Book 1: Chapter 23

"Wherever Nala goes, Nyla's sure to follow," the older lionesses would say when Nala was young.

It was true. Nyla and Nala, though not biologically related, were practically bound by the hip as if they were sisters. Their names even rhymed - something the two girls had gone from giggling about to feeling slightly annoyed about. Their names were so similar that if someone spoke too quickly or too softly, it was impossible to tell who was getting called. So, Nala had taken to calling Nyla, Ny - a nickname her friend hated but hated much less than getting their names mixed up.

An incident in which Simba, the boy Nala had a fierce crush on, accidentally called her by her friends name was one that brought up negative emotions from both sides of the friendship. Silly heartbreak from Nala's and pure disgust from Nyla's.

Still, despite complications with names, they had been the closest of friends growing up, and they had been able to confide in each other about anything and everything. So when Nyla had woken Nala up one night, many many moons ago, with wide eyes, Nala woke up instantly ready to listen to her friend's grievances.

"I think I'm going crazy," Nyla had whispered.

Nala had wiped her bleary eyes. "What're you talking about, Ny?" she had whispered back.

They had been young then - it was the night after Simba and Mufasa passed, and her friend had seemed particularly distraught by the details of the incident. Nala remembered Nyla's face growing paler when Scar began to describe the stampede, but she could hardly pay much attention to her distraught friend when her own face was wet with tears.

Her friend had woken her up later that night, her eyes glassy. "I think I can see the future," she said.

Nala hadn't believed her at first, saying she needed to go back to sleep. Then, her friend began to explain.

She began to explain how she'd been having "visions" over the last several months. It started off tame - minor things like seeing what the weather would be like the next day. Then, it became a little more serious with her foreseeing Nala and Simba's trip to the elephant graveyard. She explained how she had brushed it off as just being a coincidence - until she saw her latest vision.

In her latest vision, she had explained, she saw the stampede that killed the king and young prince. The stampede that killed their friend. "Either I'm going crazy," she had said at the end of her explanation, sniffling, "Or I can really see the future."

Nala had been too young to understand what had been going on then. She hadn't realized the gravity of what her friend had told her. She figured her friend was like Rafiki - spiritual and whatnot. What she hadn't realized then was that her friend processed something far deeper than whatever Rafiki or any Royal Mjuzi had. It was an innate and deeply unfortunate curse - not a blessing - that had been born in her friend.

And now, Nala as a much older lioness had to explain to her dearest friend's daughter that she, like her mother, was cursed.

The concern in Dalia's eyes right now reminded the Queen so much of her friend's eyes the night she revealed to Nala the truth. It was like her friend was staring back at her with those fearful eyes, and it made what Nala had to do so much more painful to swallow.

"You're not making sense. I'm a curse? A divinator? And what did you say - something about my mother? How in the world do you know my mother." Dalia blubbered after Nala's declaration, shaking her head. She sucked in a deep breath, composing herself. "I need you to explain this to me. From the beginning."

Nala pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded. "Very well." It was the least she could do for her. "Let's go somewhere a little more private."

. . .

Nala had taken her away from the loud scene at Priderock, to a private rocky area several yards behind the Lion Guard's Lair. The two lionesses were seated on two adjacent ledges, facing the other.

"I forgot to ask, but are you injured from the battle today?" Nala questioned.

Dalia's paws ached with minor burns from stomping out the fire, but she locked her jaw. "I'm doing alright. You?"

"Fine."

She nodded numbly. "I think you at least owe me some kind of explanation for all this."

"Right." Nala glanced down for a brief moment, and Dalia swore she spotted the Queen slide her claws in and out - a nervous habit that she had always seen her mother do when she was young. She guessed even Queens have their not-so-regal moments. "Let me start off by asking you a question." She inhaled. "Has your mother passed?"

Dalia felt like she was choking. She didn't want to answer the question. She wanted to run. She wanted to hide. She wanted to stop thinking about it. But she knew that she needed her answers, she would have to face this fear of hers eventually.

"Yes," Dalia replied evenly, "She was killed. I've been on the run ever since."

