OOOkkay! Next Chapter! WARNING this is kinda a long one and could be emotional.

Chapter 2: Simba's Side

Simba and Kovu walked in silence for a while. Kovu was very nervous. He was sent by his mother, Zira, to kill Simba and avenge Scar. His whole goal was to get him alone so he could kill him and, well, now they are alone.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" The king himself was feeling nervous too. Nala had convinced him to do this for Kiara, but Simba was still having doubts on if Kovu could be trusted. Simba wanted what was best for his daughter. Kovu was the adopted son of his uncle Scar, the killer of his father. It didn't help that kovu looked like him.

Both lions walked in awkward silence. Both contemplating what to say to each other. Kovu was having a silent battle with himself. He knew he was falling for Kiara. He couldn't betray her trust. But then again Zira was his mother. She would be furious if he failed to follow through with her plans. He didn't even know Scar. All he knew were the stories that his mother would tell him of the great and fearless king Scar and how he was brutally killed by Simba. Zira had made Simba out to be a heartless murder. But after spending time with the king and his daughter, the idea of him being a murder started to seem strange and hard to believe. Finally, after walking in silence for several minutes, the King spoke up.

"Kovu, I don't know what your mother has told you about Scar," At the mention of his mother and Scar, Kovu became tense. "But I think that you need to hear the story from a different point of view." Kovu looked up at the King and saw a sort of sadness in his eyes. He waited for Simba to go on. Zira had made Scar seem like a brave and awe-inspiring being, so much so it was hard to believe he was even a lion. Kovu listened intently.

"Scar was my Uncle."

He wasn't expecting that! Zira had never mentioned that Simba was Scars nephew. That would mean that Simba killed his own uncle! Kovu was shocked and this was visible to Simba.

"I know it's hard to believe but it's true. He was my uncle." Simba continued sadly, "When I was a cub, I was always looking for trouble and getting myself into danger. But my father, King Mufasa, was always there to protect me." Said Simba while reminiscing back to the time Mufasa saved him and Nala from the hyenas. "He was always there for me." Simba stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky with a pained look. Kovu could see that he was deeply saddened by something. It was hard to imagine Simba as a cub, he was always so protective and regal. Simba looked back down at Kovu and continued. "One day I was in the gorge and there was a stampede" The scene flashed before Simba's eyes,

"Hold on Simba!" Simba could hear his dad shout as he clung to life on a tree branch. Wildebeests were racing past making it difficult to hold on, his grip was slipping…

Simba snapped out of it. He shook his head, trying to shake off the past. He carried on.

"My father saved me. He tried to climb the side of the gorge but he couldn't hold on. He had almost made it to the top. I was very frightened, I couldn't tell what was going on." Simba looked down. "I saw him fall." Kovu could see the look of deep sorrow in the king's eyes. Scar wasn't his dad, but he was the closest thing he had to it and he had never even met the guy. Simba pushed on. "When the stampede had cleared, I-I found his body." Simba stuttered.

"Dad?" he wasn't moving. "Dad come on, you gotta get up" Simba sobbed. He tried to nudge Mufasa awake, he didn't understand what was happening. "Dad!?" Simba choked back a cry. He didn't want it to be true. He was just playing a game. "We gotta go home." Simba sobbed again. Tears starting to stream from his eyes. He tugged on Mufasa's ear, just like he does when they are playing. Nothing. "Help!" His cry echoed off the gorge. "Somebody!" No response. "Anybody?" he was all alone…

Simba shook off the flashback once again and looked away. The pain was unbearable. He had never gotten to say goodbye. Kovu couldn't fathom losing your dad like that. Simba was only a cub. It must have been traumatizing. Kovu was filled sympathy for the King. Part of him was glad he had never known his father. He would never have to suffer the way Simba did. He wondered what this had to do with Scar. Of course, he didn't say that.

"Scar found me. I didn't know what to do, I-I was so scared. It was all my fault." Kovu could hear the panic rising in Simba's voice. Kovu could picture him a cub, scared and alone with his father's body. "Scar told me to run away and never return, and I listened to him." He stopped, a few moments of silence passed. Kovu decided to speak.

"What happened next?" Kovu asked, intrigued by the kings story. Despite being raised to be a ruthless solider by his mother, Kovu did truly feel sorry for the King. Simba took a breath, to regain his composure.

"I was chased out of the pride lands by Hyenas. I ran away and stayed away for years until Nala found me." Simba calmed down at the name of his mate. "I grew up in the jungle, blaming myself for the death of my father." Kovu couldn't imagine being so young and feeling like you were blamed for your father's death, and then to grow up, spending years with the guilt eating at you? He was feeling his own guilt right now over the fact that he was sent here to assassinate the king. He couldn't imagine feeling this way your whole life. It would have driven him crazy. He didn't understand how Simba did it.

