Chapter One

The violet-eyed lioness walked through the grassy fields, looking downcast with each step. Her eyebrows scrunched up; a low growl escaping her throat as she remembered the same old argument that she had moments ago about her future with her grandparents. Nitza was her name, a beautiful, young lioness who was recently married to Tojo, her childhood friend and now her husband, and the father of their son, Nkosi, who is currently two months old.

Her grandparents, Tabita and Mahdi, had asked her if she was ready to have more cubs with Tojo. Nitza complained that she had already asked him about it. She soon remembered that she had told them that Tojo is a very busy lion and no matter how many times she asked, he just ignored her and the argument escalated from there.

A huff escaped her grasp as she rolled her eyes. They should at least understand that time is changing and her friends had found their respective spouses by choice, while she is the only one who is trapped in an arranged marriage. Mahdi had responded that it has been in their family's tradition for generations.

Not wanting to hear any of it, Nitza stormed out of the den, ignoring her grandmother's calls, she decided to have time to cool off. She was known to have a short-temper at times, to which her grandparents had always called her "selfish"; something that offended her greatly since she always tried to improve it.

"It's not fair! It's just not fair!" Nitza complained out loud, but mostly to herself until she spotted her friends sunbathing near the watering hole. "Can't they just let me choose a husband on my own like Nala did?"

"Complaining about your grandparents again, Nitza?" Tama asked coolly, raising her amber eyes at her friend. She was a beautiful, petite lioness with tan fur and a curly hair tuft.

At the mention of this, Mbali sat up and rolled her emerald green eyes. "Ugh. Those old-fashioned farts," she murmured bitterly, but a red lioness with burgundy eyes heard her insult. She bared her teeth at her friend, growling slightly.

"Mbali! Watch your tongue! Even if they're not around, that's not a nice thing to say!" She hissed, but Mbali only snorted, and much to her relief, Nitza defended her.

"She's right, Baina. They were born in Uru's reign so they tend to stick with tradition," Nitza stated calmly with a sigh. "I'm very happy for Nala, really, but my heart is still set on Simba and I'm stuck with Tojo for the remainder of my life."

"Speaking of, does Simba even love Nala?" Tama suddenly asked, catching the others, including Nitza, by surprise as they all looked at her.

"Why would you even ask such a question? I support them whole-heartedly," Nitza reasoned, blinking her eyes.

Tama snorted and rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Nitza could be dense in certain situations, but not wanting to bring up that comment, she decided to hide it. "Oh, come on, Nitza. Don't you remember that Simba had rejected you? I asked him myself and he said he wasn't sure if he had made the right choice on marrying Nala," Tama said. "But she has been a little off lately."

"Off?" Nitza repeated, tilting her head and irking her eyebrow. "But she could just be having her normal mood swings," She watched as Kula sat up, placing a paw underneath her chin.

"Well, that might be the case. However, when she is normal, her attitude is just...negative most of the time," Kula said, not wanting to go into further detail.

Nitza bit her lip as she sat down on her haunches, deciding to get some answers from her friends about why Nala is suddenly changing. "What could be the cause? Nala has never acted this way in her entire life," Nitza said.

"Perhaps she's been suffering a lot from Scar's reign. You know, Scar did ask her to become his queen," Baina pointed out.

"And she flat out refused him," Mbali stated. Sure, she has heard about what happened during that time but hasn't been around much due to Scar forcing her to overhunt. She once threatened to kill him herself, but Faraji warned if she did, then all the males in the pride would be banished or even killed.

Nitza hummed in agreement as she too remembered the incident very well. It wasn't something that she and her friends liked to talk about much, but they all rarely brought up what happened moons ago since it was very traumatic for everyone, including for Nitza.

Despite Nkosi was staying in Malka's pride in the mountains after his birth, Nitza still felt guilty that she had to send him off with her mother, Sarafina, and she wasn't able to go with them, due to her being part of the hunting party.

While everyone remained silent after their short discussion, they soon heard the sound of a cute little male voice coming towards them, along with laughter. Nitza sighed, but she shook her head, and her friends looked at her with worry.

