Part 23 – A dream came true

Kiara lay down in the shade of a tree, with her daughter and the lioness she and Kovu had somehow adopted. Several months had gone by since they returned, and today was another warm day.

"It's impossible to go and hunt today…" Kiana said with a yawn and looked out on the light green and yellow grass. It was a heatwave… although not a wave in the grass showed. No wind.

"I'm not hungry anyway… Blanché?" Kiara asked without looking up.

"Not really… just really tired." She said and tried to roll onto the other side.

"I think there's a fatamorgana out there… like something is moving." Kiana said, slowly sitting up – like it was a really hard thing to do.

"You should go to the waterhole and get some water." Her mother suggested.

"It's Scar! And… a hyena." The young lioness then said with a wondering voice, and Kiara almost jumped up.

"Did he bring his queen too?" Kiara asked, and looked out. Both the lion and the hyena looked tired and thirsty. Blanché didn't look in their direction – Kovu hadn't been able to tell his mate or daughter about the fact, that Duchess was a hyena. Nobody knew it but himself and the white lioness. In fact they hadn't seen Scar in several months, since they left the Shadowlands. Kiara hadn't searched his presence, hadn't gone to visit him. And Nalathari just became more and more mysterious every day – Blanché didn't quite get the aging queen-mother.

"He probably did." Blanché just said to them, and they both looked towards her.

"You know, you should really follow Kiana to the waterhole, once they get here. You need the water." Kiara said with a sigh, looking at Blanche´s not so small belly. How could he bring his queen, if they couldn't see a lioness with him too? Blanché clearly needed both food and water.

"I know, just let me take care of it myself." The white lioness said, a bit annoyed, and didn't move from her lying position nearest the tree.

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"Kiana!" Scar began to run through the grass, when he spotted his sister. Her face brightened up in a smile, and she stood up when he came, and they gave each other a caring cuddle. "It's been too long!" he said and noticed his mother and Blanché.

"Scar… you've changed…" Kiara shook her head as if she didn't believe what she was seeing. No, Scar didn't starve in the Shadowlands, he had just become more slim and agile. He looked so much like his namesake, that she for a second thought it was him! Except that he was missing a scar across the eye, and his pelt was much more soft and smooth.

"Many things have changed… Duchess, come on!" he called and the light grey hyena slowly entered the shadow too, and looked around. "Blanché…" Scar suddenly noticed how big she had become. "Is that…"

"Yes, they're yours, when they come – but they'll grow up here." Blanché explained, to make sure he understood that they were her cubs too; and heirs to the Pridelands.

"Duchess? Where is she?" Kiara asked, since she didn't see any other lionesses follow Scar. The hyena sent Scar a puzzled look.

"Mother! This is Duchess, my queen. Didn't Kovu tell you?" Scar nodded to Duchess with a smile, then noticed his mother take a few steps back.

"No…" she whispered. "he didn't say a thing about… but how… I mean…"

"Scar, maybe we should just leave?" Duchess suggested to her mate – she didn't like the reaction from Kiara, it reminded her of Kofi.

"We are not leaving!" Scar almost roared, then calmed down again; "I want you to meet my family… Duchess, meet my sister Kiana and my mother, Kiara." He said with a noble nod to each. Kiara turned around and looked at Blanché.

"You knew! Why didn't you tell us?" she asked with a little growl.

"Mother… please calm down. It doesn't matter to me… I had a feeling everything wasn't as it should be, since father always talked about something else – when we asked how she looked. Duchess, I welcome you." Kiana was the queen to be, and had to show she had the situation under control – opposite her mother. She looked at Duchess who smiled, but didn't take her eyes away from the queen of the Pridelands.

"It isn't right! You are Scar, you should have stayed here… become the king of the Pridelands like I had hoped you would be. A king named Scar…" Kiara turned around to leave them, but stopped when she looked into the eyes of Nalathari, who had come to join them. Nalathari, whose face and tree wicked scars beamed up in a smile, when she noticed her grandson.

"It seems he has become more like the old Scar, than you ever thought." Nalathari said and walked past her daughter to greet the young king. He bowed to her.

"Athari… it's good to see you. Please meet Duchess, my queen." Scar said, happy that his grandmother was as friendly towards him, as she had always been.

"Pleased to meet you… Kiara, you know what? I remember Scars speech, when Mufasa just died - he spoke about the dawning of a new era, where lions and hyenas came together. Your son made his dream come true, but in a way he would never think about himself." Nalathari said and laid down.

"But…" Kiara tried, but didn't know what to answer. She was right, her mother – as always.

"So you see, Scar didn't do anything wrong – he chose love, just like you did." She smiled.

"In fact, I think he did think about this himself; although never when he lived." Scar said with a gloomy smile and looked at the sky; then he poked to Duchess – he wanted to show her the entire Pride Rock, and the rest of this family. "I expect we'll stay a few days." He said to the others, and began to walk away from the shadow.

"Who takes care of your lands then?" Kiana asked curiously. She was used to a life, where there was always someone of the family present. But they couldn't have any family there…

"His name is Al, we named him our deputy – because he brought us Scar in the first place; the best thing that ever happened to the hyenas." Duchess said and together she and her mate left towards the huge rocks nearby – leaving 4 lionesses look after them with each their thoughts. But all thought one thing, that the others did too, when they saw the lion and the hyena walk together; they did look somewhat right together. Scar had really become a king undisputed, both respected and saluted.The old king Scar had a dream, and it had come true. The new era he planned, had finally begun…

THE END!

-Finished the 21/1 2006, by Atrice -

There, that was the end... I hope you all enjoyed the story, which turned out quite differently than I originally planned. But sometimes my stories just "write themself", without me doing a lot other than just writing down the tale. Please do read and review if you like - it's been a pleasure writing the story and reading all the reviews. Atrice