Disclaimer: I'm gonna be blunt. I hate the episode from the show, and I was excited to change quite a few things about it. Even so, I made sure I gave it my all here, just like the rest of the team did. I'm much happier with the outcome of the rewrite because we made the calls that we did. And I hope you all are too.

Also, I don't own Lion Guard. This is just a rewrite.

The Lion Guard: Unity

New Lion Guard arc Episode Three: Can't Wait To Be Queen

Kion and Kiara were in the middle of another one of their usual sibling spats. Kion made it clear rather quickly that he wasn't backing down. "Back off, Kiara!"

"You back off, Kion! That's MY tree!" Kiara demanded.

"YOUR tree!?" Kion questioned, sure that the tree was his.

"I found it first!" Kiara insisted fiercely. "So step aside!"

"I'll step aside when my claws finish scratching!" Kion stated. "I'm too awesome to take orders from you!"

"Actually, Kion, I'm afraid that's not the case." Simba said nearby, catching Kion and Kiara's attention. "At least for the next few days." He sat down as he explained. "Your mother and I have to leave for a few days, so Kiara will be temporary Queen."

Kiara was surprised by this, and Kion instantly protested the idea. "Nope, not happening. It's too early for you to be MY leader."

Kiara did like the sound of bossing Kion around, but was still nervous. "Hey, I'm as caught off guard as you are."

"Settle down, you two." Simba requested before explaining this decision. "We talked it over, and since Zazu's coming with us to Killio Valley, it made sense to have Kiara be in charge of The Pridelands."

"Kilio Valley? You're visiting the elephants?" Kiara asked curiously.

"Yes. We have a funeral to attend." Simba explained, becoming somewhat somber as he did. "My friend Amanifu recently passed away."

"I remember him." Kiara said, sad that someone she knew had passed on.

Kion showed sympathy, as well as thoughtful words. "He was a wise elephant."

"Yes. He helped the Pridelands return to normal after I defeated Scar." Simba reminisced. "Once the elephants returned, all the other animals followed." Kion and Kiara remembered hearing that story from Simba. "And the circle of life came back into balance." Some leaves blew past Simba, and he watched them fly away. "And now, Amanifu has completed HIS journey through the circle of life."

"I'm so sorry, dad." Kiara said, knowing this must be hard for her father. "How long will you be gone?"

"Just a few days. We'll be leaving tomorrow." Simba said assuredly. He then placed a paw under Kiara's chin. "And, I'll let you in on a little secret." He nuzzled her, which made Kion feel left out of this moment of bonding. "I was nervous about ruling the Pridelands at first too."

"I-I'm not nervous!" Kiara said, quickly. Unfortunately, her butt betrayed her.

*Prrrrt*

A squeaky fart snuck out of Kiara before she realized what was happening. She began blushing as her father gave her a knowing smile. Kion could be heard snickering in the background. "Well... maybe a little."

"It's okay. I have faith in you." Simba responded, in a way that sounded like he was slightly proud of Kiara's outburst. Kion was confused by this. He'd farted in front of his dad many times before. How come he never got that look? Simba noticed this and assured Kion he had pride in both of his children. "And the Lion Guard." Kion smiled when Simba acknowledged him, but it wasn't genuine. Truthfully, Kion was still annoyed at having to take orders from his sister, just because his dad said so. Simba never meant to, but he had a habit of showing favoritism towards Kiara. When he DID notice it, he tried to correct it. Unfortunately, Kion had seen those attempts as hollow. Simba still gave his advice, not knowing his son's true feelings. "Just keep the peace, and everything will be fine.

"I won't let you down, dad." Kiara assured Simba, wanting to make him proud.

"I know, Princess. Or, should I say, Queen." Simba finished with a grin.

*PPPPFFFFFRRRTTT*

A much louder burst shot out from beneath Kiara, causing her to flinch. Her eyes widened, but she tried to act nonchalant with a light laugh.

That evening, just before dinner, Kion was taking a walk, and he just so happened to catch Jasiri nearby. They took a moment to catch up, but soon the Lion cub was venting about his situation. "So now, my dumb sister, who my dumb dad thinks is perfect, is gonna be the dumb Queen of the dumb Pridelands, which is dumb."

Jasiri couldn't help laughing a bit at Kion's vocabulary. "Five dumbs. That's only one less than how I'd describe Janja."

Kion snorted in response to Jasiri's joke. It caused him to think more logically about this. Things could definitely be worse, especially since Jasiri had planted the thought of Janja ruling The Pridelands in his head. "Well, I guess it won't be ALL bad. At least we'll get to talk more." Kiara had heard Kion's voice and peeked out to see where he was. She'd come to fetch him because he was late for dinner. "I just hope she's not too overbearing."

Kiara was stunned to find Kion talking to a hyena. She didn't think the leader of the Lion Guard would be so friendly with one. As she eavesdropped, Kiara heard the Hyena talking about the female Lion cub's temporary role. "Being a leader is tough. You would know first paw."

