A/N: Time for an update!
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Confused, Kovu halted and looked around, finding himself surrounded by a clear, shallow, endless, watery landscape. It was dark, and from what he could see there were only the bright stars above his head, a large, radiant moon set in an otherwise inky-black sky, and a tiny speck on the horizon that was too low and bright to be a star. A refreshing breeze played with his scraggly mane while he lifted up his paw to inspect his damp toes. Standing in ankle-deep water was far more comfortable than standing out in the open, entirely vulnerable. The longer he stood there, the more stifled he felt, making his muscles tense and his head lower in distrust.
The peace had to end sometime. But he hadn't dreamed of this landscape before.
The clarity... it's abnormal... What is this place? Am I actually dreaming? Where's the horde? The accusing glares, shredding claws, and the dying cackle? Did I die? Where am I? I passed out, didn't I?
No... he didn't have pale fur and a light brown mane... nor sad, bewildered, blue eyes. Kovu's limbs began to tremble, but the reflection on the water remained undisturbed. It was crystal clear, and he made out every detail on Asuma's weary face when the younger lion squinted back with an irritated scowl, his teeth peeking out behind his lips. The reflection mouthed something that Kovu couldn't understand.
"What d'you want from me!" Kovu leaped back, and the reflection performed just as if it were really his. He jumped back again, and it did the same.
Asuma's reflection continued to shout soundlessly at him, and soon Kovu swore there were tears on his son's face.
In the next moment, Kovu realized that his cheeks were damp as well.
What's happening to me? Is this some sort of cruel hallucina-?
"Kovu."
Kovu flinched wildly. His fur stood on end when he turned to the cool voice, and locked eyes with a tawny-colored lioness. She was standing within reaching distance. He squinted at her, alarmed by how she'd snuck up on him. Soon, searing guilt was clouding his thoughts, and his breath quickened. Self-consciously, he scrubbed a paw over his face. His voice cracked and lost strength.
"Vi... Vit-an..."
She stood steady, when he fully expected her to attack and rip him to pieces for what had become of Natin. Her posture was relaxed, but a look deep in her eyes, past the nonchalance and barely disguised curiosity, told him otherwise. While he watched her, he noticed how whole she appeared, without so much as a tuft of fur out of place. Even well-fed and prospering in the Pride Lands, she would've looked ill in comparison to that moment... unlike the Vitani he met regularly in his nightmares... He shook his head to chase away the image of a decaying, pieced together monster that had begun several nights before to hunt him in his dreams. As he shook his head, he closed his eyes, and then became afraid to open them.
"You'll wanna know why you're here, then, won't you?"
He cracked open an eyelid. "Huh? Here?"
Without answering, the solemn-faced Vitani turned away from him and started walking.
His jaw went slack for a moment before he swallowed hard. He called, "Am I dead? Or am I dreaming?"
Still walking, Vitani looked over her shoulder. "Well, you'd prefer...?"
He began to follow her, and looking up, he wondered if she was leading him to the spot of light on the horizon. He then glanced down hesitantly at his reflection; his companion. It was back to normal. He let out a sight of relief, though a chill of uncertainty remained, as he replied nervously, muttering, "It's the dreams that I can wake up from... So which is it? Did I wake up dead?"
"No." Her tone was brisk. "Not yet."
He was reminded of the times when Zira had taken them out to watch a hunt or train, and the two younger cubs had followed behind her in a line. He gritted his teeth, feeling like a stray his sister had picked up and was delivering to some strange place. If he wasn't dead, then what was happening? What was his sickly mind cooking up for him now to experience? The water was new, and so was Asuma's reflection. Normally the landscapes of his nightmares were terribly hilly and overgrown with dead, tough vines and thorns. This place was... beautiful...
"Won't..." They'd been walking for a while before he gathered up the courage to try speaking to her again. "Won't you tell me where 'here' is?"
"Here is the realm of the ancestors."
His brow lifted. "And I'm not dead...?"
"Just fainted."
Kovu's ears pressed into the side of his head. His stomach felt like it was trying to gnaw its way out of his belly. He tried to swallow down his fear, but he ended up coughing instead.
Simba had once mentioned that a king of Pride Rock could be counseled by his ancestors during periods of turmoil. Several times, he'd caught Simba talking quietly to flickering stars, assuming that he was only having private time with his dead father. He also knew that Rafiki had routinely read twigs, pebbles, and feathers. Kovu had never understood the purpose in doing such things, and had wondered if he'd be expected to talk to stars and take direction from Rafiki once he became the next rightful king, never considering there was much behind the actions. If he was in the 'realm of the ancestors', he had no idea what to expect there, on top of the fact that he'd never really considered himself the true king once he was given the title. As a pretender, he would've been kidding himself to indulge in such a belief. He was no king, and he knew there was no reason for him to be treated as one. There were plenty of other titles he'd definitely earned over his lifetime.
