Hur hur hur, I'm actually updating this fic. Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but I've been updating on a different site with a different story… So yeah, if you like LotR goodness, got to lotrfanfiction and look me up. I would put that fic up here, but I have reasons not to, and blah blah blah I'm lazy. Get over it.

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It was quiet when Ed woke up the next morning, and for once, he didn't have fur in his face when he opened his eyes. He took a minute to rub his eyes and sat up, observing his surroundings and trying to make sense of the lack of lionesses.

"They went out hunting," Simba said from right behind him, causing Ed to start. He looked back at the cub, who was staring curiously at Ed. "How come you slept so late?"

"Eh… I didn't get to sleep for a while last night," Ed lied. In truth, he'd had a few nightmares, and he hadn't been able to sleep for a while after waking up drenched in a cold sweat. Okay, so it was sort of true…

"Oh. I guess it's kinda weird sleeping with lions if you aren't used to it."

Ed laughed nervously. In truth, he'd gotten used to it by now, and part of him liked it, but he didn't like to admit it. It made him feel like a little kid.

"So, me and Nala are going out with my dad to see part of the kingdom. Dad said I should ask if you wanted to come."

"Sure," Ed replied. It was either that or sit around here for the day, and that would probably be dangerous, considering the fact that Scar didn't seem to like him. He got up, pulled off his red coat and black jacket, and followed Simba outside. Nala and Mufasa were waiting for them, and they set off. Ed glanced back at Pride Rock once as they walked; Scar was staring at them from the shadows. Ed glared back at the lion before turning back to what he was doing.

They walked for a while through the plains, the cubs running in front and tackling one another. Ed watched them as they approached a gorge and Mufasa called for them to return.

"Stay away from the edge. It's a long way down."

"Okay," Simba and Nala answered in unison before running off. Ed looked over at the gorge before turning to Mufasa.

"What are we doing here?" he asked after he sat down in the grass.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," Mufasa replied. When he noticed Ed glancing at the cubs, he smiled reassuringly. "They won't hear. They're too busy playing their games."

Ed nodded. "What is it?"

"I heard from my brother that you and Simba were talking about me yesterday."

Ed blinked, trying to understand what Mufasa meant. He hadn't really said anything about him, had he? Then it hit him. "Oh, right. I dunno, somehow we ended up talking about the Circle of Life you told him about, and… well, if I had listened to my teacher when she told me about it, I wouldn't have this," he said, pointing to his right arm. "Of course, I doubt Simba will ever get the same idea that I did, but it's still important to know."

"I thought it might be something like that," Mufasa said. "My brother seems to have gotten the wrong impression of you."

Talk about putting it lightly, Ed thought as he rested his arm on his leg. "I honestly don't know how that happened. I mean, he seems… well…"

"Don't bother. I know he can be like that at times, but it's best not to let it get to you."

Ed blinked. "Sure…"

"That really is the only thing you talked about, isn't it?"

"Oh. Yeah, pretty much." Ed frowned. He had a pretty good idea of where this was going. "Listen, about that–"

"No, I understand. I'm just concerned that my brother may have been right about something else."

"Something else?"

Mufasa checked to see where Simba and Nala were before turning to Ed and lowering his voice. "You're absolutely positive that there are no other humans on their way to this place."

"Yes. Unless they get here the same way I did, but they would have no reason to be here unless they're–" Ed said before stopping. Scar…

"Is something wrong?" Mufasa asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"S-someone might come looking for me," Ed whispered after a while. "He shares your brother's name, and he wants me dead for various reasons."

"You're afraid of him?" Mufasa asked.

Ed nodded. "He's strong. He would have killed me the first time we met if someone hadn't arrived to help me, and I was running from him when I arrived here."

Mufasa looked thoughtfully at Ed for a moment. "I didn't notice any signs of any other humans when we found you. It's possible he didn't follow you."

