Chapter 10- Finding an Heir Apparent
The week following Scar's ascension to the throne was largely uneventful, but it differed greatly to Mufasa's way of ruling. Because of the larger numbers for the lionesses to hunt for, there was less time for Nala and I to spend with Sarafina because she had to help, on Scar's order, although there was a single occasion where she protested hard enough that even the king could not force her to hunt, despite his empty threats. On that day, we stayed in the den, but Nala and I were taught further hunting skills, using each other as the test dummy. Needless to say, I could feel the bruises soon after. Nala and I enjoyed the extra company, if only because it brought some structure to what we were doing. Sarafina insisted that we continued to practice when she wasn't there, but it would never have the same effectiveness, even when we did try it out. Just days after they had first been hunting for the larger number, I overheard some of the lionesses complain that their meal sizes were starting to get smaller. It didn't seem to have an effect on their physique, but they became more irritable to each other. Fortunately for Nala and I, they were still kind to us, as we were the cubs.
Another day, I received a rare visit from Zazu, who looked overworked, exhausted from having to cover the entire kingdom and find a solution to the population's needs, all by himself. Despite the trauma Nala and I had caused him before, he seemed at ease with telling me the history of the Pride Lands. It appeared to have a calming effect on him, narrating to me various events of the past whilst Nala was sleeping, leaning against me just for the assurance that I hadn't gone missing again. The horn bill took a liking to my thirst for Prideland history; apparently saying it was "the kind of interest that would make a good leader." The sentence wasn't entirely clear to me. He sighed after saying it, which made me think he was referring to a trait that Scar didn't possess. However, his smile whilst telling me suggested that he was referring to the past I had made up, where I was the future leader. Whilst I didn't like being dishonest, if it kept the bird happy, then I would continue with the ruse. The history I learned was interesting, though only the relatively recent history was given to me, with Simba's grandfather as king, as well as Mufasa and Scar's childhood and some of the things they got up to. It felt like an intimate telling of specific parts of history. I made the hornbill promise to tell me some more as he was leaving. He was more than happy to oblige, saying it gave him a reason to come back to the den, which suggested to me that he was starting to worry about his own place under the king's new regime.
There were a few times when I wasn't doing anything that my mind would wander, usually to the same memories of myself as a human. Yet, as much as I could remember them, some felt faded, but not by time. It was as if they weren't entirely memories that even took place. As if they were becoming imagination as opposed to past experience. It was unsettling, but whilst they were still there I wouldn't be worrying about it too much. I had thoughts of my humanity on higher priority, the main one asking if there was any way back to being who I was; Edward Rigas, a human male studying to become a veterinarian. Whilst I was adapting to my life in the Pridelands, I knew it wasn't home, not really. If there was any chance of getting back to my old self, then I would have taken it right there and then. As my thoughts stayed on the topic, I couldn't help but think about all the people who would have been worried by my disappearance, if indeed that was what happened to my human self. I still couldn't be entirely sure, though it was the impression I had formed in my head. Many times over those days I imagined the search that was going on, ending up with no further clue as to what had happened to me. My family would be distraught, my friends equally so. The thing that made it hurt the most was the fact I never had a chance to say goodbye to any of them. I couldn't relay any sort of message to let them be at ease with it at least a little bit more. I had small visions of the police investigation coming to a conclusion that nothing more could be done and my mother would be there, weeping into my father's arms. The thought alone tugged at my heart strings. Family was important to me, and always would be, so the thought my parents would be living in their personal version of hell was almost too much for me. I found tears form at my eyes a few times when these thoughts passed. Sometimes Nala would have been watching me daydream, knocking me out of them so that she could see a smile from me again. Of course I would oblige to her even if my heart stung when I forced it.
When Nala and I were left to ourselves, a lot of the time she would start a playfight between the two of us, and whilst I was never winning, I at least made her work for it on the occasion. This was a good way for her to cope with the loss of her friend, distracting her from the tragedy, although his name would often come up in conversation, putting the cub in a worse mood than she otherwise would have been. I found a good way to counter this though, bringing up the good memories I had with the prince, making the two of us smile. It seemed to work too. Nala would grin and giggle at some of the memories she shared with me. In no serious way, I regretted the idea of retelling happy memories as Nala proceeded to tease me about the time she and the two adolescent lionesses suggested Simba had romantic interest in me. The red flush to his cheeks that day were amusing, but I was reminded that mine were as well. That was another thing I was struggling to comprehend as a former human, and something I may have to deal with, should I remain in my current form; other lions had the potential to be attracted to me. I wasn't sure if I was very on board with that idea, although it was a minor worry, considering the age I was as a cub. Attraction to anything other than a human seemed alien to me, though at the time I thought of it, even that didn't feel right.