Kiara brows furrowed quizzically as Kion responded. "Can't argue with that." she had to admit, the Hyena had a point. Maybe her brother's friendship with one wouldn't be so bad. On one paw, the Hyena wasn't attacking Kion. But on the OTHER, Kiara considered the possibility of Jasiri using her little brother. "Anyway, I should head back before-"

"Someone finds out about your little secret?" Kiara asked, catching Kion and Jasiri's attention and making them flinch upon seeing her.

Kion and Jasiri saw a stern, but worried looking Kiara walking up to them. Kion was quick to question Kiara's presence. "O-oh. Kiara! What are you doing here?"

"Mom and dad sent me out to find you. You've been gone half an hour longer than usual." Kiara explained,her eyes never moving from Jasiri. Kion was stunned. Half an hour? Wow, talking with Jasiri really made time fly. Kion was broken out of this train of thought by his sister's interrogation. "What are you doing talking to a hyena? You know how dad feels about hyenas."

"Jasiri's not like Janja or his clan." Kion said in Jasiri's defense. "She's the reason I got out of the Outlands the other day."

"And you're sure she didn't just do that so you wouldn't suspect her?" Kiara asked, both out of concern for Kion, and mistrust in Jasiri.

Although hurt by Kiara's accusation, Jasiri kept her cool the best she could. Talking with Kion almost made her forget about how most of the World saw her kind. She took a deep breath and spoke for herself. "Kiara, right. I can assure you that's not the case."

"Stay out of this, hyena." Kiara demanded, her choice of words giving Jasiri some deja vu. She kept her mouth shut to keep Kion from getting into further trouble.

"Don't speak to her that way, Kiara!" Kion raised his voice to match his sister's. All three mammals were surprised at how emotional this was making him.

"Kion, I can't just let you sneak off and talk to the most hated species of The Pridelands while I'm ruling in dad's place." Kiara reminded Kion, not wanting to let their parents down. "Doing good by him and mom is really important to me."

"And Jasiri's important to ME!" Kion protested, not having it with Kiara's attitude. "Kiara, I forbid you from telling mom and dad about Jasiri!"

"Kion?" Jasiri asked as she saw a few clouds start to darken and swirl in the sky. However, the siblings didn't notice since they were more focused on their rivalry.

"You forbid me? Ha!" Kiara scoffed as she walked away. She'd forgotten about Jasiri thanks to how hilarious Kion's demand was. "Too bad you're not King."

Kion's resolve weakened as he digested what Kiara had just said. Still, he was nothing if not stubborn. "Hey! I forbidded you!" Kion walked back over to Jasiri after Kiara ignored him and left. Looking into the Hyena's eyes, the cub's rage was replaced with remorse and the clouds above dissipated. "I'm sorry about that, Jasiri. Kiara can be a royal pain in my butt, no pun intended, but she's never been THAT annoying before."

"I'm used to it, as you could guess." Jasiri admitted, laughing a bit with Kion chuckling. Now that things had calmed down, Jasiri bid farewell to her Lion friend. "I should get back home. I've gotten you into enough trouble."

"Funny. I don't recall you forcing me here." Kion joked with a smirk, making Jasiri giggle playfully before Kion turned around. "I'll see you later, Jasiri."

"Sure thing, Kion." Jasiri said back, heading into the Outlands as Kion went in the opposite direction. When he got home, he saw Kiara waiting for him, and she still had a look of concern and mistrust in her eyes. Kion got even more worried after seeing that. He didn't want to stop seeing Jasiri. He had to hope Kiara wouldn't rat him out. It was hard for him though, since Kiara was the rattiest sister ever.

Kiara was looking over Pride Rock, watching Simba and Nala leave for the funeral. She was still worried about how she'd handle such a big responsibility. Ordering around Kion was one thing, but ruling over a whole kingdom was something entirely different. Zuri and Tiifu were watching from the entrance to Pride Rock. Tiifu was the first to express concern. "Poor Kiara. This must be really stressful for her."

Zuri was concerned as well, but felt confident Kiara would know what to do. "Not a problem, Tiifu. We just have to make her feel like she can handle this."

"That makes sense." Tiifu nodded in agreement before a puzzled look formed on her face. "How do we do that?"

"By treating her like a Queen!" Zuri answered, making sure Kiara wasn't listening before she elaborated. "If we can make her FEEL like a Queen, she'll feel comfortable in her new role in no time!"

"That makes sense." Tiifu said, but one question did pop into her mind. "But what if she starts to get annoyed?"

"That's called being humble." Zuri answered, failing to see how her plan could fail. "Once we start reassuring her of how great she is, she'll have no problems with ruling the Kingdom. And with us as her royal advisors, she'll be the best Queen to ever rule."

"I like the sound of that." Tifu said. She had a strong feeling Kiara would be a great Queen.