Similar to Rafiki, Nala bore a look of true grief. As if she had known Nyla personally. "I'm very sorry to hear that." She slid her claws in and out once more. "Uh, my next question to you is, how much did your mother tell you about her childhood? About where she grew up, or what she had been up to before she had you."

"She told me she had been a Queen," Dalia answered in a slow voice, feeling her throat start to restrict. "She told me that she was taken forcibly as Queen, and still loved my father, a rogue lion. I know that's what ended up getting her exiled, her being pregnant with me, but I've got no clue what happened to my father. I also don't know too much from before that - from her childhood or whatnot."

Nala winced. "Okay. Well, then, this may be a little surprise to you then," she prefaced, "Dalia, I knew your mother very well. She was born and raised in the Pridelands, and she was one of my closest friends."

What?

Dalia felt her mouth open in shock. Her mother was a Pridelander?

"I know it may be hard to believe," Nala said, not giving her even a second to process the information, "but, yes, your mother did in fact grow up in the Pridelands. She was my best friend, too. She ended up escaping during Scar's reign, and I always hoped she would return. But, now, looking back on it, that might've been for the best."

"How so?"

Nala eyed her carefully. "Your mother was a divinator, Dalia. She was able to foretell certain aspects of the future with relative accuracy. This was in one part, a blessing and in two parts, a curse. For one thing, she had a very valuable gift. But she was also very much a curse. For whatever reason, when someone is gifted with divination, evil always seems to follow them. Almost as soon as your mother realized her powers, Scar rose to the throne, and almost immediately after she left the Pridelands, Simba defeated Scar."

Dalia was furiously working to defend her mother's reputation. "My mother wasn't a curse! All of that could've very easily been coincidental!"

Even as she spewed those words, seeds of doubt began to settle deep within her. After all, shortly after Nyla arrived at the Wazi Pride, Kali arrived too...

"I have seen with my own two eyes how this curse works," stressed Nala, "It both affected the Pridelands, as well as herself! Scar was obsessed with her because of her gift. Though she was technically the curse to the Pridelands, bringing with her evil energies, I would argue that she also had been cursed to bear this horrible, horrible gift.

I mean, it's no wonder you never knew your Nyla's birthplace; there were so many horrible memories connected to this place. So, yes, it was for the best that your mother hadn't returned to the Pridelands." She sighed sharply. "And now with Scar back in the Pridelands, I have no idea what that means for you and your safety."

"So you're saying that Scar will also be after me? That if I stay, I'll also be condemning the rest of you? You're saying that it would be best if I left the Pridelands and never returned?"

Nala hung her head. "You have no idea how difficult this is for me. When I look at you, I see her. I see her eyes pleading with me, asking me the same questions you're asking." She slowly raised her head, meeting Dalia's gaze. "But despite however difficult it may be, I am a Queen before I am a friend. I must do the best for my subjects and my Pride. Perhaps... perhaps, if you ever find yourself in a similar role, you'll be able to understand where I'm coming from."

Oh, but Dalia understood her alright. Her message was stingingly clear.

Dalia needed to leave the Pridelands. Now.

"Of course, we will have a Pride meeting to decide whether or not you should stay, as all decisions like this are made via popular vote," Nala continued to explain, but Dalia was drowning her out.

Her entire world was spinning around her, and she could barely keep up.

She was a curse. It was her fault that the attack happened today. She thought of Zuri's horrible burn. It's all your fault. She thought of the gash on Tiifu's face, marring her innocent features. All your fault. She thought of the burn on Madoa's back, the gash on Simba's ribs, the various injuries nearly everyone bore after the attack.

It's all your fault, all your fault, all your fault-

She blinked.

"Oh my God! Zuri!" Tiifu's cry echoed in her head.

"Put it out! Put it out!" Zuri's agonized voice joined hers, and the two voices mingled and mixed together like some sort of horrible, grating duet.

She blinked again, trying to silence the horrible noise. Her eyes started to well with tears as the reality of both being a curse and being cursed finally struck her. Would she be forced, for the rest of her life, to see herself and those she cares about get hurt and die? Was she the reason her mother died? Or had her mother died as a result of her own cursedness? Oh-

Nala's concerned voice rose above the shrowd of delusion clouding Dalia's mind. She reached out a paw to touch her and said, "..are you okay?"

