Hello, dear Lion King readers. I'm back after so long! I apologize if it seemed it took me forever to reach to this point :/ But since this is a valuable story to me, no shortcuts or wrong planning are allowed. Now that that has been stated, onto the story!
Simba did try his best to teach his sons a valuable lesson on how 'being a good king is not as easy as it may sound', considering that he himself experienced from firsthand the length of all repercussions caused by one's uncaring and tyrannical desires for power-such as his cruel uncle's when he plotted for the throne-. Even to this day, the adult male lion still feared of his influence over him, especially in his dreams.
But now it wasn't the time to dwell on his own anxieties. Simba needed to get a hold of himself and keep the composure for the upcoming summit with the leaders from other lion prides that once lived peacefully in the Pridelands; that is until Scar took the throne, and both food and water became scarce, which forced them to ultimately leave in order to settle in another place very far from the evil lion's grasp.
It took several days and months of recovery for the kingdom to grow prosperous like before. So, when the words of its restoration, as well as the re-establishment of a new king, reached the outsider lions' ears, they themselves decided to have a look at it; and only then, they would make their pleads to the unknown current ruler in an attempt to earn its gratitude and permission to live in the Pridelands again.
The laws clearly established that other lion prides were always welcome in the kingdom-as once stated Mufasa, and his father before him-with the understanding, of course, that no violation, nor transgression should ever fall to any of the members from the royal family, or its subjects for that matter. Therefore, it was the king's job to ensure that all the species under its watch would receive an equal and fair treatment, as well as the correct amount of tribute according to their specific needs.
"What's taking them so long…" wondered an already anxious Simba as he paced back and forth in order to ease the uneasiness he had in regards of this whole, important gathering with other male lions that most likely had years of experience in leadership than him.
Rafiki, on the other hand, looked more composed and in control of his emotions from his position on top of a nearby rock. His presence in the summit was also vital, since he was going to act like a sort of intermediary-envoy on behalf of Mufasa's wishes for the prosperity of the kingdom.
"Hmmhm…the lion that worries too much about tomorrow, easily loses sight of today's tasks" commented wise mandrill whilst mediating with its eyes close.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Simba out of his own curiosity as Rafiki approached him.
"It means you're needlessly overthinking things when you already have everything you need" he answered despite the king's protest to say it was otherwise.
"And that's exactly what I fear".
As he walked to the edge of the Pride Rock, in order to see the extent of his domains under the warm sun, Simba couldn't help but ponder over his accomplishments thus far and how efficient were them, as a whole, when it all came down to the protection of his home and preserving the Circle of Life.
"Although the Pridelands is my birthplace, sometimes I feel like I don't fully understand how a lot of things work here; things that my father knew like the back of its paw and I, as his son, should know by now" he confessed to Rafiki, feeling genuinely ashamed of his current self.
"Nala already tried to relieve me, saying I would soon get the hang of it. Also, you and Zazu are already supporting me with my daily tasks as king, which is why I can't stop thinking if there's ever going to be a day where I can honestly feel that I achieved something on my own".
"Great kings like Mufasa aren't born with that status" spoke Rafiki again as he tried to alleviate some of Simba's pressure. Then, with one of his arms, he stretched it towards Zazu, who was just gliding in their direction.
"It's the little steps we give, and the decisions we made at a young age, that help us grow into the beings we hope to be someday" he continued as the lion's attention was drifted to another feline adult, which was being guided to his home by his trusty majordomo. At first, he believed that he was seeing things.
"I-Is that?!" spat Simba with both eyes widened, clearly taken back by the unexpected appearance of someone from his cub years that he thought he would never see again.
"I can't believe it…it's really him! Simba!" exclaimed with great joy the adult lion of dark orange fur and tan ears covered in furry black tufts like its tousled dark mane.
"Malka!" expressed Simba, who was also overjoyed after seeing a longtime friend right at the foot of Pride Rock. Instantaneously, the jubilant lion ran down the hill and then towards the other male feline in order to greet him properly. Afterall, the only time they managed to share together was when they were still little cubs very long ago.
"I thought I'd never see you again!" said the king of the Pridelands exuberantly.
"Hey! I should be the one saying that after everyone heard that you died in the gorge!" joked the dark maned lion very lightheartedly. Like Simba, his own excitement and wonder for his friend was almost comparable to his in the same degree.