"Then let's set my plan into motion." Zuri responded, walking over to Tiifu and calling their mutual friend. "Kiara! We have an idea we wanna try out! Let us tell you!"

On the way to the Lion Guard's meeting, Beshte was expressing his thoughts on Kiara's temporary Queendom to Bunga and Fuli. "Hey, did you hear? Kiara is Queen of the Pridelands!"

Bunga, for some reason, was quite excited about this. "Yeah! It's Unbungalievable!"

"Eh. It was gonna happen eventually." Fuli said. She didn't much care for the royal hierarchy outside of what Kion told. And even then, she didn't worry about it too much.

Beshte on the other paw, was his usual positive self. "I'm sure she'll be a nice Queen."

"Yeah yeah, my sister's perfect, I get it!" Kion exclaimed nearby. He clarified the situation when he jumped down some nearby rocks to his friends. "Kiara's only TEMPORARY Queen, a detail you three obviously forgot. It'll be over once my parents get back." Kion looked around when he realized Ono wasn't there. "Has anyone seen Ono? It's not like him to be late for morning patrol."

Fuli was the first to spot him flying above. "Here he comes!"

However, Ono flew past them. Bunga expressed the confusion of the team for everyone. "And, there he goes?"

"I know I didn't change our meeting spot to Pride Rock." Kion stated, seeing as Ono was flying that direction. Something was up, and they had to find out what.

Ono was at Pride Rock, preening his feathers excitedly. "Gotta get clean. For the Queen."

The Lion Guard approached the Egret from behind, with Kion announcing his presence first. "Ono!" Ono jumped in a panic, since he didn't see his friends all behind him. Kion questioned his absence, regardless. "It's not like you to be tardy. Did you forget where I said to meet up?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kion. And no, I didn't forget." Ono clarified, but the start of his explanation was cut off by Kion. "Queen Kiara asked me-"

"Queen, Kiara?" It was clear that Kiara getting this kind of special treatment bothered Kion. "Did everyone hit their heads or something? None of this is permanent!"

"Uh, Kion?" Beshte asked, getting Kion's attention. He tried to keep his cool when he turned around and saw Zuri and Tiifu by the Pride Rock entrance.

"Announcing her Majesty," Zuri started

"Ruler of the Pridelands," Tiifu continued, excited to be a part of this.

The two finished when moving out of the way to make room for Kiara. "Queen Kiara!"

Kiara walked past Zuri and Tiifu. She still looked nervous, but Tiifu was so excited that she didn't notice. "Ooooh, I feel just like a royal mistress!"

"Your Majesty!" Bunga shouted before falling to his knees and bowing on the ground to bow.

Kion rolled his eyes in obvious annoyance. Kiara, who was uncomfortable with all this treatment, tried to tell Bunga to stop politely. "Thank you, Bunga. But that's really not necessary."

"Thank you, your maje-"

Zuri stepped on Bunga's head, forcing his face back into the stone floor. "You're Queen now, Kiara. That means dumb, smelly losers have to suck up to you."

Tiifu questioned Zuri's choice of words there. "I don't know, Zuri. I think that should be up to Kiara."

"Kiara shouldn't have to settle for casualness!" Zuri insisted, looking at Kiara with incredibly caring eyes. "She deserves the best."

"It's my pleasure, your Majesty." Bunga said, although Zuri's paw pushing him to the ground muffled his voice.

"Bunga, stand up." Kiara requested, already finding this treatment to be getting old.

Bunga got up, pushing Zuri's paw out of the way as he did. He was still acting more formal than anyone had ever seen him. "Your wish is my command!"

"Spill it, Kiara. Why did you drag Ono away from our morning patrol?" Kion asked aggressively.

Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri walked over to Kion. The Queen explained to the younger cub her rationale. "Zazu went with mom and dad, remember? I needed someone to give me the morning report. And Ono is the Keenest of sight, right?."

"Yeah, fair enough." Kion admitted. He hated wherever his sister used his own words against him, it made arguing with her much more difficult. "But he's still part of the Lion Guard, and I'm the leader. You should've asked me first."

Tiifu didn't want Kion to get in trouble. Out of concern for him, she quickly reminded him of Kiara's current status. "Be careful, Kion. Kiara's queen for now. She might punish you."

"And she should for THAT level of disrespect!" Zuri stated in a more threatening tone. "Kiara doesn't have to ask anyone for anything anymore."

Kion looked to Kiara more intensely, hoping his sister would see the hypocrisy of what Zuri just said. Kiara did take notice, but being pressured by all of this Royal praise, she felt obligated to back up her friends. So, she calmly corrected their mistake. "Except, when I'm asking for the morning report."

Kion groaned in frustration. However, he soon snickered when he realized he could have a little fun with this. "Can you at least do the song, Ono?

