A/N: Well another chapter under my belt and it would not have been possible for everyone's great reviews. Though I did have a bit of a writers block again trying to get this one out. However, here it is and I hope everyone enjoys it still.
Like to thank Browynn for editing this one for me. Between her and Prairie24, I've been able to keep on track and inspired with this story. Thanks Ladies.
Chapter X
Three days had passed since Lion-O had with Cheetara argued, and while he considered it only a little spat, his Cleric thought differently. Every time he had tried to talk to her she had simply ignored him, not acknowledging his words. What upset Lion-O even more was the fact that she had changed out of the dresses that had been given to her and had returned to wearing her traditional clerical garment. His father had questioned him about it but Lion-O had given him some excuse. The King then gave him the same advice that his brother Tygra had—to apologize to her. Lion-O was trying to figure out exactly how to accomplish that task when she wouldn't even speak to him.
It was mid-morning and Lion-O was out in the main courtyards looking over the provisions that were being brought in for the gathering attack force. He ran a frustrated hand through his untamed red hair and let out a deep breath. He had to find some way to speak to her to work things out between them. He had hoped to be able to do this before they left on the big campaign, but it was looking more and more hopeless as the days passed.
Not talking to Cheetara was starting to wear on him, and despite his efforts not to show it on the outside, he was failing even in that. He stood there overlooking the courtyard and then let out another deep sigh, looking skyward watching a flock of birds as they headed south.
"It is one of the most wonderful and most horrid emotions that we have with us." A voice said, breaking Lion-O out of his own thoughts.
"What is?" he asked, looking to his side seeing the old General walking up next to him.
"Love, my boy, it is wonderful and makes you feel like you can do anything when you are high with it. Yet when it is taken from you and you are left wondering if the person that you love so much loves you the same it hurts and makes you wish you could just crawl in a hole and forget about the world." Panthro told the young Prince without even looking at him.
"I hate feeling like this Panthro, I hate not being able to talk to her, to tell her I'm sorry" Lion-O told his friend. "Have you ever had this issue with Pumyra?" Lion-O asked.
"What? Me saying something stupid and her not talking to me for a while?" the elder panther asked, chuckling when Lion-O nodded yes. "Of course, many times, but that happens with couples now and again," he told the young man, letting out a content sigh. "Though it doesn't have the same effect on me as it did before."
"How so?"
"Because I know in the end she loves me as much as I love her. Though there was a time not long after we first met when I didn't realize that I loved her," Panthro said, getting a distant look in his eyes. "She was a lot more hot-headed back then. She's still a hot-head, mind you, but calmed down a lot since we wed. I'd made a similar mistake during one mission that we were on for you and said something about her staying back, wanting to protect her. Of course my stupid mouth said a lot more idiotic things after that but the point is this: after our little fight she wouldn't speak to me anymore than was absolutely necessary to for nearly three weeks. It drove me crazy and I found that it hurt more and more every day that she ignored me. I knew then that I loved her."
"What did you do?" Lion-O asked, hoping to gain some insight on how to fix things between Cheetara and himself.
"It took some work but I finally got her to sit down and I talked to her, told her that I was sorry," he told Lion-O, "Which is something that you need to do. You are going to be King one day your highness and you can't be timid. I'm not saying rush over to her and make demands, but I'm saying that you need to do the right thing and leaving it alone like it is now won't fix anything." Panthro turned to leave. "Oh, and two more things, don't ever repeat what I just told you and you aren't the only one looking depressed around the palace lately." He just shook his head when Lion-O gave him an odd look. "Women are good hiding their true feelings—especially to those they love the most." Panthro walked away without giving Lion-O a chance to say anything else.
oOo
Another two days passed and still Lion-O had no luck talking with Cheetara, at least talking to her about the subject he wanted. She was speaking to him again, starting to be around him more yet there was a distance between them. Now to make matters worse, there had been no time for them to spend alone together. He had been busy helping his father plan out the last-minute plans of the battle at Mumm-Ra fortress.
Now it was the predawn hours of the morning in which they would begin their march toward the Black Pyramid. Lion-O had been unable to sleep at all that night and the cause for that was clear. He stood on the balcony of his room looking across the small distance between his and Cheetara's room. It was not the upcoming battle that had him awake. No, battles did not bother him he had been in plenty already. It was the battle for the woman that held his heart that kept him awake for yet another night.
He began to remember the conversation that he'd had with Panthro the other day. He had to admit that the General was right—he would be King one day and he needed to learn how to handle situations like this. He began to think that if he could not work out the issues with the woman he loved then how he would be unable to work out bigger issues within the Kingdom. A thought came to mind and as he walked over to the closet were he stored the gear for his alter ego. He pulled out the grapple gun before walking back over to the balcony.
