Scar's Heirs

[Dark Huntress]

Very interesting and well done! I really like your accurate portrayals of the canon characters.

[It's okay I'm commenting, right? I can stop if you'd rather not your pages not be littered ]

[Carl]

Thanks, I always worry I'm not portraying them correctly. And I don't mind comments, they're actually nice, helps me know if what I'm doing works. ^^

[Carl]

Chapter 4

"Stand up straight, Kopa," Nala told her son, straightening his tuft of fur with a paw.

"I don't understand, why do I have to look good for her..." the cub grumbled.

"Don't worry about that for now, we will explain further later," Simba said as they stood tall atop Pride Rock looking out to greet to Malka and his family. Simba smiled as his old friend drew close and made his way up the sloping stones.

"Malka, my friend, you've arrived," he said in welcoming.

"It is not a long journey, but we are glad to be here already," the other male returned with a grin.

"Tama, you are looking lovely, it's good to see you," Nala beamed, prodding her son with a paw to make him step forward. Kopa looked at the youngster between the two strange adult lions' paws. She looked a bit younger than him, but she wasn't extremely young. He wrinkled his nose at the tuft on her head. It wasn't like Vitani's, it looked more smooth, but it was weird all the same.

As he was doing that, Tama replied to Nala, "It's good to see you as well, old friend, it's really been much too long."

Kopa still was looking at the new cub curiously as the three came to a full stop before his family on the surface of Pride Rock. He wasn't impressed with what he saw and didn't much care for this girl based on her looks. She would be just like Kiara mixed with Vitani... a lame trouble maker. He felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"Uh... pleased to meet you, princess," the young prince stammered at another nudge from his mother's paw.

"It's nice to meet you as well, prince of the Pride Lands," Unathi said in greeting.

"I'm so glad we can unite our kingdoms in the future. It will be nice to join our families and our prides as one," Simba said to his friends.

"And I cannot think of any bloodline more worthy to join with ours," Malka agreed.

"Your daughter looks like she will become a fine huntress one day, and a fine queen," Nala commented.

"Doesn't she?" Simba concurred, "Kopa, what do you think of her?"

"I don't know, I don't know her," the cub said, now even more confused. What were these grownups talking about, uniting the bloodlines and prides? This must be something political and boring. He groaned as they continued to talk about these kinds of things, almost as if he hadn't spoken. Everything they had said was going over the cub's head and as much as he was unimpressed by Princess Unathi, he could tell she was every bit as bored and confused as him, and so he nudged her gently in the shoulder and motioned with his head for her to follow after him.

When they were around the back of Pride Rock near the sunning stones, he cut his eyes over at her and asked innocently, "Do you know what they were talking about? Uniting families?"

"I'm not really sure. My parents said that I was to be betrothed to the son of King Simba, but I don't know what that means," she admitted.

"Me neither. Let's see if we can find someone to ask," Kopa suggested.

"Okay, but as long as it's fast, if we're to beㅡ whatever betrothed isㅡ I want to be friends, so we need to play or something fun," Unathi remarked.

"I agree, but I can't leave Pride Rock right now, so there's not much we can do, really, I'm supposed to stay close to you at all times, so I guess you're stuck on Pride Rock too or I'll get in trouble," the prince told her.

"Bah, that's no fun. Surely there's something we can find to do around here," she pouted.

"After we find out what betrothed is," the boy reminded her. She nodded. That's when Kopa spotted his sister and Vitani and Kovu wrestling lightly near a boulder as Nuka napped from the top of said boulder. "Hey, there's my friends, maybe they know!"

He sped up to a lope and Unathi matched his pace as they approached the other younger lions. They stopped near the boulder and Kopa quickly introduced his friends to Unathi and vice versa. Then it was down to business.

"Hey, do any of you know what betrothed means?" the lion prince asked.

"Beats me," Kovu admitted.

"I dunno either," Kiara said shrugging as Vitani returned their look of confusion.

"Okay, I guess we'll have to find someone else to ask."

"Why d'you want to know so bad?" Kovu asked.

"Unathi's parents said that she and I are betrothed, and they were talking weird stuff to our parents about uniting the prides and families, something about worthy bloodlines, you know, boring royal talk. But it involves me, so I want to know," Kopa explained.

"Oh, for the Kings' sake," Nuka groaned, sitting up and looking at them grumpily, "Betrothed means you're meant to marry."

"Wait... what?"

"But I don't know him!"

"Tough! You just have to deal with it, you little pests, you have no choice in the matter. It's all political. They choose a future mate for their children to ensure heirs and the safety of their kingdom... you have to do it whether you like it or not, and that's why you're supposed to be around each other because they are hoping you won't be miserable once you're married!" he sneered.

"I'm glad I'm no prince, then," Kovu said, puffing out his chest, "I don't want to marry any girl, much less one my mother might pick."

Kiara burst into a fit of laughter, "BAHAHA, Kopa has to marry someone he doesn't want to!"

