Chapter 17- A Conflict of Feelings
It had been a couple of weeks after I told Sarabi how unsafe I felt in the pride. She assured me that nothing would happen to me, especially as I was so important to Scar's own plan, but I wasn't convinced. The entire fortnight, I struggled to sleep, waking up at irregular times with consistency. I felt bad, because each time I woke up, Sarabi would wake up to comfort me and try to get me back to sleep. This would take time. What had been interesting though, was that my lessons with the king didn't remain daily. I figured that it was because he was angry with me at first, but whenever I was being taught, he remained his usual self. I couldn't take much in on those lessons, staying on edge as I expected some form of attack, but to my surprise, he was acting like I'd never said anything damning about him. I didn't trust his calm demeanour enough though, feeling as if he was waiting for my guard to go down before he tried something. The hyenas that accompanied us on the lessons didn't change, always being the trio from that fateful night. Whilst none of them spoke of that night either, Shenzi and I would give each other knowing looks. With those three, I didn't know if I could trust them. We had helped each other out, but at the same time, I couldn't forget how they tried to kill me the first time I met them. After I would get back from those lessons, Scar would have me sit with him at the edge of pride rock and we would just talk. Sometimes it was meaningless words, but other times there were deep discussions, although they did involve massaging his ego. One conversation that reappeared was the talk of my future in the Pridelands and how I would provide the future again. Discussing it with Scar was worse than with Sarabi. The only thing he was interested in was continuing a royal line. He talked of how he would meet the suitors and address me as his daughter. It required me to play along with it, but I feared the reaction if I resisted. He was less keen on the idea of me meeting them and choosing for myself, insisting that the, 'burden', as he described it, should fall to the king and that his heiress shouldn't worry about it. Of course, that did make me worry, foreseeing a lion I would be forced to be with that was like him. I could barely stand to be around one lion like him, so a second one? I shuddered at the thought. The king took notice of my hesitance each time the subject was approached. Under normal circumstances, I imagine he would have been irritated with me and snapped a few times. However, with Scar putting up a caring façade, I found it difficult to read what was going through his head. If I had to go through the process of gaining a king to compliment my planned rule, then I wanted to make sure that they were more pleasant than their predecessor.
My thoughts had shifted many times to just flat out denying any part Scar wanted me to play in his kingdom's future, but now that I thought he knew Sarabi was undoing his lessons, I couldn't risk putting her or the other lionesses in any sort of danger, so I didn't bother contesting his words. In all the ordered chaos, I found no help from the kings of the past. Sometimes I would look into the sky for their guidance, hoping for something, even the telling breeze that would let me know they were at least watching. I hadn't had any 'visits' from them since the last one, and it kept me wondering what I should do. I didn't want to worry Sarabi or anyone else, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that I wasn't just crazy. I had actually met those lions and I had been told Simba was alive. Not only that, but I had been informed which direction he was. I had all the pieces together to be able to go forwards with it, but I couldn't prove any of what I had been told. Often, I would look from pride rock in the direction of the desert. Though I couldn't see it, I sat and pictured it, wondering when was the right time to do something about it. I tried to reason with myself, saying that if Simba could have made it through the desert at a younger age, then why couldn't I? I had grown enough that I could survive, surely. However, the great unknown of it was enough to stop me from going through with my justifications. After sitting and staring for a while, I would have either Nala, Sarabi or Sarafina bring me away to do other things, usually involving hunting practice. The daytime practices and lessons were far more enjoyable, and we had progressed from where we first started. The older lionesses were teaching us how to work together, so that would mean Nala and I were paired up and had to learn to communicate with each other so that we wouldn't alert prey to our presence, but also know how to adapt our efforts when the situation changed. In all, I found these to be beneficial, but it also proved to be an effective way for Nala and I to bond further. I realised not too long into these practices that I had a deeper trust with her. I knew if the time came, she would risk her life for me. I told myself I would do the same, but that's when my insecurities started to kick in again. I had few experiences of putting myself in harm's way to protect someone else. I had doubts, my own hesitations would be the reason I couldn't go through with it. Though I would respond with a smile to Nala, I only felt like I would let her down when she needed me most.
It hadn't all been bad news for me though. The morning after the incident, the lionesses had located the cheetah cub's mother and reunited the two. Although I wanted to know more, it was only revealed that she had left her cub for a few minutes. The two of them left soon after this, the cub giving a small wave goodbye to Rafiki. Whilst I hadn't been acknowledged, I didn't mind. Seeing those two together made me happy enough. The happy news that day got overshadowed by the news of other prides finding intrigue to the Pridelands' situation in searching for a future king. I was informed that many other royal families would visit in a moon's time. It left me feeling deflated for a while, struggling to speak to anyone, even distancing myself on occasion. I found myself counting the days, looking to see the change in the moon each night. The closer it got to being the next moon, the larger my frown grew.
