Hello everyone! Hope you're well. I'm sorry it took me such a long time to post this chapter. I actually thought I did until I went to check and realised I didn't, lol. Other than that, I have no other excuse as to why I took such a long time. I'm just a big procrastinator and it's a habit I'm trying to break. (I'm procrastinating on that too).

Anyways...

Machine Dragon Nero: Hey! god to be back! I hope Simba kicks Omari's ass too! I can assure you, hell will be unleashed. I'm sure Nala will always try to keep her cubs safe but you're just gonna have to wait and see...

Lilly The Omega Wolf: Hey Lilly! Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it! We'll have to wait and see if he loses or not. You're right, Omari is a sneaky lion and he probably has something up his sleeve. but what, though? Yeah, Jamelia is definitely not a lion you would want to mess around with, especially when she's angry. Nala is not her favourite person right now, that's for sure. I'm definitely going to try my very best to make it as epic as possible. It may even be a little tragic. I'm still debating... Stick around!

JJChandler: Hello! Thank you! Hmmm... that's an interesting idea. Not what I had in mind but an interesting idea. I don't think Simba will go through with it, though. He loves Nala too much. But don't worry, the story is going to get crazier than it already is ;)

Dinofelis: Haha, Life is what took me so long but I promised myself I would not give up on this story, don't worry. Ijara is deffo a sneaky and evil lion full of anger and pain. What he does to the River Pride won't be pretty.

RedTrashPanda: LOL! Lemme make sure I hide my address! Thank you, I 100% agree. I know he's meant to be a bad guy but I just love writing his character! Yeah, Simba deserves the world for what he's been through, Omari needs to bounce and let the king and future queen of the Pridelands be happy. Haha yeah, Simba deffo has that TLK 2 look in this story.

Jestalnaker94000: Haha, I have no idea what that reference means but I agree! I hope Simba wins the fight too!

And thank you to all the others that reviewed! I really love reading them!

Okay, I'm done wasting more of your time, Enjoy!

Chapter 21

IJARA'S P.O.V

The symphony of the roars and growls from my army of lions creating chaos on the land is music to my ears. I listen to it with content as I make my way inside the huge cave as I hunt for my prey. I remember the nights I spent in this cavern, cuddling up to my mother's warm side, her heartbeat lulling me peacefully to sleep. And after a long day of ruling, Mosi would join us and entertain my mother about the events of his day and she would always give her advice on the crises he was facing, before they doze off blissfully as one happy family, oblivious to the evil that would soon shatter the bond we all shared with each other.

I'm now facing this evil once again and her face looks like she's lost all colour as she stands there in shock. Her grey orbs are tired and puffy, an apparent sign that she is still grieving over the loss of her hubby dearest. But they are also wide with bewilderment and clearly, her mind is racing, trying to decipher if what she is seeing right in front of her is real.

"Wh- who are you and h-how did you get in here?" She stammers, trying but failing to put some authority in her scratchy voice.

I take the time to really study her. She hasn't changed from the last time I saw her. Despite her age and her current mood, she still has her delicate yet sharp features which radiates her beautiful charm which she definitely used on my foolish father.

Her eyes shift uneasily as she struggles to recognise the lion towering over her and her sketchy behaviour just puts a wicked smile on my face.

Good. She has every right to be scared of me.

"Oh Amani, how could you forget me? Do you not remember when you tried to kill me the on the same day you brutally murdered my mother?"

The maroon lioness' eyebrows narrow together in confusion and this irritates me.

"You caused a fire and slit Laini's throat and watched her body burn. Does that ring a bell?"

Clearly, it does when she gasps sharply in recognition and my dark smile was back. Her facade then changes into pure fright and it only leaves me satisfied.

"I- I- Ijara?"

"In the flesh." I shoot her a haunting, mischievous grin. The rattled queen shakes her head vigorously in denial and takes a few hesitant steps back as I myself take steps towards her, my aim is to pin her to a corner where she can't escape the wrath I have built up personally for her.

"But you're dead! I-I w-watched you slip off the cliff! This doesn't make sense!"

"Oh, you wish I was dead, Amani. That's probably what got you sleeping well at night." I roll my eyes with disgust. "Unfortunately for you, I managed to survive the fall," I continue to corner her. "You know, I always questioned why that was the case, after all, I had nothing to live for since you took everything from me." I send her a death glare and she gulps.

