Zuka Zama Part II: The Scourge of Kopa | The Lion Guard

30. The Foe's Identity

"Kion! What's wrong with you?!", Kiara yelled at her brother who seemingly lost his mind in an instant. 

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but know this: the mark of the Roar belongs to me now", Kopa challenged, walking away from his army and taking steps by himself towards the Pride Landers. "The Roar belongs to me and so does he."

"I-it's you...!", Kion finally spoke, acknowledging the opposing lion. 

"Kion, please join me", Kopa spoke to the prince. 

Kovu and Beshte both tried their hardest to hold down the struggling lion. Taking them both by surprise Kion, in a burst of sudden strength he knocked them both off balance. Wasting no time, he darted out of the way before they could tackle him once again. Everyone watched Kion make his way over to Kopa. 

"Kion? What are you doing?", Kiara asked her brother who did not respond to any of her pleas. 

Kion turned to face the Pride Landers and stood firm next to Kopa. "Thank you, Kion. Welcome to the side of justice, dear brother", Kopa welcomed him. 

"What have you done to my son?!", Nala snarled. 

"I haven't done anything. And besides he is perfectly fine", Kopa insisted, looking at the lion at his side. 

"I think I'm finally starting to understand....", Kion said to Kopa with an unreadable expression on his face. 

"I don't know what's going on, but you better stop whatever you're doing to my brother!", Kiara threatened. 

Simba said nothing, still trying to process what exactly was going on around him. Those eyes. They couldn't be. But everytime he looked at his son the eyes of his evil uncle stared back at him. Had his Scar taken over his very son? Simba quickly dismissed that idea with Scar being long dead and gone. Even more confusing to him, though he was concerned for his son, his gaze could not stop shifting to Kopa. And each time he looked at him he felt a strange feeling at the pit of his stomach. 

"Have...Have you ever even heard of me?", Kopa asked Kiara, his voice taking a sudden softer tone. 

"Of course not!", Kiara said in a disgusted tone. Even Kovu rushed in front to defend her. For a second Kopa had a hurt look on his face that Simba caught. 

"Well, I think it's about time I properly introduce myself...", Kopa growled lowly. So they never told Kiara or Kion his own sister and brother about him. Realizing that very truth sent all rush of feelings he had not felt since he was a small cub waking up scared on the border of the Outlands. 

"Obviously you don't know me! But believe it or not we're family, all of us! You, Kion, Nala and even Simba!", Kopa snarled, the calm and collected demeanor he usually kept up now slipping away to reveal his true emotions. "But of course they never told you about me. No, they just cast me off and forgot about me! Isn't my name familiar to you?! Well, if you don't remember my name is Kopa: the first born of King Simba and Queen Nala and the true heir of the throne!"

Both sides, Pride Lands and Outlands went quite upon hearing the true identity of the lion who was previously a mystery to all. 

Nala looked on a the lion in disbelief. "K-Kopa?" 

"But Kopa...He...He", Simba stumbled over his words, shaking his head in disbelief. It couldn't be true. There was no way that it could be true. Kopa was gone! "...He died..."

"You assumed I was dead and then you just got rid of me. But I came back from the brink of death and I came back even stronger!", Kopa said lowly, taking threatening steps towards Simba. "I've traveled the depths of the Outlands and beyond. The things I've seen there....the endless cycle of death and suffering! It's all because of you!" Once again a rallying cry from the Outlanders sounded. 

An ear splitting crack of lightning flashed across the sky and Kopa's demeanor turned from pure anger to an eerie calm. "But none of that matters anymore. With the help of Kion, my...brother, I can finally bring change to the Pride Lands", he sighed, looking up at the sky.