The thought of different lions coming to see me felt like I was being paraded around like an object. Scar would assure me that the suitors were the objects, but I wouldn't know until they arrived. The set date for their arrival led to an adjustment in some of the lessons I would receive. Scar insisted I acted a certain way to impress our guests, cementing the idea that I was a showpiece for him. Sarabi didn't change what she did much, just telling me to be myself, but make sure to hold respect, the same way they should be doing for me. Scar had given me the mercy of a night without lessons because it was the night before the potential future kings of the Pridelands would meet me. I stared up into the night sky a final time. Whilst no one had said it to me, I had the feeling that after the next day, I would be betrothed. I took a moment to reflect how far I had come since first arriving, yet I hadn't gone far enough to feel comfortable like that. One more time I gazed at the stars, hoping my fate would be kind. I looked around for a moment to make sure I was alone, with no one in earshot. "Please just let them be nice." I sighed, dropping my head so that it rested on my forepaws.
To my surprise, someone had been around to listen. "What makes you think they won't be nice?" The voice asked, its owner standing behind me. "At least one of them is bound to be tolerable." She chuckled. Sarafina had come out of the den, wondering why I hadn't come in yet. We were beyond the point where she could scoop Nala and I into her paws when falling asleep, but we were still at the point where she would worry about us as if we were new-borns.
I looked back to her with a half-hearted groan "I know. It's just…I never pictured doing any of this." I let out a heavy sigh, "You say that one will be fine, but what if none of them are? What if all of them are nasty pieces of work. How am I supposed to live with that? If they're not going to be any good to me, just think how awful they could be to everyone else." I argued, though my tone showed how frustrated I felt about this entire situation. "I don't want to risk being a queen that makes the Pridelands a worse place, but at the same time, if I have a king who is downright terrible, then how am I supposed to rule a kingdom and stop my other half from being terrible. Then there's the other expectation of me." I nodded at her with wide eyes, knowing she would understand what I was referring to.
"You won't just have your king to depend on. You'll have me, Sarabi, Nala and every other lioness in your kingdom. We know it's daunting, but you might surprise yourself." She sat down and continued, "When we had Nala betrothed to Simba, it was because we felt that the two of them would compliment each other and have a successful kingdom. We don't know if it was going to work out that way and they didn't know about it. They would have had the same concerns you are having now. I had those concerns when deciding for my cub. I knew that if raised well enough, she would at least do her best for the Pridelands."
My expression softened towards the mother "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry I've been quite distant recently."
She padded over and licked across my ears. "Don't worry about it. Now, we really should get you some sleep. Wouldn't want to be bleary eyed and impatient all day, would we?" She cocked her head to the side with a knowing smile as she invited me back in, turning around as she padded back to the den. I took one last glance at the skies and smiled, trying to keep a more positive attitude for the benefit of the others. I ventured back into the den and settled beside Sarabi, who greeted me with a warm embrace. "Oh, Tishala, if I don't see you before you have your meetings, then I wish you the best of luck. Try to see the good in them, if you can." She urged, giving me a little wink before laying her head down next to her daughter and closing her eyes.
I could feel the smirk on Sarabi's face growing. Before I could start in protest, the lioness spoke "I suppose that was why Sarafina decided to go get you instead of me. How are you feeling?" She asked, letting go of me as I turned to face her.
"I've been worse." I chuckled weakly, offering her a smile of equal strength.
Her laugh was endearing, keeping her warmth as she nuzzled me "It's okay to say you are nervous."
"I'm not sure if nervous is the right word. I'm not sure if it does justice to how I feel." I said, feeling my stomach churn with the uncertainty.
The queen wasted no time in helping me with her words again, "Just remember, it's only one day. I will be there the entire time…almost." My brow raised at that. It turned out there was something I hadn't been told up until that point. "You are required to spend time with each of the suitors. Apart from that, I will be by your side the entire time. Now get some sleep. I will wake you in time to get ready." She smiled, using a paw to push my head down to my paws, prompting me to try and fall asleep at her request.
I slept well that night, waking up without Sarabi needing to be my alarm. Along with Nala and Sarafina, we left the den so the other lionesses could remain asleep. All eyes were on me. Although I had slept well, my morning appearance suggested otherwise. My fur was messy and unkempt. My eyes hadn't yet indicated that I was awake and ready for the day. And I wasn't saying anything for a while, even when the other three were expecting to hear more protests. Instead, I opened my maw as much as I could to let out a yawn, trying to shake myself out of the half slumber my body seemed to be in. "Please tell me this is all a dream and there's no one expecting to meet me today." I yawned again, showing a lack of enthusiasm for the moment. They said nothing to me, but all had smiles growing. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" I gave them a quizzical look, wondering if there was something I had missed. "What have I done?" I started shaking my head as I looked between them, my paranoia building up in front of them.
Sarafina was the one to put me out of my misery "You haven't done anything wrong. We just need to make sure you're looking a little less like you just woke up." She snickered, her daughter joining in the laughter.
"I have just woken up." I argued, emphasising 'have' for their benefit.
Sarafina just nodded "We know. And whilst we know that you don't really want to do this today, you can at least make the effort to look presentable, even if you do dislike all of them." She continued to chuckle.
Sarabi agreed with a nod "It's true. The pride still has relations to uphold. Whilst one's appearance might seem trivial; it can have impacts on relations between prides." She explained, waiting for my expression to change, signalling I accepted. "We are going to make sure that you are grooming yourself properly, and from the looks of it, we will have a lot to cover before their arrival. Lucky for you, I have a few years' experience in grooming." She shot a wink at me, leaving me nervous. The evident nerves were what caused the queen to laugh, her friend joining in.
Standing next to her friend, Sarafina let her smile grow wider "We are going to make you look like the future queen of the Pridelands should do." She assured.
