AN: Hey everyone!
New chapter, new cover image! My cordial thanks to MaeraFey from DA for letting me use her wonderful picture of the young leader of the Lion Guard, prince Taka. Look it up in full scale- it's really good! The title of the image is 'The Fiercest Guardian'.
Chapter 4 – A Presentation Ceremony and what follows
That day, both Mufasa and Taka received a long line of members of their pride who were approaching them in order to deliver their congratulations.
-"It's so cool to know that you're gonna be the leader of the new Lion Guard!" – one of the female cubs said to the younger prince, making him puff up his chest even more proudly.
-"I appreciate it, Sarafina!" – he answered with a toothy grin. – "You can be sure I'll do my best!"
-"I hope you're ready for some hard work!" – Siri warned him. – "Being in the Guard is not just fun and games… I think."
-"Oh, don't worry, my friend!" – Taka waved a paw. But then he pulled the golden-furred cub a little closer, as if to give him a friendly embrace, and whispered in his ear. – "Just make sure not to get stuck in a tree again. Because when I'm in charge of the Lion Guard, I'll just leave you hanging until the vultures turn you into a pretty little skeleton!"
Then he gave him a nice strong nudge in the ribs with his elbow. Taka had noticed that Siri was among the cubs that responded to king Ahadi's announcement with a sneer.
-"Ah, Sarabi!" – he said when he finally faced the still perplexed female. – "I guess we ought to congratulate each other for the beginning of a new way in life! Should I refer to you as my sister-in-law from now on?"
The cub smiled, but not very sincerely. She could sense that he was just being sarcastic.
-"Uh, thank you, but Mufasa and I aren't married yet… We're just betrothed, nothing more."
When the congratulating ceased, king Ahadi called for everyone's attention yet again and announced that, a day from now, the animals of the Pridelands should gather at Pride Rock for a presentation ceremony, during which the new appointments would be released to the public.
The preparations began immediately. Lions were sent to inform the neighboring prides, and birds flew to let all the other species of the kingdom know about the upcoming presentation. Eventually, Mufasa and Taka were the only ones left in the den.
The older prince looked a little better than after the shocking news had been delivered to him. He was the one who began the conversation.
-"So…" – he attempted to smile, unable to make out his brother's mood from his passionless glare. – "The famous Lion Guard, huh? You think you're up for the job?"
Taka narrowed his eyes and showed a menacing smirk.
-"So. You are now officially betrothed and Sarabi's about to become your queen. Do you think you're up for that job, hm?"
Mufasa slapped his brother's shoulder delicately.
-"Don't try to impersonate me, you're not very good at that! And besides, I asked you first!"
But Taka just kept on smiling.
-"Yes, well, I must admit that father is trying to be as fair as he possibly can… But still his decisions come as a bit of a shock, wouldn't you agree?"
-"Yeah, they sure do…"
-"… and yet, following the old laws isn't exactly a light task, is it?"
Mufasa gave him a startled look, not knowing what he meant nor what to answer. Then the younger cub simply sighed, changing the subject.
-"Oh come on, your royal highness! Let's go get some food. After such a long morning, I feel like I could eat a grown elephant…"
And so the rest of the day passed quickly. The next morning, as soon as the brothers woke up, they could hear the ruckus outside their den, caused by the countless beast which had already started congregating there.
Uru was more than zealous in her efforts to make both her sons look as best they could for their presentation. Since sunrise, each one of the princes had to live through two baths, and still their mother kept licking their fur or fixing whatever first sprouts of a mane each of them had from time to time, to Mufasa and Taka's great exasperation.
-"You may not remember the presentation ceremonies that took place after each of you was born" – she kept telling them – "but I do, and I want you to look as good as you did on that day!"
Ahadi was running around Pride Rock, nervous. Although he never showed it once the actual thing began, he hated speaking publically, suffering from a nasty case of the jitters.
-"Is the delegation from the Rhino Ridge Pride here already?" – he asked Upesi, who was responsible for organizing the whole event.
-"Yes, your majesty" – the lion nodded with a smile. – "This is only the third time you've asked me that same question."
-"I did? Oh, sorry about that… Uh, wait. One more thing. What was I supposed to… Oh yes! Can you tell me when does the Kupatana Festival fall this year?"
-"It's six days from now, sire…" – Upesi sighed, not wanting to complain to the king that he'd asked that question already, too.
About midday, everything was ready. The royal family stood together in the den, and the king was almost about to stand before his subjects.
-"Okay, how do I look?" – he gasped one more time, turning toward Uru.
-"You look fine, dear. Go on! They're waiting for you!"
The royal couple shared one last hug, and then Ahadi took a deep breath and went out to begin the presentation.
-"Well, this is it…" – Mufasa whispered to Taka.
His brother looked at both of him and Sarabi, who was sitting right by the older prince's side, and smiled.
-"You don't mean to tell me you're nervous, do you? Come on, Muffy! I've never had this much fun in my entire life!"
But somehow, the two betrothed cubs couldn't shake the feeling that they were being mocked…
The presentation began when the king and queen stood at the very tip of Pride Rock and all of the animals gathered below performed their customary bow. Then followed the customary presentation of the kingdom's official heir to the throne. Mufasa went out to stand by his father's side. Customary cheers and bows followed.
Next, Mufasa's betrothal with Sarabi was officially announced. The king finished his speech and the girl walked out of the den to stand by her future mate's side. Customary cheers and bows followed.
