A/N: Hello readers! Welcome to one of the most mixed chapters of all time…
I apologise for the delay, this shouldn't have taken so long. For this time round I'll cut the crap and let you read first, a longer A/N will be at the back. I know most of you are dying to see the vote! And this is a slightly longer chapter to make it up to you lovely people. Check out my new cover to the story, by the way!
Lion King is owned by Disney. OCs are owned by me.
The song My Lullaby is owned by Disney as well.
Credits go to yeti1995 for proofreading, and helping me along with a certain part of the story. Couldn't have done it without you bro! :)
"We stand before you, the Pride, as humble lionesses announcing the results of the vote."
Every prey, every predator, every bird and every beast that was gathered around the rocks held their breath and turned to look at the two lionesses, Subira and Kiburi, which stood beside the royal brothers, Scar and Mufasa.
"It has been said – that the one with the most votes from the Pride will gain Kingship, with his Queen beside him, as the ruler of the Pride Lands." Subira smiled, catching the eyes of the Pride members.
Nala held her breath. Did she make the right choice?
"I am proud to announce today – "
Nala's eyes were wide in anticipation. Each of Subira's words weighed heavily on her ears.
" – that the new monarchs of the Pride Lands are – "
Great Kings, she thought, please make a good choice.
" – King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi."
Nala's own thoughts were immediately drowned out by the sound of some cheering. The herd of animals that had gathered by the rock cluster made loud sounds and cries of approval, cheering for their King and Queen. They were not unfamiliar to Mufasa and Sarabi as monarchs, because the pair had ruled over these lands before the Unison before.
"All hail King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi!" A rhinoceros bellowed, and the animals followed up with an equally booming sound of cheer.
"Silence, silence please." Musfasa boomed, and the animals turned up to look at him, quickly quietening down. "It is with a heavy heart that I take the throne. This was not meant to be, and I hope it never has to happen again in the history of the Pride Lands." The animals stopped their cheer immediately. Most of them had been too caught up in the moment to remember what had tragically happened just one sunrise before.
Down below in the crowd of lionesses and lions, Zira hissed in disapproval, extending her claws. One of the cubs looked towards her with wide eyes, a little startled by the noise.
"Auntie Zira, what's the noise about this time?" The cub was too young to comprehend what was the entire din was about.
"Oh my little one," she snarled, "it is time for a revolution."
"A revolution? What is a revolution?"
"Something that I am going to start," she hissed, just loud enough for that single cub to hear. Sheathing her extended claws, and unsheathing them again, she locked her crimson eyes on the cub. The cub stared at her, slightly confused and afraid.
"Uhh Auntie Zira, I don't understand…"
"You are going to understand very, very soon," Zira chuckled, her eyes bright with anticipation. Oh, the Pride will never see this coming to them, while she holds their little heirs in her claws…
"And how is my sister doing with these lovely little cubs?" Subira asked, as she descended from on top of the rocks and came face to face with Zira. "I hope they're not too much trouble for you, sister. I wouldn't want to see any of them get hurt," she cooed, as she pulled one of the youngest cubs towards her, stroking its fur with claws outstretched.
Zira gazed intensely at her sister, waiting for her move. But nothing happened.
"Well Subira? What are you waiting for?"
"Were you expecting me to just come in and –" she glanced down at the cub –" extinguish the small flames that we hold here, Zira? No no no. Why does it all have to end in violence?" She smiled sweetly, her eyes glinting with malice.
"Then what was your plan all along?"
"Not here Zira, not here," she said, looking at the slightly older cubs as she continued grooming the cub in her paws. "I much rather like quiet places to discuss business, you know. All this celebration is going to suffocate someone," she said distastefully.
Zira grunted, and stood up from where she was lying down with the cubs. "You speak too much, Subira. It is not as if you yourself have been denied access as Queen here, isn't it?" Her voice nearly rose to a growl.
Subira immediately dropped the cub and stood up. "Sister, we need to talk. Meet me at the tembo makaburini when the sun starts to sink into the lands."
When the gathering had dispersed, and after it was announced that there would be a re-crowning ceremony held by Rafiki to inform the rest of the Pride Land dwellers of the new King and Queen, the sunset was near. Making her way into the Elephant Graveyard, she was greeted by three hyenas who stood under a giant skull.
"Hey look who's here, the sister of the big boss eh?" Banzai laughed, and Zira aimed a swipe at his muzzle, narrowly missing him.