He straggled behind his guide. Heart racing and head pounding, and short of breath, he anticipated judgements rivaling ones passed onto Scar. Kovu closed his eyes.
I'm not Scar... No, I'm not. I know I'm not a monster like him... close, but not like he was. Really... I'm not... But they'll be just as understanding as everybody else...
"Ouch!"
"Yeah, there's a step there."
Lifting his paw, Kovu realized that beneath him was a nearly solid path of flat, brown rocks, laid out in an intricate, unnatural pattern. Looking over his shoulder, alarmed, Kovu saw that the brown path had cut through and rose up gently out of the endless water a few lengths behind him. The hard earth under the water turned into grass on the path's sides about a whisker's length after the water ended. He hadn't noticed the change, even though those were clearly his and Vitani's wet pawprints on the ground. It was lighter around him, and he realized they'd made it to the spot on the horizon. He wondered if it was easier and quicker to travel through the ancestor's realm.
"Huh..." was all that managed to come out as he took the first step, his toes still slightly numb. Turning his attention forward again as he climbed the series of steps, he saw, aside from Vitani, that the path was about as twice as wide as his body was long, and on either side was lush, green grass that extended out infinitely in both directions. Ahead of him stretched a steep hill, into which the steps bore. He squinted and saw that there were two boulders at the top. Once he made it to the top of the steps where the path flattened out again, winded slightly, he saw that the boulders were actually two large statues; one was a full-sized bull elephant with long tusks, while the other was an entwined lion couple of surprisingly equal size. The lion appeared to be protecting his lioness while they rested with their foreheads pressed together.
Kovu turned his attention back to the path ahead of him. It continued to extend far behind the immense statues before it melded with more, shorter, but much wider, steps, which led up to a semi-open-looking structure. The structure rose far above their heads, causing Kovu's eyes to widen and his neck to strain. The structure was taller than Pride Rock, and just as wide, if not wider. The path was no longer open to the sky, covered by a ceiling that was decorated on the outside with colored etchings that he couldn't make out. It was still shadowy despite the well-formed, lit torches placed every few lengths on the rough, thick, strange-looking walls. The "walls" were straight up and down, almost tree-like, but made out of pale stone, and elaborately decorated at the bottom with small, colorful images of leaves, prey animals, and lions at rest. Their trunks had long, vertical etchings on them that went from the bottom to the top.
"They all live here- the Council."
Kovu jumped at Vitani's voice. At the mention of the Council, Kovu's muzzle curled into a distrustful grimace. He'd heard enough from his two families to know that members of some mystical Council were the ancestors with the most authority.
Vitani turned to look at him, her eyes taking his expression in.
He avoided looking at her, his understanding growing sharper and more panicked. She wasn't just showing him this place.
"This is their temple complex," Vitani explained, walking towards it, giving up trying to make eye contact.
"Huh?" Kovu blinked and raised a brow. "Temple? That's what this thing is?" He followed her slowly.
She nodded and walked up the steps. She stopped at the top, at the entrance, watching him cautiously follow, before turning again to enter the structure. Her voice began to echo. "Humans used to build temples like this one as tributes to their gods and goddesses," she replied lightly. Inside, the tree-like structures went back into the main structure in row upon row, into the murky shadows. Every so often, there were cut outs in the ceiling that let in some starlight, and, somehow, a partial chunk of the moon. Squares of light highlighted the ground every few lengths.
The word "human" wasn't new to him, and it carried a dreadful connotation. He'd heard that they walked upright like Rafiki and mostly carried staffs with sharp points at the end. Others could somehow kill a lion just by looking at him. Some were dark-skinned like hippos, while others were pale like young flamingos. The pale ones were the most dangerous.
"Apparently the ancestors who saw the temples were kinda fond of their... elegance, despite the unfortunate events that allowed them to actually see them. Humans captured and then traded them to other humans far from home. They say rejected humans and criminals were tossed to hungry lions for punishment. Other lions were slayed mercilessly to keep away boredom. Humans are funny. It's like they'd die if they couldn't exert their power over another living creature."
Kovu flinched, but he noted how Vitani was deliberately ignoring him as she walked in the lead, telling her story. He lowered his head in thought. He didn't think she was just babbling on about living quarters and humans. It irked him most when she'd mentioned humans building their "temples" for gods and goddesses. Here, the Council had created something similar and powerful to live in, despite the bad memories. He knew something like that had purpose behind it.
Is Vitani warning me? This... thing... isn't practical at all.
"And personally," his sister went on, her voice taking on a slightly more bitter tone, "I wouldn't want to live in a place in death that reminded me of how I'd been murdered for fun. I prefer the simplicity of the grasslands, away from the Council."
