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Kiara shifted under the weight of the thick golden headband on her head. She stood at her mother’s shoulder, hands clasped neatly over the skirt of her long dress, while her father gave his opening speech beside her. She glanced over at her brothers, who stood on the opposite side of the king as he spoke. She felt so far from them, despite being only a few meters away. “This year marks twenty-five since my inheritance of my father’s throne and title,” the king’s words roared over the massive crowd of nobles and citizens inhabiting the ballroom. “Every decision is one I make in his memory. I act only to bring prosperity to our land and you, the people just as he did, and all the Great Kings before him. A responsible leader knows that their service to the kingdom does not start with their coronation, and will not end with their death, As part of my deep love and service to Milele, I must prepare it for its future so that the generations of caring and capable rulers will continue alongside the circle of life. Thus, I will take this opportunity to formally introduce the paths which lay ahead of my kin.”
Kiara took a deep breath. The king placed his arm on the shoulder of his eldest son, Kopa. The prince puffed out his chest as he stepped into line with his father, eccentuating the lion’s mane capelet around his shoulders. Kiara felt the fur of her own identical capelet tingle against her neck.
“Prince Kopa, my firstborn.” The king looked towards his son. “You are a capable diplomat and a valuable asset to your kingdom. Your curiosity and love for the different nations of the world will help guide Milele to everlasting peace. Let us congratulate Prince Kopa for his upcoming union to the Crown Regent Kinjia, heir to the throne of Mbala.” At the king’s invitation, the audience erupted into applause. Kopa bowed his head with a smile, looking perfectly humble for the flashes of press cameras that shortly followed. Kopa stepped back once the applause died down, and the king nodded towards his second son to step forward.
“Prince Kion, my third-born and youngest,” he began, “Your dedication to training with the royal guard is admirable, and the skill you’ve acquired at such a young age is certainly nothing to sneeze at. You are the first prince in many years to take up this training. I have no doubt that your dedication and ambition will make you a fine captain someday. Let us congratulate Prince Kion for his recent completion of his studies and official appointment as a member of the royal guard.” Once again, the crowd roared with applause. Kion bowed his head regally, his neat hair never shifting out of place, and grinned wholeheartedly at his people. The cameras flashed again. The king then turned towards his daughter with adoration in his eyes. Kiara placed a gentle smile on her face and stepped forward. She felt the comforting brush of her mother’s hand against her arm.
“Crown Princess Kiara, my secondborn.” Kiara could feel the love emanating from her father as he introduced her as the Crown Princess for the first time since her accession ceremony a few weeks prior. “You are the light that will guide Milele when I’m gone. Your diligence and resolution will be an iron pillar for this kingdom for many years to come. There is no one in the world more suited to this position than you, and it will be my pleasure to prepare you for your role. I’m certain that you will become a great leader. I am so proud of you — more than you could ever know.”
Kiara felt her father’s words deep in her stomach. She was never meant to be queen; Kopa was always meant to take the throne until his betrothal to Kinjia complicated things. The pause in her father’s speech seemed to last a lifetime. “Let us congratulate the Crown Princess Kiara for her recent accession, and wish her well on her journey towards becoming queen.” The crowd erupted in applause once more, and the blinding flashes of the cameras started again. Kiara bowed her head as her brothers had done, before quickly stepping back in behind her mother.
—
Once King Simba’s speech was concluded, the room filled with orchestral music and the lively chatter of hungry guests heading towards the buffet tables. Kiara was making her way down from the balcony to the ground floor of ballroom when her mother stopped her on the staircase. Nala gave her daughter a soft kiss on the cheek and cupped the other side of her face with a gentle hand. “I’m proud of you, Kiara. I know this is hard for you, but I believe you will be the best queen that Milele has ever seen.” Kiara leaned into her mother’s comforting touch. “Besides,” she continued, “you still have plenty of time. Your father loves to talk about the next cycle in the circle of life, but he’s not going anywhere for a long time. It’s important for you to remember that you’re still a young woman, the same as any other in the kingdom.” At that, Kiara averted her gaze from her mother’s pale eyes. “I don’t think being mentored by the king is a hobby most young women take up,” she huffed. Nala smiled affectionately. She rubbed her thumb against Kiara’s cheek before pulling her hand away. “You’ll find a way to make it work for you. You always do.” Nala continued down the stairs. Kiara watched as her mother joined her father in a discussion with other nobility, then made her way down to find her brothers.
She met Kopa and Kion at the bottom of the staircase. Upon seeing her, Kion stepped back so that his sister could join the conversation. “Dad’s sure got a lot of high hopes for you,” he commented. Kopa gave him a nudge with his shoulder. “Don’t act like he didn’t have a lot to say about you too, Ki,” he responded. Kiara grinned, relieved that she could switch her attention to her brother for a moment. “Yeah, according to him our baby brother’s gonna be captain someday,” she purred teasingly, placing a hand on her hip. “And don’t you forget it!” Kion shot back with a playful grin.