"I was supposed to be your future Queen!" she roared. "Give me the respect that is due, or I will make you give it to me!"
"He-he-he, alright, no need to get so worked up over this – oof!" He exclaimed as Shenzi hit him over the head.
"Did'ja forget that we're workin' together with her to rest our Matriarch's soul in peace, Banzai? Huh? Did'ja?"
Banzai growled, the sound coming from deep in his throat. He did not forget how he saw the body of his leader, lying there in the dust of the Gorge. "I haven't, Shenzi."
"Subira says that the cub may still be alive, and as long as she lives, I will not die. Do you understand that?" Shenzi looked utterly serious for her usual self, and even Zira had to admit that the hyenas looked more deadly than when they were fooling around. The perfect weapons, she thought.
As the hyenas talked among themselves, excluding Ed, who was once again staring off into thin air, his eyes out of focus, Subira stepped in from behind Zira.
"Zira," she greeted.
"Subira."
"Oh, my poor sister. How I felt for you today when you lost the votes. I nearly shed tears of sorrow…" she said dramatically.
"Cut it Subira. Why do you always have to provoke people when you speak?" The older of the two sisters growled angrily once again.
"Apparently, your mood today seems pretty bad, doesn't it? But of course. You couldn't become Queen along with that soft mate of yours."
"This talk is over," Zira turned her back and started to walk away towards the Pride Lands.
"Be patient Zira, we're all here to discuss business. Aren't we, hyenas?" She turned to the trio, which nodded in reply. But Zira only gave an angry flick of her tail in response.
"Wait, Zira, I told you to be patient," Subira sighed loudly. "Well, maybe I have a plan…oh dear, it just slipped my mind."
Zira snapped around. "What is it?"
"If you come closer, I may tell you my little secret," Subira grinned.
Zira stalked over to her sister impatiently. "What?" She then lowered her voice, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. "Does it involve…killing King Mufasa?"
Subira laughed. "Yes, sister, you're thinking on the right tracks! But think about the consequences if we do a killing now. What would happen?"
Zira thought hard. "We'll be able to take the throne…?"
Subira rolled her eyes. "No, things don't happen like in a fairy-tale. What, you can throw him off a cliff, pretend that it was an accident, and go back to find yourself Queen? Zira, did you see the amount of votes that Mufasa got? I'm sure I did," she laughed to herself, "I'm the one that has counted the votes along with the other spiteful lioness."
"How many supporters does Mufasa have?"
"More than we've expected, Zira. He has many supporters…it would be very, very unwise to kill him now."
"Who are his supporters?" Zira asked.
"That's precisely the problem – we have no idea who's on whose side. But with every problem, comes a solution." Subira unsheathed her claws, raking them across the dark soil of the Elephant Graveyard.
"We would have to make the Pride turn to our cause – that Scar rightfully sits on the throne. It is not for his arrogant brother to rule. Imagine this – Mufasa is not too old yet. What if he chooses – or creates - a new heir in place of him? What would happen to us, the original Outlanders then? Kovu will be tossed aside to make way for the new heir…and I'm sure it does not sound one bit pleasing to your ears, does it?"
Zira felt her jealousy in her rise. "No! I will not let my son be denied the position of future King. We must turn the Pride to our side."
"Good, good!" Subira encouraged. "You're catching on! First, we would need to identify who's on our side…"
"And secondly," Zira added, "Kovu's playtime is over. Time for the makings of an unrivalled King!"
"Yes, our patience is almost coming to fruition!" Subira's ruby eyes seemed to blaze in the blood red sunset. "Very soon, the Pride Lands will be ours." She laughed, a tinkling laughter, seemingly innocent, but with a dangerous undertone.
"Soon, Zira, soon…"
As was with the traditions of lullabies, many loving parents of calves, cubs or chicks in the Pride Lands sung these melodies to coax their children into sleep. We Are One was a favourite between Kiara and Simba, and it had consisted of lyrics that radiated with warmth. This one that Zira sang to Kovu, however, was one that told of power, and held a rather ominous tone.
"Sleep my little Kovu
Let your dreams take wing
One day when you're big and strong…
You will be a King!"
As Zira placed the sleeping form of her son alongside her two other children in the den, she could not help but feel a sense of – pride? No, that was not it. It was, rather, a sense of power. Her children were going to grow up as supporters of their adoptive father and their own mother when the couple became King and Queen. Nuka, Vitani, and of course, King Kovu.
