Chapter 21 – The Only Way
It was the middle of the night when the terrified Zazu flew to Simba carrying a devastating report. The Pridelanders have spent many anxious days and nights waiting for this inevitable moment, but when it finally came, when their ruler appeared in front of them passing on the gruesome announcement, the lionesses still felt as if they weren't ready. Neither the time of peace nor Simba's chaotic, angry instructions could prepare them for the real battle that was now ahead of them. But since they had no other choice, the lionesses had to obey, standing in front of the entrance to the cave at Pride Rock in a compacted phalanx, prepared to protect their home to the last drop of blood.
Among the darkness of the night, the king saw twenty pairs of eyes looking at him with fear. There was nothing more he could say to encourage the lionesses. All he had to do now was to be there- to lead them, to fight side by side with them, and, if nothing else was left, also to die with them. He threw a quick look at the stars, whispering a silent prayer to the Old Kings whose guidance he now surely needed. The sky was so clear he thought that all of his ancestors have gathered in order to spectate the course of the upcoming battle… Then, with a face as undisturbed as a block of ice, Simba stood before his pride in the midst of which stood Nala, his mate, and Kiara, his daughter.
-"How many are there?" – he asked the queen.
-"It's… hard to tell from where we're standing, but we counted at least eighty or ninety hyenas" – the lioness gasped, the sadness of her voice showing the low morale of the rest of her pridesisters.
-"If there are eighty, we can win this. All we need is to stay confident and prevent the enemy from breaking through our resistance!"
Simba only repeated what he'd been saying to the lionesses for days now, and he could see it in their eyes that they knew their situation well. Yes, they would fight. Yes, not one of the huntresses would step back or cower, using the best of her skills to protect her family. The only thing that was killing them now, was the wait…
-"Soon we'll find out how many of those filthy beasts are stupid enough to stand against us!" – the king said partially to himself as he walked to the top of Pride Rock. From this spot he could normally see his whole kingdom- now engulfed in a sea of darkness. Yet his feline eyes provided him the ability to observe the incoming enemy clearly- a dense column of dark shapes that howled as frightfully as only hyenas could howl, marching towards his home like a parade of death. That sight sent shivers even down that old lion's spine.
Simba waited patiently for the hyenas to stand right at the base of Pride Rock, barely a few meters from where the lionesses stood. He took his position in the front line, gazing at the lights that flashed, reflected from the many eyes of the bloodthirsty animals that screamed for their blood. He wished that he could shield the ones of whom he was the ruler and protector from that glow of horror… Sadly, he was sure that the only thing he could do was to try to protect at least some of the members of his pride from death.
He was sure of that- that the battle was about to start. But facts sometimes do not follow the sure paths that someone marks for them. Suddenly, something among the hyena army moved, making some of the giggling monsters stand aside. When that lone animal, much larger than any hyena, started walking towards Pride Rock, Simba's heart shook with a sudden spasm…
-"Those eyes…" – gasped the king, gazing at the two poison-green lights that were closing in on him. It was a lion leading a pack of hyenas… A sight known to Simba from times long past, the more horrifying as it was repeating itself right in front of him.
No, it wasn't Scar. Scar was dead. The lion that stood before him was Kovu, yet right now he looked as if the spirit of his stepfather had taken over his soul.
-"This can't be happening…" – mumbled the king, lowering his head.
-"Kovu… Kovu!" – a voice came from behind his back- the voice of his daughter, longing so hard to see her returning mate that she almost forgot all about the battle. Simba turned around to put her back in her place immediately.
-"Not a movement! Not a breath from you!" – he ordered, indicating that yet again his anger was getting the best of him. Seeing Kiara silence, he then turned back to his son-in-law.
-"Traitor! I will have you…" – he started, but since he didn't really have a clue about what was going on, Kovu interrupted him at once.
-"Shut up, Simba. You're very close to destroying everything with that big mouth of yours."
Looking offended as ever, the older lion silenced, letting the younger one continue.
-"Right now, the hyenas are partially under my command. If you don't do anything stupid, they won't attack. I know this sounds unlikely, but I managed to come to an agreement with them."
