Chapter Text
Ever since his days as an Outlander came to an end, the sun seemed to shine out the clearer for Kovu. Days like this, where he could lay down and soak in the sun's calming rays, used to be impossible at his old home. He rested on top of a large boulder near the base of Pride Rock, laying on his side with his paws dangling over its edge. The sounds of savannah insects droned in the distance, birds chirped from above, and the scents of spring coated the air all around him. Life was good.
Kovu was suddenly roused by the sensation of fur brushing up against him. His emerald green eyes flickered open to find the only thing he welcomed more than his sunbathing: Kiara, his beloved mate. She was with the group of five other lionesses that usually made up her hunting party, off to find the pride's food for that day. She nudged him and smiled softly.
"You awake? We're heading out for the hunt," she said, barely above a whisper. "Don't think we won't let you sleep through our meal tonight, sleepyhead."
Kovu chortled and returned the playful smile at her. "Don't forget who taught you to get that food in the first place."
He noticed Nala, her mother, listening in on them with a playful look on her face and raising an eyebrow. "Is that so now?" she said waggishly, eliciting an eye roll from the prince consort.
"You didn't let me finish, I was gonna say you and I did," he course corrected. "Teamwork and all that, I suppose."
Nala narrowed her eyes with a grin at her son-in-law. She looked onward and led the hunting party towards the grasslands, where stray antelope would graze. Kiara followed suit, looking over her shoulder at Kovu again. As she did, she felt her paws stumble and her body wobbled slightly. Kovu rose his head up, seeming to be the only one who noticed.
"Are you okay?" he asked with a tinge of alarm in his voice. Kiara stretched herself out and regained her footing.
"It's nothing. Just lost my balance for a minute, don't worry."
Strange, I've never seen her do that, Kovu thought. "Just be careful out there, alright?" he said back to her.
Kiara gave him a sly look. "Aww, since when has that ever gotten us anywhere?"
She leapt ahead to catch up with the other the huntresses. Kovu couldn't help but chuckle, resting his head back down against the rock to resume his sunbathing. His mane, almost dark enough to appear jet black, soaked in a great deal of the warmth he so craved at that moment. His sense of time warped, and he fell into a hypnagogic state, ready find out what his next dreams would have to offer. But just as that was about to happen, his body jolted involuntary.
"Kovu! Kovu, wake up!" a frantic voice suddenly shouted, forcing his eyes open and putting him on alert. It took a second to come out of his daze, wiping his eyes with his paw to find Zazu, the pride's majordomo, right at his face and flapping his wings fast enough to be mistaken for a hummingbird.
"Gah! Ah... w-what is it, Zazu?"
"It's Kiara, she's passed out in the fields!"
Instantly, Kovu felt his daze melt away and get replaced by shock and fear.
"What? I-is she alright?!"
"The huntresses took her to Rafiki's tree, he's examining her there now. Come! Quickly!" Zazu explained before turning back around in that direction. Wasting no time, Kovu stood on all fours, hopped down and hit the ground running with Zazu leading him ahead.
"Where's Simba? Does he know yet?" Kovu asked the hornbill above.
"He should be there by now, he was conducting business with the zebras not far from where it happened," Zazu replied.
"How long ago did the hunt start?" Kovu went on, secretly just wanting to know how long he was out for.
"Over an hour ago. She only fainted in the last few minutes or so, I believe."
Kovu's attention turned towards the savannah ahead, fear and confusion rising inside him. Kiara didn't look or sound sick before, nor was she injured recently. What was going on? He silently prayed to the Great Kings that this was nothing serious as he ran. It didn't take long for them to reach Rafiki's imposing baobab tree, but to him it seemed to take all day.
“I’m getting too old for this…” he heard Zazu mutter as he landed on the ground. Simba, Nala, and the rest of the huntresses were each gathered outside its thick base, waiting with anxious anticipation. Kovu slowed down and stood next to Simba on his left.
"Is she okay?" was the only thing he could think to say. The king glanced down at him.
"We're waiting on Rafiki to tell us anything. We can't see what he sees yet."