Nala and I had been left to the den once more. However, there was a surprise this time. Scar had joined us, finally following through on his offer to look after the cubs. Every other time, he had left us alone to go and sleep elsewhere, or do whatever he deemed as "The duties of a king." With his presence, Nala seemed to have less energy, having it sapped further when his green eyes locked onto her for any moment of time. Perhaps that is why I continued to intrigue the lion king. Having mulled over what I found in the canyon, or at least what I thought I had learned, I still had a small feeling about Simba. I knew it was still likely to be true, but the event that led to his demise seemed all too convenient to me. With this in my mind, any time the threatening male looked to me, I would look straight back, matching his intensity. He raised his brow at this before shifting his lips to curl into a smile, almost showing his teeth "How wonderful this must be for you two, spending time with the king. No, being protected by the king. This king will not let you down." He seemed to be getting enthused by his own words, quite possibly just wanting to hear his voice some more. His last sentence seemed to take aim at his own predecessor, looking at the ceiling of the den as if Mufasa himself was there. Like he was trying to antagonise the spirit of the fallen lion.
I could see just how uneasy Nala was being in the same space as Scar. She spoke less, her eyes seemed to fall on him for a long time, as if she was waiting for a sudden lash out at her. As the two of us sat together, I could feel her press up against me, trying to keep as close as she could for support. Scar seemed to notice this, and when neither of us spoke, he stood over us, looking down "Come now, I thought you cubs would be full of some zip. Show me the boundless enthusiasm your youth allows you." He continued, gesturing for the two of us to play, but all it earned him was a pair of stares. This didn't discourage him though, crouching down with an animated smile on his face "Oh dear, it seems like you two have forgotten how to be a cub. When I was a cub, I was quite the explorer." He explained, though I held a stern expression to him, believing it was just his way of trying to get us on his side. I had been through too many years of people showing a fake side to them, I could read this one like a book. Scar noticed the look I gave him "Don't believe me? I am hurt, truly I am." He groaned, putting a paw up just to stroke over my head, making my entire body tense for that moment. "I don't suppose an outsider such as yourself would know how cubs behave here." I raised a brow and tilted my head at him, but before I could get a word in, he started again. "Oh for sure you will have been learning from Nala and poor, tragic Simba. However, I think your origins show. Perhaps the task should fall to me to set you on the right path. Would you like that?" He asked, looking away with a smile, ignoring the fact I was shaking my head at him when he said it "Ah, of course you would. The chance to learn from a king first paw. What an honour." He grinned down to me, patting my head, still setting my arguments aside, never to be heard of.
The king did not stop there though, making my stomach seem to twist within me "Perhaps if you prove loyal enough, you may even end up queen in my future son's kingdom. It only seems appropriate. From the moment I knew that you were the heir to your father's throne, I knew that there would be a good chance for a future queen." I stopped feeling nauseous soon though. My ears perked at what he said, my mind working in overdrive to filter his words, finding information that was useful.
Finally, I spoke up, presenting Scar with a question "Didn't you know that before you became king?" I took a step away from both Scar and Nala, though my eyes were fixed on his. I saw the reaction immediately and did my bets to hide the smile that was coming to my face. Scar blinked; his brow raised as I could almost see his pupils shrink for a moment. That was the silent code for surprise with a hint of worry. I took a quick glance to Nala, and I couldn't tell if she picked up on his little giveaway detail, but it seemed she was studying him for a response as well.
Scar was quick to compose himself again "I don't believe that is true. I remember it being something brought up in conversation not long after all lions payed their respects to the fallen." He argued, a small huff as he looked up and away, royally unimpressed with the suggestion he was wrong.
Despite her obvious discomfort of being in the same space as him, Nala spoke up as well "I thought my mum said she told you, and that was before you became king." She explained, though soon after she piped down again, seeing the older lion put a steely glare on her, almost as if he was having to suppress a rage within.
