Queen Hafzah of Mto Mlima arrived with an entourage of eight lionesses, wearing her crown, dragging robes of greens and blues, and her son in tow. Her visit had two purposes: one, speaking to the King of Ardhi Ya Kiburi and, two, presenting her son to the Prince of Ardhi Ya Kiburi.

Prince Simba and Prince Malka were just barely a year apart, after all. Their kingdoms were the closest in distance, the closest in trade, the closest in alliance. It would do them good to form a friendship that would, with any luck, carry on towards adulthood and help their respective kingdoms prosper when each wore the crown of the King.

"Can you shift?"

Prince Malka nods. "Since I was eight."

Simba tries to ignore the way he can feel his crown slipping out of place. "Huh, I've been able to since I was seven."

Malka just shrugs.

"Why don't you go outside?" Queen Hafzah suggests. She's a beautiful woman, young, with dark caramel hair twisted in intricate braids that somehow allow her crown to be worn. "If that's alright, Your Majesty."

Mufasa nods. "Of course. Why don't you show Prince Malka around, Simba?"

Simba takes Malka to see the Jua Limegusa, he needs backup.

[ * ]

Tama is invasive where Nala is polite. Together they make a dynamic duo that can only ever be balanced when Kula, the third and final piece, is around to mediate. Kula has work in the kitchens.

Technically, Tama and Nala have basic training but Simba has Princely Perks.

"How old are you?" asks Tama, dagger waving as if this were a serious interrogation.

Nala is keeping a close eye on her because they can't be threatening the son of their neighbour, partner, ally.

"Twelve," says Malka.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Malka."

"Isn't that a girl's name?"

"No," and Malka's resolve is of steel.

Tama blows a raspberry on his face and Malka reels back, blinking. Simba chuckles and Nala giggles. It must be shocking to interact with Tama for the first time and not understanding how she operates. Malka isn't all too pleases. Simba can hear Tama's amused purring from where he stands. For once, he finds hilarious what she does too.

"Can you shift?" asks Nala.

Malka, after giving Tama a side-eye she responds to by mockingly jabbing her dagger towards him, looks at Nala to answer, "Yes."

"Show us!"

Tama sheaths the dagger, crosses her arms. She wears armlets that mimic her mother's but without the muscles of her biceps they aren't that striking to look at. "Yeah," Tama says. "Show us."

Malka can shift, clothes and all. The tuft on the top of his head is black and the one from his tail is brown. Curious.

The feat of shapeshifting with his clothes and not out of them earns Malka Nala's praise. Tama uncrosses her arms with less of smug expression on her face which is as far as she will go to show she's impressed. Simba doesn't like the attention Malka is getting, even if he wouldn't want Tama's attention. He'd come to the Jua Limegusa for backup against the Prince of Mto Mlima, not for Nala and Tama to gush.

Tojo arrives just as Malka shifts back and starts to answer all of Nala's questions, and Tama's that are intended to be scorn. Tojo asks about the situation and Simba huffs an answer.

"Wanna go to the kitchens?" Tojo points over his shoulder in the general direction back to the castle. "We can hide there and eat whatever Chumvi and Kula can sneak us."

"Baba wants me to be a good host to the visiting prince."

Tojo points at Malka. "Him?"

Before Simba can nod or say yes, Tama says, "I heard kitchens."

Simba grumbles.

"Let's go to the kitchens!" Nala purrs, "Mheetu will give us a snack."

[ * ]

"We're busy, Nala. Go play outside. The Queen of Mto Mlima is here and King Mufasa—"

"This is the Queen's son!"

Mheetu, Nala's older brother and kitchen boy, pauses with a load of dishes to be washed balanced on his arms.

He sighs. "Jari!"

A girl around Mheetu's age stops on her way to the other side of the kitchens, hair all wrapped inside fabric of a rainbow pattern.

"Is there anything we can give Mto Mlima's Prince?"