"Sorry, Kion. I don't have it memorized." Ono apologized. He knew Kion loved that song. He moved forward to give the morning report. "Your Majesty!" Kion's face dropped when that title was spoken again. Meanwhile, Ono cleared his throat and gave Kiara the morning report. "All appears to be in order from Mekundu Cliffs to Ukuni Woods. There's much excitement about your temporary Queendom." Kiara's smile slipped a bit, but she kept it well enough to stay professional. "The oryxes aren't fighting for a change, the eland herd is migrating East along the river, as expected. Oh; also, on the path along the river, I spotted a new cluster of beehives."

"Bees make great snacks!" Bunga chimed in.

"If you say so." Fuli said under her breath. Only Bunga would be crazy enough to eat insects with stinging butts.

"And that's the morning report!" Ono finished, hoping he did a good job.

Hearing about the beehive gave Kiara pause, as she considered what to do about that. "Interesting. Thank you, Ono."

Kion tried to keep his cool, since he knew Ono valued impressing others. However, Ono's response was making it tough. "Thank you for the opportunity, my Queen." Kion sighed, which Ono quickly picked up on and made an effort to make him feel better. "And you too, er... my Kion?"

"I'm not yours." Kion deadpanned, making Ono laugh nervously. No way he and Kion would ever be a couple. Kion didn't focus much on Ono's reaction and went right back to addressing his sister "Sounds like everything is okay. If I can have Ono back, we can take care of the beehives."

"I was thinking that too, Kion. Good call." Kiara replied. "See? We can work together no problem." Kion's face softened a little before Kiara went into a full mission's debrief. "The eland's use the same path the beehives are building their nest on. They'd get stung if they stepped on them."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Kion was surprised he and Kiara were on the same page.

"Don't feel obligated to think, Kion." Zuri advised. "You're not the Queen."

"Okay, and you're not royalty; what's your point?" Kion retorted, rolling his eyes as he walked past Zuri. "Oh I get it, you're used to not thinking."

Zuri gasped in offense before turning her head. "Well!"

Kion walked over to the rest of the Guard, Ono following his lead. "Lion Guard, let's move out. I can concentrate better without being around Zuri's annoying voice."

Zuri scoffed as Kiara gave Kion some advice on what to do. "Try diverting the eland herd away from the bee's nest."

Kion gave a bit of thought before responding to that. "Fifty fifty chance I'll do that."

"Fifty fifty chance it's your funeral." Kiara said with a shrug.

"Ooh! Queen Kiara's first official decree!" Zuri exclaimed, catching Kiara's attention. "Queen Kiara's first decree! The Lion Guard will-"

"Walk away from your stupidity!" Kion shouted as he walked off. His detestment of Kiara being favored over him stressed him out. At the same time, Kiara was starting to get so stressed. They were both so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they couldn't see how much the other sibling was struggling. "Hurry, up, guys, need, to, think!"

As the Guard left, Bunga stayed behind to bow again before walking backwards. "By your command, my Queen." Kiara sighed, not being a fan of all this Queenly praise.

Kion expressed his annoyance to Fuli about the situation. "Just be glad you don't have a sister, Fuli. You don't have to hear everyone suck up to her all the time."

"Don't look at it like that, Kion." Fuli started, finishing with both something to tease Kion, and to help him. "Just look at it as them sucking up to the Queen."

"Ugh; I can taste the vomit already." Kion fake gagged, Fuli laughed as they headed off to the Eland herd.

The Lion Guard had reached the eland herd's path, which did in fact, have several bee hives hanging from the trees covering it. Kion looked at Bunga, and sarcastically asked, "You think you'd be able to eat all that?"

"Nope. But I won't know until I try!" Bunga said before attempting to jump in.

Kion stopped him, wanting to get a good assessment of the situation before trying anything stupid. "Where are the Elands, Ono!?"

Ono flew up to find the eland herd and used his enhanced vision. Surely enough, they were on the path they always took. "They're on their way, Kion! Just around the bend!"

"Then it's settled. When they get here, we'll move them off the path and across the field." Kion explained to his team. "Far away from the bees."

Beshte was amazed by how much chaos bees could cause. "Hard to believe something so small could bother something so big?"

"It almost sounds kinda silly." Kion admitted, laughing a bit at the idea. "Moving something big to avoid something so small. It's like moving a big tree to avoid a twig."

"That was Queen Kiara's decree." Ono reminded the group when he flew down.

The use of the word 'Queen' instantly got on Kion's nerves. He gave an annoyed laugh, which worried the others a bit. "Ya know what? New plan!" Little did the Guard know that Mzingo was watching them in the trees. "You guys can suck up to Kiara and treat her like the spoiled brat she is all you want. But I'm not pretending she's been Queen for longer than a day."

Beshte attempted to calm Kion down, since it was clear he was getting upset. "Kion, are you-"

"I've been leading the Lion Guard for a lot longer than that!" Kion interrupted while putting his paw up. "Kiara may be able to tell me to do something now, but she CAN'T tell me how to do it." Kion's cocky smile came as he shared his idea. "I say we move the BEES instead!"

Ono instantly showed concern for this plan. "Move the bees?"