She then glanced casually this time over her shoulder, smirking crookedly.
Kovu had to turn his face away, his face growing flushed. Yes... I know... If there was any hope in his mind that Vitani was going to sympathize with anything he might tell her, it disappeared at that moment. Not only was she putting a scare into him, but telling him how unlike them she was. He wondered if saying sorry would help... for dragging her into his mess, for threatening to harm Natin, for the way she'd died, and for using Natin... but it was useless if he couldn't form the words out loud.
Her tone was brisk again. "Speaking of the Council- I hope you've gathered by now that this is more than a tour." She stopped walking and turned partially to him. "You're meeting them."
When he stopped, too, his mind immediately began to calculate out the consequences of running the other direction. The muscles in his throat ached while he closed his eyes and he pointed his nose at the ground, stretching out his claws. The sound of his claws scraping the stone echoed through the structure and his disturbed mind.
Vitani cleared her throat.
He opened his eyes again. Now she was near enough he could easily touch her, his personal space breached. So up close, he sensed that his sister wasn't the same lioness he'd known in life... yet she was the same. Now she was allowed to live comfortably without having to deal with feuds or basic needs.
Or me... and yet I'm here with her... It's almost as if she's never met me before, only heard of what I've done to others. She picks at me with her eyes and her words. I can't hurt her anymore than I already have... She's no longer my friend, but I don't think I'm an enemy.
"Look..." she began. "They wanna meet you, Kovu... some more than others. Regardless, they all find you... interesting."
You're just their toy... and now they're finally getting around to meeting you? You're just as much a novelty as this stupid temple! What's next to throw at you? Huh?
Kovu scowled, his averted gaze narrowed. He muttered, "Well... I'd rather not be 'interesting'."
Out of the corner of his eye, some of the patience on Vitani's face slipped away. "You'll tell them that? To finally leave you alone?"
"No!" His eyes widened and he looked her full in the face. "Of course not! I can't tell them that!" His voice was harsher than he'd intended when it came back to him, but his sister didn't even blink. "I mean..." he stumbled, feeling foolish, "I... I don't know. Maybe." His face warmed; from anger, embarrassment, sadness, or guilt, he was unable to decide. "I don't know."
"The longer you hesitate," she told him, her voice stern, "the less happy they'll be with you. It's a privilege for you to be here, and if I were you, I'd make this situation as easy on myself as possible. Get it?"
He glanced away, uncertain.
With a huff, she shook her head. "I'm gonna start walking now. I'm keeping my attention forward until I get to the Council. Just keep walking straight, don't wander off." She then turned and motioned with a jerk of her head. "See that glow at the end of the passage? That's where they are. Stop wasting everybody's time." Vitani then gave him a pointed look before she wordlessly walked away from him in that direction.
Kovu's eyes followed his sister, but when she was out of sight, his paws remained rooted to the hard ground.
The instinct, surviving at all costs, pumped through his veins. It had been embedded in his mind since his first cubhood memories.
You fought back until the enemy succumbed. You used every scrap of energy just to keep away starvation. If there were any obstacles in your way... you removed them.
Kovu sat down, his chest aching. He looked up and saw the small glow of light Vitani had spoke of, signaling the end, or the center, of the Council's gaudy temple. The light was a soft orange, as if it were produced by a concentration of torches. The sight only served to raise his anxiety, rather than comfort him. He though he heard a buzz, maybe of distant, jumbled voices. He wondered if Vitani was telling them at that moment how he'd refused to come. The temptation of turning tail and running teased Kovu, glancing over his shoulder back the way they'd come. He thought he was at loss for what had brought him that far in the first place, why he'd allowed Vitani to lead him there.
Loneliness and confusion, that's why...
He knew without a doubt that snubbing an opportunity to meet the Council would be a mistake. But he was furious with them. It hurt how they'd waited so long to show themselves to him, allowing him to run free on only his basic instincts. He now firmly believed he'd never recovered from the subjected turmoil of his cubhood, even during the period between when he'd fallen for Kiara and right after his cubs had been born. He'd been happy then.
Kovu growled softly, shaking his head. I should've reached out... I had chances, I know I did... but I felt weak enough as it was.
Kiara had woken him up, somehow fracturing the cycle, but her influence hadn't done enough, obviously.
Everything is of my making, stop putting the blame on others again.
For certain, whether it had been a relapse or not, he knew he'd strayed severely in the moment when Simba had told him, that night they'd stood next to the watering hole, that the king was-
Worried!
Kovu narrowed his eyes in thought. His face began to burn with embarrassment.
