Dusk found a gathering of most of the adult lions, and only a few remained out of it to sooth the fears of the cubs and help them fall asleep. Kovu was visibly shaken and Kiara was grieving the loss of her father; the rest of the Pride was shaken after the day's events, but eager to hear what their king had to say.

Kovu opened his mouth, faltered and closed it again, then began to speak quietly.

"Simba… Before Simba was taken, he told me… He said that the Council and the Goddesses have ordered Maten's death because he is a danger to the Pride… Simba told me not to tell and that he would rather face death, and now he's gone…"

Vitani stared at him, stunned, before the words came spilling from her mouth. It was obvious she was fighting to control the volume of her voice.

"'Danger to the pride'? Maten couldn't hurt the fur on your back! He is far less a danger than anyone else here, those of us who followed Zira for so long and so loyally. He is from Simba's loins; he can't be all bad! I…"

Kovu growled quietly at her, his eyes hardening.

"If the Council and the Goddesses demand it then it must be done, Vitani! I don't care if he's my nephew. Their laws control my actions!"

Vitani leapt into the middle of the messy circle, her eyes hovering inches from his. They were both snarling and bristling and anger so pure rang out in Vitani's voice – something that haunted Kovu from his youth.

"You won't touch a hair on his neck, Kovu. I'll fight you to the death to defend him, Kings and Goddesses or not. You will not kill my son!"

Kovu moved a step back from her, the ferocity of Vitani's eyes and twisted snarl reminding him so much of Zira. Vitani had, after all, been raised almost as perfectly as he had been – trained in murder and deception, except her mind was sharpened finer than his was and her courage was as strong as his. He knew that she knew he could snap her like a stick, but he also knew she would still fight him to the death. After an uneasy moment, Kovu spoke quietly into her vengeful eyes.

"The Council's decision holds."

Vitani roared into his face then turned on her heel and fled into the cave. Kovu closed his eyes, his head drooping. That had been one of the most painful moments of his life, and he knew Vitani would never let him forget it. The lionesses didn't move, not knowing the reaction to expect from Kovu. It was several minutes later when he stood, moving slowly past them all.

"Rest, my friends… Tomorrow will be a hard day."

The Pride followed him into the cave, avoiding the tightly curled Vitani. They fell asleep mostly around Kovu and Kiara to protect them from anything the cunning lioness would try during the night.

Vitani and Maten moved slowly and carefully towards the mouth of the cave, neither daring to breathe too deeply or move too quickly. A single sound would wake someone, and Kovu would be able to execute his plan to murder her son. The stars still twinkled in the sky, and Vitani planned to move as far away from Kovu's territory as possible while it was still dark.

They were almost safe when a voice cracked out of the shadows of the cave.

"Princess of nightmare, leave your son behind!"

"Vitani!"

"Maten, run!"

Maten and Vitani broke into a run for the horizon, but Kovu and several lionesses were on their heels. Vitani continued to shout to her son as they raced heedlessly through the plains.

"Keep running, don't look back! Run, run for your life!"

When Maten had pulled ahead of her, Vitani stopped her momentum and turned to face Kovu. In her vision he turned into Simba, filled with the same intolerance and wickedness. She snarled into the ground as he bore down on her.

"Zira, this is for you!"

The two collided, tumbling to the ground in a flurry of claws and growls. Among the chaos Kovu roared to the lionesses moving in to help him, "Get Maten! Kill him, kill him!"

They took off, leaving Kovu and Vitani to their fight. They rolled in the dust, shredding any exposed fur with claws and ripping with teeth. When Kovu finally jumped away, they were both covered in deep scratches. He tried to plead and reason with Vitani as she staggered to her paws, blood dripping from a particularly vicious wound in her side.

"Vitani, please, I don't want to fight you. You're my sister, if not by blood then by bond. Please, don't make me do this…"

She gasped in a deep breath and fought to control her breathing.

"Then… Call them off…Let us leave… In peace…"

"I can't do that, Vitani. They've orde…"

He felt her claws rake down his face and he roared loudly, twisting away from them. Vitani found him again though, her paws wrapping around his neck and her teeth sinking into his fur. Blood poured into her mouth and she began to rake her back claws over his stomach. Kovu roared and fell to the ground, digging deep furrows down her back in an attempt to push her away.

Pain soon overwhelmed Vitani and she fell away from him, writhing on the ground in agony. Kovu leapt on her before she could recover, his giant jaws closing around her neck. He closed his eyes tightly as she crushed her throat, ignoring the claws raking down his side as she fought to breathe. As her struggle became more desperate, tears rolled down his cheeks.

Their eyes met for a final time, hers filled with fear and pain and his with sadness. She finally fell limp and her eyes closed, head lolling to the side. Kovu released her throat with a loud cry and fell to the ground, falling unconscious as agony surged through his body and his blood formed a puddle under his paws.

They were all there… Scar, Zira, and Nuka. Zira was bowed over her fallen daughter and even Nuka and Scar stood silently, respectfully. Not a word passed between the five of them. Kovu stared silently as Vitani stood slowly, but only her spirit; her body remained, bloody and torn, where it lay. Zira embraced the transparent form of her daughter, apparently appeased at her betrayal at the battle by her final sacrifice in her mother's name.

Scar was staring hard at Kovu, filled with an emotion that Kovu would only identify as disappointment. Zira glared over her shoulder at him then brushed past Vitani, joining the two males. Vitani stared hard at her brother, her blue eyes making him uncomfortable and even guiltier before she turned away and joined her family. The four vanished and Kovu was left alone in the darkness, his voice quiet as he whispered after them.

"Vitani… I'm so sorry…"