The King is Crowned

Later that same day, there was a ceremony at the church near the royal palace to crown Kion as the new King. To say that the people were excited would have been an understatement; this would be the first time that the Tree of Life had a King in over eighteen years. Everyone who had previously gathered in the church for the wedding returned there for the new King's coronation. Rani stood at the altar, with her Queen dress and her hair braided this time, looking at the people before her. She briefly glanced at Makini, who was pouring the royal paint into an ornament. She then looked down at her wedding ring and sighed happily. In a few minutes, Kion would be crowned King; her King, to be precise, and she would be his Queen.

Just then, Kion appeared in the church doorway. He was wearing a red and gold tunic, white trousers, black boots and a dark red cape. The young King walked down the aisle, people bowing as he passed. When he reached the altar, he gave his wife a bow. "Queen Rani," he smiled, love shining in his eyes. "Kion," Rani beamed as she lowered herself into a curtsey. "I'm glad the Roar has returned to the Tree of Life again,". "And this time," Kion grinned. "He's here to stay,". "I'm looking forward to ruling the Tree of Life with you," Rani stated, resisting the urge to go over and hug him. "We'll rule it together," Kion nodded. With that, he got down on one knee and lowered his head as Makini took the ornament from the altar, dipped her thumb in the royal paint and anointed Kion's head with it before returning the ornament to the altar.

The Mjuzi then took the crown, the first time it had been used since King Malik's funeral, brought it over to where Kion was, lifted it up and lowered it onto the new King's head. Kion then rose and allowed Makini to escort him to his throne. Taking a look at those present, he took a deep breath and gently sat down on the throne, placing his hands on the armrests. Makini smiled at him before turning to address the crowds. "People of the Tree of Life, friends from near and far, it is my honour to present His Majesty King Kion!". In response, the people started chanting "God Save the King!", and Rani walked over to her husband's side and sat on her throne next to him, making sure to cross her legs. The King and Queen smiled as they held each other's hand and viewed the people before them.

Beau Black: God Save the King! He and the Queen are side by side. The Circle of Life keeps moving on; the start of a new pride!

All: Our hearts and voices (hearts and voices sing!) All praise and glory (praise and glory bring!) Good will and joy in everything! God save, God save, God Save the Queen! (God save the Queen!) God save, God save, God Save the King! (God Save the King!) God save, God save, God Save the Queen! God save, God save, God Save the King!

After the ceremony, Kion asked Rani if she wanted to meet his family; she said "yes". So, Kion walked over to where Simba, Nala, Kovu and Kiara were and smiled. "Hi, there," he said. "Thanks for coming to the Tree of Life," "Don't mention it, son," Simba grinned warmly. "Or it should really be "Your Majesty" now, shouldn't it?" he added with a wink. "Dad," Kion stated. "I might be a King now, but I'm still your son,". He then addressed his entire family. "Everyone, I have someone I'd like you to meet,". He turned to face Rani, who had a shy smile on her face. "My love, it's okay," Kion smiled softly as he took Rani by the hand and introduced him to his family. "Kion told me a lot about you," Rani declared. "All good I hope?" Nala asked. "Yep," Rani nodded. "You know," Simba mused. "I remember about ten years ago when Kion was about to become the leader of the Lion Guard. He referred to love as "mushy stuff", I believe. How things change, huh?" "Dad..." Kion frowned, though Rani simply burst into laughter. "Don't worry, Kion; I was just like that when I was younger. I remember my grandmother telling me about she and my grandfather first met, and I thought "when will it be over?". The entire group laughed at this. "One more thing, Kion," Kovu told him. "Vitani said "don't forget to write to us from the palace,",". "I won't," Kion chuckled as he and his wife said farewell to his family.

