The king of the Pride Lands took in his kingdom during his late afternoon stroll. The savannah spread out as far as the eye could see, and all of it belonged to him. The animals, prey and predator alike, were his to rule over. It didn't matter to him that his subjects were thinning in numbers or that the lionesses' bows were stiff and unenthusiastic, at least he was finally in charge of the Pride Lands. Head held high, he walked through the thinning fields of grass towards the shallower than normal watering hole for a peaceful drink before returning back to Pride Rock for a nap.
"Scar!" A squawking voice pierced the air and burrowed itself into Scar's ear. His peaceful state of mind shattered, Scar winced as the sound of wings flapping indicated that he would not be able to enjoy the rest of his walk.
"What is it, Zazu?" the king snarled with annoyance, not even bothering to give the hornbill a passing glance. The bird was the only downside to the crown in his opinion, as Mufasa's former stooge seemed to find every chance possible to pester him about something or other.
"Sire," Zazu began, landing on a nearby rock and tucking in his wings. "I have urgent matters to discuss with you regarding the irresponsible hunting methods of the hyenas!"
"Can't this wait?" Scar groaned, wondering how far away Shenzi and her cronies were from their current location. He would give almost anything for them to appear beside them and chase the bird away, snapping at his tail feathers until they caught him and ate him.
"I'm afraid not, your highness," Zazu huffed, ruffling his feathers before continuing. "The hyenas have been caught stealing the prey already caught by the cheetahs, and they are absolutey furious! You must reel them in..."
As Zazu continued to prattle on about the grievances of the kigdom, Scar managed to let his mind wander to other things. It eventually settled on his favorite topic: himself. Two years had passed since Mufasa and Simba's deaths, and for two years he had rules the Pride Lands just as he should have from the beginning. Yet there was still something missing, an emptiness that distracted him from his newfound glory. And as a small group of zebras galloped past him with looks of trepidation on their faces, he discovered what it was.
"Zazu," Scar sighed, gazing into the distance with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Why am I not loved?"
Zazu stopped speaking mid-sentence as he registered the king's question. "Beg pardon?" The question surprised the majordomo, and even the matters of keeping the kingdom in order were pushed from his mind.
Scar seemed to pay no attention to him, instead continuing to muse on his loneliness. "I have a kingdom and loyal subjects… what did my brother have that I don't?"
"Oh, where to start?" Zazu muttered. "Years of experience, an open ear, a respectable and powerful queen…"
"A queen…" Scar interrupted, letting his thoughts linger on the last word. His green eyes flashed as his brain lit up in triumph. "That's it! I need a queen! A mate to produce heirs to the throne!"
"Good, then that solves that problem," Zazu said quickly, trying to drive the conversation to more pressing topics. "Now, about the hyenas…"
"But who among the pride would be worthy enough to be my queen?" Scar asked, once again ignoring Zazu who rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Oh, no one deserves you for a mate, sire," the hornbill quipped with enough sincerity for the statement to be mistaken as a compliment. Scar was too lost in thought to acknowledge the hit to his character.
"Oh, make yourself useful for once and help me!" Scar snapped before directing his gaze towards a group of lionesses sunbathing on some nearby rocks. "What of Sarabi? She possesses the experience and aura of a queen. My subjects would approve of her."
Zazu rolled his eyes again, feeling free to do so since he was out of the view of the king. "Sarabi won't have you, sire. The two years since Mufasa and Simba's death have not been long enough for her to mourn. Please try and execute some sensitivity in this quest for a mate, sire."
Scar resisted the urge to snarl at Zazu and point out that he was the king, and that she would be his queen whether she wanted to or not. Then again, the former queen was getting on in years and was sickeningly loyal to Mufasa's memory. Not to mention that she was one of the better hunters of the pride, and keeping her occupied with cubs would mean less food. "Fine, then. What of Sarafina? No, no," he said before Zazu could reply. "She's nearly as old as Sarabi. But didn't she have a female cub? One that was a particularly good fighter?"
"Nala?" Zazu asked in astonishment. "Come now, your majesty. There must be a lioness somewhat closer to your own age?" Zazu would be damned if the playful, loving young lioness were to become the bride of the bitter, narcissistic king.
As they spoke, a hunting party walked past them. They were led by a lean lioness with sharper facial features and fur more tan than golden. Her slightly less muscular body made her agile and an expert at stalking prey. Sensing that she was being watched, she allowed another member of her hunting party to take the lead in order to fall a bit behind. She snarled when she noticed Zazu's critical eye on her, but as soon as she saw Scar looking off into the distance, her expression changed to one of respect, almost worship.
"What about Zira," Zazu offered, grimacing as the lioness in question shot the king a simpering look of adoration. "That ghastly lioness is always mooning over you like a lovesick cub."
"Zira?" Scar repeated thoughtfully, watching the lionesses begin their hunt. "And you think she'll make a good queen?"
"Oh yes, of course. She'll do a fine job of stroking your inflated ego. Sire," Zazu added hastily as Scar shot him a nasty look. After a moment, the king's expression softened back to his typical self-important smirk.
"Very well, then. Zazu, go find Zira and inform her that she will meet me in my den tomorrow at high noon. I'm going to retire for the day."
"So I'm to play matchmaker as well as operate damage control for the hyenas?" Zazu huffed, offended that his position as majordomo could be lowered to such duties.
"No one said you needed to have this job at all, Zazu," Scar pointed out, flicking his tail at him. "You could very well stop being useful to me politically and instead make for a pleasant midday snack."
Two years ago, Zazu may have squawked in panic and flown away instantly. Now, however, after being under Scar's reign for as long as he had, the long suffering majordomo merely scoffed and took himself away from the conversation. He spread his wings and drifted away to look for Zira and inform her that she could very well be the next queen of the Pride Lands.