In Sickness and In Health

Summary: Aricin is King of the Jangwa Pride, but he and his mate are trapped in a loveless marriage with only one way to keep themselves and their kingdoms together: By pretending to be mates around the pride. They are living a lie. They are not true mates but they cannot separate for fear of their prides going to war. When Queen Asya falls ill, the possibility of her dying fills the young King’s mind, but with such a possibility comes something else that enables the arrogant son of Pridelander blood to open his blocked heart.

Rating: PG although there really is nothing serious, but better safe than sorry, right.

Disclaimer: The Lion King, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride and all characters from the films are the property of the Walt Disney Company. Fan made characters such as Chaka, Penda, Nuala, Jelani, Kala, Jia, Asya, Themba, Mila and Tosca belong to Namacub95. Other fan made characters like Aricin, Mohan and Jyotika belong to Claire Cooper, and Rashid who belongs to –FallenAngel–

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King Aricin looked out at his kingdom, ears tipped forward and whiskers twitching. He ran his tongue over his mouth and sighed deeply. Another day… probably filled with the same duties, not that they ever changed. He would patrol his lands; some of the younger lions would probably join him. He would welcome it. He would need them. Oh, he was strong and full of endurance but not even he could keep the lands safe from rogues by himself.

His ears tipped backward. Aside from the younger lions there was one other who would probably join him. He was King but she was Queen. She was more in charge than he was. She was of royal blood, but so was he. It was one thing they had in common. But she was firstborn, the daughter of a late King. He, Aricin, was the third born of his siblings. There were five of them and the eldest, his sister Nuala, would be the new Queen of the Pridelands. Maybe she would have her coronation on the death of their father or when their father and mother decided to step down.

Aricin looked down at his dark red brown colored paws, musing. Either way, it doesn’t matter. She will be Queen… and Rashid, our cousin, will either be her King or her Prince Consort. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the growl that wanted to rise in his throat and make its presence known through his anger and slight envy of the unfairness of it all. He had long hoped, long dreamed of being his parents’ heir, his father’s heir. He wanted it desperately and his father just couldn’t choose from any of his eldest children. Aricin’s younger brother, Mohan, and his younger sister, Jyotika, were simply not interested, but then neither was their elder brother, Jelani, Nuala’s respective twin.

So it was between him and Nuala, and since she was firstborn she was bound to get the throne. The others… their siblings, their cousins – the children of their aunts and Princesses, Kala and Jia and their mates, who were Princes in their own right through marriage – they would all pay homage to Nuala and declare their loyalty, their servitude. His cousin Rashid would be Nuala’s partner in the leadership. They would rule together, they would love, they would have cubs of their own and the Pridelander blood that flowed through their bodies would continue. The Pridelander line, its legacy, would grow.

Aricin wanted so much to growl at his sister’s good fortune, a fortune that should have been his he didn’t realize until the sound reached his ears that it was coming from him. He was growling. It’s not fair, he thought to himself. She gets it all! The wealth of the lands, the power of the throne and of commanding… She even gets one of our male cousins as her mate!

His eyes snapped open and he could feel the blood flow through his body. He felt hot. He was angry, raging. He knew he should be over it, but he wasn’t nor could he be. His older sister would be on the Pridelander throne one day, if she wasn’t now, and he? He was only in the Kingdom of Jangwa because his so-called father believed him to be a threat to Nuala’s soon-to-be position and the power she would hold.

“And because he owed Asya’s father a favor,” he muttered to himself, his tail swishing softly behind him, “here I am.”

He raised his head and stared at his and Asya’s realm. It was a beautiful place, he couldn’t deny that but he still envied Nuala’s luck. He swallowed, feeing the dryness in his throat. He was parched. He rose and began his walk to the waterhole and was surprised that Asya, his mate by a forced joining – at his father’s insistence, and to get him out of his fur – wasn’t with him. When he woke he noticed how tired she looked and decided that it was best she sleep in, something he probably never would have considered in the past. He always got plenty of sleep when he was in the Pridelands but not as much as he would have liked. Here, in Jangwa, there was always time to relax and he took joy in it. He knew his pride did too.