"Move the bees?" Mzingo asked, only he showed confusion towards this plan.

Ono tried to convince Kion to go against this plan. "Um... Kion? I don't think that's a good idea. Bees are very irritable creatures who are never afraid to attack any potential-"

"And I'M a very awesome creature!" Kion stated boldly while interrupting Ono's rambling, sure his plan would work better than Kiara's. "And this is how I'll prove it!"

"Yeah! Let's move the bees!" Bunga chimed in when he jumped onto a rock. "What could go wrong?"

Kion's plan must've gone QUITE wrong to cause what happened next. Kion, Fuli, Ono, and Beshte were being chased by an angry bee swarm. Ono had some choice words about the situation when flying a loop to try and throw them off. "This is why I eat snails!"

"What're you guys runnin for?!" Bunga asked while sticking his paw into a beehive. "Bees taste even better when they're mad!"

Fuli caught up to Kion to express her thoughts. "Maybe we should've diverted the eland herd after all!"

"Let's hope we don't get them stung instead!" Kion responded, knowing that was now a high possibility. When the four made a sharp turn, the Elands were right in front of them! They skidded when trying to stop before crashing right into them. Kion ended up on an eland head, and he was quick to complain about the crash. "Can't a lion cub and his friends run away from an angry bee swarm in peace!?" That was when the bees reached them. Except for Ono, who flew up and thought of a way to at least avoid himself getting stung.

Ono stopped the bees with a question. "Don't you want your honey!?" The bees stopped before reaching Ono, and turned back to their hives. Sure enough they saw Bunga digging in without a care in the world. "Then buzz off, and stop that honey badger!" The bees flew off as Ono laughed to himself. "Buzz off. The others would love that."

Kion, Fuli, and Beshte on the other paw... were about as lucky as the elands. The bees swarmed them and began staining mercilessly, with the mammals unable to do anything to stop them. Not only were the bees quick, but there were simply too many of them. Even Ono couldn't because he was staying back for his own safety. He could do nothing but watch as his friends and the elands groaned and growled in pain.

Fuli had been shoved into the center of the pile, so luckily her body was mostly shielded by the others around her. Beshte also had the benefit of sitting down when he stopped, meaning the bees primarily targeted his back. For Kion though, things were way worse. First off, he had landed on top of an eland, meaning his body was more exposed than the rest of his team. Plus, his claws were stuck on the thick hide, making it harder for him to move or properly protect himself. And finally, he was facing away from the charging swarm, so his hind end was the easiest and most vulnerable target for the bees to attack. He tried to use his tail for cover but as soon as one bee stung him on the snout, his tail flew up reflexively and the bees finally got some satisfying revenge for being disturbed.

"YEEOUCH!" Kion yelped in agony,

Ono used a wing to cover his eyes, having seen the whole attack up to this point. He may be the Keenest of Sight, but even he had to turn away from such a vicious assault. "Ooooh, that's gotta hurt."

After escorting the elands to their watering hole, the Lion Guard reported back to Kiara. Kion, of course, tried to play it cool. "And of course, with my awesome leadership skills, we bounced back, and successfully escorted the elands to their watering hole."

"You did pull off the escort." Kiara started in an attempt to begin softly. Since Kion, Fuli, and Beshte were covered in bee stings, she didn't want to go hard on them. But Zuri coughed to remind her she was the ruler. Her concerns led to her getting more authoritative. "But you STILL ignored my decree."

"Okay, sure. We got stung a lot." Kion scratched himself with his hind leg after that. "Once in a place I'd rather not show you." When he stopped, he continued his cocky persona. "But we still got the job done. As we should have."

"Barely." Fuli chimed in. Her usual carefree attitude was gone due to how much pain she was in. "Not to take sides, Kion, but your plan was totally off."

"AND totally delicious!" Bunga exclaimed before tossing a honey covered bee into his mouth.

Kion then noticed that Ono hadn't gotten stung either. "Hey. How did YOU avoid getting stung, Ono?"

"Oh good, you noticed!" Ono responded before clearing his throat and correcting himself. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I was just waiting to tell you what I said after I got the bees to leave;" Kion and Kiara were watching as Ono rambled. "specifically, I told them Bunga was eating all of their honey, but because bees are drawn to body heat, they didn't-"

"Just admit it, Kion." Kiara requested while interrupting Ono's ramble. "I was right about the bees, and you were wrong."

Bunga swallowed his bee and bowed again. "I admit it, your majesty!"

Kion started tapping his paw, trying to keep his cool as he pointed out Bunga's benefit. "Dude, you already got your lunch, you can stop sucking up to her."

"Kion, you should've told us Bunga was hungry." Tiifu said, missing the point. "He could've taken a snack break."

"If there was time for that, which her top advisors don't believe." Zuri stated, failing to notice she was upsetting Kiara. "Queen Kiara has no time to-"

"Okay! Well, I think you'll be glad to know..." Kion interrupted, trying not to avoid snapping. "Some of the elands were a little angry, but they got over it as soon as we reached the watering hole. So, at least they were cooperative."

