|
Because there's nothing saying about us posting TLK fics here . . . . and Steet said this would be the best section in the forum to post this.
Thanks to the discussion on Kopa/Tanabi/Chaka/whatever . . . I have written a TLK fic! Please enjoy and do tell me what you think! (there's another link to this same story in the Kopa topic, so you can write a review using the link, or right here . . . whichever you wish!) Thank you!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Legend of Kopa: Forgotten Heir To The Throne
(started 2/20/06 - completed 2/24/06)
Summary: The tale of the life of Simba and Nala's firstborn, Kopa, and what I think happened to him to be left out of the sequel. A very short biography (my first TLK fanfic ever) with some important dialogue.
Rating: G for General Audiences. There's nothing bad in this story, trust me! Except for lots of foreshadowing for The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride . . . but that seems to be it.
Note: This story is purely fiction and is based on my opinions of how Kopa lived and then mysteriously was forgotten about before Simba and Nala had Kiara. No, I do not believe that the cub in the conclusion of TLK was Kiara, because it was originally a male cub instead (If you don't believe me, read the las pages of the TLK storybooks).
Disclaimer: All characters from The Lion King and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride belong to the Walt Disney Co. and the character of Kopa belongs to them as well, even though he was named only in the rare The Lion King: Six New Adventures book set.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One: Birth of an Heir
It was the start of a new morning in the Pridelands of Africa. The animals and the sky were awakening the orange dawn of a new day. In the horizon, the large cliffs of Pride Rock were filled with hustle and bustle as a group of lionesses guarded the entrance into the Royal Chamber, where the King and Queen usually slept. The young King Simba, who was usually inside of the chamber, was now pacing back and forth near the row of females. He could hear the roaring cries of his childhood playmate and chosen queen, Nala, while she was giving birth to a royal cub.
It had been a few months since the rightful king, Simba, took back the throne from his evil uncle, Scar. He had finally gotten what his deceased father had promised for him since his birth. When the kingdom had heard news of the royal family's announcement of the future heir to the throne, every creature of the Pridelands was thrilled as they congratulated the happy parents. It was hard to believe that after such a short period of time as the official ruler of the savannah, Queen Nala was with cub and King Simba would be able to plan a great future for his new son or daughter, continuing their circle of life and royal family tree.
Then the queen let out another echoing and powerful roar, pushing as hard as she could . . . and ending with a long sigh. For a matter of a couple of minutes, there was a hushed air that came into the area as the lionesses and the king waited for a response. At last, the meowing cries of new life filled the air. Every lion's ear perked up, listening to the healthy sound of a baby lion's first words. A smile appeared on every creature's face, especially on the king's face, in delight. The queen's lionesses-in-waiting lowered their guard, allowing the King access back into the chamber. After nodding a thank you to his loyal guards, Simba ran past his lionesses and directly to his mate. She lay on the rocky ground, panting and drained of energy after delivering, with a small golden-brown cub nested between her forelegs. The new parents nuzzled happily, then after taking a look at his new child, the feline king ran to the edge of Pride Rock. He proudly roared, calling all animals to the summit to meet the newborn heir to the throne. The lionesses repeated his roar as a response and to make the announcement louder and spread to a wider range.
In a matter of a couple of hours, all of the animals of the Pridelands had arrived at the summit, ready to sing their praises to the future heir. Rafiki, the baboon shaman of the royalty of Pride Rock, had just arrived and greeted the young King with an embrace and a smile. The wise monkey knew that Mufasa, the previous King and Simba's patriarch, would be proud to see their family starting to grow. The two good friends walked back into the cave where Queen Nala rested to wake her for the presentation and blessing of the new child. She let out a small yawn before grooming the cub for its debut to the entire kingdom. The baboon then moved closer to the cub, marking the cub's head with the juice of one of his gourds from his staff. He again smiled, noticing to similarities of the cub and its father. Rafiki's slender fingers and steady palm clutched the cub, carrying it to the edge of Pride Rock, and then lifted it to show the heir to all. The proud parents that stood behind them, looked up to the sky with joy and happiness in their hearts. Simba knew his protective and loving father was watching them from the heavens above, and blessed them with a gentle breeze that blew the king's mane. The animals below - elephants, zebras, cheetahs, antelope, okapis, and many others - trumpeted and shouted their congratulations and well wishes to the royal baby, who was now attempting to escape the monkey's grasp and return to its mother's side. After five minutes of cheers, Rafiki lowered the cub back to the safety of his arms, cradling the cub as he announced the gender of the babe.