He looked at her open window before glancing down toward the gun. What he was planning could go very wrong or it could work to his favor, but he wouldn't know unless he tried. He aimed it at a spot over her window and pulled the trigger. The line silently zipped across the small expanse and attached itself into the exterior wall. Taking one last deep breath and saying a small prayer to the ancients that this would work, Lion-O jumped, swinging himself onto the ledge of her window just as he would have done out in the city.
Crouching on the window seal, he peered into the window and saw no movement, that her bed was empty. It looked as if it had not been slept in, causing the prince to wonder if everything was all right with her. He stepped inside and looked about the dark room but saw nothing. Then he heard a noise coming from the small bathroom attached to her room. Before he could move to get out of site, the object of his love walked out into her room wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her.
Lion-O stood there for what seemed like an eternity just looking at the young cheetah. Her hair was wet, droplets of water still running down her arms telling him that she had just gotten out of the bath. It was hard for him not to stare at her, she looked so beautiful standing there. When she finally locked eyes with him she returned his gaze, anger evident in her eyes as placed a hand on her hip.
"Not very becoming of you your highness, coming into a lady's bedroom unannounced." Cheetara said still standing there. As much as she wanted to yell at him for his intrusion a part of her had to admit that his actions, while unconventional, were very charming. "Could you not have waited until later?" She told him, trying her best to have a stern tone.
"I'm sorry Cheetara, but you haven't let me speak to you once in nearly a week. I had to do something." Lion-O said trying his best to keep his focus on her face and not letting his eyes roam her nearly naked body.
"And you thought swinging into my window was the best way to get my attention?" She walked over to her bed and grabbed the robe that was lying across her bed. "I do have a door that you could have knocked on." She turned her back to him and slipped on the robe, letting the towel fall to the floor once she was covered.
"I know but I didn't think you would answer it or even want to talk to me." Lion-O explained. He was starting to regret his actions, raising his hand he ran his fingers through his hair.
"So you thought it was better to come swinging in through my window?" When she turned around to look at him she felt her heart skip a beat as she saw him run his hand through his hair, she had always found the act to be something she considered very attractive and sweet about him.
She missed the times they had to spend alone together. There was so little of that lately with all of the planning for the attack. She was no longer upset with him about his comment almost a week ago. After talking with Jaga and Pumyra she knew that her prince only wanted her safe. She was told how devastated he had been when she had already died once in his arms. The cheetah didn't want him to have to go through that again, but she was first and foremost a cleric and it was as much her duty to keep him safe as it was his to keep her safe.
Lion-O stood there trying to think of what to say, how to begin. All he knew was that it was killing him being this close to her, not knowing if he could hold her, kiss her, make her his. He was a bit shocked by that last thought that had ran through his mind, but it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it before. He already knew that there was no other in all of third earth that he would want, no one who could even come close to taking her place in his heart. So he knew that he needed to apologize quickly before she kicked him out.
"I need to talk to you Cheetara. I need to tell you that I am sorry for what I said that upset you. It's just that I nearly lost you once already and the thought of losing you again…it would kill me. You know that I love you, and knowing that there's a chance that I could lose you…" He said the lowered his head shaking it and trying to gather his thoughts.
"Your Highness…"She started but was cut off when he looked up at her and started talking again.
"Please let me finish. I'm not good with words like my brother, but please listen. I know that you are a Cleric, and it was stupid of me to think that because you came back and had started to wear some of my mother's dresses that you'd left that part of your life behind. I was wrong to think it was no longer your responsibility to protect us and the kingdom." He said stepping closer to her. "I have to remember that being a cleric is still a big part of your life and that it always will be. I'm sorry for treating you as if it weren't important. I love you Cheetara, I love everything about you that makes you who you are and I would not change a single thing about you. I hope that you can forgive me for being an idiot." He told her, sighing before he turned and headed toward her door.
"Where are you going?" She asked him.
"I thought I would go out the door this time. I told you what I came to say." Lion-O sounded defeated as he started moving past her and toward the door. He stopped when he felt her grab his hand.
"So now you're just going to leave without even letting me say anything?" she asked him, shaking her head, "You still have a lot to learn about how a woman works my prince." Cheetara tried not to chuckle as she watched his ears drop. She stepped closer to him and placed a hand to his cheek. "And I have a lot to learn when it comes to letting someone who I love protect me." She reached up and kissed him gently on the lips.
"Does this mean that you forgive me?" Lion-O asked, still unsure of what to make of it all.
"Yes my dear sweet prince, I forgave you a while ago." She told him.
A big goofy smile crossed his lips and Cheetara could not help but chuckle at his reaction. She slipped back into his embrace so easily as he wrapped his arms around her, leaning down for a kiss. She leaned her head back to give him better access to her lips. She had missed this, missed his touch and the feel of his lips on hers.
