Pride Rock

Kion and Rani looked out from the pinnacle of Pride Rock over his father's kingdom. It had been a long time since Kion had seen last stood here in daylight and Rani had never seen the sight before. The Tree of Life had many things that could be found nowhere else, but Rani had to admit, the Pridelands won when it came to having one place that could a give a lion a bird's eye view of the entire kingdom.

"How much of the Pridelands can you see from here?" Rani asked her mate.

"Everything the light touches is part of the Pridelands," Kion said.

"So, you can see the entire kingdom from here?"

"Yep," Kion said. "And a little bit beyond." He lifted his paw to point to an ominous shadowy area in the far distance.

"That's the elephant graveyard. The only place you can see from here that's beyond our borders."

"Is it Outlands' territory?" Rani asked, squinting at the distant shadows.

"Technically yes. Janja's clan of hyenas used to live there when his mother, Shenzi, was matriarch, but after Scar's defeat, it was abandoned. No one lives there anymore. I can still remember Dad's lectures to never play there or in the gorge and having to go there anyway to save Bunga a few times when we were little."

"He's always getting into trouble, isn't he?"

Kion chuckled. "If he wasn't getting into trouble, he wouldn't be Bunga."

Kion stared across the distance once more, taking in all that the Pridelands had to offer. It might not have the same air of calm as the Tree of Life, but the kingdom of his birth was beautiful in its own way. Of course, nothing in either kingdom was as beautiful as the smile he noticed forming on Rani's face.

"You come from a really beautiful place, Kion," Rani said. Their eyes met.

"Nothing here is as beautiful as you."

They smiled at one another and nuzzled as Rani licked Kion's cheek. He returned the affectionate gesture in kind.

Rani closed her eyes as her cheek touched Kion's and said, hesitantly "I suppose we'll need to head back tomorrow."

"We do have responsibilities to get back to," Kion said, haltingly, "But we still have all of today to enjoy ourselves here."

"Unca Kion," a small dark furred infant lion said, exiting the cave onto the promontory.

Speaking of responsibilities, he thought casting a knowing look at Rani. Soon they would need to get started building a family of their own.

"What is it, Mohatu?"

"I was in the gwass pwaying with Uwu when Unca Kopa showed up. He said to get you. He was mad."

Rani looked at Kion, without speaking. Their eyes said it all. Something serious had just happened.

"Where are your mom, dad, and grandpa?" Kion asked.

"I dunno. It was jus' Unca Kopa."

The concerned look passed from Rani's face, replaced by steely determination.

"I'll see to Mohatu and Uru, Kion. You find out what's happening with your family."

Kion nodded, "Right," and bounded the path down Pride Rock.

Rani's face became soft and nurturing.

"Don't worry, Mohatu, just stay with Auntie Rani." She smiled at the young cub.

Mohatu, oblivious to anything more serious going on, smiled back.

Kion made his way to Kopa who was standing in the grass panting heavily. There was no sign of Uru.

"Kopa, where are Dad, Kiara, and Kovu?"

Kopa closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Kion, our father's been killed!" He was still breathing heavily.

Kion couldn't believe what he'd heard.

"What!?"

He was too shocked to feel anything.

"We were going to meet my other dad, the crocodile. We got to talking about recent events in the Pridelands, and I couldn't take the way Kovu was obviously manipulating our sister."
"Manipulating her?" Kion said confused.

"That she made peace between our pride and Zira's. That it was all her."

Kion was losing his patience.

"Kopa! Our father!"

"I couldn't take what Kovu was saying and ran. Kiara followed me…" he gasped, "And we left Dad alone with Kovu."

Kion understood what Kopa was trying to say.

"Why would Kovu hurt our father?"

Kopa took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said, "Simba was talking with my other dad about my qualifications to be king. Kovu didn't like, and bit into his throat."

Kion's immediate felt a sharp pain in his scar—for the first time since he had been to the Tree of Life. He shuddered. His first clear thought was of his sister.

"Where is Kiara?"

Kopa shook his head. "She refused to believe Kovu had done that, even when it was staring her in the face. She accused my father."

Kion said nothing but continued to glare at Kopa, a dull ache growing in his scar all the while.

