If I could own ThunderCats, I would share my riches with the entire world. But I don't!

ThunderCats: Sword of Kings

Chapter XIV: Revelations

Lion-O woke up to the howling winds that echoed around him, forcefully dragging the snow along with it. The gray ominous skies hovered above him, hidden amongst the falling snow. The lion groaned as he lifted himself up from the snow covered ground.

It took some time for Lion-O to recognize his surroundings; this was where he met his mother in his dream. That was when she tried to warn him about his father, only he didn't know it at that time. If only he had heeded her warning, Jaga would not have lost his life.

"Do not blame yourself, Lion-O," his mother's voice echoed around him. "Jaga's death was no one's fault but your father's. Even Jaga himself did not know the truth of things."

The prince walked forward, trying to follow his mother's voice. "How could Father do this?" Lion-O asked. "What happened to make him a monster?"

"Your father is a threat that must be dealt with," Leona said, "but his will has been twisted for so long. His perception has been changed by a puppet whose very strings are pulled by a force of unimaginable power."

Lion-O continued onward, hoping to at least find his mother's spirit through this strange blizzard. It was not long before he heard the sobs. The prince pushed forward, hoping to find someone in this…wherever he was. It was then that he saw them.

He saw his mother, but he also saw Cheetara with her. Leona seemed to be comforting the cheetah, a heavy stream of tears flowing down her cheeks as she gasped fistfuls of air through her sobs.

Leona tried to softly hush the Cleric. "It's okay, child," she said. "The fault was not your own. You could not have known what would occur."

Lion-O looked down at both his mother and Cheetara. "What happened to her? How did she get here?"

Leona looked to her son. "After Grune incapacitated you, she tried to attack your father as well."

A grim feeling went through the prince. "Is she…" Lion-O couldn't bring the words out.

"No," the dead queen said, "she is not dead. Cheetara was merely knocked unconscious and, like you, brought here to the Astral Plain."

Lion-O looked to the cheetah sitting on the ground, her head pressed against her knees as she cried. He didn't know what to do. Part of him was angry that she betrayed him, but a larger part of him knew that she was only doing what she thought was right. But in the end, it only brought the death of her beloved mentor.

The prince tried to comfort her. "Cheetara," he said, moving to place his hand on her shoulder.

The cheetah flinched away from the contact. "Don't look at me," she sobbed.

"Listen to me, Cheetara," Lion-O said softly. "Jaga's death wasn't your fault; he would tell you that himself if he could."

"Don't look at me," Cheetara repeated through her sobs.

Lion-O gripped both her shoulders. "Jaga's death will not be in vain," he told her. "My father will pay for what he did, that I can promise you. But I can't do it alone, Cheetara. I need help. I need you!"

Cheetara lifted her head up to look at her prince. Even after everything, he still cared about her. Lion-O said that he needed her; she won't disappoint him again. Determined, she got up from the ground.

"Claudus will pay," the Cleric said. "I'll make sure of that."

"He is not the only threat," Leona spoke up. "There is an evil far greater than him."

"What do you mean?" Lion-O asked. What could be worse than his father?

"You saw him, Lion-O," Leona explained. "Through the Sword of Omens, you caught a glimpse of the greatest threat to Thundera and all of Third Earth."

Lion-O didn't need to ask, he just said one word. "Mumm-Ra."

"That impossible," Cheetara said astonished. "Mumm-Ra was destroyed by Leo during the Great Mutiny. How can he still be alive?"

"As long as evil exists," Leona explained, "Mumm-Ra will always be a threat. He is an ever living embodiment of all that is wrong in this world, his magic empowered by the Ancient Spirits of Evil."

"But what does this have to do with Claudus?" Cheetara asked.

Leona looked between the two. "Do either of you know how Grune the Destroyer got his name?" she asked them.

Lion-O nodded. "He once led an army against General Slithe," he said. "They said that he was wiped out along with his entire unit, but he soon showed up at the city gates alive and bruised. When asked, Grune said he butchered his way through Slithe's soldiers before he returned." A look of realization slowly formed on his face. "But that's not what really happened, was it?"