"I can assure you both, I didn't know until after my ascension. Sarafina spoke to me about it days ago." He assured, deciding it was as good a time as any to saunter over to where Sarabi would have slept, stretching out and laying there on his front. "Ah, this is nice." He purred as his eyes closed, only to be opened with an irritated look when I spoke again.
"Why aren't you helping Zazu around the kingdom?" I asked, prompting Scar to sit up, albeit reluctantly. "When he came in, he said that you haven't gone to see your subjects at all yet. Well, apart from the hyenas." He scowled and rolled his eyes towards me.
He rubbed at the bottom of his black mane, humming in thought "Is that what he told you?" He raised a brow again, though he didn't even wait for me to answer "Perhaps it is time the major-domo took a rest. If he is as hard worked as you say, I am sure he would welcome the break." A toothy grin started to form on his face and I knew immediately that I had put Zazu in potentially a lot of danger of losing his job. "A king cannot have a major-domo that lacks enthusiasm for his occupation and for those he is serving under. No no no, that simply cannot do." He shook his head, a few stray hairs of his mane falling off. Nala didn't look as if she was following the conversation too well, just looking between the two of us as the king continued to subtly suggest Zazu was going to receive some bad news soon.
I took a step closer to him and shook my head "No, don't do that. If you do that, then how will your royal duties ever get done? I thought you told me that he was doing them so you didn't have to?" He appeared to mull over my questioning, less irritated, and more engaged this time. It was almost as if he was enjoying it.
He was back to lying down, but used a paw to flick in gesture to his words "Well I suppose you do make a valid point. Zazu is far more experienced in that duty than anyone else alive, except perhaps for Sarabi. However, there is always time for someone else to learn. I know a few friends of mine would love tending to the kingdom's needs." He smirked, no doubt referencing to his hyenas. My response was to shake my head, and this time Scar wanted to see my response "No? Well, what would you suggest? Letting Zazu get away with such words about his king can surely not go without punishment?" He looked to me with half lidded eyes and a lazy smile "Tishala, if you were queen, and your major-domo was spreading seeds of doubt over your rule to young lives, what would you do to make sure he knows not to do so again?" He asked.
Naturally, I felt tense about this. He wasn't asking me hypothetically, so if I made the right choice, or in my case for Zazu, the wrong choice, then I would risk inspiring Scar actually going ahead with it, and no doubt naming me as the creator of the punishment just at the major point of shock in which others would then start to distrust me. To make matters worse, Nala had her eyes fixed on me, waiting to hear a response. "I guess I would…uhm…" I looked at them both again. Nala was leaning in, her ears perked as she waited to hear what was surely becoming an order. Scar was grinning, unnerving me with his teeth showing as he nodded for me to continue. "I would tell them not to do it again." He seemed surprised and then disappointed at my response, with Nala's also being surprise, but none of the disappointment. He had been trying to expose me as a colder being.
He wasn't giving up yet though, stepping closer with a mocking smile stuck on his face "Come now Tishala, I know you can do better than that. What would he learn by just being told he shouldn't do it again. The only thing a subject like that would learn is that he could get away with it. That would lead him to do it again and again until you have no support." He balled one of his paws into a sort of fist, staring daggers at it.
Whilst I could see what he was saying, I could only see the need to defend Zazu as I had dropped him into the trouble that he didn't even know he was in. "If you tell him not to do it again, but then warn that there will be a consequence the next time, then it would make him not want to say it to other again. I don't know, I'm not queen." I responded, looking at the ground as I said it because his stare was becoming too much even for me. There was very little to look at other than my own paws, but it did not hide the pressure I felt just from speaking to the monarch.
He nodded again, sounding his approval of it "Ah, I see, yes. You'd have a faithful servant because you have them worried of what could follow. Nothing is a more motivating factor than fear of the unknown." He grinned, moving across to pat my head a few times "Perhaps having you as a pupil would be a good idea after all. You seem to know how to give out a clever punishment when you need to." He purred before walking to the exit of the den, looking back to Nala and I with an uncaring expression. "Those lessons will have to wait my dear. I am going now. I have a certain feathered friend I would like to see. Better yet, I would like to speak with this feathered friend. Farewell cubs, farewell Tishala. No doubt I can enjoy our little exchanges again soon." He chuckled out as Nala and I were left to ourselves again, both of us sitting down as we watched him leave.
The moment he was gone though, Nala was quick to get by my side though and mutter to me "He is so creepy. How do you even talk to him? I'm too scared." She confided in me, still the both of us looking out of the den.
