Chapter 8: The Peace the Evening Brings

A/n: Finally, the last chapter! I'll let you guys read first and I'll leave the rest of the author's note at the end of the story. Please enjoy :)

Kion followed behind Nala as she led her son to the corner where she and Simba usually slept. When they arrived, Simba was already there, sitting on his haunches and observing some paintings on the wall, which were all finger-painted by Rafiki using dried fruits and coconut sap some time ago. The paintings all portrayed the past Kings and Queens of the Pridelands, there were seven generations of them in total. There was one similarity that all seven generations of Royals shared besides being the rulers of the Pridelands; they were all in fact, betrothed to each other.

As Zazu had once pointed out to Simba, betrothals were an immediate custom that must be adhered to by each generation of Rulers, whether they like it or not. Presently, Simba was observing the small finger painting of him and Nala, standing together on top of Pride Rock. He smiled, remembering his union with Nala was officiated on the same day that the painting was painted on the wall.

"Simba, our son is here to see you."

He turned around to see a grinning Nala walking towards him with Kion by her side, who was noticeably struggling to muster up a polite smile as he faced his father.

"Ah, there you are, Kion. I've been waiting for you." Simba said, sensing Kion's nervousness and getting the cheeky idea to say it in a solemn voice to intentionally intimidate his son, solely for the purpose of his own amusement.

"Hey, Dad. Err… Mum said you wanted to have a word with me?" Kion asked in a small voice, as his father gazed at him with an expressionless look on his muzzle.

"Yes, that's right, Kion, there's a few things I'd like to discuss with you. Please, sit down next to me."

Kion gulped and obediently obliged him, sitting on his haunches next to his father while Nala started moving away towards the other end of the corner, just far enough to observe the impromptu meeting while out of ear-shot.

"First off, Kion, I'd like to thank you for your heroic efforts during the battle with the Outsiders," Simba began with a subtle smile, though his voice remained just as solemn. "Your quick-thinking and leadership skills were crucial in our victory against those hyenas and vultures, it's the reason why the Pridelands is still our home and not overrun by the Outsiders. And for that, I want you to know that both your Mum and I are very proud of you, son."

Kion broke out a relieved smile, suddenly thinking that his meeting with his father wasn't going to turn out as bad as he thought it would. But it was short-lived though, as Simba's smile immediately disappeared and the look of seriousness once again returned to his muzzle.

"Now, to the main issue," Simba continued, his gaze pierced into Kion's eyes. "I haven't made the official announcement yet, but I heard you already found out that I betrothed you with Vitani. Is this true?"

"Yes, Dad." Kion replied.

"Okay. So, how do you feel about your betrothal?"

Kion's heart began pounding harder against his chest, he wasn't sure if Simba was simply asking for a personal opinion or he purposely asked the question because he already knew that he didn't like his father's idea of betrothing him with Vitani.

"Well, I err… I'm very honoured by your decision to betroth me and Vitani togeth-"

"The truth, Kion. I want to hear nothing but the truth."

Kion blinked, slightly taken aback. Okay, now he was very sure that his father wasn't asking for a personal opinion. He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "Okay, here goes. Dad, I have always been loyal to you and I've always respected your every decision. But… I'm afraid this is the only time where I have to go against your orders. I… I do not wish to be betrothed to Vitani."

"And why is that, son?" Simba asked, his voice remained dangerously calm.

Kion swallowed hard and mustered up the courage to look into his father's eyes. "Because, Dad… I'm in love with someone else. She's my best friend, and we grew up together… and, I've known her for a very long time, much longer than Vitani, and… she's the one I'd like to be my mate."

"I see. And who's this 'someone' that you're talking about?"

"It's Fuli." Kion shut his eyes and prepared himself for his father's angry outburst. He wouldn't be surprised if Simba decided to exile him after this, or maybe even shred him to pieces then and there. The old King was infamously known to be very violent whenever he got particularly mad at something or someone, and Kion was sure his father wouldn't hesitate to do the same to his own son. Oh well, if he did end up being torn to pieces at his father's paw, at least he died trying.

"Alright, if that's what you want, so be it. I just need to call off your betrothal, and you'll have my blessings to go after Fuli. Congratulations, son."

