Disclaimer: I do not own ThunderCats. I only own my OCs for the purpose of this fanfic. This fanfic is inspired by the films 'Road to El Dorado' and 'Hunchback of Notre Dame', which I do not own.

This is a very special chapter. Its time for Lion-O and Leophelia's big moment to shine! I listened to a lot of love songs while writing this, but these top three said it best. I suggest listening to them while reading this chapter.

Bless The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

All Of The Girls You Loved Before by Taylor Swift

Give Me Everything from Bridgerton season 3

Enjoy!


The ThunderCats settled in their rooms, ready to go asleep and be ready for what tomorrow might bring.

Panthro was oddly happy. He went to sleep with a smile on his face. It didn't stop his snoring.

Kat had tried to sneak away and Lex-A's room, but Kit pulled him back by the tail.

"Don't even think about it, blockhead."

"I just want to see if she's okay! And maybe kiss her goodnight!"

His sister rolled her eyes and dragged him into their chosen bedroom.

While everyone else was already drifting off, Lion-O was wide awake, unable to sleep. He paced in his room, his brain working in overdrive. A million thoughts running through his mind, and they were all about Leophelia.

"Lion-O?"

The curtains which served as the door wrench pushed aside and Cheetara entered, wearing a silk nightgown and robe like Leophelia, only her nightgown was red, and her robe was cream.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly. "You seem rather restless."

Lion-O fisted his hands against his head. "I am restless. I can't stop thinking."

"What about? Are you regretting your decision to go through with the alliance you made with the lizards?"

"Of course not! The alliance is a good thing. It's just…" Lion-O trailed off, struggling to explain his overwhelming emotions. "Its…" He then sighed and sat on his bed, head hanging low. "Leophelia. I can't stop thinking about her."

Cheetara sat down beside him. "I see."

"I haven't thought about her in years. But now suddenly, she's all I can think about. What's wrong with me?"

Cheetara run his back comfortingly. "There's nothing wrong with you. But I know what your problem is. You're in love."

Lion-O's head snapped up, coated with a blush.

"I'm not in love with her! She's my best friend! I'm not in love with my best friend! Am I? I mean, I knew her when we were kids. Is it possible to be in love with someone but not know it? Am I falling in love too quickly? Do I fall in love too quickly? Do I fall over every pretty face I meet? That doesn't mean Leophelia isn't pretty! She is! But she's not just beautiful, she's compassionate and smart when we were cubs, and she probably still is! I don't know! I haven't talked to her yet!"

Cheetara chuckled as he ranted. It was so oblivious that he was falling in love with his best friend, even if he doesn't know it.

Lion-O slowed down but didn't stop talking. "I…I don't know how I feel about her. All I know is that she's someone very special to me. Maybe if I spend some time alone with her, I'll figure it out."

Cheetara had a solution for his intense feelings. "Then go to her. Talk to her."

Lion-O stared at her with surprise. "I don't know, Cheetara. Its late. I need to sleep and focus on the mission."

"You can't focus without a conversation with her first. The worst you could do is not be clear about your feelings before it's too late. I wasn't clear enough with you and Tygra, and I let it go on too long. Don't make the same mistake as me."

"But what about Tygra? He hates her. He'll never let me go see her."

She winked at him. "Leave him to me."

He smiled. "Thank you, Cheetara."

He stood up, but she grabbed his arm, making him look down with confusion.

"Tygra isn't against you. He's just…worried. First talk to Leophelia, then Tygra."

Lion-O nodded and left the room as swift and silent as wind, leaving Cheetara behind. Cheetara smiled and then looked over her shoulder. Snarf was sleeping peacefully, snoozing on a pillow. Cheetara pulled the bedsheet over Snarf's body before walking out, only to bump into a wall.

Or what she thought was a wall.

"Cheetara?"

She looked up, realising the wall was actually Tygra's rock-hard chest.

"Tygra!"

Her boyfriend towered over her, leaning against the wall on his shoulder, wearing a blue silk set of pyjamas with long silk trousers and a long-sleeve shirt with a boatneck neckline fitting him nicely.

Cheetara had to admit, he looked so handsome.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm going to talk to Lion-O." He replied. "Like you suggested."

"I'm afraid he's occupied for the evening."

He raised a brow. Then the other rose, followed by his eyes widening.

"He's with Leophelia!"

He moved forward to hunt down his brother.

"Tygra!"

Cheetara thrust her hands out against his chest, trying in vain to push him back. He was just too strong.

"Tygra, stop! He needs to do this."

"I need to get my naive little brother back before he hurt himself again!"

She had to stop him. She cannot allow him to ruin her king's special friendship for a second time.

"Let Lion-O see his friend. It's the least you could do."