Nala joined in, sharing their eager looks, "Just make sure to remember your friends after you're done." She joked, giving me a similar wink to Sarabi's.
"Now, you will have to pay close attention to what I do. All of this will count." Sarabi started. "Keeping yourself clean is your job now." She teased, knowing that I had gotten into the habit of letting her do that, whilst Nala had moved on from that phase. It was because I was lazy rather than incapable, but that didn't mean I avoided little jokes about it. It appeared with Sarabi's plan; those days would be in the past.
The sun was high in the sky as I stood at the top of pride rock with Scar next to me, Sarabi behind. I could see approaching lions in the distance. My eyes were fixed on them. I could make out five lions in total. Before I could study their distant forms anymore, a noticed someone flying towards us. I realised it was Zazu. I hadn't seen Zazu in a while, so it was a pleasant surprise to have the blue hornbill land in front of us and bow. "Your majesties. Your first guests, the royal family of the Kifalme lands. Their king, Nguvu, presents his eldest son, Kiburi, to the attention of princess Tishala, of the Pridelands." He addressed to Scar. I looked past the avian to try and make out which were the lions he referred to. The largest one by some distance, that must have been Nguvu. I spotted Kiburi, a near carbon copy of his father, although missing much more mane, but that would have been expected at the age I assumed he was. Still, it was clear he was older than me.
Scar frowned out to them before responding to Zazu. "Kiburi, hm? I request his next eldest son." He scowled to the approaching lion family. "It is time we honour the younger siblings." I could tell that was personal to him. The thought of the eldest child receiving merit because they were born first was something that sickened him.
Zazu cleared his throat and nodded. "As you wish, sire. You request for their youngest son, prince Fikiria." He flapped his wings and soared away to the lions. I looked to see which one could be the prince Scar asked for. Once they were closer, I could see who it was. He seemed closer to my age than his older brother, though maybe he was still a bit older. He differed from his father and brother, the dark fur was instead a lighter shade, no doubt taking after his mother, who followed alongside him and a younger cub. I guessed from the tuft of fur on his head that his mane would be different to his brother and father too, being a match to his fur colour.
Their attention turned to Zazu as he explained Scar's terms to the other land's king. For a moment, all of them looked to pride rock where we sat watching. I couldn't read the situation well, but I didn't see a nod, so I assumed that maybe there would be further discussions between the kings. When Zazu returned to us, they continued closing in on our home. "King Nguvu is confused at your request but accepts. I think his eldest son was reluctant to leave his future kingdom. I suspect his younger son will be more open." Zazu smiled at us, starting a little bit of gossip that none of us were interested in; in particular Scar wasn't invested in the bird's theories. "I suggest that we meet them at the base of pride rock."
Sarabi was the first to respond, turning to meet the visitors, gesturing for me to follow. "Thank you, Zazu." He bowed as we walked past, flying off, likely to look out for any more prospective kings for me and their families. Sarabi slowed so I could walk alongside her, Scar getting the other side of me, saying nothing. Sarabi leaned in to speak in a hushed tone to me "Remember what we talked about." She paused before smiling and speaking again. "You look beautiful." I had no choice but to smile at that, feeling more positive about this meeting than before. Her words gave me energy.
Only a few seconds later, the three of us stood facing the family of lions. I could get a closer look at them, seeing that the opposing king's eyes were a deep brown, as were his eldest son's. His younger son, Fikiria, had a bright, teal colour to his eyes. The interesting thing about that was when I looked to his mother's eyes and saw they were also brown, though I could spot flecks of the same teal her son had. The king held a fierce expression even as he looked to me. His voice was rough, lower pitched than Scar's, making me feel the sheer amount of power he possessed "There were few animals on our way through these lands. I trust this is only temporary in your kingdom, Taka." The lion looked down at Scar, judging the reaction he would get from saying his real name. This lion was not intimidated by Scar like I was, he wasn't even close to it. His eldest son held the same expression as his father.
It wasn't long before Kiburi spoke up "If this is going to be the permanent state of my brother's future kingdom, then we won't be interested." He sneered, glaring at for me. I don't know why, but I shot the same glare back, as if defending my space from him. Nguvu glanced sideways to his son, indicating that it was a frequent and irritating occurrence for the king to be interrupted by his son.
Feeling rather territorial, I snapped back at Kiburi "It's not even up to you." I growled, causing the older son to step towards me and growl in return. I could tell this was a test of my nerve, so it must have surprised him when I stepped in "You're not the first to growl at me, and probably won't be the last." I challenged.
The Kifalme king roared, catching both of us off guard "Children, enough!" He huffed, glowering at me and then his son. "I will discuss with the king Taka, and we will not tolerate that kind of insolence near us. Kiburi, you will stay with your mother and sister whilst I discuss. Their queen will make sure you are occupied." Sarabi nodded to him, agreeing with the procedure. "Fikiria. You and princess Tishala shall spend some time together whilst Taka and I see if we can sort a suitable arrangement." The younger male stepped forwards, intimidated a little bit by the performance I had just displayed. His father noticed this and relaxed enough to smile for his son, albeit a brief one. "Do not fear her, my son. Respect her and she will do the same for you." I raised a brow at the kings, not too happy about the fact I had been spoken for, but before I could retaliate in any way, Sarabi hushed me with a nudge.