He looked over to the others. Nala and Zazu were quietly chatting with the lionesses, probably to keep their minds away from assuming the worst. Kovu could only make out a few sentence fragments out of them.
"...be something she ate maybe? Those antelope did look…”
"I know, she was fine at first, until..."
"...was something in the water I'll bet."
"...said the sun's heat has been getting..."
Just then, silence fell upon the group as they saw the old, blue and white mandrill appear from a narrow opening at the base of the tree. He held onto his bakora staff as always, while everyone's eyes focused on Kiara as she walked alongside him. To their surprise, both of them were smiling.
"Kiara? What is it? What happened?" Kovu spoke first, running up to greet her. "Are you hurt?"
“He he heeee! Far from it, Kovu," said Rafiki with a chuckle. Simba and Nala were both visibly puzzled, creasing their eyebrows with a look of uncertainty. "You'll find de princess will be quite fine. In fact, her fall was a sign of something wonderful!"
No one saw it, but Nala's eyes went wide as her expression softened considerably, and her head rose up. In an instant, she knew exactly what was going on.
"What is it? Tell us!" Simba demanded.
Rafiki's smile only grew as he stepped back and motioned his hands for Kiara to go forth. Whatever this was, he wanted her to be the one to say it. Trying to suppress jovial giggling, Kiara looked at her mate with bright and lively eyes for what felt like hours. It almost seemed like she was savoring this.
"Kovu... I'm pregnant."
The dark lion felt every strand of fur on his body stand straight up. His body tensed up, and his heartbeat suddenly raced like a cheetah. From behind, the gasp Simba let out filled his lungs with air faster than he thought possible. He and the lionesses had the wind knocked right out of them; all except Nala, that is. The queen felt the biggest, widest smile she'd ever made forming on her face, and she ran right up to her daughter to tenderly rub her head under her chin.
"Oh I knew it, it's a miracle!" Nala exclaimed. "This is wonderful! So wonderful!"
Kiara returned the head rub, and before she knew it, Simba ran up to join in too. The three of them huddled and purred together with glee, and the huntresses had their share of elated squealing and shouting at the happy revelation. Even Zazu found himself joining in for it. They all crowded around the family with anticipation, and they watched as Simba held his daughter's chin up with his paw.
"This is your greatest step in your part of the circle of life, Kiara. Congratulations!" he declared, absolutely beaming with pride and joy. Kiara took a moment to appreciate how far he'd come since the days when he distrusted her with so much as a solo hunt.
"You've grown up so fast. I just knew this day would come! I knew it!" Nala said with a voice crack, sounding like she was about to burst with excitement. The princess giggled.
"Thank you guys..." Kiara purred, holding back tears. "I can't wait. But don't forget Kovu, he deserves this too!"
All eyes now turned to the prince consort, who visibly struggled to process anything. Simba couldn't help but smirk impishly at the sight of his blank stare, aimed at nothing in particular. He remembered being the same way when Nala first gave him the news about Kiara all that time ago.
"Kovu?" The princess called out, snapping him out of his trance. He turned to the other three and approached cautiously, eyes wide, hobbling forth as if the ground could cave in at any moment. Nala laughed.
"It's okay Kovu, no one is going to hurt you," she said, softening her tone. "This is as much your miracle as it is hers."
He looked down at his paws again. Taking a deep breath, Kovu relaxed his muscles and rubbed heads with Kiara, with his first smile forming in earnest. He put his paw behind her head.
"I love you, Kiara. I love you so much. This is great news!"
Kiara licked his cheek, making him blush. Usually he hated when Simba and Nala saw him do that, but this time, it was no trouble at all. The four of them pressed against each other with plenty more head rubs to go around. None of them wanted this to end, but eventually Simba cleared his throat and held his head up.
"We must inform the rest of the pride. Zazu, gather all the lionesses at Pride Rock for a meeting. Bring Timon and Pumbaa too. Tell them I have an announcement of the utmost importance."
"Including Vitani and her guard?" he asked.
"Especially Vitani and her guard."