"The least I could do is make sure I could protect him first! I swear, if that leopard hurt him, I'll-"

Cheetara's hands grabbed hold of his face, yanked as hard as she could, and kissed him full on the lips. The action stunned him. But he closed his eyes and roped his arms around her waist, kissing her back.

With his guard down and a sudden burst of strength fuelled by passion, she pulled both of them into an empty room.

Tygra was the first to pull away. "What was that for?"

"To distract you." She confessed bluntly. "Tygra, I am not letting you separate Lion-O and Leophelia. Not again. If you want to make peace with them, the best you could do is let them be together."

Tygra clutched his hands to his head, close to ripping his fur out. "You don't know they could end up together. For all we know, Leophelia might be already in love with one of the lizards and would turn him down. If he gets rejected for a third time, he'll never recover from it. He'll never get married. He'll never take a queen! You and I might have to provide him an heir!"

Cheetara giggled as her boyfriend freaked out. His overprotectiveness was causing him to stress out, his love for his brother and distrust of his brother's friend tearing himself apart.

She reached and touched his cheek, putting his ranting to an immediate halt.

"You're stressed." She noted.

Then she stepped back until her legs barely reached the bed. And, while keeping her eyes on Tygra, she dropped her robe to the ground, letting it pool around her feet, leaving her in her little red nightdress.

Tygra's throat went dry.

Cheetara stood there, tempting him with her long, bare legs and enticing curves.

"It's been so long since I slept in an actual bed. With real pillows and warm sheets…"

Tygra gulped, sweat creeping down his neck.

She was his weakness. And she knew it.

"I thought you said we can't sleep together unless I make things up with Lion-O." He said rather weakly.

"I'll make an expectation for tonight." She replied. She brushed her long hair back, leaning back as she did so, emphasising her chest. "If you let Lion-O see his friend."

"…fine."

Unable to resist her any longer, he pounced at her. He captured her in his arms, kissing her with mad desperation. She eagerly returned the kiss. They stumbled onto the bed, resuming their original activities from last night.


Lion-O sneaked down hall, trying to find his long-lost friend. Lady Ocelota's mansion was built like a maze. He was either met with a wall bearing a painting or an empty room packed with velvet-coated furniture. With all this luxury around, he felt as if he were back at the palace he grew up in.

Before Mumm-Ra destroyed it.

He was passing a balcony when he heard faint voices.

"…You were right. He was cute…"

"…I never say that…"

He stopped and looked out of the balcony, finding nothing but the rain still going strong. He looked again, this time up, and saw another balcony above him. So, he scaled the wall to the balcony and pressed himself against the wall, hiding above the raindrops and flower bushes, listening clearly to the voices. He took a peek inside, seeing the girl haunting his dreams talking to her snake friend.

"The dresses were your idea!" Leophelia was accusing the snake.

Snakayla had her arms folded, smirking teasingly. "It worked, didn't it?"

Leophelia scowled, which Lion-O found adorable.

"Girls, enough." Lizadro chided.

The girls dropped their conservation at once.

"Time to go to sleep, you lot. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"I call the top!" Komo announced.

"No fair! You were top last night! It's my turn!" Chamelyon whined.

"No, it's mine!" Snakayla argued.

"Snakayla, you'll crush us!" Chamelyon refused.

"Are you calling me fat?" She accused angrily.

"We're calling you huge!" Komo retorted. "You're the bed!"

Lizadro settled the fight before it broke out. "Kids. Bed. Now."

The young lizards immediately stopped bickering.

Lizadro shook his head. "You're almost adult age yet you still act like hatchlings."

Then he noticed that Leophelia was standing by herself under a cloud of her own.

"Honey?"

The big lizard reached out, laid his big hand on her arm and gently pulled her in.

"What's wrong?"

Leophelia lifted her watery gaze to her adoptive father.

"I'm worried about tomorrow." She admitted.

Lizadro hugged her. "I would say there's nothing to worry about, but that would be lying. All I could say is be prepared."

"But what if my vision isn't true? What if the alliance falls through? What if-"

Lizadro moved one hand to cup her cheek, stopping her from talking.

"Leophelia, you may not have any confidence in your visions, but I have faith in you. I believe in you, and I believe in being prepared, vision or not. Whatever tomorrow brings, we will take it on. As a family."

She smiled up at him with her eyes still eyes and hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. Lizadro hugged his adoptive daughter back and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Now, get to sleep." He said softly.

Leophelia nodded and stepped away from her father's embrace. Rather than sleep in a bed, the lizards instead formed a pile, with half of Snakayla's curled body serving as the bed. Chamelyon and Komo argued again who gets to sleep on the top, but Leophelia propped herself on top of Snakayla's tail, leaving the boys to settle for lying against Snakayla's body. The female snake snickered at this.

