The Lion King

Murderers and Kings

"Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death!"

Nala had spent the entire confrontation between Simba and Scar watching the power-hungry tyrant, making sure he did not try to do anything to Simba as she, along with several other lionesses, helped Sarabi back to her feet, making sure that Scar had done no serious damage when he had struck her.

But as soon as Scar had told Simba to reveal the real culprit behind Mufasa's death, Nala's gaze switched rapidly over to the copper-maned lion that was her best friend. She could sense the rest of the pride, including Sarabi, switching gazes as well, as her mind started to put the pieces together.

No, she thought desperately, as if thinking it was wrong would make it so. No, it can't be! She stared at Simba in open-mouthed horror, watching him as his gaze appeared to glaze over, tears starting to swim in his eyes.

But all of Nala's hopes and prayers were crushed as Simba took a shaking step forward, raising his head to gaze over all the lionesses before him. She could have sworn his gaze stopped briefly on both her and Sarabi, but before she could think on it, Simba spoke two words that Nala had dreaded.

"I am."

His voice did not shake or waver, and he did not turn away...Nala could detect no lie coming from her best friend, and, even after his long exile, betrothed. She found herself emitting a stifled gasp, shocked despite having seen it coming.

Simba had just openly admitted being responsible for the death of his own father!

Nala could feel her body growing limp as Sarabi walked forwards, the same look of total shock and horror on her face. Nala could not help but feel for her...her own son was telling her that he had betrayed their family, and the pride.

"It's not true..." Sarabi's words tore through Nala, as the widowed lioness literally pleaded with her son. "Tell me it's not true!"

Nala looked once more to Simba, her face pleading with him silently as well. Simba's face, so full of pain and guilt, looked towards her for a brief moment, and in that moment, Nala knew that he was telling the truth. His whole body was covered with the guilt and sorrow that he had been carrying for his whole exile.

"It's true..." Simba's voice held nothing but terrible resignation...the sort only a lion who knows his day of redemption is upon him. It broke Nala's heart to see him in such a state. She knew that, responsible for Mufasa's death or not, Simba had not intentionally killed him. And that, in her mind, was more than enough for her to forgive him.

But before Nala could dwell on it, Scar's voice rose up once more, calling for the lionesses as he stared Simba down. "You see? He admits it! Murderer!"

Nala was becoming overwhelmed by the situation, and as such she took no action as Scar, with a group of his loyal hyenas following, started to advance on Simba, circling him and forcing to back off up the length of Pride Rock's promontory.

"No! It was an accident!" Simba's voice was hurt and pleading, begging for Scar to see reason.

"If it weren't for you Mufasa would still be alive! It's your fault he's dead...do you deny it?"

For a moment, Nala thought Simba would actually fight Scar's assumption, and actually prayed that he did...Scar looked like he was about to kill Simba for his mistake, and technically, under his laws, and possibly even under the old laws Mufasa laid down, Scar was well within his rights to do so.

But Simba's voice was steadfast and even strong as he met Scar's challenge. "No."

This was obviously the moment Scar had been waiting for, as he said each word with a slow, fierce sense of triumph that had no place being in the current situation, especially since it was his own nephew Scar was condemning. "Then...you're...guilty!"

"No, I'm not a murderer!"

Nala wanted to go and help Simba so desperately, and beside her, she could see Sarabi was also looking at her son in terror. But the large group of hyenas that had helped hem Simba onto the promontory were now watching her and the other lionesses, making sure they did not do anything.

As she watched Simba back up towards the tip of the promontory, Scar continuing to taunt and degrade the young lion, Nala remembered back to the fierce argument she had started with Simba back in the jungle.

"You don't even know what I've been through!" he had declared to her, right before he had stalked off. Now Nala understood what Simba had meant by that, why he had stayed away...why he thought he was not fit to rule the Pridelands. But the question still remained; why had he come back? Had he finally decided to face his past, and whatever cruel fate Scar had waiting for him...or was there something else driving him?

But Nala was once again distracted, this time by the sight of Simba backing up right to very end of the promontory, as she caught the last couple of words from Scar. "And now, everyone...knows...WHY!"

Scar shoved his face forward at the last word, forcing Simba to take another step backwards...only there was no room left for him to go. Nala's heart stopped as she saw Simba lose his footing and slip rapidly over the edge of Pride Rock...a fall that was sure to kill him.

"SIMBA!" her cry was almost drowned out by the loud crash of thunder that occurred at the same moment, as a fork of lightning speared down from the clouds above, striking a tree near Pride Rock, setting the deadened wood alight with little effort.

Nala took little notice of the fire as it spread with alarming speed, her eyes only for Simba as he somehow managed to grip the promontory with his paws and stop his fall short, although he was now hanging onto the end of the promontory for dear life, the fire spreading so fast that it was already raging directly below him, making an already ugly fate even worse should Simba fall.

Nala also noticed Sarabi take a step forward as Simba appeared to fall, stopping only as the hyenas growled menacingly at her, threatening her not to interfere. But Nala's thoughts once again turned back to the argument in the jungle, the incident replaying itself over in her head, her new knowledge suddenly explaining why Simba had acted the way he had.

"You know you're starting to sound like my father..." "Good! At least one of us does." Nala's eyes widened as she remembered her quip about Mufasa, and realised just what such a statement would have to Simba in his current mind state.