"I hope so," Ed said, mostly to himself. He didn't want to make any trouble for these creatures. Except for Scar, and maybe Zazu…

"Well, I think that's all that needs to be said," Mufasa said after a while. "Edward, don't think I'll let a few words from my brother sway my opinion about you. You haven't given me any reason to doubt you so far."

Ed nodded quietly and turned to look at the gorge. Whether Mufasa had a good opinion of him or not didn't matter. Something still told him that he'd be facing trouble soon.

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As the last daylight faded and everyone was getting ready to go to sleep, Ed found himself right in the middle of what he called the pile o' lions. He lay on his back for a while, staring at the ceiling and wondering if he could get out without waking anyone up. After a while, he decided to hope that he wouldn't have any reason to get up during the night and closed his eyes.

Sometime near dawn, Ed woke up with a weight on his chest. He looked down to see Simba sleeping on him, his paws spread out and a content look on his face. Ed smiled and lay back down, figuring he'd wait a while before pushing the cub off of him.

A minute later, Simba woke up on his own and shoved a paw in Ed's face to get his attention. Ed shoved his hand into the lion's face in response and slowly pushed himself to a sitting position.

"What is it?" he asked in a whisper, stretching his limbs as best he could.

"Come on, there's something really cool outside," the cub replied before jumping lightly over the other lions and walking outside. Ed followed more slowly, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. He was on his guard today; something told him he needed to be.

"What exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" Ed asked after they had stood outside for a few minutes.

"There's something out here that Uncle Scar said would be really cool," Simba replied.

So that was it. Scar was drawing them both outside for some sort of trap. Ed was immediately on his guard, but by that time, it was too late. He didn't know what hit him, but he clearly remembered hitting the cold stone and feeling something sharp enter his leg. Then all was black.

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Simba was surprised to see his uncle standing over a now unconscious Ed, but the look on Scar's face made him snap back to reality fairly quickly. Something had to be wrong with Ed. There was no way he could have been hurt by someone.

"Uncle Scar?" he called out tentatively. Scar was pawing at Ed's leg, and Simba could see a little dark spot on Ed's pants, near his right knee.

"Simba! You must be careful around him. He's trying to trick you!" Scar exclaimed.

"What? No, Ed's nice! He's my friend," Simba replied bluntly. There was no way Ed would ever do anything to him.

"Oh, Simba, if only you knew the truth. Humans are liars. They kill our kind for sport. Not just lions, either. Any animal they come across, even others of their kind, are all considered fair game for their cruel sports. Those they don't kill end up in captivity. Simba, he was going to kidnap you!"

"No, he wasn't!" Simba exclaimed.

"Simba, Simba, I'd like to believe you, I really would, but this boy cannot be trusted. The only proof that could change my mind about him is in the cave where he was found."

"Then I'll find it. I'll find it and prove he isn't bad."

"Very well," Scar said before gesturing to the rocks in the distance. Simba took one last look at Ed before running off to the place where Ed had been found. He would prove Ed innocent. He had to.

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When Ed awoke, he found himself face-to-face with Scar, not a pleasant situation in the least. He instinctively tried to get up, but there was a heavy weight on both his shoulders, along with his upper legs. Ed took a quick look to see that the lion was sitting on him.

"What are you doing?" Ed asked none too politely. He kept an eye on the lion as he checked around for Simba. They were no longer on Pride Rock, but somewhere nearby. Simba was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, just protecting my pride from certain threats," Scar replied casually, lifting a paw from Ed's shoulders and looking at it.

"Oh, so I'm a threat now?" Ed asked.

Scar leaned down close to Ed's face, an eerie grin on his face. He placed his paw on Ed's throat this time and began to push. "Precisely."

Ed tried to push against the paw on his throat, but to no avail. He began kicking and punching at the beast, trying to get himself freed, but it was difficult when he couldn't breathe. After a while, he stopped struggling and attempted to let out a resigned sigh. Looks like I'll have to use alchemy here.

"Struggle all you like," Scar said. "I saw you leave with Simba this morning. I heard the struggle from a distance. And then when I finally caught up, Simba was gone. It seems we can't trust you after all, eh?"

