told her daughter with a gasp; a tiny bubbling sac was now easily visible from Kiara’s hind-end. Ever since the first contractions had begun hours ago, the birthing sac has only been visible for only recently – for less than a half hour’s time. “Grab her now – this is the long push this time and she needs to be careful.” Nala’s orders to her mother-in-law and mother were understood; they grabbed Kiara’s neck with their teeth to hold her down as the princess began to give birth. “Kiara, I need you to push now and press down hard, okay? Come on – push!”

Not needing her mother’s instructions for that, Kiara felt the fluid motions of her child begin to slip through her as she cried out a long piercing roar. The pain was nearly too much for her to bear, but she knew that so many were counting on her to complete this task. 

Daddy, Mom . . . Oh, Kovu . . .

The names of those she loved the most surrounded her head as she painfully endured the feel of her cervix stretching wider and the pressure of the cub that was making its arrival into the world from within her young body. Tears began to swell up from her closed eyes as a final push caused a rush of blood and clear fluid to complete the delivery and follow the membrane-covered cub. Once she felt the sac drop from her, her body collapsed onto the ground – her long and difficult ordeal was over. 

Back outside, Kovu had stopped his constant pacing after many minutes of doing so; now he was sitting by Simba still with a look of nervousness and worry. “It’s taking too long,” he pointed out with a growl. “She’s been in there for hours . . . ever since the moon began to set!” He looked at Simba with an expression that only a father could love. “Do you think something’s wrong with the cub . . . or with Kiara?” He gasped in fear of his thoughts. “If anything happens to her, . . . oh, I would never forgive myself . . .” He began to shudder with anxiety, but thankfully the monarch calmed him.

“I don’t know what could be going on in there, but soon, we’ll all be welcoming a new cub into our pride . . . and to our kingdom,” Simba told him. “We just don’t know—” 

He was interrupted by the wails and mews of a tiny voice coming from the royal chambers.

“—when . . .” He completed his sentence as a peach-colored lioness emerged from the darkness and through the gate of lionesses. Nala approached the two males with a soft smile. “Is she . . . Did she . . .” Simba stammered incomplete statements to his mate, but Nala only chuckled. 

“She’s just fine, and so is the new cub.” She nuzzled her mate then Kovu’s, but afterwards she turned around and gestured the dark male to follow her. “Kiara is waiting for you to meet your little bundle of joy. Come on.”

Following carefully behind the Queen, Kovu passed through the line of smiling lionesses and entered into the cave where a small ray of light shone down on the center piece of raised ground. Kiara was now laying regally underneath the light, guarding her new cub with her front paws and looking d 

“I can see your cub!” Nala told her daughter with a gasp; a tiny bubbling sac was now easily visible from Kiara’s hind-end. Ever since the first contractions had begun hours ago, the birthing sac has only been visible for only recently – for less than a half hour’s time. “Grab her now – this is the long push this time and she needs to be careful.” Nala’s orders to her mother-in-law and mother were understood; they grabbed Kiara’s neck with their teeth to hold her down as the princess began to give birth. “Kiara, I need you to push now and press down hard, okay? Come on – push!”

Not needing her mother’s instructions for that, Kiara felt the fluid motions of her child begin to slip through her as she cried out a long piercing roar. The pain was nearly too much for her to bear, but she knew that so many were counting on her to complete this task. 

Daddy, Mom . . . Oh, Kovu . . .

The names of those she loved the most surrounded her head as she painfully endured the feel of her cervix stretching wider and the pressure of the cub that was making its arrival into the world from within her young body. Tears began to swell up from her closed eyes as a final push caused a rush of blood and clear fluid to complete the delivery and follow the membrane-covered cub. Once she felt the sac drop from her, her body collapsed onto the ground – her long and difficult ordeal was over. 

Back outside, Kovu had stopped his constant pacing after many minutes of doing so; now he was sitting by Simba still with a look of nervousness and worry. “It’s taking too long,” he pointed out with a growl. “She’s been in there for hours . . . ever since the moon began to set!” He looked at Simba with an expression that only a father could love. “Do you think something’s wrong with the cub . . . or with Kiara?” He gasped in fear of his thoughts. “If anything happens to her, . . . oh, I would never forgive myself . . .” He began to shudder with anxiety, but thankfully the monarch calmed him.

