out of his mind.

            Simba sat on the flat platform. Kovu sat beside him. The golden lion looked around. The sun would rise at any moment due to the mixture of purple, pink, orange and red colors. And that would give him time to think. This place brought so many memories, some bad, and some good. He had brought Kovu here for something very special but being here now reminded him of his last fight with his late Uncle Scar, the last Lion King to rule the Pridelands.

            Such a brutal fight…

            Simba remembered throwing his uncle from the edge of this very platform. He looked at Kovu, shivering. Though Kovu resembled Scar in looks and name alone he did not have Scar’s attitude. Kovu was kind, generous and thoughtful. He wanted to rule but not for power or revenge. He wanted to rule peacefully. Simba smiled and looked down sadly. His mother, the late Queen Sarabi, told him a month before she passed to the stars, that Kovu was the lion Scar had been when he was younger.

            Whatever happened to that lion, Simba wondered even now. But that question wasn’t worth wondering or even asking about out loud. Things were right again and for the better.

            At last, Kovu broke the silence. “Why did you bring me here?”

            Simba stared outward, knowing that any minute they would be shrouded in an amazing glow that not even Kovu would object to seeing. “Just watch, Kovu,” he whispered. “Just watch.”

            With a disgruntled yawn, the Prince shook his head and grumbled. He still didn’t understand why he was here or how Simba did this every day. Waking up so early just to watch the sunrise? Kovu remembered waking at dawn every day for almost three years but not to see a sunrise. Kovu shut his eyes. He hadn’t thought of his old life since he returned to the Pridelands but the memories were still there and always would be.

            Then, finally, the first signs of the sun started to show. As the golden orb rose into the sky, it completely changed the whole of the Pridelands. Everything from the grass, the waterholes, trees, hills, even the darkest corner of the kingdom - which lied on the Northern side of the Pridelands and was still to this day forbidden due to its name - was covered in an amazing golden light.

            Simba sat still, his breathing soft. He looked at Kovu. Was he unmoved? How could he be? Simba shrugged. He hoped not and turned back to his lands. He purred quietly.

            Kovu was taken aback. How could something so warm turn the Pridelands into a place of pure beauty? He had seen sunrises before – at least as much as he could when he wasn’t training – but never like this. The whole thing in itself was too much for him to take in. Everything was bathed in golden. Everything shined. Even the darkest places could not escape the light. Kovu lowered his head and eyes. He felt emotional and it wasn’t the same emotion he had when he saw his sons for the first time and they were born a week ago. This new feeling was so hard to describe and too much to bare that he turned away, his back facing the sun.

            “Kovu,” Simba asked quietly.

            The young lion shook. “Why did you bring me here?”

            “To show you something you’ve never seen and to tell you something important.”

            “Well, you’ve shown me the sun,” Kovu muttered. “What do you have to tell me?”

            Simba took a deep breath. “Kovu, please look.” He waited for a response or sign of movement. There was nothing. Simba continued. “Kovu, everything the light touches belongs to the Pridelands which in turn belongs to the lion or lioness who is king or queen.”

            “Kiara is your heiress, Simba. She will rule the Pridelands after you. I’m just the lion she married and fathered her cubs, one of which will rule after her. Shouldn’t Kiara be hearing this? I’m not your heir nor am I your son…”

            Simba sighed. “Kiara has already heard this. I told her everything my father told me and now I am telling you. You need to hear this too so that one day, you and Kiara will be able to tell it to your sons. Even if one is going to be king, they both need to hear it. A king and queen’s time as rulers rises and falls just like the sun rises with each morning and falls with each night.”

            “Yeah, and?”

            “And one day the sun will set for me and Nala as leaders of the Pridelands and will -”

            “And will rise for me and Kiara…” Kovu whispered. Knowing it would happen one day, he could live with, but hearing it was hard. Would he be ready? Would Kiara? How would it look from the animals’ perspective? Would they want him as their king? Was there a way he could rule without taking the kingship in title?

            Simba nodded. “Yes. It is our Circle of Life. It is who we are. We are bound by it.”

            Kovu fought to keep himself under control. He knew that Simba and Nala wouldn’t step down from leading for a while yet… but… He couldn’t stay away from the light anymore. It had spread. It was everywhere now. What would Kiara say if she wanted to come up here and watch the sunrise with him, or their cubs as they got older?

            Biting his tongue, Kovu slowly turned to face the sun and its light. His mouth dropped. It struck him as the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life. It was breathtaking. He had no words. What could he say to describe this? The sun’s light truly made everything bright and beautiful.

            Simba smiled. “Kovu…” There was no response. The King shook his head in amusement and lied down. He sniffed the air and smiled. He smelled a familiar scent. “Father…” he whispered.

            Sometime later the King and Prince left the stone and walked through the grasses of the Pridelands…

Kovu was deep in the memory that he failed to feel a nudge at his side.

            “Dad,” Baraka yelled.

            “What,” Kovu said, startled then he looked at his son. “I’m sorry, Baraka. I was… lost in thought, a memory. Is there something you need?”

            “Yes. Can you rule in my place for awhile? For today at least…?”

            Kovu was surprised but nodded anyway. “Um, well… alright, I can do that… But, are you okay? You’re not yourself.”

            Baraka rose. “No, I’m not. And no, I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s… hard to explain, so please?”

            “I can take over for as long as you need. I just hope that whatever is wrong, you’ll be alright.”

            “Yeah, me too… Thanks, Dad,” Baraka said as he walked away and went towards the stairs.

            Kovu had also risen, followed his son and watched him go down. The Prince Regent sighed and shook his head. “Baraka,” he whispered. A moment later, he disappeared into the den. He knew Kahuni, the royal advisor, wouldn’t arrive for at an hour or two, which gave him enough time to tell Kiara of his taking over for the day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

“Rafiki,” Arif said, approaching the old mandrill.

            “What is it, Arif,” the shaman replied, turning to face his successor. He noticed the worry and grim look on the lion’s face. “Worried about your cubs? Or is dis about Akase, or both?”

            “Both,” the lion