"At once, sire!" Zazu replied, spreading his wings out and heading up north posthaste. Simba took a step forward and motioned for the others to follow in the same direction.
"We shouldn't delay either. Let's go," the king declared.
As the group began to walk, Nala and the huntresses huddled around Kiara and Kovu with happy chatter filling the air around them, many of them congratulating the happy couple and expressing faith for the upcoming cub. Kiara was happy to share her thoughts and hopes with them, and Nala already wasted no time with giving her motherly advice. But beside them, Kovu was silent. He deliberately slowed his pace so the royals wouldn't see the clear uncertainty in his face. His gaze fell downward to the ground, watching it drift past them like it were river water. His thoughts raced in a wide array of conflicting directions.
Genuine happiness and excitement were in there, and he certainly wouldn't have opposed this cub had he known in advance about it. He could imagine countless opportunities and beautiful things coming from this. But those feelings battled fiercely with the overwhelming fear and stress about the bad things that could happen as well. Visions of potential failures, mistakes, and strained relationships clouded every inch of Kovu's mind, and the closer they got to Pride Rock, the more vivid they got. Bad memories of his own warped upbringing drifted in like a dark shroud, and the prince consort sighed.
Was he truly ready for this?
"It is an honor to announce that my daughter, princess Kiara, is expecting her first cub."
Kovu felt his ears flatten slightly as the sounds of gasps, splendid cheers and murmured chatter hit them. He and Kiara both sat in front of a large boulder near the base of Pride Rock, next to the slope that led up to the den. Simba and Nala stood on it directly above them, as tall and lofty as royals could be. Every lioness in the pride was gathered beneath a vibrant, orange dusk sky, feeling a sense of electricity in the air. Zazu was perched behind Simba and Nala on another rock, waiting for the cheers to subside.
Kovu watched the skies above as Sayari, a cheery blue bird, excitedly flew above and around. She watched intently. Her eyes were a vibrant bright teal, her underbelly was a pinkish-orange, and her wings had two shades of purplish-pink to match. She’d been friends with Kiara most of her life, so as soon as she heard the news, nothing else mattered for the day.
Vitani and her Lion Guard were also there as expected, standing near the front of the crowd with steadfast, sturdy postures. Vitani absolutely shimmered with delight for her brother, where her dark blue eyes almost seemed to sparkle. Timon and Pumbaa were present as expected, both looking as thrilled as if they were watching a mashindano match.
Kovu had never felt so exposed in his life. The whole pride's eyes on him made the dark lion feel like he was staring right into the sun.
“Bravo, kid! Bravo!” Timon called out, standing on top of Pumbaa's back and waving his arms in the air. Kovu couldn't tell if he was directing that at him or Kiara. He also saw the warthog was crying with joy.
“They grow up so fast…!” he sputtered out.
Kovu had to admit that did put a bit of a smile on his face.
"This is the circle of life in its highest form," Simba continued. "Kiara and Kovu have shown growth and wisdom beyond their years, and there's no one I trust with the gift of parenthood more than them."
The pride's cheers continued. Kovu winced a bit when the ear-piercing shrieks from Tiifu and Zuri sounded off.
"This is so perfect! Ahhh!" Tiifu squealed, shaking Zuri in excitement with her front paws. Her eyes were nearly bulging. "We're gonna be aunts! Aunts, Zuri!"
"I can't wait to teach them how to track gazelle," Zuri replied in a frenzy, giggling with glee. "Or give them their first mud facial, or their first Kupatana, or their first-"
"Furthermore," Nala now spoke, making everyone go silent again. "Simba and I have our own announcement of equal importance as well."
Kovu's ears went back up with confused eyes. Another big announcement already? Don't tell me they're expecting a cub too... he thought to himself.
"A new day is dawning, but a day cannot begin unless the sun sets the night before. Some time between now and the cub's birth, Simba and I will be stepping down as your king and queen."
Kovu felt every last nerve he had fire off all at once. Some more gasps and low murmuring rose up in the pride again, and a handful of lionesses were locked in stunned silence.