"It is a son."
Part Two: Like Father, Like Son?
Many weeks after his presentation, the future king, who was given the name "Kopa" by his father, was outside playing with the other cubs near Pride Rock. He was a feisty, rambunctious cub; in other words, he almost was a spitting image of the Lion King himself from when he was young. His coat was a solid shade of golden-brown with a tuft of brown hair on top of his head. His eyes were filled with a fiery red, and his face was full of curiosity.
The young prince made friends with many creatures: a couple of fellow lion cubs near Pride Rock; Rafiki, who would usually tell him fables and tales of times ago; and Timon and Pumbaa, the meerkat and warthog duo that assisted with the King's reclaiming of the throne. There were many others as well - monkeys, elephants, zebras, birds, and more - for they all praised and taught the cub on life in the Pridelands. He would play with them during the daytime, even though he had wished his father was around more often. Nala, his loving mother, continued to tell her young son that his father was too busy taking care of other problems, kingdom problems. Kopa would sulk, time after time, angry by the fact that his father never had time for his problems.
"Mom? Can I go see where Dad's going?" An excited Kopa asked his mother one afternoon after his father had left Pride Rock. This sounded like all of the other days that Kopa had been curious about the King's duties. "Huh, can I, can I, can I? Pleeeeease?"
"Kopa, you do know what I'll say 'no,' right?" Nala told the cub time and time again. She usually continued doing other things when she said that - mainly while resting - especially when she knew what her precocious son wanted to do.
"I know. You'll say no." the young lion let out a sigh. "But I never get to do anything with him, Mom! I wanna see what Dad really gets to do! Maybe he he has to fight something, or roar really loudly to scare a herd of antelope near the pool!" He began to pant as he talked quickly.
His mother let out a polite chuckle. "I'm sure he does something like that." To tell you the truth, she knew what he really did; she just didn't feel like saying it to Kopa. "Maybe one day when you're a little older, he'll take you with him."
His face glowed. "Yeah! Mom, I'm going outside to play!" the prince exclaimed happily.
"Make sure you don't follow your father, Kopa," Nala reminded him. "You know he's busy with his own work, but he'll be back by dinner time. And you'll be back by then, okay?"
"All right, I will. Thanks, Mom!" her son ran to the exit of the royal chamber and stopped, turning back to smile at his resting mother. "Have a nice nap, Mother." And he continued to run from Pride Rock into the Pridelands.
He ran and rolled in the grass around, laughing and being happy. Until he rolled into something furry. With pale yellow legs and toes. He jumped up and shrieked in surprise, as he saw two young cubs in front of him. The duo looked alike, for they were twins, but Kopa had never seen them before. The two female cubs stared at him with glaring eyes, and gave him a smirk. Kopa smiled back as they began to introduce themselves, bowing to him.
"Why did you bow to me?" Kopa questioned them. "You're lions! Dad says other creatures have to bow to us, but not lions. Lift your heads, okay?"
"Oh, we're sorry, young prince. It seems we have frightened you." One cub, who happened to be older, said, finishing her bow.
"Yes, we did not know of His Highness's rules." The other said, lowing her big ears. "We are different creatures to him. He doesn't like us much."
"Oh. I didn't know." Kopa said, nuzzling the two in forgiveness. "My dad never tells me much, since he's so busy with the kingdom's problems and all . . ."
"And torturing our pride as well," The eldest cub completed the prince's sentence. "He fancies himself by telling other animals to destroy our home, making us move again and again. It's totally frustrating."
"That's awful!" Kopa said, shocked by what they told him. "My father wouldn't do that. He's the king . . . Maybe I'll ask him about it . . ."
"NO!" the cubs said in unison. "You can't let him know that you know about us!"
"Huh?"
"We are ignored in Prideland society. It would not be good if word got loose that you hang with our kind." The younger lion stated. "Especially since you are the future king, Prince Kopa."
"Okay, so I won't tell him anything. So what? That doesn't mean we can't play, right?" Kopa asked.