"After I finally got back on my feet and came to terms with the death- sorry- the murder of my mother, I received what you would call... a revelation. It dawned on me that I have a job to finish. I have to avenge my mother and deal with the River Pride once and for all. And that means wiping out all of her enemies. Guess who's number two on that list."

Without warning, my sharp claws wrap around the queen's throat like a python and I watch as she desperately struggles to free herself from my chokehold. Her eyes bulge out of their sockets and I ignore the scratches she gives my paw while she fights to gasp for air.

"Do you feel that?" I ask her, taking pleasure in watching her squirm. "Do you feel your lungs tightening as you struggle to breathe?"

She gags and mumbles incoherent words as she suffers. I tighten my grip every time she tries to breathe.

"What you're feeling is probably what my mother went through when she inhaled the toxic smoke from the fire you created. She couldn't escape it. But in the midst of all her suffering, she still tried to make sure I stayed alive. It's a pity I can't say the same for you."

My head tilts as I watch her furiously try to escape my death grip. With one swift motion, I give her what she wants and release her neck, which causes her to collapse to the floor, spluttering and coughing and taking huge gasps of air all at the same time. She's a mess.

But just to make it clear to Amani that I'm not finished with her yet, I swing my paw and it collides with her cheek, sending her soaring to the other side of the cave and landing in a small evil heap. To my surprise, the queen still slowly manages to lift her weight up and stand on her feet to look at me dead in the eye. The side of her face has huge gashes, stained with red. My eyebrows raise and there's a slightly impressed look on my face as I watch as she just doesn't give up and slowly finds her strength.

And then she smiles.

"Oh Ijara," Her voice is raspy yet still smooth. "You really got some nerve. You come into my kingdom, got some lions running around the pride causing a scene outside my royal chambers, enter my royal cave and assault the Queen of the River Pride all because you miss your mommy?"

My jaw clenches at her tone of voice and she chuckles, shaking her head and bravely approaches me. It's obvious that my little scare tactic has failed and she's no longer terrified of me. This only fuels my frustration.

Out of nowhere, Amani renews her strength and I'm suddenly skidding back from the punch she just gave me in my chest! Excuse me?!

Stunned, I glare up at the wicked queen as she suddenly strides confidently towards me with a dangerous look in her smoky eyes. "You're just like your mother. Everything is always someone else's fault but never yours. The world just has to be against you but you never sat down to acknowledge that things were just meant to be, for me." She tilts her head," Ijara, have you ever stopped to realise that maybe your perfect little family wasn't so perfect after all? I mean, if it was, your daddy wouldn't have left the lioness he claimed to be the love of his life, now would he? Ijara you failed to realise that there is no such thing as a husband snatcher. I didn't force him to be with me. I didn't threaten his life or put a spell on him. He chose to leave your mother and get with the winning team. So don't be mad at me, sweetie. We are all in Nature's game, Survival Of The Fittest."

"Survival of the Fittest, my ass." With a growl, I grab onto her foot and pull, causing her to trip and her body hits the hard rocky ground again. With force, my jet black front paw lands on her windpipe and I press down hard, the choking and spluttering begin again.

"So you think you can move the game along to your benefit and murder my mother? Did you even care that you took EVERYTHING away from a young cub before trying to take his life away too?!

Amani sinks her sharp claws into my paw and I pull it away from her neck in pain, releasing her. She finds her opportunity and jumps to her feet. "Don't be such a cry-baby, Ijara! And let's not pretend that I am the only murderer in this cave. You're over there crying on how your father left you and your mother but was it not your paws that are responsible for his death?"

I stare at her and refuse to say anything, but my silence is enough for her. "So I am right. You are the monster who took my mate away from me, his daughter and his kingdom! You are the one who has troubled this family! Hypocrite!"

The hysteria in her voice brings a satisfied smile to my lips. Ahh, now we're getting somewhere. "It hurts doesn't it?" My voice is low and deadly. "The pain and sorrow aching your heart."

Now it is her turn to stare in silence as a tear stains her crimson cheek.