"She started walking back to Pride Rock. Kovu was behind her. I had to run to get here ahead of them."

The reality that his father was dead had not yet so much sank in with Kion as the reality that he had been killed in such a grizzly manner. His thoughts now turned to the crisis that would unfold when Kiara and her mate got back to Pride Rock.

"Kion," Kopa said, "I think Kiara and Kovu want to send Vitani's Lion Guard to kill my father." Kopa looked into Kion's eyes. "Please. I've already lost one father today."

This was all too much. Kion need to act now. His father was dead, and the only possible culprits were his sister's mate and his brother's other father, and his head was hurting too much for him to think clearly

"How do you know it was Kovu?"

"Because," Kopa said with absolute certainty, "My father raised from the time I was a cub to respect the Circle of Life. He couldn't kill outside of the hunt. Besides, he's been kicked out of the Swamplands for opposing King Nguvu. Simba was offering him sanctuary. He wouldn't kill his protector."

Kion had to admit that he couldn't fault any of Kopa's points. The pain around Kion's eye was hampering his ability to think, but with as much thought as he could give it, Kopa's points all made sense.

"And remember, Zira raised Kovu and Vitani to be like Scar. Think about it," Kopa tapped the ground with his paw every time he made a point, "He betrayed his mother to be accepted by our father, married our sister to become king, had his sister bully her way into leading the Lion Guard." Kopa stopped tapping his paw. "Every action, carefully chosen to enhance his own power."

Kion had to admit—Kopa had a point.


It was nearly an hour after Kopa returned that Kiara, head hung low, returned to Pride Rock, Kovu one paw behind her.

"Oh no," she heard her mate whisper.

She looked up to see both her brothers standing on the promontory of Pride Rock with Kion's Lion Guard standing at the base. All of the animals of the Pridelands were there.

"Kion," Kiara called out, tears beginning to trickle out of her eyes, "Our Father,"

"Kiara, get away from him!" Kion called down to Kiara.

Kovu, not wishing to provoke a fight, stepped back.

Kiara blinked, her mind being brought back to the present. She looked first to her mate, who was trying and failing to keep fear out of his face, then to Kion, whose eyes burned with anger, then to Kopa, who was looking oddly relieved.

"Why are you so relaxed, Kopa? One of your fathers murdered the other."

Kopa started to say something, but Kion interrupted.

"His father did nothing," Kion said. "It was Kovu."

"You really think my mate would murder his own cubs' grandfather?" Kiara could not believe how detached Kion was from reality.

"Kopa told me, everything," Kion said. "You didn't see what happened, Kiara."

"Neither did he! I was having to chase him to calm him from one of his outbursts."

"But what he said made sense," Kion responded forcefully. "Look at everything that has happened since I left for the Tree of Life. First, Zira's son seduces you to become your mate," Kion looked away from Kiara to the assembled animals, "To become your next king! His sister challenges me to lead the Lion Guard when I return, so she will be in charge of the kingdom's defense. And now, when a new heir shows up, he waits until he is alone with our king and kills him to ensure his own succession."

"Stop addressing the crowd, Kion! You are not the ruler here; I am!" Kiara said.

"Well, if you let yourself be controlled by a murderer, then perhaps you are not the best fit for the job. If it is really supposed to be the oldest, then it should be Kopa anyway!"

The animals of the Pridelands roared, chirped, and bellowed in approval.

"Or maybe we should do what they do in the swamplands and have an election?" Kion said to the crowd. "Our father had three cubs. Shouldn't his subjects get to say which of them they want to trust with ruling them?"

The animals responded even more enthusiastically to this suggestion.

"Kion," Kiara said. "You can't be king here. You have responsibilities at the Tree of Life, and Kopa has too many issues with his temper. I'm the only one capable of being queen."

Kiara's comments only made Kion's scar hurt worse. He looked at his sister intently. Kopa did have emotional issues, but Kiara had judgment issues for trusting Kovu. The more he thought about, the more his scar hurt, and the more convinced he was that only he could keep the Pridelands safe.

"You make good points about Kopa, Kiara. But you are no better. Can we trust your judgment if you want him to rule with you," Kion glared at Kovu.