In a corner of the room, Ralph was sleeping on a nearby chaise, all wrapped up in a cosy blanket and cuddling Flou in his arms like a teddy bear. Lizadro carefully picked up Ralph's slumbering body and gently placed him on the top of the pile on Leophelia's lap. Leophelia wrapped her arms around him, holding him close and every lizard curled their tail around him like a second blanket. Lizadro lightly patted Ralph on the head and sat down. Leophelia kissed Ralph's forehead and closed her eyes. Soon, the Drago Tribe went to sleep.

However, Leophelia kept moving in her sleep and eventually woke up. Unable to sleep, she decided to get some fresh air, so she slipped out of the tails with ease. Once she was out, the tails tightened around Ralph. The little boy moaned in his sleep as if he noticed her lack of warmth.

Leophelia walked to the balcony and breathed in the cool air. Then she cupped her hands to gather rainwater and splashed it on her face to cool herself down from the heat of the worry for tomorrow. And then she untied her braid, redressing the red cloth as a bandana. Her hair fell in soft waves past her broad shoulders.

(Lion-O loved it when her hair was loose. It reminded him how she used to look when they were cubs.)

"Leopy." He breathed.

She heard him. She squeaked and turned to find him right beside her, drenched and smiling.

(Lion-O loved hearing her little squeak.)

"Lion-O? What are you…"

She glanced to the sleeping lizards behind her.

He jerked his head to the side. "Downstairs."

The two cats jumped down to the lower balcony.

(Lizadro opened an eye, smiled and went back to sleep.)

Once there, Leophelia grabbed Lion-O's hand and pull him with her as she ran down the hall and went into another room.

She faced her old friend. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to see you. Alone." He answered.

They stared at one another, an awkward silence between them. And then Leophelia noticed that Lion-O was wet.

"Here." She handed him a towel.

"Thank you."

He took the towel and dried himself with it, while oblivious to Leophelia ogling him. She couldn't help it. He was wearing a black silk ensemble of a sleeveless shirt and long trousers, both donning purple flame-like designs. He looked so handsome in black, and the pyjamas clung to his damp body, bringing out his muscles.

Leophelia blushed, realising how much he had grown. He wasn't cute. He was gorgeous.

After Lion-O dried himself, they met eyes again. Both held a long stare together, not a single move made to break the gaze.

Leophelia was the first to smile. Lion-O returned the smile. Their smiles turned into grins. Their shoulders begun to shake from giddiness.

Suddenly, they both reached out and hugged each other tight, after years of separation. It felt so good. Lion-O breathed in her hair and Leophelia had her face buried in his shoulder, allowing Lion-O to breathe in the warm scent of her hair. They were lost in their own world, just like when they were kittens. Just the two of them, with no one to tear them apart again.

Eventually, they pulled apart, keeping a hold on one another and grinning.

"It's so good to see you again." Lion-O admitted.

"You too." Leophelia replied. "I've missed you so much."

"Me too." Lion-O answered back.

Leophelia rubbed her hands on his arms. "I'm sorry about your father."

She was truly sorry for him, even if his father disapproved of her.

Lion-O was grateful for her sympathy. "Thank you."

She gazed up at him, since he was taller than her. Her free hair curtained her face, a long strand of hair in between her face, separating her brightly coloured eyes.

He cupped her face in his hands without warning and stared into her piercing eyes.

"Gods, I missed your eyes." He admitted.

Her eyes watered, but she smiled, a faint blush streaked across her nose.

His hands moved to her biceps as he got curious. "What happened to you? How did you get adopted by lizards?"

Leophelia looked away, bashful and nervous. However, she recalled what happened to her.

"Well…After your brother scared me, I kept running until I couldn't see Thundera anymore. I was lost, alone, scared…"

Poor little Leophelia whimpered and shivered as she curled herself up in a ball, sitting against a tree. After running for what seemed like forever to a child, she found herself in a dark forest with a light rain drizzling.

She was cold, hungry and her feet ached from running. All she had was a pocket full of gold coins, which were not very useful in a forest.

All she wanted to do was go back to Thundera. Back to Lion-O.

But she was afraid to return. Tygra did was anyone else would've done to her. She wasn't wanted anywhere. She was…weird.

A sudden noise spooked her, making her squeak.

"Then I came across a lizard. He was hurt."

Little Leophelia crawled over to a bush. She pushed the leaves aside and gave out a soft gasp at what she'd found.

A large Breaded Dragon was lying on the forest ground, groaning in pain.

"Lizadro?" Lion-O guessed.