All he said was that he was worried about me. That was all it took before I'd jumped to conclusions... but his face... it wasn't like I was oblivious to his capabilities. He silenced me at that excuse of a trial when I'd tried to explain Zira's ambush, and then he'd immediately exiled me. I didn't trust him to say my mother was alive and up to her old tricks. I never wanted to be in shaky position again. Simba was a threat to me... somehow worse than Zira... and so... he had to go... unfortunately...
He thought harder still.
Why am I so bent on destroying them all? My only family?
He already knew the answer to that one... pettiness. For too long, he'd let his rotten emotions dictate his actions, and he'd ignored the fact that his family had full rights to hate him. He'd only contributed misery to that pride.
He started to also consider why he was not only hesitating to move forward, but from altogether turning and wordlessly declining the Council's request to meet.
Probably because I can't stand to have them believe I'm any more of a gutless coward. I could at least give them an explanation for wasting their time.
He sighed. It was impossible to predict the number of faces he'd meet if he went to the light source. Five? Twenty? A hundred? More? He cringed, feeling like a vulnerable, parentless cub.
These beings know more than what I'd ever be able to wrap my mind around.
And he'd already met Vitani- why wouldn't Simba, Nala, or anybody else appear at the meeting? The last thing he wanted to do was to show up and have them point at him and call him a cowardly, whimpering, pathetic failure. The mere thought ignited his anger once more.
Well. If I really do turn back... then what?
He imagined rejection of the Council's offer would mean a death sentence. If he thought he knew isolation was at that moment, he'd certainly know its true meaning if he escaped. His survival would be slim, as much as he would tirelessly try, and he knew he'd just end up back there, hopeless and tortured for all eternity. He couldn't say everything he'd been told was just a myth. He'd be forever scorned by his family, and forever would his name be associated with someone who'd wasted his life.
"Like Scar..." he muttered. "Like Zira. Their hatred destroyed them." He was already a killer, a liar, a trickster, and a pretender to the throne. He knew the only difference now was that he was breathing and they weren't. He shook his head.
Is it all true? I've got more to gain than to lose? This is my last chance... What's wrong with me?
"Kovu, why are you stopping?"
He'd chosen to come, but he was lingering in the shadows, trying hard to maintain a neutral expression, under which terror-tainted bitterness threatened to seep out. Though Vitani sat before them with her back to her brother, four pairs of inquisitive gazes were locked on him. In the center of an angular clearing, in a sort of half-ring, sat four, straight-backed strangers who he could only assume were the Council ancestors- two lionesses and two lions. The larger of the lionesses had pale fur that matched one of the lion's, while the remaining lion had a thick, black mane. It had been one of the lionesses who had spoken. Behind each of them was a tall torch, though Kovu counted one extra. The smoke plumes from the torches drifted above their heads to the starry opening in the ceiling. Their faces were slightly in shadow.
Inhaling sharply, Kovu felt himself step backwards, and in the next instant, Vitani looked back partially over her shoulder. Most of what he saw was a fraction of her profile; it was just enough to bring him back to the night in the Outlands, the night when he'd seen the shadow dancing on the cave wall after he'd begged her to stay by his side. He'd been afraid of the dark, afraid of what Zira had in store for him, and afraid that he would have to give up control to the creep on the wall of that cave. Now they were older and both knew what Zira's plans had been and what Kovu was capable of.
The smaller lioness tilted her head to the side. She had light brown fur and a sweet, round face. The silhouette of her head was slightly scruffy. She sat in the the spot that would've been the middle had the fifth spot been filled.
"I think you're concentrating much too hard," she said. She then glanced away for a moment. "What I mean to say is that maybe listening for a while would be more suitable for you. Come, sit."
By now, Kovu took note that Vitani's attention was elsewhere. In fact, she had walked off to the side and only regarded him with a neutral expression, while he swallowed hard, taking in the small lioness's words, confused. Vitani isn't going to be any help... She's already done enough.
"Come, sit." He thought the Council lioness regarded him with a slight smile.
Giving a heavy sigh, Kovu looked down at his paws. He cautiously stepped out of the shadows and into the gathering area of the Council. He gave a quick glance around, just enough to confirm that he was only in the presence of his sister and the Council, before he sat down on the cool, stone ground. It was crucial for him to engage eye contact with the Council, but the will just wasn't there.
"Welcome," spoke the same lioness. "We're glad you wish to seek guidance."
He tried to control his expression when he remembered what Vitani had said about him being "interesting". He knew the beings before him commanded respect, but the longer he sat there, the more he questioned his decision to stay rather than leave.
"Do you see anything tied to your legs?"
Kovu looked up to see the black-maned lion frowning at him.
"Do we make you bow before us? Could you look us in the eye if you wanted?" the lion continued. "Have you had to kiss our-?"
