AUTHOR'S NOTE – Hi y'all, it's me, BeeKay84. I'm back again with a late Christmas present for you: Chapter 12 of TLK3D! I'm sorry I couldn't get it up earlier. Thanks again for being patient. Let's get straight to the chapter now, I have enough to tell you after the end of this chapter. Now enjoy. ;)

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CHAPTER 12: There's nothing more precious

Tears ran down Kinja's face, but they were tears of joy. For a few moments, it seemed as if the world was standing still. Every sound had silenced, every movement had stopped. Only a small breeze began to blow. Loner could do nothing but stare, stare at this lioness and her mate, totally confused. He didn't know them, but somehow they seemed strangely familiar to him. And how did she call him? "Nivio". Her voice echoed in his mind, waking memories buried deep inside which he could not quite recall.

Then the world was turning again. Kinja ran towards him and nuzzled him. "My son!" she shouted happily through her tears. Soon, Roho was by their side, tears in his eyes, and he gave his son a hug. Loner still didn't quite comprehend what was going on. He was too surprised to talk, or even move, but he just let it happen.

The first one to break the silence was Takita who spoke up: "Wait a minute… why 'son'? You mean… he…?"

She didn't finish. Kinja turned around, still beaming with joy and explained: "Takita, dear, I'm sorry, we never told you this. Before we decided to stay in the Pride Lands, before you were even born, we had a son…"

She let Roho continue: "We thought we had lost him. We never even dared to hope he's alive. But he is."

Takita stared at the three of them for a while, before she replied: "Then… then he… is my brother?"

Roho and Kinja nodded. Takita gasped: "Oh my god… I have a brother. That's unbelievable." She stepped towards them and smiled at the lion she knew as Loner. "All this time…" she started. "I always knew there was something about you. But I never would've guessed we're actually brother and sister."

Her brother gulped shortly and then found words again: "Me, neither."

Takita and Nivio hugged each other, finally glad to be reunited. It was a heart-warming scene for all who were watching. With tears in her eyes and a half-opened mouth, Lina looked at them, still lying on her stomach, holding Ari with her claws. As Nivio opened his eyes again, he looked back at her. He let go and stepped towards Lina who couldn't take her eyes off him.

"Do you remember what I told you, Lina?" He said in a soft voice. "There's nothing more precious than your family. And do you remember that you agreed?"

Lina gulped and slowly nodded. Nivio got a little closer to her and added, almost in a whisper: "Don't you see? You can't do what you're about to do. It's not right. You would betray yourself."

Tears escaped from Lina's eyes as she slowly turned her head and looked at her brother, and the abyss under him. Ari's eyes were full of tears as well, and almost closed. His strength was fading. He wouldn't be able to hold on for another minute. Lina felt his paws getting weaker under her claws. She heard Nivio say: "I know you won't betray yourself. Trust me. And trust in yourself."

Lina glanced at him, then back at her brother and took a deep breath. "Help him!" she shouted. "Help me get him up." She pulled with all her strength, and Nivio immediately took Ari's arms and pulled as well. Soon, Nala, Vitani and Mitauro were at their side to help Ari. When Ari was on solid ground again, he and Lina were totally exhausted.

Lina was the first to get on her paws again. Nala hugged her, visibly relieved. "Oh Lina, you scared me! Thank goodness!"

Lina sobbed quietly: "I'm sorry, grandma. I'm so sorry I hurt you."

When Nala let go, she helped Ari sit upright again and hugged him. "Ari, I'm so glad you're alright."

Nala stepped aside, Ari looked at his sister. Lina hung her head and glanced at her brother's wounded paws. It was her who had done this to him, and now it made her feel horrible. She looked up into her brother's eyes: "Ari… brother… I'm so sorry. I wish I hadn't done this to you. Please believe me. I really mean it when I say I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Ari smiled: "I know that you mean it. And I forgive you. I'm glad you're back."

They hugged each other, and everyone smiled at the sight. But suddenly, Lina gasped: "Oh no!" She let go and looked all about her anxiously. "Where are our parents? Ari, are they alright?"