Kion was about to say something to defend his decision when he immediately realized what his father had just said. Did he hear him correctly, or were his ears deceiving him? "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, you have my blessings and you may marry Fuli, right after I call off your betrothal." Simba repeated in a slightly louder tone.

Kion's jaw dropped and he began spilling out mindless drivel, as if he had lost his ability to speak, completely shocked by his father's words. "I… I'm err… I… I- I don't understand… aren't you mad at me?" he finally blurted out after spewing out a long string of incomprehensible stutters.

By now, Simba could no longer keep up with his charade after seeing the look of bewilderment on his son's face. The old King broke out into such a hearty laughter that it caused poor Kion to feel even more confused than ever.

"Kion! Why in the Pridelands would I be mad at you? I can't possibly penalize you just because you're in love with someone else!" Simba chortled, tears forming in his eyes from laughing too much.

Kion looked to his left and saw his mother approaching them, chuckling to herself along the way. "That's right, son. The last thing we want to do is force you into a marriage with someone that hasn't won your heart," Nala warmly said, playfully ruffling her son's mane at the same time.

After seeing both his parents were in such a jovial mood, Kion himself broke out a wide grin, relieved that things didn't go down south with the meeting. "Well… I'm glad you're taking this lightly, Dad, but… I'm just wondering, wouldn't you be going against the royal tradition by calling off the betrothal and allowing me to marry Fuli?"

Simba merely replied by letting out a chuckle before turning around to face the wall behind him. "Kion, do you see this painting over here?" he asked, pointing to a particular painting that was clearly meant to depict Kiara and Kovu standing over the top of Pride Rock. "Let me tell you something, Kion. For years, the Royal tradition of betrothals have been practiced by all the Kings and Queens of the Pridelands, from your ancestors to myself and your mum. But when I allowed your sister to marry Kovu, I not only managed to unite our Pride with the Outsider Lionesses, but I also ended the royal tradition of having to betroth my own children."

Kion nodded, slowly understanding the entire situation. But even after his father's explanation, there was still one obvious question that needed to be answered. "Okay, so… why did you betrothed me with Vitani in the first place, Dad?"

"Well… that's actually a mistake on my part," Simba admitted with a sigh. "You see, your mother and I were a little worried about you not finding a mate for yourself."

"You were?" Kion asked in surprise. This was their first time they've admitted to actually being concern over his romantic life.

"I'm afraid so, son," Nala confirmed, bearing a nervous smile. "After Kiara got married to Kovu, we were wondering if you had found your significant other yet."

"That's right." Simba continued. "We noticed you weren't showing much interest with the Lionesses, not even Asha, your former playmate you used to play with when you were cubs. And when Vitani arrived and became part of our pride, we couldn't help but notice that both of you seemed to have… an instant liking with each other, what with all the morning strolls and the hearty laughs that you two share together…"

"Hold on, you betrothed me and Vitani together just because we enjoyed each other's company?" Kion asked, throwing a questioning look at his father.

"Well… like I said, we were concerned about you, Kion." Simba grinned at him. "But I have to admit, I should have inquired further and asked the both of you first before betrothing you two together… and for that, I apologize to you."

"It's okay, Dad, I err… I can't really be mad at you and Mum for being concerned about me," Kion laughed, thankful that everything turned out well between him and his parents.

"Glad to hear it!" Nala responded, giving her son a brief nuzzle against his side. "Now you better run after Fuli and tell her the news, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it."

"I hope she will!" Kion briefly responded, giving both his parents a quick nuzzle before turning to head for the exit. "Thanks again for everything, Mum, Dad!"

"Good luck, son!" Simba called out after him before he disappeared from his sight.

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Kion tore past the den's common area, where he passed by the other Lionesses, who had just finished eating their hearty meal though he didn't see his sister nor Kovu and Vitani anywhere. He promptly left the den's opening and started heading for the stone-steps that descended towards the bottom of Pride Rock.

"Pssst! Kion!"

Before he could land a paw on the first stepping-stone, he heard a feminine voice hissing his name behind him. Despite the darkness of the night, he could see the silhouette of a Lioness who had been lurking around the shadows just outside the den's opening.

"Vitani? Is that you?" Kion called out, recognizing the Lioness's voice.

Vitani stepped forth from the shadows and revealed herself to her friend. "Hey, Kion," she coolly said, bearing a subtle smirk on her maw.

