A Kingdom Reborn: The Legend of Mohatu

Chapter 25: Balance of Deception

Mohatu exited the pyramid with blistering haste, wasting no time in his search for a certain golden lioness. He walked past the two guards at the entrance without even the smallest sight of a problem, before looking hopelessly across the desert landscape ahead of him.

A beautifully intimidating gradient of orange and pink fell on the horizon, as the first stars of the night appeared above Lea Halalela with bright purity. In addition, several clusters of storm clouds filled the distant void, lighting up the sky in the background with the occasional strike of cloud-to-cloud lightning.

With the sinister shadows of the three large pyramids tainting the view as well, the sight in itself was enough to drive any weak-minded lion into the depths of insanity.

Fortunately, Mohatu was not such a lion. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to even begin looking for Mari.

"Why did I do this?" Mohatu asked himself. "I never should have left her..."

Perhaps, following Minerva wasn't the brightest of Mohatu's ideas. At the time, if he had been presented with much of a say in the matter, he never would have left Mari's side. The entire situation had spawned from a large inconvenience, and it was becoming more and more troublesome with each passing second.

Only one idea crossed the lion's mind, and that was to return to the riverbank, where he had originally separated from the golden lioness. It was little more than a wild guess, but somehow, the old lion king doubted Mari had gone very far.

Yet, almost immediately after his thoughts started converging, Mohatu began to sense something else. He could almost feel Mari's presence, at the very tip of his whiskers.

"That's right," a very recognizable voice added from afar. "You never should have gone with them! That was a very bad idea."

Mohatu's eyes slid open further, and his pupil's darted toward the origin of the noise. His head turned to the side, meeting Mari's stern gaze with shock. Somehow, the lioness seemed to appear out of thin air, right from the middle of the the open sands. "How did you... did you follow me?" the brown lion asked.

"Look, that's not important," Mari sighed, lowering her head and ears a bit. "We need to talk."

"I... I can explain why I did that," Mohatu answered. "I have a plan."

Mari stepped closer to the lion, not exactly showing explicit interest in his words. "I think I know what you're doing; you don't need to explain," the golden lioness replied easily. "Let's hurry up and get back to the sinkhole before it gets too dark."

"Okay," Mohatu lifted up his paw with hesitation, for he was still not entirely sure what the lioness was thinking. He knew, however, that he was about to find out.

Looking carefully for any other lions, Mari began following her own path back to the riverside. After a few seconds, her brown companion followed back up her trail as well, staying within close proximity.

Yet, though both felines were pleased to see one another, something strange was certainly ruining the mood. Mohatu could clearly feel a layer of tension that had festered in the air around him, and even more so in the way Mari walked in front of him. Her steps were slow, exaggerated, and deliberate, like she was focusing all of her energy into ignoring the situation on her mind.

Mari, of course, knew precisely what was bothering her, but Mohatu had not a fraction of an idea. "It's not what you think," the old king added. "I don't think Minerva knows who I am..."

"You know they're looking for us," Mari argued, not yet stating the true dilemma. "They might even be watching us right now."

"Ganji had no idea he was fighting me, and most of the ones who saw us are dead now," Mohatu persuaded. "If I couldn't figure out that I was Leo, then I'm sure the entire kingdom can't, either."

"Yes..." Mari agreed. "That's true. Everyone thinks you're dead. I doubt anyone thinks you're still alive, much less the same lion that killed Ganji... or even Usama." As she continued to speak, the lioness's voice grew firmer. "But how much longer will it be? How long will it take for some lion to uncover the truth about you?"

"Why does it matter if they do?" Mohatu asked. "If I'm the king-"

"I'd rather not find out how they'd react," Mari interrupted, reading the lion's mind quite well. "I know what you're thinking, but I just... I don't like this idea of yours. We need to be careful. If Rex finds out you're the one causing him trouble, you can bet we'll have the biggest war we've ever seen."

"But couldn't I defeat him... if I had to?" Mohatu inquired. "Between us, I was the strongest. I was the king."

"Maybe you'll be able to defeat him," Mari admitted. "But maybe not. Either way, a whole lot of lions are going to die. It won't be pretty. The most peaceful solution here is to avoid all contact with the kingdom... no matter what."

"Mari..." Mohatu began sadly, although he struggled to gather his words.

Hours ago, he had felt like she was beginning to trust him. Yet, the lioness's obvious, persistent opposition the idea meant that he still had a long way to go to redemption.

