Disclaimer: I don't own ThunderCats, but that doesn't stop me from wishing that I did.

ThunderCats: Sword of Kings

Chapter VI: What you cannot earn…

Grune slammed the door to his private quarters in the palace. He was lucky to have left the throne room before they had a chance to see the extent of his rage. How could Claudus still allow that street rat to stay in the palace, especially after that catastrophe with the sword?

But within that anger was worry. The boy, Lion-O, he said the sword showed him a vision. Grune had heard the stories. Growing up, parents told their children the legends and fables that told of the Sword of Omens, on how it could show its bearer the future or something that's occurring out of sight.

What did Lion-O see? Did he see the future? Did he see the truth of his so called "disappearance"?

Did he see where Grune the Destroyer's true allegiances lie?

The saber tooth quickly closed the drapes and ensured that the door was locked. He went to his desk and pulled open a drawer and then pried open the false bottom, revealing the crystal. A perfect purple sphere, no ridges or edges, lay undisturbed until Grune picked it up.

"Mumm-Ra," Grune said, the crystal began to glow, "heed my call. Your servant brings you news."

The crystal hovered at the Destroyer's words. It began to glow brightly as it floated to the center of the room. It then projected the image of a red cloaked hunched figure.

"General Grune," the figure rasped, "what news do you bring?"

"There has been a development with Prince Lion-O, Lord Mumm-Ra," Grune said. "He was presented with the Sword of Omens today."

"That is expected for every future king of Thundera," Mumm-Ra said. "What of it?"

Grune was hesitant, who knew how his master would react to this? "He used Sight Beyond Sight, My Lord. The sword showed him some kind of vision."

Mumm-Ra gave out a low growl that sent fear through the Destroyer. His master may be far off, but he still feared the power that the ancient mummy commands.

"What did he see, Grune?" Mumm-Ra asked impatiently. "What does he know?"

"He claims that he does not remember what he saw," Grune said, "but this may have been a lie."

"You must be wary, General," Mumm-Ra warned. "Your anonymity is not always guaranteed. You must keep the truth with you at all times."

"And what of Prince Lion-O?" Grune asked. "What do you wish for me to do with him?"

Mumm-Ra thought on this silently. "If he becomes a problem, Grune, you are to deal with him in any way you see fit. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lord Mumm-Ra," the Destroyer bowed, "as you command."

The projection disappeared and the gem returned to Grune's hand. There was a moment of panic as a sharp knock on the door echoed through the room. "Who's there?" he asked.

"It's Tygra," the voice of the tiger prince called out. "May I come in?"

The saber tooth quickly placed the gem back in its hiding place and closed the false bottom. "Of course, Tygra, come in."

The doorknob jiggled for a bit. "I can't; the door's locked."

Grune gave a silent curse as he quickly undid his mistake and opened the door. "Sorry, my boy," the Destroyer said, "I wanted to be alone for a bit."

"Sorry," Tygra said as he walked in, "but I was hoping we could talk about what happened in the Throne Room."

Grune narrowed his eyes as he closed the door. "What about it?"

"I mean," Tygra began, "it's not like Lion-O meant what he did. What happened with Cheeta—I mean the Cleric was not on purpose."

"It has nothing to do with what happened in the Throne Room," Grune said. "I am only doing what is best for Thundera, and I know what's best is that boy never takes the throne."

"He's going to," Tygra argued, "Lion-O is father's son!"

"So are you!" Grune countered.

"I was adopted!" Tygra said, though it pained him to say it. "Lion-O is father's biological son, the legitimate heir!"

Grune seemed perplexed. "So that means that he should be our king just like that? Have you forgotten what I have taught you, Tygra? What you cannot earn—"

"—can always be taken." Tygra finished. "I know that, but what does this have to do with anything?"

The Destroyer sighed. "So we found him in the slums, so what? Does that mean we have to just give him the throne? What did he do to earn the Throne of Thundera or the Sword of Omens?"

"He was a fighting champion," Tygra said. "I asked around before we returned. They said that Lion-O fought countless fighters and that he's never lost."

