Zira spoke quietly as she gently caressed her daughter's face for the last time. "Mufasa, watch over our poor Vitani."

While the dark tan lioness mourned, Chumvi growled as he turned to face Sherise. "You!" She lunged at his sister, who evaded the large dark brown lion. "What have you done?!"

Sherise fearlessly met her brother's gaze. "I. Did. NOTHING."

"Exactly! Because of you, my daughter is dead! You've betrayed your pride! Betrayed Mufasa!" Zira spat as sh turned from her daughter's body to the brownish lioness.

"I want nothing more to do with him! Or any of you!" Sherise snarled.

Enraged, Chumvi swung his paw at Sherise face, claws extended. Sherise dodged it and retaliated with her own strike.

Unlike her brother, Sherise hit her mark, slashing Chumvi's face. Chumvi groaned and returned his gaze to his sister. Four bloody clawmarks ran across his face diagonally.

The silence in the gorge was deafening. The Outsiders were astounded to see Sherise openly turn against them.

Simba frowned, returning his gaze to the confrontation after a brief glance at Vitani's body.

Sherise's chest heaved as she dug her claws into the ground. "Fitting. You aspire to be just Mufasa, a monster. Now you look like one!"

Chumvi hissed in shock as he took a step back, but before anyone could react, Sherise turned and fled.

"Should we go after her?" Zuri asked approaching with her mother, Tama by her side.

"No. Let her go." As Chumvi turned and walked towards a rock pillar, his mouth twisted in a snarl. He climbed it and stood there, overlooking the Outsiders. "Eshe has hurt me for the last time." The Outsiders gathered beneath the dark brown lion, all eyes on him as he said, "Now, his precious prince has corrupted Sherise! Listen to me. Eshe is injured and weak! Now is the time to attack! We will take her entire kingdom... by force!"

The Outsiders roared as they stood up on their hind legs.

As he watched, Sherise's words resounded in Simba's head as he scowled slightly. "Because there's a better way!" He shook his head. No…she was wrong.

There was no other way. He reared up and added his roars to the chorus as Chumvi triumphantly cackled.

~TLK~

The sky turned a fiery orange as the sun began to set, blanketing everything in an ominous glow.

On the promontory of Pride Rock, Eshe groaned softly as Mheetu nuzzled her. Nala, Askari and Sarabi stood beside the tawny, dark brown mane lion.

While Jashua stood on the other side of their father. Rafiki had just departed after tending to the queen's wounds. Eshe had explained what had happened to her while she was being treated. While Nala and Sarabi had no trouble believing the queen, Jashua had been stunned, and Mheetu was concerned.

The animals of the kingdom had congregated beneath the promontory, and their worried chatter could be heard. The rest of the pride hung back, though they cast concerned glances in the direction of the royal family.

Jashua finally dared to speak. "Mother, it can't be true."

Nala glared at her brother, but before she could respond, the royals noticed a commotion in the crowd. Looking up, they noticed a small figure walking through the crowd, the animals parting to let them pass. It didn't take long for them to realize who it was.

"It's Sherise."

"It's her."

Mheetu and Askari let out a quiet gasp. "Oh, no." No one heard them over the growing murmurs as Sherise moved through the crowd.

Jashua smiled, relieved to see that she was safe. "Sherise!" He began to rush toward her.

Despite her wounds, Eshe growled and lunged in front of her son, stopping him in his tracks. Jashua was taken aback as his mother roared a warning before striding towards the promontory of Pride Rock. The wind began to pick up, and a sense of unease descended.

Mheetu approached Jashua, comforting him with a gentle touch to his brow, but he never took his gaze away from his mate.

Sherise walked through the Pridelanders, her face deliberately blank, attempting to ignore the murmurs.

"What's she doing?"

"What is she up to?"

"She should've known she wouldn't be welcome here."

The suspicious words of the Pridelanders echoed around Sherise. Her anxiety increased as she approached Pride Rock. She came to a halt at the base of the kopje and looked up, meeting Eshe's hostile glare.

"Why have you come back?" Eshe inquired sharply.

"Eshe... I had nothing to do with-" Sherise began before being cut off.

"You don't belong here!" Eshe snarled.

Sherise fell silent as she realized the queen's decision had already been made.

The pride had gathered around Sarabi, Mheetu, Jashua, Nala and Askari. All eyes fixed on the standoff in front of them.

Jashua spoke from where he was standing. "Mother , please. Listen to her." There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

Eshe glared over her shoulder at Jashua. "SILENCE!" As she turned back to face Sherise, Eshe said, "When you first came here, you asked for judgment. And I pass it now!"

As she observed the scene, Nala scowled at the Outsider lioness. Mheetu and Askari worriedly watched as Jashua stood helpless, unable to intervene.

The Pridelanders' enraged cries and jeers filled the air.

"We don't want you here!"

"Judgment!"

"Put her on trial!"

"Judgment day is here!"

"Yes! Judgment! Judgment!"

Eshe's verdict shattered Jashua and Sherise's worlds. "EXILE!"

"NO!" Jashua shouted. He tried to rush toward Sherise but found his way blocked by Nala and Akua.

"Sherise!" Jashua knew he could easily push past them, but not his mother. He could only watch in despair as Sherise's mask finally broke and she turned to face the enraged Pridelanders. There would be no mercy for her here.

