The moon is shining bright from what Dalia can see peering through the vines guarding the Lion Guard's Lair, and Makini's soft snores are filtering through the air. Imba left to go find something to eat, and it's the perfect opportunity for her to sneak out.
As of right now, Dalia has officially stayed in the Lion Guard's Lair for three entire nights without giving any protest. And as the days progress, her voice is becoming more and more usable, though it still ached from time to time. She thinks that it'll leave behind a scar — Bunga apparently shares the sentiment because on the second day, he told her at least you'll have a wicked cool scar by the end of this.
Dalia doesn't think having a necklace-looking scar will make her look "wicked cool" but she didn't voice her disdain.
And as Rafiki had suspected, her wound did in fact open up again on the second morning, and Rafiki extended her time spent confined to the nest. She spends most of her time sleeping, eating, occasionally being chaperoned by Makini or Rafiki to drink water or relieve herself. Luckily, Imba and Makini stay with her the entire time — so at least she's not too bored.
The King and Queen also visited her on the first day, and after wishing her an obviously rehearsed condolences speech, they told her that she was welcome to stay in the Pridelands for as long as she needed. Imba appeared to have had a heart attack when King Simba turned to her and thanked her for her "outstanding loyalty to the Pridelands" or whatnot. His statement had made Dalia's eyes roll, to be honest.
She doubted she would ever understand the dynamic that "Kings and Queens" seem to have with their "subjects." And the fact that she would hear Zazu and Rafiki — two creatures who were surely older than Simba — address him as Your Majesty or Your Highness, was rather confusing and slightly disturbing. It didn't make sense, honestly. And, in her opinion, that much power shouldn't be held in one place.
King Simba was overall rather subdued towards Dalia. He was polite and cordial, sure, but he was also careful with his words. Queen Nala, however, seemed to have a particular liking towards Dalia.
"You acted very bravely, Dalia," Nala had told her with a smile.
Dalia didn't exactly know how to respond to her, but luckily Imba intervened and saved her from a potentially awkward situation. For the umpteenth time, she was glad for her chance encounter with the chatty eagle. If it weren't for Imba's constant presence, Dalia is quite certain that she would lose her mind.
Still, regardless of her enjoyable company, the constant bed rest is getting very tiring for the lioness.
So moving as quietly as she can, she begins creeping out of the Lair, careful not to wake Makini. She doesn't exactly know where she'll go, but she does know that she needs some fresh air. So as soon as she brushes past the vines hanging over the entrance of the Lair, she takes in a deep lungful full of fresh air. She sighs contently, gray-green eyes darting upwards to fix on the starry night sky above.
She is once again reminded of how much she loves this time, where everything is peaceful and everything is calm. Padding forward quietly, she starts towards the watering hole she knows is nearby.
As she walks, she revels in the feeling of the cool grass beneath her toes and the evening breeze ruffling through her fur. The breeze makes her shiver, but she prefers it to the stale air of the Lair she's been forced to stay in. The moments where Dalia feels the most alive is whenever she's out here, truly at peace and at one with everything surrounding her.
It's a very serene experience.
She's about half-way to the watering hole when she hears rustling from behind her.
For a second, she wonders if Janja had tracked her down and decided to finish off the job. Spinning around sharply on her heel and sliding her claws out, she bares her teeth at whoever is attempting to sneak up from behind her. The tall grass rustles a few more times, and Dalia realizes from the movement of the grass, that whoever's in there is steadily coming closer and closer to her.
"Who's there?" she says sharply, her voice still raspy. And from the tall grass emerges a familiar figure: Kion. Sighing in relief, her claws slide back in. "Oh," she says, relief apparent in her voice, "It's just you."
"Don't sound so disappointed," Kion teases, stepping out of the grass. The moonlight shining above is making his brown eyes look alarmingly dark, but Dalia finds it sort of endearing. Kion is smiling at her. "If Rafiki or Makini knew you snuck out of the Lair..." he continues, trailing off.
Dalia smirks. "Which is why you're not going to tell anyone."
"Oh?" he questions, smiling, "And why wouldn't I?"
"Well, if you told on me — you'd have to admit that you were up and wandering around at such a late hour. I have a feeling that the leader of the Lion Guard isn't supposed to suffer from insomnia," says Dalia raspily.