He approached the waterhole and drank. A small breeze stirred through his medium pale colored mane. He licked his maw and studied the lands in front of him. It was going to be another good day and as much as he wanted to enjoy it duty called. It always did.

He walked back to the pride’s keep. His mind filled with so many thoughts he had no idea which one he wanted to examine first. He loved these lands, of course. What was not to love? He was surrounded by lions and lionesses who were not his family. That was a change, a big change, one he wasn’t sure he would get used to after being around so much family for nearly four years of his life. He was surprised he’d gotten the hang of not seeing them after a while. For the first few days he was here he expected to see a brother or two or even some of his cousins’ walk up to him or avoid him.

He even expected to see Nuala sending him that smirk of hers. The smirk that said, “Father will choose me, not you. I was born first.”

There were times when he wanted to smack that smirk off her face and the fight they’d had before he left, before he discovered his father betrothed him, had done the trick. It was a dirty fight, a brutal fight, one that left them both scarred. But it was hard to see any trace of a fight on Aricin’s body because his dark red brown fur covered it up. The blood mixed in with the color, masked it.

His mane, however, was a different thing entirely. Aricin heard himself chuckle and shook his head. “Yeah, it’d be hard to hide blood stains on a mane as pale as mine,” he said, of course, to no one. “Wonder where I got it from? Could I have gotten it on Mother’s side of the family? Certainly not from Father’s, no way…” He considered the color of his mane; however he got it, a beautiful trait. Maybe it was a rare trait. He didn’t care.

As he approached the pride’s keep he saw one lioness standing outside the den with a grave face. He walked up to her. It was Tosca, Asya’s mother, his mother-in-law. “Tosca, what’s wrong?” he asked, his brow furrowing a little. He had never seen her look that way before.

The older lioness sniffed and stared at the King. “It’s Asya. I went into your chambers to see what she wanted the hunting party to do.” She looked down but managed to continue. “We’re out of food so we need to hunt again. It’s been a few days.”

Aricin nodded at that. “And Asya said what?” he asked.

Tosca shook her head. “She said nothing. She didn’t even acknowledge my presence so I went up to see if she was still asleep, and…” The lioness paused.

Aricin rolled his eyes and swallowed his urge to order her to get to the point. “And…?” he asked in an irritated voice.

“I laid my paw on her head. It was hot, like if you stay too long in the sun. She’s sick, Aricin, very sick.”

He took a breath and stared ahead at the den. So, his Queen was ill, which meant he would be taking care of the kingdom alone. “I see,” he said after a moment. “Well, I’m sure it’s nothing. Asya is strong, she’ll pull through.”

He started to turn. The last thing he needed was to see his so-called wife sick. What could he do anyway? He was the King and as such he had to take care of the kingdom no matter what the circumstances. His father would never have taught him that, but he was no longer near his father or his family or his father’s teachings. His father, the King of the Pridelands, cared for his family and would do anything for them. Aricin knew that from experience, but he had no family to speak of and never would.

He continued on his way when he noticed Tosca, who in a quick move for a lioness her age – not that she was that old, she was probably as old as his own mother – blocked his path. Her eyes were angry and there was a disappointed look on her face. He groaned. “What?”

“I should ask you the same thing, my King. What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to do my duty to the kingdom, Madam.”

She growled lowly. “Don’t madam me, Aricin. Your mate is in your chambers sick with who knows what!”

“I tell you she will be fine,” the red lion insisted.

“She may, but you still need to see her.”

“You said Asya didn’t even acknowledge you. What makes you think she’ll do so for me?”

“I don’t know, but you are her mate and it is your duty to see to her when she is ill!”

He narrowed his eyes. How dare she speak to him in that way! The Queen’s mother or no, he was the King!

“Go in there and see her, Aricin,” the mother of the Queen demanded. “Don’t you think, for one moment, that if she knew you were sick, Asya would do the same for you? Because she would and you know it!”

He was about to reply, to protest, but what she said caught him off guard. Would Asya come to him if he were lying in the royal chambers stricken with something that made him ill? He couldn’t fathom it, but then, ever since he fought with Nuala for the throne of their family, their ancestors, he couldn’t fathom anything or anyone else. One of the main things he wanted all his life was to be King and now he was, had been for a time. His mind spun. If anything happens to Asya, what happens to me, he wondered. Surely, I cannot return to the Pridelands. Nuala would never accept me, even if I am her brother.