"Nala convinced me come back to pride rock and take my place as King. Of course, how could I return? But she told me that the Scar had taken over and had let the Hyenas rule over the pride lands." Kovu knew that part of the story. Zira had told him that Scar lead a golden age of Lions and Hyenas together. "She told me that there was no food and no water and that she had run away to find help." Zira had left that part out of the stories. "I didn't want to believe it but I went with her and saw for myself. The ground was dry and all the plants had died. The herds had moved away, the only living things left were the hyenas and the lionesses. Scar refused to do anything about it." Kovu was feeling conflicted. Zira said it was a golden age? It wasn't a golden age at all! Some confusion must have shown on Kouv's face. "Are you alright Kovu?" Simba asked growing concerned. They stopped walking. Kovu nodded.

"Sorry, I'm fine, please continue." Simba gave him a worried look. They started walking again.

"I finally confronted Scar. I told him to step down but he refused." Kovu stared at the king. "He had backed me up over the edge of pride rock."

He was hanging over the edge of Pride rock, clawing for grip. Scar slowly approached, the hyenas no far behind him. "Now this looks familiar, hmm where have I seen this before?" Scar stopped in front of Simba. "Hmm, let me think. Oh! Yes! I remember!" Simba looked up at this uncle. He could feel heat from the fire below lapping at his back. "This is just the way your father looked before he died" Scar sank his claws into Simba's Paws. Simba let out a roar of pain. "And here's my little secret." Scar bent over so that he could whisper in Simba's ear. "I killed Mufasa"

Simba blinked away the flashback.

"He told me that he was the one who had killed Mufasa. He had thrown him off the cliff. Then he had convinced me that it was my fault as a cub. He had sent those hyenas after me to kill me. Scar told my mother and the rest of the pride that I was dead." Kovu didn't know what to say. Scar had killed his own brother. Then he had blamed it on Simba? As a cub no less. Conflict raged on in Kouv's head. Simba had to be telling the truth, why would he lie about his father? Maybe to cover up that he really did kill him. No! The king looked honestly upset. He even seemed sad over Scars demise.

"I challenge Scar to a Duel. We fought for several minutes. Eventually I had Scar cornered. I told him to run away and never return." Again confusion crossed Kovu's face. Scar was exiled? The battle raged on inside his head. "Scar told me that it was the hyenas fault. He lunged at me. I dodged and he fell over the side of pride rock. He was still alive however. He was greeted by Hyenas who had overheard him saying that it was their fault." Despite how his Uncle had killed his father, he was still family. Simba didn't want to watch him die. He had turned away as the Hyenas devoured his uncle. "They killed him Kovu." Kovu, once again looked up at the king. Simba could see the confused look in his eyes. Clearly his mother Zira had told him a much different story. They walked in silence. They had reached the outskirts of the pride land where not two days ago, Kovu had rescued Kiara from the fire.

"I've never heard the story of Scar that way…" Kovu said quietly, he stopped walking. He had come to the conclusion that Simba's side of the story was probably truer than what his mother had told him. His mother, who had loved Scar more than anything, maybe even her on cubs. She was one of Scars most loyal followers. There was no way he could kill Simba now. He wasn't the villain, Scar was. "…He truly was a killer." Kovu looked up at Simba, who smiled back down at him. Maybe he could trust Kovu. They had stopped in the middle of the burnt forest from days before. A fine layer of ash was covering everything. The trees were blackened and the air was thick with smoke and ash left over from the fire. The king bent down.

"Fire is a killer, but sometimes what is left behind can grow back better than before." He wiped away some ash from the ground reveling a small green plant. "If given the chance." Kovu looked at the king. Now was his chance to tell him the truth. To tell him why he was here.

"Simba I have something to tell you." Guilt was eating at him. He hoped that Simba would hear him out. He need him to understand. "I was sent here by-" He was cut off by low laughing. Simba's ears twitched and he spun around to face the sound. The air was thick with ash making it difficult to see, but he could just make out two bright yellow eyes reflecting back at him. The King let out a growl.

"Zira."

I Hope you like it! I know most of it is a recap. I want to thank people for reviewing my first chapter already! Thank you guys soooooo much! If wanted to really emphasize the fact that Simba has been through so much, because he really has. I mean, seeing your dad die and thinking you were guilty for years? It must have been awful. I also wanted to state that, yes, Simba was angry at Scar but he was still family and he didn't want him to die. I apologize for it being so long… um yeah! That's about it ;) OH! Another thing. Simba never did get to say goodbye. Actually the first time I watched TLK I thought, okay he is going to say some wise last words and then die but that wasn't true! It just goes to show that life is sometimes not fair and if you love something hold on to it because it could be gone in an instant. Intense I know.