"I don't know. We have to see them, let's go." With that, he and Lina sped off, heading for Pride Rock, and Nala with them. The rest of the Pride went in the same direction, but not as fast as they did. Kinja, Roho and Nivio didn't follow them, at least not now. Takita hesitated a little, but she decided to stay with them, her family. There were so many things to talk about, so many questions. She was sure, the King and Queen would be fine, now that their heirs had returned.

At the foot of Pride Rock, Rafiki was standing, leaning on his stick. Nala approached him, while Ari and Lina stayed a little behind her. "Rafiki, how are they?" she asked.

Rafiki bowed and said: "Simba is getting well. Kiara says she's feeling better, but moving is still hard for her. But Kovu… his pains are getting stronger. I do all I can, Nala."

Just now, Rafiki noticed Lina and Ari who looked at him in a worried way. The old mandrill's face was brightened by a joyous smile: "Ahhh… Lina!" He approached her and wrapped his arms around her neck. After a while, he let go, still touching her shoulders, looking at her. "Welcome home, Princess," he said in a warm tone. Then he touched Ari's shoulders and said: "Ari. Well done. Now hurry. Your parents need you two."

As the wise mandrill, Nala, Lina and Ari entered the Royal Cave, Nala shouted: "Simba, Kiara, Kovu – look who's here!"

Kovu was too weak, but Kiara who was lying next to him, and Simba next to her, immediately looked up at them. They both gasped and rejoiced in unison: "Lina! Ari!"

"Mom!" Lina immediately ran and nuzzled her mother.

"Oh Lina, I can't believe it!" Kiara was beaming with joy. "Thank goodness you're back!"

Then Lina nuzzled her grandfather who smiled: "Lina, I'm so glad to see you again!"

Meanwhile, Ari was nuzzling his mother Kiara, and he whispered to her: "You see, Mom? I brought her back."

"I'm so proud of you, my son," Kiara sighed and licked Ari's cheek.

Now, Ari and Lina both leaned down to take a look at their father. Rafiki was standing behind them with a worried look in his eyes. Kovu wasn't moving, his breathing hard, and from time to time he gritted his teeth and uttered sounds of pain. Lina exchanged a look with her brother, then bent down towards Kovu's ears.

"Father?" she whispered. "Daddy?" There was no reply. She gulped and tried again: "Daddy? It's me, Lina. Your daughter. I'm back." Still no reaction. She sighed and began to sob: "Dad. I'm here for you. I'm sorry I left you alone like this. Daddy…"

Lina looked at Kovu's scar which was bleeding a little under his eye. Cautiously, she licked away the blood and gently licked his cheek. Now, Kovu suddenly moaned, but it didn't sound painful. Not at all. His eyes fluttered open, even his scarred and swollen left eye was half-open. He looked up at her and moaned: "I must be dreaming… I can see my daughter."

Lina smiled at him: "No, you're not dreaming, Daddy. It's really me."

A weak, but joyous smile spread across Kovu's face. "Lina? My beautiful Lina. You're back! Oh Lina, I'm so sorry, dear. So awfully sorry!"

"Oh Daddy!" Lina sniffed and nuzzled his mane. "I forgive you."

Rafiki, who was standing still behind Lina, now quickly approached them. Lina stepped aside and let him feel Kovu's forehead. The wise mandrill closed his eyes and mumbled mysterious words, holding his stick over Kovu's head. After a while he opened his eyes again and smiled. He turned around and explained: "I feel his strength comes back. The King will be alright."

By now, the rest of the Pride had returned and waited in the entrance of the cave. They were all glad to hear these wonderful news. Simba smiled at them and looked at Nala. She nuzzled him as he whispered: "I knew the Great Kings would help us. Like they always did."

-

Now, the Royal Family and Rafiki were left alone in the den, and Rafiki was giving Kiara, Kovu and Simba their treatments. About an hour later, Simba was already able to get up. Kovu was feeling better as well, and Kiara could move at least one of her hindlegs for the first time since her accident. It was a wonderful moment for all of them. They had talked about everything that had happened in the Pride Lands, and what had happened at the gorge. Then Kovu and Kiara decided to rest for a while. Ari and Lina wanted to look for the rest of the Pride to tell them the good news. They were about to leave the cave, when Kovu said: "Lina!"

Lina turned around, and her father smiled at her: "I know I can't take back all those times I ignored you. But you have to know this: I'm proud of having you as my daughter, as my heir and the future Queen."

