Disclaimer: Like I said last chapter, I do not own ThunderCats!

ThunderCats: Sword of Kings

Chapter III: Cheetara

Lion-O opened his eyes to see the snow slowly falling around him. He looked around where he stood and saw an endless white field where the gray sky ended. The lion wondered how he got here. The last thing he remembered was the Ring…and then the Clerics came.

The crunch of feet walking on snow caught his attention and he turned toward the intruder. A young woman, a lioness by the looks of her, stood only a few feet away from him. She was dressed in white robes and a silver crown adorned her brow.

The lioness spoke softly. "Anyone can tell you truths Lion-O, but they can also tell you lies. You must decide who is telling what."

This confounded Lion-O. "Who are you? What are you talking about? Why are you telling me this?"

"It is not yet in my power to tell you," the woman said. "Until then, you must be on your guard." She approached Lion-O and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Now you must wake up."

Lion-O awoke with a start, bolting up shirtless from his bed. For a moment, he believed everything to be a nightmare. But that was when he realized that this was not the straw mattress of his bed, nor was he in his room back at the Ring.

Lion-O looked around to see the extravagance around him: the oak bedframe, the silk bed sheets, the feather mattress and pillows, the linen curtains lining the windows, and the ivory pillars along the walls. The room looked like it belonged to one of Thundera's noblemen.

A door opened. "Oh good," a familiar feminine voice said, "you're finally awake."

Lion-O saw the cheetah girl enter the room carrying a bundle of clothes with her. "You!" he gasped, jumping out of bed. But one look down the length of his own body had him quickly tugging the bed sheets and wrapping them around his waist. "What did you do to me...and why am I naked?"

The cheetah girl smirked and a slight giggle escaped her lips. "Once we returned from the Ring, we had to get them of so that the healers could clean your wounds…not to mention your clothes stank."

"I'm a fighter," Lion-O argued. "Did you think they would smell like roses?" He spared a look to the clothes she carried. "Are those for me?"

"Of course," she said. The cheetah then began to lay out the clothes on his bed. Along with black undergarments, he was also given a blue top with pants that was a darker shade of blue.

After she was done, Lion-O glared at her expectantly. "Do you mind?"

"I was instructed not to leave you alone after you woke up." As the cheetah said this, there was an amused glint in her eyes that seemed almost lecherous.

Lion-O couldn't help but blush. "Could you at least turn around then?" he asked, exasperation filling his tone.

The cheetah chuckled as she complied with his request. Once he was sure she would keep her back towards him, Lion-O dropped the sheet from his waist and quickly began to dress in these new clothes.

"Hey," Lion-O said as he pulled the pants up, "do you think you could tell me where we 'returned' to?"

"Cheetara."

"What?"

"My name is Cheetara, not 'Hey'."

Lion-O was annoyed. "Okay, Cheetara, where exactly are we?"

"Why, the Royal Palace, of course."

This surprised Lion-O. In all his years of living in Thundera, Lion-O had never seen the palace; he never thought he would live to ever set foot in it either. "Why exactly would I be here in the first place?"

"Lord Jaga has said that he would tell you that."

As Lion-O finished putting his shirt on, he couldn't help but sneer. "You mean the old cat that destroyed my life."

Cheetara quickly turned back. She was clearly angry. "We do not have to defend our actions!" she said sternly. "What we did, we did for the good of Thundera!"

Lion-O felt his anger surge. "Really?" he almost yelled. "Then tell me, what is good for Thundera?"

"The continuation of Leo's bloodline on the throne."

Lion-O saw the old cat Jaga and Grune the Destroyer enter the room…and it took all his restraint not to try and kill them both. "You both have some nerve showing your faces to me."

"You might want to watch what you say, boy," Grune threatened.

"And if I don't?" Lion-O growled. He wasn't afraid. He'd faced opponents bigger than Grune, and he wiped the floor with all of them.

Grune seemed to reach for his mace until Jaga pulled it back. "Leave us, Grune."

"But, Lord Jaga—"

"Leave, Grune."

The saber tooth sneered at Lion-O before storming out of the room. "Allow me to apologize for the general, your highness," Jaga said. "Sometimes his anger gets the better of him."

Lion-O was silent for a moment. Something about what the old cat said. "What did you call me?"