"Slow down, Nkosi. You're going too fast!" A dark gold furred lion with bright blue eyes and a larger, scruffier, hair tuft called out to the tiny cub, who was ignoring his father's calls to stop running so fast. The lionesses couldn't help but laugh when they noticed an adorable tawny pelted lion cub with bright blue eyes.

"Mama! Mama!" The young cub called out innocently, looking at his mother with a beaming smile across his face. The violet-eyed lioness's eyes softened and she too smiled at the sight of her son, who was her everything.

At times, however, Nitza wondered if she truly loved Nkosi and would sometimes leave him in the care of his grandmother, never his great-grandparents since she believed that they would cloud his head with traditional beliefs as he grows older, something that she would never want.

"Nkosi...how many times do I have to tell you to wait for your father? There are dangerous predators who would come and eat you!" She playfully said, using her paw gently to pin him down, and tickled his belly, while the young cub giggled.

As Nkosi and Nitza were playing, Tojo glanced up when he spotted Baina, Tama, Kula, and Mbali all sunbathing on the tanning rocks.

"Good morning, ladies. Catching up with Nitza, I see?" Tojo asked politely, offering a small smile, but didn't notice that Mbali was giving him an icy glare.

"What does that have to do with you?" She coldly asked, baring her teeth and a low growl escaping her throat as her eyes flashed at him.

Tojo lifted up his head, giving off an unfazed expression as if being professional. "I'm not causing any problem, Mbali. Please, lay off the attitude. You're much worse with that temper of yours," Tojo responded, calmly as he can, not even missing to insult her brashness.

"And what does that suppose to mean?" Tama asked, defending her friend in an instant. She too growled in offense, giving him a disdainful look as she too bared her teeth. Tojo is very arrogant, much to the lioness's dismay and they all wonder how could Nitza's grandparents even arrange her a marriage to this posh lion.

"Calm down all of you. Now, Tojo. Is there a reason why you're here?" Baina calmly asked, sensing the tension rising in the atmosphere. Unlike Nitza who was normally the peacemaker of the group, Baina is also very calm and doesn't like to get into confrontations a lot, only when necessary if she has to.

Tojo sighed, not really like to give out information other than to his cousin and loyal king Simba, but since they are so curious, he had to at least try to satisfy their needs. Shaking his head, the male lion glanced up and not sure how well they're going to handle this, especially Nitza since she would take care of their son alone, despite having her friends and family helping her. He sometimes feared that if he was gone for so long, he might die of exhaustion.

"Simba has requested for me to go to the Taiyang Lands to try and open ties again so we can get back on track with everything that has been happening with our kingdoms," Tojo responded, with full authority of his voice. At the mention of this, Nitza glanced up for a moment and plopped down on the ground, wrapping her paws around the young cub.

"Tojo, it'll take you weeks to get there. How would you handle such pressure?" Nitza asked her mate, a frown forming on her maw as her tail twitched, to which Nkosi had noticed.

"It's an offer that I can't refuse, Nitza. We must tell the Emperor of the Taiyang Lands that Simba has returned and wants to establish peace," Tojo explained firmly. "And don't worry. I'll be alright. Simba has decided that he'll send Faraji, Chumvi, Malka, and Mahiri along if anything goes wrong."

"Haven't you forgotten that Emperor Ai Guo had cut off ties when he learned that Scar had assumed the throne? He was really good friends with Mufasa, but never trusted Scar and had known that he had killed Mufasa," Mbali explained, earning shocked looks from everyone else. "What? You expected that Ai Guo would fall for Scar's lies?"

"Well, you do have a point," Nitza hummed in agreement as she watched Nkosi playing with her tail and a small smile appeared on her muzzle. Tojo also watched his only son trying to get his mother's tail without any luck due to Nitza constantly moving it. A thought occurred to him as he remembered the conversation that he had with Mahdi while babysitting Nkosi one day.

"You know, it would be best to train Nkosi early so he can take over my duties as guard one day. We can't wait for him to have his Rite of Passage," Tojo pointed out as he too gave out a small smile.

Deep down, Nitza clearly didn't want her son to be involved in such politics and she sometimes had nightmares about him as a teenager fighting and ending up dying. Deciding not to worry too much, Nitza glanced up at her mate and her small smile soon shifted to a forced one.

