I appreciate those who are reading The Lioness Queen. Glad to know that you're enjoying the story, hope to see more reviews soon.

Duchess Sanaa was born in the Pridelands under the rule of the late Queen Eshe's parents, King Mohatu and Queen-Consort Niraja. Sanaa was best friends at the time with Princess Eshe the first.

Sanaa witnessed the births of Prince Mufasa and later Princess Sarabi. As time went by it was devastatingly clear that Mufasa took after his father, Prince-Consort Ugonna. Selfish, greedy and cruel.

She saw the gold prince's downfall. Eshe had hoped to reinstate Mufasa's title by giving him a chance to prove himself as the leader of the Lion Guard. But all that ended with was multiple deaths. Including Sarafina's mate and young Mheetu's father, Busara. Busara was the bravest in Mufasa's Lion Guard.

Not long before she gave birth to Malene, Taka was found unconscious and abandoned at the Pridelands border. She took him in and adopted the brown cub who soon fell in love with her best friend's daughter.

The gold-tan lioness was given the title Duchess when Taka married Sarabi and he became the dark beige lioness' mate and Prince-Consort.

Sanaa was heading towards the side of pride rock where a small valley with a small pound and some sun bathing rocks that was surrounded by shaded trees. Upon reaching the bottom Sanaa saw Sarafina and her daughter, Malene.

Sarafina was currently giving Mheetu a bath as her pale gold grandson laid by his mother's side grimacing as he watched his friend receive a bath.

"Hello ladies," Sanaa smiled as she laid beside her tan pelted daughter. "How's everything?"

Malene greeted her mother with an affectionate head bump. "Everything's okay, at least I hope everything is okay. I heard from Tumani that hyenas were in the Pridelands."

The dark cream lioness spoke in between licks. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. I'm more than positive that Sarabi and Taka are handling the situation as we speak."

Malene frowned as her dark green eyes filled with concern. "Sarabi is out there chasing hyenas? Should she be doing that.. you know in her current condition?"

Sarafina and Sanaa shared a worried glance before looking towards the path when they heard the cheery voice of the princess.

"Hey Malka, hi Mheetu!" Eshe exclaimed excitedly as she made it down the path.

A tawny cub with a small scruffy tawny tuff on his head and black ear rims smiled from Sarafina's paws, his teal eyes brightening. "Hey Eshe!"

"Come on! I just heard about this great place!"

Mheetu looked over his shoulder as his mother continued his bathing. "I am in the middle of a bath, Eshe."

Sanaa laughed at the horrified expression on her grandson's face before moving her dark green eyes to her granddaughter, "And it's time for yours."

Before Eshe could run away, Sanaa grabbed her granddaughter's scruff and began to bathe the light brown cub."Grandma! No, you're messing up my fur!" Eshe whined before she jumped down from Sanaa's paws and smoothed her small fur back in place on her head."Okay, okay. I'm clean, can we go now?"

Having enough of baths, a pale gold cub with a black tuff on his head and black tuff on his ears as well as black ear rims approached Eshe."Where are we going?"

Eshe turned and whispered low for only Malka and Mheetu's ears, "I'll tell you when we get there."

Mheetu and Malka nodded before turning to their mothers.

"Mom, can I go with Eshe?" Mheetu asked his dark cream mother.

While Malka pleaded with his mother to go. "Please mom, can I go?"

Malene frowned. "I don't know. Hyenas were just in the kingdom."

"Hmm, you got a point, Malene." Sarafina moved her greenish eyes from the tan lioness to the gold-tan duchess. "What do you think Duchess Sanaa?"

Sanaa looked at the three cubs who had wide grins on their muzzles."It's alright with me."

Eshe and her friends jumped around, whooing. But their celebration died down when the princess' grandmother continued, "As long as Arella goes with you."

The three all pinned their ears as they cried out in disappeared. "Oh no. Not Arella!"

~TLQ~

"So where are we really going?" Malka asked on Eshe's left side.

Eshe looked up to make sure her parents' majordomo wasn't listening before turning to her friends."An elephant grave yard."