From Mohatu's perspective, he was once again feeling as if the lioness did not trust him in the slightest. If he began to interact with his old followers, he would be able to regain his potential power. He could, very easily, reclaim his right to the throne. That was Mari's fear, he reasoned; that was why she did not want him to infiltrate the kingdom.

But he wouldn't become the next king. That was not his goal.

Mohatu sighed heavily. "You know I'm not going to reclaim my place as king. I'm not king Leo anymore... I'm Mohatu now."

Mari shook her head, continuing to follow the path she had left for herself. "I wish I could believe you, but..."

"So you were lying, last night? You don't think I can make up for what I've done?"

The orange lioness closed her eyes in desperation. "No..." she argued sadly. She wasn't lying at the time, but as she began to reconsider the situation, her perspective shifted slightly. "No, no, no," Mari continued, repeating herself indefinitely. "It's not like that... just let me explain."

"Then what is it?"

"Well," Mari looked away for a second, trying to find her words. "Okay. You might be able to get away with that plan of yours. Everyone thinks you're dead, so if you pretend to be a rogue lion... it could work. I doubt any lion would think anything of it."

"But I can't do that," the lioness added, before shaking her head in despair. "If one lion recognizes me, that's all it takes to set off the alarm... then, who knows what all will happen," Mari rolled her eyes, scowling as she continued to speak. "I'm a murderer, remember? They think I killed you."

"Right," Mohatu conceded. "But what did you expect to happen, now that we're here? How am I supposed to confront whatever evil entity is out here, if I can't even talk to a lion sitting at the waterhole?"

Mari stepped farther in front of the former king, beginning to speed up her pace. "I didn't expect you to want to do that. You're good at sneaking around; I sorta thought we would be able to avoid any lions we find."

"We don't need to sneak around," Mohatu insisted. "They think I'm one of them, now. I can-"

Mari turned back around, beginning to look slightly annoyed. "All it takes is one to recognize you, too. Then you'll have to confront Rex... and I know you aren't ready for that. Just... trust me on this one," Mari retorted. "It's not a good idea."

"Yes it is," Mohatu argued. "I don't even know what we're looking for out here... all I know is that Algenubi told me to go here. I need to know what they know about the tombs, and this is the easiest way to find out. Don't you see...?"

Mari sighed, her eyes beginning to burn while she thought again of the revelation that had dawned upon her, earlier that afternoon. "I understand that... but I don't know what to do..." she admitted wistfully.

There was a very clear reason why Algenubi told Mohatu to go to back to Lea Halalela: if Leo was the prophet, he was supposed to go to Lea Halalela to realize that obvious fact.

Mohatu was right—finding the tomb, in itself, probably wasn't going to help much. If what Rafiki said was true, the tomb could not be opened without the keys. More than likely, Rex had the keys.

Mohatu needed to face the kingdom, not run from it.

No matter what, a direct confrontation with Rex seemed to be inevitable. Ever since the discovery of Algenubi's tomb in the jungle, Mari had been fooled. Unintentionally, she had brought Mohatu to Lea Halalela to confront the king, and there was no way out. With each passing breath, that fact only became more apparent, and even more ugly.

"I mean... that's just it," Mari continued. "All of this is part of Algenubi's plan... or something. He wanted you to come here, so you would be able to sneak in right under Rex's nose and bop him upside the head. He wants you two to fight each other."

"Oh," Mohatu finally muttered, upon analyzing the lioness's dejected reaction. Within a matter of seconds, he had come to the same revelation. "Algenubi wanted me to come here, so I can challenge Rex and reclaim my place as king..."

"Yeah," Mari closed here eyes, trying to hide the pain.

"So..." Mohatu quickly began to speculate, not seeming quite as downhearted as his companion. "I'm not really here for the tomb of Regulus, am I?"

"I don't think so," Mari admitted. "I'm still not totally sure."

"I've..." Mohatu struggled to find his words, as he began to explain what he had done. "I've already been admitted into the academy. The queen gave me a tour of one of the pyramids, and I'm supposed to report to one of the knights in the morning... it's for training."

Finally, Mari ceased her walking. Immediately, her focus shifted back to the brown lion behind her. "Did she..."

"No," Mohatu answered the lioness's question before it slipped off her tongue. "She seemed interested in my background, but I think she's more confused about who I am than anything."

"You know she's going to be watching you like a fly. I wouldn't trust her."

"I don't," Leo replied. "After all that I've seen today, I don't trust anyone but you." As cheesy as it sounded, that was the truth, pure and simple.

Mari tried to hold back a smile, turning away and stepping back down into the sinkhole from which she emerged hours before. "I know. They're insane," the lioness added, almost showing a tone of disbelief in her voice. "You wouldn't believe what Algenubi told me today..."