"No! I didn't do anything!" Ed shouted. He managed to bring his hands together and placed one on the ground. It sent a massive chunk of earth slamming into the lion, and Ed used this opportunity to get to his feet. He quickly scaled a nearby boulder and moved into a defensive stance in case Scar managed to follow him.

"Oh, really? Prove it," Scar replied, his voice full of thinly veiled rage. Ed was surprised. He'd thought that Scar didn't care about his family at all, but if Simba was really missing…

"I can't prove it! I got knocked out and then I woke up with you in my face!"

Scar began circling around the boulder. Ed kept watching him, waiting for him to strike, but the lion made no move to attack. He simply continued pacing. "Perhaps you could give a description of the one who knocked you out?"

"No. I didn't see anything," Ed stated.

"Then I have no choice but to kill you for what you have done," Scar growled before suddenly leaping up the boulder. Ed jumped out of the way and landed neatly on the ground nearby. From there, he clapped his hands again and placed one on the ground, creating a wall between him and Scar just as the lion leaped at him again. When Ed heard the thud, he got up and ran again. When he heard Scar running at him again, Ed jumped to the side and rolled out of harm's way before creating another wall between him and Scar. He couldn't kill him; that would just make him look worse, but he had to stay alive so that he could tell the truth. He had to be able to find Simba again. He had to go back to Al when this ended. He had to stay alive.

He continued making his way up to Pride Rock, jumping and using his superior flexibility to avoid being killed, and using alchemy only when he had no other alternative. He was almost there when his flesh leg finally gave out, and he tripped and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Scar was on top of him immediately.

"Scar!" Mufasa shouted from the ledge. Ed never thought he'd be so happy to hear that voice, and he and his captor stared up at the stone. Mufasa slowly made his way down, followed by the rest of the pride, and they circled the two in a minute.

"Let him go, Scar," Mufasa said. "And explain yourself."

"Yes, of course," Scar replied, and he stepped lightly off of Ed. Ed slowly pushed himself to a sitting position and gripped his leg. It was bleeding profusely at the knee. "Well, brother, I don't quite know how to explain it, but it seems your guest has captured your son."

"No, I didn't!" Ed snapped. "I-"

"I found him walking among the stones over there and," Scar said, gesturing to the place with his paw. "I saw him leave with Simba earlier, but Simba was nowhere to be found. I'm sorry, brother."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ed snapped again. "Someone knocked me out!"

"Silence!"

Ed cringed. This wasn't looking too good for him. Of course Mufasa would take his brother's word over some kid's… He looked up to see Mufasa staring straight at him.

"Where is my son?" he asked.

"I don't know," Ed muttered.

"Tell me the truth."

"That is the truth. I don't know." Ed's head was aching terribly, and he could feel something wet on his cheek. It was probably blood, but Ed didn't want to risk checking. He was in enough danger as it was.

It was silent for a moment before Ed glanced up at Mufasa. The king looked troubled and angry, and Ed didn't blame him. Finally, Mufasa looked back at Ed.

"Get up."

Ed weakly pushed himself to his feet. His right leg could barely hold his weight, but it held up well enough for the moment.

"Come with me."

Ed trudged quietly behind Mufasa until they were inside Pride Rock. Once there, he took Ed further inside and pointed to a small opening in the wall. It looked barely big enough to fit him.

"You'll stay in there until one of two things happen. If my son is found alive, then I will let you out. If proof is found of your innocence, I will let you out. If I find that he's been killed, however…"

Ed gave a blank nod. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He entered the small space and watched as another lion lay down next to the opening. A guard.

As soon as Ed had wrapped his leg well enough to stop the bleeding, he wiped the wet spot on his face. It was, as he had thought, his blood. As soon as he found the wound, Ed tore a length of cloth from his coat and wrapped it around his head. After he was sure there were no more injuries, Ed pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his head in his arms. He didn't bother trying to clean the blood from his face.

His frustrated tears would do that for him.

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How about that, eh? Plot! And some angst, of course.