Fikiria got beside me and aimed a nervous smile at his parents, whilst I gave Sarabi a look that suggested I didn't want to be there anymore. "Tishala, take Fikiria to the watering hole. I'm sure the long journey has left him thirsty." Sarabi suggested, smiling at the both of us with nothing but warmth. I held back a groan, nodding as I led the way, the young prince following me. I had to hide my face as it flushed red when I heard the two queens making small comments about the new pairing that they could have introduced.
Walking there was silent as neither of us were sure what to say. We had never met each other, didn't know anything about one another. It didn't help that I may have scared him a little bit when I was quite direct to his older brother. Of course, if that actually got physical, I would have lost the fight with ease. Perhaps that would have calmed him down some. It felt odd to be travelling to the watering hole by myself, having only gone with supervision every other time, except on a few occasions, but now I was the one leading another there. For a moment I thought I might have been going the wrong way, but I was proved wrong when I saw the watering hole. I looked to the sky for a second, as if the kings of the past were going to give me a break. Looking around, there were no other animals present, not even hyenas, which was a little bit strange. However, I had noticed the lack of hyenas once the Kifalme lions were arriving. I supposed Scar had asked them to remain hidden, because it wasn't likely other prides would be so comfortable with sharing with hyenas. "Is this where you normally drink, or is it because I'm here?" There it was, the first question I was going to have to find a way to answer without sounding too annoyed or awkward. Having heard his voice finally, it was clear he was a little bit older, but really not by much. He was a little larger than me, though I could imagine if he turned out anything like his father, that size difference would probably grow. When I turned to face him, I could see there wasn't the same sneering expression that his older sibling seemed to have as a resting face. He looked nervous, worried even. I started to feel bad that I had been thinking that all the suitors were going to be like Scar. I forgot that there was a chance that there would be more sensitive souls for me to meet.
With all those thoughts running through my head, I didn't realise I hadn't answered his question, so when I zoned back in, he was looking at me like there was something wrong and he didn't know what to do. "Oh, sorry." I shook my head, offering a kind smile to the young male, "This is where I come if I want a drink. I think there are other spots, but this one is closest to pride rock that it's safest for me…not that the Pridelands isn't safe, I just, well, you know how parents can be, right?" I chuckled in a sheepish manner, hoping he would join in the laughter. Despite the awkward start, he did start laughing with me, I could see him nodding too, suggesting that he knew how parents could be. "I guess they just want to protect us, right?" I shrugged, getting a thoughtful look out of him as he prepared to respond.
His eyes rolled at me as he started speaking, a lot more relaxed than before "I bet you don't have it as bad. One time, I got a speck of dirt on my tail and my mum thought she had to clean my entire body. Another time, I had one tick on my tail and suddenly it was like the whole pride was going to die. I just squished it with my claws." He chuckled, thinking back to both incidents as if they were the absolute worst a cub could go through when they wanted some independence.
I gestured as if he put up a good argument. "That's pretty bad, I'll give you that. However," I grinned at him, "Every time I go somewhere, I'm not allowed to go alone. I want to go for a drink here? Supervised. I want to go for a walk? Supervision. I have to stay whilst the adults go hunting? Under watchful eyes. I can't do anything without someone else being there." I smiled at him, feeling I had won this little contest.
He nodded "Okay, but you don't have an older brother who thinks he has to behave like dad because he's going to be king. He treats me like a baby all the time. It's like having three parents, except he's super grumpy with me all the time." He explained, not smiling at this point because it wasn't quite as amusing and was something that bothered him. "Sometimes I want to tell him to be less like dad, because I liked it better before he started pretending he was king." He let out a small chuckle, "I don't know how you shouted back at him. If I did that, I'm too scared to think what he would have done. It was kinda cool though." He offered a smile to me before changing the subject. "So, what sort of games do you know?" He asked, starting to pace up and down, keeping his eyes on me. I could see I was going to have to engage in this with him.
I replied to him "Well, normally I play a game with my friend Nala, where we just try to pin each other. So far, I have won zero times. I don't even think I've come close." I commented, letting out a small chuckle. "I bet that you weren't told the future queen of the Pridelands isn't the strongest, huh?"
He shook his head "No, I wasn't really told anything. We all thought my brother was going to be your king. It was only when we got here that the blue bird said that your dad wanted see me instead." I cringed at what he said, unable to hide my disgust. It didn't go unnoticed by the other lion either. "Sorry, what did I say?" He asked, making sure he hadn't upset me.
"You're fine. It's just that…" I thought it over for a moment and realised that it was possible Scar had been informing other prides that I was his daughter. I didn't know if revealing the truth would make it less likely we would get interest. On one hand that was positive because it meant I could avoid looking for a king for a while longer, but at the same time, I wasn't sure I wanted to find out how Scar would react to me telling the lion who was potentially going to be my intended partner, the truth. However, the thought of being referred to as Scar's daughter for my life was a strong enough repellent that I continued. "I am not Scar's daughter. Taka." I corrected myself, seeing as he hadn't worked out who I was referring to when I said Scar. "He just chose me to be his heir. I don't know why, but here I am." I shrugged, not appearing very happy with that news. "I used to be heir at my old home too, but that pride is gone now." He opened his mouth as if to ask, "Rogue lions attacked. No one else made it. I was lucky to get here. They took me in like I was their own." I explained, closing his mouth as he gave an understanding nod to me. "It's fine though, because I am here, you are here. And they are probably talking about us. Actually, how do you feel about all of it?" I asked, edging closer to him, keeping my eyes locked on his own teal ones.