The lioness slid down the many layers of clay and sand, right back into the cozy cave entrance. The gentle running flow of water began to add a bit of tranquility to her mood, although it was hardly enough to help her take her focus away from the more serious issues surrounding the future of her pride.

"I probably can," Mohatu shrugged, after following the lioness down to the edge of the grasses. "You wouldn't believe what Minerva told me in that pyramid..."

"So..." Mari inquired after a few seconds, sitting down for a bit. "What did she say?"

Mohatu leaped down into the mouth of the cave as well, crashing onto one of the boulders that sat in the hole. "She was explaining their entire philosophy... it's called the circle of life."

"Let me guess," Mari retorted. "The weak empower the worthy?"

"Basically. It's used as a creative excuse to justify slaughtering and enslaving other lions for no good reason, other than for personal gain."

The golden lioness sighed. "That's close to what Algenubi told me. Do you... actually believe it?"

Mohatu closed his eyes while he shook his head. Slowly, he stepped off the boulder, toward the lioness, keeping his breath shallow and his tail low to the ground. "No," he answered earnestly, looking deep into Mari's reflective eyes. "I know what I did was wrong. The kings of the past are wrong. It's all wrong."

"Are you sure you're not going to change your mind?" the lioness asked. "I want to believe you. I know I should believe you... I mean, it seems crazy, but-"

"Mari," Mohatu interrupted her. A shot of euphoria dazed into his mind, while the sound of the lioness's name rang through his ears. The brown lion stepped closer, instinctively rubbing his head under Mari's chin. "What you told me last night really meant something."

"It... did?"

"Yeah," he added, as he began to tremble nervously. Of course it meant something to him, although, to be truthful, he wasn't entirely sure what that something was. "If there's just a chance that I can change some lion's life, in the same way you've changed mine... it's worth it."

Initially feeling equally embarrassed by the lion's sudden change of heart, Mari returned his nuzzle, while her heart began to fill with hope once again. "But... do you have any idea how much catnip we used to do that?" she whispered rhetorically, almost giggling as her mood lifted quite a bit.

Although he still felt the fluttering of nervousness in the pit of his stomach, Mohatu licked Mari's muzzle briefly, causing her to quiver as the sudden, tickling sensation of feline affection overcame them both. "It wasn't the catnip that convinced me," Mohatu beamed back at her. "You know that."

"Maybe you're right," the lioness finally stepped back with a nervous shiver from Mohatu's warm embrace. "But I don't like the idea. I'm sure you didn't intend to fight Ganji, but look how that turned out. Those lions will do anything to make sure you're dead... even if they don't know who you are."

"Mari..." Mohatu whispered again. "I know that, and that's the very reason why I still need to confront the kingdom. It's the only way."

"Okay... okay, fine," Mari gave up. "I think I understand your plan. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into..."

"This is my kingdom," Leo insisted. "I managed to get these lions to follow me before, I just need to do it again."

"Just... please, don't get into any trouble and bring too much attention to yourself... again," the golden lioness sighed, grinning as she rolled her eyes slightly. "Y'know... you have a tendency to do that," she added, poking fun at him.

Meanwhile, Mohatu tried to keep a serious attitude. "They seem to have respect for brave and violent acts of reckless superiority... even if it kills their own kind," he thought aloud. "If I set my paws out right, I might be able to gain their trust and show them their mistakes."

"There's still one more problem, though," Mari replied. "Rex is looking to kill us and find the keys to the tomb of Regulus."

"We'll deal with that problem later," Mohatu insisted. "There isn't much we can do about that... yet. If I can just get a few important lions to follow me, I'll be able to end this entire conflict peacefully. We won't have to run—we'll be able to make a stand."

"Yeah, okay," Mari nodded. Without a doubt, it seemed that she was beginning to warm up to the idea. "But... what about the kings of the past? What are you going to do about them? I'm pretty sure that's the whole reason why this began, anyway."

"The kings of the past fooled all of us into fighting each other, and we both know it's true," Mohatu stated. "Now, if I can just... prove that, somehow..."

A long silence broke the air between the two lions, with only a slight wind and a few crickets providing ambient noise under the stars. The storms off in the distance had fizzled out and broken up, mostly, while the sun had fallen beyond the horizon in its entirety.

"You know what we're up against," Mari sighed. She lifted her paw upward, pointing to the stars. "That."

"I have no idea what we're up against," Mohatu admitted. "All I know is that you're one step ahead of them."