Lina beamed with joy as she said: "Thank you, Daddy." She turned her head towards her brother and said: "Ari, I also want to thank you. And again, apologize for what I had almost done. If you want… when my time to take over has come, maybe we can rule together?"

Ari chuckled: "Lina, didn't you get it? I told you it's not me who is destined to rule. YOU are the future Queen, and I know you can do it. I have no desire to become King. All I want is to live in peace and be with the ones I love."

Lina smiled, knowing who he included in this phrase, and said: "Then let's go tell the good news."

Once outside, they saw the whole Pride had been waiting and now looked at them with interest. Every one was glad to hear that the King and Queen were finally recovering. It was like a miracle. And at that very moment, the sun came through the clouds again. That was a sign – soon, everything would be alright again.

Lina and Ari walked down Pride Rock, passing by the members of the Pride. At the foot of the rock, Takita and Nivio were sitting next to their parents. Takita smiled at Ari and Lina as they approached her. Lina spoke up first: "Takita, I'm sorry I attacked you. I hope you forgive me and we never fight again."

"Of course, Lina," Takita smiled, and they hugged each other.

Then Lina nodded towards her brother. Ari cleared his throat and looked in Takita's eyes. "Takita, I… I wanted to ask you… well…" he started. He was very nervous. "Um… do you wanna be…?"

He didn't finish the sentence, and he also didn't have to. Takita answered happily: "Of course, I wanna be your mate, Ari." And with that she rubbed her head against Ari's mane, who was quite surprised, but happy.

Lina chuckled, but when she turned her head to look at Nivio, she stopped. Her smile disappeared, as she couldn't see any trace of joy on his face. Nivio had a very serious look in his eyes, and he still seemed a little confused. "Can I talk to you, Lina? Alone? Please."

"Sure," she replied, almost in a whisper, looked at the others standing around them and then led him to the waterhole. The whole way there, they didn't talk or even look at each other. Lina's heart was beating like crazy. She was totally confused. What was wrong with Nivio? To her, it seemed as if he had suddenly changed, but she couldn't find an explanation. When they finally reached the waterhole and sat down, Lina looked at him, but Nivio avoided her glance. He just stared into nothingness. Lina waited for him to break the silence that was torturing her.

After a long while, Nivio spoke up: "Well," he started and finally looked at her. "so… your parents are King and Queen of the Pride Lands."

Lina hesitated a little before she replied: "Why, yes, they are."

"And you never told me that?"

"Well, I never thought it was important for you to know. You never asked me anything."

"But all this time, back in the jungle, we grew up together, one could say. And I never knew why you ran away from home or who you are. I didn't even know who I am myself. And now that I followed you, I found the answers to all my questions. All except one."

She looked at him and asked shily: "What question?"

Nivio sighed. "If your parents will accept me…" He paused and looked at the ground. He gently put his paw on hers and smiled at her: "Because I love you, Lina."

Lina was speechless. Her heart stopped aching and was filled with joy. As happy as never before, she said: "Oh Loner, I love you, too! Uh, sorry, I mean: Nivio."

He laughed: "It's okay. I also have to get used to that name." He paused and sighed: "I believe there's much for me to get used to."

Lina moved closer to him and rubbed her cheek against his. "Don't worry," she purred softly. "I'm sure everything will be just fine." They nuzzled each other lovingly and stayed like this for a long time…

-

And just like Lina said, everything came for the better in the Pride Lands. Kovu, Kiara and Simba recovered, and gradually, the mysterious disease was taken from the other animals as well. After a few months, the herds were healthy and plentiful and the grass was growing again. And every member of the Pride found happiness again. One morning for example, Vitani gave birth to her second daughter. She and Mitauro decided to call her Kikora, which means "joy". Kikora's fur had a light golden color, she had her mother's blue eyes and also a little tuft of fur on her head, and above her nose little tan spots, like her father.

Life had returned to the Pride Lands. Everyone was very content with Kovu's and Kiara's reign. And as the months had gone by, Nivio had become a full member of the Pride. Kiara and Kovu had gotten to know him well, and they really liked him.