"Kion," Kiara growled. "Kovu is innocent."

"I…" Kovu started, but Kiara glared, silencing him. She was handling this.

"How do you know?" Kion said angrily, "You didn't see it."

"Neither did Kopa," Kiara said.

"I know my father," Kopa shouted at her.

"And I know my mate!" she shouted back before turning her gaze to Kion.

"You barely know Kopa at all, you have never met his father, and you don't know Kovu that well, but you know me," Kiara said to her younger brother. "You should at least trust me!"

"Kiara," Kion said apologetically, his mind turning away from the pain in his scar for a brief moment, to the emotional hurt he was causing his sister. "It's not you I don't trust."

"He's right, Kiara," Kovu said, "This is about me."

"No, it isn't Kovu," Kiara said. "It is about my suitability to be queen based on a choice I made. Choosing you as my mate was one of the most important decisions I ever made. I chose you to be the father of my cubs, to share my responsibilities as ruler, to raise the next king and leader of the Lion Guard. I made that choice. If I erred so grievously," she turned from Kovu and faced Kion, "Then I do not deserve to be queen. I would be responsible for giving a lion as evil as Scar a say in the Pride's future. But I didn't because Kovu isn't. Did you know his mother banished him from her pride because he would not kill our father? That he never wanted the throne but would have been content to run away with me and have us start our own pride somewhere else until I told him that we had to reunify ours? That was my decision, not his. And it was the most important decision I ever made. You say he's using me for his own power? I say he has supported me even when he disagreed with me. That is the behavior I look for in a royal consort."

"Then who killed Simba? My father?" Kopa asked.

"That is exactly who! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he had planned this from the beginning,"

Kopa growled, but Kion raised a paw to silence him. His scar still hurt but he had to hear both sides.

"His name is Dhaifu, Prince of the Swamplands, former leader of the Swamplands' River Patrol. He did save Kopa from Zira, but never brought him home. He raised him to adulthood and only sends him back to us now, when our father had grandcubs," Kiara paused noticing that her children, mother, and sister-in-law were nowhere to be seen.

"He tells us of his desire to be king, and of the Swamplands' way of choosing a monarch, but he loses his temper at the slightest provocation. That was why I was chasing him when Father died, because both Daddy and Kovu were affirming their confidence in me as the next queen."

"Kovu was manipulating you," Kopa said, exasperated.

"Daddy, not Kovu, said it first," Kiara reminded her older brother.

Kopa growled.

"Said what?" Kion asked.

"That I healed the pride. I tried to talk him out of it, but then Kovu agreed with him, and then Kopa ran."

Kion glared at his older but less mature brother. His scar was burning again.

"Kion, I didn't kill our father," Kopa said defiantly.

"No one said you did," Kiara reminded him, "But I did say your other father did. The only thing I don't know is whether Dhaifu been manipulating you all these years or if are you his willing pawn? You said it yourself Kopa. Not 'My two fathers,' but, 'Simba and my father.' Dhaifu is the one who raised you."

"Like I had any choice in that?"

"No, but Dhaifu had every available choice. He never sent you back!"

"He rescued me!"

"He kidnapped you!"

Kion's scar only hurt worse, the more his siblings argued.

He lost his temper and loosed the Roar of the Elders, being sure to roar at the sky, where no one would be affected.

He grunted, clenched his teeth, and looked at Kiara and then Kopa.

"I don't trust either of your arguments! I rule the Pridelands until we know which of you is abetting a murderer." He looked down at his Lion Guard.

"Fuli, take the Lion Guard and bring back my father's body from the Nyembamba river." The cheetah nodded. "Ono and Anga, as the smartest and keenest of sight tell me if his wounds were made by a crocodile or a lion."

"Got it, Kion," Anga said.

"Affirmative," Ono acknowledged.

Kopa gulped. He knew his father was innocent, but he didn't know his brother's Lion Guard. He had to race back and tell his father what was going on.

Kion didn't notice Kopa run. The only thing he knew was that his scar shouldn't be hurting again after so long. He determined to go back into the cave where his mate, mother, niece and nephew were waiting. Perhaps Rani had an answer as to why the pain in his scar had returned. It was so hard to think now…