"...What?!" Kovu blurted out.
He looked up at the royal couple in pure shock, while Kiara remained steadfast with a proud look. Simba and Nala looked down at their daughter, with the king smiling warmly before continuing their royal address.
"This marks a period of change, where preparations will be made for your new leaders to ascend properly," he declared. "This may be coming sooner than some of you expected, but Pride Lands tradition calls for each of our heirs to be born only from a serving queen lioness."
If Tiifu and Zuri's high pitched squeals were annoying to Kovu before, now they were downright painful. The duo both started jumping up and down for joy, forcing Kovu to look away in embarrassment.
"Queen Kiara! Queen Kiara!" they chanted in unison, trying to get the whole pride to join in with them. But with the surprise of the news still sinking in, nobody else did; not even Timon and Pumbaa. The duo slowly trailed off, and their ears and eyelids both lowered in dismay.
"Change is never easy," Simba went on. "I would know. But the Pride Lands have proven resilient, and we've overcome every test and trial the circle of life has given us so far. I see no reason why this should prove any different."
Nala continued for him. "Princess Kiara was raised in the thick of those trials, and prince Kovu was even on the receiving end of some of ours. Both have seen the very worst and the very best of their lands, and that experience will help them carry on in our place."
The pride slowly started to cheer again, with several lionesses roaring triumphantly and a few others bowing in respect. Timon and Pumbaa did the latter, although the lionesses behind them quickly stepped away when they did. They knew better than to trust the warthog with his backside facing up against them.
Feeling his heartbeat race, Kovu forced the corners of his mouth up and held his head high for appearances' sake. He shut his eyes to avoid looking at anyone in particular. At that moment, eye contact was his biggest fear.
Simba went on with his closing formalities, and eventually most the pride dispersed as the meeting officially ended, with several offering their congratulations and well wishes on their way out.
“Maybe someday I could be your majordomo, eh Kiara?” Sayari joked on her way out. Kiara couldn’t help but titter.
“Ha! You’d be my first pick Sayari, trust me!”
Tiifu and Zuri were the only stragglers left behind that they could see. Simba and Nala climbed off from the large boulder and stood across from their daughter. There was an awkward tension in the air, as even Kiara wasn't quite sure what to say.
"So... I, uh... Sorry if I ruined the hunt today, mom."
Nala shook her head. "You didn't, Kiara. In fact, now that you're eating for two, we're going back out there and bringing you an extra helping of antelope."
“Heh. Don’t have to hear that twice,” was all Kiara could think to say.
Her gaze quickly drifted towards her mate, who was as tense and pale as she'd ever seen him. She could tell just from the look in Kovu's eyes that his emotions were whirling, so she stepped over to him and slid her head under his chin. Her smile faded.
"Oh, Kovu, Kovu… are you alright?”
"I-I don't know," he spoke quickly, sounding almost out of breath. "It's just... this is so big. I've never had this much happen so suddenly before. I can't even think."
Simba and Nala both gave him sympathetic looks as they came up to him next. Simba bowed his head slightly.
"I didn't realize," he acknowledged. “Kiara was taught how this would all go since she was young. We didn't mean to catch you so off guard, Kovu.”
"I mean I always sort of knew things would head this way,” the dark lion replied nervously. "But now that it's actually here... I don't know what to do. Am I even worthy of any of this?”
"That's a silly question, of course you are!" Nala encouraged. "You aren't the same lion you were under Zira. Think of how far you’ve made it since then.”
"That feels like part of the problem," said Kovu, lowering his eyebrows and closing his eyes. “My whole world has changed since then, and I’m still making sense of it all. I’m worried I won’t be ready when the time comes. I just… I don't want to repeat any of my mother's evil."
Kovu suddenly felt a tight, gripping sensation wrap around his body that made him shudder. His eyes shot open to find Vitani hugging him tenderly with her head buried into his mane.
"You won't, Kovu. You'll never be like her, not on my watch," she muttered firmly.
