Disclaimer: The song does not belong to me, and only Disney has all copyrights.
Evening fell as the skies still wept over the loss of Queen Nala. As in Simba's, various animals gathered around the Pride Rock to hear Kiara and Kovu's words.
After the queen's funeral, Shany noticed Dan's absence, as did Koda.
"Where did he go?" asked his brother, "I'll have to tell aunt Vitani and look for him"
Shany knew what had happened: Dan felt terrible as when Simba passed away. He was surely crying somewhere.
"No, wait Koda" said to him, "Let me go get him. Ono, could be my eyes from above?"
"Affirmative" said Ono as he took flight.
(Later...)
Ono accompanied Shany on his search: they checked Lake Shangaza, Mapema rock, the watering holes, the Mbali fields (which fortunately had not succumbed to the fires), the Rafiki's baobab ... but they did not find Dan. Continuing, they reached the Hakuna Matata waterfalls.
"Ono!" Bunga greeted him while he was eating a couple of insects with his uncles Timon and Pumba, "Shany! Guys, it's good to see you... do you want some insects to calm the sorrows?"
"They are healthy and help the sad..." Pumba said as he ate a couple while wiping his tears.
"No, thank you..." Shany said, "We are looking for Dan"
Timon almost choked as he said:
"Yes, he's over there. He wanted to be alone for a moment"
Timon pointed up the waterfall. There, by the edge and watching the water fall, was Dan.
"Thank you very much" Shany said as she went up to where her friend was.
Timon realized what was about to happen.
"Well Pumba, Bunga..." he declared, "It's time we go somewhere else..."
"Why uncle Timon?" Bunga asked.
"Because I've lived this before: a sad lion and a lioness who is his best friend in an environment like this... there is love tonight"
Pumba spat out all the insects upon hearing that, but agreed and he along with Bunga and Timon retreated to another area of the falls. Ono, for his part, returned to the Pride Rock.
(In the meantime...)
Shany slowly approached Dan. Either he hadn't seen her coming or he didn't care, because he kept looking at his reflection in the lake: more precisely, he was looking at his new scar.
"Are you feeling okay, Dan?" Shany asked him when she was next to him, "Is something wrong with that scar?"
"No, I don't feel good at all" he replied, "But it's not the scar. It's just..."
He sighed before continuing:
"I've lost so many things in my life... my parents, Simba... and now my grandmother Nala..."
"There are things we cannot avoid. This is the cycle of life" Shany reminded him.
"Yes, I guess so..."
There was a minute's silence in which Dan touched his scar as he stared into the water.
"I don't know why, but now I don't see myself as myself" he said, "What do you think of this?"
"I don't see the scar" Shany replied, "I see the lion behind it..."
And saying that, she gave him a kiss on his face. Dan was very sorry after that.
"Come on, ..." Shany told him.
Dan walked Shany down the waterfall.
Song: Can you feel the love tonight? (From: The lion king)
Shany:
Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all its living things
Shany decide to take some water. Dan only was seeing her.
Dan:
So many things to tell her
But how to make her see
The truth about my past? Impossible!
She'd turn away from me
Shany looked up, wondering if it was true if Mufasa's soul was in him.
Shany:
He's holding back, he's hiding
But what, I can't decide
Why won't he be the king I know he is
The king I see inside?
Later, they were running through the grass.
Chorus
Can you feel the love tonight?
The peace the evening brings
The world, for once, in perfect harmony
With all its living things
Can you feel the love tonight?
You needn't look too far
Stealing through the night's uncertainties
Love is where they are.
(Later…)
When night fell, Dan and Shany walked back to Pride Rock. Along the way, Dan mustered up enough courage to speak up:
"Shany ... there is something I wanted to tell you... it is about my uncle: long ago, he said that he had hunt a lion and, from what you told me, I think it could have been the grandfather you mentioned on that occasion..."
Well, he had said it and only that. However, Shany looked at him with a sweet and understanding face.
"That's a thing of the past" she said, "Now, what matters is that you are here..."
Those words made Dan very happy. So, he had to tell her something else:
"Shany, my grandmother Nala told me before she died that I must not to be afraid of my destiny... because I can share it with someone... And I think Rafiki and Zazu were right, so..."
Shany's ears moved as she listened to what she was imagining.
"Shany, if I became king... would you want to be my queen?"
Shany's heart leapt as her eyes filled with tears. Instantly, she approached Dan and replied:
"You don't have to ask, of course I want to be. Furthermore, I would love to be always be with you..."
Both lions pressed nose to nose in a loving touch.
(The next morning...)
Dan explained the situation to Kiara and Kovu. Hearing it, they both looked at each other.
"Is something wrong?" Dan asked.
"No, of course not..." Kovu replied as he looked at him with a smile, "What surprises me is that it took you so long to confess your feelings..."
"If I remember correctly" Kiara said to her husband, "You took you just the same..."
"Kiara!"
But Kiara reached out to her adopted son.
"Dan, you really have grown that much" he said, "My father always knew that you would be the next lion king and your brother was destined to be the leader of the lion guard. It is a pride to call you my son, and ... I hope may you be a great king one day with Shany as your queen"
"I promise you, mom" Dan replied.
"Well then ..." Kovu stated, "It's time for you to meet up with Shany, Koda and your other friends. The ceremony for being heroes will begin in a few minutes."
(A few minutes later...)
The pride and the guard had gathered and formed a circle. The six young lions, plus Bunga, Ono, and Rahisi were in the center. On one side, Timon and Pumba were crying with happiness as they were proud of their nephew Bunga.
Then, the kings Kiara and Kovu led the young lions alone to the top of the Pride Rock. Below, just as on the day of the coronation, all the animals that lived in Pridelands and Outlands, waiting for the six lions to roar.
"You go" Kovu explained, "It's your time"
Dan and the others understood and, once they were all together at the top, they roared so loudly that it echoed for miles. The young lion remembered the first time he roared like that... now, he had changed, he had grown, but he still had his lion's heart and, next to it, the King's Soul guided him.
Author's Notes: Nice ending, isn't it? The moral is that we can all be like the lion king ... he lives in our soul and heart.
But ... is this the end? Or do you want to know what will happen in a few years? Write in your reviews if you want a worthy ending, and I will give you an epilogue.