"Hey. What were you doing hiding in the shadows?" Kion inquired, raising a brow at her.

"Well… I thought of having a word with you first before you go after Fuli."

"Sure, I don't mind sparing a moment to… wait how did you know I was about to meet with Fuli?"

Vitani merely laughed at the confused look on Kion's face before giving him a teasing grin. "The same way I know that you just had a little discussion with Simba and that he said he's gonna call off our betrothal with each other!"

Kion stared at the Lioness with his mouth gaped open, completely stupefied. That was when he put two and two together and finally realized what was going on. "Wait, hold on. Are you telling me that you're the one who convinced my dad to call off our betrothal?!"

Vitani took the moment to savour his look of utter bewilderment, which she found to be very amusing, before giving him a slow nod. "Yeah, that's right, it was me. It wasn't easy though, your father was a little upset when I told him the truth about everything, but I reasoned with him that you deserve to be married to the person you're truly in love with. It took a little more convincing, but he finally accepted my reasoning and told me he was calling off our betrothal, that is, after he's talked to you about it."

After hearing her entire explanation, everything became crystal clear for Kion and he now completely understood the whole situation. For a moment, he was very grateful for all the effort Vitani had put up to help him, but after thinking back what she had just said, his face fell as an overriding sense of guilt befell on him.

"Vitani, I… I'm very grateful to you for helping me in this, but… I just hope that me being with Fuli won't change anything between us. I mean… I still love you and-"

"And I love you too, Kion." Vitani softly said, moving closer towards him until their muzzles were only several inches apart. "We both love each other, but, at the same time… we both know that the kind of love that we have for each other isn't the same as the one that you have for Fuli."

Kion heaved a long and heavy sigh, what she said was completely true. And after hearing her saying it in her own words, he didn't trust himself to say another word without causing her to feel dejected. Vitani, however, could more or less guess what was going on his mind judging by the look of guilt on his face, so she proceeded give her friend a comforting nuzzle to his neck, slightly taking him aback.

"Kion, you don't have to worry about me. You've always been a good friend to me, and I'll always love you for that. That's why I'm supporting you in your effort to be united with Fuli. Trust me, nothing will make me happier than seeing my friend finally getting married to the person he loves most."

For the second time that night, Kion was left aghast and a complete loss for words. Vitani's heartfelt confession made him ever so grateful for having her as one of his closest friends. "Wow… I- I'm- I'm sorry, I- I- I just… don't know what to say, 'Tani, I mean-"

"Then don't say anything." She grinned at him with a somewhat teasing look on her face. "You don't have to say or do anything for me, Kion. I did what any friend would have done. The only thing I expect you to do, is getting off your butt and going after Fuli and confessing your love for her while the night is still young."

Kion couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her witty, yet encouraging, remark. "Alright, alright, I will. But first, I err… I just want to thank you for helping me out with my dad. I mean… you didn't have to, but you did… and… and for that, I just want to let you know that I'm very grateful, for your help I mean, and uh… and also… for having you as my friend."

The smile on Vitani's lips grew wider as she gazed at her friend in his eyes before slowly giving him a single nod. "You're very welcome, Kion." The two took a moment to share a fond glance with each other before Kion turned around and left, descending down from Pride Rock and into the night, as Vitani remained at the top and followed his silhouette darting across the savanna before he disappeared over a hill and into the horizon.

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Fuli trudged through the grass of the Acacia grazing grounds just a few miles north of Pride Rock, feeling very much exhausted after the day's happening. She barely managed to climb a small hill with a single Acacia tree on it and promptly plopped herself next to the tree with a heave, unable to walk any further. She closed her eyes and took in the natural sounds of the night-time playing its ever-soothing symphony to ease her mind; the chirping of crickets in the grass, the gurgling sound of water from a nearby river and the whistling sound of a gentle breeze that blew across her body, caressing her fur. She let out a long and happy sigh, the night was just beyond perfect.

"Hey, Fuli. Mind if I join you?"

The Cheetah's ears pricked up when she heard a familiar voice behind her. She looked behind and saw Kion, smiling shyly at her and waiting for her permission. "Kion? What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Well… I thought of hanging around with you for a little while before going off to sleep. Is that alright?"