“I don’t know what could be going on in there, but soon, we’ll all be welcoming a new cub into our pride . . . and to our kingdom,” Simba told him. “We just don’t know—” 

He was interrupted by the wails and mews of a tiny voice coming from the royal chambers.

“—when . . .” He completed his sentence as a peach-colored lioness emerged from the darkness and through the gate of lionesses. Nala approached the two males with a soft smile. “Is she . . . Did she . . .” Simba stammered incomplete statements to his mate, but Nala only chuckled. 

“She’s just fine, and so is the new cub.” She nuzzled her mate then Kovu’s, but afterwards she turned around and gestured the dark male to follow her. “Kiara is waiting own at the newborn with her lowered eyelids. While trying to give herself a moment to rest, she carefully groomed the head and body of the cub with a quick stroke of her tongue and nuzzled it. Kovu smelt the fresh scent of blood and new cub within the room, but there was only one scent that he wanted more than anything right now.  

“Kiara?” He called out in a slightly loud voice.

“Shh!” The older lionesses hushed him to a halt, making him lower his body close to the ground in embarrassment.  

“Sorry,” he whispered back to the lionesses as they began to give the new parents some time alone. Kovu looked back at his mate. “Kiara? Are you all right?”

“Oh, Kovu, I’m fine,” the beautifully soft voice of the new mother slipped out from her almost as if her labor and delivery of the cub had given her a more mature attitude as well. “Come closer and see our cub. It won’t hurt you yet – it’s only a couple of minutes old.” 

Letting out a nervous gulp, Kovu tiptoed closer to where his beloved lay. He could see a light gold-peach color in between Kiara’s legs as he approached the light of the morning sun, and the closer he got, the more of his child he saw. “This . . . this is ours?” Kovu gulped again once he saw the full shot of his cub.

“Yes, my love,” Kiara nuzzled Kovu’s lowered nose with her own. “It took a while, but this is the next-in-line to the throne after our reign. This is our child, and we made him together.” 

“Oh, Kiara,” Kovu returned the gesture with a smile. “I love you so much. I was so worried for you . . . but it was worth it. Our son looks so charming.”

“I believe you are mistaken.” 

The princess and her mate gasped and turned towards the voice from the cavern entrance. It was Rafiki, leaning against his wooden staff with a couple of rattling gourds tied onto the top of it. Simba and Nala followed close behind him as he drew closer to the future royals of the pride. The other lionesses also came behind their King and Queen, wishing to bear witness to the newborn royal.

“What?” Kiara gasped at Rafiki’s words. “What do you mean?” 

Kovu growled in defense for his mate. “What could be wrong with our son? He’s perfect!”

Rafiki only placed a slender, shaking finger at Kovu’s face, clicking his tongue and silencing the new father as the mandrill gazed at the babe with wise eyes and rattled his staff at the cub. It looked at the primate with wide, curious eyes of stunning greenish-blue and gold, trying to claw the much larger gourds with its newborn paws. 

“Hmm. This child is small but will grow to be strong,” Rafiki commented as he broke off a gourd from his staff. “Mufasa smiles down on your child, Princess Kiara, and he offers his most special blessing to all of you.” Cracking the gourd with his long fingers, he split it into two halves and used one half to dip his thumb into it. With the dipped thumb, Rafiki placed it onto the cub’s forehead and smeared it across the area underneath its small spot of black hair. “Bless you, little child . . .” He found a pile of light sand nearby, scooped up a small handful and shook a bit of it over the cub’s head and the ceremonial marking while singing in a soft chant. Instinctively, the cub let out a soft sneeze, much to the joy of the proud parents, who were now all into the ritual that all heirs to the throne of Pride Rock went through at birth . . . well, all except for Kovu, of course.

“What is that?” Kovu whispered into Kiara’s ear as Rafiki scooped up the now-purring cub with his hands. “What’s with the markings and chants and everything?” 

“Rafiki gives all heirs by blood to the throne that ceremonial marking at their birth,” Kiara explained as the mandrill walked out of the chamber, preparing to show the cub to the other animals of the Pridelands. She knew that Kovu was born outside of Pride Rock and still new to the traditions and regulations of being a royal by marriage; it was only natural for the future queen to make things easier for him to

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