A/N: Hi all!!
I'm back with chapter 3! It's got everything! I hope you all will enjoy it! Some sweet moments, shocking ones and some that are just unbelieveable await you in this chapter! It was so much fun to write!
Thank you all so very much for all of your awesome reviews! They really do mean a lot, and are greatly appreciated!
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Chapter 3:
"Hey uncle Scar," the cub excitedly asked, "Will I like the surprise?"
"Simba," Scar's voice sounded as he looked at his nephew, "It's to die for."
"Noooooooooo!!" Simba screamed as Mufasa's body fell off the cliff to the stampeding wilderbeasts below.
"The king is dead, and if it weren't for you he'd still be alive."
"Run away Simba, run away and never return."
'Run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, run away, never return, never return, never return, never return, never return, never return, never return, never return.'
With a gasp, Simba jolted from his sleep next to Nala breathing heavily. Blinking open his eyes, he swallowed the lump in his throat when he noticed that all of his pride was around him. Simba's eyes flickered towards the back of the cavern where the elderly lioness slept. Giving a deep sigh Simba rose to his paws and silently padded out onto pride rock. Trying to shake off the nightmare, Simba sat down on the rock and gave another deep sigh.
"I thought they would stop," Simba softly said, "I prayed to the Great kings and yet the nightmares still come. Will they ever stop?"
The king murmured to himself as he surveyed his lands, the sun just coming up over the horizon.
"I get them as well," Simba startled slightly as Kovu's voice floated to his ears and the king turned his head to see Kovu sitting not far off from where he was.
"Kovu," Simba began as the lion stood up and neared the king of the pride lands.
"My mother," the future king said flatly as he looked at his paws, "She was just as mad as Scar was if not more."
"Yeah," Simba said then shook his head, "I mean, I suppose so. I don't know; I'm sorry."
The king mentally kicked himself, feeling that what he just uttered sounded completely wrong. He was never really good with comforting people when it came to nightmares. Even with his daughter Kiara when she was a cub, it was Nala who handled that issue.
"You aren't alone Simba," Kovu's voice pulled the monarch out of his thoughts as Kovu sat next to the king, "I know what it's like."
Kovu sighed as the two lions watched the sun rise above them, the bright colors awakening the day and showing the pride lands in its entire splendor.
"Does Kiara know?" Simba inquired after a moment.
"No," Kovu replied, "One of us has to sleep at night. How about Nala?"
Simba nodded, "Yeah, yeah she knows."
The monarch didn't mention how he used to be woken up by Nala nuzzling him and licking his tears away. He did not bring up the fact that it was she who offered him her silent comfort as he wept, or how she'd quietly walk through out the pride lands with out saying a word and just being beside him.
Instead he said, "You should tell her."
"I'm going for a walk," Kovu replied after a moment as he stood up on the rock and headed down the step like stones to the bottom of the structure. Simba watched as Kovu left before turning his eyes towards the rising sun.
"Simba, are you alright?" Nala's soft voice greeted the king's ears as she came up to him and sat down.
"I'm fine Nala," he said although the queen knew he was not. However, she was familiar with these episodes and gently put her head onto the lion's shoulder.
"How is the lioness?" the king inquired as he gave his wife a grateful look.
"She's still asleep," Nala said as she rubbed her head against his own, "Don't worry Simba, it won't be as bad as you fear."
"I hope you're right," he answered as he turned to his wife, the two of them sharing a nuzzle. After a few minutes Nala pulled back, "I'm going to assemble the lionesses and go hunting."
"Zazu should be arriving any moment and I'll go on patrol," he replied straightening his form. After one last nuzzle Nala stood to her paws and walked inside the cavern.
"Good morning sire," just as Simba knew Zazu flew down and landed in front of the king, "I am checking in with the morning report."
"Good morning Zazu," Simba said as he looked down at the bird, "What is it that you have to tell me? I was just about to go on patrol."
The hornbill took to Simba's shoulder as the king began making his way down to the grasslands below. Looking back, he saw Nala, Kiara, Vitani and the rest of the hunting party come out of the cavern. In the rear came Rafiki, and at the monkey's appearance Simba stopped and waited for Rafiki to speak.
"We must talk," Rafiki said as the lionesses all parted to let him through.
The king nodded as the mandrill neared him, "Zazu, please go and fetch Kovu. The rest of you, go to the bottom of pride rock where we will wait for him."
"Sire?" Zazu questioned Simba as the bird looked at him.
"Yes, do as Rafiki says," Simba responded knowing how hard it was for the hornbill to really take orders from anyone but the king and queen.
Simba watched as everyone was gathered and went down to sit at the foot of pride rock. The king looked at Rafiki when everyone was gone.
"It is about the lioness?" Simba asked as Rafiki nodded.
