A/N - Tasa was a character I first introduced in my story, A King in all but Name. Though not necessarily a sequel reading this other story first is recommended. Please R&R and all that copyright stuff.
Reign of the Red King
Ch. 1- Protective Lies
"Don't go too near the edge Tasa," Etari commanded, raising his head to make sure the bouncing cub obeyed.
" 'tari," the young member of the pride asked, looking over his shoulder at his babysitter. "What's that big tree?"
"The tree?" Etari rolled to his feet and padded up to the fuzzy cub to see what he was looking at. "That's Rafikis' tree, you know who Rafiki is."
"The monkey?" inquired the princling as he peered up Etari from under his red tuft of hair.
"Uh huh. Now come on away from the edge."
"Yes young prince," Scar's voice startled both cubs who hadn't heard him stride up. "We wouldn't want you to fall off the edge now. It's a very long ways down." The red king grinned manically, watching the cub do just the opposite of what he was told, peering over the edge to see just how far down it was. With a growl Etari hooked a paw around Sarabi's cub, pulling him protectively away from the cliff edge.
"Leave Tasa alone," the half grown cub demanded, staring hard at the evil dictator. Scar's green eyes flickered in surprise at this small retaliation, but quickly regained his composure.
"What did you say?" he growled at the smaller lion, advancing with a cool look in his eyes.
"You heard me," Etari responded, surprised at the calm in his voice. For the past months Scar had totally dominated him with threats, but now…. "Stay away from him." He snarled.
"Was the an order!?" the king hissed springing at the cubs in anger. Etari skirted to one side to avoid the attack, quickly spinning around to face Scar. Suddenly a look of terror appeared on his face—Scar now stood beside the defenseless Tasa.
"No…" Etari breathed in fear, his eyes growing wide.
"I think you've just given me a perfect opportunity youngster," Scar murmured with glee, running his paw, claws out, roughly over the baby prince. "It would be so…so easy for the young prince to slip," and here the king paused, roughly jerking the cub to within an inch of the edge. "to slip and fall. The queen will be just crushed that she chose such an incompetent cub," the king stressed the last word, scoffing at Etari's youth. "to take care of her heir."
"Don't you…" Etari started, crouching to spring.
"I told you never to give me an order!" With that outburst the king dug his claws into Tasa's golden back, making the prince cry in pain before Scar flicked his paw, sending the cub flying off the edge of pride rock.
"NOOOO!" Etari screamed dashing forward. Desperately the half grown lion flung his front paws over the edge, trying to catch the falling cub. For a moment one of his claws snagged on the furry coat, but Tasa's falling weight pulled him free from the hook. "Nooo…" Etari whimpered, tearing his eyes away before the prince hit the ground.
"Tasa." The cub groaned and covered his ears with a paw to block out the voice. "Tasa sweetie wake up." Sarabi gently nudged her son with a soft nose, breathing gently on him as she did so.
"Don't wanna," the fuzzy cub murmured, blinking up at her with unfocused amber eyes. "Where's Etari mama?" Tasa asked a bit more coherently as his vision began to clear. "We were on top of pride rock and…." His voice trailed off, he couldn't remember what had happened, but it seemed so important.
"Hush little one," Sarabi whispered, Tasa was still confused enough that he missed the shaking in her voice. "Come on, let's get you into bed."
"But where is he mama?" the prince asked again, struggling to his feet on limbs that were still uncoordinated by youth. Sarabi hesitated, then without looking Tasa in the eyes explained,
"Etari needed to go out and find some new herds for us to hunt, he won't be back to awhile. He's sorry that he didn't get to say goodbye but your were sleeping. Now come, let's get you into the cave." Gently the queen picked up the gold colored cub, his tuft of red man falling into his eyes as she carried him into the shelter of the cave.
"Thank goodness he's ok!" Tasa faintly heard the old lioness Miehka breath as the queen and prince entered, but he was too tired to really care about what was going on around him. Sarabi set him down in their normal place, and curled herself protectively around him.
"Where's Tenabi? How is she?" Tasa felt his mothers words rumbled in her chest as he lay next to. Even the bruises on his body from the fall couldn't keep him awake though, and the cub drifted off as the lionesses continued to talk in urgent, hushed whispers.
"She's mourning down by the acacia grove, I wouldn't expect anything more. I left Jarelle with her just in case." Miehka replied, looking down sadly at the queen and her son. "How about the prince, is he really ok?"
"He's only bruised so far as I can tell," Sarabi answered, licking her youngest son gently and with a relieved look on her face. "Sarafina thinks he must have hit the tree boughs first and then fell to the ground. Otherwise he wouldn't be alive, falling from that height."
"You don't believe Scar's story do you?" Miehka growled, her voice rising in anger. "That they were playing and Tasa slipped, and Etari fell trying to catch him?" The look in the elder lioness' eyes clearly showed that she felt the red king had fed them a perposterous lie. Sarabi didn't answer for a moment, merely tucking Tasa in closer to her and licking the red fur on his head flat.
"I do believe him," she finally said.
"What!?!"
"I believe Scar." Sarabi replied firmly. "Because it is my child who lives, and who I want to keep on living. I will believe and live whatever lies I need to in order to keep him safe."
"And you think acting as though Scar is innocent will save Tasa?" Miehka was angry and confused, wondering if maybe it was the queen who had hit her head on the rock instead of the prince.
"I said that I would live a lie," Sarabi continued calmly "But not that I would throw all caution to the winds. Tasa will be safer if I follow Scar instead of oppose him." Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at the sleeping cub. "Simba, Etari….I do not know how many more cubs will die under his reign, but I must do what I can to protect those still here. Tasa must not know what happened today. If he thinks that Scar killed Etari he will find himself face to face with an angry Scar." The queen paused and her last words came out as a whisper, "We both know what he will do."
"The sacrifices we make for our children," Miehka sighed as she turned away. "Fine then my queen. I will take it then as my orders to stand guard over the prince, and at the same time keep the king from thinking I hold such a deep grudge against him."
"Thank you Miehka," the queen replied sincerely.
"He's worth it Sarabi," the other lionesses answered, still facing the entrance to the cave. "Just like my grandson Etari was." She padded forward in the dark, and Sarabi watched her settle down just inside the cave entrance, a solid sentry against the danger. The queen lay her head down once more, conscious of Tasas' fur against hers, and thankful for one more day with him.