Ch. 4: A King's Resolve

Dedicated to God of the Challenge, who requested this scenario. In truth, this is a conversation I thought about writing and adding it into the Kingdom Hearts version of "The Lion King" made me want to write it even more. Hope you like it!

"So, he just refused to go back with you?" Sora asked. Beside him, Nala sighed.

"I just don't understand," the young lioness said. "Simba used to be so eager to follow in his father's pawprints. He's our rightful king; we need him!"

Sora, Donald and Goofy shared a quick glance before looking back at Simba. The big lion was sitting at the edge of the grassy field, his head drooping low. From the way his mane rustled, Sora had a feeling that Simba was trying to hold back tears.

"Gwarsh, he looks awfully upset," Goofy noted.

"Of course he's upset!" Timon scampered up onto Goofy's shell and glared a Nala. "Look, I know you and Simba are pals and all, but this is what happens when you bring up someone's past." Timon gestured at the big lion. "Simba was perfectly happy here and now look at him!"

"Gee, Timon, Simba was thinking about his past just this morning and he was sad then, remember?" Pumbaa chimed in.

"See, just proves my point!" the meerkat declared. "If the past is painful, you put it behind you and stop thinking about it!"

"But Simba's a king," Donald replied.

"Exactly," Nala added. "He doesn't have the luxury of just running away from his past."

"Gee, whaddya think happened that made him want to run away in the first place?" Goofy asked.

"I'll find out." Sora started walking toward Simba.

"Do you think you can do it, Sora?" Donald asked.

"I... I think so." The Keyblade wielder turned back to the group. "Look, we know Simba ran away after his father died, right?" Everyone nodded. "So, that obviously has something to do with it. I think getting him to talk about his dad is a good place to start."

"That might work," Nala said, brightening up. "Simba and Mufasa were very close; getting him to remember the good times he had with his father may help him rediscover himself as the true king."

"Okay, then. Let me try."

The Keyblade wielder slowly approached his lion friend. Simba continued o look down at his front paws, barely even stirring when Sora sat down beside him.

"Simba?"

"Did Nala send you?" Simba's voice was hollow.

"Well, she is worried about you. We all are."

"I don't want to talk about it." Simba let his mane dangle over his eyes.

"Well, do you want to talk about your father?"

"What?" Simba shot Sora a shocked glance. "Why are you asking, Sora?"

Sora scuffed a paw in the dirt, biting his lip before speaking.

"Well, Nala told me that you and your father were close. I... I didn't know my dad, so I guess I'm curious about what it was like to have such a great father."

"You didn't know your father?" Shock was stamped all over Simba's face.

"No. He died before I was born. Growing up, it was just me and my mom. And when I saw other kids with their dads... well, I just want to know what yours was like."

Simba was silent; several minutes passed and Sora began to worry that the lion wasn't going to say anything. Then, to the Keyblade wielder's surprise, Simba smiled.

"Dad was the best. He was strong and wise, but he was always willing to play with me. He taught me what it meant to be a king and even when I did something wrong, he... he told me why he was mad rather than just punishing me. But he wouldn't stay mad; he always wanted me to learn my lesson and move on."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And even when he was busy or there was an emergency, he would still find a way to spend time with me! Like this one time, he had to spend the whole day patrolling the boarders of the Pride Lands He didn't come home till he sun was almost down, but even then, he still took me for an evening walk to the water hole so I could see the hippos coming up to graze." Simba smiled again, but Sora saw the tears beginning to bead in his eyes. "I fell asleep and Dad carried me home. I woke up between my parents and I... I knew nothing could hurt me while Dad was king. But then the stampede-" Simba's voice trailed off.

"Nala mentioned a stampede. She said Scar told her and the other lionesses you died there too."

"I might as well have," Simba answered, his voice full of self-loathing.

"What? Why? It's not like it was your fault."

"Yes it was," Simba mumbled, lowering his head again.

"What?"

"I said it IS my fault!" Simba blured out. "I caused the stampede and it's MY fault Dad's dead.

"Simba?" Nala came bounding over, closely followed by Donald, Goofy, Timon, and Pumbaa. The lioness's eyes were full of disbelief. "What are you saying?"

Simba sighed, turning away from his friends. "So now you know. Still think I'm worthy of being the king, Nala?"