"Yes…"

Leophelia's blue eyes spotted the several cuts and bruises on Lizadro's leathery body. One big cut on his arm was oozing a lot of blood. Like any cat, Leophelia was wary of lizards because everyone in Thundera hated them, but one look at the injured lizard made her think differently.

Without second-guessing, she ripped a piece off her raggy old dress, lunged out of the bushes and pressed the cloth against the cut. Lizadro roared at the searing pain, scaring the little leopard, but she kept her hand on the rag on the cut.

The lizard looked over his shoulder, staring her down with raindrops slipping down his face.

"What you are doing here, little one?" Lizadro had asked, his voice gruff yet gentle. "You're far from the big city."

Leophelia stayed quiet.

"Where are your parents?"

She finally made a sound. "…don't have any."

He seemed to be displeased by her answer. That an innocent child like her was all alone. Orphaned. Abandoned. Neglected.

"What's your name?"

"…Leophelia."

He lifted one arm, wincing, and reached out to Leopera, offering his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Leophelia. My name is Lizadro." He said with a friendly smile.

She stared at his hand, the limb bigger than her whole head. She glanced to him and back to his hand. Then she grasped her hand on the tips of his hand and lightly shook it. To her surprise, his scales radiated a comforting warmth rather than dead coldness she heard from rumours. His warm touch reminded her of Lion-O…

A boom of thunder alerted the cub and lizard, the rain lashing heavier.

Leophelia whimpered when the raindrops pierced her head and shoulders. Lizadro snapped his head back, looking at the sky. He hopped into his feet, groaning again, scooped up Leophelia into his arms, and hurried through the forest. Leophelia was wide-eyed with surprise at his action. He held her close, pressing her against his broad chest, protecting her from the cold rain.

It was warm. It was comforting. It was safe.

Eventually, they made it to the edge of the forest, finding a cave with an orange glow coming from within, indicating a fire. Lizadro stepped inside and found a small number of lizards around a fire. The grown lizards immediately drew their weapons at him before realising who he was.

"Lizadro!"

A pretty, sand-coloured Frilled Lizard with a yellow underbelly, carrying a silver bow and quiver and wearing a black jumpsuit with purple accents rushed over to him.

"Thank the ancestors you survived the ambush. I thought I'd gone you."

She hugged him and felt a bump in between them. Curious, the frilled lizard looked in Lizadro's arms and saw a wide-eyed leopard cub staring at her.

"What's this?" She asked.

Lizadro moved his arms so Leophelia can sit more comfortably. "Frillian love, this is Leophelia. She found me and helped me."

Frillian stared back at the leopard, studying her. Then she smiled and gently stroked her cheek. "Thank you, darling. Aren't you a big, brave girl?"

Leophelia went rigid at the lizard's touch, but she relaxed soon after. Like Lizadro, her scaly hand was warm.

"Holy scales, it's a cat!" A burly male Komodo Dragon cried, shattering the tender moment.

"Lizadro, are you crazy?" The other Komodo Dragon, a female, exclaimed. "Bringing that here?"

Leophelia burrowed herself deeper in Lizadro's arms, hiding herself from the harsh accusations. The snobby cats from Thundera did the same to her.

"The rain was getting worse." Lizadro defended. "Besides, she wouldn't survive out there on her own. She's just a child."

"We have children!" A female chameleon argued. "We cannot risk their safety!"

Frillian and Lizadro set their gazes back on Leophelia. That one look clearly expressed their feelings and their intentions.

"Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no." A male cobra protested. "We are not keeping her! I forbid you to adopt that kitten!"

"I don't remember ever electing you as leader." Lizadro retorted.

"You can't just adopt a cat! Cats are our enemies!" A male chameleon insisted.

"Not every cat should be our enemy." Frillian reasoned. "This little girl is special. I can feel it."

"So do I, dear." Lizadro agreed. "She's made for us. A blessing."

Leophelia felt her face burn from the lavish attention she was getting.

"But what if her kind comes looking for her?" A female snake wondered, tightening her long and big body/tail around three little lizards. "They'll slaughter us."

"They won't!" Leophelia shouted, making all the lizards stare at her. She frozeunder their gazes.

"They don't want me." She muttered, hiding further in Lizadro's embrace.

Her last sentence told the lizards everything about her situation, her relationship with her kind (apart from Lion-O.)

"…Well, there's another reason not to trust cats." The male Komodo Dragon snarked. "They neglect and abandon their own cubs!"

"Enough!" Lizadro roared. "It's decided. We will not leave her by herself."

Frillian nodded firmly. "You heard her. No one is coming after us. We're safe."

The other lizards glanced to each other, exchanging silent thoughts on the matter.

"…fine." The male cobra murmured.

