The Lion King and its characters belong to Walt Disney. I only own my OC, Athena.


The Lion Princess

Chapter 3: Can't Wait To Be King

Behind Pride Rock was a small valley with a small pound and some sun bathing rocks that were surrounded by shaded trees.

Sarafina was giving Nala a bath while Sarabi was sleeping.

Sarafina had a striking resemblance to her daughter Nala, appearing as a slightly darker cream-coloured lioness. Her eyes were naturally green and she had a reddish-pink snout. The insides of her ears are a light brown colour and the tuft of her tail was dark brown. Her muzzle and underside was a lighter shade of cream than the rest of her body, and, like her daughter, her paws weren't coloured lighter.

Nala was a slender cream-coloured female cub with turquoise eyes, a pink nose, both the inside of her ears and the small tuft of fur on her tail was tan.

Nala's father, Ni, was out hunting at the moment, but would be back later on.

Simba and Athena ran down the slope of the bottom part of Pride Rock.

The royal siblings ran down towards Nala.

"Hey, Nala!"Simba and Athena greeted in unison.

"Hi, Simba and Athena."Nala responded.

"Come on."Simba remarked, whispering to Nala. "We just heard about this great place."

"Simba!"Nala grumbled with clenched teeth. "I'm kind of in the middle of a bath."

"And it's time for yours."Sarabi declared, now wide awake.

Simba tried to escape, but Sarabi bends down and grabbed him by the head.

The Queen of the Pridelands proceeds to give her struggling cub a bath.

"Mum! Mum!"Simba whined. "You're messing up my mane. Why isn't Athena having hers?!"

"Because I had mine this morning, little brother."Athena sneered.

Sarabi smiled as Simba went next to Athena, who covered her mouth to giggle at seeing her brother getting cleaned.

"Okay, okay, I'm clean."Simba commented. "Can we go now?"

"So where are we going?"Nala asked as her mother cleaned her head. "It better not be a place that is lame."

"No."Simba answered. "It's really cool."

"So where is this "really cool" place?"Sarabi asked.

"Oh, uh..."Simba started.

"It's around the water hole, mother."Athena admitted quickly with a smile.

"The water hole?"Nala questioned. "What's so great about the water hole?"

Simba smiled innocently before going over to Nala.

"We'll show you when we get there."Simba retorted quietly.

"Oh."Nala responded and then looked at her mother. "Mum, can I go with them?"

"Hmm...what do you think, Sarabi?"Sarafina asked.

Sarabi smiled. "Well..."

Nala, Simba and Athena walked forward to give Sarabi their broad forced grins.

"Pleeeease?"Nala, Simba and Athena said in unison.

"It's all right with me."Sarabi declared.

Nala, Simba and Athena became overjoyed at Sarabi's respond.

"Yippee!"Athena giggled.

"All right!"Nala remarked.

"Yeah!"Simba cheered.

"As long as Zazu goes with you."Sarabi admitted.

Simba, Nala and Athena immediately stop dead in their celebration.

"No!"Simba and Athena complained. "Not Zazu!"

Later, the two cubs and the human girl were walking towards the water hole with Zazu flying overhead in the sky overhead.

"Step lively."Zazu instructed. "The sooner we get to the water hole, the sooner we can leave."

Nala looked at Simba.

"So where we really going?"Nala asked.

"An elephant graveyard."Simba answered.

"Wow!"Nala gasped.

"Shhh!"Simba hushed.

"Zazu."Athena reminded.

"Right."Nala responded. "So how we're going ditch the dodo?"

Zazu flew down, landing in front of the human girl and the two cubs.

"Look at you, Simba and Nala! Little seeds of romance blossoming in the savannah."Zazu commented happily. "Your parents will be thrilled with you being betrothed and all."

"Huh?"Athena said in confusion.

"Be-what?"Simba asked.

"Betrothed. Intended."Zazu stated with a smile. "Affianced."

Simba, Athena and Nala glanced at each other with confused expressions.

"Meaning?"Nala asked.

"One day, you and Simba will be married!"Zazu declared.

Athena gasped happily while Simba and Nala glanced at each other in disgust.

"Simba and Nala will get married someday?"Athena giggled. "That's so sweet."