Next, the royal couple returned to the palace. They went out onto the balcony... only to see their new subjects cheering for them. Kion and Rani looked at each other lovingly before Kion planted a kiss on his wife's head with Rani cuddling her husband. The crowds below erupted in jubilation at the visible display of affection between their monarchs. "We're going to make a great team," the King stated. "We already do," the Queen smiled. "Are you ready, my love?" "Yes, I am, my beloved," Kion beamed. With that, the King and Queen started waving to their subjects, who chanted "Long live Their Majesties!". Bunga smiled at Binga. "My best friend is a King; unbungalievable!". Penguino turned to Thurston, who was having trouble finding his way back to the Pridelands. "You know," the ice-cream seller noted. "King Kion is a fierce as a penguin,". "Yes," Thurston nodded. "I thought him all he knows; now, which way do I go to get to the Pridelands?" This earned him a groan from Fuli and Ono "That way!" they frowned, pointing to the mountain pass. "Ah, yes; as I thought," Thurston stated. Thankfully, he did manage to find his way back to the Pridelands.

Afterwards, there was a banquet and some dancing to celebrate both the royal wedding and the new King's coronation. Before you could say "can you feel the love tonight?", the sun had set and the moon and stars had come out. That evening, King Kion and Queen Rani were walking through one of the palace corridors, on their way to their chambers.

On their way, Kion and Rani bumped into Bunga, who had what looked like dead butterflies in a bouquet. "Oh, hi, Your Majesties," he said cheerfully as he gave a bow. "Hi, Bunga," Rani said. "How are you?" Kion asked. "Bingcredible!" Bunga exclaimed. "I mean, unbungalievable. Hey, do you want to see something really cool?". Kion turned to face Rani. "Do you want to tell him or should I?" he asked her. "Would it be okay if I told him?" she asked, to which Kion replied with "Of course". Rani then turned to face Bunga. "Sir, if you don't mind, the King and myself have a very important matter to attend to in our chambers, and this time, you really shouldn't interfere with our business,". "Nah, I'm spending the entire evening with Binga," Bunga stated. "We're going to go to the theatre... if the security guard lets us in, that is. Then we might pay a visit to Mrs. Green's corner shop because I'm sure she'd love to meet us,". "Sounds great," Kion declared as he and Rani walked briskly past Bunga. "Bye, Bunga,".

When they got to the door of the royal chambers, Kion picked Rani up in his arms, causing her to scream with happiness, and carried her through the threshold. Once they were inside, the King put his Queen back on the ground and closed the door behind them. They locked eyes with each other, holding each other's hands. They stayed in this position for a while, both simply cherishing their significant other as they set the mood for their first night as husband and wife. After a few minutes, Kion pressed his lips onto Rani's, opening his mouth slightly to let their tongues touch. Rani put her hands around the back of Kion's neck as he put his arms around her waist. When their passionate kiss ended, the Queen took her King by the hand and led him to their bed. The couple discovered that sweet-smelling red rose petals now adorned their bed. Some were scattered, and some had been arranged into a heart shape. Additionally, there were two heart shaped cushions the colour of love itself on each of the two pillows, and there were lit candles near the canopy bed, their dim light providing the room with a romantic atmosphere. It was just lovely.

"It's beautiful," Rani gaped. "Just like you then?" Kion grinned, earning him a kiss on the cheek from his wife. The royal couple knew that, given their various duties as rulers of the Tree of Life, it might be a while before they again had a whole night to themselves, so they were determined to make the most of their wedding night. At that moment in time, they cared neither about three days ago when they were in separate countries nor about tomorrow when they would officially begin exercising power. All they cared about right now was their love for one another. Rani kicked off her shoes, took off her tiara and cape and sat on the bed. Kion immediately took off his crown, cape and his boots before realising that Rani hadn't taken an eye of him when he was doing that. With an enormous smile on his face, he sat down on the bed next to his wife, took her by the hand and said in a fake posh accent "Might I enquire what Her Majesty is looking at?". Rani had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing; the fake snobbery really didn't suit him at all. "I was just admiring how handsome His Majesty is," she responded. "You're the only one for me," Kion uttered softly, their fingers intertwining. Looking into each other's eyes, they understood that they would be each other's first and almost certainly each other's only.

