"NALA! You will be mine. I am the king!" Nala fled from Scars sexual advances. "No never, never" Nala fled into her mothers open paws who had listened in, on high alert after Mheetu -Nala's half sister and rapist bastard cub to Sarafina and Scar- had been born.

Days passed and Scar remained in his den. He had been livid over Nala's refusal to be his queen then stopped and payed attention to the rouges who had come during their -well, what should have been- replenishing season for both the land and lionesses. When fruits filled empty wombs and age was renewed in new life. And he saw what he had done wrong in wooing her.

These males, were gentle. They caressed cheeks, patted rumps, told the lionesses how beautiful her coat was, how bright her eyes glimmered at night. And Scar was no fool. He realized he had been much too forward in it- after all, forcing himself onto Sarafina had done no good. His 'attack' as the angered lionesses had called it had left her unable to have any more cubs after his was born. His daughter was warped anyway -she was slow in thought and her front paws twisted inward while her back ones sprawled outwards.

No, she wouldn't do for an heir. A female heir was acceptable but not one who could not fight or hunt which Mheetu was. He still dubbed her princess, he may not have been the best dad but he wasn't about to let her feel how he did as a cub.

Being well known as the king's younger son but denied everything that was his birthright had turned him into a hurt lion hesitant to be a father.

But now was the time. He was tired of waiting around but he wanted love not just the perfect heir. Succession was nice but to have succession, he supposed, you also had to be talked about and remembered. Bloodlines weren't everything.

His front right paw went mindlessly to a cave ledge and touched an old, worn out marking which had been scratched out thirty four years before - his birth year. The Royal Family Tree had denied him since his very birth.

His jaw clenched as he thought back to his first memories as a baby -fuzzy outlines of Ahadi and Uru's faces contorted in anger as a lioness marked the special jagged line intended on the 'tree' for princes.

Ahadi had taken his own cinnamon colored paw and swept his claws across the new line making it blurred and almost unseeable.

Scar snarled and made his paw into a fist, dragging his claws across Ahadi's line time and time again, finally wearing his claws down into the bloody and painful quick.

Days turned into weeks and when the sweet scent of heat fell on Nala once more Scar acted. Going up to her he smiled, beaconing both Sarabi and Nala to his den.

"What do you want Scar? We have hunting to do."

"I want you to keep me accountable. Sarabi, I wish to court Nala. If she permits me to I wish that you keep me honest and of my word. If I am rude or too brash with her make it known. If I make her uncomfortable in any way at all, spread the word far and wide within my kingdom."

He looked the older lioness firmly in the eye and continued.

"However, Sarabi. If I please her and can show another side of myself you must tell it as so. Should I become soft and loving and gentle around her I wish for you to tell me. That way, I might find out what Nala prefers in a lion. I'd like to become that lion... Or at least given the chance."

Here he paused and looked at Nala, softly smiling and leaping down from his rock. "If I may-"

"Far enough. Stop there. You defiled my mother Scar. That doesn't get you off to a great start in my paw prints. And considering how you acted a few weeks prior to today with me I won't allow you come near me without asking first. I value personal space, rule number one."

Scar paused, stepping back in shock then seeming to go over her words in his head and nodding slowly. "Alright."

With that one word he slid far down to the cave floor, bowing to her, humble and asking in body language.

"Might I have your permission to approach you, Nala?"

Taken aback, Nala could only nod. "Approach and ask, my king."

He put his paws in front of each other slowly then looked nervous, whiskers twitching as he spoke his next words slowly.

"Mightn't I have the pleasure of a moonlit stroll tonight? Your mother might accompany us if she likes and we can discuss terms."

"Eh... Terms, Your Grace?" Nala asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

"Yes, young one. When I must have you home, when I am to pick you up, and boundaries."

She thought for a minute then turned to the last Queen. "Hmm... What do you think Sarabi?"

"What I think is unimportant. However, Sarafina will have a warthog!"

Chapter Two

Sarafina roared in rage. "How dare he?! How dare he prey upon my daughter! I will...oh I WILL SHOW HIM, oh yes I will..." Nala could only stare at her mother in part shock and part horror and fear, watching her mother rise swiftly from feeding her little sister and clawing the ground with such violence that her mother all but disappeared in Nala's eyes. Moving foreward as gracefully as a fifteen year old could, she pulled Mheetu away from her mother and placed her behind some rocks, then softly padded up to her mother and rubbed against her.

"Oh, Mama. Please, calm down. I am going with Scar tonight, and I will see what he wants and says. He sounded so...sincere, Mama. So honest and begging. I want to give this a chance... and when I mean a chance, I mean if he asks me to be his queen I will do it without hesitation-"

"WHAT? YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY LOVE THE MAN! Nala, for goodness sakes, he could be your father!"

"Mama, I KNOW! But this may be what is best. I must. He would have to agree to certain conditions before I would take the position. I would get full rule over the other lionesses, and over the hyenas. We would have to be...equal in power. I could help you and the others so much by doing this Mama! I could give you all a days rest from hunting- or even two! I could order the hyenas to hunt fo us! Don't you see? It would be for the best..."

"And what of an heir, Nala? Have you thought of that yet? He will want one eventually. And you know how he ruined me...No, I won't permit it. You will stay here tonight."

"But, Mama, think of everyone else who would-"

"To hell with everyone else, Nala. You are my daughter, do you understand that? I won't allow you to be ruined the same way I was. I want you to be able to gift someone you love with strong, healthy cubs that you don't look at every single day of your life and want to maul out of existance. I only want what's best for you, do you understand?"

"But I don't care about me! Mother, you cannot protect me forever, and even if you could, I don't want it. There is no reason not to do as he wants, Mama. I was betrothed at one point in my life this I...I know. But Simba...Simba is dead, I break no vows with him and his royale line. It is getting dark, and time I leave for the meeting with my King. I love you very much, although I may not show it often. Sleep well, Mama."