"No," Leona said. "Grune was captured by Slithe and brought before Mumm-Ra. Grune was swayed by Mumm-Ra to return to Thundera as his servant."

"You said that my father was changed by a puppet," Lion-O said. "Did you mean Grune?"

Leona seemed thoughtful, trying to think of what to say before she spoke. "Before you were born," she said, "Claudus and I had trouble conceiving. I prayed to the gods for a child, and that was when Tygra arrived. We did not know from where he had come, but we adopted him and loved him like our own flesh and blood."

The queen looked to her son with a smile. "But then I learned I was pregnant with you, Lion-O, and I couldn't be any happier. Your father was excited as well; he would teach you about the kings of old and groom you to become his successor." She was sad for a bit. "Though he was young, Tygra was…disappointed that he would not succeed his father, but he was ecstatic that he would become a brother."

Leona's eyes narrowed at her next words. "When I was near the time when I would give birth," she said bitterly, "Grune began to whisper in your father's ear. Though the words were his, they were laced with Mumm-Ra's dark magic. Grune began to tell your father about a seer that he had seen, how she said that you would be the downfall of Thundera. Your father did not believe this at first, but the power behind Grune persuaded him to see this seer."

Leona sneered. "But she was no seer," she hissed, "just another one of Mumm-Ra's pawns. She showed your father a false vision of what you would be. The false seer showed you as a weak king who would roll over to appease the other races, and that you would lead Thundera to its destruction. Claudus was horrified at what he saw, and he began to take action against you."

"But why?" Cheetara asked. "Why would Mumm-Ra brainwash the king into believing these things about Lion-O?"

"Because he was afraid," Leona simply said. "Even a powerful being like Mumm-Ra feels fear. He foresaw you, Lion-O, to be a threat to his return. He knew that you would defeat him as Leo did before. That was when he decided to end you before you became a threat."

"But what about Tygra?" Lion-O asked. "Where was my brother in all of this? What does father believe will happen if Tygra was king?"

Leona seemed thoughtful. "Tygra knew nothing of any of this," she said, "he believed what he had been told. Claudus believed that Tygra would be a stronger king than you could. He had Tygra trained as a warrior, and had him tutored by great strategists. He knew that when the time was right, Tygra would be ready to go to war with any 'threat' that dared to cross the kingdom. Tygra would never retreat, nor would he ever surrender or show mercy to anyone who tried."

Leona looked down sadly at her feet. "But that is exactly what Mumm-Ra wanted," the queen said, lifting her head back up. "Tygra would lead legions of our people to their deaths, and in the end, Thundera would fall. And when we are destroyed, the rest of Third Earth would follow."

"Tell us about, Claudus," Cheetara said. "Tell us about his plot against Lion-O."

Thundera's late queen was hesitant. "He planned on killing him while he was still in my womb," tears brimmed at her eyes, "even if it meant my death." She quickly wiped the tears away and continued on. "While he was still a general, Panthro was the first to learn of this plot and soon gathered many who were against this to my side. He then took me away from the palace and brought me to my parents' estate to give birth to you there."

"That was when he attacked, right?" Lion-O asked. It was the only explanation left.

Leona said nothing; she just disappeared before their eyes. That was when the blizzard suddenly cleared out, leaving them in the middle of a courtyard.

No, not a courtyard, it was more like a warzone.

Thunderian fought Thunderian with sword and shield and spear. One side wore the armor of Grune's personal soldiers, while the other was the personal guard of Leona's house. Lion-O and Cheetara walked past the fighting apparitions and found themselves at a staircase on the far side of the courtyard.

The two climbed the steps, watching the battle before them escalate. Once they reached the top, they saw Panthro and another soldier emerge from behind a set of double doors. They walked straight through Lion-O and Cheetara and looked below to see the battle.

"There they are!" Panthro shouted, pointing down to the courtyard.

Both prince and Cleric looked down to see both Grune and Claudus walking through the courtyard with their weapons. Claudus was cutting down enemies with a sword (not the Sword of Omens), while Grune swung hard with his mace.

"Get to the Queen and the Prince," the soldier said, drawing two short swords from their sheathes, "I'll handle those two."