Not much later, Nala and I were curled up next to each other. My thoughts were racing, just one of Scar's sentences replaying in my mind. He knew he had slipped up. On that one detail. He had heard of my background before he became king. The fact that he was denying it meant he was hiding something. The inkling that I felt before had grown. As dangerous as it could be for me, I wanted to see that reaction from him again. I wanted him to feel uncomfortable because it would give me an indication perhaps of what he was hiding. It was from the moment he lied to us that I knew I was on to something. Despite the risk I was taking and how much I got under his skin, he seemed to still enjoy my company at times. In an odd way, it seemed as though I also enjoyed his company, if only to verbally spar and practice the mind games it was clear he tried to inflict on others back onto him. I was taken from my thoughts for a moment when the cub beside me decided to break the silence "Tishala, do you think that Scar is a good king? I heard mum and queen Sarabi say that because of him, animals are going to leave the Pridelands soon. They thought I was asleep, so they don't know I know. Promise not to tell!" She demanded, prompting me to lift myself up to look at her.
She mimicked my movement so that we were facing each other, our muzzles almost touching "Okay, I promise!" I answered, feeling somewhat startled into it, though I soon calmed down to give my response to her question. "I think he's a very different king to Mufasa." I looked around as if expecting Scar to appear from nowhere at the mention of his late brother's name. "I don't feel as safe though." I finished, my ears dropping back a little bit as I thought of all the consequences that could come from this conversation if he knew of it. The dark thoughts I could almost see when he was thinking of a punishment for Zazu before I rescued him with my own suggestion. I was keen not to say he was a bad king to the impressionable cub, thinking it would lead her to a more negative attitude and possibly it would put herself at risk if she were to do so. I couldn't even breathe before Nala was speaking again.
"Well, I think you are safe because he likes you a lot. I can tell." She revealed, a smile that had been on her face at the start seemed to fade, making my own concern for her grow. "He even said you might be queen." Her expression worsened, though I knew straight away it was not because she wouldn't be getting the throne "I don't want you to be queen if you don't feel safe. I don't think mum or queen Sarabi would want that either." She explained, her ears dropping too. Whist she couldn't word it in the most eloquent way, I could feel the sentiment in Nala's words, the pure emotion she was driven by to say it. She felt sorrow, but for me this time.
I felt the need to cheer her up as quick as I could, leaning in to nuzzle at her, purring gently until she joined me, holding it for a while longer until I needed to respond "Well don't you worry. He doesn't even have an heir yet, so that's not going to happen. Plus, I don't think he does like me. He seems grumpy with me." I said, continuing to assure the other cub with gentle rubs of my cheek against her own. I didn't look to see if it had the effect on her that I wanted it to have, but the fact she reciprocated my actions suggested to me that she was satisfied, but I wasn't done "What makes you think he liked me anyway?" I asked, finally getting away so that I could look into her eyes again, noticing a little shimmer to them as I stared at them, almost lost to their depth.
She pursed her lips in thought before answering "Well, he doesn't stay grumpy with you. He always stayed grumpy with Simba, even if Simba couldn't tell." She explained, giving me time to digest the information before she changed topic slightly. "Also, I'm glad you won't be queen with his cub. If you were going to be queen, it would have to be with a less creepy lion." She confirmed her thoughts with a nod, starting to smile some more as I could see her tail start to flick playfully.
I couldn't help but chuckle at that "You do realise if he had an heir, it might not be as creepy as him, right?" I raised a brow with an entertained grin on my face, seeing the happier Nala think of her own response.
"It would still be part Scar though. So, it would still be creepy. You don't want to marry creepy…you're supposed to marry a lion…like Simba!" She grinned, the tease from before had returned, using that one moment in time against me for all it was worth.
Unfortunately for the other cub, I was ready for it "That's not what Zazu said. He said you were going to marry him!" I giggled before noticing she was crouched and ready, which could only mean one thing. Before I knew it, Nala had bowled me over, pinning me on my back, looking down with a triumphant grin.
She stood over me and almost couldn't stop herself from laughing harder "Yeah, but he wanted to marry you. He and I couldn't, we're best friends." She stuck her tongue out. A part of me felt relieved that my retaliation hadn't been taken the wrong way, and Nala was using words to the same effect. Both our arguments mattered very little, but it was nice for her to be so happy again. I didn't respond with another argument, instead just smiling up at her. The cub caught me staring and tilted her head a little bit, confused at my reaction. "Tishala, what are you smiling at?" She giggled.