"Yuck!"Simba said.

"Ew!"Nala scowled.

"I can't marry her."Simba stated. "She's my friend."

"Yeah."Nala agreed. "It'd be too weird."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you four turtle-doves have no choice. It's a tradition."Zazu commented, not knowing Simba mimicking him during these last words. "...going back generations."

"Well, when I'm king, that'll be the first thing to go."Simba stated.

"Not so long as I'm around."Zazu declared.

"Well, in that case, you're fired."Simba remarked.

"Nice try, but only the king can do that."Zazu admitted, poking Simba's nose.

Athena and Nala approached Zazu and Simba.

"Well, he's the future king."Athena reminded.

"Yeah."Simba replied, thumping Zazu's chest. "So you have to do what I tell you."

"Not yet I don't."Zazu scowled as the four cubs walked away. "And with an attitude like that, I'm afraid you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed."

Simba glanced at Zazu and smirked.

"Hmph."Simba sneered. "Not the way I see it."

Simba approached Zazu as the background abruptly becomes surreal, brightly-coloured style.

I'm gonna be a mighty king

So enemies beware!

Zazu comes out of the log he was trapped in.

Well, I've never seen a king of beasts

With quite so little hair

Zazu plucked Simba's hair where his mane would be as the young prince gets a mane of red leaves.

I'm gonna be the mane event

Like no king was before

I'm brushing up on looking down

I'm working on my ROAR!

Simba climbed a log shouts at Zazu, startling him backwards into a puddle.

Zazu comes out the puddle and held onto what appeared to be a hanging towel.

Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing

The 'towel' revealed to be the ear of a red elephant which hits Zazu with its trunk as with a golf club, sending him skipping like a stone across a shallow pool of water.

Simba, Nala and Athena ran in the pool of water to follow after Zazu.

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

"You've rather a long way to go, young master, if you think!"Zazu declared.

Simba, Nala and Athena are on each side of Zazu.

As the hornbill turned to talk to look the royal siblings, their friend makes a face at him.

No one saying do this

"Now when I said that, I-"Zazu started.

No one saying be there

"What I meant was..."Zazu said.

No one saying stop that

"Look, what you don't realize..."Zazu commented.

No one saying see here

"Now see here!"Zazu shouted angrily.

Free to run around all day

Simba, Nala and Athena were now riding on ostriches.

"Well, that's definitely out."Zazu admitted.

Free to do it all my way!

Zazu flew ahead of the two cubs and the human girl, looking back to speak to them and not paying attention ahead.

I think it's time that you and

Arranged a heart to heart

Zazu flew into a rhino's butt as Simba, Nala and Athena approached them while riding on the ostriches.

Kings don't need advice From little hornbills for a start

Queens too!

Athena chuckled lightly as she followed after her twin brother and their friends.

Zazu then goes on a branch that was approaching at the end of a waterfall.

If this is where the monarchy is headed

Count me out!

Out of service, out of Africa, I wouldn't hang about...

Zazu was on a log being washed towards a waterfall which then disappears over the edge.

The hornbill yelled in surprise, but quickly reappeared to fly after the two cubs and the human girl.

This child is getting wildly out of wing

Oh, I just can't wait to be king!

Simba, Nala and Athena trot up a corridor of zebras standing at attention.

When Zazu followed, all the zebras turn and raise their tails causing the hornbill to cover himself with his wings.

Nala, Simba and Athena dance about under a moving herd of elephants as Zazu flew overhead, looking for them.

Simba ends up standing on a giraffe's head while Athena held onto it's neck.

Everybody look left

Zazu squawked as the herd trampled them.

Everybody look right

Simba hopped up a ladder of giraffe heads.

Everywhere you look I'm

Simba slid down a giraffe's neck into a theatrical pose.

Standing in the spotlight

"NOT YET!"Zazu yelled out in a strict tone.

Athena whispered to a bunch of animals while the others continued singing.

Then a pair of monkeys caught Zazu with their hands.

Simba, Nala and Athena laughed as the giraffes lifted them high up in the air while a pair of monkeys held Zazu in a tree.