They all paused in silence, and then bursted into giggles. "Let's play!" The three friends ran through the Pridelands, now without a care in the world.
Beknownt to the young lions, Rafiki was watching the playful heir chase and play tag with his new companions.
"Oh, do you see what I see, Mufasa? Prince Kopa plays with two of "them" Is this exactly best for the kingdom?" A breath of calming wind blew onto the baboon. "But what if the king knew about this? Kopa would be punished! We don't want that." Another breeze followed his comment. The monkey let out a sigh. "All right, all right. I'll leave this alone. But I still see something wrong with this. Something in the future is bound to happen . . . and it doesn't look like it's a good thing. Evil will be born soon."
Part Three: Misunderstanding
The times had passed, the seasons changed, and the young prince was now a year old. His mane had now grown in, making him look more of a younger version of his grandfather. He was still quite difficult to control, for he wished to see the land outside of the Pridelands. He felt trapped, almost like a caged bird; he wanted to be free to do whatever he wanted, without the eyes of the kingdom always watching his every move.
This warm morning was to be a special one for the prince: Kopa was going to spend time with his father as he dealt with kingdom matters and animal arguments. After a year of waiting, he was going to have the chance to ask questions about ruling, since King Simba was preparing his son for the day when he would do this himself.
Well, that was what he had originally had planned anyway. Simba did not know what his son truly wanted though. He was hoping that his discussion with Kopa would help him learn things that he never learned when he was a cub. But just before the mighty king was able to ask his son what he wanted in life, a herd of wildebeest rapidly stampeded between them, causing Kopa to separated from his father. Kopa ran from the stampeding, only to be going into the Outlands, the place where a pride of rogue lions had recently been exiled to by Simba's orders. Kopa's father had never told him why they were sent away from the safety of the Pridelands; he had grown rather fond of their company over the couple of times that he had run into them as a cub, but other than that, he didn't see anything wrong with them at all.
He didn't get to run too far into the dark and gloomy wasteland, for his shoulder ached and was bleeding, which was probably caused by a running wildebeest from the stampede. A couple of Outland lionesses came to him - they saw that the young lion was Kopa, who they had shortly befriended as cubs. He was surprised that they recognized him after all this time and greeted them kindly as they led him to one of the close-by watering holes between the Outlands and the Pridelands. The two females were afraid to cross the border into the sun-kissed savannah, but Kopa gave them permission to follow him so they could help clean his wound on his shoulder.
Just as the Outland duo was appling water on the wound, King Simba charged into the scene with a loud roar, outraged by what he saw. Kopa tried to explain the situation to his father and introduce his childhood friends that were helping him, but to no avail. The king could not allow himself to hear this: his son was becoming friends with the followers of his former enemy. Zazu also arrived to the scene, bringing Nala with him; both of them were as shocked as the king was.
"Get away from them, Kopa!" Simba angrily ordered. "They are not friends, they are against us!"
"Why?" Kopa asked. "Why are they against us then?" There was a long silence as the king and his son stared each other down. "Well? Why won't you tell me anything? Wait . . . maybe it's not us, . . . but maybe it's you! You're the cause of this, aren't you?"
"Kopa!" Nala gasped by her son's spoken words. "You know better than to speak to your father like that. He is the king."
Simba was angry by his own son's questions. "Stop talking, both of you!" Simba roared loudly, scaring the two Outlander lionesses to their side of the border. Nala let out a gasp of shock and silently stood near Zazu, who was perched on a nearby rock. The enraged ruler then turned to his son."This is none of your concern, Kopa. You shall not speak of this again, do you hear me? And no more running into the Outlands; it is not part of our land, so you are forbidden, as all of us are!"
"No . . . no, I won't." Kopa calmed down, with tears beginning to swell in his eyes. "Not until you tell me the truth that you have been keeping from me."
Simba let out a sigh, told Zazu and Nala to return back to Pride Rock while he talked to his son in private. Kopa was still upset by the way his father was acting to him over his friends. After the queen and their flying servant left to vicinity, Simba sat with his son; both were calmer than they were just minutes prior, yet on the inside, Kopa and Simba were hurt by the comments they had said to each other. Simba began to explain the background of his problem with the Outlanders - mainly the fact that they were upset with Simba because he had defeated their leader and uncle, Scar.
