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The Lion King III:
The Illegal Princess
Kiara held in her paws her young cub, the new prince of the Pridelands. Rafiki looked down at the cub and then smiled towards its mother; he then lifted the cub into his hands and held him up towards Kovu’s subjects, the animals of Africa. All of a sudden, ruining the special moment for those sitting on Priderock, two hornbills swept into view. One landed next to the king’s majordomo. “Heya Uncah Zazu!” Zazu cringed and turned towards his visiting nephew. “Shush kiddo and watch the ceremony.” The animals bowed and some cheered as the young prince mewed and waved slightly at the animals of Africa. Kovu and Kiara smiled and watched as Rafiki came towards them once more and handed them back their son.
Sitting in the audience of subjects to the king were a group of outlanders, ones who still believed in Zira’s rules and still lived in the outlands. “Bow Jahi…” the adult female cooed, bowing to the new prince. “Why should I mom? The Prince is the grandson of a killer and the son of one who betrayed Aunty Zira.” The adult lioness spun around. “Hush Jahi…we’re in the Pridelands.” The cub named Jahi rolled his eyes, but still bowed as his mother had asked. “Aunt Zira would not be proud of you mother.” The lioness snarled and glanced back at her cub but said no more on the issue. Weeks passed with the new prince growing stronger by the hour when one day a new heir was born. Kiara and Kovu took their son and newborn cub to Rafiki to ask if this would mean another ceremony. The mandrill looked worriedly at the cub and scratched his head. “This is very bad Kiara,” he murmured. “The last time a second cub was born and lived it was Scar. I am afraid that this cub may also grow too jealous of her kingly brother, Khairi.” Kiara glanced at her cub, who was sniffing at a blade of grass suspiciously. “But, what will we do?” Rafiki sighed and placed a finger on his chin. “Wait until she is old enough to live on her own and then exile her. Make sure that she does not get too attached to the Pridelands or her older brother or she may come back to regain her place as queen.” Kiara looked down at her young daughter. “What about a name?” Rafiki sighed. “You can decide what you do about that."
“Jahi!!” The outlands filled with the scream of the young lion’s name. “Ugh. What does mother want now?” Jahi sighed as he pawed his way up to the cave that they lived in. “Jahi... I want you to spy for me, for your aunt, for the outlands…” Jahi perked his ears. He would do anything for his aunt Zira. “Where and why do you want me to spy mom?” Raziya, the lioness, grinned. “I knew you would take me up on it.” She looked down at her unsheathed claws. “I need you to spy on the royal family. They’re hiding something, I know it…” Jahi nodded, he was so happy to be going on a mission as important as this. “What does dad say about all this?” He pondered. His father usually wouldn’t let him go into the Pridelands alone, his father was afraid that he would make friends with those who betrayed their relative, Zira. Raziya inspected her claws, “He doesn’t…have to know…”
Kiara’s daughter could now walk on her own, and knew how to hunt small things such as bugs. Simba had once lived off of them, so why shouldn’t the young princess? Kovu nodded towards Kiara, it was time to exile their daughter. Kiara sighed and picked her daughter up by the scruff of her neck. “I’ll do it...” she muttered through her daughter’s fur. The queen walked to the back of the cave and checked around herself to see if anyone was watching. She then nudged her daughter into a crack in the rocks. She checked around herself again, and then walked in after her daughter. Kiara’s ears slunk down next to her head and she sighed. “This is your home now,” she murmured to her daughter. The princess mewled uncertainly. “Will I be safe mommy? What about Khairi? Will he live in here too one day?” Kiara sighed. “No. Look, I have no time to answer questions, just stay here and I will be back tomorrow with food for the day.” The young princess sighed. “Yes mother…”
Jahi looked up to see Priderock standing before him. “Heh,” he smirked, seeing no lion was guarding the entrance, only Zazu’s nephews. He pawed his way up to Priderock and smiled. “Hey guys, only here to play with the prince.” He said in a joyful tone, smiling the whole time. The two young hornbills nodded. “Ok little cubby,” Azize, one of the nephews cooed. Jahi nodded back and trotted inside, the royal family didn’t seem to be home. Suddenly, he heard the soft whining of a cub. The whine sounded like it erupted from the throat of one not to much younger than himself, perhaps, a…a prisoner! Jahi smiled, this is what his mother was talking about! This would certainly be a story to bring home to the outlands, a story to bring home to his mother and father. “Hello?” Jahi whispered almost silently, as he did, the whining stopped. “…ye..ye...Yes?” Jahi’s ears perked, the voice had come from a crack in the wall. He squeezed his way into the hole and found the princess. “Who are you?” he asked, obviously surprised at her presence there. “..A...and what are you doing here?”