"Oh, Kings Above..." she whispered, tears starting to swim in her eyes. "I'm sorry Simba," she whispered, looking over at him as Scar grabbed his forepaws, whispering what were probably going to be the last words Simba ever heard, as she waited for Scar to throw the lion she loved to his death. "I'm so sorry...if I knew how you felt..." she knew it was far too late, but she now deeply regretted saying those words to Simba, wishing fervently that she could take them back.

But as she watched Simba and Scar, she saw Simba's eyes widen as Scar finished whispering in his ear, a look a shock, horror, and despair on his face. But then every emotion seemed to morph right in front of Nala's eyes, as Simba's muzzle split in a furious snarl, his struggling, dangling body tensed up, and a fire suddenly burned behind his hazel eyes.

Nala knew that look...it was eerily similar to the one he had flashed her after she had mentioned his father in their argument. Whatever Scar had said, had made Simba furious...and Nala could tell, there and then, that Simba's time was not done.

"Nooooo!" Simba's enraged yell could be heard right across Pride Rock, making Sarabi look up as Simba somhow managed to secure his back legs against the rock of the promontory, and in a move that looked impossible from the angle Nala was watching from, he leapt up, and in one, single bound, was safely back on the promontory, pinning Scar against the rock, his claws unsheathed and unfathomable rage burning in his eyes. "Murderer!"

Nala heard her own gasp mirrored by all the other lionesses at Simba's sudden turn-around. Why was he labelling Scar a murderer now? But no-one, not even Nala, and by the look on her face, Sarabi either, had any answers, and all Nala could do was sit with the other lionesses and watch as Simba glared threateningly at Scar, who was now appearing to be panicking slightly.

"No, Simba, please!"

"Tell them the truth!" Nala felt herself shudder at Simba's voice. While it was distinctly his own tone, it shook with a power that Nala had heard often in Mufasa whenever he laid down the law. The Simba that was threatening Scar now was his father's son...and the rightful king.

"Truth?" Scar chuckled nervously as Nala watched on, knowing that Scar was trying to avoid whatever subject it was Simba was forcing him to bring up. "But, truth is in the eye of the behol-" Scar's words were turned into a strangled gasp as Simba shoved a paw roughly against Scar's neck, choking him. Because of this, Nala did not catch Scar's next few words.

"So they can hear you!" Simba commanded, his tone giving Scar no room to maneuver as his paw stayed firmly on his uncle's neck, although his grip lossened slightly, giving the dark-coloured lion the ability to let his voice carry as Nala sat and waited, wondering what deep, dark secret Scar was about to reveal.

"I...killed...Mufasa!"

For a brief moment, Nala was rooted to the spot. Scar had killed Mufasa? Their current king had killed his own brother, but why? It would explain why Simba was so angry...Nala knew, in his place, she would probably be even more enraged than he was...but what could Scar possibly gain from killing his own brother?

The answer came to Nala instantly...the throne. Her mother, Sarafina, had always told her that Scar had been jealous of his brother, and the fact that Mufasa seemed to have everything, while Scar was left the sit in the shadows, forever the lesser brother.

Now, in Nala's mind, it all made sense. Scar had killed Mufasa so he could become king. But Simba was technically the next in line, and even Scar was not so cold as to kill a cub by his own claws. So instead he had laid the blame for Mufasa's death on Simba's shattered, heartbroken conscience, and sent him into exile, certain that the prince's guilt would force him to stay away from the Pridelands.

Rage boiled within Nala, and she felt her body tense up, her every instinct screaming at her to run forward and rip Scar to shreds. But there were still the hyenas blocking their way, and...

The hyenas! Nala thought, seeing that the hyenas had completely forgotten about the group of lionesses they were meant to be protecting, and instead were concentrating solely on the exchange between the two lions on the promontory. They looked like they were mere milliseconds away from attacking Simba, to stop him before he could bring Scar to justice. Looking at the lionesses around him, she noticed that each and every one of them were looking to Sarabi, obviously asking her what to do.

The former queen looked to Nala, and as their eyes met, both of them saw the same thing in each other...pain, sorrow, rage...and hope. Nala nodded to the former queen at the same time she nodded back, the rest of the lionesses taking the signal as the whole group charged, as one, into the mob of hyenas at the same time they all swarmed over Simba, forcing him to back off from Scar's prone form to defend himself.

As Nala jumped into the fight breaking out, roaring in defiance, she realised the mistakes she had made, the clues she had overlooked that would have lead her to the truth. But now she knew the truth...and she knew that she was going to do everything in her power to bring Scar to justice...and give Simba the place he had been denied for so long...the place he rightfully deserved...

...his rightful place as King of Pride Rock.

Author's Notes:

Well, I've finally gotten a story idea short enough to make into a one-shot, instead of plaguing you with 500-page novels all the time!

To be perfectly honest, this idea came me literally about 2 hours ago, and I just wrote it on a spur-of-the-moment. Since it seemed like I'd done a decent job, I've decided to share it.

And who knows? If you like it, I may do a few more one-shots of scenes from The Lion King...and possibly Simba's Pride, too.

And if you'd like me to write about a scene in particular, feel free to request one. Include the movie, the scene in question, and the character you'd like to have a perspective on for that scene, and I'll see what I can do...I can't promise I'll actually do it, though!

And before anyone asks, I have not abandoned Lost Rogue to do this...but my inspiration for Lost Rogue is a little down right now...so I may do a few of these before I get onto Chapter 13, sorry for any inconvenience.