Jaga seemed confused for a moment. "Ah, yes," he said. "Forgive me, you haven't been told the truth yet."

"What truth?" Lion-O asked.

"Lion-O," Cheetara addressed him, her tone soft, "how much did Panthro tell you about your parents?"

His eyes widened at that. Lion-O had almost forgotten that his mentor had fought Grune. "Panthro…is he…"

"Panthro has escaped," Jaga said. "We do not know where. Now, would you please answer Cheetara's question."

Lion-O was hesitant. "I did ask Panthro about my parents when I was little," he said. "He told me that he found me out on the outskirts of Thundera, hidden amongst some bushes. He had thought my parents were ambushed by bandits and they managed to hide me before they were killed."

Jaga stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I see, interesting."

"Can either of you tell me what's going on?" Lion-O asked annoyed.

Cheetara rested a hand on his shoulder. "Lion-O, this may be hard to hear but you need to know the truth. Everything Panthro told you about your past was a lie."

"What?" the lion gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Lion-O," Jaga said, "Panthro was one of Thundera's greatest generals…that is, until he betrayed us. With the help of the Lizards, he stole you away from your crib shortly after you were born before your father could arrive with reinforcements."

"My father?" Lion-O asked in a daze. "He's still alive?"

"Not only alive my boy," Jaga said, "he is a king. You are Prince Lion-O, son of King Claudus and Queen Leona, the Heir Apparent to the Throne of Thundera, and our future king."

At that moment, Lion-O felt his mouth dry up and his legs suddenly turned into rubber. He felt himself walking backwards until he sat on the edge of the bed. "No…that can't be true."

"It is my dear boy," Jaga said. "Your mother, Queen Leona, went out to her parents' estate outside Thundera to give birth to you there. It was reported that there were…complications and that she died at child birth."

"May the gods watch over the soul of Her Majesty," Cheetara prayed.

"My mother…is dead?" Lion-O asked solemnly.

"Yes, Lion-O," Cheetara said, rubbing his back soothingly. The lion couldn't help but feel his heart beating faster. "I'm very sorry you had to find out this way."

"Some time after your birth, Panthro had come with a small army of Lizard soldiers," Jaga said. "King Claudus, your father, was already on his way with reinforcements. But by the time he arrived, General Panthro had already stolen you away. We believed that he had taken you to General Slithe, the leader of the Lizard armies. After years of searching, we found the two of you here in Thundera's slums. We of course had to retrieve you before Panthro found out about our plans and your life would be in danger."

Lion-O sat on the bed, unable to comprehend what he heard. The only thing running through his mind was what the woman in white had said in his dreams. "Anyone can tell you truths Lion-O, but they can also tell you lies. You must decide who is telling what."

"How do I know what you're telling me is true?" Lion-O asked, making eye contact with the Head Cleric. "Why should I believe anything you're telling me?"

Though the question was directed at Jaga, Cheetara answered from her place next to the lion. "I know this all seems hard to believe Lion-O, but what Jaga says is true. After all these years, you have returned to take your rightful place as heir to the throne. This is a miracle from the gods!"

Lion-O said nothing. How could he? "I will leave you to your thoughts, Your Highness," Jaga said. "I will leave Cheetara at your service. I assure you, any task you give her she will perform without hesitation." The old Cleric then departed from the room, leaving the two cats alone.

"Are you going to be alright Li—I mean, Your Highness?" There seemed to be concern in Cheetara's voice.

"You tell me," Lion-O said, his glare directed to the cheetah next to him. "If everything you knew turned out to be a lie, that all this time you were someone else, would you be alright?"

"Honestly…no. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't try to move on from all this."

Lion-O said nothing for a while. "What about my father, where is he in all of this?"

"He's in the Bird Kingdom for a diplomatic mission," Cheetara said. "We sent word of your return, he should return in a few days alongside your brother."

Lion-O was confused for a bit. "My brother?" he asked. "Oh, you mean Prince Tygra, the Fal—"

Cheetara quickly placed her hand over his mouth, silencing him before he could finish. "It's not wise to say that name here in the palace," she warned him.

Lion-O nodded as she removed her hand. A moment of realization hit him quickly. "Jaga said that you would do anything I asked you to do right?"

Cheetara seemed a bit nervous. "That is the basics of what he said," she answered honestly.

"Good," Lion-O said, "there's something important I need you to do."