This note is for those who have been reading. This is the last chapter of this book. But a new book will be up very soon. Enjoy!
Queen Eshe and Prince Jashua finally made it to the top of the gorge, panting from the climb. Jashua was immediately drawn into an embrace by his father.
"Jashua." Mheetu sounded on the verge of tears.
"It's alright, dad. I'm here," Jashua quietly assured the Prince-Consort, returning the embrace. He felt his mother place a paw on his back before nuzzling him.
Jashua soaked up his parents' affection, relieved that it seemed that he would no longer have to choose between them and the lioness he loved.
As his parents moved away from him, he turned to see Nala and Askari. The siblings looked at each other for a few moments, the memory of their last disagreement hanging between them. Nala averted her gaze, clearly ashamed.
Jashua moved closer to her and drew her into an embrace. She clung to him, crying, as he murmured quietly to her. Apologies could be made later. For the time being, they were content with the fact that they had the opportunity to make things right.
He looked up as Askari approached, his face blank. He gave his brother a sheepish grin. "Askari."
"Jashua…I can't decide if you're really brave or really foolish," the tawny, red-brown mane lion stated flatly. His expression softened to one of relief. "Just...please don't scare me like that again."
"No promises little brother," Jashua said regretfully as he drew away from Nala. Looking around, his eyes lit up when he saw Sherise on the outskirts of the crowd. With a smile, he approached her. "Sherise."
The brownish lioness met him halfway, her face filled with relief. "Jashua." She rested her head on top of his, and the two were content to stay that way for a while.
Eshe looked at them thoughtfully. "Sherise?" She broke her embrace with Jashua and approached Eshe with a curious expression. "I was wrong," the light brown lioness admitted as she dipped her head towards the younger lioness. "You belong here."
Sherise blinked in disbelief as Jashua came to her side, affectionately nudging her.
Eshe smiled before a wave of exhaustion hit her. The queen groaned as she staggered, barely able to stay on her paws as the pain from her injuries hit her full force.
Mheetu looked at his mate with concern. "Do you think you'll be able to make it back to Pride Rock, love?"
Eshe smiled at him despite his obvious exhaustion and pain. She was relieved to see that her mate was mostly unharmed, save for a few scratches and bruises. "I'll live," the light brown lioness assured softly, giving the tawny lion a gentle nuzzle before she grimaced, saying, "Rafiki isn't going to be happy with me though."
Mheetu shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "No, he isn't. But we'll deal with that later."
Eshe nodded and turned to face the crowd. "Let's go home. All of us," the light brown lioness said, shifting her gaze to the remainder of the Outsiders, some of whom smiled warily.
...
Arella had come across them on their way home, and Mheetu had asked her to notify Rafiki, who was waiting when they arrived at Pride Rock.
"Well den! Rafiki fixes you up, and what do you do? You go fight a war when ol' Rafiki told you to rest!"
Eshe sighed. "I couldn't let my pride face Chumvi and his pride without me."
Rafiki's only response was, "Hmph!"
Eshe shook her head and entered the main den, leaving Mheetu in charge of the Outsiders. The queen was exhausted and in pain, and her body begged her to rest. When she reached the platform where the royal family slept, she collapsed with a groan.
"Well den. Let's see what Rafiki needs to fix dis time!"
Eshe sighed, but let the mandrill tend to her for the second time that day. At least the mjuzi wasn't threatening to whack her with his staff…
Outside Pride Rock
Mheetu was attempting to figure out where the Outsiders could stay. Despite accepting them into the pride, tensions remained high, given that they'd just fought. It was not a good idea to have both prides in the main den at the moment, at least not until things calmed down a little.
With the exception of Sherise, everyone was injured, some more severely than others. Even Jashua was wincing, no doubt bruised and sore from his fall into the gorge. None of them, however, were as badly injured as Eshe, and Rafiki would almost certainly be tending to her for some time.
Mheetu shuddered quietly. He had come dangerously close to losing his mate and cubs today, as well as his own life.