"I wish," the lioness replied, clouded by the doubts in her own mind.

"It's like..." Mohatu tried to explain, "I don't know. But I..." the lion bit his lip, his thoughts trailing off into silence. Although he vaguely knew what he wanted to say, the coffee-colored lion still found it rather difficult to bring his words into the realm of existence.

After Mohatu's sudden outbreak of nervous embarrassment at the unfinished, terminated thought, Mari seemed to understand the hint. "Is that really what you think of me?"

"Yes... it is," Mohatu admitted, grinning shyly. "But that's beside the point."

Mari began to blush slightly. "We're up against a race of God-like lions, and you think I..."

"You have no idea!" Mohatu added, beginning to smile across the corners of his muzzle. "Those lions are crazy! They even fight over their own food!"

"We did that too," Mari shrugged, trying to hide her initial reaction. "Although you always let me have it, in the end."

"Well... yeah," Mohatu continued. "I'm not going to kill you over a scrap of meat, and I know you wouldn't do it to me. We never would have made it this far if we did something stupid like that."

"That's true..."

"If only the strongest lion can survive... then I'd be pretty lonely," Mohatu admitted humorously. "All that talk of strength and skill and passion—it's meaningless. The only thing that even matters in this stupid world is when we mean something to another lion..." the old king continued, gazing back up at the stars above him.

"I guess..." Mohatu added, "that's what you showed me. All this time we've been looking for these pyramids, but I know that's not what I actually wanted to find." Predictably, the obvious intonation in the lion's voice made what he was really hoping to find much less than a surprise.

Mari simply nodded in slow motion, acknowledging the brown lion's words. "I could say the same," she whispered.

Mohatu lifted his head up again with interest. "You could?"

It was a slightly unexpected thing for the lioness to say, and she knew it. She had been betrayed, half her pride had been killed, and the other half of her family was still in grave danger. All of lionkind was falling apart as a result of the endogenous destruction, and yet, at the very center of Mari's heart, it was all secondary.

Many times, she had put all those problems behind her; they were replaced by more trivial concerns, which had been growing in Mari's mind for quite some time. Although she wanted to ignore them for the sake of her responsibilities, Mari's own personal desires weren't entirely nonexistent.

Yet, the lioness was beginning to realize that it wasn't such a bad thing, after all. She had once again forged a strong friendship with Leo, and that in itself brightened the entire situation considerably. It gave her something to look forward to, and naturally changed her perspective into a much more optimistic outlook on life.

All in all, Mohatu was happy to have her around, and she was happy to have him, as well. Unarguably, it was a rather pleasant situation for both felines. In its largely immature state, their relationship had not yet created any detriments thus far, even in regard to the much more important, larger-scale conflict.

Mari had initially felt a pang of guilt over the entire situation, as well as a taint of fear over what ridiculous drama would erupt between them, considering the circumstances of the mission. However, as the end drew nearer, it was becoming apparent to her that neither of those two feelings toward Mohatu were justified.

In essence, Mari's love for Leo, regardless of its form, had not blinded her to the harsh reality in front of her paws like she originally thought it would—instead, it was the one thing that saved him, above all else. Now, she was starting to wonder if it would save her as well, in due time.

It was, no doubt, one of the most ridiculous, fluff-filled, and cheesy thoughts that had ever crossed the lioness's mind, but after all she had been through, she could not argue with the truth. It had been right in front of her, throughout the entire journey.

However, the golden lioness didn't know whether or not she was ready to tell Mohatu of all her thoughts, just yet. All things considered, the night was shaping up to be long enough, anyway.

Besides, Mari still couldn't bring herself to take her mind off of the more important matters completely. Her relationship with Mohatu was important to her beyond words, but not nearly as important as the future of the Pridelands as a whole, she reasoned. That was, of course, her more rational side of thinking.

"I mean... sorta," Mari finally admitted, almost losing track of time in her own internal monologue. "You know. I got caught up in all of this... and I kinda forgot why I saved you in the first place."

"Because we're family," Mohatu continued. "And that's what we're supposed to do."

"Yeah," Mari sighed. Although that was what she had planned on saying, the fact that Leo said it for her suddenly gave her a cold, unexplainable hint of sadness. It wasn't very strong, but it made her reconsider, for a split second. "That's why."

Yet, the lioness couldn't help but simultaneously feel relieved as she heard Mohatu speak those words. She had indeed changed him back into the lion he once was, that much was certain.

As a matter of fact, she could almost trust Mohatu more than she could trust herself. Even as intimidating as the spirits of the ancient kings were, Mohatu seemed largely unfazed by their power. Without question, the lion knew which side he was on: hers.