Fuli let out a chuckle, this wasn't the first time her Lion friend had snuck out from Pride Rock just to be in her company for the night. "Sure, why not?" she happily chimed, patting on the ground beside her.

Kion sauntered over and settled down right beside her, feeling very much relieved that she didn't turn him away. Fuli flashed him a fond smile before tilting her head upwards to look at the vast night-time sky overhead. There was no moon that night, but the millions of twinkling stars in the dark sky more than made up for its absence. A heavy feeling swept across her chest as she stared into the heavens, she suddenly felt the need to confide in her friend about something that she had always kept to herself and never told anyone else about it.

"Kion… can I… can I tell you something?" she asked, her gaze remained fixed at the stars above.

The Lion looked at her. "Sure, Fuli. You can tell me anything."

She took a deep breath, not once moving her sights away from the heavens. "You know, back when I was a cub of only three weeks, my father and I used to star-gaze out here every night on this very hill. I would just stare at the stars and wished upon them, and my father always said that with a little work and a little luck, any wish I made would come true. So I began to wish on them every chance I got."

Kion didn't look at the stars. He was watching her instead. "And what did little Fuli wish for?"

She smiled towards the sky, but her voice held an air of sorrow about it. "She wished that someday, she could find someone… someone who will always be with her by her side so she'll never be alone."

Kion was surprised to hear this, though he tried not to let it show. "She did?"

Fuli nodded before facing him and staring into his eyes. "Yeah. She did."

A tear rolled down from her eye as she let out a sigh and rested her head against Kion's thick mane, nuzzling against it. "You know, Kion… it's funny how you get used to certain things in life. Before I met you and the rest of the Guard, I didn't really have any friends. The other cubs and kids didn't like me, and… because of that, I eventually got used to being called a loner and a recluse… and somewhere along that line… I just got used to being alone. It was so bad that… it came to a point where I began to prefer to just be by myself most of the time."

Kion blinked as Fuli buried her head deeper against his mane. This was a part of her that he, nor anyone else for that fact, never knew about. He wrapped a comforting paw across her body as she silently wept in his mane. "I'm sorry, Kion, I just… I just couldn't help myself," she whispered in a quavering voice.

"You don't have to apologize." Kion softly replied, giving her time to recover from her emotional state.

The Cheetah's weeping eventually stopped as she was finally able to pull herself together, though she was still sniffling slightly. Her gaze made its way back towards the sky while her head was still rested against the Lion's mane. "Have you ever made a wish upon the stars before, Kion?" she eventually asked.

He bowed his head and sighed. "Yeah, sometimes. I used to sneak out from my den when I was younger and climbed onto the peak of Pride Rock and just… sit there and watch the stars. And everytime I watched those twinkling lights in the skies, I would always wish for the same thing, never giving up hope that it will one day come true."

Fuli smiled, "And what did little Kion wish for?"

He gave a short chuckle and lowered his head. He then turned to face her, making sure his gaze were locked onto hers. "He wished that one day, he would meet a girl. And not just any girl, but a girl who would eventually become his best friend… someone he trusted and loved with all his heart. Someone who always stayed by his side no matter how many times they fought with each other, someone who was always ready to forgive him whenever he made mistakes. And one day, little Kion wished that same girl would eventually be the one to say 'yes' when he asks her for her paw in marriage."

She held her breath as he slowly brought his muzzle closer to her left ear. "And… I'll let you in on a little secret; that very girl is currently sitting next to him on a hill in the Acacia grazing grounds while the night sky was filled with a myriad of stars that twinkled right above them."

Fuli swallowed hard, trying to think of something to say. Then, just in the heat of the moment, she unexpectedly pulled away from him and gazed towards the ground and eventually began crying.

Heartbroken for the second time that day, Kion felt that he was undoubtedly the unluckiest male in the whole savanna, maybe even in the entire universe. He just couldn't understand why fate was preventing the girl of his dreams from uttering a simple 'yes' to his proposal of marriage. He let out a long groan and hung his head, now wishing that the ground beneath would somehow miraculously give way so he could escape underground and start a new life as a mole. Did they have moles here in the African savanna?

"I'm s- I'm sorry, Kion, but I can't do this. I don't want to get you into trouble."