There was a sharp hiss, which Kovu guessed had come from the smaller lioness when he saw her shaking her head at the black-maned lion. "What Calbain means," she put in, "is that jumping to conclusions- assuming that we are wrathful, cruel gods- is already setting this meeting up for disaster." The lioness then also glanced sternly at Vitani, who lowered her head slightly. "We will not jump to conclusions if you don't." Her eyes were on Kovu again. "Understand?"
Kovu hesitated, but eventually nodded.
"Good." The lioness's smile returned. "It would help, I'm sure, if you knew what our opinion of you is, and why we find you so interesting... this is the part where you listen."
Do I have much of a choice?
The lioness cleared her throat to catch his attention. "At the risk of driving you away," she remarked, "like Calbain said... nobody dragged you here kicking and screaming, right? There are no tethers. You just have no choice in what we can say to you, however." She then shrugged. "Would you rather spend the rest of your life speculating about what that might be? Or would you rather know for sure, so that you can hate us that much more? Well?"
Kovu blinked. What the lioness said made sense, especially when he caught himself wondering why he had come to see a group of lions he had assumed would be cruel and disagreeable. Usually he would've made no second thought about running away. He suddenly was unsure how to treat the Council ancestors, unsure of how to treat such a group of lions who seemed to be both somewhat sympathetic and painfully blatant. And he had yet to say a word.
The lioness seemed to take his silence and his reluctance to move as an answer. She nodded, narrowing her eyes, seemingly in thought. "Kovu... You're a prideful creature. You spook easily because you can't decide who you want to be, and because of that, you err on the side of self-absorbed. Freewill is a gift to everyone... no matter how they use it. You constantly struggle to understand this concept. We'd hoped you'd learn from your mistakes in time and finally stick to the path you've truly wanted to follow."
The lioness's face became grim.
"Then... you fell back on old habits, as well as new ones, when you decided it was better to live with the guilt of your biggest mistake," the lioness continued, "than to admit it to the ones you cared about most and risk losing them. Then the lie became uncontrollable and you took the first opportunity that you had to escape: the moment Kiara decided it was safer for you to leave Pride Rock. You feel like she betrayed you, but you really do know what she wanted for you. What we consider to be the 'old' part of you resurfaced when you aligned yourself with cold-blooded murderers and swore to take revenge on Chaka... but the 'new' part of you came out a little when you came up with the idea to use Natin in order to... stop yourself... from continuing to spiral seemingly out of control. These 'cycles' of embedded, killer motivation, and instinctual, moral alertness are a common thing in your circumstance."
Kovu was confused when the lioness paused and nobody picked up the lecture. He frowned, knowing that the question was being begged. He cleared his throat, and listened to his quiet, stunned voice. "Why... Why say my murderous side is embedded... but that this 'moral' side of me is instinctual?" He started to feel emboldened. "What does that mean?"
The black-maned Calbain answered him. "Because we saw just how hard Zira had to push you in order to turn you into the lion she believed Taka to be. You questioned her relentlessly in order to understand what she was trying to make you do, because otherwise nothing made sense. It took years of beating her goals into you before you no longer needed an explanation and could repeat it back to her word for word. When you were with Kiara, you started asking for explanations again. There were others before you who never asked questions."
At first Kovu didn't notice that he was shaking his head. "Are you arguing to me that I'm innately good?" Kovu paused when he heard how shrill his voice was. Casting his gaze to the side, he was embarrassed when his voice continued to crack. "I'm only good for one sole purpose: killing. I don't know how to do anything else." It crept up on him, but soon the scars on his body felt fresh again. He felt a phantom pain along his spine to the end of his tail stump. He could hear the blood-lusting chants of the lionesses as they urged Chaka to murder him. He tried not to gasp in pain when he lowered his head and suddenly felt very weary.
"That's what you may know now," Calbain said, "but that's not how it started.
Looking up after a moment, he stared back at the small lioness, then looked at the others. Something he noticed then was they all looked young and in their prime. He really had expected to bicker with hunched, grayed figures with haggard, know-it-all voices. These voices were logical, however stern. Even Calbain isn't that bad... they seem to be actually... listening to me... and hearing what I have to say.
He then decided he wanted to see just how understanding they were going to be. His chest tightened. "If Zira was the problem, you should of taken her out before she ruined me." He paused, a wrinkle forming at his brow. "At one point, she sent me away to hunt other rogues. To practice. That was after she had me killing cubs younger than myself!"
Calbain was still as a rock when he spoke. "That's not our way."
Kovu narrowed his eyes.