It sounded like she was speaking underwater, and Dalia snapped her head up to look at her, her eyes stinging with hot, angry tears. "You could've stopped what happened tonight! You could've told me about this hours ago! I could've left! I would've left if I knew!"

Nala's eyes widened in surprise, but her blue eyes looked horribly empty and tired. Dalia was coming to the belated realization that it was physically hurting the Queen to send Dalia away. She supposed that made sense. Her mother was, allegedly, the Queen's dearest friend. Even still, it was hard for Dalia to feel anything other than anger towards the older lioness.

"I-" Nala's mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish as she tried to decide what to say. She reached out again to touch Dalia, and while Dalia knew she was trying to be comforting, the gesture made her blood boil.

And then, without a word, she was shouldering past her.

She was running then. Running away from Nala, away from Priderock, away from the Pridelands as fast as her paws could carry her. She didn't know where exactly she would go, nor did she know what her friends would think when they discovered her missing, but she knew she had to run.

That's right, taunted a cruel and horribly familiar voice at the back of her head. Run away, just like you've run from everything. The voice laughed, and it was a high and cruel sound. Run, run, run little cub - run, run, run.

And run she did.

Kion could not believe how the day had gone south so quickly. It felt like just a few minutes ago, he was laughing with Dalia and now... now, he didn't know what exactly was going on. He was standing by Priderock, glancing out at the open fields. The area around Priderock was empty now; the herds, after complaining for a good hour, were finally dismissed when King Simba gave them a final ultimatum.

The King gave them an out. He gave his allowance for any, and potentially every, herd to evacuate the Pridelands. Kion could see that it had pained his Dad to do that, but it was the only thing he could do after lying to all of them and keeping Scar a secret.

It was strange. He should feel really down on himself after the events of that night. Instead, in a very strange way, he felt relieved.

Of course, he was still devasted by the destruction of Mzimu Grove and by the various injuries of the night. His heart was particularly heavy with concern for Kiara's sister, Zuri - whose graphic injury was common knowledge by now. But, beyond the devastation and sorrow, he also felt an incredible sense of relief. The herds finally knew about the threat at hand. He wasn't going to be the only one to boulder this incredibly difficult burden.

And for that, he felt like a pound of rocks had been removed from his shoulders.

After the herds left with the ultimatum, Kion offered the same to his Guard. He would never force anyone to stay and fight if they didn't want to, and he made that very clear. Thankfully, each and every single member of his Guard had firmly stated that they would stay no matter what. For the second time that night since the attack, Kion felt relieved.

Now, after his Guard retired for the night and the herds had headed home, Kion mentally made a list of everyone he knew, and how they got through the attack. He knew his family and Pride were mostly fine. His father had a long gash on his ribs, his mother's tail had been lightly burned, Tiifu had a very deep gash on her face, and, well, everyone knew what happened to poor Zuri.

He sighed, moving on to his Guard.

His Lion Guard got through the attack with relatively minor issues, though the undersides of Fuli's paws had been burned from putting out Zuri's fire.

He exhaled again, this time with relief, before moving on to everyone else.

Jasiri's Clan made it through the attack nearly unscratched, the only exception being Madoa's small burn across her back. He knew Zazu was uninjured - he had seen him speaking in a low voice with his father. He remembered seeing Rafiki and Makini together as well, just outside the Lion Guard's Lair where Zuri was resting. Makini had seemed very upset, and Rafiki looked tired, but both seemed unharmed. He even spotted Imba flying overhead a few minutes ago, though she did have several feathers missing and several minor cuts along her legs.

The only one that he wasn't sure what happened to yet was Dalia, and that was causing him some concern.

He knew nothing horrible had happened to her - Tombie would be all up in his face if that had. But, still, after not seeing her at all since the start of the attack, he did worry. After thinking for a moment, he decided the most likely place for Dalia to be was...

...well, he didn't know.

To be honest, he hardly knew anything about her - despite his fondness of the lioness. He didn't know what foods she preferred or what kinds of weather she liked. He didn't know how she got that scar on her forearm, or why she tried to conceal it with carefully planned steps. He didn't know how she became a nomad, nor what had happened to her family.