"I really liked the one I talked to on the way back." Beshte said in an attempt to help Kion calm down. He could sense he was getting stressed, and wanted to help him. He laughed a bit when remembering the conversation. "He said the bee fiasco would make a funny skit for a show."

Beshte's attempt to soothe the tension in the room worked a little. However, Kiara unintentionally, brought it back up to a high level. "Pleasant conversations aside, maybe next time, you'll listen to your Queen."

Kion flinched before raising an eyebrow. He was trying to keep a cool head. "Next time?" However, he could barely contain himself.

"Yeah. Next time I give you a decree." Kiara clarified. "Or have you forgotten, dad left ME in charge?"

"It's pretty hard to forget." Kion let slip. He wanted to vent his frustrations right then, but he knew that wouldn't be fair to the rest of the team. He merely scoffed before storming off, needing some time to clear his head. "Whatever. I need some time to myself, my queen."

Kion walked past his friends and left the lair. "Kion wait." Bunga began following, before Kiara spoke up.

"Leave him be." She couldn't help questioning why Kion was acting this way. However, she couldn't really blame him. The tension in the air was still thick, so Kiara felt being alone with her thoughts as well, was the right move. "I need some space too. You four can leave if you want." Kiara headed off to reflect, with Zuri and Tiifu showing concern for her. Zuri was also confused. Isn't this what Kiara wanted? Why is she annoyed too?

Mzingo had made his way to Janja's hideout, where he was telling him of Kion's poor attempt to defy Kiara's decree. "You wouldn't believe it, Janja. The whole sky; it was filled with bees." Mzingo chuckled a bit before mentioning his favorite part about it. "I barely escaped without getting stung myself."

Janja liked the sound of what he'd learned, he felt he could take advantage of this sibling rivalry. "So, with Simba in the elephant territories... brother and sister aren't gettin along." Cheezi and Chungu laughed before Janja expressed more joy. "Be a shame if their family squabbles led to chaos in the Pridelands."

"From which we all might benefit." Mzingo replied before giving another light chuckle.

"Mzingo. I need you to deliver a message to the new 'Queen'." Janja began to request. "Her next decree will be to start our buffet." Cheezi and Chungu laughed again, knowing exactly what Janja meant.

Kiara was contemplating her struggles with being a good Queen. She was still frustrated with Kion's behavior. And Zuri and Tiifu urging her to act like a Queen wasn't helping. This was already more stress than she'd bargained for. As she turned to leave, she heard someone land on the perch of Pride Rock. "Queen Kiara." Kiara groaned over hearing that title again before turning to see Mzingo. "Being Queen obviously suits you."

"If you say so." Kiara deadpanned. She'd been so stressed that the last thing she needed was more trouble. "What are you doing here anyway, Mzingo?"

"Nothing to fear, cub." Mzingo began, noticing how annoyed Kiara was by mention of her rank. The vulture used his calm words and smoothe tones to defuse the situation. "I simply came to bring you a peace proposal on behalf of... Janja."

Kiara laughed a bit before questioning this decision. "Janja, wants peace?"

"This is what Janja's always wanted." He came closer to Kiara upon continuing. Now was the time to turn her against Kion. He paced in one circle when doing so. "Sadly, your brother and his guard, well... forgive me for saying so, my friend, but your brother can be quite stubborn."

Mzingo chuckled a bit with Kiara rolling her eyes as she agreed. "Tell me about it. But why didn't Janja come himself?"

"Janja's not exactly, welcome in the Pridelands." Mzingo reminded Kiara. "He thought you might meet on Neutral ground. Say, sunset tonight at Broken Rock? You can discuss the terms of your new peace agreement. Just think about it, Kiara. You could usher in a new day of peace for the Pridelands." When Kiara looked at the ground, he held her chin up and laid in the final talon. "One that would make Simba very proud." Kiara's hesitation faltered greatly when she heard that. She'd tried all day to prove she was a good enough ruler. If she somehow brokered peace with the hyenas, her dad would know how ready she was to be Queen. "Just think it over. That's all we ask." Mzingo flew off, leaving Kiara with a lot to think about.

Kion had just been told of the news, and quickly tried to warn Kiara against it. "Kiara, please. You have to know this is a trap."

Kiara scoffed before calling out what she believed to be hypocrisy. "Oh, so YOU'RE the only one who can be friends with a hyena?"

"That's different. Jasiri is..." Kion began to insist, only to pause before he kept going. He was still unsure of what exactly Jasiri meant to him. He knew he cared about her. But the feelings he felt were... hard to explain.

"A hyena, and one you seem to be pretty chummy with." Kiara continued for him. In a tone more annoyed than Kion was going for. "You're just jealous because you know I'm right. Just like I was with the bees."