"What Calbain means," the small lioness broke in again, "is that we don't use what power we have to kill- we can only nudge." She narrowed her eyes back at him. "There were plenty of times we tried to help you. Mufasa himself had half a mind to mend the wound between Taka and Simba. Mufasa feels responsible for neglecting his younger brother, and insisted we focus our attention on Zira's son. We saw your potential, but we knew what was missing... love. Mufasa wanted to show it to you. When Zira offered you up as a cub to Simba, the day you first met Kiara, he'd hoped his son would take you in, but Simba was blind to the entire gravity of the opportunity he was presented with. Then we had to bide our time, waiting patiently until Zira sent you to the Pride Lands. Rafiki carried out Mufasa's wishes." She paused. "Do you remember how close you were to attacking Simba at the watering hole before Kiara surprised you?"
Kovu lowered his eyes and his voice. "I was going to do it."
"Once you felt accepted by Simba... we never would've imagined the risk you'd take to keep that bond with him... the ways in which you'd struggle to keep your whole family..."
"Do you blame me... for inviting it? I needed proof that she was dead."
The lioness dropped any hint of a smile from her face, and her eyes darkened. "We understand your anger, loneliness, fears, as well as how distrusting you are of everyone around you... Nobody is perfect. But did you think we'd overlook how you received most of your scars after the fact from Chaka?"
"...You would have died alongside of him instead of hiding this from your family. Could have easily brought her back to Pride Rock if what you tell us had any merit. Only the guilty hide their mistakes and decide to burying the evidence like you did!"
Shame-filled, Kovu knew he was hiding nothing from the Council. His throat tightened. Chaka had been right to suspect him. He hadn't tried hard enough to save Simba.
The lioness's expression was impassive under the shadows cast on her face. "While they fought, you wanted him to kill her. Your hatred for your mother exceeded your need to help Simba. You thought you'd give him Zira's execution... which would mean revealing your capabilities. That was intolerable."
Sickened, Kovu's jaw trembled. His brows arched. "Yet you argued I am innately good? If I were good, I would've saved him." He turned his attention to Vitani. "I threatened to hurt her and her son when I was too cowardly to pull it off alone. Maybe, I'd hoped she'd stop me... I tried to kill my... my own..." His ears lowered as a thought formed. "You said Mufasa helped me through Rafiki." His lip twitched, his cheeks warming in anger. "Rafiki brought Zazu to Pride Rock and told everyone about the meeting with Zira. If not for that bird and shaman, I would've kept the lie going. And..."
"...And?"
Kovu deflated. He sighed heavily. "Did Mufasa give up on me? Is that what happened?"
"He hasn't given up on you," the lioness said, "but he has come to realize there are others who need his attention more: the prince and princess."
Kovu leaped to his paws. "Are they safe? Can you tell me if they're safe?"
The four lions fidgeted. The light brown lioness appeared most disturbed.
He frowned. "What? What's the matter?"
"Kovu, one of the reasons you were summoned here was to help Asuma," the brown lioness told him firmly. Averting her eyes, she added, "We are taking care of them both, don't worry."
Kovu was unable to ignore the fleeting glance the silent, lighter-furred lioness gave to the empty spot in front of the fifth torch. He felt sick as he gave a bitter scoff and shook his head. "I keep running away from them, trying to hide who I am so they don't get hurt. I did take the easy way out when Kiara sent me away, and I know it was partly because I couldn't give my cubs the truth. I wasn't a good father... I tried to be..."
"Just listen for a moment again, please."
Kovu gave a small nod.
Calbain spoke. "We're testing your son."
Testing?
The larger lioness spoke this time. Her voice was light. "Now why would we do that? Have y'forgotten that fear you've got, not for your son, but of your son? When you see him... you see what you dislike most about yourself. Perhaps you see a bit of Nuka in the boy, too."
In Kovu's mind flashed the pile of broken sticks and stumps, and the brother who was obsessed with pleasing a mother that cared little about him. He only had her attention in the moments before he'd died. The scar over Kovu's left eye throbbed. He tried to shut out the memory and the pain.
Now the smaller lioness spoke again. "What did Asuma say to you when Simba passed?"
Kovu cringed. The words that had plagued him for years, but left unspoken, filled the space. His paws filled his vision as he spoke. "He believed he'd... be the one to avenge Simba's death by bringing the killer to justice." It was hard to glance up and meet someone's eye again. "What are you doing to him?"
The lion with the pale fur addressed him. "We must know how much compassion he has left. We need to see him act on his own for once. In a moment of weakness, he himself asked for a chance to prove himself... Kovu... Asuma is dangerous. Perhaps more dangerous than you."
Kovu's ears lowered. His voice was barely audible. "What exactly makes him... dangerous?"
Calbain looked at the others before speaking. "There is no choice but to tell you now about the true situation in the Pride Lands, in order for you to understand."
Kovu felt his brows arch.