"Father?"
Mheetu turned to see Jashua looking at him with concern. The tawny lion smiled as he gently touched his son's forehead. "I'm fine. It's just…it's been a long day."
Jashua huffed quietly. "Tell me about it." They fell silent for a few moments. "You knew, didn't you? That I'd go after her?"
Mheetu smiled. "Sometimes, the right path isn't the easiest one," Jashua smiled back and Mheetu let himself enjoy the moment before returning to the matter at paw. "Now. I'll need your help until your mother recovers. She isn't fit to rule right now, so you and I will have to step in."
Jashua nodded.
"And once she's recovered sufficiently...we'll all talk. Me, you, your siblings, your mother...and Sherise. This nearly drove us apart. We cannot move forward until we clear things up."
Jashua frowned but nodded. His father was right. There were apologies and explanations to be made. But not right now. Not just yet. The most important thing at the moment was to get everyone healed and fed, as well as to integrate the former Outsiders into their pride.
The following days were hectic, with Jashua and Sherise barely seeing each other. Jashua was kept busy helping his father and taking on his mother's responsibilities.
Sherise, meanwhile, was assisting Simba in managing the former Outsiders.
The new members were restricted to Pride Rock for the time being. Mheetu did not want their subjects to attack them until Eshe made the changes official. While the former Outsiders were displeased, they had to admit that the reasoning made sense, so they abided by the Prince-Consort's ruling.
Eshe was eventually recovered enough to return to light duty about a week later. Despite the fact that Jashua would still need to assist her, the queen was back on her paws, much to the relief of his family and his pride.
But now that he'd recovered, it was time to make amends.
Jashua entered the den, Sherise by his side. Nala and Askari turned to look at them as they approached the royal platform.
Eshe was lying on it, and Mheetu was curled up next to her, whispering too quietly for the others to hear. They nuzzled and smiled at each other before turning to face their cubs and Sherise with solemn expressions.
Silence descended. No one wanted to break it…or acknowledge the divisions between them.
Finally, Mheetu turned to his mate, giving her a pointed look as he cleared his throat softly. "Eshe?"
Eshe winced but nodded as she faced Jashua and Sherise. "I owe you both an apology. I was...cruel and unjust, especially in refusing to let Sherise tell her side of the story." He sighed. "I was also mistaken in being overprotective of you, Jashua. Your father is right. You're not a little cub anymore."
Jashua gave a faint smile, nodding as he acknowledged the apology. It faded as he shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not going to apologize for running off to find Sherise," he said quietly, "But …I shouldn't have said about whether I should call you Mother or not."
"I can't say I didn't deserve it," his mother replied quietly.
Jashua shook his head. "You didn't. You'd just escaped an ambush. As much as I hate to admit it…I did some thinking over the last few days, and I realized you had your reasons for acting the way you did. Maybe they were wrong, but...you had them. And everything happened the way it did for a reason." He took a step forward and nuzzled his mother affectionately.
Eshe was surprised for a moment before returning it. As he watched his mate and son, Mheetu smiled, relieved.
"Still.. mommy and I should have listened to you," Nala admitted softly as Jashua took a step back.
Jashua looked at her. She was clearly in tears, unable to meet his gaze. He moved closer to her and embraced her. "I forgive you," he murmured. "I know you were just doing your best to look out for me in your own way." Nala clung to him, her tears soaking his black mane.
The others smiled as they watched the siblings embrace. Jashua smiled before embracing his brother who just rested his head against his older brother's.
As the brothers broke apart, Jashua sighed. He paused for a moment before speaking. "Besides...in the end, Nala...you and mother were kind of right." As the pale cream lion returned to Sherise's side.
Eshe and Nala blinked, and Mheetu's teal eyes widened.
The couple exchanged a glance. Sherise took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I can do this."
"I know you can," came Jashua's encouraging whisper.
Sherise smiled at him before turning to face the others and beginning to explain. "Your Majesty, Princess Nala, you weren't entirely wrong. Chumvi did have a plot, and I was part of it."