The soldier ran swiftly down the marble stairs and engaged the General and King in battle. The soldier tried to strike at the king with both swords, but was blocked by Claudus' own sword. Grune swung low with his mace, knocking down the soldier as he hit his legs. Claudus took this opportunity to shove his blade into the soldier with a downward stab.

Panthro grimaced at his ally's death. He quickly ran back through the doors and into the estate with Lion-O and Cheetara following close behind the apparition. They followed him up another flight of stairs and down a grand hallway before they entered the master bedroom.

Beneath the purple bed sheets laid Leona, Queen of Thundera and mother to its new Prince, cradling a wrapped bundle that cooed in her arms. Lion-O and Cheetara watched the General slowly approach the bed that held the resting mother.

"Your Majesty," he addressed her, "your husband and General Grune are right outside."

Leona only gazed down lovingly at her newborn son. "He is so beautiful, Panthro," the queen said softly. "Lion-O, my little one, he is our only hope for the future, that is what she told me."

Panthro seemed confused by her words. "We need to get you both out of here," he said urgently, "before they come and harm you and the prince."

Leona only paid attention to her son's cooing. "You will bare a great burden, my son," she whispered. "But I know that you will be as strong as she said you would be. You, Lion-O, will be the shining light that blazes through the darkness."

She kissed the baby's brow. "It is too late for me, Panthro," Leona said. "My time is past, but you can still save Lion-O."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," the panther said, "but I can't just leave you here to die."

"It will not be in vain," Leona said. "Lion-O will be safe, you must take him."

Panthro hesitantly nodded. "As you wish, My Queen, I will make sure to take him safely to Valern."

"No!" Thundera's Queen exclaimed. "You will not take him to Valern and his 'Order'. You must take him and hide him away in Thundera. It is the last place Claudus would look."

"Your Majesty," Panthro said shocked, "I have my orders."

"What is more important," Leona's eyes narrowed, "your orders, or your Queen's last wish?" Panthro seemed hesitant. "Please, Panthro, he is meant for a different path. I need you to promise me that you will do what is best for Lion-O."

Panthro nodded with a determined look on his face. "I promise to do what is best."

Leona placed one last kiss on her son's cheek. "I love you, Lion-O," she whispered. "Know that I will always be here, even if I'm not."

Leona gave her son to the general, and both Lion-O and Cheetara watched him take the baby lion out to the hallway. Panthro heard the echo of footsteps down the halls and ducked into a nearby passage. The panther hid himself behind a pillar as the lion and cheetah saw both Claudus and Grune walk past.

When the baby Lion-O gave out a slight whimper, Grune paused and looked down the hallway. Lion-O and Cheetara knew that this was only an echo of the past, all the Destroyer saw was an empty hallway. Grune sniffed before continuing on.

Panthro silently but quickly ran down the hallway and pulled down the edge of a pillar. A section of the wall opened up and revealed a hidden passage that was shown to him earlier. The prince and Cleric followed the general and baby as they reached cold cavern walls. They emerged from the mouth of a cave and into a light snowfall.

Lion-O and Cheetara followed the two through the snow-covered plain in front of them, the crunching footsteps leading the way. They turned as one as they all heard the roar behind them. Grune ran forward toward Panthro and the baby, his mace at the ready.

Panthro carefully rolled to the right as the saber tooth's mace hammered down and the General grabbed his nunchaku. Balancing baby Lion-O on his left arm, the panther gave a series of quick strikes to Grune's face. One last strike landed on his jaw, his right fang flying through the air and into the snow.

An unconscious Grune fell on his back as Panthro quickly ran as fast as possible from the estate. The only thing on the panther's mind was getting the baby to someplace warm. He left behind Lion-O and Cheetara as he ran away.

It seemed that some time had flashed forward, as Claudus had appeared and picked up Grune's missing fang from the snow. He grimly turned to Grune, who was being helped up by his soldiers. Claudus gripped the fang tightly before throwing it back onto the snowy ground.

The blizzard returned and Leona appeared in front of them. "Since that day," she said solemnly, "Claudus knew that as long as you were alive, you would always be threat to him. His search for you was endless," the queen then turned to Cheetara, "until she found you in the Ring."