Let every creature go for broke and sing

Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing

It's gonna be King Simba's finest fling

The Chorus of hippos, anteaters, antelopes, giraffes and various other animals form a pyramid with Simba, Nala and Athena on top.

Oh I just can't wait to be king!

Oh I just can't wait to be king!

Oh I just can't waaaaaait...to be kiiiiiiiiiing!

The pyramid topples leaving the rhino sitting on Zazu.

"I beg your pardon, madam, but...GET OFF!"Zazu shouted loudly. "Simba? Nala? Athena?"

The hornbill called out for the two cubs and the human girl, but they were gone.


Simba, Athena and Nala laughed as they reached to the direction to the northern boarder of the Pridelands.

"Alright!"Simba cheered. "It worked!"

"We lost him!"Nala added.

"Yeah."Simba replied. "Thanks to my brilliant plan!"

"Hey!"Athena sneered. "Don't count me out!"

The blonde haired girl shoved Simba, who knocked Nala onto the ground.

Nala quickly gets back up and pounces on Simba before the two roll over Athena. With Simba pinned to the ground, Nala smiles.

"Pinned ya!"Nala stated and then notice Athena aching in pain behind her. "Hey, Athena. Are you alright?"

Athena suddenly has a smirk on her face before Simba pushed Nala off him and pins her to the ground.

"Now I got you."Simba declared.

Nala gives a wicked smile and pushes Simba off her, who lands on Athena.

With the two royal siblings lying on the ground, Nala runs toward them and jumps on the two of them.

The three young cubs laugh as they quickly continued to have their fun.

However, the excited expression on Athena's face vanished when she notice Pride Rock was getting out of their sight.

"Hey, guys."Athena spoke up, earning her brother and Nala's attention. "We are getting far away from home."

"That is fine, Athena."Simba assured.

"Don't be a scary cat."Nala giggled.

An unsure expression grew on Athena's face.

"But dad said we aren't allowed to go the Elephant Graveyard."Athena reminded. "It's forbidden to go there. He won't be happy to find out we went there."

"Relax, Athena."Simba remarked. "We'll be fine. Dad will never know we've been there."

Athena frowned as she shook her head and folded her arms.

"Sorry, brother. But now I feel not like going there anymore."Athena commented. "Not only I did promise mum to be careful, but I would not like to be tear limp from limp."

"Suit you self."Simba responded, not happy with his sister's sudden concern. "We will just have to tell you how awesome it was when we get back."

Nala smiled. "See you later, Athena."

Simba and Nala continued making their way to the nothern border as Athena looked at them with a hint of worry before making her way back home.

After walking for a while, Athena stopped in her tracks.

"They will get hurt. Simba can be reckless. I should at least go with them."Athena thought and rubbed her arm. "If I say where they're going, Simba would end up hating me. Ugh! What do I do?"

Athena suddenly heard rustling from some nearby grass and Lerato came out.

Lerato was now a young teen cub with a brown head tuft and also sports tufts of fur on his elbow joints that match the colour of his head tuft and tail tip.

In his mouth was a dead gazelle that he recently caught.

"Hey, Athena."Lerato greeted as he placed his caught prey on the ground. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Hi, Lerato."Athena responded. "I was with Simba and Nala first, but then I left them by themselves."

"Why?"Lerato said in confusion. "Did something happen?"

"No. It's just that Simba and Nala are on their way to the Elephant Graveyard."Athena admitted. "I'm worried that something could happen to them."

"WHAT?!"

Both Athena and Lerato flinched at the loud yet angry voice that they heard and saw Mufasa coming towards them.

"Daddy!"Athena gasped.

"Uncle Mufasa!"Lerato responded.

"Simba is going to the Elephant Graveyard with Nala?! I told him it was forbidden!"Mufasa growled with a glare. "Lerato take Athena home! I will fetch them and have a word with my son!"

Mufasa began making his way to the nothern border with Zazu following him from above.

"Yes, Uncle Mufasa."Lerato answered.

"Be careful, daddy."Athena whispered.

Lerato picked up his caught prey in his mouth before Athena went on his back and the two of them started making their way back to Pride Rock.

"Sorry, Simba."Athena thought sadly.


Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and be happy to review, please:)