And he was quickly realizing as time went on that he really, really wanted to know all of those things about her.

He wanted to know her dislikes and the things that made her smile. He wanted to know what things sent her into a fit of giggles and what things she frowned upon. He wanted to know everything - the good, the bad, the pretty, the ugly - about this lioness, and he wasn't sure what exactly that meant.

Was it possible to love someone you barely know? He wasn't sure. He didn't think so. Perhaps he was just in love with the idea of her - the mysterious, intelligent, well-spoken lioness who has absolutely nothing tying her down. She had no responsibilities and was content to just laugh in the wind as she pleased - not giving two damns about what anyone thought of her.

Perhaps he secretly envied her and her freedom, and that's why he felt this way about her. Could envy be mistaken for love?

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts. Maybe he wasn't sure of what his feelings for her meant, but he was sure that he cared for her - whether that by platonically or something a little more than that.

So, he began searching for her - not quite sure where she would be, but knowing that he needed to find her. He walked over to the Lion Guard's Lair first, peeking his head in through the vines. Zuri was asleep, and Rafiki and Makini had finished bandaging up her leg, speaking in low voices to Kiara and Simba. He noticed that his mother was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Dalia.

Imba was perched beside a distraught Tiifu, patting her awkwardly but lovingly.

He stepped into the cave and walked towards Tiifu. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, and he frowned at the gash extending from the crown of her head to her cheek. That side of her face was red and puffy, but otherwise, she looked uninjured.

"Do you know where Dalia is?" Imba asked him. "I haven't seen her since the attack."

Tiifu interjected before Kion could answer. "She got out fine, Imba. I saw her. She might've burned her paws like I did after putting out Zuri's fire, but that's all," she said hoarsely. "Not sure where she is now, but she's fine."

Imba looked relieved.

"I actually came here to look for her," he added. He dared a glance at Zuri and felt an acute sense of pity for her. He overheard Rafiki mentioning the possibility of Zuri never regaining the ability to walk with that leg.

As he was preparing to leave the Lair to look for Dalia, Makini piped up from where she was sitting glumly. "I feel really terrible about all this," she whispered, "I should've invited fewer folks tonight."

"It's not your fault," said Kion. "It was a good idea for you to invite everyone you could."

Makini sighed. "I know, that's what Rafiki was telling me," she said miserably. "I just can't believe he's back."

Nobody needed to specify who "he" was in the context - they all understood.

He began to stand back up, turning to leave the lair, when Tiifu called out to him. "Hey, Kion?" He turned, raising a brow expectantly. "If you find Dalia, tell her I said thank you. She helped me and Zuri a lot tonight." She paused, hesitated for a moment, then said. "She's a good friend."

Kion nodded. "I will," he said, and then he was walking out of the lair in search of the lioness.

. . .

Within a few minutes, he unknowingly found himself walking towards the area where Dalia played questionnaire with him a few weeks ago, remembering the way she told him that she thought he was brave, and how that had made his heart soar.

I think you're pretty fierce even when you're not being the leader of the Lion Guard.

The memory of it made him smile. The way she had blushed, the way her big alluring eyes glowed in the pale moonlight. The memory was captivating.

He was nearing the wooded area surrounding the watering-hole, when there was a sudden crash of branches - like someone was running through the wooded area, trying to escape.

He turned to the direction of the noise, half-expected an assailant, but saw Dalia instead - looking frightened as she ran out of the wooded area. She paused then, looking behind her as if to make sure she wasn't being followed. She hadn't yet seen Kion as he was slightly obscured by the shrubbery, and the next thing he knew, she was bowing her head right above the water's edge.

He had thought she would lap at the crystal blue water, but instead, she was crying - her tears dripping down her face and mixing with the water of the spring. With a jolt, he realized he hadn't seen her cry before. She was always so strong, so guarded.

She was still strong, even now, but she was definitely more vulnerable than he had ever seen her.

He slowly approached her, not wanting to startle her. "Dalia? Are you okay?" he called out softly as he neared her.

She jolted at the sound of his voice, looking up. Her eyes were wide, wild, and terrified. "Kion?"

"It's okay," he soothed, "It's just me. What's wrong?" He looked in the direction Dalia busted out of the wood but saw no attacker. "Did someone attack you?"