Two oryx charged towards her, heads bowed and horns pointing forward. Sherise quickly backed up, only jumping off when she reached the very edge of the platform. She grunted as she landed on a lower ledge and quickly jumped to the side, avoiding a snake that tried to bite her. Her eyes widened as she realized there were several more in her path. She dodged past them, pausing briefly to avoid a small herd of zebras that reared up when she got too close.

Turning a corner, she ducked her head just in time to avoid being pecked by a flock of ostriches. As she approached the halfway point, she was forced to dodge rocks thrown by monkeys, seeking refuge under overhangs as she continued her descent.

Reaching the ground, she dared to pause for a moment, catching her breath, before she sped across the savanna as fast as she could, trying to ignore the grief and heartbreak that were welling up inside her.

On the promontory, Eshe watched coldly as the young lioness fled. A flock of birds flew overhead and began to descend on Sherise. She only had a moment to look up at them before they started pecking at her. She growled but kept running, doing her best to keep her face shielded from them, heading into a grove of trees.

Sherise splashed into a shallow pool as they flew away, pausing for a moment. She looked back at Pride Rock sorrowfully. Eshe glared back, as below Pride Rock, the Pridelanders watched as she fled.

Sherise blinked sadly. Her reflection rippled into a image of a gold, red mane lion as she looked down in the water. She was taken aback for a moment before scowling. I'm nothing like him. NOTHING! She snarled as she splashed through her reflection, dashing to the other end of the pool.

Sherise clambered onto the shore, her head bowed, before casting another glance over her shoulder at Pride Rock as pain pierced her heart. In the span of a single day, she'd lost Vitani, Simba, her pride... and now Jashua.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, "Goodbye, Jashua."

Sherise began to walk away, uncertain of where to go. All she knew was that she couldn't stay here any longer... and the Outlands were also no longer safe for her. She took off running, picking up speed and heading for unknown territory...

...

The animals dispersed as Mheetu brushed his son's black bangs away from his face. "I'm so sorry."

"Why…" The pain in his son's voice broke Mheetu's heart as he sighed.

"You know your mother. She's afraid, and fear can cause us to do strange things." Mheetu gently nuzzled Jashua. "Have faith. Even if things look bleak right now, there's always hope. I have a feeling that this isn't the end of your story with Sherise." Mheetu paused as one of the other lionesses called to him. "I need to help tend to the pride." Mheetu gave Jashua one final nuzzle before saying, "Son…please remember that I and your mother love you." the tawny lion met his son's orange eyes.

As his father left, Jashua gave him a bewildered glance. Askari and Akua, much to his relief, followed him, but he groaned slightly when he heard his sister's voice.

"So…I was right about her. I thought I smelled a traitor, but you wouldn't listen."

Jashua turned to face her. "And I still say that you don't know her. Not like I do. She would never take part in something like this."

The light beige lioness gave a shrug. "If you insist. Remember, she's an Outsider, and the Outsiders have a record." Nala's tone softened as she met her brother's gaze. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

A few moments of silence passed before Jashua scoffed softly. "It's too late for that,"

Nala was stunned and saddened as her brother turned to walk toward their mother, who was still standing on the promontory, where the pale cream lion joined the light brown lioness.

Before he could say anything, Eshe firmly stated, "You are NOT to see her ever again. You will not leave Pride Rock. You'll stay where I can keep an eye on you—away from her! Do you understand me, son?" she avoided making eye contact with him, instead focusing on the horizon.

Desperate, Jashua begged, "No! You judged her unfairly! Please, Mother, reconsider!"

Eshe shook her head. "My decision is final."

"But mother, I love her!" yelled Jashua, clearly distressed.

Eshe froze, speechless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She glared at Jashua, enraged by what she had just heard. "No. Have you completely lost your senses?! She's an Outsider! You're a Pridelander! It's impossible! I forbid it!"

Jashua scowled. "I don't care. If you're not going to accept Sherise, you might as well not accept me because I love her! Nothing can ever change how I feel about her!"

"NO! You are my son, the future king! The future king cannot be in a relationship with an Outsider! If I knew this I would never have dropped your betrothal!" Eshe snarled.

Mother and son circled each other, front claws extended.

Jashua was vaguely aware that his father, siblings, rest of the family and the pride were all watching them, but he didn't care.

"As the future king, it is in my best interests to at least try to fix the mistakes you've made! Stop living in the past and look towards the future! And my future is with Sherise, whether that's here or somewhere out there!" He growled. "Now get out of my way, mother. Or should I even call you that…"

As Eshe took a step back in shock, Jashua turned and began running away. He was going to find Sherise, no matter what. As he approached the steps, he paused for a moment, looking over his shoulder and meeting his father's and brother's gaze, ignoring his mother and sister.

The Prince-Consort gave a slight nod, even as his teal eyes showed concern. The significance of his earlier words suddenly became clear to him, and he smiled gently at his father before sprinting down the steps.

Eshe snarled softly as Jashua began to run across the savanna. "You will regret this, Jashua!"

Nala shook her head and walked toward her mother. Mheetu and Askari lingered for a moment, quietly pleading with the Great Kings to guide Jashua.

They could only hope for the best for Jashua and Sherise, as well as for their divided family and the warring prides.