He mulled over his response for a little moment before answering "I'm not sure. I always thought that I would find love when I'm older. My brother, he's the one actually looking for a future queen. My mum always said that they would look for me when I'm older, but that she wouldn't stop me if I found love by myself. It's kinda weird to think we might be king and queen together, isn't it? We only met today and it's not even going to be our decision." He huffed, though he seemed to be indifferent about the possible arrangement.
I forced in my view "I don't want to have this kind of thing arranged for me. If I'm ever going to have a king, I want them to be someone I have a deep connection with." I explained, trying not to get too emotional in front of him. "No offence, but like you said, we only met today. We don't have that kind of connection that I'm talking about."
The light brown furred lion stepped closer to me "Well, that doesn't mean we could never have that kind of connection. I don't believe in love at first sight, so I think if we were friends first, then maybe we could have that connection you talked about. You know what I mean?" He smiled at me, as if waiting for a nod. I stared for a moment, trying to guess if he was just trying to flirt or not. It didn't seem like it, but I couldn't be too sure, "So, let's be friends, okay?" He offered. His response caught me off guard, being quite measured and mature. I found it hard to say no.
With the young prince still looking into my eyes, I nodded "Okay, we can be friends. I suppose you're right, I can take time to form connections if I have to." I relented, allowing him the small victory. "You seem to be a lot more calm than your brother. Are you sure you shouldn't be future king?" I chuckled, giving him a playful nudge as it seemed we were about to start playing.
His response came fast, "Isn't it obvious I take after my mother more?" he stuck his tongue out, crouching. He was waiting for me to reciprocate so that we could begin "I can't be king unless I marry into a different kingdom. If I stay, then I can marry, but I'll probably just be my brother's adviser or something. I don't mind if I'm king or not, really. It would be nice to live somewhere else, especially if I had a friend there to help me settle in on my arrival." He grinned, watching as I got lower to the ground, ready to launch at him, much the same way he was waiting to do the same to me. Perhaps this lion wouldn't be a bad choice of king, if I had to go through with it.
We spent a fair amount of time play fighting, attempting to pin one another down. A few times I would succeed, then a few times he would return the favour. I didn't think at the start of the day that I would enjoy the company of a lion I had never met before, especially on the circumstances we were meeting. There were a few times in between the battles that our eyes would meet. Like him, I didn't believe in love at first sight, but I would have a hard time denying that there was at least a little spark between us. I could tell he felt it too, but neither of us would be brave enough to approach the subject and the possibility. It was far too early to make anything of it. For the moment, it was just nice to have a friend in that moment. I had Nala, but making a new friend was never going to be a bad thing.
I decided to up the ante in our game. When he was charging towards me, I remembered a small trick from all those tussles with Nala. I leapt up with Fikiria, the two of us clashing. I made sure when we held, I was being pushed backwards, but not onto my back. I took a quick look back and decided to fall onto my back, taking the prince with me. However, once on my back, I used all my strength in my hind legs to push him, keeping his forward momentum going. As he went past me, I heard and felt the ensuing splash, the cool liquid wetting part of my fur. I stood up to see he had been submerged in the pool. Once he resurfaced, he was laughing, seeing the funny side in being tricked into the water. "Is that how princesses here learn to play fight?" He asked, a smirk on his face.
Seeing what he was trying to do, I sat at the edge, grooming my paws with gentle strokes of my tongue. At the same time, I was smiling at him, smug as anything could be. "No, it's just this one." I winked at him, starting both of us laughing again. I offered a paw to help pull him out of the water. I was a fool for doing that. I was about to continue teasing him when he grabbed my paw, but before I had the chance to do that, he had pulled me in with him. The water was colder than I expected around my body. I had never been fully in the water, so once I came back to the surface, I let out a small scream, the temperature still a shock to me. Once I saw his face though, I couldn't help but grin with him. Swimming came naturally to me as a human, and it seemed to translate to this body. As soon as I got used to the water temperature, I dived under the water again, looking just enough to pull at his hind legs, both of us under. Amongst a lot of splashing, the two of us reemerged, barely able to breathe through our bursts of laughter. We both crawled out and tried to shake the water out of our fur. "Haha, that was so funny, you should have seen your face when you were falling in!" I cheered, my eyes half closed to stop the water getting in.
His response was equally upbeat "My face? You should have listened to that little scream you gave once I got you in the water. I've never heard something so funny! Not a very princessy scream!" He jested. The two of us beamed at each other before breaking down into giggles again.
We were taken away from the entertainment of the moment when we were alerted by the sound of a loud roar. Fikiria stood to attention straight away, recognising the roar as his father's. It was his signal for the two of us to return. Despite the fact both of us had our fur still drenched and a little scruffier, we headed back together, walking side by side this time. "So, do you think they've decided already? I don't know how quickly an arrangement happens."
"I'm not sure. There was one point where my dad and another king discussed my brother and the other king's daughter for a whole moon's duration. I think some can be arranged straight away. I just think my brother can make it difficult sometimes, because he tries to act like he's king in front of the two lions who are actually king. That's why Kiburi wasn't going with my dad and your da- uh, king Taka, sorry. My dad thinks he might mess it up." He explained as best he could, waiting for me to show my understanding.