As Rani gazed into her husband's eyes, she felt her heart sprouting wings again. She had known ever since she and Kion had fallen in love that this moment would come, but it was still quite surreal to think that she was about to give up her virginity to a man who she had initially been hostile to, then grew to tolerate, then formed a strong friendship with, then fell head over heels in love with and finally married. To say the least, she and Kion had come a very long way. "I could never describe how much I love you in words, Kion," she started. She stroked his face tenderly, staring at the scar across his eye for a few seconds and then felt her smile grow as she noticed the blue mark on his forehead. The mark that signified that he was a King; her King and husband. "My husband, my King and my soulmate," she continued. "If I can't describe the extent of my love for you in words, then maybe I can do so during our first night in bed together,". In response, tears started to form in Kion's eyes, his love for Rani overwhelming him. "Rani..." he uttered as he smiled at his wife.

Unable to hold back anymore, Kion pressed his lips onto Rani's, with her kissing him back. The Queen then pulled back the King's tunic from his chest, revealing a plain, white shirt underneath. The couple had to temporarily break their kiss so that Rani could take Kion's shirt off. Once she had done so, she ran her hands along his bare chest and began placing tender little kisses on his neck. Kion moaned slightly, enjoying the sensation. "I love you so much, my darling; God, you mean more than the world to me," he said. "I could never imagine being with anyone other than you, my beloved," she replied. She noticed the pendant around his neck; his was the shining sun, hers was the glistening moon. As if Kion had read her mind, he took his pendant, as Rani took hers, and they deliberately joined them together. Kion then took the bobbin out of Rani's braid and ran his fingers through her luscious, black hair. Rani then lay down on the bed as Kion positioned himself on top of her, gently pulling the material away from her shoulders as he left a trail of sweet kisses on her neck.

Then he stopped for a second. "Rani, this might hurt," he frowned, not wanting to harm his wife in any way. Rani smiled as they locked eyes. "It's okay, Kion. I know you, and I know that you would never do anything to hurt me. Lying here with you, sharing our love... I've never felt this good in my life,". Feeling more confident, Kion kissed her softly on the lips and peeled the dress away from Rani's body. She sat up a little bit to allow him to unclasp her bra, which he did. The King kissed the Queen's breasts, causing Rani to moan slightly. "I love you, Kion. Oh God; my love for you is as deep as the ocean, my husband,". She put her hands on his hips as he gently but lovingly stroked her face. After a while, and after several sessions of cuddling, kissing and caressing, they started to reach their climax. Rani smiled at her husband as they gazed into each other's eyes with nothing bit pure love. Kion was so gentle; what would be a painful thrust for most other women was an intimate expression of her soulmate's love for her. If there had been any pain at all, Rani didn't notice it. They were two bodies but only one soul; their two hearts were beating as one.

Hours later, the King and Queen lay together in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Kion held Rani by the waist, while she had her hand on his broad shoulder whilst listening to the sound of his breathing. Rani lifted her head from Kion's chest and looked at him. "That was the best day of my life," she smiled. "The best day of our lives, you mean," Kion corrected her. "You know, Rani; you made me feel like I was the only man on the planet,". "Well, that's a coincidence because you made me feel like the only woman on the planet," she adding. "We should definitely do that romantic stuff more often,". "Would that be an official decree, Queen Rani?" Kion smiled. "Only if it pleases the King," Rani grinned. "Then let it be done," he beamed. "I love you, Kion, and I love spending time with you," Rani said with happiness in her eyes. "Same here, beautiful," Kion replied as he ran his fingers through Rani's hair. "I'm yours forevermore,". "And I'm yours, my King," Rani uttered, her heart overflowing with love for Kion. "My Queen," he whispered, his heart sprouting wings and fluttering like an angel might do. He brought his wife closer to him, kissing her long, dark hair. After a minute, Rani lowered her head slightly and kissed her husband's chest. Before long, the two lovebirds fell fast asleep in each other's arms, dreaming of their future together.

To be continued...

A/N: Hello, everyone! There's my next chapter as promised. Now, in next week's chapter, there's going to be a bit of a time skip. That's right, boys and girls; next time we see Kion, Rani and the others, their going to be slightly older. I look forward to writing about that and sharing it with you amazing people; until then, however, have a lovely weekend. Well, that just leaves me to say one last thing; have a spooktastic Halloween, folks! =)