her only way of freedom is to disobey you. However, if you show her you can actually trust her, she'll feel guilty whenever she does something wrong. And she'll avoid that path, thus learning new experiences in life. Before she trusts you, you must trust her."
"I know...I'm just worried is all. It's not so easy to apply what you've just said to me all the time."
Their conversation was interrupted when Simba got hold of Kovu trying to enter the den. Instantly, the golden king bolted forward, his face contorting into a vicious snarl to illustrate how he didn't want Kovu to enter the den with the lionesses for their own good. Kovu scowled back, proceeding to lowering his head and ambling towards a dark corner outside the cave. Nala eyed Kovu dejectedly, before entering the den after Simba.
Just as the adolescent was about to lay down, he heard a fierce whisper. "Hey!" It was a familiar voice.
Instinctually, Kovu swatted his head behind him. It was the princess, who had been concealing behind the rock for some time. She didn't seem as tearful as before, though her eyes were rimmed red. Instead, she wore a devious smile. Noticing that her father was gone, Kiara stepped out from behind the immense boulder, edging towards a rather startled Kovu.
"Ki-Kiara? Shouldn't you be inside the den?!" Kovu shouted, clearly frustrated at the fact that she had startled him, and that she was moving ever so close towards him. He took a step back.
"I should," Kiara told him, "...buuut I wanted to ask you something."
"Oh, go on," Kovu toyed, a large beam on his muzzle, "go on. I know you wanna ask me how tough and strong I am and how I saved you...Maybe even teach you how to hunt properly. You wouldn't last three days on your own."
"What?" the female lion was smirking too now. "You think you could teach me?"
"Well, clearly, I'm better at surviving than you." the dark-furred lion reminded her. "Fainting in between flames isn't the best technique, princess."
Defeated, the princess huffed. "Oh, alright." She moved closer to him. "Impress me. We start at dawn."
"Kiara!"
"Coming!" And she was off.
Kovu laughed to himself as he watched her scamper into the den, where she'd rest for the night. Slowly, he lay down and placed his muzzle atop of his paws. His hind legs were tucked underneath his stomach, and his tail made sure to keep his side warm. Finally, sleep. What a long day this had been.