"I know, but I wanted him to have a normal cubhood before we start worrying on who's going to fight him," Nitza reminded him, as Tojo's eyes softened and he walked over towards his mate, licking her cheek fondly.

"Don't worry. He'll turn out just fine."

…

The auburn maned lion sat on the edge of Pride Rock, gazing out of his kingdom every so often. His golden fur glistened in the sunlight, to which some have said that rivalled against it. Simba was his name, and he had recently been crowned King of the Pridelands after his return to Pride Rock to challenge his traitorous uncle Scar for the Pride.

Had it been not for Rafiki and Nala to knock some sense into him, Simba would still be living in the jungle with Timon and Pumbaa, he would've still lived in a carefree life without not knowing what's going on in the Pridelands.

"What's on your mind, Simba? You've been like this for a while now," a male voice said, prompting Simba to turn around and noticed his cousin, Mahiri, walking towards him. He too was a golden lion with green eyes.

Simba snapped from his thoughts and turned around, when he spotted him taking a seat. "I'm worried about Nala. She's changed," Simba said, not really wanting to get into the topic.

"I've noticed. She's been very cold and distant lately. It's so not like her," Mahiri said in agreement. He really cared for Nala as a sister figure, and yet she refused to talk about her problems towards him since he was known to be a great listener.

"Ah, guys. Don't worry about her now. She's just stressed," another voice chimed in, persuading the lions to turn around. He was a chocolate dark furred lion with amber colored eyes. This lion's name is Chumvi, a very good friend towards Simba.

"How can you be so sure? Her emotions have changed and it's been putting a strain on our relationship," Simba said with an agitated sigh.

Mahiri knew that Simba loved Nala deeply, but ruling a kingdom takes a lot of their energy and they hardly spend any time with each other like they've used to and it was starting to worry everyone, including Simba's mother, Sarabi. Clearing his throat, he decided to ask Simba to something that the latter wasn't really ready to answer.

"Is it because of your growing attraction towards Nitza?" He asked suddenly, taking Chumvi and Mahiri by surprise. Simba's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, shocked to hear the question that came out of his mouth.

"Burn," another male lion said, joining the group lastly. He had tan fur and a bi-colored mane with black ear tufts on his ears. "That's worth a shot."

The other male lions couldn't help but laugh at Malka's statement, while Simba remained silent due to embarrassment. He looked away with a scoff and a roll of his eyes.

"Haha, very funny, Malka," Simba said in a dry tone. They would sometimes pick a bone with him when they have the chance, since they were all very close to one another and treated each other as brothers.

Their laughter all died down when they spotted a blue hornbill flying towards them in the distance and when he stopped, he landed on the ground and bowed respectfully.

"Morning, sire. Checking in on the morning report," the hornbill, also known as Zazu said as he too bowed down respectfully at the sight of Simba's friends. "Morning to all of you."

"Fire away," Simba said, mentally preparing himself for the gossip of what his subjects had to say.

"There have been lots of unrest lately here in the Pridelands as we speak. Rumors had stirred up that someone has been practicing witchcraft and it's causing a problem," Zazu started uneasily, to which the others had taken by surprise once again, especially Simba who seemed on edge about this.

"Witchcraft? I thought that have been banned?" Malka asked, irking an eyebrow at the bird in confusion as he could've sworn that King Ahadi have placed a ban on the illegal art.

"It has been, but there are those who practice it in secret so they won't be discovered," Chumvi explained, remembering what Sarabi had said to him about the practice of dark magic.

"Mchanga," Simba growled, his eyes giving off an intense glare while barring his teeth. "She's probably using dark magic to wreck havoc once again. Zazu. Bring her over so I can have a word with her."

The others knew that Simba could be a little harsh with his punishments, especially to those who try to challenge him, even when it comes to a lioness such as Mchanga. He could never trust a lioness like her since even Rafiki could sense that there is something off about her. Not even his father didn't trust her, despite when he was a cub, he used to be fascinated by her so-called spells and potions.

"Yes, at once sire!" Zazu exclaimed as he quickly flew off to find the lioness who the pride has started not to like because of her antics.

