The Lion King III: Forgotten Destiny

Disclaimer: Disney owns TLK and its sequels. I own my original characters, ideas, plot, etc.

A/N: This is my first TLK fanfic. Chapters after this one will be longer.

Chapter 1: After the War

Roars, trumpets, bleats, and other sounds from the kingdom's animals echoed throughout the Pridelands as the future king and queen were wed. A strong breeze carrying the whispers of the Great Kings rustled Simba's crimson mane as his father Mufasa's deep voice filled the air. "Well done, my son. We are one." Pridelander and Outsider were finally one.

The darker and younger of the two lions looked over his future kingdom and pride and nuzzled his mate, Kiara, affectionately. Kovu's life had been filled with horrors from the past, but today was the day he could finally be free and look to a bright future. Nala and Simba shared knowing smile, silently celebrating that Kiara and Kovu were wise in reuniting the two prides, using the words that Simba had quoted many moons ago; 'We are one'.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Kiara will make a wonderful queen someday," said Nala. Simba and her were chatting quietly later that night on Pride Rock. It was a beautiful, clear night and the stars were twinkling brightly. All the other lions and lionesses were asleep in the cave, and the king and queen were feeling a bit tired. However, certain matters needed to be discussed.

"Yes, she will," came Simba's soft reply. He seemed distant tonight, staring up at the stars.

Nala jokingly asked, "Consulting with the Great Kings again?"

Simba smiled, "As always." He missed moments like these. Since the entire ordeal with Zira, he had had rarely anytime to spend time with his mate. "But what about Kovu?"

Nala frowned and sighed, "You still don't trust him."

"I trust Kovu. What I don't know is whether or not he could lead the Pridelands."

"And why would you say that, Simba?" inquired Nala, walking up to him. She had a feeling what the answer would be.

Simba was quiet for a moment. Then he confirmed Nala's suspicion. "All his life he was taught to follow in Scar's paw prints. Zira raised him to be evil. And even though Kovu has shown me that he changed, I'm still unsure about his judgment."

Nala looked into Simba's amber colored eyes. "You didn't exactly have a good past either, but you turned out to be a great king."

"I'm not as great as my father," murmured Simba, gazing back up towards the night sky.

Nala gently nuzzled Simba. "Simba, you've become a wise king over the years. And since there was no one to teach you how, it made it all the more difficult for you. But you restored peace between not one, but two prides. That's why I love you, and that's why I think you are a great king."

Simba was touched by her kind words. "Really?"

Nala nodded, "And Kovu will be a wise ruler someday too."

Simba nodded. Then he said to her, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Nala."

"You survived all those years out in the jungle."

"Yeah, but I still missed you. Some nights I just needed someone to talk to."

"Me too. Growing up under Scar's reign was hard."

The couple was silent for a moment, their memories replaying in their mind. Nala broke the silence by changing the topic and putting on a playful grin. "Remember when we were cubs, how we always used to sneak up on Zazu and pin him to the ground by his tail feathers?"

Recognition flashed on Simba's face as he reminisced on happier times. Smiling, he laughed, "Yeah, he always used to fly away all huffed up muttering about 'some future king he'll be' and 'cubs these days'."

"And remember how I always used to be able to pin you to the ground?" teased Nala playfully.

"Bet you couldn't now," challenged Simba.

Nala cocked an eyebrow, disbelieving. "Oh really?" She jumped at him, knocking him over. They rolled, until Nala was able to stop them, pinning her mate to the ground.

"Pinned ya!" she laughed. "Really Simba, that was too easy."

"Never was able to win that game," he chuckled. He licked here lovingly on the cheek. "Come on. It's getting late. We should get some sleep."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Many miles away, two lions were also talking. However, the matters they were discussing were much more darker and serious.

"Soon the Grasslands will be barren and lifeless," whispered a pretty light brown lioness. Her green eyes showed obvious signs of worry as she gazed down at the light rust-colored, almost orange, tiny, infant cub in her arms. The cub gave a tiny mew, and rolled over on its belly, exposing the small tuft of brown fur on its head. "All the herds will move on. I'm worried for Kutu. I don't want him growing up in a dry wasteland. What should we do, Rubani?"

"I'm not sure, Kasura. Maybe we're just having a long dry season. The Grasslands will heal itself soon," said the dark, mahogany colored lion. His blue eyes scanned the grassy savanna in which their kingdom was named after while his black as night mane rustled in the breeze.

"And if they don't?" Kasura asked worriedly.

Rubani remained silent.

Please review, polite constructive criticism is welcome.