All of the Pride's lions were gathered inside of Pride Rock's den. They bowed in respect when King Simba and his son entered.

Kiara skipped forward and nuzzled him, purring gently. From the side, Kovu smiled. He hadn't seen Kiara this happy in a week.

"Kion." Rafiki called him forward. The young lion stepped forward. "You are a brave cub, and a great leader. Your team is quite impressive as well."

The team smiled and straightened up their stature in pride.

Rafiki continued,"That is why princess Kiara has chosen you as her successor."

"W-what?" Kion's ears jolted up in surprise.

"Kion.." Kiara stepped toward her brother. "I can't have cubs, and the law says a royal cub needs to have the royal blood in them. That's not the only reason I chose you though. I've seen you and your team solve problems peacefully everyday. Without you, minor disagreements to turn into full fledged war. You keep the Pride Lands in check in a calm, kind manor. Sometimes I've watched you guard the Pride Lands, and more than once I thought how great a king you'd be. Kion, it was like you were meant for the throne."

Kion's worry subsided for the moment, as he approached his big sister and nuzzled her legs, letting out a slight purr.

Kiara lowered her head and rubbed it gently across his.

As Kion went back to his team they cheered proudly and excitedly.

"Way to go, Kion!" Bunga cheered, nudging the cub gently on the shoulder.

"The Pride Lands will be extra safe now!" Ono cheered, flapping her wings in joy.

"And we'll be here to help too!" Beshte reminded.

"You'll be a great king." Fuli complimented, her eyes gentle.

Kion blushed slightly and bashfully folded his ears back. "Thanks guys. You're the best friends any prince could ask for."

...

"King?!" Banzai yelped in surprise.

"Yeah, king." Shenzi growled. She whacked a branch with her paw in anger,but it swooped back and smacked her in the face. She rubbed her aching cheek with her paw as she continued, "There goes trying to tempt him with power after Kovu and Kiara have cubs."

"There's not gonna have cubs?" Banzai asked as he itched some fleas with his hind foot.

"No. Kiara's infertile."

"So we have to kill that lion guard now for the throne?"

"No, idiot." Shenzi barked. "If we kill him Kovu and Kiara...Can't have another cub!"

Her eyes brightened in happiness. "Then we won't have to worry about trying to take down the adult lions! Eventually they'll die and the Pride Lands will be leaderless, then we can take over!"

"You actually had a good idea for once, Banzai." Shenzi teased.

"Yeah, for onc-HEY!"

...

"Mom, do you have to do this?" Kion whined.

"Of course, it's a tradition for all the royal cubs." Nala replied in between licks, while giving Kion his bath. "Your sister did this, your father, your grandfather, your great grandmother, and so on."

"But they were babies when it was done." Kion continued. He sighed and rested his face into his paws. "This is so embarrassing."

Nala smiled lightly and nuzzled him. "It won't be so bad my dear, I promise."

"It's almost time!" Kiara giggled and she skipped into the den.

"Great..." Kion grumbled.

After a few minutes the wise shaman Rafiki entered the den and approached the cub laying his mother's paws.

He smiled and shook the gourds above his head. Kion's inner kitten took over and he pawed at the gourds, enjoying the sound they produced. He bit one of the gourds and chuckled a bit at how much fun it was.

Nala smiled in pride and licked the top of his head. Rafiki took one gourd from his stick and broke it in half. He placed his thumb into the juice and dragged it across Kion's forehead.

"Eww.." Kion remarked. He tried to paw the stuff off, but Nala cleared her throat in defiance. Kion pouted grumpily.

The mandrill grabbed a handful of dust and sprinkled it over Kion's head. This caused the prince to go into a coughing fit that had his family worried for a short while. When he was finished, Rafiki picked him up.

Kovu,Kiara,Simba,Nala,Timon,Pumbaa,Zazu, and Vitani followed Rafiki onto Pride Rock. Rafiki walked to the edge and looked down at the animals. He smiled as he lifted Kion into the air.

The animals cheered it pride, their hooves clicking, their screeches heard, and the stamping of their feet.

Kion felt embarrassed, then he caught sight of his team in the front cheering for him. "Kion, Kion, Kion!"

He smiled, his ears folding back slightly, and he waved to them.

It felt like forever when Rafiki finally pulled Kion back. He was still a bit embarrassed about it.

"Hey, we haven't gone in a walk in a while." Kovu pointed out.

"Yeah..." Kion agreed.

Kovu smirked. "Come on, I have an important place to show you."