Saying that I'm resting again will only have those listening to my story in the future believe that I've been running another great distance. While it is true that I continued my search for Kiara and Kovu, I didn't travel at a high speed for my paws were- and still are -insufferably sore from my journey away the Pride Lands; and I'm resting now to recover from what I previously went through.

From the moment this entire event began, I knew that I had to make decisions that would ensure a thriving future for my kingdom. But because of bigotry and fear, I became obsessed with ending the conflict between the Pride Lands and the Outlands by any means necessary. As a result, I tore my daughter away from a lion I deemed a threat, and everyone took my side. Devastated and outraged because my refusal to listen to reason, Kiara, my own flesh and blood, mercilessly rebuked me, and so began my unendurable plunge into hell; and when I tried to make things right again, everyone I loved and could trust was infected by the hate I had conjured. In all of my years of being king, I had never dealt with something on this level before- this is the thing I should have never let happen.

Of course, that will all be in the past once we return to the Pride Lands. Yes; when we- Kiara, Kovu, and myself -return home and rebuild the tranquility the Pride Lands had lost in the aftermath of the ambush. Even as I lay here on the grass and slowly regain strength, tears of happiness are still flowing from my eyes. After struggling through so much agony, I have finally found a way to escape the torture that I had brought upon myself.

How I freed myself from the anguish began on a slightly predictable note but it didn't matter now as it did then.

After traveling through more unknown land, I found myself walking through a peaceful grassland. The air felt so refreshing, like I had stepped into a world I once existed in and had died away from. I stopped for a moment and allowed the breeze to blow against me; I felt much cooler as my mane flowed in the gentle wind. Along with the sense of coolness, I felt some hope come to me. The possibility that Kiara and Kovu were in reach was at its greatest, and I wasted no time searching for them.

I strolled through the soft grass looking for my daughter and her companion. When I was on the top of a hill, I carefully surveyed the land in every direction. On the third hill I climbed, I spotted Kovu. There was no doubt at all- even from where I was, I could identify the form of his mane and the scar over his left eye. By the way he was hunched over, I could also tell how depressed he was.

I did not hesitate to venture further. I calmly descended the hill and, just as I was ascending the next, I heard Kovu gasp. Then I heard him dash off and I hurried up the hill to see what was going on, but I suddenly went back down to hide upon seeing someone running towards him. Just as quickly as I had spotted the young lion before, the realization hit me instantly- the animal he was running to was a lioness, and the appearance of that young lioness was one I could recognize anywhere; it was Kiara!

I immediately but cautiously climbed over the hill and hid on the incline of the next. I had the perfect view of them both. Kiara nuzzled Kovu lovingly. They were overjoyed to be together again after the events at Pride Rock. I felt awful that I had split them apart, but, at the same time, I felt tenderness in my heart at the sight of them being so happy. It reminded me of when I was reunited with Nala after living with Timon and Pumbaa in their jungle home for so many years. When that happened, I was filled with great bliss; and I'm sure that was what they felt during their reunion.

In seconds the air was filled with the melody of laughter. I couldn't blame them. Who wouldn't want to exchange sadness and anger for joy and merriment after escaping the harsh and unfair world they had lived in? Anyone who had the same experience as Kiara and Kovu did would agree. I myself would be one of them.

The cheeriness that was attributed to the land we were in instantly vanished when the confrontation began.

I carefully made my way over to them. Since I was keeping myself low to the ground and doing my best to avoid hills, neither of them saw me- at least that's what I think what happened. Because of the high hopes racing through my mind, I didn't pay attention to Kiara and Kovu nor did I even bother to listen to what they were doing.

All at once, I turned into a new direction and nearly collided into an ecstatic Kovu. We both gasped loudly and, while Kovu managed to remain standing on his paws, I jumped back and fell onto the ground. After getting back up, I looked at Kovu who was glaring at me. From behind him, Kiara noticed me and marched over with the same stare. I remember making myself aware that they would be enraged when they would see me and that I had to be ready to fight against their anger; but I was so obsessed in finding Kiara and Kovu that I had failed to prepare myself for the argument. Nevertheless, I decided to go on, using what was left of my intellect to persuade them to come back to the Pride Lands with me.