"Sometimes the grief becomes too much to bear, especially at night, am I lying?" She subtly shakes her head and I let out a scoff. "Now you know how I have felt for the past three years. Now you know what my mother felt the day Mosi walked away from us to be with a sick tramp like you. Now you know the what the pain you inflicted on us feels like. It's not a good feeling, isn't it? You just want it to stop, don't you? You want everything to be the way they were before he died, right?"

The Queen tiredly rolls her eyes. "Okay Ijara, you made your point, where are you going with this?"

Haha, I knew she couldn't handle the truth. It's finally time to round up and take it home. A malicious smile spreads across my muzzle and she narrows her eyes in response, probably mentally preparing for what I am about to tell her.

"Well, your majesty, " I begin to circle her and she watches me closely, every muscle in her being is triggered to move and react if I try and sneak a surprise attack. "I am going to do you a favour. It may not benefit you but it will surely benefit me."

Despite all her senses being on high alert, she manages to let out an almost relaxed laugh. But we both know that it was just a disguise to cover up the panic she is really feeling.

"I'm going to put you out of your misery, Amani. You will die and the grief you have felt for what, a few weeks? It will leave you. But obviously, what is a show without an audience?"

In a swift move, I grasp the back of her neck, causing her to feel completely helpless in my grip. She didn't prepare herself for that.

I lean in and whisper venom in her ear. "Your precious brat of a daughter is going to watch the death of the lioness she adores so much. She is going to watch you suffer the same way I had to when you took my mother away from me. After all, it's only fair." I ignore her sobs and tighten the grip on the back of her neck while simultaneously crushing her onto the cold rocky floor.

"No," She pleads. "You can kill me but not in front of my Jamelia. Just kill me now and spare her, she doesn't deserve this. Please!"

"Oh but she does, Amani. You taught her to hate me. And I did not deserve to watch my mother die but I had to anyway. But don't worry, she'll soon reunite with you in the afterlife. But it's time for both of you to leave this world. The evil you have done is enough."

"NO! PLE-"

She doesn't finish her sentence because I push her head forward and slam it into the ground, knocking her out unconscious.

NALA'S P.O.V

My heart is beating.

I mean, I know that's what it's supposed to do but the way it is racing right now is far from normal! I'm surprised I'm still able to stand!

He's here.

Why is he here?

He's here to see his cubs.

The same cubs he denied back in the jungle and even said they were Simba's? Those cubs? Oh please, little voice in my head, Omari doesn't care about them! If he did, he never would have walked away from them before they even had the chance to come into this world!

But what if he's changed?

HAHA! What a joke! He said so himself, he will never change! He will always be the same egotistical, insensitive, good for nothing cheating, heartless and airhead lion walking on the face of the earth.

But he's also the father of my children. Not to mention, my first love... my first everything! Unfortunately, he's important.

Ugh! But why though? Why should he still be an important factor in my life when he made it clear he wanted to get out of it! Why must he be a burden I just can't let go of no matter how hard I try? WHY IS HE HERE?!

"Babe?"

I'm torn away from my mental turmoil when I hear the beautiful voice that is capable of calming every emotional sea I battle to sail. My head turns and my eyes meet his own which are full of concern and love, but there is also a speck of annoyance. He must have read every emotion my own orbs are revealing because within an instant he is by my side, holding me close and giving me warm comforting nuzzles as I do the same. Simba softly whispers reassuring words in my ears as I close my eyes and take in as much of his loving embrace that I can. And for a moment, I forget everything. My worries have temporarily vanished and all I can think of is the powerful effect this lion has on me and the love I have for him. I want to bury myself deeper in his fur and stay there forever, breathing in his scent I can never get enough of. He is my safe place. He is home.

"Are you alright?" He asks me softly when we finally pull away from each other. His scarlet eyes burn with concern and compassion and he softly smiles when I nod. But we all know that nod wasn't convincing at all.

"Tell me how you feel, Nala."

That's the trigger for me. As soon as he said that, my mouth starts moving before I even know it and words spew out of it without my control. "Why is he here?! Why now?! When I needed him he was nowhere to be seen but now that I have closed that painful chapter of my life, he decides to show up? WHY?! He has no business being here! And I'm not getting good vibes from that Jamelia girl either. Why is she here?"