Dalia was sniffling, trembling still. "No, no! Nala was just talking to me and telling me all these things about me that I didn't even know, but she wasn't making any sense, and it was just getting too much, and I had to just get away from her-," Dalia was rambling, her voice getting shriller as she continued.

"Wait, did you say Nala? As in my mother? What's going on?" Kion interrupted. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Dalia paused, taking deep breaths in and out. After several moments, she said, "I'm fine. Just..." She cleared her throat, "just, unnerved." She was blinking hard, turning her face away so he couldn't see her cry. "And confused. I feel like I don't know what's going on."

Kion rested his hind legs on the grass, sitting next to her. "I know a thing or two about feeling that way. It helps to talk about it, you know."

Dalia looked at him apprehensively, chewing at her bottom lip. Then, dejectedly, she murmured, "I guess you'll find out soon enough, anyway. I'd rather you hear it from me, in that case." Kion had absolutely no idea what she was referring to, but he let her speak. "I don't even know where I should start."

She was struggling to figure out where to stay, so Kion didn't interrupt. He just waited for her to speak.

And speak she did.

After a few moments, she began explaining things that Kion hadn't even heard of until Dalia began to speak. She began talking about how she was a divinator, and how that meant she could see the future, and how that meant she was also cursed. She explained how her mother, who was originally from the Pridelands, was also cursed. She talked about how she had foreseen the attack on Mzimu Grove, and how for as long as she stayed in the Pridelands, the land would remain cursed. She began explaining the confusing mess of how Nala and Rafiki were both involved in this.

She told him that there would be a Pride meeting tomorrow, but she would be leaving by morning - no matter what decision the Pride came to.

It had taken her about ten minutes to explain everything, and Kion hadn't spoken a word for those ten minutes. He just let her unload everything from her chest. Dalia had teared up during some moments, sounded angry during others, and looked just scared during others. Kion, for his part, could feel his heart crack a little bit more with every word she said.

Dalia had finished speaking now, and she was looking up at him expectantly, waiting for his response.

He was trying to figure out what to say. What sentence would capture all the various feelings he felt in that moment? Did such a sentence even exist?

"...So you're leaving?" he said a little lamely, after realizing that he had no idea what an appropriate response would be.

"I have to."

Another moment of silence stretched between them, and Kion could feel his throat constricting. "So this is it then?" he said. "You're just going to pick up and leave, go on to the next place?"

Dalia's eyes widened. "It's not like I have a choice, Kion. Would you rather me just sit here, watching you all get hurt?"

"Okay, so you leave the Pridelands. What do you think's going to happen with Scar? You think that Scar will look around, realize you've left, and just go 'aw, shucks, cursed Dalia isn't here anymore... oh, well, guess it's time to go into retirement!' Do you really, truly believe that you leaving the Pridelands will make him just go away? The attack today was his fault, not yours - so you leaving would do nothing."

"Okay, and what about after this deal with Scar's done?" she said, sounding frustrated. "As long as I remain here, things like what happened tonight will continue to happen. If not Scar, someone else will come!"

"That's how it's always going to be," Kion shot back, "There is no such thing as permanent peace, Dalia. You defeat one bad guy, three more take his place. You being here isn't going to change that."

Dalia's brows were tightly knitted together. "How do you know for sure?"

"And let's say you leave by the morning," he continued, ignoring her question, "Even if this whole curse thing is even true, it's not like you can go anywhere. Anywhere you go, allegedly, will be cursed for as long as you're there. So, won't you just be constantly moving around, going from place to place, never settling down? Is that the life you want, Dalia? You never want to settle down, have friends, start a family? Ever?"

She was crying again now. "I don't have a choice," she repeated thickly. "I'm cursed."

Kion let out a breath. "How do you even know all of that is true?" he countered. "To me, this whole "curse" sounds like a lot of superstition. Curses aren't real, and even if they were, you certainly aren't one."

"And I don't think that's very safe for you either. I'm sure you know how it is outside the Pridelands. How dangerous and barbaric it can get?" He made it a point to stare at the scar on her forearm, which she instinctively shielded from his view. For whatever reason, seeing her do that made him even more upset. "What if you get taken as a Queen by some old King twice your age?

