Icarus sat alone as the sun rose; it had been a few hours after failing to kill Iago. He watched as Lana's remaining friends try and comfort each other. His own daughter had rejected his offering of comfort; she pushed him away. He lied down, hoping to clear his mind for the time being.
"Had I killed Iago when he was in that tree, would things have been different now? My little princess has been slowly pushing me out of her life. The Goldlands no longer exist; only a land covered in blood and death is what remains. I failed to kill Iago and it has cost everyone dearly. What kind of King am I?!" Icarus exclaimed.
When Icarus opened his eyes, he realized he was no longer in his den. He was standing in a field of green grass, he walked forwards only to find a pool of clear water he gazed into it and could not see the bottom. It looked to go on forever. "I guess I fell asleep. That was fast." Icarus thought as he remembered lying down and closing his eyes just one moment before.
"Father? Where are you; is anyone here?" Yelled the dark lion. "Kill, kill is that the only thing you can do? Icarus," said a blond lion cu that Icarus was only just now seeing in front of him. "Who are you? And what do you want? Answer me now, cub." Icarus impatiently demanded, though he had an idea who this overweight cub could be. "Nothing much, just to mock you and laugh at your misfortune. Oh, false king, you really don't know who I am, do you?" Laughed the lion cub. Icarus eyes widened when it was all but confirmed. "You!
"Yes, the one and only Miran! I love how you fucked up the world. Oh, and as a side note, you're not a king at all. You, like all others before you, did not best me in combat. You killed me with a snake like a pissant instead of simply accepting your death like a lion. And because I chose to fight you in combat, your cheating makes you ineligible to be king. There is no one alive to anoint you as king, as indicated in the ancient laws. You are just a pretender, and so was that lion you called brother," said Miran. Hearing him talk badly about Saul caused Icarus to place his heavy paw on the cub's head to shut him up.
"I don't care about you or your death. I am the king, and my family will rule." Icarus more threatened than said. Not that it deterred or even perturbed Miran in the slightest.
"You're a fool. The way you took my crown has cursed you and your family. My bloodline ruled, because it was our divine right to do so. All of the Kings of the Past were blessed by the Spirits. Unlike you, who has been cursed. You, for all of your self-righteous posturing, have begun a cycle of death far greater than anyone in this era." Laughed Miran. "What's wrong, don't you want to snap my neck?" He further taunted. "What do you mean cycle of death? Answer me now!" Roared Icarus. Miran simply laughed more as he spoke.
"Your family killed Queen Uru. Her son Taka bore witness to it, and because of that he was pushed into becoming Scar. Scar will lead the Pridelands to ruins and so many will die and suffer. When you murdered Iago's mother, he was free to do whatever he wanted. So, he killed my son Mato and every cub and lioness who lived in the Goldlands. You made all this possible with your anger, you an accursed creature, Icarus. Your honor is just a mask (and a poorly crafted mask, might I add), for you are a hypocrite." Miran stated in a matter-of-fact way. Icarus pinned the cub spirit down, his claws close to where his jugular would have been in life.
"Then what the bloody hell are you, Miran? Why should, and why would, the spirits allow you to rule?" Icarus demanded through his cold fury.
"I am a warrior, father, teacher, executioner and a tyrant. I have no problem saying these things. I know what I am, I know my place, and I have known this for a long time. It was my birthright to be king, and for better or worse the Spirits will see that my family rules. That is what you and Saul both lack, along with self-control. You both are nothing but trash, some wastes of seed and egg that fell from the backsides of whores living in the Wastelands."
Icarus bit down on the cub's head, only for him to crush a rock instead. He slowly let go and hoped that no one saw his outburst. And was happy that the world flashing white was an indication that this was all a dream, and that the sun being high in the sky indicated that some time had passed since he lied down this morning.
"I can't allow what Miran said to get the best of me. I am not a murderer! I am not cursed; Iago will die nexttime he and I meet. I just have to fix things with Lana and everything will be ok. She will forgive me; she has to. None of this was my fault, Miran is lying" Icarus whispered to himself as he went to find Lana. However, he did not need to go far because he soon heard her speaking near the lake.
"I can't stay here anymore David. I am going to leave the pride; it's better for everyone. They're all dead; every last one of them. It's all my fault! And him… I don't think I can ever look him in the eyes anymore. His anger got the best of him, and in that moment I saw a monster no better than Iago." Lana cried, being caressed between her spiritual cousins David and Julia. David growled as he spoke. "Believe me: Othello is going to pay greatly for this once I sink my claws into him." David promised.
"No, don't kill him. Please. He's lost right now, yes. But there is still good in him. His eyes said it all. Those were not the eyes of a monster, but of a scared cub who just wants to hold onto the last thing he has in this world. Please, don't kill him, David. Just let it go; too many friends have died. Killing him won't do any good. My father doing just that forced him down the path he is taking right now." Lana pleaded. David's green eyes filled with tears, for more than just Lana's kindness and saddened mood.
"I can promise that I will only take his life if it is to protect myself or another individual from harm. But that's the best I can do Lana. I don't want you to hate me if I kill him. Trust me, it's not something I want to do. We were friends, and maybe there is still good inside him." David answered. "It was not Othello I was talking about. I can't… I can't face my father. I can't… can't truly fault him. He… He only was protecting me, like any father would… but… How could he be so much like… like him?" Sobbed Lana, right into David's mane.
Icarus walked away with his head hung low; he had heard everything. My daughter blames herself for the death of all those innocent lions. She intends to run away, but not right now because Julia has not given birth. She sees me as a beast, one who has been locked up and just found freedom and enjoys killing, thought the lonely king as he walked. But then his resolve returned with force.
I cannot allow Iago to become my obsession. However, we need to prepare for the worst. A war might fall upon these lands and I need to know if what Miran is true. I need to find Ajabu. He and I must to talk to the spirits. I have to know if they are against me and consider me a false king. Iago can have his kingdom. I must tend to what is mine and protect it.