Simba blinks at the fact that I managed to say most of that in one breath and finally he takes his turn to speak. "Jamelia is the new Queen of the River Pride, one of our ally prides and they both came to ask for my help."

Hold up... Excuse me?

"Wait, she's the Queen?" I ask with wide eyes.

Simba nods slowly.

"And Omari is her mate?" I question again. Simba nods again.

"So... that makes Omari..."

"The new King of the River Pride," Simba finishes off my sentence because I clearly couldn't due to the state of shock I am in when I put two and two together. "Yeah, I can't believe it either."

At this point, I had to throw my head back and laugh because life is extremely funny right now! A whole Omari is a king?! This lion couldn't even stick around to raise his family so how the hell is he responsible enough to run a kingdom?!

I actually can't believe this! This fool and the solid definition of trash really left me heartbroken and pregnant to go run off and play Kings and Queens with his new toy, Jamelia and now he has the NERVE to show up at the Pride lands and pretend to be a concerned father?! NO! I am not here for it!

"I want them to leave." I announce my conclusion and I'm a little surprised at how monotone my voice is, despite my inner rage. I'm in the mood to just flip the whole of Pride Rock upside down!

Simba's eyes lose focus on the ground and instead land on mine. I notice there is a slight shiftiness in them. It's like he's currently battling to tell me something.

"I wish it was that simple, baby, but-"

"But what?" I interrupt. "Why is it not simple? You're the king and this is your land, you can decide if they are trespassers or not."

Seems pretty simple to me.

"I know that Nal but listen to me-"

I ignore him and continue my rant. "I know you don't want him here anyway. Why are they still here?"

"Because I made a-"

He abruptly stops and sighs, closing his eyes and now it's my turn to look concerned. Why did he stop?

"What? You made a what? What did you make?"

The king sighs again as I bombard him with questions and opens his eyes to look straight into mine. "I made a deal with Omari." Simba incoherently breathes out and if I wasn't a lion, my ears never would have caught it.

"You made a deal with Omari?" I slowly repeat and the red mane lion slowly nods his head and purses his lips together after licking them.

There was a short moment of stunned silence and staring before I continue my interrogation. "And what is this deal about exactly?" I ask curiously.

Suddenly, Simba seems more interested in a blade of grass, since that is all he can stare at instead of looking directly at me and his behaviour alone is making me mentally prepare for the worst.

His scarlet eyes reluctantly focus on me again. "He challenged me to a fight. If I win, he and Jamelia will leave immediately and he finds another pride to help him with his kingdom crisis. And he won't bother you again. He will continue to pretend as if you and the twins never existed."

Hmm... That's great and all but I'm not interested in that at the moment, not when I know there is more to this deal.

"And if you lose?"

And this is where he hesitates and struggles to talk until he eventually takes the risk and speaks. "If I lose, we have to help him win the war...and I know you don't want him to but he will stick around a lot more often to look after the twins."

I blink at what I am hearing and left speechless!

"You agreed to this?" I finally manage to say.

Simba slowly but surely nods his head.

"Simba what is wrong with you?" My eyebrows furrow together angrily again. "You know better than anyone how much I want that lion out of my life! This animal made it crystal clear that he wanted nothing to do with me or his cubs so why does he get the chance now?! You know better than anyone how long it took me to finally close that chapter and heal from the pain Omari put me through! And yet you agreed to this?!"

The golden king frowns at the hurt clearly shown in my raised tone of voice. "Nala I'm sorry but it was the only way!" He steps closer to me but I step back, refusing to be touched. Funny how just a few minutes ago I yearned for his embrace.

"What do you mean this is the only way?!" I didn't even try to conceal my obvious irritation. "You're the king of this land! You had every right to send them on their way without making a deal with Omari, of all lions!"

Now it's Simba's turn to show his expression of annoyance as his own eyebrows crinkle together to match my own. "Nala I don't think you understand how being a king of a pride really works. There are rules to authority, you know!"

"Hey, guys..." The voice of Naomi goes through one ear and out the other as both the king and I are too engulfed in our argument to pull away and pay attention to her.

"Oh really? Well tell me, your majesty, educate me on these rules, why did you choose to accept Omari's challenge?" I snap back at Simba and he blinks at the sass in my voice.