-"I can't believe you fell for the same stupid trick as Scar once had…" – Simba hissed, but his anger did not take much effect.
-"Well, right now you have a choice to make, king. Either you try to see what I was able to achieve, or you try your strength against the hyenas. I remind you that only one of these possibilities gives you a chance that we're all gonna get out of this alive."
Kovu spoke calmly and strangely convincing. When Simba looked behind him, he could clearly see that the lionesses wanted him to listen to Kovu… But he still wasn't sure if he could trust the one he'd exiled twice. Of that he could never be sure.
-"Tell me what you have to say. I'll determine if it's in any ways useful."
The green-eyed lion knew that he couldn't hope to convince Simba at once. No, for that he needed special conditions.
-"Let's go inside the cave. I'm only asking for five minutes. You have my word that the hyenas will stay exactly where they stand."
The king wondered. He didn't trust Kovu, but he preferred speaking to him in private far more than having to face the fangs and claws of the clan.
-"Fine" – he uttered, turning his face from the mocking grins of the hyenas.
Going pass the lionesses that gazed upon him with a kind of hope, sharing a quick look of affection with his mate, Kovu went inside the domain of the rulers of Pride Rock. The king's advisors, Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa, sat there hiding, but as soon as he saw them, Kovu ordered them to leave before they were even able to say a word. And he was so convincing that even Simba failed to stop them as they ran away… Left alone, the lions considered the lair far more peaceful than what was going on outside- and both of them imagined it would be best if that peace took over this whole night.
-"I don't even know why I'm doing this…" – Simba whined, sitting down upon a stone platform.
-"Well, I know. You're doing this because you want to help your pride. That's the core duty of a king."
It was odd. Somehow, Kovu's words really sounded like he was eager to save both Pride Rock and even Simba himself.
-"I'm surprised that they didn't tear you apart. Even though I still think it's just a matter of time…"
-"I am not my stepfather, Simba. You know that. I wouldn't do anything to risk the pride, not while Kiara's still a part of it. I tried so hard to be a Pridelander myself… Shame you didn't let me. But now you just have to listen to me- I know what the hyenas want and there is only one way that peace can be preserved without bloodshed."
-"And you really suppose that you can control them?"
-"In these conditions, I'm willing to give it a try."
Simba still gazed at Kovu, suspicious about his confidence. The more suspicious because he remembered how that same kind of confidence got his uncle killed…
-"Just tell me what your plan is" – he said finally, unable to find a better solution. The younger lion stood up, almost begging him to do what he said.
-"We need to reestablish our alliance with the hyenas."
-"What? What do you mean our alliance? It was never my alliance, nor my father's! What it was is nothing more that Scar's dirty deal with those beasts!"
This time, Kovu's face got twisted with the first signs of anger.
-"Call it whatever ya want. It's the only way. If we give them food, they won't fight with us. If we don't… I suppose even you know what happens then."
-"Over my dead body!" – Simba contradicted firmly. But Kovu was not going to submit today- not even to the king.
-"That… is a sort of a possibility" – he answered, straightening as if he wanted to express his militant attitude. Simba could barely believe his eyes.
-"So... you really are a traitor!" – he growled, standing up to confront his opponent.
-"I'm sure you think so, but all I'm doing is protecting your pride, especially Kiara. Even if I have to protect them from you."
-"You could have chosen to fight the hyenas. Why don't you do that?"
For a while, the young lion was piercing Simba with the stare of his green eyes.
-"Because you're showing me that the greatest danger for the Pridelands is… you yourself."
Now it became obvious that the duel could not be prevented. The two lions both had the same goal- to save their pride from extinction. Unfortunately, since they both had drastically different opinions about how to obtain that goal, everything resolve to a primal, ancient rule- the battle for power.
Simba was the first one to attack. His every motion showed clearly that he wanted nothing else than Kovu's death. His opponent, however, did not engage him at first, rather trying to dodge the king's blows.
-"Why are you doing this? What is this good for? What other reasonable choice do we have?" – yelled the younger lion, agilely jumping away from the charging monarch. But that only made Simba more and more blinded with rage. Finally, infuriated enough himself, Kovu also attacked.