Kion's expression suddenly goes very serious. "Insomnia?" he echoes.
"Yeah," she replies, in a you-know-what-I'm-talking-about kind of tone. "You get — what — a few hours, at most, of sleep every night?
His face goes slightly pink. "How... how do you know about that?"
She steps closer so that they're only a few inches apart. "I see you every day, Kion, now that I'm stuck in your Lair," she says, slightly amused, "You don't actually sleep when your night shift is over. You try for a few minutes and then not-so-discretely leave the Lair and do who-knows-what. Plus, you've got eyebags like nobody's business. Those don't come from an adequate amount of sleep."
His brows furrow. "Is it that obvious?"
The lioness feels her face softening. "How long have you had trouble sleeping?" she questions.
"For a while now," he admits, "Especially after you told me about the whole deal with the hyenas. And yesterday, you told me about why Reirei joined Scar's Army, and about the limited space in the Outlands..." Trailing off, he's suddenly unable to meet her gaze. "It's just... a lot to take in. I just sometimes feel, even if we do win this war, the matter won't be resolved. Another war will arise as long as these political issues still remain."
"I can imagine," Dalia murmurs. Seeing the weariness on his face makes her, for whatever reason, upset. She considers Kion to be a friend, and she's not too fond of seeing her friends in distress. After thinking for a minute, realization suddenly crosses her features. "I've got an idea," she says. "But first, let's head over to the watering hole; I'm thirsty."
The comment distracts Kion temporarily, and his face shifts from a contemplating one to one of curiosity. Regardless, he begins walking alongside her.
"What's your idea?" Kion asks once the watering hole is within their line of sight.
"I'm going to try taking your mind off the war, and the lion-hyena conflict, and everything else that's plaguing your mind," answers Dalia, "If I can help relax you, then I'm sure you'll be able to sleep better."
"And how do you plan on taking my mind off those things?"
Dalia's eyes glint as they finally reach the watering hole, but she doesn't answer him right away. Instead, she decides to start lapping at the water. Dipping her head down to take a much-needed drink of water, she feels Kion do the same from beside her.
"So," Kion says, moving his face away from the water's edge once he's had his fill, "What do you plan on doing, again?"
Dalia does the same, rocking back on her haunches. "I thought we could play my favorite pastime," she replies. "It always sets me in a good mood, I figured it'd do the same for you."
"And what is this pastime of yours?" Kion prompts.
"Playing questionnaire," she answers simply, turning her head to peer up at the sky.
Kion looks at her blankly. Finally, he laughs. "Why doesn't it surprise me that your favorite source of entertainment would be interrogation?"
Despite herself, she feels her lips begin to twitch upward. "Oh, and what's your favorite pastime, Your Royal Highness?"
"Was that your first question?" Kion questions, raising a brow. When she nods her head, he answers very quickly: "Baobab ball."
"Baobab ball?" Dalia repeats, smirking, "Gosh, that's way worse than mine." When Kion took on an indignant face and looked like he was going to protest, she continues with, "There's absolutely no point to the game — you just run around with a baobab until you get tired and decide to stop playing. Back home, there weren't a lot of baobabs, so we used papayas instead. But I'm sure the rules are roughly the same — and it's boring whether you use a baobab or papaya. "
"You're crazy," Kion says, laughing. Dalia is pleased that she coaxed that reaction out of him. As she suspected, her idea worked. "Okay," Kion continues, "I guess it's my turn to ask a question?"
"Yeah." Dalia hesitates, then decides to add, "But nothing too personal though."
"Okay," he says, dragging out the word as he tries thinking of an appropriate question. "What's your favorite color?" he asks.
Dalia restrains herself from making a comment about how typical his question was. "Orange," she says instead.
Kion looks visibly shocked. "Orange?" he repeats, his face twisting up in disdain, "Like Zazu's beak?"
"Not quite as yellow-y," Dalia says, "More reddish, like the color of a fire lily."
He seems to consider the statement for a minute. "You like fire lilies?" She tips her head into a nod in response. "Huh," he continues, "Didn't take you for a flower-loving kind of lioness."
"I'm not," she responds, "I just like those flowers in particular."