"So he's the champion of the slums, big deal," Grune said. "He'd be no match for our soldiers."

Tygra sighed. "I'm not going to be able to convince you, am I?" The general gave no answer. "Just think about what I said?"

Tygra made to leave, his hand reaching the doorknob. "Tygra?" The young prince turned. "What I said about 'what you cannot earn', that also applies to that Cleric of yours."

The tiger's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Grune smirked. "I've been keeping an eye on our lost prince. It seems Lion-O and a young Cleric—what was her name…Cheetara?—have been spending a lot of time together."

"She's a Cleric," Tygra said, "it makes sense that she'd be guarding a member of the royal family."

Grune's smirk grew. "I didn't know that enjoying a picnic lunch together counted as 'guarding'."

Tygra said nothing as he left the room, slamming the door on his way out. Grune's smile turned sinister. "Too easy," Grune said contently.

The room was dark and quiet, just how Panthro wanted it to be. For the past three days, this room has been his sanctuary. It kept him away from the worries of the world while he concentrated on one thing: Lion-O.

Panthro didn't know what happened to his charge after Jaga and Grune came to the Ring. He tried to find him after the attack, but he couldn't find a single trace of Lion-O. The old cat began to dread the thought of the lion being in the Royal Palace.

That thought sent more fear into the panther than anything else on Third Earth.

There was a quick knock and the door opened. Panthro raised his hand to block out the light that intruded into his dark sanctuary. A figure stepped in. He wore a dark blue cloak that was held by a clasp, a gold hand with the ThunderCats symbol in the center of the palm.

"I am sorry for the intrusion, General," the figure said. "I have news of Prince Lion-O."

Panthro regarded the cloaked figure. "If you want to keep one of your arms Grand Master, you'll tell me what you know now."

The "Grand Master", as he was called, was unfazed by the threat. "We received word from our informant in the Clerics; Prince Lion-O is in the Royal Palace and he is safe."

Panthro snorted. "Yeah, but for how long?"

"There's more," the Grand Master continued. "He used the Sword of Omens. It showed him a vision."

Panthro froze. "What did he see?" he asked hesitantly.

"That is unknown." The Grand Master approached slowly. "This wouldn't be happening if you had followed your orders, Panthro. You were to bring Lion-O to us, but you took him to the slums!"

Panthro sneered. "I did what I thought was best for Lion-O."

"You were supposed to do what was best for Thundera!" the Grand Master argued. He then sighed. "But, what's done is done. For now, we can only wait and observe. We will make our move when the time is right." He then left and closed the door, leaving Panthro alone in the darkness once again.

With the stars and the moon lighting the night, Lion-O stood outside the Sanctuary, the home for all of Thundera's Clerics. He stood out there for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do.

It has been several hours since the accident with the Sword of Omens had harmed Cheetara. Despite everyone saying that it wasn't his fault, Lion-O couldn't help but feel guilty about it. The thought that the lion himself had been responsible for her harm had hurt Lion-O more than any fighter ever could.

The door to the Sanctuary opened and Lion-O turned to see Jaga in the doorway. "Is there something you need, Lion-O?"

"I was wondering if I could see Cheetara," Lion-O said. "I wanted to apologize for what happened and see if she's okay."

"I can assure you that she is fine, Your Highness," Jaga said. "She awoke a few hours ago, but she is resting now."

Lion-O gave off a sigh of relief. "Can you at least tell her I came to see her, and that I'm sorry?"

Jaga nodded. "Of course, you have a good night, Your Highness." He closed the door, leaving Lion-O outside alone with his thoughts. It wasn't long before he heard someone approach.

"What are you doing out here, Lion-O?"

The lost prince turned to see his new brother, Tygra, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed. Was it just Lion-O, or did he seem a bit angry?

"I came to see if Cheetara was okay," Lion-O answered honestly.

Tygra narrowed his eyes at that. "It's late," he said sternly. "You should probably get to bed."

Lion-O nodded before walking off to his room. With every step he took, Lion-O couldn't help but wonder what he did to slight his brother.