The One True King

Simba was dying, and he was at peace.

Preparations had been made – Kiara would take the throne, with Kovu as her mate. Kion would be next in line until a cub was born to them. She had accepted queenship with all due grace. The day of her coronation, the creatures of the Pridelands would come to Pride Rock, swearing fealty to their queen in circumstances far less dire than when he had returned to the throne. And now, on what had been his throne for months (his sleeping rock), he could only wait for the end. When it came, he would be surrounded by those nearest and dearest to him. For now though, he sought solitude. To hear the breeze outside. To reflect what had been, what was, and dream of what was to come. To peer through a hole in the side of Pride Rock, made naturally before lions had made it their home, and look up to the stars. To wonder, and reflect.

Are you there father?

He remembered his father well, after all these years, even if he was now older than when he had before Scar murdered him. Remembered what he'd told him of the stars, of the great kings that looked down on them. As a child, he'd believed it. Even as an adult, he'd held onto it. As a lion in old age, he was left to ask if his father had truly believed it, or whether he was imparting a tale of comfort to his son, just as Ahadi had imparted such words to him. Looking back at the totality of his reign, he even wondered whether Scar was up there. "Great kings," his father had said. He dared hope that his reign would be considered "great." That at the least, he had been a better king than Scar had. That if he were to take his place among the heavens, his uncle would not be there to greet him.

And queens?

He turned aside, feeling his bones ache, his muscles tear. Too many questions, he reflected. Far too many to-

"It will never happen."

His head swung up, his claws out. No-one was to come into his domain this night. No lion, or any other creature, great or small. "Who's there?" he asked.

"You know the answer."

He didn't, and his claws remained out. Not because he didn't recognise the voice. Rather, it was because he did. Because the voice was his own.

"Come out," Simba said.

"As you wish, your majesty." The words were mocking, and he struggled to get to his feet. But almost fell back down again, as he saw the lion approach him. Saw the creature make eye contact with him. Saw himself.

I must be dreaming.

"Funny, isn't it?" said the other lion. "All this time, all these years, and the world goes back to zero."

Definitely dreaming. And yet, he wondered. Wondered if he was dreaming, or if this was a nightmare. Because this lion was…different, somehow. He looked like him, talked like him, moved like him. And yet it was off. Like as if it were a creature not of this…dimension, he supposed? He couldn't understand it. But this lion, this 'other Simba'…it was him as a younger lion, true, but it wasn't just that. It wasn't exactly how he'd appeared, but how he might have imagined himself to appear as an adult. He was too…perfect.

"Be at ease," said the other lion. "I'm not here to commit regicide."

Well, if it was a dream, Simba decided to play along. "There's no wildebeasts here."

"No. But the circle is closing. Your life is at an end, and Kiara will never come to the throne."

Simba strode towards him, as quick as a lion his age could. His bones on fire, his breath ragged, he nonetheless managed to say, "if you presume to threaten my daughter, I'll-"

"Do what?" the other lion asked. He remained in place, even as Simba brought himself to bear. Saw just how similar, and dissimilar, this creature was. "Nothing. No more or less than I can do than play out the pattern." He sighed. "Will Kiara exist again? I cannot say. Your story…that is what lasted the test of time. Hers is nothing but sequel, forever in your shadow. Do you think the stars wanted your story told again just so they could retell hers?"

Simba's eyes narrowed. It wasn't just the lion's words, but the light outside…was the sun rising already? Impossible – the moon had been at its apex, its light the only illumination bar the stars. How could morning have come already?

"For what it's worth," said the other lion, walking past Simba and heading to the rock, "I don't relish this. I know your story…" He slowed his pace, letting out a chuckle. "Well, everyone knows your story, just as readily as they know the story of silver slippers, jungle books, and a red rose. But that's the way of the world now. Retellings, re-imaginings, ever in the circle. But life? I cannot say." He laid down. "Well, what of it? Maybe I'm old. Maybe it's the way things are meant to be. Maybe Kimba is laughing at you from another circle entirely."

Simba stared at the lion. He was making no sense whatsoever. Circles, retellings…and how on earth was "Kimba?" And why, speaking of earth, was morning arriving? Why was everything fading, yet this lion remaining in focus? Why was the world changing, to be so…clean?

"Am I dying?" he whispered.

"You've been dying for a long time," the lion said. "This…this is not death, though."

Simba tried to walk to him but stumbled. Everything was fading. Everything changing. The circle…the circle was coming…

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"Me?" asked the lion. "Why, I'm Simba."

He tried to speak, but said nothing. Tried to pounce, but felt nothing. Tried to rage, to roar, to cry, but did nothing. The circle had closed. The sun had risen. A different, re-imagined, rebooted sun. New life, same circle. A new, very different land. And the words…

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba. Sithi uhhmm ingonyama.

The king was dead.

Long live the king.

A/N

So, it turns out there's a CGI remake of The Lion King coming up, in what have some have claimed to be a reboot of the canon. I don't know if that's necessarily the case, since The Lion Guard is still going at this time of writing, but, yeah. Drabbled this up. And in case you're wondering, no, it being CGI is neither a positive nor negative - I'm sure some people prefer 2D to 3D animation, but a story doesn't live or die on how it's presented. But what does bug me is that I'm left to ask...why? Disney's been doing remakes of its DAC films recently, but stuff like Jungle Book, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast are still adaptations of original stories, so it stands to reason that a different on it makes sense. The Lion King, however, is its own story. A story based on Hamlet maybe, but Disney's story regardless. Plus, it's only about two decades old.

Well, anyway, circle of reboots and all that. :(