Jari answers with something Simba doesn't get to hear. Over his shoulder, or close to his shoulder, Kula appears out of nowhere and exclaims, "A Prince?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Simba says, "You've known me all your life."

He can hear Kula's purring with how close she is, though she is quick to leave his side. She joins Nala and Tama and Malka introduces himself. Chumvi isn't too far from his sister, asking what all the fuss is about. Before anyone can answer, Chumvi is called over by Mheetu to bring Malka and the others a little snack Chef Amne agreed to spare for the royalty.

In the go-here and go-there of the kitchens, Kula and Chumvi manage to leave with the others without some adult calling after them in anger. They congregate on the gardens far from the Jua Limegusa training grounds, their usual spot.

Sitting on the grass, Tama and Nala tell Kula about Malka's ability of shapeshifting without dropping his clothes. Simba mutters about the ability being underrated. Malka does a demonstration and Kula, who managed to sneak three more pastries, claps her hands all covered in caramel. The girls begin to ask Malka about his kingdom, since none of them have ever been as far to the mountains of the east. Malka tells them about rivers and how it is colder than Ardhi Ya Kiburi, how leopards are common and how his mother the Queen told him they have close relations with the gorillas.

Chumvi, who Simba thought was his ally, is listening just as intently.

Fleetingly, Simba remembers the conversation he had with Uncle Taka about the Elephant Graveyard. Trying to remain inconspicuous he had tried asking his tutors about the place. His Geography tutor had limited himself to, well, a geographic answer that hadn't really answered the question. His History tutor had handed him a broader explanation. They told Simba of the folklore behind the place and why the elephant tribes had those funeral rites. It had been sacred ground for them, once upon a time, but the Hyena Clan had overrun it so the traditions of the elephant tribes changed. Really, Simba stopped listening when he heard Hyena Clan.

Seeing Nala has put her head on Tama's lap out of boredom, Simba says, "My Uncle Taka told me about this great place."

Tama interrupts her conversation with Malka. Everyone turns to look at him and Simba smiles. Finally, going through his head.

"Where?" asks Nala, "It better not be anyplace dumb."

"No, it's really cool!"

"And where is this really cool place?" asks a voice from behind Simba.

He jumps, turning his head and finding Gavivi, one of Tojo's older sisters in Royal Guard get-up, standing behind him. She raises her eyebrows at them, from her left earlobe dangles the fang of an animal. Symbols shaped similar to scimitars underneath both eyes, marking her position as a Jua Limegusa.

Gavivi bows. "The Queen of Mto Mlima wanted to make sure her son was alright."

"I'm alright," Malka says.

Gavivi smiles. She is a very pretty girl, with short hair and the same blue eyes as Tojo. "I can see that, glad these troublemakers haven't accidentally flung you off a tower window."

"That was once!" Tama complains, "And Tojo was fine."

"Only cause cats always land on their feet," Tojo grumbles.

Gavivi laughs. "Well, what's this cool place you're talking about?"

"Uh… It's, uh… around the Waterhole!"

"The Waterhole?" Tama scrunches her nose. "What's so great about the Waterhole."

Simba lifts his shoulder like he would have if his hackles were raised. Through clenched teeth, he says, "I'll show you when we get there."

Nala says, "Oh." She pushes herself up from Tama's lap. She dusts her rear from the dust, everyone soon follows suit.

"Alright," says Gavivi, "I'll go tell the Queens and King. Wait here until I'm back."

Catching on, Tojo tugs on Gavivi's jumpsuit leg, "Couldn't we go by ourselves? It's just the Waterhole."

"Queen Hafzah isn't gonna like you going by yourselves with Prince Malka."

In unison and perfectly practised coordination, all the cubs (sans Malka), chorus, "Pleeeeaaase?"

Gavivi sighs after a moment, only bearing the whines for a couple of seconds. "Fine… but I am telling the Queens and King where you're going, and I'm coming along."

"That works," says Tojo. He exchanges looks with Simba, who nods.

Shouldn't be too hard to get separated from Gavivi by accident.