"I felt that I must inform everyone as to whom she is," Rafiki said as Simba sighed hoping that his worries and anxieties would be put to rest.
"I will need everyone's coroporation," Rafiki continued, "If you so choose to give it. It will not be an easy task. Especially for young Kovu."
The ruler nodded, "Rafiki, what do you mean?"
The monkey just pointed his stick to where he saw Kovu making his way towards the huddled lionesses. Rafiki descended the rock and Simba followed, noticing that Timon and Pumbaa were also included to hear the news.
"Hey Simba," Timon greeted as the king joined his pride, "What gives? Pumbaa and I were just about to munch on some totally awesome grub!"
Simba shrugged, "Sorry about that guys, but this is really important."
"Bad enough we had to get up so early to find them," Timon mumbled as Simba shot him a look.
"He's just being a little grumpy," Pumbaa said as Simba cleared his throat.
"Everyone," the king started as the chatter began to quiet down, "Rafiki has something that he needs to tell us. It concerns the lioness that Kovu and I found the day before."
The lionesses commenced whispering to one another as the king looked at his pride.
"I wonder who she is?"
"It seems like Rafiki knows."
"He knows everything."
"Alright enough," Simba spoke as he raised his paw in the air signaling for everyone to be silent.
"Now," Rafiki began speaking as the crowd was quiet once more, "I am certain all of you are wondering about this lioness. The lioness's name is Nalu."
Rafiki paused before continuing, "I would not be surprised if none of you have heard her name before. For you see, she was exiled from the pride lands many years before."
"Exiled?" Simba questioned a bit alarmed at this news, "She was exiled from the pride lands. Why was she banished? Why is she here? Why did we?-"
"She was exiled," Rafiki's voice raised slightly cutting off Simba's questions, "For standing up to a king."
"Scar?" Kiara inquired as Rafiki shook his head.
"No, not Scar," the monkey said, "He would never exile her. He tried to welcome her in to the pride lands after he had become king. But Nalu had left."
"Rafiki-" Simba started as the monkey gave a sigh of slight annoyance.
"Nalu," he smiled as he spoke her name, "She was exiled for standing up to King Ahadi."
A silence fell over the lionesses, "King Ahadi, my grandfather? How is that possible? My father told me that Ahadi was a great king."
"All great kings make mistakes," Rafiki said, "And, there were better kings than Ahadi. For example, Mohatu was a wise, gentle and kind Great king."
"Why was Nalu exiled?" Sarabi inquired as her aging eyes gazed upon Rafiki.
"Ahadi had enacted a law," Rafiki replied as he looked back at Sarabi, "That once a lioness reached a certain age, or once she was unfit for hunting that she was deemed useless and just another mouth to feed. And so, that lioness had to leave the pride and fend for herself."
Several gasps went up from the crowd as curious expressions were replaced by shocked ones as the pride started murmuring amongst them.
"That's horrible!" Simba exclaimed as Nala and her daughter nodded in agreement.
"Yes," Rafiki nodded as well, "Nalu's friend Abeni was ordered to leave and that is when Nalu talked back to Ahadi. The king had just come to power, and was young and foolish."
"That's cruel," Kovu spoke, "Exiling a lioness because of aging."
"He was foolish," Rafiki repeated, "He was unlike his father Mohatu in many ways. He had no qualms about exiling his own mother."
"What?!" Simba gasped as he stared at the mandrill.
"Is that possible?" Sarafina asked.
"How can that be?" Sarabi gazed wide-eyed at Rafiki in surprise and disbelief.
"Oh come on," Timon spoke up, "Are you saying that this Nalu goes back…?" Timon stopped to think back on how many generations that would be.
"One, two-"
"Yes yes," Rafiki cut him off a bit rushed, "She is very old."
"Why is she here?" Simba queried after recovering from the news.
"She is trapped in the past," the monkey replied as all went quiet again, "Her body is here; however her soul is in the time of Mufasa and Taka."
"You mean Scar," Kovu said after a moment.
"We know him as Scar," Rafiki continued, "She knew him as Taka. I feel she is the only lioness who ever truly saw that side of him."
"Alright so she's in the past," Timon stated matter of factly, "Can't you just snap her out of it?"
At this question Rafiki shook his head sadly, "No, I can not do that. She will find out the truth soon enough."
"What can we do? If she is really my great-grandmother-"
"She is your great-grandmother," Rafiki reiterated as he gazed at Simba, "What I am going to ask you to do will not be easy. It will be difficult; you will have to revisit the past-"
"Rafiki please," Simba quietly said his eyes gazing pleadingly in to the old monkey's orbs.
"However," Rafiki resumed speaking his voice taking on a softer tone, "You will have the chance to save a soul. That is, if you choose to seize it."
--..--..--…"End of Chapter 3."--