NALA
"Kill your bother?" did the words even come outright? kill? I know for a fact of what I heard, I just... couldn't digest it. As I looked to Vitani, I could see she was dead serious in what she said. " Vitani?"
"I have to, I have no choice. You told me your self he's a monster. And I can't allow him to come here and destroy my home."
"I- he, we don't' know if he'll really do that. He might have changed?" the fuck, am I really saying this. Nuka changed? I know damn well I didn't believe what I was telling her. It's was beyond a bold-faced lie. There's no doubt I want that monster to pay, but I don't know if I can go down the same path he has.
"Please, you and I both know it's a lie. I told you, my father had a plan from the start, and now Nuka taking over it. He's going to go through with it I know it. and I won't let anything happen to my family or pride." Vitani got up and started circling the area we were in. she's right, I know she is. and now Vitani has a whole more to lose than just pissing her brother off. she could lose her mate, her pride, her son...that's everything. and knowing how deranged Nuka is, she will probably die herself... I have to help her.
I'm going to help her. We have to stop him. "Tell me what I need to do?" I asked.
"That's the thing, I don't know how to go about it yet. Does he tell you anything, what do you know?"
"... I know he wants to take over this pride. that's a fact, but I don't know what he is planning. With your mate's father just passing."
"...Timing will be perfect for him to strike. Fuck... I Have to let Kijivu know, but what if he doesn't believe me? plus, I don't want o alarm the others, and have tension between the prides."
"Trust me, pride and lionesses are on your side. you have my word on that. he already beat us once, he can't as lucky the second time."
"Thanks."
"But can I ask, Why wouldn't Kijivu believe you?"
"Because he's a lion that hasn't seen a bad time in his life. Kings, I love him, but with everything going on... the last thing he would want believe is his 'brother' is possibly trying to kill him. He has such a good heart...too good, especially to love me." I could tell she was starting to freak out, panic even. I hadn't remembered Vitani to ever lose her cool. But there is a lot going on in her life right now. Everyone has a breaking point.
"Vitani relax, everything will be fine. i"ll help you as much as I can. He does trust me, and if I can warm back up to him, he might tell me his plan."
"I'm not going to ask you to put yourself in danger are you crazy? My advice to you is to stay as far away from him as you can."
"I can't, I have to be close to him. no one else can."
"But how do you know he won't suspect anything."
"Easy, he thinks he still has control over me." Vitani cocked her head and looked at me curiously. " Being here has given me a new start. For the frost time in months, I'm able to get away from him-to think clearly and for myself. He had me broken, brainwashed and scared. A part of me is still scared of him...I'll always be in some sense. but after today, after I was able to help someone- not being the one who always needed help. It made me feel alive again, as weird as it sounds. I want to be able to help the ones I love again. I needed this to happen. so trust me, when I say I'm with you, and you have nothing to worry about."
"Damn I wish it were that easy. Nala a lot is on the line here." it can be, just trust me. I won't mess up, not this time.
"I know I know, the kingdom, and your pride."
" Honestly all of that stuff can go to hell really, I'm only concerned about my son. I KNOW he's in danger. he's the only thing that matters to me. and even if I told Nuka the truth about him, he still wouldn't be safe!"
" What do you mean?" I asked curiously. I can't shake the fact that she is still holding in something that is still worrying her. "Vitani?"
"... I have something else to get off my conscious."
"Involving your son?"
"Yes. Roho isn't Kijivu's son."...what-wait...exuse me. " I know I know, listen you have to let me explain... everything."
"I'm all ears."
"Kings were do I begin... it's all so complicated and I'm ashamed of myself for lying to everyone-even Kijivu he's nothing but good to me, and I've betrayed him greatly. " she took a breath. " Remember when I said when I first got here, I hated it. everyone was expecting so many different things from me. It was too much for me to handle. I tried my best to keep myself distance from Kijivu. Because I figure it would be just like any other lion. So I made friends with a lion who was in this pride with his mother, his name was Jelani."
"is he still here?"
"No, he left the day Roho was born. I don't know what happened to him. and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't understand what happened to him."