I frowned in thought for a moment, stopping in my tracks. He turned around to stand in front of me, those bluish green eyes staring at me again. "I think I understand. Thanks." I felt my cheeks flushing red as I thought of what I would say next. It wasn't what I expected to be saying before they arrived. "You know, I don't think I would be upset if they chose you." I took a tentative step forwards and rubbed our cheeks together, purring as I pulled away, smiling at him, letting him see the expression I had in response to that moment. I stepped past him "Come on, we should get back to them, or else our parents might get worried…or worse, your brother." I winked, causing his surprised look to shift back to a smile. Before long he was back by my side and we were coming into view of Scar and Nguvu. The others weren't around yet, but I didn't imagine it would be too long. I leant over and whispered, "Good luck, okay?"
He returned with his own whisper, "Yep, good luck to you too." It was as if we had a pact that no one else would know about.
The two kings were sitting opposite each other and so, both Fikiria and I assumed our places next to them. I looked up at Scar, waiting for him to say anything. "We will announce our decision after my family have returned." Nguvu spoke, looking down to me with a kind smile, the kind of smile I didn't know he was capable of. I nodded in response, still a bit too intimidated by him to be speaking as confident as I had been in front of his sons.
Sarabi led the remaining members of the Kifalme lands back to where we were, sitting by my side as the two of us exchanged smiles. I noticed Fikiria doing the same with his mother. "Having given it some thought, we think that another trial period may be necessary, but only on the condition that Tishala and Fikiria agree to it." Scar announced, though he sounded like it pained him to give the decision over to me. I looked over to the other king and saw a faint smile on his face, suggesting to me that it was his idea to allow us to choose.
The young prince and I looked to each other with a pleasant surprise written on our faces. "Do you two think it would be necessary for your decision, that Fikiria undergoes a trial period in your pride?" We both looked at his father, his voice commanding attention. "If we agreed enough time for a moon to pass with him, would that be a suitable time span?" He asked, looking at me this time.
I couldn't find my words as he kept his sights on me, feeling like there was a lump in my throat. "I…well, your majesty, if your son agrees to it, then I am happy to at least try it out. At the very least, we will be friends." I noticed Fikiria was nodding along when I mentioned we would be friends.
The larger king appeared satisfied with that and after nodding with a heavy exhale, he responded. "Very well. In the next moon, he will return for his trial period. King Taka, does this arrangement satisfy you?" He turned his attention back to Scar, who had been silent almost the entire time.
His lips curled into a sickly smile "That will suit us fine. Please understand though, that we may change our mind with other visitors expected today. It appears the princess of the Pridelands is a popular figure." He commented, trying to tell the lions he was less convinced about this arrangement, although he did agree.
Nguvu didn't flinch, nodding in response. "I understand. As we have agreed though, my son will come here by the next moon for a moon's duration. We will see you next moon, princess Tishala." He turned to look at his family. "Let us return to our lands. Son," he looked to the lighter furred young lion, "I have many things to teach you. Be ready when we get home. Now, say goodbye to the princess."
The youthful feline didn't take long to respond, stepping towards me with a sincere smile and a small bow. "Goodbye, princess. I look forward to meeting you again." He paused for a moment, like he was thinking something over. Then before I knew it, we were rubbing cheeks again, though only for the briefest of moments before he went back over to his family. I found myself with a rather goofy looking smile on my face as they started to walk away. Scar paid no mind and returned to the top of pride rock as soon as they started walking.
After waiting until they were out of earshot, I could feel Sarabi's look burning down onto me. I realised everyone would have witnessed that little display of affection. "It seems like that went a lot better than you thought it was going to go." Sarabi teased, nudging me some. "The two of you seemed keen on each other after you came back from the watering hole. Tishala, wasn't that easy?" her smirk was evident, not even an attempt to hide it from me. "Want to know what I think?" She asked, prompting me to tilt my head at her, my face still red. "I think young Fikiria will grow into a handsome lion. Speaking to his mother, I found out he is well mannered and smart. I think he will be wonderful company when he visits. I'm not sure why Scar is so hesitant." She sighed with a smile, "Still, it is nice to see you had a good time with the young prince." She smiled just as we noticed Zazu was flying in again.
I replied to the first of the comments, finding it highest priority, "We were keen on each other because we agreed to be friends." I nodded.
The queen chuckled, but didn't look down to me, muttering, "It always starts as friends." She watched as Zazu finally made it to us.
He gasped for air as he landed, taking a moment to compose himself before bowing again, "Your majesties. I know this is a quick turnover, but the next potential match is here. I apologise this is on such short notice. I thought we would have more time." He bowed his head as he waited for the disapproving words. Even as Scar re-joined us, he didn't get what he was expecting. Sensing that he would need to go on, the hornbill cleared his throat as he straightened his posture. "It is with great honour I can introduce you to the royal family of the Ubatili lands." As he said that, the family he was talking about appeared, and they were close before I knew it. The king of this family had sand coloured fur, his queen with blood red eyes to stand out against her luscious looking platinum blonde fur. The king's yellow eyes scanned around to pick me out, knowing I was the reason he and his family had travelled. To my surprise, he was quick to shoot me a friendly smile, even winking at me. That was when I noticed his son, who must have been a little bit older than I was. He was a perfect blend of his parents, having the golden hues to his eyes, making his gaze difficult to break from. His fur was closer resembling his father's, but the lighter, silkier tone of it showed the influence his mother's genetics had on him. I wouldn't have said this out loud, but he was a stunning lion, with a few tufts of fur where his mane was starting to form. I could even hear Sarabi mutter 'Oh my'. That is the aesthetic standard this young lion was at. I had to remind myself to stay composed in front of them, but the closer they got, the harder it was for me to take my eyes off him.