Oh, how she loved the sound of that.
In the jungle, on the very same afternoon, it was a whole different story.
A cooling wave of water had splashed over Kiara, and it was the first thing she felt before she could conjure any conscious thought.
Where am I…? She tried to speak, yet her throat felt like it was on fire. Another wave splashed onto her, and boy did it feel good. Her mind felt like it was filled with steam, and the water was cooling it down steadily.
She thought she heard someone speak to her, and she tried to listen, but her ears couldn't seem to sense anything in this heavy darkness. But she could feel something shaking her, and drowsily she opened her parched lips to speak.
"Daddy?" it came out more of a coarse whisper, and she peeled her eyelids open.
"The kid is awake Pumbaa!" She awoke to see two very unfamiliar animals standing in front of her eyes. The smaller, strange mouse-like creature looked extremely relieved, the red tuft of fur on his head sticking out in weird directions that made him look like he either just had a busy day or one big stressful moment. The other larger one, the one with the big tusks, a huge snout and a friendly glint in his eyes, held a look of concern.
The smaller creature came forward with a huge leaf, curled into a bowl in his hand-like paws. "Hey kid, you'll have to drink something."
"Open up!" The one with the huge snout smiled at Kiara. She did as told, and the smaller one came over to her and poured water that was held by the leaf into her eager throat.
The effect of water in her was extremely soothing, a great relief from the fiery and painful sensation that her throat had just moments ago. Kiara felt huge gratitude to whoever these two creatures were. When she finally had her fill, she opened her mouth to speak.
"W-where am I?" She spoke, her voice coming out shakier than intended. Her memories of what had happened before were slightly fuzzy and she tried hard to remember what happened before, but it only made her head pound uncomfortably.
Both her benefactors turned to look at each other, raised their eyebrows, then suddenly turned their backs on her and started a heated discussion with whispers.
"Hey Pumbaa, do you know what she is?" Timon asked, climbing up Pumbaa's snout and staring into his eyes with his arms crossed.
"Uhh…she's a little lion?"
"Precisely! And do you know what lions do?!"
"They roar?"
"They eat meat, Pumbaa!" Timon cried, pulling hard on Pumbaa's ears.
"Uhh…"
"That means she's gonna eat us!"
"Uhh Timon…"
"Save ourselves, Pumbaa!"
"TIMON!" Pumbaa cried, making the meerkat jump and silencing him for a while. He cleared his throat before he continued. "She's just a little lion!"
"When she grows up to be a big lion she's gonna –"
"Where am I?" Kiara's voice sliced through the argument, and she sat up, rubbing her head with a paw. Something in the back of her head told her that something was not right, something terrible had happened for her not to be home. Then she realised what it was. The Gorge. The hyenas. The desert.
Her father.
"No…no!" She cried, standing up all of a sudden. "Where's Daddy? Where is he?"
"Not here is all I can say…" answered Timon uncertainly.
Not here. Those two words brought out her panic and her grief even more. She had not had the time to cry properly due to the incidents in the Gorge, but now all of a sudden she was trembling and sobbing her heart out, her tears flowing freely, her mind replaying the traumatising events over and over.
"Daddy…no…"
Timon and Pumbaa shared a second glance with each other, both standing awkwardly and uncertainly for a while, and then both went to each side of the cub, each placing a comforting hand on to Kiara's back.
"Hey kid, we might not know what had happened, but you have got to stop crying," said Timon. Pumbaa sniffed, and gave her a few comforting pats on the back.
"My Daddy, h-he's gone…"
"Where'd he – " Pumbaa began, but was quickly cut off with a glare from Timon. "Oh."
"Look kid," said Timon, "you've got to stop crying. You know why?"
"W-why?" Kiara asked, her voice catching into her throat.
"You're going to drain out all your water if you keep at it!" Timon said jokingly, giving her a pat on the back. If it were in a lighter situation, Kiara would have laughed, but she was too drained for that and didn't even manage a weak smile. She only cried harder.
"Oh no…are you alright, kid?" Timon asked. Kiara shook her head.
Pumbaa, worried about how sad the lioness cub in front of him looked, tried to offer comfort with his favourite motto in life. "Aww kid, we all have things in life that makes us so blue. But Hakuna Matata! You've got to look on the bright side."