"Yes, because I don't believe you could have caused Mufasa's death," Nala answered flatly.

"Yeah, how could you do something like that?" Donald asked, perching on Nala's back.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

"Sure it was, buddy," Timon assured him, clambering onto Simba's broad back. "You were just a cub when that happened."

"Uh, how could a little lion cub cause his dad to end up in a stampede?" Goofy asked.

Simba took a deep breath. "I was playing in the gorge," he told the group. "I was waiting for my father because he had a surprise for me." Simba gave a bitter chuckle. "I was practicing my roar and actually managed to frighten off a lizard. Next thing I knew, there was a herd of wildebeest heading right toward me." Simba shook his head. "My stupid roar must have set them off! Dad tried to save me, but... he didn't make it."

"That's impossible." Everyone looked up at Nala's words.

"Nala, I saw Dad fall! The wildebeest-"

"The wildebeest would never stampede at the sound of a cub's roar," Nala finished. "Simba, one of the first rules of hunting is to not make a sound. If the lionesses want to hunt, they stay quiet. And any prey will know the difference between a fully-grown lion's roar and a cub's roar. They wouldn't stampede from that!"

"I think Nala knows what she's talking about," Pumbaa told Simba."She's a great huntress after all."

"Thanks, Pumbaa. And no, I won't eat you."

"Whew. Thanks, Nala."

"But don't you see what this means?" Sora asked, turning back to Simba. "You weren't responsible for your father's death. Something else caused that stampede, not you!"

"But he still died trying to save me. If it wasn't for me, I'd still be alive."

"Who told you that, Simba?" Goofy asked.

"My uncle, Scar, did."

"Scar? Scar told you that?" Nala frowned, something dawning in her eyes.

"Yeah. He said he knew everything was an accident, but my father was still dead and he died trying to save me and-"

"Simba, did Scar take you down to the gorge that day?" Nala asked.

The big lion froze. "Yes," he said flatly. "He did. He was the one who told me Dad had a surprise for me."

"So Scar brought you down to the gorge, a stampede starts, your father is killed and he convinces you that it was your fault?" Sora asked. "Does that sound fishy to anyone else?"

"Yeah. And now he's the king and told everyone that you and your dad were dead," Donald finished.

"Does sound awfully convenient for him, if you ask me," Timon admitted.

"Nala, you said Scar let the hyenas take over the Pride Lands?" Simba asked.

"Yes, he did. They've driven off all the prey and he hasn't rationed the water during the dry season, so they've taken the majority of that too."

"I'm guessing those three hyenas who tried to attack us when we were cubs are among the hyena clan?" Simba asked.

"Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed," Nala clarified. "They're three of Scar's most trusted advisers." The lioness growled. "I've made it a point to stay away from them. Why?"

"Remember when I led us down to the Elephant Graveyard when we were little?"

"Yes."

"Scar was the one who told me about that place too. He said only the bravest lions went there."

"Sounds to me like your uncle's been trying to get rid of you for a long time, Simba," Sora said.

"Sounds like it," Simba agreed. "But I think we should hear it from him."

"Wait, what?" Timon jumped onto Simba's head. "You mean-?"

"I mean I'm going back home," Simba answered, his voice strong. "I'm going to confront my uncle with what I know and see if there's more to what happened to my father than he told me before."

"Oh, Simba!" Nala's face was alight with joy.

"Will you stand by me, Nala?"

In response, the lioness rubbed her head against Simba's russet mane. "Always, my king. Always."

"And so will we," Sora affirmed. "You helped us reclaim our homes, Simba. Let us help you now."

"Yeah. We'll help you get your home back," Donald promised.

"And we'll make Scar tell ya the truth about what happened to yer Dad!" Goofy finished with a nod.

"Thanks, everyone."

"Hold on. You're not leaving Pumbaa and me behind!"

"Yeah, you're our friend too."

"And I'm lucky to have you." Simba's eyes traveled over the group. "I'm lucky to have all of you. Now, let's go home. Pride Rock needs its rightful king.

Amid much cheering, the group set off. Behind them, the sun cast its radiance over the lush jungle. Sora, running next to Simba couldn't help but notice that one ray of sun, streaming from the blue sky, stayed above his friend's head, making the lion gleam golden. The Keyblade wielder grinned.

I think your father's real proud of you, Simba. You really are the king he knew you would be!