"Apologies siree" stated Zazu as he perfectly landed on a rock next to them.
"I could have taken less time coming here if our friend hadn't lost his way" he continued, somewhat annoyed, as he clearly placed the blame on Malka for not arriving to the plains on time.
"Yeah…I guess my direction sense isn't so accurate afterall, hahaha…" laughed the lion sheepishly, which earned him some light chuckles from the other big feline and a tired sigh from the uptight hornbill.
"It's ok, Zazu. Thank you for guiding Malka here. Now, if it's not too much to ask, can you keep an eye on my children? They do have a knack for getting into trouble lately".
"Hmhmh, some things don't change, do they siree?" commented the small majordomo, laughing softly at the irony of the situation. But still willing to follow his king's petition.
"Well then, I'm off!" he stated as he took flight into the clear skies of the savannah.
"Take good care of them!" said Simba from the ground.
"Thanks again Zazu!" added Malka, also thanking the hornbill's help.
"You know, Malka, I'm actually quite grateful it was you who showed up, because I wasn't sure what the other lions, who don't really know me or know what I went through, would think of me as the new leader of the Pridelands" stated Simba openly since he was feeling confident enough to be truthful to his feelings and entrust them to his friend.
"You're kidding? Look at all the work you put through to make this place reborn anew! And if anyone says otherwise, they'll have to answer to me first" declared Malka boldly, showing his full support to the rightful king of this prosperous land.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it" he nodded. Hearing that type of answer from one of his kind was all Simba needed in order to gain new strengths for the summit with the other lion leaders. One of them ended up being a good friend from his childhood. But regarding the last two, he didn't know exactly who they were or why they were suddenly interest in settling in the Pridelands.
"Simba?!" spoke another very familiar male voice to the king, which almost immediately called his attention.
As he diverted his gaze from Malka and towards the owner of that voice, he caught sight of an adult lion with darker brown fur, blue eyes and golden-brown mane. It was being accompanied by a certain well-built dark brown lion with reddish brown eyes and messy brown mane that slightly fell forward over its face.
"To-Tojo? And…Chumvi?!" exclaimed Simba, genuinely surprised, after seeing two other well-known faces to him. Now it was clear for him why some outsiders would be that enthusiastic to live in a kingdom that almost got destroyed by his uncle and the hyenas.
"The Great Spirit did listen to my pleas!" expressed Tojo happily as he ran to where Simba and Malka were.
"Heh! I knew someone like you wouldn't die so easily like that" stated Chumvi with a smile before tagging along with the other lion.
"Guys, I can't believe it's you! I thought you were long gone" admitted Simba with great contentment.
"We thought the same after Scar told us that Mufasa and you died in a stampede" pointed out the kind-hearted lion of blue eyes as he recalled that sad night that suddenly turned into a nightmare.
"Not that it got better after that. He did what he pleased and us suffered the consequences later. Our mothers and other members of the pride decided to leave before things would get worse. And only those still loyal to Mufasa remained as his subjects" continued Chumvi, explaining Simba everything that happened during his long absence.
"I'm sorry to hear that…" he replied with a downhearted look and his head down in shame. Still feeling guilty for not being able to take his place as king sooner.
"H-hey, don't take it personally!" stuttered the dark lion apologetically.
"He-he's right! There was nothing any of us could have done to put a stop to it! What matters is that we're here now for you. No running away this time" stated Tojo with clear determination in his voice.
"This may be the first time knowing you, but I can say I'm already starting to like you guys" said Malka, only now intervening in their conversation.
"Oh, sorry! Malka, this is Tojo and Chumvi. Guys, this is Malka" announced Simba, introducing them to each other.
"Any friend of Simba, is a friend of mine" stated the amiable dark maned lion.
"Likewise!" answered the darker brown one with a candid smile, while the other just nodded in approval.
"Good! Good!" spoke Rafiki from above, calling the attention of all four lions altogether.
"Now that everyone is in complete agreement, we can begin the summit at once" he added before instructing the felines to follow him into the Pride Rock.
"After you" said Simba as he allowed his three friends to get into the den before him.
As always, thanks again for showing thy interest for this fanfic. I can't promise I'll prioritize this story above the others, but I can assure you I'll take care of this fic for as long as it needs. Take care, and stay safe out there! See you in the next update! :D