I found my expression changing a little bit as Nala questioned me "Well, I guess it was just nice to see you happy again." I told her "Like you used to be." I finished, leading to her leaning down and nuzzling my cheek against hers.
The two of us purred in that quiet moment, smiling at each other before another voice entered the den. Both of us got off each other and looked to see that Sarabi and Sarafina had come in, by each other's side. "Good to see you two getting along still. You didn't go outside did you?" Sarafina was quick to ask. We shook our heads and she sighed in response. The older lionesses exchanged a look to each other before Sarafina spoke to us again "Well, tomorrow, the two of us will make sure that you two get some time outside. It isn't fair on you two to be kept inside. It can't be helped that the hyenas aren't to be trusted, but with the two of us, we can all go safely together." Nala's mother explained, though when I looked to see Sarabi behind her, I wasn't filled with confidence. She seemed as if she hadn't been told of this plan, or she didn't think Scar would allow it. However, her friend was not in the mood to be pessimistic. She had cubs to inspire, after all. "Has it just been you two the whole time we were gone?" She changed her tune, getting right in front of us to inspect how dirty we had gotten. Of course, I could tell she was ready to give another tongue bath as soon as she was done with checking on us.
Nala was the first to respond to her mother "King Scar was with us for a little while. He didn't speak to me much, but he did keep talking to Tishala, right?" She looked to me for reassurance, smiling once more. I nodded in response, knowing I would have Sarafina happy enough with that. "He was talking to her about lots of stuff. He even said she could learn as his pupil. I said to her afterwards that I he scares me." The young cub chatted to her mother as she started getting a small amount of licking to clean her, though it stopped and she lifted her head to look at Sarabi, both of them with obvious concern on their faces. "Mum, are you okay?" Nala asked, also sensing the concern they had at that news.
Sarafina looked to her daughter and then to me "Yes, of course sweetie, I'm completely fine." She comforted her cub, nuzzling her all over, shooting a smile over to me as well, though I could tell there was a hint of unease behind her expression, though it wasn't unease at me, that much I knew.
Sarabi spoke up "Tishala, follow me, if you will. I must speak with you." I wasn't about to say no to her, so I got up and made my way over. Soon after, I had to follow her outside the den, up onto the platform rock, though we were out of sight of any hyenas below, and certainly out of their earshot. "Did Scar say you would be his pupil?" She asked, looking down at me as we both sat down.
I responded quickly, not wanting to make the lioness wait. "Yes. He did." I nodded.
"What prompted him to say that?" She asked.
I looked up to her, seeing she was looking back down to me "Well, I think he only really said it when…" I paused as I thought over it. The realisation that it came from putting Zazu in danger didn't make me feel too good about having to tell Sarabi. Though I couldn't bring myself to lie to her "When I said how Zazu should be punished." I finished.
The answer I gave caused the older female to raise a brow at that "What could Zazu have done to be punished for?" She questioned.
I knew there was no real reason for Zazu to be punished other than Scar being a little paranoid. "Because he was saying bad things about Scar." I answered, lowering my head as my ears dropped back. "But I only said it to him because he asked me what I would do." I scrambled over my words, a small panic that I would be in severe trouble with Sarabi for unnecessarily dropping one of her friends in hot water.
The lioness hummed over my answer, deciding what would be best to say "I cannot condone the fact you agreed on a punishment with Scar. However, if you felt pressured to give an answer, I cannot be angry with you either." She sighed. It was pretty clear that she was disappointed with me. It stung.
Soon though, with her caring voice back in my ears, she spoke again "If you are to be his pupil, come to me whenever you need to." She sighed, leaning into me as she murmured into my ear "Be careful of Scar though. His way is not the path you should follow. The circle of life is starting to break already under his rule." She licked at my ear before repeating "Be careful."
A/N: Well, here it is, the next part of the story. It is a little bit shorter, but for a good reason. Hopefully you will like this and will keep leaving some lovely reviews. They are the little tidbits that keep me going forward with the motivation to entertain more people. As always I do not own the franchise or characters other than the ones that do not appear in any of the films etc. I will be away until the 8th June on a trip, but should finish up the next part soon after that. See you then!