Later, the lizards gathered around the fire, trying to get warm. Leophelia stayed close to Lizadro and Frillian, hesitated to approach the hatchlings of the tribe. She was now dry from the rain by the fire, but the heat also caused her hair to stick up in a frizzy mess. Frillian brushed her hair and tidied it into a braid, fastened with a simple string while Lizadro offered her some fruit, which she gratefully took and eagerly ate.

Then, the couple picked up Leophelia. The adult lizards each took their child and gathered in a sleep pile. The hatchlings and Leophelia were placed in the centre, tails wrapped around them. Each parent kissed their hatchling on the forehead. Lizadro and Frillian did the same to Leophelia, both confusing and delighting her.

She tensed when she noticed the hatchlings staring at her.

Komo, Chamelyon, and Snakayla.

"Hello." Leophelia whispered shyly, holding out her hand.

The three hatchlings glanced to each other, like their parents did, and then Snakayla reached out and took her hand. They shook hands. Snakayla moved her hand around to rub Leophelia's palm, feeling her fur.

"You're so warm." She said.

"It's my fur. It protects my skin and keeps me wa-WHOA!"

Leophelia yelped as the young snake grasped both of her hands on her arms and pull her in, right in her arms and hugged her tight.

"I like you. You're nice. And warmth."

Leophelia blushed.

"Hey, I wanna hold her!" Komo exclaimed.

"Me too!" Chamelyon declared.

Both boys grabbed at Leophelia.

"Give her back!"

The three little lizards fighting over a cat, not with a cat. How strange.

"Kids, go to sleep!" One of their parents snapped.

The kids immediately did so, all huddled around Leophelia, their short tails wrapped around her, basking in her warmth. Leophelia squeezed her eyes shut and hugged the tails like toys to her chest.

Best sleep she ever had.

When morning came, the lizards and Leophelia gathered around the fire again, for a ritual. The older male chameleon held Leophelia's hand over the fire while holding a dagger above.

"Do we really need to do this?" Lizadro asked worriedly with an arm around his equally worried wife. "She's just a child."

"If she wants to be accepted by this tribe, she needs to bind herself to it." The male chameleon answered.

"Our children did it." His wife added.

"Just cut me already!" Leophelia demanded, eyes furrowed and lips pouting.

The adult lizards chuckled at her adorable determination.

"She's feistier than she looks." The cobra remarked.

"Alright then," The male chameleon said. "Hold still, sweetie."

He pricked her finger with the dagger. Leophelia winced, but stayed as still as she could. Blood oozed from her finger.

The chameleon turned her hand over and bloody teardrops fell into the fire, making the flame blaze brighter and bigger and hotter. Leophelia pulled her hand back from the jumping flames, although she could've sworn the fire touched her yet didn't burn her.

"Leophelia…" The male chameleon spoke clear and wise. "From this day on, you are a member of the Drago Tribe. Daughter of Lizadro and Frillian. Their scion to continue their line and the legacy of our clan. Bless the fire with your blood to be bless with fire in your veins. May the ancestors welcome you."

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled and patted her on the head.

"Welcome to the family."

The other adult lizards also smiled as they finally accepted her.

"Yay!" Snakayla, Komo and Chamelyon cheered.

Lizadro grabbed Leophelia and lifted her onto his knee. Frillian wrapped her bloody finger with a bandage wrap and kissed it.

"My big, brave girl." She said to her new child.

Leophelia beamed, unbelievably happy.

"For the first time in my life…I was accepted by others. Not just one. A whole tribe. And they made me part of it. I have a family. I have a father. I had a mother…"

Sadness clouded Leophelia's eyes.

"My adoptive mother, Frillian, passed away from an illness shortly afterwards."

Lion-O placed one of his hands on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"

She laid her hand on top of his's. "It's ok. I'm grateful to have a mother, even for a brief time. She and Lizadro never had children. They called me a blessing."

"I thought the other lizards were his children as well…"

"Snakayla, Chamelyon and Komo are my foster siblings. We're a tribe. We grew up together. Lizadro just calls them his kids because he raised them after their parents died."

Lion-O wanted to ask her a question. "There's a bunch of beds in this place. Why were you and your tribe sleeping in a pile together on the floor?"

"Lizards sleep in a pile to generate body heat. I like it. It's cosy."

"You're very close with them."

"I told you, they're my clan. They're just…wonderful." Leophelia begun to talk about her adoptive family with pride and admiration. "The Drago Tribe are different from other lizards. They're nomads, always moving because they were constantly forced off by cats and lizards alike."

"But wouldn't your tribe be involved in the Lizard Wars?" Lion-O asked.

"The only war we believe in is a war against evil. We believe in peace. If only others believe us…So, I and my foster siblings were raised away from the fighting. Although it still catches up to us at times…" The way she trailed off suggested there was a sad backstory. "They make me so happy. I finally have a family. And Ralph."

