-Revelations of Luigi-
Night fell over the plains, as Zelda and Link slumped to the ground, exhausted from the day's travel. Link heaved as he looked over at his companion and said, "Well, guess we covered enough ground for one day."
"Ya think?" Zelda scoffed, smiling. Link smiled back, opening his pack as he and Zelda started feasting on bugs they took from the jungle. After a moment, they heard from behind them, "You young people go very fast indeed!"
The two turned to see Toadsworth standing there, breathless. Amazed, Link asked, "How did you keep up with us?"
"Oh, that's for me to know… and you to never find out! Ha ha!" Toadsworth laughed. Link smiled, shaking his head as he said, "Well, if we can keep up that pace tomorrow, we'll easily reach the Pride Lands by early the day after tomorrow. And then, we go to face my uncle…"
Link looked down with great anger at the thought of what his uncle did to their homeland. Toadsworth noticed this and came over to Link's side, saying, "Young one, you must not let your personal feelings cloud your judgment. And you must know that there are reasons that Scar acts the way he does."
"Like what?" Link demanded, sounding more impatient then he meant to. Toadsworth sighed and made his way over to a pool of water, beckoning Link and Zelda to come. As they did, he plucked up a bunch of grass and whispered a chant into it. He then let it fall into the water, and stirred it around with his index finger until a vision appeared in the water. Looking down, Link and Zelda saw two young lion cubs playing together. They wore green, and Link could tell thus that they were lion princes. Looking closer, Link gasped as he realized the cubs were his father and uncle. He was especially shocked to see his uncle with both eyes open and without his scar. A voice in the vision called out, "Mario! Luigi!"
The two brothers looked and saw their mother, a middle-aged lioness that Link recognized as his grandmother, Pauline. She smiled at the two and said, "Your father wants to see you."
The two cubs smiled and excitedly followed their mother up the path to the balcony of Pride Rock. There they saw a mighty lion. He had the same build and strong prescience that Mario had in his adulthood, but had a black mane like Scar's. His eyes were blue, but they looked cold as steel. He had a stern face, much like Link remembered Mario having, but unlike his (which was strong but also warm), this lion's seemed to only be hard, making him (with his eyes) seem ruthless. However, when he saw his sons, his lips formed into a smile, and he seemed a bit more warmly. The cubs ran up to their father, who said, "Mario, Luigi."
The image shifted, and Link saw a montage of visions pass by, seeing Mario and Luigi grow up a bit, training with their father how to sword fight. Mario did well training with broadswords whereas Luigi was better with rapiers. Luigi was slower to pick up on his talents, but it was clear his father was patient enough to take the time to make sure he got it right. When the image calmed, Link saw them aged about 13 and interacting with a pair of lionesses their age. One of them Link recognized to be an adolescent version of his mother. The other was a lioness Link never saw before. She had blue eyes, but a more tomboyish complexion than Peach. After some time, the lionesses left them, and the two smiled at each other as they walked back towards Pride Rock. Luigi asked his brother, "So, when can we expect you and Peach to marry?"
"What're you talking about?" Mario laughed, "What makes you so sure we will?"
"Oh come on," Luigi insisted, "Did you see how you two were looking at each other? Besides, you've been driving me nuts for weeks now with how much you talk about her. And Daisy hinted to me she's experiencing something similar with Peach."
"Speaking of which, what about you two?" Mario said, blushing now, "We can't possibly be any more obvious than you two are."
Luigi smiled and shrugged, "Maybe, we'll see."
The image shifted once again, and Link saw they were kneeling before their father as he was saying to them in a deep voice that seemed to be coming up from the depths of the Earth itself, "As you both know, you two were born at the same time, and thus you each have a right to claim the throne once I pass, and the decision comes down to me whom I will leave as my heir. Last night, I made my decision."
The two boys held their breath in anticipation of this news. Their father said, "Mario, you will be king."
Mario looked up shocked at this news, as Luigi said the same thing. The brothers then glanced at each other.
The image shifted once more and Link saw another montage pass by. A few years passed by. Their father trained Mario the ways of being king, but in the process was neglecting Luigi. He saw several times that the father would take Mario out alone to teach him, and leave Luigi behind all day. When they finally would come home, the father would pay no heed to his other son, for that's all he was to him now. Luigi would be comforted by his mother whenever this happened as she whispered to him, "You are no less worthy than Mario, my dear."
The image shifted again and Luigi was with Daisy, who was saying to him, "Luigi, how many times do we have to go over this? I don't care what he says, to me you're-"
"Daisy, this isn't about you," Luigi explained, tearing up, "Do you have any idea what this feels like? Knowing your parent favors your sibling over you? Knowing the reason he didn't choose me is because he thinks I'm not good enough?"
"I'm sure it was a hard decision to make," Daisy comforted him, wiping his tears.
The image shifted again and Mario was talking to his father, asking, "Father, I worry about Luigi. Can you not give him any attention?"
The father sighed and said, "Mario, I choose you to be king for a reason. You can be a good king, perhaps among the greatest of kings, but your brother cannot. He simply wouldn't be fit to rule."
"Maybe he would be if you would just-" Mario argued before his father raised his paw, saying, "I will speak no more of this."
The image shifted again and he saw Luigi in the lair of the hyenas. He was talking to an aged hyena who said to him, "All those lions are is about blunt strength. But not you, Luigi. I can see that you have wit, and that can be more deadly than brute force."