"Why?"
Dalia feels slightly uncomfortable. In reality, she likes fire lilies for two reasons. The first one being that they remind her of her mother, and the second one being that they reminded her of her old home. And she doesn't exactly want to talk about either subject with Kion. It's not that she doesn't trust him. She does. Just something about spilling the most vulnerable parts of her with anyone makes her feel sick.
"You already asked your question," she says quickly, "It's my turn now." Thinking for a minute, she asks, "What's your worst fear?"
Kion winces. "I thought you said no personal questions?"
Dalia, suddenly remembering why she brought Kion down the watering hole and started asking all these questions in the first place, does a similar wince. "Sorry," she mutters. "I forgot."
"I'll answer the question if you answer the same one," Kion offers. "But you've got to answer it first."
The lioness considers the option for a moment. "You want me to tell you my worst fear?" Dalia asks. Kion tips his head into a nod. "I'm pretty sure you already guessed it. I'm afraid of water. Well, deep water anyway. Which made the whole nearly-drowning-in-Big-Springs situation even more embarrassing."
"You know, it wasn't really a big deal," Kion says, shrugging, "You'd be surprised at the kinds of situations the Lion Guard deals with. On an almost-daily basis, we have to rescue Tiifu and Zuri from wandering into the Outlands and falling into hot-spots. Compared to that, what happened at Big Springs wasn't that bad."
"Easy for you to say," Dalia retorts, "It was embarrassing, and brought back a lot of memories I don't particularly care for." A beat of silence ensues after her comment, so Dalia quickly makes up for it. "Either way, it's your turn. What's your biggest fear?"
Kion thinks about the question for a few minutes, his face full of contemplation. "I guess I'm really afraid of being afraid," Kion finally answers. When Dalia shoots him a puzzled glance, he continues, "I'm the leader of the Lion Guard. I'm supposed to be fierce, and unafraid all the time. But I guess that isn't really the case, is it?"
Dalia turns her head so that she's not looking up at the stars, but rather at Kion's face. His eyes are still fixed upwards, and Dalia can tell that he's trying very hard to keep the anxiety from showing on his face. Without really thinking, she reaches her paw out to touch his.
"You know," she says, "Being fierce doesn't mean that you're not allowed to be afraid. Being fierce is how you react when you are afraid. It's when, even though you're scared, you don't let the fear control you." A light blush spreads across her face. "And I think, well, I think you're pretty fierce even when you're not being the leader of the Lion Guard."
Several beats of silence stretch from between them, the two lions locking gazes rather intensely. Green-gray meeting honey-brown. With Kion's eyes staring at her like that, and his lips slightly parted, it looks almost like he wants to... kiss her.
Finally, after the heat rising to Dalia's face becomes too overwhelming, she abruptly coughs and turns her head back so that she's staring at the stars once again.
"Your turn," she says.
Kion's eyes light in recognition, suddenly reminded that they're still playing the game. Still, a few minutes of silence ensues between them. It stretches out and hangs heavily. There are unspoken words lingering between the two of them, and it makes Dalia wonder what they are. Finally, the truth comes out:
"Why won't you tell me who attacked you?" he asks gently, after a few minutes.
Oh. Over the past few days, Kion's been trying to pry that information out of her, but she hasn't given in yet and she doesn't plan on doing so any time soon.
Whenever Kion would question her about it, Imba would also start bombarding her with similar questions. Imba, so far, doesn't suspect Janja — as apparently, according to her, he was the one who woke her up and warned her to, 'get outta here before anyone else finds about you being a mole.' Dalia decides that for the time being, she'll have to keep quiet about the whole Janja situation, just so nobody goes and messes up what she had worked so hard on.
"I... I can't," Dalia states simply.
Kion huffs, turning away from her slightly. "You don't trust me, do you?"
"It's not that," she protests, turning on her side, "It's just a complicated subject, and I feel like you might act too rashly—"
"Just forget it," Kion interrupts, his eyes downcast, "Forget I asked."
Something that felt very close to regret surged through Dalia at the sight of him so dejected. "Wait," she calls, "It's not that I don't trust you. I swear it's not that. It's just... it's so complicated, Kion, and I feel like you wouldn't understand."