“I, I don’t have a name.” The younger cub said with a lump in her throat. “My mother, she’s the queen you know, she said…” Jahi lifted his ears and gave the princess a perplexed look. “You’re the princess? But, I thought the royal family only had a son.” The princess shook her head. “I’m illegal, or so mommy says. Rafiki, he’s a monkey, he said that my mommy should exile me as soon as I can walk and hunt for something edible. But, mommy didn’t listen to the shaman monkey. She hid me, here. No one else is supposed to come in…” Her eyes widened. “You aren’t supposed to be here! How did you find me?” Jahi’s ears slid back. “I heard you crying and followed the noise.” The illegal princess sighed. “Oh. I should have been more careful.” As she said this, a noise was heard from outside the small crack in the wall. “Mother says...” the princess started talking again. “Hush.” Jahi put his paw over her mouth and held down her tail so it would stop thumping against the hard, noisy floor. “JAHI! Get out here! Your mother told me she sent you here so you must be here.” The princess bit Jahi’s hand and looked up at him with worried eyes. “Who is Jahi?” The Princess whispered in an almost inaudible
Jahi sighed. “It’s my dad. Jahi is my name.” He whispered back, his hot and worried breath hitting her fur. “Oh…” the princess wriggled from his grasp, remembering that she had bit him, she wondered why he wasn’t complaining about it. When she had bit Khairi, her brother, he cried and whined about it to their mom. “Jahi…” she gasped, looking down at Jahi’s paw. “..you’re bleeding..” Jahi raised an eyebrow and wrinkled his nose. “So? Its just a little bite, I can lick it up…” he lapped up the small amount of blood on his paw. “See? No more blood.” The voice that had sounded outside came closer. “Jahi! I can hear you!”
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Kovu’s voce boomed, his voice bouncing off the walls of the cave. “Oh, um…” Jahi’s father, Hasani, looked at his paws. “I was looking for my cub, but obviously he’s not here.” Hasani looked back towards the crack in the wall and Kiara followed his gaze, gasping as she saw where he thought his son was. “…no…not there, he must be somewhere else. Your son can’t be here.” She pawed at the ground and looked up at Kovu and then back at the hunting party of her son, Vitani, and Vitani’s daughter, Zuri. “No.” Kiara added. “It is impossible that he would have gotten past Zazu’s nephews.
“Hide!” the princess yelped as she heard her mother outside. “Little Princess…” Kiara whispered. “…are you alone?” The princess smiled, hoping her mother had not heard her tell her new friend to hide. “Of course I didn’t let anyone in! I always listen to you!” Kiara rolled her eyes and checked around her before slipping into the small cave with a piece of zebra for her hidden daughter’s lunch. “Here. I brought you something to eat…” Kiara looked around and then laid her eyes on her daughter. “Where is it?” The princess’ eyes grew wide. “Whatever do you mean mother?” She smiled, little pieces of zebra showing through her gleaming white teeth. Kiara glared at her daughter. “I’m not deaf little princess. I heard you tell someone to hide.” The princess sighed. “Ma! Why won’t you believe me? I…” At that moment, Jahi came out from his hiding place. “I am sorry your majesty.” He said with a roll of his eyes. Kiara snarled. “Leave and tell no one of my daughter…” Jahi smirked. “Why would anyone want to know.” The princess gave a hurt look towards what she had thought was her new friend. “…oh…you don’t like me?” she whispered in his ear so that her mother didn’t hear. Jahi thought for a minute and then looked back at the little grey lioness. He looked at his paws and then through the crack in the wall to see if anyone was coming. ‘I’ll come back…’ he thought to himself as he leaped out through the small crack in the wall. The princess looked out the crack and let her eyes follow Jahi until he left her view. “Mother…he doesn’t like me.” Kiara glared at her daughter. “He shouldn’t have been here.” The queen said angrily as she herself walked out the small crack in the wall.
“Mother! Father! I’m home!” Jahi looked around the barren outlands for his family and was surprised when a snarl came from behind him. “Who were you with kid?” Hasani growled. Jahi snarled at his father. “I wasn’t with anyone. I was spying like mother told me too.” Hasani glared at his son and walked away with a grunt. Jahi sighed and watched his father walk away. “That was close…” Jahi murmured to himself as he walked into the family’s cave.
To be Continued...
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Banners by: Bastet
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