"Geez. Why couldn't Mchanga follow the rules like everyone else?" Mahiri asked, placing a paw on his forehead, rubbing it agitatedly as he too rolled his eyes

…

As the hornbill flew, he managed to look down, scouring any suspicious activity in the savannah. He flapped his wings, while keeping watch on the Pridelands. Suddenly, Zazu came to a halt as he looked down and noticed that a certain brown lion was busy chatting with two zebras. Deciding what's going on, he swooped down and landed next to Faraji, who happened to be there.

"Excuse me for barging in like this. But what's going on?" Zazu asked, preparing himself of more rambling between Faraji that he had talked to moments earlier.

"Oh, Zazu! It's quite alright. A mysterious predator has been causing harm to these animals. The Lion Guard has been doing everything they can to keep the situation at bay," Faraji explained, unaware that Mchanga has been the one causing the entire issue.

Not wanting to start a panic Zazu flew up to Faraji's shoulder and perched on it, while encouraging him to come closer. Not wanting to let the zebras to hear, Zazu did his best to whisper the lion's name in his ear.

"It's Mchanga," Zazu murmured quietly. "She's the one who has been practicing witchcraft." He watched as Faraji recomposed himself as the emerald green-eyed lion nodded, believing that she maybe the cause of the unrest.

"Please remain calm and we'll handle the situation!" Faraji called out to the zebras as he dashed away from them. As they were out of earshot, Faraji stopped running and turned to Zazu. "I never trusted Mchanga growing up. I tried to warn my friends about her but it was no use."

When they reached Mchanga's cave, they were soon stopped by two cheetahs who gave them both sly smiles.

"Ah, the infamous Faraji. We have heard so much about you. I'm Nafi and this is my twin brother, Eason. Mchanga has been waiting for you," Nafi said as he and his younger brother both escorted Faraji and Zazu into the cave.

Their eyes both widened in disbelief when they noticed that Mchanga had been indeed practicing witchcraft. Herbs scattered everywhere and the slightly older lioness looked focus on what plant she wanted to use.

"Mchanga! Didn't you know that witchcraft has been banned from the kingdom and Simba would most likely execute you for your crimes?" Faraji asked with a snarl, baring his teeth while his green eyes flashed directly at her.

A smirk plastered on her face as she glared at the lion and the hornbill. "Please, the King has other issues to worry about. He needs to tend to his mate and Queen Nala, but he is currently blinded by the feelings that he has for Nitza," Mchanga stated, knowing well that using Nitza would most likely be a weak advantage against Simba. However, she watched as Faraji wasn't having it as he growled on the youngest lioness defense.

"Leave Nitza out of this, Mchanga. She has nothing to do with your crimes," Faraji huffed angrily. His anger only worsened when the lioness had gave him a response to which he had know that Simba would most likely be displeased with.

"You both can leave. I'll go to Priderock when I'm ready," Mchanga stated in a sinister, calm tone. Faraji and Zazu both exchanged glances and once they had left her alone, the young lion turned to Zazu.

"Simba isn't going to like this," Zazu said as he and Faraji both walked back to Priderock. Faraji nodded in agreement.

…

"Are they gone?" a lioness named Zira asked as she approached Mchanga with a young cub walking right next to her. She had brown fur with red eyes, along with a dark head stripe and a notch on her ear. She didn't watch her son as he was going to the potions that were right in front of him. He watched in amazement as they glowed, a smile beaming on his face.

"Yes. They are. It's starting to become risky to practice witchcraft with Simba's watchful eye. We have to be extra careful when we are practicing certain spells or else face the consequences," Mchanga explained, to which Nuka seemed to overhear.

He glanced up at the lioness, tilting his head. "What would Simba do to us if we're caught?" He timidly asked, not moving away from the potions, but he soon earned a snarl from his mother.

"Be quiet you stupid brat! He is our target and we must be careful," Zira informed with a growl, leaving Nuka unsure about this.

…

"Where is Mchanga?" Simba firmly asked, looking at Faraji who had now returned from confronting Mchanga. Zazu perched on Faraji's shoulder, while he knows that Simba won't like the answer that he is given.

"Well, we had a talk with her...but she refuses to listen to both of our commands," Faraji explained slowly.

"What should we do, sire?" Zazu asked worryingly, waiting for Simba's response. He watched as Simba looking down in thought and noticed that he was soon giving an answer.

"She will face the consequences."