Her scent filled his senses and when she opened her mouth the let his probing tongue enter she ignited a fire in him that hadn't been there previously. They broke their kiss only due to their need for air and looked into each other's eyes. Unspoken words were exchanged between them and before long Lion-O laid her on the bed and began feathering kisses down the graceful curve of her neck. She sound of her softly moaning his name fueled the young prince's fire even more. Soon he was untying her robe as she began to rip off his shirt. Once they were free of their clothes, skin to skin, they made love, moving to a rhythm as old as time.
oOo
The sun crept through the window of her bedroom shining down on the new lovers. Cheetara never expected that something so primal could make her feel as loved as making love to Lion-O had. She lay there with her head on his chest, running her fingers through the soft fur that covered the hard planes of his chest. She enjoyed the warmth that her prince's naked body provided. She could stay like this for the rest of the day, deep down she knew that was not a possibility. A gentle sigh escaped her lips as she felt Lion-O run his hand through her hair and down her back.
"I know it's still early in our relationship," He began and she turned her head to look up into his blue eyes. "But I already know that there is no other person I would ever want as my future queen," he told her softly.
"Lion-O I…" She began but stopped when he place a finger on her lips.
"Cheetara, I love you with every fiber of my being. This past week… not being near you. not being able to touch you proved to me beyond a doubt that you are the only one I want to be my queen and the mother of my heirs."
When the tears started to flow from her eye, Lion-O feared that he had once again said something to hurt her feelings, but she leaned up and kissed him deeply before pulling back and looking at her prince. She cupped his cheek and kissed him once again before speaking.
"I love you too my prince, and I would like nothing better than to become your queen and mate." She said then paused.
"But?" he asked.
"I think we should wait until the campaign is over before we start talking about the future," she said.
Lion-O should have understood her reasoning behind her answer, but in his mind all he was hearing was she was trying to turn him down. Was the only reason she'd said she loved him to get what had just happened an hour before. Now that they had made love, was she done with him? No he couldn't believe that, he wouldn't believe that. That was only his fear of losing her again talking, nothing more. She must have seen the worried look on his face and the questions running in his eyes because she spoke up.
"I'm not saying no my love, I'm just saying that we should wait until after this battle is done and Mumm-Ra is gone for good before talking about our future together," she told him propping herself up on and elbow. "I love you Lion-O, and whether I become your Queen or not, that will never change. Aside from dying again, nothing is going to take me away from you."
Lion-O didn't like the idea that she would not give him a firm answer yet, but he had already learned not to take what little time they had for granted. Sure one or both of them could not come back from this battle, and he would love to already have her as his wife before they left. However, he would respect her wishes and would wait until this war was over. It would be enough for now to know that she was his mate already.
"We should get up and get ready. I'm sure the king will want to get going soon," Cheetara said reluctantly.
"I don't want to leave this bed yet," he said with equal reluctance in his voice. He let out a heavy sigh then started to get out of bed. "It's going to take a few days for us to travel to the fortress. Will you visit me in my tent at night?" he asked her.
She moved over behind him and put her arms around his neck. Her bare chest pressed against his back and she trailed kisses across his bare shoulder. Lion-O let out a deep satisfying sigh and smiled.
"I will do my best to be there," she told him.
Lion-O turned his head around enough to capture her lips with his own. They shared a deep passionate kiss for a few moments before getting up and dressing. There received a few odd looks from the palace servants as they both exited her room and headed down to meet the King, but no one said a word to either of them.
oOo
True to her word Cheetara went to Lion-O's tent every night during their trek to the fortress. The King and their friends knew of their nightly rendezvous but no one ever said a word to them about it. They were not doing anything aside from expressing their love for one another.
Claudus was happy that everything had worked out once again for his youngest son and the cheetah. The king realized that after their upcoming battle with Mumm-Ra, many of the soldiers in his army would not be returning home. There was also a nagging feeling in his gut that he himself would not be coming back from this last battle, that he would not live to see his son wed to the young woman. It was something that as a father he wanted most of all because if he didn't return from this fight, then his son would have lost both his parents.
The King watched the two on their four day journey to Mumm-Ra's Pyramid. They reminded him so much of himself and his wife when they were young. On the fourth night he walked the camp, greeted his men, something that he did before every battle. As he walked around a group of tents he spotted the young cheetah standing on a small knoll overlooking the vast desert and the dark cloud that hung over the dark pyramid.
"You can not sleep either?" he asked her as he walked up and stood next to Cheetara.
"Your Majesty!" she said with a start, and then bowed.