"Is that what you think?" Kion asked, shaking his head before continuing. "I'm worried because my sister's being tricked by someone I've already chased out of the Pridelands more times than I can count."

"And maybe I can stop that." Kiara retorted. "Think about it, Kion. A peace treaty would mean Janja and his clan wouldn't be a threat. And then, no one would care if your hyena friend comes to talk to you."

"Jasiri Isn't even with them!" Kion exclaimed, and then he realized he never asked Jasiri if she had allies. "I... don't know WHO she's with."

Kiara questioned that and raised an eyebrow. "And you think you can trust her more?"

"She helped me get home." Kion said in defense of Jasiri. "And last I checked, Janja hasn't even tried to apologize for when he almost made you gazelle tracks."

"He might do it when I meet him." Kiara suggested, starting to turn to meet up with him. "And as Queen-"

"You're not really Queen, Kiara!" Kion snapped, having enough with that title being shoved down his throat. "You're just filling in for mom and dad while they're gone!"

Kiara snapped as well due to also nearing her breaking point. "You don't think I know that, Kion!? I didn't ASK to do this; dad expects it from me! Everyone, expects it, from me!" Kiara's choice words caught Kion off guard. Why was Kiara wording it like that? Shouldn't she be sounding more arrogant? "And it's time I show them I'm ready!" With that, Kiara stormed off in a hurry. Kion wanted to call for her, but he wasn't sure what to say. What Kiara said there left him stunned. All he knew was that he wanted to help Kiara. But could he? What if he was wrong again? Or what if he was right and he didn't act? He only knew one lion who could help him right now.

Kion looked up to the clouds when he headed to a private spot. "Grandfather Mufasa! I need your advice again."

Just like before, Mufasa formed in the clouds to assist Kion. "I'm here for you, Kion."

"Just like I hoped you'd be." Kion said with a smile. At least one thing went right today. He got serious when explaining his situation. "This whole temporary Queen thing has been messing me up all day. Everyone's been sucking up to Kiara like she just led us through a drought. And now she thinks Janja wants to negotiate peace." Mufasa listened patiently as Kion explained. "And what she said after that made me think she feels like she HAS to do this."

"Being in charge, temporary or permanent, can be a stressful task." Mufasa said empathetically. "I know it's looked as if she's had everything figured out. But she's as confused about leadership as you are still."

Kion took a moment to think about Kiara's perspective. The way she finished rang in his head. He didn't stop to think about how she was feeling about all of this. She had barely any time to prepare. And with the way she acted, it was as if she didn't even want this. "I guess she must've been stressed out too. After all, everyone thinks she's perfect." He still had a ways to go in understanding her, but at least he was considering her feelings now. "Do you think my friends will listen if I tell them I think she's making a bad call?"

"Of course. You're their leader. They trust your judgement." Mufasa assured Kion. He gave him some more advice before he left. "Sometimes, we make the wrong choices. And it's our duty as family, to help us see it." Kion gave Mufasa's latest words some thought. "And I'm sure Kiara will appreciate how you looked out for her."

Kion smiled, liking the idea of feeling appreciated. Maybe this could help him and Kiara start being seen as equal. Or at least start seeing each other as equal. "I guess you're right. Thank you, grandfather." Mufasa departed in the clouds, allowing Kion to act.

That was when Kion heard Zuri's voice from nearby. "Kion! There you are!" Kion looked to see a worried Zuri and Tiifu running over to him. "Have you seen Kiara!? She hasn't come back yet and I'm worried she's gotten hurt!"

"I'm worried too!" Tiifu added, worrying she might have gotten hurt. "We haven't seen her since your last fight."

"Really?" Kion asked in confusion. Surely Kiara must have told her best friends, and 'royal advisors' what was going on. "I thought she told you."

"Well, she didn't." Zuri said before she admitted to something else. "We would've asked her, but the two of you sounded so mad that we felt it was best to leave you alone."

Kion chuckled a bit before smirking to Zuri. "Well whatya know? You CAN be thoughtful."

Zuri slapped Kion in a panic as she called him out. "This isn't the time for jokes, Kion!" She grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him. "Tiifu and I don't know what to do!"

"Easy!" Kion demanded, and when Zuri stopped shaking him, he smiled. "I'm just surprised to see this side of you." Zuri smiled nervously, having to admit it was a rarity for her to show it. "I'll go find her. I think I know where she is."

"Thank you, Kion." Tiifu said gratefully. "And when you find her, could you tell her we're sorry if we stressed her out?"

Kion nodded in response with Zuri added to that. "We want her to know she's our friend. Our close friend."

Kion failed to notice a light blush on Zuri's cheeks. He once again assured them he'd find her. "I'm on it!"

Somewhere in the Outlands, Jasiri was looking around for some food near Kiara and Janja's meeting place. She seemed to have been looking for at least a little while. "Next stop, Broken Rock."

"Hello?" Jasiri heard Kiara's voice. She went in the direction of it to make sure. She spotted Kiara near Broken Rock quickly. "Hello?"