"He's a cute kid." Lion-O complimented.

"Isn't he?" Leophelia gushed, filled to the brim with love for the little boy. "He knows every history of every culture in his world."

"Do you remember when we were his age?" Lion-O wondered, a grin playing o his face.

"I never forgot." Leophelia grinned back. "I still remember the day we first met."

"Me too."

The memory of their first meeting was clear as day. One day, little prince Lion-O was walking in the slums alongside his father and older brother when he turned his head and saw young Leophelia dancing on the dirty street, an empty can at her feet. Liking her dancing, Lion-O ran over and gave her every gold coin he had on him into the can.

"You're a wonderful dancer." He complimented her.

Leophelia stopped dancing and stared at him with her big, light-blue eyes.

"Thank you, your majesty." She said timidly.

"Please. Call me Lion-O." He said, staring back at her, hypothesised by her eyes.

"Lion-O…"

"Lion-O!"

King Claudius stormed over, looking angry that one of his sons left his side. Leophelia squeaked and bowed to her knees, but Claudius only glared at her, grabbed Lion-O's arm and dragged him from Leopera against his protests.

"Father!" Lion-O whined.

Leophelia lifted her head and sadly watched the lions go.

Claudus let go of Lion-O when they reached Tygra, who was just as upset as Claudus at Lion-O for running away.

"Lion-O, you must never speak to that female again." Claudus ordered.

Lion-O blinked with confusion. "What? Why?"

"Because she is an orphaned stray. She goes around, telling tall tales of her supposed visions, causing trouble to everyone."

Lion-O grinned excitedly. "Visions? She's a seer! That's amazing!"

Claudus's frown hardened. "She's a liar. The girl may be a citizen of our kingdom, but she must be avoided. Understand, boys?"

Tygra nodded. Lion-O didn't. He only turned his head around, looking back.

The very next door, Lion-O snuck out of the palace and literally hunted Leophelia down. He found her dancing for money again.

Leophelia squeaked when she saw him. "Prince Lion-O! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you again." He admitted without shame or embarrassment.

She blushed so red, she could pass off as a ladybug. "But I'm cursed."

"I don't care if you're cursed. I think it's cool you can see visions."

She blushed again. No one had ever been kind to her before. He was the first being to see her as other as the crazy so-called seer.

"SNYAH!"

Suddenly, Lion-O's pet and babysitter jumped in and, in vain, pulled on his cloak to pull him back.

"Snarf!" Lion-O whined. He easily picked up Snarf and held him up to Leophelia. "This is Snarf."

Leophelia and Snarf stared at one another. Then Leopera hesitatingly stroked the side of his head with her finger. Snarf's fur stood up, and then relaxed, and he purred, making Leophelia smile.

"Wow. He likes you." Lion-O said. But then his eyebrows flew off his head. "Wait a minute. If you're here, Snarf, that means-"

"LION-O!"

Both cubs and their pet jumped at the yell. They turned and saw quite an irate tiger.

"Tygra!" Lion-O cried.

"Didn't father told you to stay away from her?!" Tygra demanded, advancing forward.

"Run!" Lion-O grabbed Leophelia and they both made a run for it, unfortunately leaving Snarf behind.

"GET BACK HERE!"

The cubs ran through the city, trying to dodge the eldest prince and other cats.

"This way!"

Leophelia tugged on Lion-O's hand, pulling him with her towards a market. By the time they got through and found a hiding place, Tygra was rolling around in a barrel back at the market.

After catching their breath, the cubs stared at each other. And then laughed.

"I didn't get your name." Lion-O said.

"It's Leophelia." Leophelia answered as she smiled more brightly.

"Leophelia…that's a pretty name!"

She blushed.

Their friendship bloomed from there. For a brief time, they spent most of their time running away from Tygra and watching the sunset over Thundera from their special spot.

"Leophelia, I must confess." Lion-O said. "I haven't thought of you since the day I lost you until recently. My father made me forget about you."

Leophelia pulled a cute frown. "I am not surprised."

"But according to Tygra he was remorseful at what he did and tried to find you and make you a cleric."

"No offence to your father, but I find that rather hard to believe, he hated me as much as Tygra does."

"Even the ones we thought who hate us cares the most. People can change."

"You'd changed." She noticed how wise he became.

"So did you."

She rolled her eyes. "I know. I'm 'beautiful.' Everyone said so."

He put his other hand on her other bicep protectively. "Like Muta?"

Right away, she crinkled her nose, looking disgusted. "I'm aware of his attraction to me. He made it clear since the day my family and I stumble onto this place. Ever since I hit puberty, every male and even female had gawked and wolf-whistled and groped…"

"Groped?! They touched you?!"