“I can hardly believe it,” Kopa admitted, folding his arms over his chest. “You’ve been talking about this since you were a toddler, and now it’s happening. How does it feel?”
Kion thought for a moment, then smiled brightly at the floor. “It feels like the most natural thing in the world,” he said, looking back up to his siblings. “And dad wasn’t joking — I’m going to lead the guard someday! Milele will never be safer.” He looked intently at his sister as if trying to reach something deep within her that she herself hadn’t found yet. His voice softened. “And we’ll do it together. We’re going to do incredible things, Kiara.”
Kiara’s arm dropped from her hip and she fought to keep the smile on her face. She nodded in uncertain agreement. Kopa leaned roughly into her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Yara. Dad will teach you everything tenfold before it’s your time to take the throne.” He touched his nose to her forehead affectionately. She looked up at her brother with a tiny, doubtful smile. “There’s not a chance you could still do it, right?” she asked, only half joking. Kopa squeezed her shoulders and shook his head. “Kinjia’s the only heir to Mbala’s throne, and they can’t exactly lead their people from here,” he replied, glancing towards his betrothed who was socialising a few meters away. “Besides, Milele is lucky to have you. It sure breathed a sigh of relief when I left!” he joked.
Kiara gave her big brother a squeeze, “I’m sure it did, goofball.” She stepped back. “I’m gonna go out for some air,” she said. Kion glanced at Kopa, then looked back to Kiara.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Kion asked, taking a small step forward. Kiara furrowed her brows lightheartedly and gave his shoulder a shove. “I’ll be fine, dumbass,” she smirked, “I’m just going to the gardens. You’ll have plenty of chances to follow me around unnecessarily when I’m queen,” she teased. Kion pulled back, still looking at her with worried eyes.
“He’s just looking out for you, Yara,” Kopa reminded her lightly. “I know,” she replied, and squeezed Kion’s arm affectionately.
“Just don’t stay out too long, yeah? It’s getting cold,” Kion added as she began to step away. Kiara felt amused by his protectiveness. “Thanks, Ki.”
—
Kiara lifted the flowing skirt of her sunset-coloured dress as she descended the stairs from the ballroom to the back gardens of the palace. She inhaled deeply, savouring the feeling of the cool air filling her lungs. She began her stroll towards the hedge maze in the central garden. This wasn’t the royal family’s home — that was a smaller palace situated among the peaks of Pride Rock — but Kiara grew up here just the same. Her and her brothers shared many days of their childhood running through the halls and hiding between the garden’s tall rose bushes while their parents planned events in the ballroom or hosted diplomats in the gallery. Kiara knew this place as well as her own home. She practically floated through the maze, seldom being stopped by a hedge wall after a wrong turn. At the centre of the maze stood a marble gazebo decorated with powerful golden swirls along the top. The princess watched her footing as she stepped up to the gazebo.
“Kiara?” sounded a husky female voice. It spoke quietly in the dim light of the garden.
The princess looked up towards the voice, and gasped lightly as she recognised its source. “Vitani?” she returned with surprise. She stepped towards her old friend, who stood to greet her. She wrapped Vitani in a friendly embrace, and was met with awkward reciprocation. After a brief moment, she stood back. “You’re here,” she remarked with a twinge of confusion. Vitani shrugged and one of her thin violet dress straps fell loosely to the side. “It’s an important event,” she said in response, pulling the strap back over her shoulder. “Plus, the whole kingdom hasn’t been invited to a royal event for a long time; we weren’t going to pass up on a palace buffet.”
Kiara took notice of the word we. “Is your whole family here?” she asked, almost nervously.
Vitani looked past the walls of the hedge maze to the palace. “My mother and Nuka stayed home, so it’s just Kovu and me. I ditched him to dance with a cute girl but she wasn’t interested. Probably a noble.” Kiara took a moment to look at Vitani and suddenly realised how beautiful she’d grown up to be. She frowned at the thought of her friend being rejected for her status.
Vitani and Kovu had lived their formative years with nobility, but ultimately grew up with the common people of Milele. As children they were taken under the wing of Kiara’s great-uncle Taka, but were still young when his brief reign as king ended. Taka’s tyranny had left poverty among the common people, from which Kovu and Vitani were not exempt. King Simba worked hard to help the people find their ground again, but the scar of Taka’s reign left a lasting divide among the people.
“Well, she clearly didn’t know that you grew up around nobles yourself,” Kiara said pointedly, as if in defense of Vitani. She was referring to the primary school years they had spent together. “You don’t have to cheer me up, princess,” Vitani replied with a raised brow, “I don’t have a problem with where I come from.” She took a step backwards. “My brothers and I didn’t belong at that big noble school anyway — it was just King Simba taking pity on us after he threw us into poverty.”
“Threw you into poverty?” Kiara scoffed. “Your mother was Taka’s right hand, in case you forgot,” she reminded Vitani sternly. “She was right to be stripped of her title and assets! The school was his way of acknowledging that you three didn’t deserve to face her punishment.”
“Well isn’t that kind of him,” Vitani replied with dry sarcasm, “but we still did.”