"Chaka," Calbain began, "did not turn out Asuma nor Tanga. The worst thing Kiara has done is hide the truth from them and keep her distance. Asuma and Natin were in the cave when Zazu delivered the news to the pride about what you'd done. When Natin came to the pride as a spy, he exposed you to a sullen, brooding Asuma. Both agreed they wanted you... gone. Tanga, to her regret, was not told about you until later when she tracked them out of the Pride Lands. She'd been curious, as you can imagine, but had no idea about what you'd done. The two boys had several different plans... you can guess what the end result generally was...
"What makes him dangerous, you ask?" Calbain continued. "The boy is intelligent, calculating. He's also determined to prove himself, as well as over-analyze every mistake that he makes. What has always stopped Asuma is a lack of confidence in his physical strength. But you already knew all that... Another way he's dangerous, is that Asuma's hatred has also begun to effect your daughter. She's growing bitter because she alone can't help him and feels isolated. When he told you he hadn't had his cubhood nightmares for years, he was partially lying to you because Tswane had been giving him herbs to keep away the dreams. No longer eating them, Asuma remains tortured and his behavior reinforced by these nightmares in a continuous circ-"
Kovu grimaced, exasperated. "You don't even have the power to take those away?"
Calbain scowled. "It's Asuma's subconscious that creates those dreams. It's the manifestation of his will. Messing with freewill would mean a lack of balance. Our powers to foretell the future are also weak because the willful decisions of those we watch over take so little in order to change direction."
"Kings aren't sent messages in their dreams?" Kovu retorted stubbornly. "Change them, add to them- do something!" He looked around. "Better yet... Summon him, too."
Calbain's chin tilted downward when he narrowed his eyes. "Understand that you are a special case. I remind you, Kovu, you are the root of Asuma's dilemma. Asuma is not ready to listen to us like you are, as much as you fight what we're telling you. We wanted to speak to you so that you'll be prepared to make amends. In order for him to be a good king, we need to try turning him around. For now, as far as we are concerned, you're his elder and it is time for you to take responsibility for what you've done in the past."
"Kovu, this is also your last chance," the smallest lioness remarked.
The silence in the clearing was thick. Kovu had figured as much, though it was hard to swallow the words. Struggling to stabilize his breathing, a question surfaced in his mind.
"Did... did you ever summon Scar here? Did you try to save him?"
The brown-furred lioness smiled crookedly. "What does it matter if we tried to save Taka or not? He does not make your decisions for you. He had his freewill and you have yours."
His eyes widened.
When he spoke, Kovu noticed how Calbain's face had softened. The lion said quietly, "It's time you leave behind Scar's overbearing shadow. You are not him, Kovu. Just like your son is not you."
"Sometimes what's left behind can grow better than the generation before... if given the chance..."
All he could do was stare straight ahead, trapped in a daze. It seemed too easy, that they would just tell him that he wasn't Scar, or as they called him, Taka, or that they believed he was truly good; but the way they said it stirred something. He'd never met Scar, he wasn't even his son. Zira had romanticized Scar in order to turn him into her tool.
But it hadn't come naturally to me... that's why she worked so hard to change me into a killer...
Kovu lowered his head with a heavy sigh.
And it ultimately worked...
"Do not worry about Zira, Sauda, or the others," the brown lioness spoke up. "Though saying some were killers themselves does not excuse their deaths, in order to help Asuma you must put them out of your mind."
Kovu glanced up.
She lowered her ears, adding quietly, "You can answer for their deaths later."
His voice came out hoarse. "I've been pushed so far... what makes you believe I'll be able to turn the situation around? If Tanga is helpless to fix Asuma, what can I do?" Kovu wrinkled his nose, glancing to the side. "How can I talk sense into him if all he wants to do is kill me? To him, I'm a monster, am I right? And what about that test? Whatever you're doing to him... will he fail?"
"It is not necessarily relevant if he fails or not," Calbain spoke up. "But your task will be harder if he does. Don't worry- we wouldn't send you off unprepared."
"Meeka, he's here."
Kovu followed the attention of the brown-furred lioness. She turned to Vitani, and so did Kovu and the others.
He had to suppress a gasp. Standing next to Vitani was Natin.
"Kovu, Natin was your tool," the brown-furred Meeka remarked, her tone a bit sharp. "Always has been." She then smiled sweetly. "Now you'll work together without the unspoken context."
Kovu's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He coughed in disbelief. "I thought the stampede killed him!" He had to suppress a laugh in disgust as he blurted, "You can bring back the dead, but you can't take away Asuma's drea-"
"Quiet!" Calbain snapped. "I suggest you listen." He growled. "And wipe that surly look off your face."
Kovu's frown deepened, but he shut his mouth and shifted his weight on his paws.
Meeka's focus returned to Kovu. "Natin is in limbo right now since he's been dead for less than a day, but has willingly agreed to help out. We're restoring his health."
