The Lion King Chronicles: Nala's Tears {Editing}

Chapter 15

Sunrise came to the Pridelands, regal and glorious as ever. Zazu returned last night before sunset saying that, in tradition, the ceremony would be held the next day. Scar let me leave the cave which left me relieved. I hated being in that cave all day with those flea-brained hyenas watching me.

That night, I slept a little closer to Malka, somewhere in between him and Sarafina. For some reason, I felt safer around him. He may not be perfect, but who was? Malka obviously cared about me. Maybe we owed it to ourselves to see where this could go.

I stepped into the sunrise and stretched. Any moment now, the herds would appear over the rise to witness the new Prince's naming ceremony. So until then, I decided to enjoy the silence.

The lionesses couldn't stop talking about the cub last night. They kept asking Sarabi what this meant for the Pridelands now that Scar had a legitimate heir. I didn't pay too close of attention to their rambling; I'd had enough of that cub for one day.

"Good morning," Malka said as he came to sit at my side.

I nodded to him with my eyes still trained on the sunrise. "Good morning."

If I was honest with myself, then I'd know that I felt awkward around Malka. Tama and Kula probably assumed that we were closer than we actually were. It's not that I didn't like Malka, I really did, but I'm just not sure if I like him like that. We were friends at least.

"What's wrong, Nala?" Malka asked me suddenly with worried amber eyes. He scooted closer to me so that our pelts were almost brushing.

My body stiffened and I couldn't meet his gaze. "Nothing, just...do you ever wonder what's beyond the Pridelands?"

Malka blinked in surprise. "What do you mean 'beyond the Pridelands'? What is there out there that you can't have here?"

Lowering my head, I let out a long sigh. "I don't know Malka... I feel like a prisoner here. Scar sent away my father and I often wonder where he is. I'll never see him again. I guess that I just want to know what's beyond our borders."

"But you have family and friends here, Nala, that love you very much." Malka pointed out. "How could you leave them?"

"I'm not leaving, Malka," I growled, slightly impatient. "I'm just speaking theoretically." My blue eyes stared out at the Pridelands, at the sun. The lie burned in my throat. Someday, I wanted to see past the Pridelands, and maybe I wouldn't return.

Over the horizon, I saw the faint shape of a baboon. I jumped to my paws when I realized it was Rafiki. I'd heard rumors that Scar had ordered Rafiki to come back for the ceremony. He wanted it as close to tradition as possible.

Behind Rafiki came the herds. There were elephants, zebra, antelope, giraffes, monkeys, rhinos, cheetahs, and so many more. They all gathered on the order of their King whether they wanted to or not.

"I'll go tell Scar," Malka murmured. He got up to leave but paused. "Nala, I could make you happy here...if you let me." Then, without another word, he left to disappear into the cave.

I got up and headed towards the cave myself. Inside, I saw the Pride readying itself for the ceremony. All of us except for Scar and Zira would go beneath the ledge to join the other animals. Rafiki begrudgingly smeared a red paste across the little cub's forehead and sprinkled seeds from the tree Rafiki called home.

"Come," Sarafina nudged me towards the mouth of the cave after Sarabi and the others. I fell into step with Kula and Mheetu. Ahead of us, Tama and Malka walked with Cato.

Sarabi led the Pride down the slope and we waited at the base of Priderock for Rafiki to present Scar's son. I sat in between Sarafina and Mheetu as we awaited the ceremony.

Suddenly, there was movement at the ledge. Rafiki walked to the edge of the rock with the little cub in his arms. Scar and Zira followed close behind. For a moment, Rafiki just stood there at the edge. Then, he lifted the gray-brown cub for everyone to see.

The animals cheered, but only because they feared for their lives. This would never have been the case with Mufasa. Back then, the animals had real respect for the Pride. The Circle of Life was fair, but Scar had twisted it and put the Pride on top.

Rafiki announced the name of the cub as he held him for everyone to see. "Prince Nuka, son of King Scar and Queen Zira!"

Elephants stomped their feet, zebras reared and brayed, monkeys pounded their fists. The Pride roared and I joined in. Surprisingly, my roar sounded almost like an adult roar.

Scar stood up there proudly and for a moment, I thought I saw a smirk on his face. Why so smug? He always acted as if he knew something no one else did. He was King, what more did he want?