It was completely out of my normal character, but when the prince looked at me with a half-cocked smile, I could swear my heart skipped a beat. I thought to myself how I would have to keep that a secret I took with me to the grave. They came to a stop in front of us, like the family before. I had to try and hide my face as I was going red from the intense blush I was getting just from that lion looking at me. Zazu spoke up, taking most eyes off of me "Their majesties, King Taji and Queen Safi present their son, prince Fedha, for the attention of princess Tishala of the Pridelands." He bowed before making his leave again. I had to avert my eyes to either the queen or king, not confident I would be able to handle myself very well if I locked eyes with the prince. I was nudged by Sarabi, encouraged to make eye contact. I did as I was told and looked to Fedha. To my relief, he wasn't looking.
The more jovial looking of the kings started, "It is wonderful to be here, king Taka! When we received news that the famed Pridelands was searching for a future king to rule with a Pridelander queen, I knew this was an opportunity my son wouldn't want to pass up." He seemed quite excitable, like he was still a cub in all but body. "In fact, let's go and discuss right now." He nodded. I could see the disgust on scar's face, though the other king was too excited to notice. He then looked at me and smiled with a little bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you, princess." He lifted his head, beaming at Sarabi, then his queen, "I suggest we bring our queens along for this talk, Taka. It gives these two the chance to meet each other." Scar didn't have the chance to answer as the other three walked past him, forcing the king to agree. That left me alone with Fedha, the lion I had struggled to hold a blush back from, and I'd only met him minutes before.
"Do you want to go to the watering hole? You must be thirsty after travelling." I offered, smiling to him, though I couldn't bring myself to look into those magnificent eyes.
The prince kept his smile on me, answering, "No, I'm fine." He shook his head.
I felt as if he didn't know how to approach me, seeing as we had never met. "Do you have any games you play?" I asked, trying to make things go along a similar way to before.
Once again though, he answered, "No, not here." I started to work out he wasn't much of a talker, but that didn't deter me. I'd curse myself for saying it out loud, but he was attractive, so I was giving him a chance before he would start speaking some more. "You?"
The confusion was clear on my face. He asked if I had any games, "Well, my friend and I have played a game where we try and pin one another." I answered. "Would you like to try it?" I tried offering again, hoping he was starting to warm to me.
However, he was not, responding, "No, played it." He sat there and started grooming his paws, paying little mind to me. I was starting to become a little bit worried with this.
I sighed and took a few steps closer to him, stopping his grooming session to look at me with those piercing eyes. They still held me in with ease, so I would keep trying. "So, what do you think of all this arranged marriage and stuff?" I asked, sitting in front of him, starting to groom my own paws as I waited for him to reply.
He didn't take long though, "It's necessary." He shrugged.
His shrugged and words caused me to lift a brow as I asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"The kingdom needs a future king." He stated, keeping his responses rather blunt.
I started to look at the lion a little different than before "I'm pretty sure that you'd be king consort here, rather than outright king. So, with that in mind, what about the queen, what is she doing in the kingdom?"
He shrugged again, "She serves her purpose." He replied.
My skin was crawling as I felt a pang of anger build inside me. It was starting to bubble up, "And what is their purpose?" I held a suspicious gaze on him, waiting for his reply as my claws came out. I had to remind myself to put them away. "Choose your answer carefully." I warned, seething at the sight of this lion.
He looked at me with a lazy smile, but this time I was unaffected by his good looks. I was too focused on getting an answer "They assist in ruling." I let my breath out, that wasn't such a bad answer, "But mainly they have heirs for the future." If I wasn't almost foaming at the mouth with anger, I would have been impressed with the lion stringing together enough words to form a full sentence.
It wasn't clear if he was aware what he said was upsetting me or not, but at that point it didn't matter to me. "You cannot be serious, right?" I growled, "You think just because you're really good looking you can get away with that, you've got another thing coming." When I saw him direct another smile at me, I didn't blush. I wanted to scratch that pretty face off. However, Sarabi's calming words echoed in my head. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Fedha, but I don't think this is going to work out." I took a few steps away and sat with my back to him, grumbling for a little while.
When the older lions returned, I could see the two kings sharing smiles with each other. I didn't have a good feeling about that. I caught Sarabi's attention, making eye contact, my expression cut a rather frustrated figure. The look she gave me did not suggest I would like the news I was about to be given.