His ears immediately pricked up at her last sentence. "I- I don't understand, what do you mean-"

"Kion… you're betrothed to Vitani by your father. If I were to say 'yes' to you, I'll just land you into so much trouble with him, he might have to exile you because of that."

She looked up to see him staring intently at her. "Wait, hold on. Is that the reason why you rejected my earlier proposal this afternoon? Because you thought that I'm betrothed to Vitani?"

She wiped away a tear and shot him a questioning look. "What do you mean 'I thought'? You are betrothed to Vitani, aren't you? I overheard the Lionesses talk about it when I-"

Her sentence was callously interrupted when Kion suddenly began laughing hysterically and rolling around on the ground with tears streaming down from his eyes at the same time. For a moment, Fuli genuinely thought that her rejection had somehow taken a toll on her friend's mental well-being and she wondered if she should ask for Rafiki to give some medical assistance.

"Kion, I don't understand… why are you laughing, what's there to even laugh about?" she eventually asked in a rather serious tone after getting impatient with his odd behaviour.

Kion finally sat up and wiped away his tears after spending an entire minute of laughing and rolling around on the ground as if he had lost his sanity. "I'm- I'm so sorry Fuli, it's just- it's just that… well, I'm not sure if you're gonna believe me, but… what if I tell you that I just met my dad just half an hour ago and that he told me that my betrothal with Vitani was just one big misunderstanding on his part?"

Now it was Fuli who was taken by surprise.. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. So… you're saying that you're no longer betrothed to Vitani? Are you sure?"

Kion smiled and extended a paw to gently caress the underside of her muzzle. "Of course, Fuli. You've known me for a long time, you should know I wouldn't make these sort of things up."

At first, she was still at a state of bewilderment, but after realizing what this meant, her expression immediately warmed. "Wow… I- I just don't know what to say, I mean- everything's happening so fast…"

He smiled as he moved closer towards her, locking his gaze onto her emerald eyes. "In that case, shall we… start over?"

She beamed and gave him a single nod. He took her left paw into his and continued, "Fuli… you were and always have been my closest friend since our cubhood days, we played together and we fought together and we even became members of the Lion Guard together. But the most important thing that made our friendship unbreakable, was that we both loved each other no matter what. And err… I've been wondering if you are willing to join me and take our relationship a step further, so that we no longer spend the rest of our lives together merely as just friends, but rather… as mates?"

Her eyes were still focused onto his, not once did either of them blinked. Then, catching the Lion off guard, Fuli lunged unexpectedly towards him and pinned him hard against the ground, taking Kion completely by surprise.

"Yes, yes, of course Kiongozi, yes, a thousand times yes!" she cried out, burying her muzzle against his lush mane.

Kion let out a hearty laugh and wrapped both his arms around her body, savouring this special moment that they shared together. He tightened his embrace around her, not wanting to ever let her go.

I promised I would never leave you… and you should know, no matter where you are and no matter where you go… I will always be with you every step of the way, now that we are together.

The two smiled at each other, their muzzles only inches apart. "I guess both our wishes have finally come true tonight," he said, gently rubbing his paw on the nape of her neck.

"I guess they have," Fuli responded, chuffing happily and savouring the affection he was giving her. That was when Kion noticed that her smile had suddenly became innocent, a little too innocent.

"But there was one more thing that little Fuli had wished for that has yet to come true…" she whispered softly into his ear.

"Oh… and what was that?" Kion asked unsuspectingly.

In one swift movement, the Cheetah rolled them over so that their roles were reversed, with her laying on her back on the ground and him being on top of her, once again catching him by surprise. "…little Fuli wished that she would one day bear cubs with the male that she always loved." She finished her sentence while gazing at him with half-lidded eyes, the smile on her lips had lost all its innocence.

"Hmmm, then let's make little Fuli's last wish come true," he breathed, letting a long drawn-out breath drift along the side of her muzzle.

Fuli chuckled and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Kion."

"I love you too, Fuli," he lustfully replied before descending onto her and closing the gap between their bodies.

The End

A/n: And so we have reached the end. But don't worry, I'm planning to add an epilogue some time later, so please stay tuned. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and of course, the whole story, it's been quite an experience writing such a complicated story, but I'm just glad I was able to finish what I started. Please don't forget to leave your reviews and I wish you all a wonderful day ahead! Till next time,

yingyangmaster