"Omari's pride and mine are bounded by an alliance, Nala. Refusing to help him, breaks that alliance that has been made, generations before and could have catastrophic consequences in the future. " He steps closer to me again as he continues but this time, it wasn't to hold me close, it was to visually show his power and confidence in the argument. Every step he takes, the more annoyed he gets and to stop him in his tracks, I stop stepping back, silently telling him not to get too carried away.

"Thinking about the future of my pride, I saw this deal as a loophole and a way to avoid verbally breaking the alliance and holding that responsibility. If- no, when I win, Omari will have to leave and he in turns breaks the alliance since the terms of the challenge was his idea! Now, do you understand?"

"Hello? Guys? This is kind of important..." The white lioness calls out again only to be ignored for the second time.

Hmm, now that Simba has laid out his reasons, I admit it's rather smart and I'm impressed at how much he cares about this pride and its long-term future. This decision alone shows how much he takes his royal duties seriously and doesn't just act on impulse, he thinks things through, for the better of the pride. It honestly makes him more attractive.

However...

"Alright, Sim I'm not gonna deny how smart that sounds BUT you still didn't take in the factor that this is Omari we are talking about! I've seen his combat skills. And that lion is conniving! He's probably made secret terms and conditions of this deal that you don't even know about!"

Simba clearly ignores my second point. "Wait, Nala, you don't think I could beat him?" The Prideland king looks genuinely hurt.

"I never said that-"

"But that's what you're implying though, right? He's a little bit bigger than me and suddenly you have more faith in the lion that broke your heart and left you with his unborn cubs than your own future mate?!"

My aggravation builds again at this lion's irrational feelings. "OMG Simba stop twisting my words! That is not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?!"

"GUYS!" Naomi finally screams and both of our heads swivel to focus on her.

"WHAT!"

Mimi blinks at our sudden outburst before continuing. "Sorry to break up this little argument you got going on right now but the twins are missing!"

Everything pauses around me when my mind replays what Naomi just said.

"What do you mean, the twins are missing? I thought you guys were watching them." I sprint to the white lioness demanding answers and my eyes are probably bigger than passion fruits, filled with alarm and panic.

"We were!" She replies. "We played an awesome game of tag with them until we all took a nap under one of the acacia trees. I remember, Taraji was lying next to me and Penda was next to Kula. But when we woke up, they were gone!"

Okay Nala, breathe... Inhale...Exhale...

But no matter, how hard I try, I can't seem to follow the instructions the little voice in my head was telling me. There was simply no time to that! I had to find my babies!

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the tree!"

I'm zooming to the Acacia Grove like as if I actually know the exact location the girls previously were. Naomi and Simba eventually catch up with me when I slow to a halt in front of the tree. Kula is the only one there with an extremely worried expression.

"What happened? Where are my babies?" I ask as I mentally try to keep my composure. Kula clearly has the opposite idea because she nearly breaks down when she hears my voice.

"Nala, Oh Kings above, I'm so sorry! We should have kept a better watch on them, we should never have taken a nap, it was irresponsible of us and we are terrible terrible cub-sitters!" She says in one flustered breath and Mimi pats her back for comfort.

"They probably woke up before you girls and went off to play. We all know how much of a handful they can be, they couldn't have gone too far." Simba voices from behind me.

Kula seems to nod her head in agreement and pull herself together at Simba's voice of reason. His words may have convinced the rest of them but it doesn't put me at ease at all.

"Well, what are we still waiting for? We gotta find them!"

A/N: So clearly, Nala is not happy with Simba's decision to take the deal. What do you guys think? Do you agree with her? Or do you think she should give Omari a chance?

Also, the twins are missing? dun Dun DUUUNN!

And Ijara's revenge you guys! Woah Woah Woah! I almost feel sorry for Amani, do you?

Don't forget to give your reviews! tell me what you think!

One last thing...

"He is my safe place. He is home." - Nala referring to Simba. Aww, that's true love right there. I wanna know what your safe place and home is (not your actual home, of course), What or who do you love? You don't have to answer if you don't want to since it's a personal thing but it would be nice to know. If you don't want to answer then answer this question: What's your favourite holiday?

Byeee for now! - iLoveTama