What if you're attacked, or starving, or not able to find water? I know you're strong, Dalia, but nobody is invincible on their own." He was getting worked up now, and he wasn't sure who exactly he was angry at. "You need to stay where you have others to look out for you. Here, you've got the Guard, you've got Imba, you've got Makini, you've got Tombie. You've got me. And you think it's smart to throw away the security you have here, just on the off chance that my Mom's crazy theory about you may be true?"

Her tears had dried by now, and her eyes flashed with anger. "Even if it is an off chance, I don't want to risk it Kion!" she shouted. "And neither should you!"

Kion stepped closer to her so that their noses were nearly touching. "Well, I'd risk it for you - I care about you!"

This declaration seemed to take both of them by surprise, and a long beat of silence stretched in the air between the two of them. Dalia blinked twice, stunned, and Kion was too upset to feel flustered.

"A lot of creatures care about you, Dalia," Kion continued, "You leaving would hurt a lot more friends than just staying. Imba, Makini, Tombie, my Guard, myself - we all want you to stay here. None of us want you to feel like you always need to run away from things that scare you. I want you to be able to turn around and face whatever terrifies you, and for that, you're going to need support from creatures that love you."

"You don't need to keep running," he repeated. His voice was softer then, but more firm.

She looked miserable, but no longer angry or defiant. He could see her resolve to begin to crumble. He could see her reluctantly begin to agree with him. "What do you want me to do?" she asked in a quivering voice.

He crossed the distance between them to nuzzle her, and she quickly tucked her head beneath his chin. "Get some rest. Wait for the Pride meeting tomorrow. I'll convince my mom, and the rest of the Pride that this curse thing is ridiculous and that you should stay."

"And what if the Pride decides that I should leave?"

"We'll cross that bridge if we get there," said Kion. "For now, though, you should probably get some sleep."

She nodded against his chest before detangling herself from him. "You're right," said Dalia, stepping away from him. "Thank you for talking to me. Sorry you had to see me freaking out like that."

"I'm sorry for losing my patience. It's been a long night for all of us, and I think I was being unfairly short-tempered with you," he said, feeling the still-warm area Dalia had just laid her head on, "I want you to know that I'll always be here to talk whenever you need me."

"Thank you. The same goes for you." She dipped her head in understanding. Then, her face took on a timid look. "Kion?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?" Her gaze was fixed downward, her ears flattening shyly. "Today was," she exhaled heavily, "a lot. And especially if this is my last night in the Pridelands, I don't want to spend it alone."

Kion suddenly felt a tightening in his chest. "Of course. Priderock is definitely overcrowded right now, but I think I know a better spot."

Wordlessly, he led her to the exact spot they had been lying in a few weeks ago, asking each other those silly questions. Dalia's eyes widened in recognition, and she smiled softly. "Getting deja vu?"

"No idea what you're talking about," he replied, also smiling.

He laid down on the soft grass, resting his back against the base of a large acacia tree. He beckoned Dalia with a look, and she looked uncomfortable.

With a belated thought, he realized she was shy. Yes, Dalia was strong and independent and clever. But she was also just a girl. A girl, who, without having Pride sisters or her mother to tell her these things, didn't exactly know how to navigate these situations.

To make her more comfortable, he turned away slightly.

She relaxed and took a spot close to him, but not touching. Still, he could tell that she was getting more comfortable as her shoulders began losing their tension. Her breathing started slowing, as well. He wondered if she could hear how fast his heart was racing right now, even from all the way over there.

At that moment, with her so close to him, he was able to be completely at peace. He began to slowly drift off into sleep.

Before he could fall asleep though, he heard her shift a tad bit. "Kion?" she whispered, turning her face so that she was looking at him.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to know that I care about you too," she said, and then she was quickly turning her face away from him once more. "Goodnight, Kion."

"Goodnight."

He watched, now awake, as she relaxed once more and her breathing slowly grew slower. While he watched her slip into sleep, he began pondering what he was going to do at the Pride meeting. After some deliberation, he decided he needed to talk with the only person he could think of who could provide some insight into this matter.

He needed to speak with his Grandfather.