At that moment, Kovu glanced at his nephew, and noticed how his lip twitched when Meeka mentioned the agreement.
I wouldn't be happy if I were you, either... you escaped all this.
"Natin's already tried to talk sense into Asuma, after Tanga put doubt into his mind. He can tell you all about the side of Asuma that he's kept hidden," Meeka continued. For a moment, she paused. "You'll also need his help to defeat the rogue lionesses. They're following your children to the Pride Lands."
No point in asking them to make them go away... Kovu thought irritably. "So what am I to do? Take Natin, hunt down the lionesses, and talk sense into Asuma?"
Meeka was shaking her head. "All we can say is that it won't be an easy time for you. There are a lot of apologizes to make, and not just to Asuma. I'm afraid the outcome also depends on Asuma's test. You will not be here with us when he passes... or fails. And please remember the debts you already will be answering for, as well as the ones that Natin is not."
That's right... Natin hasn't killed anyone yet...
"But the one thing I can say," Meeka added, "is that Asuma essentially has the same wants and needs as you." She tilted her head to the side. "You'll know what you think he should hear."
Kovu lowered his ears. "I'll try."
Calbain frowned, disapproving. "You'll 'try'?"
Kovu gritted his teeth. "Like one of you said- nobody's perfect. I'll do what I can to help Asuma. I'm sure you know that I'll try to help him until my last breath," he said. "I have a real purpose again. A good one this time."
When Calbain started to grin, it caught Kovu off guard. Quickly, he realized the smile wasn't malicious, but amused.
"Kovu."
He glanced up, and saw that it had been Vitani who had called him. When she jerked her head and started to walk back the way they'd come, without Natin, he uncertainly looked to the Council.
"We'll help as much as we can," Meeka told him, smiling. She gestured with a head dip. "Now go. You have work to do."
Feeling dazed, knowing that the meeting was now over, Kovu gave a nod and turned to follow Vitani. She was standing just inside the shadow cover. He was nearly towards her when he paused and looked over his shoulder. The words wouldn't come at first, caught in his throat until he purged them...
"Thank you..."
The four Council ancestors nodded to him before he turned back to Vitani.
He rushed to her side.
"I'm sorry."
Still walking, but at least looking at him, she raised a brow, frowning, as if she hadn't heard him.
"I said I'm sorry, Vitani. I was stupid."
She looked forward again. "You're just saying that because they made you feel guilty and because I'm stuck here."
Kovu's shoulders dropped and he felt himself start to drift behind Vitani again.
"Why'd you thank them, Kovu?"
He thought for a moment. "Because they listened."
"That's it?"
"And I couldn't pretend."
She was silent for a moment. "What they said about Simba and Zira...? That's true then. You only hated Mother enough to kill her after she took Simba away."
He cringed. "Before, I just thought I was too scared to help him... it made sense when they said it."
"What if he had killed her... and lived?"
"Seeing that I'd been useless?" he replied. "I... I don't know..."
"You do know, Kovu; you would've feared exposure again," she said. "I don't think Simba was meant to live past that day."
Kovu blinked hard as his eyes started to mist. He tried to lower his head enough so that his mane would hide his face.
"You better take care of my son. I don't want to see him back here until he's died of old age."
He swallowed, listening to the slight hint of emotion in her voice. "How willing is he to help me?"
"When he died, the Council immediately came to me, asking me to persuade him to go back. He wants to make sure that no further harm comes to Tanga." She paused. "Try to keep him from killing you, and actually succeeding this time?"
Kovu nodded, his heart skipping a beat.
They'd made it to the entrance of the temple, and were standing at the top of the steps, staring out over the path, statues, grass, and endless water.
This might be one of the last peaceful moments I get...
"Vitani, I really am sorry."
She shook her head. "Maybe if something good comes out of this... I'll find a way to forgive you."
"It will," he told her as firmly as he could, "and you'll forgive me."
The corner of her mouth quirked up a little. "Maybe."
She turned away and left the steps and the path. Looking over her shoulder while standing in the green grass, she told him to head back towards the water.
Kovu lingered for a moment, watching her go, comfortable in the serenity of the atmosphere. He looked up to the sky, and wasn't sure, but he thought it was growing pale, as if the sun were rising. He wanted to stay to see, but he didn't know how it worked there, him still being alive.
What the Council had told him would take time to completely sink in.
But for now... I can start making amends...
He sighed, thinking of Vitani.
We'll see how this goes...
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This chapter was a difficult one to write, so I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves! It's also named after one of my favorite stories on here, Divine Intervention, by Liena. The story is near the bottom of my favorite story section if you want to check it out. I'll do my best to get an update to you at least by my usual time, and certainly by mid-September when I go back to classes.
(Also, Vitani was describing Roman architecture, which back in the day, was painted very brightly.)