Time for the next chapter! Readers, I'd really like it if everyone who reads this chapter would kindly leave a review, so I can know what to improve on, and whether this story is a complete waste of time or not. I've done enough blabbing, so on to the story!

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING

No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever.

-J. Michael Straczynski

The crown prince of The Pridelands wandered through the streets of Pride Rock in total shock. The young boy pondered the words of his uncle.

Your father is a tyrant…

Death camps…

Murdered…

He had believed his uncle at the time, but he now thought that perhaps Taka had exaggerated the situation. Simba had now decided that while his father had done some things that he necessarily would have, but it did not mean he was cruel by any means.

Simba smiled, realizing that this conclusion pleased him. However, he unknowingly entered the outer city, a place the prince had never been, and he was repulsed by what lay before him. Citizens lay strewn about the sidewalks, all of them bone-thin and near death. Several of the so-called homes had a large red x painted on to the door, a symbol of The Plague. "How could my father allow this? This is awful, inhumane, and…" He couldn't go on, as he was too aghast by the view surrounding him.

"It's unholy isn't it?"

Simba turned around to see his uncle walking toward him. "Why do these people live this?"

Taka sighed. "This is what I meant by your father being a tyrant. Not only does he allow this to happen, he actually prefers it."

Simba was on the brink of tears. "Why? How could one human be so cruel to another?"

Taka put an arm around the boy's shoulder, and looked into his nephew's deep brown eyes. "Because he considers them inferior, and that he believes that he has a divine right to abuse them."

As Taka finished his sentence, an elderly woman slowly stumbled toward them. Her hair was pearl white, tattered, and messy. She had two large rags tied together in order to form a shirt, and her pants were made out of the remains of a blanket. She wore no shoes, and her bony feet were oozing a mixture of pus and blood. She stopped in front of them, and held up a frail hand. Simba gently took her hand, but she collapsed to the ruined cement road anyway. She tried to form words, but was physically incapable of speaking. Her eyes gleamed at Simba, sparkling with an emotion the prince did not know these people could even posses in their situation. Hope. She knew who he was, and what he thought about their living conditions. The woman's eyes slowly closed, and she stopped breathing.

Simba could not handle this and cried next to her body. There was sadness in these tears, but another emotion dominated. Anger. Eventually, the prince stopped crying, and stood up.

"When I become king, there will be a massive monument dedicated to this woman." The boy sighed, and continued. "Two days ago, I was a child oblivious to the horrors outside my little world. But in two days I've aged ten years. You're right Uncle, my father is a tyrant, and he must stand trial for his crimes."

Taka nodded. "What did your father tell you about America?"

Simba sighed. "That it's a shadowy place that I should never go. Why?"

"I'm on your father's death list. It's only a matter of time, and I need to escape soon, and America is the only place I can go. Your father lied, America is no paradise, but it's thousands of miles ahead of what you see here."

Simba nodded in understanding. "I'm going to tell him exactly what I think about how he rules this kingdom. He may be a tyrant, but he won't kill his own son. What he will do is banish and disown me. Then, I'll probably join you. If I can't find you, I'll sneak aboard a cargo ship and see where it takes me."

Taka placed a finger to his chin, and then nodded. "Sounds like a decent plan."

The two of them turned around, and left to return to the home that the crown prince now loathed.

That's all for now! PLEASE don't forget to leave a review. I'll update whenever I can, and I'll see all of you next time. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story. Bye!