"I know you both never want to see or hear of me again," I began courageously; "but you both have to listen to what I have to say. No matter what happens in the future, I need you both to understand this: I am completely-"

"You're sorry?" Kiara growled as she stepped forward to be alongside Kovu. "After every atrocious act you committed, you think it's okay to appear right in front of us to finally say you're sorry? It's too late for that!"

"Kiara, please!" I begged. "I didn't know what I was doing back there. Please listen to me, I-"

"We all know you were doing exactly what you wanted!" Kovu snarled.

I was shaking my head and I stepped back a little to give us some space. "No!" I cried. "I mean, I can admit that I used to regard you as a threat, Kovu, but now I-"

"Do you honestly expect us to believe what you're saying?!" Kiara roared. She started advancing towards me as if she would pounce on me. "If you are trying to apologize, then haven't you looked back at every terrible thing you've done? Don't you remember how badly you've treated Kovu?"

The fear rising within me caused me to stutter incoherently.

"How about all the lies you kept telling me?" Kiara growled in a low voice. "Remember them all? Didn't you see how hurt I was?"

I wanted to protest all that I was hearing. Unfortunately, the memories flooded my thoughts. Every one of them was the same thing: Kiara going out by herself and me assigning Timon and Pumbaa to keep a close eye on her. The memory that injected me with the most guilt was the day of Kiara's first hunt and when the fire broke out. I remembered being so scared of what might've happened to her if she got caught in the blaze. The fear turned to anger when I saw her with Kovu.

Almost instantly the short argument between me and Kiara came back, echoing in my mind. Looking back at it a short time after it occurred had little effect. Looking back at it right there and then had a much bigger effect.

First came Kiara's voice questioning me: "Father, how can you break your promise?"

And then came my voice angrily telling her: "It's a good thing I did! I almost lost you!"

A father concerned about his daughter is a natural thing, and that's what I always considered myself at those times: worried about my daughter's safety. But in truth, I was paranoid of what or who she would run into. That was one of the major starting points in how all this incomprehensible drama began, and how it grew, and how I failed to stop it until it was too late.

I looked up at Kiara, I thought I could make out of the flicker of fire in her eyes. "I never considered it," I said timidly. "I was too-"

"You wanted me gone!" Kovu stated harshly. He joined Kiara in enforcing fear and regret upon me. "You never wanted her safe! All you wanted was to make sure we were separated because of who you think I'll become!"

I found myself stuttering again and my mind urged me to run away, but I bravely refused.

"So why don't you just admit it, Simba?" Kovu then asked.

"What?" I inquired nervously.

"Admit that you never had faith in us!" Kovu snarled. "Admit that you'll never believe that I am not like my mother, and that you'll never trust Kiara not matter what she does!"

My jaw dropped and my eyes filled with tears. Pangs of horror went off throughout my mind. I couldn't believe what I just heard; simultaneously, I couldn't do anything but stand where I was- my limbs had stiffened from the shock.

When I finally felt the urge to speak again, I cried, "That...that's not true! You must let me explain everything!"

"Why should we?!" Kovu roared. "You didn't let me explain what happened in the Outlands!"

"I know I was wrong to exile you like that," I said; "but I was petrified by the ambush to think about the consequences!"

"Oh, I'm sure you were!" Kiara barked.

"But I was!" I cried. "I'm being truthful! Please believe me!"

Kovu laughed. "You really think we'll believe you after you turned a blind eye on us?! How predictable can your bluffing get?!"

I made a strong attempt to get through their rage and make them understand how sorry I am. I made a big mistake in doing so.

When I pleaded to them that I wasn't making up lies, I sprang forward in front of Kovu. Both he and Kiara reacted violently. Kovu roared and pushed me back with intense force. I got up to persuade him to stop and listen; but I was pushed back a second time- this time by Kiara. I watched as she continued to stare at me with burning hatred and raised a paw into the air. In an instant, she brought her paw down and it struck the left side of my muzzle. I felt the impact of the blow against my jaw and I stumbled to the right and collapsed.

There was an unholy silence around the three of us. I had expected Kiara and Kovu to mock me one last time before walking away, but they said nothing.

Then Kiara spoke. "Did...did I just...did I hit my own father?"