Sat in between Scar and Sarabi, my ears had fallen back against my head, my face to the ground, though for a different reason. For a moment, I considered that maybe I had overreacted, but the moment I looked at the prince again, I knew I'd made the right decision. "We have made an agreement. Fedha will undergo a trial period in the Pridelands. He will return in a few days once preparations have been made for his arrival, and then he will live as a part of this pride until the night before the next moon, where we will make a further decision." Scar seemed far happier with this announcement. I got to see the prince's smug smile at hearing this. Of course, he agreed. We hadn't been asked if we wanted to try this, making this whole decision seem like more than a tester, on Scar's part. I looked to Sarabi for support, but her expression was hard to read. She didn't know what the prince was like either, so it wouldn't do much use.
Even with the smiling faces on me, I couldn't force it out for Scar's benefit. When he looked into my eyes, he started leaning in, as if urging me to smile so I didn't make a scene. I couldn't hold back though. "I can't do it. I don't want to do it. He doesn't see any value in me." I raised my voice, making sure I was heard. I could see as Scar battled with himself, trying to hide his building rage.
"Tishala, we have agreed on this. It's going to happen." Scar argued, trying to keep himself at an even keel.
I shook my head "No, not him. I won't do it, not even for a day." I retaliated. Sensing I wasn't going to back down any sooner, Sarabi decided to escort the family away.
"I will make sure updates reach you as soon as I can. I apologise. The princess and the king are both very strong willed. It would be best if you left and followed through with prior arrangements." Her voice was getting quieter as she led them away, trying to hurry them along.
Scar was fuming at me, but for once, I wouldn't back down to him "How do you expect me to be okay with that lion? I don't want to see him again, let alone have him stay here."
He got close to me, holding onto me as his tone darkened, the threatening aura about him growing by the second, "It just so happens that I think he would be the perfect king to help advance the land that you two would rule. I don't need you to agree with me. He has powerful lineage and will help create the next stage in a dynasty." He growled at me, His claws digging into me a little bit. "The kingdom isn't yours yet." He reminded me, "So I am still the one who makes the decisions." He lifted his head, his expression returning to the normal non-caring frown he usually wore. "Now, we are expecting more visitors. I don't imagine they will be as impressive as prince Fedha, but we will only know by meeting them." His words remained stern, his actions leaving me shaken, but in a different way than before. I wasn't frozen by fear this time.
The day had dragged on. There were so many names for me to learn, prides, kings, queens, princes. It was all a lot to take in. However, after mine and Scar's heated argument, I barely paid attention to the others that came to visit. I noticed that most of them were either too young or too old, even Scar noting that, hence, their offer being rejected. There was one more that had a scheduled trial with me. I knew that Scar was only doing that to keep their hopes up. I knew he had already picked who was going to be arranged to marry me.
I made the decision that I wasn't going to let that happen. I thought over how I could do that. Protesting through words wouldn't do any good, Scar was only going to listen to himself. That much was clear. I could only see one other option. I had to run away. I couldn't get betrothed if I wasn't there. I wouldn't have to live with the prince I now loved to hate, Fedha. The thought of running away appealed even more to me when I realised, I had a plan I could follow. I was going to find out if the great kings of the past were being honest with me, and actually wanted me to find the true king of the Pridleands. I was going to find Simba. I didn't know how long it would take, or if I would even be able to, but it was an additional motivating factor to my sudden departure. I would just have to hope the great kings of the past would be willing to help me out.
If I returned with the true king, then I would be free from betrothal to Scar's would-be puppet prince. Thinking about it more, I knew Scar wouldn't want to give up his throne. Not even for the rightful heir. He loved the throne too much for that. That made it more complicated for me, but I put those thoughts to the back of my mind. I would have to cross that bridge when I got to it.
With everyone settled into the den, I made sure to keep myself awake. It was the middle of the night; everything was silent apart from the combined breaths of every member sleeping in there. Using all the teaching Sarabi had given me, I stood up and made my way around, but found it difficult to leave. I turned around and saw the faces of the friends I had made. I didn't know when I would see them again. It hurt me to think of what my disappearance would do to Sarabi as well as Nala. I almost convinced myself to stay for their sake. With careful steps, I got next to Nala and nuzzled her, feeling tears come to my eyes when she returned it in her sleep. I had to hold back from making any sound when I did the same for Sarabi, almost hoping she would wake up to tell me to stop.
The silence was broken when I heard the ominous cackling of the hyenas outside. That was when I realised, I was going to need help to get all the way to the start of the desert. I couldn't ask Sarabi, Nala or Sarafina to help. The former and latter would refuse and try to change my mind. I couldn't ask Nala because she wasn't experienced enough. Scanning the room, I saw her, Inja.
I nudged her awake but put a claw over my lips when she looked to me, emphasising the need to stay silent. I gestured for her to follow me out of the den. Without making a sound, we both made it out, cautious of the hyenas that may have been patrolling. Having made her own assessment, she leaned down to me and spoke with a whisper "What's wrong Tishala, why did you need to speak to me?"
I took a deep breath to calm myself, finding the words were becoming difficult to say. I swallowed the lump in my throat, locking eyes with the lioness. "I need your help." I looked around in case we were being watched.
With her focus on me, she asked, "What do you need?"
"I need you to help me escape to the desert beyond the gorge."
A/N: Here is another chapter for you guys. Adding more layers to it, so hopefully it's going to stay interesting. I think this helped push the plot forwards a decent amount, so buckle up for what's to come! As always, I do not own The Lion King. Disney does. Tell me what you guys think of the two other families and their interactions with Tishala, leave a review and all that good stuff. Love seeing what you guys have to say! See you next time.