"A few. But they suffered the consequences by my tribe. And me. Those kinds of creatures don't matter to me. No one spared me a single glance when I was a gangly kit. They only notice me now because I'm 'beautiful.'"

"But you are."

Leophelia snapped her stunned expression at him.

Lion-O realised what he said and tried to explain himself while blushing red and stuttering.

"I'm, uh, don't get me wrong, you are pretty, but that's not why I'm happy, I mean, that's not what I, whiskers! I'm just happy to see you! Then I saw you dancing, I realise you have changed obliviously, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. B-B-But I don't care about your beauty, I was just so happy to see you again. When I said you changed, I meant you are feistier, braver, more fearless and passionate, but you're still the same kind girl I knew as a cub. I miss you. So, your beauty isn't everything to me. You are everything to me."

His words brought sparkles to Leophelia's eyes. She gripped the rope of her necklace. Lion-O looked at her necklace more closely. He noticed that the gold pendant had engraving of a lion on the front. He recognised it as a royal Thunderian coin, which only the nobles had, including his family, and then he remembered that he gave her the same coins when they first met.

"You kept the coins? After all this time?"

"Only one. I used the rest to buy emergency supplies for my tribe. I managed to keep one and turn it into a necklace. It's all I have to remember you by."

Leophelia took a step forward, brushing up against Lion-O's chest, and gazed up at him.

"It's not just the gold. It's you. Your kindness helped me more than money ever did. No amount of gold Muta offered me can ever measure up to the gold you gave me."

She reached out to trail her hand down the left side of his face.

"Did you really dream about me?" She asked.

Lion-O answered truthfully. "Yes. I did. It was weird. Last night, I dreamt about the last time we saw each other and then the next day we met again. It must be fate."

"Even though we're worlds apart."

"We were…"

Then he reached out to her to cup the right side of her face. She leaned in his hand by instinct.

"But now we are together again. I promised we'll be together forever. And this time, I'll keep my promise."

Happy tears cascaded down Leophelia's cheeks from her watery eyes. The childhood friends held hands, shared smiles and locked gazes. Their heads moved on their own, leaning in towards each other's lips, just about to kiss when Lion-O pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Leophelia looked heartbroken, which broke his heart.

"The truth is, I am, or was, a bit girl crazy, at least when I was just the crown prince. After the fall of Thundera, I fell for two girls, not at the same time, and each time, my feelings for them were not reciprocated. Especially the second time. I don't want to mess up our friendship with my stupid hormones and insecurities. I don't want to treat you like another passing fancy. You're too special for that. I'm sorry for giving you mixed signals."

His words had the potential to break her heart. However, she held it together. No way was she letting him friend-zone her, not without a fight.

Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him down to her level.

"Listen here, Prince Charming." She barked.

Lion-O's eyes flew open, startled by her action and confused at what she'd called him. Ralph had told her fairytales where all the princes were named Charming, and they rescue pretty princesses. Her favourite fairytale was Cinderella, about a poor girl mistreated by her stepfamily who sneak into a ball with the help of a fairy godmother and won the affections of that story's Prince Charming. Like Cinderella, Leophelia was getting her prince, or rather her king.

"I love you. I loved you ever since you gave me your money 11 years ago. You're the only thing I ever wanted. I always wanted you to see me as a lover and I refuse to lose this chance. After two heartbreaks, you feel unwanted and maybe desperate for female attention. That's fine. I understand. You're a male with your own desires. But that doesn't mean I will let you use me. I am a woman of my own worth and I demand respect. What I'm trying to say is those other girls, the ones who broke your heart, led you to me. They gave me a chance. So please, Lion-O, don't be scared of falling in love with me. I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going to hurt you. Don't end this before it even started. Give me a chance to love you."

Lion-O was blown away by her bold confession.

"You're in love with me? Since we were kids?"

"Were you not listening? Here, let me show you."

With that, she grabbed his face and tugged, bringing him close and kissed him with all her might.

He made a muffle sound in their kiss. He could've sworn he heard a boom of thunder when their lips collided. Never in a million years he would think of kissing his best friend. He thought of her as too precious, scared to ruin their cherished friendship. But kissing her felt right. She tasted of fire. Her warm breath gave him life, even her lips were hot. Aside from the kissing, he loved the way she made him feel, the way she understood him perfectly.

Loved.

He finally figured out his feelings for her. He was in love with her. She was all he needed all along.

He relaxed into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body against him, hugging her as the kissing became passionate. Leophelia ran her fingers through his red hair, loving every second. Eventually, the two reluctantly broke away to breathe. Lion-O looked at Leophelia with a longingly gaze clouded with love.