When the shock wore off, Kovu relaxed his muscles and reciprocated the hug, holding his paws around her. They both purred while the other three royals watched joyfully. Kasi, Shabaha, Imara, and and Tazama all stood side by side behind her, each looking as strong and imposing as a Lion Guard was expected to be. But Kovu could tell they were struggling to hide their own elation at the sight before them. Once they separated, Vitani looked deeply into his eyes with a sense of purpose.
"We'll do everything we can to help you," she spoke with a serious tone. "As far as my guard is concerned, you, Kiara, and this cub are the circle of life."
After going through a year's worth of mixed emotions in the span of barely an hour, the pure delight rising within Kovu was a much needed reprieve. "Thank you, Vitani. That means everything to us."
Kiara joined in with the head rubbing, and the three of them embraced for some time until Vitani stepped back and separated. She smirked.
"Just make sure the second one is fierce enough to live up to me, huh?”
Kiara chuckled. "We'll cross that river when we get to it."
Vitani nodded, and with a last longing look, she turned back to her other four lionesses. Kovu watched as she led them back to their usual route towards Mizimu Grove to the east. A moment of silence set in before Simba broke it.
"In the meantime, you should get some rest, Kiara. No need to risk hurting yourself on a hunt again.”
He turned to his son-in-law. "And Kovu, you have nothing to worry about. We all want this to succeed as much as you do, and however much effort you put into that, we'll reciprocate. I promise."
Kovu grinned. "I'm honored, your majesty. I'll do anything it takes."
With that, the four of them started up the slope that led to the royal den. But not before they heard two familiar voices approach from behind.
"Let me help you with that, Kiara!"
"Yeah me too, please!"
Tiifu and Zuri both came up to her left and right sides respectively, pressing up against her. Kiara seemed bewildered. "Uh, help me with what?" She asked.
"Walking up to the den, duh!" Tiifu replied incredulously. "What if you trip or fall on your way up? We've gotta protect this cub!"
"As future royal aunts, it's our job to help you guys however we can!" Zuri added.
Kiara rolled her eyes with a crooked smile. "I appreciate it you two, but I think I can handle this one for now."
“Okay, but we’ll be on standby if you change your mind!” Zuri beamed.
Kovu could only hope no one saw the demeaned grimace those two made him make.
Time moved faster than he knew it could after that. By sunset, the huntresses made good on their promise for Kiara’s antelope. Kovu was happy to see she would be well taken care of, despite the unease still coursing through him. Nightfall set in, and one by one, the pride members each took their spots in the rocky grotto to slip out of consciousness. But Kiara, still thrilled to the bone about the news, found herself sitting out on the tip of Pride Rock. The sounds of night time insects flowed around her, and the stars shone as brilliantly as ever. Despite knowing them for her whole life, they still never failed to fill her with awe and wonder. Soon, the princess heard faint footsteps approach behind her, and she immediately knew who it was.
“Can’t sleep either, huh?” she remarked.
Kovu strolled up next to Kiara and sat to her right side, looking up at the stars just as she was. Somehow, they seemed different to him tonight. A long stretch of anxious silence passed between them as they simply stargazed for a bit, thoughts racing. Seeing a sad gleam appear in his eye, Kiara rested her head onto his mane and purred. Kovu leaned in and did the same on her.
“I did some thinking,” Kovu spoke in a hushed tone. “I think I’m less concerned about being a king than I am about being a father.”
“How come?” she asked.
“For all the bad things Zira filled our heads with, she at least told me I’d be a ruler someday,” he spoke solemnly. “I had time to plan for it, even if what she taught was wrong. But I never learned a thing about how to raise a cub. It’s just this empty space in my mind, like it were a giant shadow.”
Kiara smiled warmly at him and dug herself deeper into his soft mane. “I would sure hope it is.”
Kovu raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“Because shadows can be ousted with light.”
Kovu felt a cozy, bright sensation start to rise up inside him. He closed his eyes and embraced the princess, gently nuzzling her and putting his paw around her back. His emotions still battled between overwhelming joy and oppressive fear for what the future would hold, and he still questioned how worthy he really was of all this good fortune. But love had found a way before; it could do it again.