The battle between the two was a farce. One of the fighters was two times older, not very skilled in the art of hunting, while the other one was in the prime of life and had been trained to kill from the day he could chew meat. So, naturally, it did not last very long.
But Kovu did not kill Simba. That was not his plan. He left him humiliated and severely injured, yet conscious and capable of walking, panting heavily as he gazed at the victor with endless disdain.
-"It's over" – Kovu spoke calmly, not even tired. – "All you can do now is leave."
The words made Simba frown with anger, blood dripping from his mouth…
-"I am not going to abandon my land! Not again!"
Kovu answered slowly, looking him in the eyes, just as if he was explaining something to some particularly stubborn cub.
-"You don't have another choice!"
Still not giving up, Simba rose from the ground with a loud yelp, attempting to leave the cave and call for the lionesses. But Kovu stood right in his way, and when the king charged at him, he was brutally pushed away and fell to the ground, totally exhausted.
-"You are old, lion" – Kovu delivered the gruesome truth to him with an ice-cold tone. – "You know you can't handle this pride anymore. A new king is needed, and I guess you remember that despite all, I am still Scar's heir."
-"You are Scar reborn! But you will never be a true king!" – using the rest of his strength, Simba screamed as loud as he could, losing his breath. The young lion only shook his head.
-"You just never gave me the chance, so now I gotta use it myself. Don't worry- both Kiara and Nala will be safe. I promise."
Simba didn't say anything more. Even though he wanted to, he couldn't. He felt defeated, useless, of no service for both his pride and his ancestors anymore. He failed, and now he had to face the consequences for the good of the pride. He now understood that he made enough mistakes to know that perhaps this time Kovu was the one who actually had a chance of being right. Consenting with his own dethronement, he could almost hear Scar's words again in his head.
Run away, Simba. Run away and never come back…
And so he did. Kovu observed as the wounded old lion clumsily squeezed through the back entrance to the cave. As he observed him, though unwillingly, he let a delicate smile cover his face.
Simba barely walked, but even though he was now both physically and mentally crippled, he couldn't just lie at the side of the road and wait for death to come for him. After all, he was the king of Pride Rock! Or, at least, had been…
Who knows? – he thought. Maybe I can still return someday? Maybe everything will be okay for the pride? Maybe the hyenas won't lead to another famine under Kovu's rule? He was trying to cheer himself up, but he didn't really believe that was possible.
Suddenly, something made him snap out of his meditations. He almost tripped over some large object that stood in his way, and only after a second was he able to recognize that it was actually… another lion.
Vitani.
Simba called her name, not sure if he was hallucinating or not. But there she was, right there in front of him, carrying that same, typical angry face of hers. She wasn't alone- by her side stood some strange male lion that was unfamiliar to him.
-"Who's this, Vitani? I was wondering where you had gone, but I rather considered that you went after your brother, not to find yourself a mate" – he spoke with highest effort, attempting to hide his wounds.
Vitani however did not respond. It was surprising for the former king, because for a time all she did was gaze at him with a kind of strange distaste.
-"Pity, Simba" – she said finally. – "And to think that I once though you aren't as useless as ya look…"
Now that was disturbing. The more that just afterwards, Vitani stood up and called for someone who seemed to have been hidden in the shadows all the time.
-"We found'em. He's yours."
The mates delivered Simba their farewell in the form of a disdainful silence and turned their backs at the fallen king. But he was not left alone. Now before the startled lion there stood a single hyena, old and wrinkled, unrecognizable to him at first, but gazing at him with a malicious grin as if she knew him very well…
-"Here kitty, kitty… Remember this?" – she pointed at her right cheek that had three parallel scars disfiguring it. Cuts made years ago by the claws of a lion cub. His claws…
-"Spirits help me…" – gasped the old, wounded lion, feeling as fear took hold of his heart.
And then a horde of hyenas sprung at him from all around.
AN: Oh, wait... Did Kovu just...:O Oh no, he really is Scar reborn!
Well, such an upbringing as he had just has to take certain effect. As we say in Poland- the apple does not fall far from the tree... But then again, not all of his plan is fully revealed!