"I did it to save our kingdom and to claim my birthright from him." Simba explained to Kopa. "It belonged to my father, who passed it to me and now, I'm passing it to you, son."
"No!" Kopa answered. "I don't want to follow in your steps! I don't want you to exclude any creature from our land, just because you hate them!"
Simba was shocked by his son's response."No? I've given you a future, a future that's best for you!"
"No, Father. That is the future that you think is best for me. You have no idea what I want." Kopa said, slowly raising his voice so his father could hear every word that came out of his mouth. "I want . . . I want to be free of this title of 'future king'. This doesn't belong to me anymore."
"Oh? So you can be with your friends, Kopa? And live the life that you wish?" The king stated, upset that his own flesh and blood did not want to follow his pawprints as the next monarch of Pride Rock. His son nodded. "In that case, I have no choice." The king stood seriously, yet inside he was in sorrow. The young prince did the same, awaiting his father's order of judgment. "Kopa, I hereby banish you from Pride Rock. You may roam wherever you please, but you will never be allowed clearance into Pride Rock ever again."
"I understand," Kopa spoke in response of his banishment.
"Furthermore, your title of "Future King" will be stripped of you as soon as you say your goodbyes to the royal court and servants tomorrow morning, while the sun rises in the horizon." Simba continued the sentence. "And once you leave, you will go one direction and never be allowed to back to the safety of your former home. Do I make myself clear, son?"
"Yes," Kopa said with regret and a sudden gladness. He walked to his father and nuzzled with him with a grin. "Thank you for understanding me. I know it hurts you to do this to me, your own son, but I think it's best for all of us."
That next day was the day for Kopa to leave Pride Rock forever. Everyone that lived at Pride Rock was there to see him and say their goodbyes: the lionesses that helped care for him since he was born; his babysitters, Timon and Pumbaa, who both cried so much that bubbles came out of the warthog's large nostrils; Zazu spread his wings and led the others into his final bow as crown prince; and Rafiki gave him a big monkey-hug and a wack with his stick to help him remember where he came from. At last, a final farewell from the King and Queen was planned for the cliff of Pride Rock. The majestic King Simba, the still-elegant Queen Nala, and the now-former Prince Kopa all embraced and shed tears together and remained at the cliff as they watched their son roam free in the kingdom that they loved and ruled. No matter how much they missed him, they knew he could never return inside their home. Kopa remained on the royal family tree, and they never truly forgot him or understood why Kopa would leave the royal life for a common wandering lion lifestyle; however they learn to accept his fate, only able to watch him from the safety of their castle. Simba, Nala and the rest of the pride promised themselves that if they ever a second heir was born to them, they would keep a terrible secret from their young cub: the secret of their eldest son, Kopa, and the short life that he had lived in the comfort of Pride Rock.
Part Four: The Circle Continues
It had been a few months since Kopa's farewell from the throne. He knew that his parents were still upset by his choice, but this was his life and the way he wanted to live it - not closed in as a royal prince, but as free as a lion should live. He remained in the Pridelands, but he was closer to the edge of the Outlands, where his great-uncle's followers gathered, secretly plotting their revenge. He enjoyed venturing into the forbidden areas of the Outlands, learning from the lions that he had befriended months ago. He learned of their leader, Zira, and was amazed by how they still worshipped Scar, although he had been dead for many months. He became companions with them, and even lived among them with the help of Zira's only son, Nuka, who was only a few months younger than himself, and the rest of Zira's pride. He knew that they could accept him because he no longer was a member of the Pride Rock lion pride, and now he too was a rogue lion; he was at last free of the hold of the royals that he had endured for his whole life.
During that time, the former prince had wooed one of the Outlander females, who happened to be one of his childhood friends. They decided to forget the event that had happened and eloped later on. They brought a young son into the world: he was of a dark shade of reddish-brown with a tiny tuft of ebony hair on his head. Unfortunately, the lioness died soon after the cub's birth, which made Kopa shed tears of both joy and sadness. He couldn't bear to keep the child, since there was no way he could make any nourishment for the cub. He loved them both, his mate and his new son, but he knew he had to let go of them. In his sadness, he left the cub that he named Kovu, based after his grandfather's brother's name, in the care of the leader of the Outlanders, raising him with with her latest cub, Vitani. After saying his goodbyes to the ones that he had come to love for the short while that he had lived nearby, he left them to their leader, never to return back to the Outlands again. Since then, the other Outlanders knew about Kovu's true heritage, but thought it best not to ever tell him. Kopa had no idea that later, his son would indeed become a future king.