Eshe's green eyes narrowed, but she nodded, allowing the young lioness to proceed.
"I was supposed to gain your trust, Your Majesty, before luring you into an ambush." the brownish lioness bit her lower lip. "However…I didn't expect to fall in love with your son. Or for those feelings to be genuine. The more time I spent with Jashua, the less invested I became in Chumvi's plans."
"Was the ambush planned?" Mheetu inquired, his gaze fixed on Sherise.
Sherise shook her head. "I had nothing to do with the ambush that happened. If anything, as soon as they had Queen Eshe surrounded, my family practically disowned me, claiming I was disloyal because of my feelings for Jashua." the brownish lioness frowned. "They'd been spying on me and overheard..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to conceal her embarrassment.
Eshe and Mheetu exchanged concerned looks. The fact that the Outsiders had infiltrated the Pride Lands was unsettling.
"They overheard you tell Jashua you loved him?" Askari finished.
"Yes," Sherise said, nodding. "My other siblings...they prevented me from helping Queen Eshe." She was overcome with grief at the thought of her sister, Vitani.
Eshe returned her attention to Sherise, finally smiling and nodding at the young lioness, and she felt... lighter. They both knew their relationship would never be perfect, but there was a newfound respect between them.
Mheetu, Nala and Askari smiled as they watched Jashua nuzzle Sherise, causing her to smile. The darkness was finally giving way to light, and a new future awaited them all.
~TLK~
The following day, Eshe addressed the animals of the kingdom. She acknowledged her mistakes and declared that the former Outsiders were now a part of the pride. While there were a few mutterings and hostile looks, the news was generally accepted.
As he watched his mother, Jashua couldn't help but feel that a new era of peace was just beginning...
A Few Weeks Later
On the promontory, the newly united pride gathered. Eshe, Mheetu, Nala, Askari, and Rafiki were sitting at the head of the pride. Jashua and Sherise were sitting nearby.
The pride and guards, formed an aisle as a few more stragglers joined them.
Rafiki and Eshe exchanged smiles. The mandrill shook his gourds over Jashua and Sherise, who nuzzled, at Eshe's nod.
Jashua smiled at his mother before nuzzling Sherise once more.
Mheetu smiled, content. He nuzzled Eshe, who returned his nuzzle with a loving look before returning their gaze to Jashua and Sherise, smiling. They reluctantly broke their embrace to sit next to the royal family and Rafiki.
Eshe, Mheetu, Nala, Askari, Rafiki, Jashua and Sherise all smiled at the pride. It hadn't been easy, but they'd made it. The two prides had merged into one.
Eshe and Mheetu stood and walked past the pride who bowed as they passed. Nala and Askari trailed behind them. Jashua and Sherise exchanged smiles as they followed the members of the lion guard.
Sherise paused for a moment as she passed her brother. Simba encouraged her with a smile and wink. She smiled as she rejoined Jashua and followed Eshe, Mheetu, Nala and Askari to the edge of the promontory.
Queen Eshe smiled before unleashing a powerful roar. She looked at Jashua, who let out his own roar, before the six lions exchanged glances. Grinning, they roared together. The pride roared in response, showing their support for the union. The kingdom's animals, gathered below, began to cheer.
Nala and Askari looked out at the crowd as their roars faded. Beside them, Eshe and Mheetu shared a tender, loving nuzzle. Jashua and Sherise also shared a loving nuzzle.
Below, the animals pawed the earth and waved their arms in approval.
Eshe and Jashua looked up at the heavens as the sun peeked through the clouds.
A faint but clear voice said, "Well done, my grandson."
Eshe proudly regarded her son as a breeze carrying milkweed floss ruffled the lions' manes. The light brown lioness closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar scent.
Jashua smiled and looked up briefly before nuzzling Sherise once more.
Rafiki nodded knowingly to the sky as the sun shone down on Pride Rock.
Taka's voice declared,"We are one,"