"you loved him didn't you."
"Yes. he was my escape, he made me feel better. we have everything in common. It was like we were a perfect match. but I knew it couldn't last, and he knew it too. Nala you have to believe me when I say i love Kijivu, I do...I'm just not IN love with him like I was with Jelani. I love Kijivu he's amazing to me."
"But you didn't have the same love for him. I think I understand."
"beside it was all happening when i was trying to get away from Kijivu, but once I was forced more or less to spend time with him by his father- and Nuka stupid puppets spying on me all the damn time."
"Wait what? Nuka had Hyeans spy on you?"
"It wouldn't be my brother if he didn't have control over everything. he had to make sure I was following along with everything. he even promised me he'd find a way to end our marriage- but clearly that never happened."
"You're right about that."
"but. ..I learned a lot about him, and I started to love him, and I hated myself for cheating on me. I felt like I was living a double life, but I felt i could handle it. I just had to keep them apart. then I found out I was pregnant and everything came crashing down. I knew I would be in deep shit because Kijivu and I never consummated our marriage."
" you didn't? but i thought-"
"That you're supposed to? yea you are. I was giving him hell he knew I didn't want to do anything. So he waited."
"Wow, that's...respectable of him." and something totally unlike a king, well the kings I know. They take what is their, even if it isn't. " but eventually you and Kijivu had to get together, right so he would think Roho is his."
"His father did bring up the subject of cubs a lot, he was getting older and wanted to see his kingdom grow. I was closer to Kijivu and I truly wanted to try to have a family with him...it didn't work out as he wanted. he was just..."
"too old and it was too late?"
" Yea, so when I became pregnant I didn't know how to tell him. I knew he needed a cub and i felt so much pressure to please everyone. There's no other lion I know who actually deserves to be a father more than him. so I lied to him. The timing didn't add up for when i got pregnant, but you know males don't pay any attention to that. so yea...even if all hell breaks loose, I need to make sure my son is okay. he's my world... I'd die if anything happened to him." i saw tears swell up in Vitani eyes.
"Hey..hey it's okay. it'll be fine trust me. nothing will happen to your son."
"...y...you have to promise me that if anything happens to me over this...you'll take care of him okay?"
"You have my word." kings, I was taken back a lot is happening tonight. " I guess you haven't told anyone this, right?"
"Ha, how could i. i have no friend here and besides, the mountain pride lionesses are very prideful. They'd reject me as queen and my son in a heartbeat. being fateful to their own blood is one thing this pride really believes in. So...besides the kings passing, everything has become stable. They don't just respect me or talk to me just because I'm their queen and they 'have to' but because they actually are starting to like me."
"damn, Viatni that's...this is a lot to take in."
"Yea, how do you think keep it to your self feels?"
"Terrible?" I voiced. Sitting next to her. the winds started to pick up and the chill in the air started to get a little cooler. "It's getting late, we should probably be heading back. you're sons probably sitting up waiting for you too."
"You're right, that and his father. let's head back." we walked back together, and I didn't realize how many it was to have a close friend again. we continued talking about each other, and opening up about how things have made us feel. being a lioness is fucking hard. Why we allow males to lead us is beyond me now. Vitani and i stopped just short of her family den. " thanks Nala for everything tonight. I'm sorry if I came off being pushy with you."
"No I needed it, so I am thanking you."
"Are you sure I shouldn't walk with you back home, I can."
"No, I'm good. I like the silence sometimes."
"me too, well I'll see you for the morning hunt. I'll be there this time."
"I can't wait my queen."
"Shut up." I missed laughing. a lot. " Anyway tomorrow, I'll find you so we can talk about it. Sounds good?"
"Sounds great, I'll see you then."
KawaiiCutie, thank you! I'll be throwing out chapters a day now lol I'm excited for me ending. I still have a lot more to write. thank you for the review.
Guest, I am definitely working on the ending so Nuka gets his karma. Also you are right about when Nala and Simba meet, because they have both been through so many things themselves that have changed them, it will be different for when they have to interact together.