He meets her gaze dead-on. "Try me."
She holds his gaze for a few seconds before dropping her head in surrender. "Fine. If you want to know so bad, it was Janja."
Kion's brows shoot up. "But why would he hurt you? I thought he was the one who warned Imba?"
"He was," Dalia says, "And that's why it's complicated. I know you want to go and deliver whatever your version of justice is. But I know that Janja is on the brink of redemption, so we just need to be patient. And, besides, I don't think he meant to really hurt me. I think he was just trying to intimidate me with his claws, and I kind of made it worse. So for the moment, I need you to not retaliate, just wait."
"Dalia, it's hard for me to let someone get away with injuring someone who was under my care and authority," Kion argues. "It goes against everything I stand for."
To this, Dalia cocks a brow. "Under your authority?" she echoes in disbelief. "Just because I did a favor for you doesn't mean anything more than that. There's a reason I haven't joined a Pride since becoming a nomad; I am under nobody's authority other than my own."
"Okay, maybe I didn't phrase it right — but you get what I'm saying. If someone does something for me, it's my responsibility to make sure nothing happens to them. And if something does happen to them, it's my responsibility to set things right for them."
She scoffs, turning her head away from him. "You're really starting to sound like Tombie."
Kion turns his eyes up in recognition. "Tombie? That red hyena?" he questioned, thinking back to his rather harsh encounter with Tombie. When Dalia nods, he can't help but frown a little bit and he's not sure why. "What is he to you anyway? I never really had the chance to ask him when he was trying to kill me for letting you spy on Scar's Army."
She snorts. "Seems like him," she states, suppressing an eye roll, "Yeah, he's a really good friend of mine, and he really looked out for me when I needed him, but he's been overstepping his boundaries lately."
The prince remembers once more how the hyena had been so furious at the thought of Dalia potentially getting hurt. "Don't you think he'd want to know what happened to you? I can have Ono fly over to the Outlands tomorrow and let him know. He'd probably want to come to make sure you're okay."
"I know he'd be worried sick if he found out Janja hurt me," says Dalia, "but I'm in no mood to see him at the moment. After all, he was the one who got me in this situation in the first place."
Kion's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" he questions carefully.
"He dropped by Kilio Valley, insisting that he needed to save me and that I was in such imminent danger," Dalia explains, her voice hard, "Janja overheard the conversation and then he... well, you know what happened. If it weren't for Tombie, I would've still been in Kilio Valley, finding out how to defeat Scar."
"You're angry with him," Kion says, his tone making it clear that it isn't a question but rather a statement.
The accusation makes her wince. She doesn't want to be angry with her best friend, but she can't help it.
"He's just such a... nuisance," Dalia blurts, "He's overbearing and thinks that just because he rescued me once, I'll forever be in need of his help. And that just isn't true. After I left Tombie and forged my own path, I went through things that made me stronger, and I'm better for it. I don't need him, and I think he's having a hard time understanding that I'm not a little cub that needs his help. And the most frustrating thing? He's not doing this because he's angry with me. He's doing all this because he cares about me, and that's where the trouble lies."
The sun is beginning its rise over the horizon, and Dalia's surprised.
Have we been really talking for that long?
Kion quirks a brow. "Why would that be a bad thing? That he cares about you, I mean."
"Love makes creatures irrational," says Dalia, "It makes them act without thinking. It's sort of unnerving if you really think about it."
Kion pauses, considering her words for a moment. He doesn't even know how to begin responding to a girl like that.
Finally, he settles on, "Dalia, I think you're the strangest and most pessimistic lioness I have ever met."
She grins at him, and he feels a flutter in his chest. "I'll try my best to take that as a compliment, Your Highness."
He smiles back at her. "Thanks for this, Dalia. It helped a lot; trust me." He yawns as a begins standing up. He peers over his shoulder at the sunrise. "But you should probably get back before Rafiki notices you're gone."
"And you should probably get your Guard ready for dawn patrol," Dalia says, conceding. "I hope we can do this again some time."
"Me too," he responds.
And Dalia can't help but smile once more at how sincere he sounds.
A/N: I hope you guys liked the Kion/Dalia interaction as much as I did. As always, any criticism/feedback/suggestion is always happily welcomed.