And soon came the big day. The golden light of the morning sun shone upon the majestic Pride Rock and the hundreds of animals standing in front of it. They all bowed down as the King and Queen appeared on the edge of the rock. Then Lina and Nivio stepped forward, standing next to them. Behind them, not visible to the animals, stood Simba and Nala, Ari and Takita, and the rest of the Pride, watching them. Rafiki exchanged a content smile with Simba and looked up at the sky and to the Great Kings. He had just given their blessings to both Ari and Takita, and to the future King and Queen: Nivio and Lina. Kovu let out a loud roar to announce them. Then, Nivio and Lina roared together, and the rest of the Pride joined in. The herds stamped and cheered with enthusiasm. And when the lions stopped roaring, while the herds were still shouting, trumpeting and cheering, Kiara and Kovu nuzzled each other, looking at their daughter and son-in-law with pride shining in their eyes.

Nivio was amazed by the sight of all the animals cheering for him and Lina. He looked at her and said: "I still can't believe I'm going to be King some day. But do you know what?"

"What?" Lina asked.

"All my life, I thought I'd never feel at home, no matter where or when. But now I do," he smiled. "Here with you."

Lina beamed with joy and rubbed her head against his mane. "I'm so glad to hear this, Nivio. I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied. They nuzzled each other lovingly, enjoying the cheerful sounds of the animals from beneath, and the warm rays of light from the sun above.

THE END

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AUTHOR'S NOTE – Aww, is that a sweet ending or what? All's well that ends well, right? I really hope you liked it. Well, folks, this was the 12th and last chapter of "The Lion King 3: Don't Defy Destiny". We have come to the end now, so I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. I can't express how glad I am to have you, my wonderful readers and reviewers. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there and always sticking with me. Without you, this piece of fanfiction wouldn't have been possible at all. I've been having this story on my mind for years, but if it weren't for you, I would've never been able to write it down. You were my inspiration, and all your kind reviews gave me the strength and will to keep writing.

Some people who I want to thank in particular:

Kiara32 – Dear Nicole, thank you so much for reviewing each and every chapter in such a kind way and for always encouraging me to go on. I'm still so flattered by your enthusiasm for my story. Believe me when I say you are a special person and a very talented writer. I love your story, and I promise I'll always stick with you, like you sticked with me. :) A special thanks to you, my friend. See you in the next mail. ;)

LMDGlUVR4EVA – Dear Bri, thank you very much for your lovely reviews on all my chapters. I believe you're by far the most enthusiastic reviewer of my story, and I really appreciate that. I'm so flattered by the way you like my story. You are a wonderful person and a very great writer, I'll always stick with you, my friend. :) A special thanks to you. See you in the next mail. ;)

Vitfollower88 – Michael, though I got only 2 reviews from you so far, I'm really thankful for all the support you've given me in your mails. You were a real inspiration to me for this story as it now is. I really hope you'll soon have the time to read the other chapters and to start with your own fanfic. I really can't wait to read it! "Mange tak" to you, my friend. :) See you in the next mail. ;)

Special thanks to SunRise19, Nala5, Amase and queen Sarabi who were also some of my most faithful reviewers and always told me how much they like my story. Thank you so much!

And I also want to thank all the other people who reviewed, including: Ceci1, Mufasa's Boy, elvenrarehunter, Kirsten Shady, Azul-the-Kitsune, Videociraptor, Lioness-Goddess, GreatMarta, frozenblossom, Rekai as well as the people who just read without leaving reviews and the people who might read this story in the future.

I don't know when I will be able to start with another fanfic. Time and ideas will be needed which I both lack at the moment. But if you'd like to read some good fanfics, I highly recommend the stories of Kiara32, LMDGlUVR4EVA, Nala5, Amase and Mufasa's Boy to you. ;) Check them out. And I'm sure there are many other good fanfics around.

For the next weeks (or probably months), I will concentrate more on fanart. I have just finished my first drawing of Loner / Nivio, which you can see on my account at the Lion King FanArt Archive, and I will do some drawings of scenes from TLK3D and upload them there in the future. So check out my account every once in a while if you like. ;)

To finish this long author's note: Thank you very much again for reading and sticking with me. I really appreciate that. I wish you all a great start in a happy new year 2005. Take good care and see you around. ;)
Bye bye for now, BeeKay84 :)