Even as awkward as that persisting thought was, being the center of his attention, it felt like a nice, warm blanket of comfort. In the midst of all the chaos, the lioness's efforts were finally beginning to provide obvious returns.

After all, if Leo and Rex were inevitably destined to fight over the keys to the kingdom, then perhaps having one of the two kings protecting their pride would actually work out to be somewhat beneficial. Clearly, it was better than the alternative.

No matter which way the lioness thought about it, she kept coming back to the same conclusions.

Finally realizing that a break opened up in the conversation, Mohatu decided to change the subject. "Did you still want to go looking around, now that it's dark?" he asked. "I know where the tomb of Regulus is, now."

"Oh," Mari's mood suddenly lit up further. "You do?"

"It's not in one of the pyramids. It's inside a stone lion."

"That's... weird," Mari muttered. "We could go check it out," she offered, stretching out her front paws across the clay walls of the sinkhole. "How bad could it be, this time of night?"

"Look, it's not that big of a deal," Mohatu began. "If we run into any lions, I'll just tell them you're my slave. It'll be fine."

Mari flattened her ears at once. "What?"

Mohatu leaned in toward the lioness, rubbing his mane across her shoulder. "Just play along with it, okay?"

Immediately, Mari rolled over onto the ground, throwing Mohatu below her like a feline ninja. In less than a split second, she had the much larger male pinned below her forepaws and breathing quickly. "Yes, master," she replied sarcastically. "I'm just glad you don't beat me anymore."

"Let me up," Mohatu groaned in annoyance. "I... let you do that," he lied.

"Whatever you say, master," Mari smirked. Hastily, she rose to her paws, allowing Mohatu to move with full freedom. "That's enough banter for now. Come on, let's go."

Before Mohatu could regain his orientation back onto his paws, Mari had already climbed out of the sinkhole. For a lioness who had just looked as defeated as ever, she seemed to possess a high amount of energy, oddly enough.

Mohatu couldn't help but smile, as he followed the lioness's pawprints back up to the dry desert grasses. Although it was unfortunate that Algenubi made him come to Lea Halalela to reclaim his kingdom, Mohatu found it difficult to view the situation in a negative light.

From the very beginning, he had expected to fight Rex, so that wasn't much of a surprise in itself. It was hardly news to him, and he truly did believe that he could work around the situation. Mari needed a hero, and come hell or high water, this was how he planned to be that hero.

Mohatu was about to start playing both sides of the conflict. Soon, he would be able to influence the outcome of any situation in any way he desired.

Truth be told, if Rex wanted to kill him, he would need every possible edge. With the lion king's insurmountable power, Mohatu's own deceptive plan was the only way to even the odds. Contrary to Mari's initial belief, it was the least violent approach to resisting the king, in fact.

If the two kings were going to fight one another, Mohatu had no intention of jumping into a confrontation without knowing for sure that he could secure an effortless victory. The kingdom, in turn, would fall solely into his grasp. Then, with his rightful control over his greatest enemy, Mari and his pride would be safe, at long last.

It would work. Oh, it would totally work, Mohatu thought.

In the corner of the former king's peripheral vision, he could almost imagine his knights standing by him, following his every move as he walked up to his younger brother, where the confrontation would finally take place.

Rex would have no idea who Mohatu was, or what his intentions were. The king would be struck down, and eventually fall to the ground like a clumsy giraffe. Then, at that moment, the truth would be revealed, and Rex would be given the opportunity to mend his actions as king.

Mohatu would show his brother mercy, like Mari had done to him. In doing so, he would break the circle of life—break the tradition of his ancestors—and demonstrate just how flawed the philosophy truly was.

In fact, the entire situation was quite a pleasant thought, to Mohatu. Finally, he could see the end beginning to take shape, and it was nothing short of beautiful.

Mohatu would not fall to the will of the ancient kings, like Leo had done in the past. For as long as Mari stood beside him, he knew why he fought. It was not for power, for glory, for fame, or for honor. It was not even for truth, either.

It was for her.

Mari was respectable on the field of battle, but she knew when to back off and show her opponent mercy. She did not fight unless it was necessary, and Mohatu vowed to follow that same conduct. Although he could not explain why, Mohatu knew that was what it meant to be a true lion.

At the very least, that was the type of lion he wanted to be. Above all else, Mohatu wanted nothing more than to be his pride's true savior, in much the same way as he saw Mari—and the same way Mari saw him.

That, he promised himself, was what he was going to do.