Eyes watering, Kiara looked up at Pumbaa, not taking in what he had just said, but deciding that he was a good guy. For a small cub like her, what she needed was emotional comfort and somebody whom she could trust, and here it was, in a world of the unknown. Suddenly hugging him with both front paws, she sobbed into his mane, crying her heart out. Timon flinched at the sudden movement, and Pumbaa's eyes widened, but the warthog continued to pat her on the back. After what seemed like a long time, when her crying seemed to slow down, Pumbaa popped a question to her.
"Hey little guy, what's your name?"
Kiara sniffed, answering softly while still clinging on to Pumbaa. "I'm not a guy, I'm a girl."
The warthog and the meerkat glanced at each other, surprise etched onto their faces.
"What?" The both of them said in unison. A prolonged silence hung in the air as Kiara let go of the warthog and stared at the both of them, slightly puzzled.
"What's wrong with being a girl?" She asked.
"Well, girls have gotta watch their complexion, you know," Timon said quickly, effectively brushing the awkwardness away and holding a leaf over Kiara and lending shade in a sunny spot of the jungle. Kiara finally got a hint of a smile on her face as her tears slowed down.
"Timon and Pumbaa," Timon introduced, and the duo bowed with a flourish and finished together, "at your service."
Kiara looked at the both of them, and she knew that it was common courtesy to introduce oneself when another has spoken their name. Unconsciously, the teachings of her parents still held strong in her head, and she nodded. "I'm Kiara," she said amusedly.
"Ahh, Kiara! That's – a nice name," said Timon. The name sounded slightly familiar, but from where, he couldn't place. Walking further and resting his hand on her shoulder, he brought her to a thicker part of the jungle, with Pumbaa trotting beside them. "Welcome," he said, pushing aside the leaves of a giant fern, "to our humble home."
The sight that greeted Kiara's eyes made her gasp in surprise. Here, the thinly vegetated ground went down a hill, and gradually got thicker. But the most stunning parts were the waterfalls that plummeted down from the highest of mountains, and created misty clouds that hung over the pools at their bottom. Rocky cliffs were surrounded and softened by moss and lush jungle vegetation, which held their ancient crowns proudly in the sun. A wide, sparkling river coursed through the heart of valley, bringing with it the subtle scents of sweet, wild fruits and flowers, and the pleasant, soft scent of running water. As the leaves of the tallest trees swayed their leaves, birds of bright plumage flew into the air, their brilliant colours complementing the calm colours and movements of the foliage.
The Princess of the Pride Lands had never come across such a sight in her life, and she was filled with wonder. "You live here?"
"We live wherever we want," Timon said proudly.
"Home is where your rump rests. Heh!" Pumbaa said jovially.
As the trio looked on into the scenery, a feline figure that stayed hidden by the dancing shadows in the canopy prowled on the branches high above. His hazel coloured eyes were flecked with gold, and they reflected the filtered sunlight through the crowns of the ancient jungle trees. He was so well blended into the leaves that nothing had spotted him, and no prey could hear his silent movements until a few seconds before their untimely death. Paws treading noiselessly on the rugged branches, he observed the happenings on the ground with his lips pulled up into the expression of a delighted hunter.
Welcome to the jungle, he thought.
Aaaand another little cliffhanger.
Another piece of fact I know you all want to know is the voting results, so here they are:
12 readers voted Gold
4 readers voted Red
Voting is now closed.
You guys…I'm disappointed, why not vote Scar? Don't you all love him? Now Subira is going to kill all of you…muahahaha…
Heh, but seriously speaking, Mufasa nearly won by a landslide, taking ¾ of the votes. Thank you so much for all the votes; I enjoyed every single one of them!
On to the story here – I hope you guys enjoyed the presence of Subira as much as I did. And also guys, tell me if I did Kiara right over here…I'm afraid I made her, or any other character OOC, because this chapter is telling the emotions of the aftermath of the stampede. And for those who are curious about Nala's vote – be patient, that is up for you to decide…for now. ;)
One thing I felt was not done right in the movie was Timon and Pumbaa's dealing with Simba when they meet him after he comes awake. I know, it is a great movie and all, and they don't want to make it too dark, but how did his grief as a cub just go away with one song of Hakuna Matata? Impossible! Kids can recover even faster than adults after tragedies, but that's just…fast. I thought Kiara could do with some comfort first, and there's no need to rush things.
The next update may not be coming fast because school for me is starting once again, but I hope I keep the time between chapters to 3 weeks max. Hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me with your thoughts! Cheers!