"So what do we do now?" Lion-O asked. "We know that my father is a threat, but so is Mumm-Ra. What are we supposed to do now?"

"There is only one thing you can do now." Lion-O and Cheetara turned in shock to see Jaga approach the group.

"Jaga," Cheetara whispered, tears brimming in her eyes, "I—"

The Head Cleric placed a hand on the cheetah's shoulder. "It is okay, Cheetara, I would never blame you for this. The fault was my own for not seeing things clearly." Jaga turned to Lion-O and Leona. "Your Majesty, Lion-O, I am truly sorry for what has been done. If I had only known—"

"Then you would have been killed sooner," Leona said grimly. "The Claudus we knew is gone, Jaga, replaced by what Mumm-Ra's magic has twisted him into."

Jaga nodded sadly. "You are right," he said. "But still, Mumm-Ra is a greater threat, one that must be dealt with."

"But how?" Cheetara asked. "Leo used the Sword of Omens against Mumm-Ra, but he has still returned."

"That is why you must seek out the Book of Omens," Jaga said.

"But the Book has been lost for countless centuries," Cheetara said. "Many have gone out in search for it, but none have ever succeeded."

"That is because none of those men were Head Cleric, my dear," Jaga said sagely. "It resides within the Tower of Omens, placed there by the ancient Clerics of old. The knowledge of where it was has been passed down from Head Cleric to Head Cleric for generations."

"Then how do we get there?" Lion-O asked determined. "If we need the Book, then we'll find it."

"I can give each of you half of the knowledge to find your way there," Jaga said. "That way, if either of you is captured, the enemy will not be able to find it without the other. Are you ready?"

Lion-O and Cheetara nodded. Leona went to her son and embraced him. "I love you, my son," she whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek, "take care." She then went to the cheetah. "I know you will protect him well, Cheetara. He will always look to you when he has no one else, remember this."

Leona backed away in order for Jaga to come forward. The Head Cleric placed both his hands against their foreheads, and in a flash of light…

…Lion-O awoke to see WilyKit hovering above him. "He's awake!" she cried out happily.

"Cheetara is too," WilyKat said.

They both pushed themselves off from the cold and dank stone floors of the Royal Palace's dungeons. They groaned as Panthro approached them both from the cell door.

"You two, okay?" he asked. "The both of you were out of it for a while."

"How long were we out?" Lion-O asked, his voice rasped slightly.

"A couple of hours at most," Panthro said. "The two of you mumbled for a bit. Did you both share some sort of dream?"

Both Lion-O and Cheetara told the three cats of what had happened in the Astral Plain. How they were told about the threat of Mumm-Ra. How they had seen what really happened at Queen Leona's estate. How Jaga had given them the knowledge to find the Book of Omens.

"Valern needs to know about this," Panthro said. "The Order of the Hand needs to know about Mumm-Ra."

"My mother mentioned Valern," Lion-O said, "but we don't know everything about the Order."

Panthro seemed thoughtful. "When I learned about the plot against your mother, Lion-O, I gathered many lords and generals to help defend her." He paused for a bit. "Valern was one of these lords. He and many others decided that if anything were to happen to the Queen, then they would be the ones to help guide you. That was when they formed the Order of the Hand. They have acted in secrecy for over eighteen years; no one has ever found them."

"Until now," Cheetara said shamefully. "When I told Claudus and Jaga about the meeting tonight, I also told them everything about the Order. Claudus is sending the City Guard to clear out their lair."

"Panthro said you might do that, so we came up with this plan."

The cats turned to see Pumyra leaning forward against the cell door. They all (except for Panthro) were shocked by her presence.

"Right on schedule, Pumyra," Panthro said. "Do you know where Claudus put the Sword of Omens?"

The puma scoffed. "That arrogant fool had it returned to the armory. How stupid can you be to put it back in a room that still has a giant hole in its doors?"

"Claudus thinks he's won," Panthro said. "We can use that to our advantage." Pumyra picked the lock to the cell open. "Alright, time to start the distraction."

The other four cats seemed confused, and for good reason. "What distraction?" Lion-O asked, saying what they were all thinking.

Pumyra pulled out a small black cylinder with a red button on top. "This one," she said, pressing hard on the red switch.