Jasiri started questioning what Kiara was doing in the Outlands. 'Is that Kion's sister? Why is she out here?"

Her question was answered as soon as Janja spoke. "Welcome, Kiara." Jasiri expressed shock when Janja came out and feigned friendliness. "I'm so happy you considered my proposal. And you came alone." Kiara remained cautious when Janja approached her. "Very smart. We can work out our deal, leader to leader. Just the two of us." Jasiri remained hidden, and spotted one of Janja's minions at the same time Kiara spotted another. "More or less."

It didn't take Jasiri longer than a second to see what Janja was planning. Even though Kiara was rude to her, Jasiri still expressed worry. 'Oh Kiara. What did you get into?'

Kiara took a couple steps back after realizing this was a bad idea. "I think I just, reconsidered your proposal."

Jasiri saw one of the hyenas getting ready to move and snuck over to him. That was when Cheezi and Chungu came out. Janja continued to feign friendliness. "Goin so soon? But you're to be our guest!" That was when Janja revealed his real plan. "Soon as Simba hears I have his daughter, he'll have no choice but to turn over the Pridelands to me." He licked his lips, which frightened Kiara. Especially with his next threat. "Or else."

Cheezi and Chungu laughed with Kiara looking around in fear. That's when Jasiri called to him from nearby. "Not very welcoming to threaten your guests, Janja!"

Kiara was stunned when Jasiri landed on top of one of the seven hyenas and pinned him to the ground. "Jasiri!?"

"The one and only." Jasiri assured Kiara, who was unsure of how to respond.

Janja groaned in annoyance over Jasiri's interference. "When are you gonna stop butting into my affairs, Jasiri!?"

"When you stop trying to kill the Pridelanders." Jasiri answered boldly. She walked up to Kiara with a question. "You know how to fight?"

"No, but I might learn something from watching you." Kiara answered honestly.

Jasiri smiled to Kiara, and then smirked to Janja. "Not my first time leading royalty." Jasiri jumped over Chungu and landed on his back once he lunged at her. Kiara did the same with Cheezi after observing, but jumped a little too high. Luckily, Cheezi smashed into a rock.

The other four hyenas surrounded Jasiri and Janja pinned Kiara down. "Nice moves. Too bad you're five fighters short."

"So you CAN count. A pleasant surprise." Jasiri shot at Janja before dodging a hynea's tackle.

"Get away from my sister!" Kion shouted, getting Janja's attention before tackling her.

Kiara got up and smiled upon seeing her brother. "Kion! Thank you."

"Anytime, Kiara." Kion replied. "I see you already had a little help."

Jasiri paw smacked another hyena to the side as she, and the rest of the Guard joined them when Kiara spoke up. Although, she didn't know what to say in the moment. "Yeah, I guess so. "

Janja's clan faced Kion and the others with Kion starting them off. "I might be able to help." And he faced Janja along with Kiara. "Till the Pridelands end..."

"Lion Guard defend!" Kiara finished, standing right alongside Kion.

"So. Seven on seven." Janja quickly rejected this idea. "Forget it! We're outta here!"

"I can help with that." Kion said, pointing up to the clouds that were forming when he did. As soon as he was ready, Kion used the roar to send Janja's clan flying out of the Broken Rock area. Jasiri started laughing at the sight with Kion and Bunga hi pawing. Kion's confident smile said it all. "Works every time."

"I can see why. Thanks for the save, you guys." Kiara walked up to Kion, expressing gratitude for the save. "And Kion, you were right about never trusting Janja."

"Naturally." Kion said while brushing his chest off with one paw. He did have one thing to admit to though. "And I should've listened to YOU about the bees."

"Naturally." Ono chimed in snarkily, making Kion snort at the ironic vibe.

Kiara looked at Jasiri, having started to express remorse for how she treated her. "I'm sorry I was so hostile towards you, Jasiri. I should've trusted Kion when he said you were a good creature."

"It did hurt, but I know you were looking out for your brother." Jasiri said, smiling to Kion, who smiled back. They were both happy to see that Kiara trusted Jasiri now. Their feelings fluttered again briefly before Jasiri said something else to Kiara. "I just hope you realize now that I care about Kion. And those close to him."

"I do. And thanks for coming in when you did." Kiara responded assuredly. "We should be heading home now. I've had enough of the Outlands for one day."

"Fair enough." Jasiri said before laughing. She and Kion shared another glance before heading off. "See you around!"

Kion watched Jasiri leave, until Bunga got his attention. "Hey Kion? About the whole sucking up to Kiara thing."

"I'm over it. Just, tone it down next time. Okay?" Kion requested, and Bunga smiled and nodded his head yes. "Come on, guys. Let's get the queen home safe." Kiara rolled her eyes due to Kion's teasing before she headed home with the others. Kion and Kiara shared a smile, showing that their bond grew a little bit stronger as the screen faded to black, ending the episode off.