After Kopa ran away from the Outlands, he returned back towards Pride Rock. As if it were perfect timing for his final time in a long while, he was just in time for a new presentation from the royal family. All of the creatures of the Pride Lands had gathered to meet the new heir to the throne, eagerly awaiting uplifting news to lighten their spirits - especially after Kopa's dismissal from the royal court many weeks ago. The shaman Rafiki finally appeared onto the cliff's edge; the golden newborn cub on his shoulder also bore the same gourd mark on its forehead as he had at his own birth. The baboon lifted the cub towards the sky, as the great Mufasa again smiled upon his kingdom, especially his family. He then turned to Kopa, who was among the menagerie of animals looking up at the sight, and gave him a wink and a proud grin, as if he was proud of his decision of leaving Pride Rock royalty. Before disappearing, he blew a wind of blessing among all of his family, including to the young Kopa.
The presentation ended as Rafiki returned the cub back to its parents and announced to all: "It is a girl."
Kopa smiled back at the summit where his family stood. He wished he could return to them just this once and meet his new sibling, but because of his banishment, he would be chased out by the lionesses and his father, so he kept his distance from the rock's base. He turned away from the summit, ready to go on his way to a future that would be unexpected and new to the former prince. But before leaving the area of Pride Rock, never to see them again until he would make his return, he let out a roar of joy for the new heir and then said a blessing before bursting into a run through the land that was near the place that he had known as his home.
"Welcome to the world, my little sister. I only wish that I could be with you now . . . . maybe one day when the time is right. But until then, I will always be by your side as your brother."
END
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: There are some things to point out:
- Kopa = Kovu's father?: According to a deleted scene from TLK2:SP, Kovu mentions to Zira that Scar was not his father, although he was chosen to follow in his paws (Probably by Zira?). Also, Rafiki and Mufasa both know about Kovu. I don't think they know who fathered him. (of course, it is also unknown who fathered Vitani and Nuka, but I think Scar is actually Nuka's father IMO. Maybe the Outlanders have other males?) This gave me the idea to make Kopa the father that Kovu never knew - mainly because Kovu looks so much like Scar, it's not even funny . . . and how else could he look like Scar if instead of being his son, he was closely related to him (Scar is Kopa's great-uncle, so what would that make Kovu if he's Kopa's son?)? (ooh, suspense) And yes, I know what this would lead to for the sequel . . . because Disney doesn't like them much. ^__^ heheh, I'm evil. (innnncest - Disney says it's baaaaaaaaaad.)
- Where is Kopa now?: Well, since he was never mentioned in TLK2:SP, so I thought him being exiled from Pride Rock and losing his royal title was a good enough reason why he wasn't there. Plus everyone being all "hush-hush" about him as well (and not mentioning him or comparing him to his sister, that means he wouldn't be dead; they couldn't keep that a secret for long), this was interesting. Plus it shows Simba's concern for his son and hatred for the Outlanders. Whoo, fun stuff to write.
- Why Kopa and not Tanabi/Chaka/etc.?: Well, this is obvious. Chaka and Tanabi are only fan names for Kopa, but Kopa is the officially written and published name for him. Plus, I used the Six New Adventures set of books for inspiration and "Kopa" is the name they use.
- Simba's overprotectiveness: I think his problem with being so overprotective (in TLK2) was caused by Kopa (as I made him, anyway). I wanted Kopa's problem to cause Simba to realize that he allowed Kopa to roam too much (and become friends with the Outlanders), so that it would make sense why he was being so protective of Kiara in TLK2. I think it kinda worked, don't you?
- The Outlanders: It's odd that Simba never mentioned when he banished the Outlanders from the Pridelands, so I decided to make it (Simba banishing the Outlanders) happen while Kopa was a child - to add more drama to the scene when Simba confronts Kopa with his two Outlander friends. Thanks to the first deleted scene of SP, it seems like they had been in the Outlands for a while.
_________________
|