"If I wasn't in love with you before, I am now." He beamed while stroking her hair.

Leophelia smiled lazily, worn out by the intense kissing.

Suddenly, she went rigid. Her dazzling eyes snapped open, and her pupils shrunk pinpoint.

Lion-O immediately got worried. "Leopy? What's wrong?"

His love stayed frozen until she started falling back. He caught her and she begun to shake violently.

"Leophelia!"

He held her tight as she had some kind of a seizure.

Leophelia was deaf apart from the ringing in her ears. Images flashed in her mind. Rushing water, a bound Lion-O fighting against a wall of blue, and a glowing light-blue diamond in a pile of dust.

Her pupils went back to normal size. She gasped as she regained consciousness and slumped on her new boyfriend.

"What happened?" Lion-O questioned.

Leophelia froze again.

"Tell me." He demanded in a gentle tone.

She gulped but told him anyway. "I just had a vision."

Lion-O never saw her have a vision before, he only believed her that she had them. They weren't together long enough for him to see her have a vision.

"I saw you, bound in golden chains. There was water everywhere…and I saw a diamond covered in dust."

Lion-O became curious. "What does that mean?"

Instead of answering, Leophelia burst into tears. Lion-O embraced her, letting her cry.

"Leophelia, tell me what's wrong."

She buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm a curse." She whimpered.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!" She lashed at him, unleashing emotions kept bottled up. "I'm a walking, talking curse!"

She cried again, upset that her vision came right after she kissed the man of her dreams. He hugged her, letting her cry. Eventually she calmed down and she started talking again.

"My visions are the reasons we can't be together in the past. My visions made me a pariah in Thundera. All my life, my visions plagued me. I even had visions when I was a baby. I kept seeing this horrible monster, with cold blue skin, wearing bandages and a red cloak."

"You saw Mumm-Ra."

He couldn't believe she just described his immortal enemy. She thought at least she finally put a name to the monster who haunted her dreams.

"I don't know what I see. I can't control it. They just come to me without warning, and I hate it. I see horrible things and I can't stop them from happening."

The poor girl couldn't stop ranting about her ability.

"Soon after I first met you, I had a vision where I was shooting arrows at a hideous monster with you in its claws. After I ran away from Thundera, I had a vision of it destroyed, burnt to the ground, but I was wandering alone and scared to go back at the time. I even had a vision of Ralph right before my tribe, and I found him. He was strapped to an altar, screaming his little head off while a dagger was raised above him and was about to stab him when my vision decided to call the curtains. Shortly after my tribe and I arrive in El Dara, I had two visions. The first was a group of warrior cats lead by a lion, I assume it was meant to be you. Then the golden buildings fall, fire, heard screams and roars…"

She shuddered.

"It was a nightmare. The second showed me wearing a bluish dress and carrying a bouquet. I knelt and a crown was placed on my head. I think…I might marry Muta and become queen of El Dara."

She sobbed again, scared of her uncertain fate.

"I don't want to marry Muta. I rather marry Tygra than him."

"I think Cheetara would fight you over him." Lion-O quipped too quickly.

She pulled back, shocked. "He's in a relationship? With the nice cheetah? That arrogant, tyrannical, stripy son of a-"

"Leopy!"

Again, he realised she had changed. Leophelua was no longer timid. She was fiercer, especially when she was stressed.

So, he kissed her to calm her down.

"Your visions don't scare me." He said when he pulled away.

"But what if El Dara falls tomorrow? Like in my vision? Or it doesn't? What if-"

He kisses her again. When he pulled away, he gripped her shoulders.

"Whatever happens, I'll protect you. I am not losing you again."

This time, Leophelia didn't rant and instead lunged at him, kissing him wildly. He responded just as eager, so happy to find love.

And then he pulled away just to dove to her shoulder and pierced his canines into her skin. She cried out in ecstasy. After he was done, she glanced to her shoulder and smiled. He gave her a true mate mark, an animalistic yet riveting tradition of cats when mating.

"Now you're mine." He told her.

"That's all I ever wanted." She replied.

They resumed kissing with renewed passion. Even as their legs gave out, their lips did not. They fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. Two parts of a whole finally together.

Muta was right about one thing, Lion-O thought. Leophelia is more valuable than gold.


Cheetara seducing Tygra to keep him away from Lion-O is inspired by Chel seducing Tulio from Road to El Dorado.

I tried my best to imply Lizadro setting Lion-O and Leophelia up. Father of the year!

The adult lizards, apart from Lizadro and Frillian, in Leopelia's memory are the parents of Snakayla, Komo and Chamelyon.

It was Snakayla's idea to make Leophelia wear the silver dress and nightgown too so she can stun Lion-O and it worked. Lion-O finally saw her as a woman.