I heard what she said, but her anguished cry from our argument at Pride Rock echoed in my mind. "YOU WILL NEVER BE MUFASA!"

And then came Kovu's voice. "Kiara, I think he's hurt."

Right after he spoke, I heard the echo of the lioness from the search party. "Why would you want to speak with that black-maned demon?"

I heard Kiara and Kovu approach me, and Kiara whispered to me, "Daddy, are you okay?"

Then I heard the echo of Nala's gentle voice. "My guess is now that you've split them apart, she sees you now as an oppressor than her father."

Tears surged out of my eyes as I quietly sobbed.

"Dad?" Kiara whispered again.

"I failed," I croaked. "I wanted to get everything back to normal but no one wants to help. I ordered a search party and they were only interested in finding you, Kiara. I tried to get them to believe me when I said I wanted you and Kovu found, but none of them would accept it."

Kiara nuzzled me as Kovu said, "You really are sorry for your immorality, and we've been blinded by hate to accept forgiveness."

I glanced at Kovu and then at Kiara. She looked into my eyes and said, "Dad, I'm sorry that I hit you. I was afraid that you would force me to come home with you."

"I understand, Kiara," I replied. "I know now how much I've hurted you with my beliefs."

"Wait," said Kovu. "You said you've organized a search party to look for us. Why aren't they here?"

"I left them to do the search by myself," I told him.

"You just left them?!" Kovu gasped. "Simba, how could you?!"

"They all believed you were as evil as I said you were!" I shouted; but then lowered my voice to a whisper. "I couldn't handle the guilt, so I broke away and came here."

"Everyone believed you?" Kiara inquired.

"No, not everyone," I replied. "Your mother told me what she thought about my actions and I decided to talk to you about this. But then I found out you had left Pride Rock and I felt worse."

The silence returned for a moment. It ended when I said, "I just never thought things could escalate this quickly. I thought that I could bring peace to the Pride Lands when I actually brought corruption upon everyone. I feel like I should have never become king."

Kovu walked over to Kiara and I and he told me: "Even though it's satisfying to see you admit that you were wrong in every way imaginable, a part of me says you shouldn't allow guilt to take control of you. I know that because of my mother."

Kiara and I stared at Kovu. I wondered what Zira could have done to him then that would make he regard her like that.

"After you escaped, Simba, we found my older brother Nuka crushed under a pile of heavy logs," Kovu explained. "His last words were, 'I'm sorry, mother. I tried.'. I'd never seen my mother so devastated- so enraged. She lashed out on me, saying that I was responsible for his death and how I betrayed Scar. I couldn't take it anymore so I left- not before my mother left me a cruel reminder of her loss."

My heart ached with remorse. Losing a sibling was already appalling. Getting scorned and scarred by the one who cared about you is traumatizing. I remember was I was a cub and Scar murdered my father to seize the throne. He said that I was responsible for his death and I believed him. I felt terrible to think that someone who was born to hate could experience the horror I had endured.

"Kovu," I began. "I want you to know that I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes you feel like you could've done something to stop disaster, and sometimes you wish that it could've been you. But, just like you said, you shouldn't allow the guilt to control you."

"I know that," Kovu replied. "I'll keep my spirits up if I can, but I don't want to see my mother again."

"Zira is a monster for believing that Scar was the rightful King of the Pride Lands," said Kiara; "but still, she's your-"

Kovu sharply interrupted Kiara. "I don't understand why she still believes that! Her faith is meaningless!"

Kiara and I were surprised by his remark. "But Zira had trained you to kill me," I said.

"That was long ago," Kovu responded. "Scar means nothing to me now! I don't want anything to do with him!"

I suddenly felt relief. I now knew that Kovu was good at heart. Despite the fact that he was an Outlander, his heart pumped the blood of a Pride Lander.

To make a long story short, I told Kiara and Kovu what I had planned for the future: having the entire story explained to everyone and then passing the law that called for all suspected criminals to undergo a fair trial. They were pleased by my proposals and I sensed that I had regained my title as Kiara's father.

I now feel strong to walk. Kiara and Kovu had been waiting patiently for me to recover from the fight. I look at them and smile. They smile back. Our long journey back to the Pride Lands begins now.