Luigi practiced sword play with the hyena, both wielding rapiers. After some time, Luigi's chest puffed with pride as he said, "I might not be strong, but I am wiser and cleverer than him."
Link could only assume Luigi was referring to Mario, and the tone with which he said him gave him chills. The old hyena patted the young lion's shoulder, saying, "Aye you are lad."
As Luigi left, another hyena asked, "Hey boss, why you bothering with that lion for?"
"That lion could be the key to a new age for us hyenas," the old hyena smiled cruelly. Link felt sick to his stomach that they were taking advantage of someone so vulnerable.
The image shifted again and Luigi and Mario were sitting at Pride Rock. Mario demanded desperately, "What if Father finds out you're associating with them?"
Luigi looked at his brother nonchalantly and said, "And how would he? Unless of course you tell him."
"I'm not going to tell him-"
"Than this is over," Luigi insisted, "And I suggest that you keep out of my business in the future. After all, it seems you have a lot to deal with on your own plate, crowned prince Mario."
Luigi said that as if it were the worst thing he could possibly call his brother, then stormed off. Mario looked after his brother and sighed.
The image shifted once more as Luigi was standing before a cape water buffalo wielding an axe. Link gulped, as he knew from personal experience that cape water buffaloes could be very tough to deal with. They were incredibly tough, and had an even tougher attitude. They resided on the outer edges of the Pride Lands, and usually insisted on staying out of the affairs of other animal tribes. That is, of course, unless it was in their interests, in which case they would often be incredibly stubborn and refuse to compromise. They also had minimum respect for the lions' rule, and barely observed their sovergnity. Link was told that long ago there was an uprising where they tried to take over the Pride Lands, and the entire force of the Pride Lands was unable to stop them. It was only because they ended up fighting amongst themselves that things were returned to normal. One of the many achievements of King Mario was being the only lion king they ever truly respected. But the fact that this one looked angry as he faced the young lion made Link nervous.
"You dare challenge me?!" The buffalo steamed looking at Luigi, who replied, "I am a prince! You will not block my path!"
"You would do well to turn around right now," the buffalo warned Luigi, who drew his sword, saying, "By order of the royal family, I command you to move aside now!"
The buffalo roared and swung his axe upward. Luigi jumped back, but the edge of the blade scratched upwards through his eye. As the lion screamed out in pain, the image shifted again and Link saw Toadsworth treating Luigi's wound, saying to Pauline, "It is a miracle, your highness, that the rhinos came in to save the prince. But I'm afraid he will be scarred for the rest of his life."
"Oh, my son…" Pauline said sadly, reaching forth to embrace Luigi, who turned coldly and walked off. Later on, Link saw, Luigi approached his family and said, "I've made a decision. I was very foolish today, and made a stupid mistake."
"We all make mistakes Luigi," Mario said. Luigi cringed and said, "That's actually my decision. To make sure I learn, I won't go by Luigi. I will answer now only to Scar."
This announcement sent shivers down Link's spine as he realized now why his uncle was called that. The image shifted once more, and he saw Scar talking to Daisy, who was crying as she said, "Ever since you got that stupid scar you haven't been the same! You changed Luigi!"
"My name is Scar now," Scar insisted bitterly as Daisy exclaimed, "That's exactly the point! You aren't the lion I fell in love with! You're distant, you're bitter, you're cruel!"
"Cruel?"
"Yes! Just the other day you cut a zebra just because he bumped into you!"
"I let him live! And besides, he had no right to trample someone who by all means should be the crowned prince!"
"And that's another thing! I'm sick of you trying to manipulate me into saying I'd rather you be king instead of your brother!"
"Why? It's not treasonous to admit it, Daisy, if anything it shows that you-"
"Stop it!" Daisy screamed at Scar, silencing him. She choked up tearfully and said, "Goodbye Scar…"
She then turned around and ran off, leaving Scar there, stunned.
The image shifted again, to a few days later. Mario walked up to Scar, obviously troubled as he said, "Scar, I have terrible news…"
"What is it?"
"It's Daisy… she died yesterday. She was out hunting west, and she slipped and fell from a cliffside…"
Scar stood, there shocked, unsure how to take this news. The image then disappeared and Link sat there, in shock at seeing this. Zelda looked equally shocked as all this sunk in. There was great silence for a moment, before Toadsworth observed sadly, "Now you understand."
"I… I think so…" Link admitted, still in shock, "But… why did you show us that Daisy died?"
"Because, after what she said a few days before, Scar pondered these words carefully. But after she died, what little chance there was of Luigi returning died with her. Now all that was left, and is left today, is Scar,"
Link nodded and continued to ponder what he had just seen. He had never thought what would have made Scar like he is. He also now understood why his father spoke so little of his own father, because he knew what he had done, and Link couldn't help but be angry now at his grandfather.
He may have made his son into one of the greatest kings in their history, but at the same time he made his other son into one of their history's greatest monsters.
And on that happy note, we end the chapter. :b but in all seriousness, this was a chapter I had been waiting a while to finally write, because I love it when great villains have human back stories (or in this case, lion) and to show that no one is born evil. Anyways, this is an extra long chapter to make up for the wait.
One last thing before we end, my next project (if you've read my profile) will be either Mulan or Beauty and the Beast. I haven't decided which to do first, so if anyone has a preference now is the time to speak up. (Maybe I can do a combination of them!... Okay probably not.)