"Please rise Cheetara," Claudus gave a slight wave of his hand. "I find that I can't sleep either before a big battle. I ponder if I have made the right plans and worry about the men under my command," he said, looking back to the camp. "And now both my sons are will be with me tomorrow on the battlefield."
"They are both strong young men your Majesty and their father taught them how to fight very well," she told him.
"That's not what worries me about tomorrow. I worry that when it's over they will be without a father as well as a mother," he confessed to her, looking back to her. "Cheetara, if something should happen to me tomorrow, promise me that you will look out for Lion-O and be there for him."
"Sire…"
"I had always thought that when Lion-O chose a mate that he would pick a lioness, but I'm happy that he made the choice that he did," he said, looking at her with a soft smile. "I know that you are not wed yet, but I already consider you a daughter and when the time comes, I know you will make Lion-O and Thundera a wonderful Queen." The king then looked out toward the pyramid.
Cheetara didn't know what to say. To be praised so highly by her King was a shock to her, but one she took with great humility. However, his words still concerned her. He spoke as though he would not be returning from the battle. The two soon parted ways and Cheetara, with no real concern for who saw her made her way to Lion-O's tent. Once inside she quickly moved to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest.
"Cheetara, what wrong?" he asked her, easily wrapping her in a hug.
"I'm worried about the battle tomorrow," she said quietly as her lion held her close.
She had been anxious enough as it was about the upcoming battle, but after the King had talked to her, her nerves were more intense. She was not sure why; she had never been like this before, not even when she had made the decision to help Lion-O fight Mumm-Ra the first time. So what exactly was it that had her so worried. Cheetara didn't know for sure, all she wanted to do now was stay there in Lion-O arms and be comforted.
"I would be lying if I told you that I was not concerned about it either, but we're going to be alright my love." Lion-O said, holding her close, running a hand through her hair trying to calm her.
"How can you be sure Lion-O, what if..." she started but quickly stopped.
She thought about telling him about what his father had just told her. However, something told her not to do it. She knew he was worried enough about the fact that she was with him. Her prince had never said anything like that before, but the closer they had gotten to the fortress, the concerned in his eyes grew with each step they took. She knew what he was thinking.
"No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow during the battle," Lion-O sounded a lot older and wiser than his age. "I've learned already not to be to concerned about what we can not control and to live life to the fullest in the time that we are given," he told her. "I have no illusions that we will not lose a lot of good people tomorrow, some of which are very close to, but there is not much we can do about it. We have to stop Mumm-Ra before he can attack again," he told her still stroking her hair.
She moved away from him just enough to look up into his blue eyes and nodded. She was not sure why this was bothering her so much. However, she knew that Lion-O words were true. There was not much they could do, and no one knew how long they would have in this life. His words made her bury herself deep into her loves embrace. If tomorrow was going to be the end for some then she wanted one more night with her prince.
oOo
Tygra had been walking through the camp on his way back to his tent when he had spotted his father and Cheetara speaking on the hill. He stopped and watched them, moving close enough to be able to hear them speaking. What he heard did not sit well with the tiger. He had never known his father to fear a fight, but now he was speaking in a grim tone. It did not sit well with him to hear the king speak that way.
Tygra felt that he should share this premonition with his brother, but as he watched Cheetara part from the king, the tiger prince stood there and looked at his father. No matter what, he and his brother needed to find a way to keep his father's dark words from coming true. With that thought in mind he started to make his way toward Lion-O's tent. As he got closer to where his brothers tent was he spotted the very familiar blonde hair of the cheetah, who he still had strong feelings for, enter his brothers tent. He knew that the relationship between the two could not be broken, but that did not mean Tygra was completely okay with it. He wanted Cheetara to be happy, and his brother was able to give her that. Yet a part of him was jealous of what the two of them had together.
He walked away from the tent and started to head toward his own. As he did he spotted Panthro and Pumyra sharing a quiet intimate moment together. She was almost ten years younger than the General, but it was clear that they made each other very happy. He sighed as he watched them for only a moment. What had he done wrong with his life to be so alone now?
True, he had friends and his family, but he had no one for himself. He had thought at one point that he could have had that kind of relationship with Cheetara, but he knew there was no chance of that happening now. He still had feelings for her and he would do nothing to hurt her, but that still left him very much alone. Maybe this was his punishment for all the years he'd spent tormenting his brother and for trying to ruin the blooming relationship between the lion prince and the cheetah. Whatever the reason, it hurt to feel like this.
Oh sure there had been women in his life, but it wasn't the same and it had always made him feel empty inside. He stepped into his tent and set the paper he had in his hands on the small table before sitting on the small cot. He leaned his elbows on his knees, running his hands through his hair. He needed sleep for the upcoming battle tomorrow, but as he laid down his wished that for once he would not be sleeping alone or with some random woman only to wake up alone.