The Lion King: Scar's Reign

The Madness of King Scar

[A/N: 

Take a look inside Scar's chaotic mind... it begins with Scar having a dream/nightmare...]

Nala... Her eyes are so captivating that I fear one day I'll lose myself in them if I stare for too long. We're alone, side by side, in the water hole, which is... waterless! Not my concern, at least, not right now. Nala is my sole priority. No one will take her away from me. My future is sealed...

"What are you hiding?"

Hiding? How does she know... What do my eyes reveal to her when she stares into them? "Goodbye." Her sweet voice, slowly drifting away from me... Nala fades, and suddenly, a body of water emerges beneath us—separating us even further.

"Don't go! Don't leave me!" My call out is pointless as I witness her floating away from me, farther and farther away. "I cannot be alone..." My voice shivers, my weak words barely audible. Taka...

Nala... gone. The water... gone as well. Not a single drop remained, as if it had never been there. Nothing surrounds me. Emptiness is all there is. My view, cloaked in a black, endless darkness.

"Didn't I tell you, son?"

Father? No... just no...

"You cannot hide, Taka. It's impossible to create a future when there is none..."

"Stop it, father!" Please, make it disappear!

"You cannot ignore the past!"

If only I could erase you and Mufasa from the minds of the living, I could ignore the past... He's not here, he's not real...

"Pain remains. Scars may fade, but they shall never disappear..."

What? "How dare you speak of scars to me?"

"How dare—" Upon realising his wakefulness, Scar stopped mid-sentence and swallowed his words. "These imaginary conversations with Ahadi aren't the most pleasant ways for a lion to wake up..." he mumbled, his lack of comfort for his daily routine evident. Scar brushed his scarred eye. That day you marked me... He had always blamed his father for what, who, and where he was in the present day. "You did this to me..." he said, yawning. Whether they were mere illusions or messages coming from the actual ghost of his father, these dreams disrupted his sleep, luring the joyful ones away from him. "Mark my words, I'll surpass you soon..." Scar strolled outside. The fresh air breeze would do him good, he hoped.

Later that morning:

"I'm the king! But why am I not satisfied?" Did I just say that out loud? Scar's thoughts were so consuming that he had lost touch with reality and was unsure whether he spoke aloud or not. Terrific, he assumed he thought. Allowing a deep sigh to go out, Scar settled himself on top of his rock, the coolness of the stone beneath him a welcome relief on a hot day.

"Sire, what's with the long face?" Zazu, the bird Scar kept behind bars, dragged the lion out of his chaotic mind.

"Zazu? Why am I not... loved?" Scar opted for a direct approach and cut to the chase. The lionesses... Why don't they like me? How are they able to resist my black manes? I'm a king! What more could they possibly want?

"Well, why do you think you are not loved?"

Scar's irritation with the hornbill's wise tone was evident. It was like listening to his father or to his brother, neither of whom he wished to recall. According to Scar, they had experienced no shortcomings during their reign as kings, whereas under his rule, everything, quite literally, turned black. Scar's mood shifted. He gestured towards Zazu, motioning for him to leave him, and his thoughts, alone.