"Hey, cut it out!" the prince said, shoving his sister roughly. Kiara fell to the ground on her side, her guffawing ceasing as she lost her breath. The princess narrowed her eyes at Kopa and then inhaled deeply. "Oh no... Kiara I'm sorry, stop it, don't do this, it's your own fault, if you hadn't teasedㅡ"

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!"

The princess's cry was loud and echoing, causing Kopa and the other youngsters to cover their ears and Nuka to swat Kiara's bum before sauntering away with a look of disgust on his face. The prince tried to put a paw over Kiara's mouth, but a moment later, Nala was towering over him, looking down sternly.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"He shoved me hard enough my ribs hurt!" Kiara moaned.

"Oh stop lying, I barely touched you and it was your own fault!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"You're just a bully!"

"Me?! You're the one who was making fun of me, you brat!"

"Alright! I've had enough from both of you!" Nala snapped, shutting them both up. Vitani smirked and looked at Unathi, brushing her side to get her attention.

"This is gonna be good," she whispered.

"Kiara, why don't you tell me what happened?" the queen asked, her voice a bit softer, but still stern.

"But, momㅡ" Kopa started.

"But nothing, you'll get your turn in a minute. Kiara?"

"Well, Kopa brought his girlfriend over here," Kiara started, the prince sticking his tongue out at her as she said that, "-and told us they were betrothed. Only he didn't know what it meant, so he asked, and Nuka told him, and then, he shoved me for laughing at the face he made! Shoved me really hard!"

"That is such a lie!" Kopa protested.

"Then why don't you tell me what happened?" Nala asked.

"Well she told the truth at first, Unathi and I did come ask what betrothed means... after Nuka told us, we were horrified. Then Kovu boasted about not having to get betrothed, and that little, stinking..." he stopped at a stern look from his mother, "...er, Kiara started making fun and laughing that I have to marry someone I don't want to. I asked her to stop more than once, but she wouldn't, so I shoved her a little to shut her up. But I barely touched her!"

"Liar!" Kiara squealed from where she remained laying on the ground. Kovu snickered.

"Sounds like you both did something wrong. I'd be careful if I were you, you're both already grounded to Pride Rock, you don't want to make this harder on yourselves. As this is very minor, I want you two to stay away from each other for a while and stop fighting. Next time this happens, you'll both be sorry. Now apologize and get away from each other," Nala told them firmly. Both cubs glared at the other and then mumbled apologies.

As Nala turned and started to leave, Kopa called her back. She looked down at him with a kind face.

"Mom... can I talk to you about something? I just don't understand... Unathi can stay with my friends for a little bit?" he asked.

"Of course, Kopa, what is it?" she asked, leading him into the den. The other lionesses were out on the sunning stones this time of day, and Malka had joined Simba in attending to royal duties, to the den was empty except for the queen and her son. Nala took a seat and looked down at Kopa as he sat on her paws and spoke softly.

"Mom... why me? Why do I have to marry Unathi?" he said quietly.

"You're not happy?" she asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"No, I'm not. Why would I be? I've only just met this girl, I don't want to marry her. What if we don't get along? I'm a cub, I'm not supposed to be thinking about getting married yet, this is wrong, it's not fair!" he pouted.

"Your father and I were betrothed at a young age, Kopa..." Nala replied softly.

"You were? But you can't have been. You guys... love each other," the cub protested.

"But we were. We thought it was gross at first too, but we were the best of friends, and fortunately, we did end up falling in love. It's a tradition, and it's very important. Our pride will be stronger, and have more land if you marry Unathi. It will be a good move for both prides, and it will be good for us all. That said... if you don't come to love one another, I won't let anyone force you to be married. It would be wrong of me to do so. But, as the future king, you will need a mate, and an heir, at some point to continue our bloodline. If you don't find someone else, your betrothal will guarantee that you have that. It's not ideal, but as king it will be your duty to do what is best for the kingdom, and it will be left to you whether or not you do what's best. It's not to be worried about so soon, Kopa. You may grow to love her in time, like your father and I came to love each other," she explained.

"I guess... but it's still not fair, why isn't Kiara betrothed?" he whined.

"You're the firstborn male... you're the heir before she is. You'd have to abstain or, Great Kings forbid, die or something for it to be her place to rule. She will be betrothed in time, but we had to find you a queen before finding her a king," Nala told him.

"I... I want to be king, but I don't think I like the idea of this, mother," Kopa said softly.

"It can be hard, but you may come to like the idea some day, Kopa. Don't worry about it so much right now."

"How did you and dad come to terms with it?"

"Well... our case was a bit complicated. I mean, for years I thought your father was dead. It wasn't like I thought of it often... but he was my best friend when we were cubs. That should help. Why don't you go talk to Unathi and see if you'll like her? Maybe the idea won't seem so bad if you do," Nala suggested. Kopa nodded slowly.

"I guess you're right. Who knows anyway, right?" he grinned a little, and then scampered out of the den to go look for Unathi.

[Carl]

There is now a comic adaptation of this fic in the works, see it here.