"Wow!" the male cubs nearly shouted.

Eshe glared at her friends as she growled, "Be quiet! Arella will hear you!"

Mheetu nodded his head. "Right, so how are we going to ditch the dodo?"

While Mheetu and Eshe whispered quietly amongst themselves they didn't notice Malka's dark green eyes lit up before he ran off.

But the interaction between the princess and her tawny pelted friend didn't go unnoticed by the light blue hornbill. Arella flew down smiling at the cubs."Look, the seeds of romance have blossom in the savannah. Your parents will be thrilled!"

Mheetu raised a dark brown eye brow, his teal eyes full of confusion."What are you talking about Arella?"

Arella smiled happily,"You're betrothed! You two are going to get married!"

If the princess had something in her mouth, she would of spit it out. A million thoughts raced through the light brown cub's head.

"What? I can't marry him, he's my best friend!" Eshe exclaimed.

"Of course you will, princess!" Arella grinned excited. "It's a tradition going back many generations! Even your parents were betrothed, Princess Eshe!"

Eshe frowned before shaking her head. "When I become queen, that's the first thing to go."

"I'm sorry, your highness. But you can't do that." Arella stated while perched on a log.

"Why not? She's the future queen!" Mheetu questioned the hornbill.

"Yeah!" Eshe smiled as she poked Arella's white chest. "You have to do what I tell you!"

Before Arella could respond a pale yellow cheetah cub rushed by taking the hornbill with him as well as taking her by surprise, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

"Crisis averted!" Malka yelled out with excitement in his dark green eyes as he ran over to his friends.

Mheetu shook his head before looking at the pale gold cub with confusion in his teal eyes. "Where did you go?"

Malka grinned before he started walking off proudly. "Just know that I am a genius!"

"Hey geniuses, let's go! Before Arella finds us!" Eshe stepped in between the male cubs before running off.

"Hey princess! Wait for us!" Malka and Mheetu shouted before running after their friend.

Along the way the three slowed down to a walk. Mheetu glanced at Eshe and Malka, who were talking excitedly about something. With a grin the tawny cub pounced, Mheetu and Eshe tumbled a bit before Mheetu found himself under the princess.

Malka shook his head,"You never learn."

Mheetu glared at Malka before pouncing again with a "Rawr!"

The two friends tumbled down a drop point causing Malka to run after them. When the pale gold cub reached his friends it was just as Mheetu landed on his back with Eshe standing proudly over him.

"Pinned ya again!" Eshe smiled down at her frustrated friend.

A greyser went off making the cubs jump. But when the stream cleared they saw all kinds of animal bones.

"This is it. We made it." smiled Eshe as she began looking around with Mheetu and Malka following.

The three eventually came to an area with countless amounts of animal bones. The scenery was grey and misty totally different from the Pridelands bright and green.

"Wow!" Eshe and Mheetu exclaimed in awe together.

Malka moved his dark green eyes from the countless amounts of bones to his friends, "We could be in big trouble."

Mheetu laughed along with Eshe as she moved away with a smile. "Yeah, I know. But isn't this great?"

The male cubs turned around and looked at a really large elephant skull. The eye sockets were huge as well as the long, giant tusks.

"You think the brains are in there?" Malka asked looking at Eshe as Mheetu grinned excitedly.

Eshe smiled widely as she pranced forward. "Why don't we go check it out!"

As Eshe made her way to enter the skull, seemingly out of nowhere Arella flew in and blocked the princess' path."The only check out you three will do, is to check out of here!"

Eshe frowned as Malka and Mheetu laughed. Before the pale gold cub approached the hornbill with a teasing smile, "Looks like Banna Beak is scared."

Arella scoffed. "It's Miss Banna Beak to you, fuzzy!" before she pokes Malka's brown nose, "And we're all in real danger!"

Eshe rolled her green eyes before she walked past her friends and Arella to the opening in the skull. "I walked on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger. Haha!"

The princess' laughter echoed until it morphed into multiple deeper laughter which made the cubs hide behind the light blue bird. Three hyenas crawled out of the skull and began circling the four Pridelanders.