The third point of the presentation was a special announcement that was meant to be delivered by the leader of the Lion Guard. Upesi stood before the crowd and was customarily greeted with cheers and bows. Then he announced that the duty of the old Guard was now coming to an end and that he, on behalf of the king, wished to thank his fellow guards, blah blah blah.
And then…
Then the really important moment came! After Upesi announced that now was the time to present the leader of the new Lion Guard, Taka prepared himself for his well-deserved moment of fame. Finally, he would be treated fairly. No longer just a younger brother of the future king, no longer the second best. And when all of the Pridelands heard his name…
He went out to the deafening noise of cheers that sounded a little less customary, and a lot more sweetly in his ears. He stood there by the rest of his family, but he felt as if he were completely alone, absorbing the praises of the crowd by himself like a portion of pure delight. He felt the wind in his black hair… and he was happy.
King Ahadi called for peace and announced that candidates for membership in Taka's new Lion Guard, all male lions under the age of one-and-a-half, are to gather near Pride Rock in six days, during the annual Kupatana Festival.
And after that…
That was it! After the customary roar and the customary bow, everybody just… went home!
Upesi still received a patting on the back from the members of his old Lion Guard (each of them also jerked Taka's short mane, messing up Uru's precise hair-styling completely), after which, relinquishing the guardians' mark, they all returned back to their respective prides to retire together with their families.
Before late afternoon, Taka found himself alone on the tip of Pride Rock with nobody but his uncle to keep him company.
-"So…" – he addressed Uru's brother, looking a bit confused – "… what now?"
Upesi laughed heartily, seeing his perplexity.
-"Haha! Well, wasn't that a stunning event? You did great, just like your mother said. Thank goodness, now the whole thing's over… C'mon, kid! Let's get outa here before my sister comes back to give you another bath!" – Upesi went over to him and grabbed the prince by the elbow. – "From this day, you're no cub anymore. But you also belong to me now! Haha! C'mon, lemme show you our new private den!"
Willingly or not, Taka let himself be taken by his uncle to the side of Pride Rock, where the famous Lair of the Lion Guard was. He'd never been inside that place, and as he walked up the rocky steps to enter the cave, he looked at the paintings on the walls curiously.
-"So this is where you hang out with the rest of the Guard, right, uncle?"
-"Wrong!" – Upesi said with a chuckle, lying down on the floor and rolling over to his back comfortably. – "This is where we hang out. Now there's only two members of the Lion Guard, remember? Just you and me! But hakuna matata, kid! Thankfully, the presentation was, in our terms, uneventful. I don't think we have anything else to do today. So, unless anyone calls for us, and I hope they won't, I'll tell ya a thing or two about how it is to be leader of the famous team of protectors of the kingdom. But first…"
The old lion jumped to his feet again and reached behind a big boulder, revealing a hidden zebra leg from yesterday's hunt.
-"… lunch! I'm tellin' ya, kid, those presentation thingies are nothing but a pain in the rump. All this fuss, and you can't even hunt that day 'cause all the attendants receive an official assurance of complete safety. Hm, then again, I guess none of them would ever come if it were otherwise…"
Taka was actually very enthusiastic about his uncle's proposition. Lying down by his side, he began to eat.
-"I was thinking…" – he spoke with his mouth full, understanding that in this place he had the silent concession to skip some of the obligations of the royal protocol, pointing at the symbol on Upesi's shoulder – "… when do I get one of these?"
-"Good question!" – the Lion Guard leader threw a zebra bone straight out the entrance to the lair. – "You'll get that, along with much more special stuff, a bit later. First, we need to find you some companions. You can't do everything by yourself, you know."
-"And how do I… recruit new companions?" – Taka asked curiously.
-"How? Well, lemme tell ya! Boy, is it gonna be fun! The Leonine Tournament, of course!"
-"The what?" – his uncle's words did not sound familiar to the young prince.
-"What, you mean to tell me that king Ahadi never told you anything about what the Leonine Tournament is? What else do you learn during those lessons of yours, then? Sure, we haven't had one since I was a kid like yourself, but still… Okay, come with me. It's time to look at some of these old pictures."
-"Alright…"
A bit startled by his uncle's unusually loose behavior, Taka followed him to one of the walls of the lair. There Upesi showed him five small shapes painted on the wall.
-"Right. So now I'm supposed to say- according to ancient tradition, blah blah blah, you get the idea, the Lion Guard usually, if not always, consists of five members." – he pointed toward the first symbol – "The leader- that's you- is simply referred to as 'the leader'. He technically should be the wisest of the bunch, though knowing myself, I'm not so sure about that one… But, I'm sure you'll do a fine job yourself. Next, we have the four subordinate members… but don't let your superiority over them go to your head too much. They'll follow you if you ask them to, but lording it over your team only leads to unnecessary fights, okay? Trust me, I've experienced that the hard way... So the four other guardians are: the strongest, the bravest, the fastest, and the keenest of sight. In my old team, those were Nguvu, Jabali, Upepo and Koho, whom you've met. But now, you yourself need to gather all the male lion cubs around, and impartially, you hear me? Impartially choose the ones among them who are strongest, bravest, fastest and keenest of sight. And that's what the Leonine Tournament is for! Get it?"
Taka understood his uncle's instructions well. But he already began to think how he could use the rules that the Lion Guard followed to his own advantage.
AN: So the Pridelands are about to witness a mashindano… for lions!
For now, Taka is soaking in all the benefits he was given like a sponge, and lovin' it. Who can blame him? Imagine if your old war vet uncle came to you at age 12 and decided to teach you how to lead a platoon of soldiers!