Silence lingered for a moment. Kiara inhaled stiffly. She felt her stubborn nature rising to the surface — she wanted to raise how kind her father had been in his treatment of Taka’s associates even after all they had done — but this was a friend she had cared about many years ago. She didn’t want their reuniting conversation to end in an argument.
“You’re right,” she surrendered. “And the school didn’t change that.”
The princess set herself down on the cushioned bench lining the inside of the gazebo in an invitation to continue with a more comfortable conversation. Vitani seemed surprised — she held memories of a younger Kiara never backing down once she’d made a bold statement. After a moment of consideration, the other young woman sat down beside her. Kiara lingered while she thought up a new topic of conversation, but Vitani was the one to break the silence. “Congratulations on your coronation, by the way.”
“Accession,” Kiara corrected. “I’ll only have a coronation once I take the throne.” She paused. “But thank you.”
“Oh, sorry,” Vitani muttered, clearly still feeling some tension coming from Kiara. “I didn’t realise.”
Kiara sighed softly and gave Vitani a halfhearted smile. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal,” she said, “I just don’t want to think about my coronation yet. I always thought it would be Kopa’s, not mine.
She looked out into the garden. “I actually came out here to forget about it for a while.”
“Oh.” Vitani shifted. Her dress strap fell as she did so, and she lazily shrugged it back into place.
Kiara looked down to fidget with the clasp of her capelet. When she looked back up, she found Vitani gazing at her. When her eye caught Vitani’s, the other young woman smirked. Kiara felt her heart flutter. She responded by swaying inward and affectionately bumping her shoulder against Vitani’s. “I can’t believe it’s been so long since we last saw each other,” she commented quietly. Vitani returned her gentle shoulder bump. “Yeah. I guess your dad’s compensation ended when you started homeschooling,” she half-joked. At that, Kiara let out a hearty laugh. “I think you’ll be grateful to have avoided the private tutoring sessions about the three hundred year diplomatic history of Milele. Or being forced to help Kion practice his fencing.”
Vitani huffed in amusement. ”I bet I could take on Kion in a sparring match,” she pondered lightheartedly. “Not if he learned anything from me,” Kiara remarked with a cheeky grin.
Vitani smiled, meeting Kiara’s gaze with an intent look in her eye. She then lowered her gaze to Kiara’s lips and let it linger there for a moment. The princess’s heart fluttered for a second time that evening, and she felt a brief wave of confusion wash over her. The confusion turned to exileration when Kiara realised she, too, was looking at the other woman’s lips. Vitani leaned in and placed her thick lips gently over Kiara’s. She kissed the princess warmly for just a moment, then pulled back slowly.
Kiara blinked. Her head was swirling. Vitani’s face lingered close to hers, and Kiara lifted her gaze to meet her periwinkle eyes. The princess pressed her lips together, and looked back down uncertainly. “I should… I should get back to the, um, the party,” she muttered, struggling to find her words.
”Oh. Yeah,” Vitani nodded and leaned away. Kiara panicked, realising her words had sounded like a rejection. “Do you have your phone on you?”
Vitani glanced sideways at her, one eyebrow slightly raised. “I want to give you my number,” Kiara explained. That made Vitani smirk. “Oh, yeah,” she repeated lightly.
—
Kiara watched Kopa stumble out of the carriage, Kion holding on to his arm for stability. Queen Nala tucked her hand into the crevice of her husband’s arm as they walked on ahead of their children. “You’re better off in Mbala,” she threw back to him teasingly, “I heard they don’t drink there.”
Kopa stood upright. “I’m allowed to have a little fun while I’m home!” he laughed back at her. He brushed Kion’s hand from his arm, mumbling “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
He stayed back to help Kinjia out of the carriage, while Kion caught up to Kiara. “How was your night?” she asked him. “It was pretty good,” he said in response. “Spoke to all of mom and dad’s friends for a bit, which took a while, but then I got to spend the rest of the night with Bunga.”
“Bet it didn’t take long to find him,” Kiara joked, lifting her dress as she stepped up the stairs leading to their front door. “Nope,” Kion chuckled, “I went straight to the buffet table and found him in seconds. He was actually hanging out with some of the people from our basic training squadron.” Kion took off his suit jacket as they passed through the grand doorway and folded it over his forearm. “I like them a lot. I think they’ll make great friends.”
Kiara smiled to herself. Kion was adored everywhere he went, but for the past few years he only seemed interested in spending time with Bunga. She was happy to hear that he was making more friends.
“I’m gonna go to the sitting room for a bit,” he said. “Wanna come?” “I’m just gonna go straight to bed,” she responded. Kion nodded and waved a brief goodbye.
Kiara made her way to her room. She kicked off her shoes. After a quick shower, she rolled onto her bed and took out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she was looking for, then typed up a message;
“Hi Vitani, it’s Kiara.”
The princess looked at her message. “It doesn’t need to be complicated,” she decided after a moment. “It’s just so she has my number.”
She glanced at the two grey ticks that appeared as she sent the message.
“Yeah.”