For one moment an old memory flashed through his mind. His grandmother, the late Queen Kiara, was dying and he and his father went into the royal chambers to say goodbye. His mother had already taken his siblings in to do the same, so did his aunts Princess Kala and Princess Jia, along with their mates and cubs. They had all said their final goodbyes to the crème colored lioness and he and his father, King Chaka, were last.

Aricin had watched his grandmother speak to him and his father. They had watched her slip away. Then he watched his father nuzzle her, a tear sliding down his dark rich brown colored face and he, a young Prince and cub at the time, desperately stood up on his hind legs, placed his paws on the lioness’s cheek and asked her, no, begged her to wake up. But she never did. Tears streamed down his face as it sank into his mind that his grandmother was gone, that she was, as his father put it, now in the stars that filled the sky at night. She had died and it broke his heart, not to mention the entire pride and the kingdom.

He shuddered. The memory left and he stared at his mother-in-law, thinking. Was Asya really so sick that something could very well happen to her? Hadn’t he and Nuala almost fought to the death for the throne of the Pridelands until their father broke it up and sent him here, giving Nuala the future position as the next Pridelands leader and everything that went with it? Aricin knew that if their father hadn’t intervened when he did he would have probably lost two would-be successors.

The red King continued to look at Tosca and saw a fear in her eyes. Was it the fear of losing her eldest child, if she was as sick as she thought? If Asya died then one of her sisters would take the throne. He would have to marry her in order to keep their prides united. The notion of that caused his heart to sink. His stomach churned. Going through a marriage for political reasons one time was more than enough for him. He couldn’t stand doing it a second time.

He also knew that if he didn’t go and see his wife Tosca would never let him live it down and, for all he knew, she would send a bird messenger to the Pridelands telling either his father or his sister Nuala about what a bad husband he was to Jangwa’s Queen. He shook. Of course, he couldn’t bear either scenario and he knew what he had to do. Whether royal protocol demanded it or not it had to be done.

He looked at Tosca again and nodded firmly. “You’re right, Tosca, I’m sorry. I’ll go and see Asya.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Aricin.”

He smiled back, gently nuzzled her, turned and entered the den, bowing his head to the lionesses who called to him.

“Majesty…”

“Sire…”

“Good day, my lord.”

Even the young lions stood at attention. He smirked inwardly. He commanded respect with his mere and slightly intimidating presence. He liked it.

He entered the chamber he shared with Asya. From what he could see, she hadn’t moved. She was still laying near the wall on her side, her face to him. He approached and laid his paw on her head. Tosca was right. She was burning up.

He remembered one time as an adolescent when a Pridelander lioness on the hunting party had fallen ill and his parents sent for the shaman Rafiki. The mandrill came and checked on the ill lioness and reported that she was suffering a fever but would be fine in a day or two. He couldn’t recall Asya telling him if there was a shaman in the Jangwa pride or not. If there was no a shaman and if Asya was running a fever… He swallowed. His heart was racing. He was King, yet he had no idea what to do.

He looked down at Asya again. Her fur was glistened with sweat and her paws were twitching. Was she in pain? She was breathing; he could see that and was pleased. She was still alive. Tosca said it was time for another hunt, which meant that the hunting party would go out in the afternoon, but for now they would sun themselves on the rocks or lay by the waterholes under the trees in the cool of the shade. The younger lions… It hit him then. With Asya like this, he was fully in charge. He would give the orders in her place.

He looked at her one more time and slowly made his way out of the chamber into the main den. He approached Themba, one of Asya’s sisters. “The Queen is indisposed today. Can you go with the young males and patrol?”

The young Princess opened her mouth in shock at Aricin’s words. She wanted to protest, but to question him would mean questioning her sister. Her mother told her to always respect her eldest sister and her mate. They were the rulers. She nodded. “Yes, of course, Aricin, but tell me… Is Asya all right?”

What could he say? Could he tell her the truth, that Asya was sick? Would Tosca want him to? “She’s fine,” he said, hoping his voice sounded believable. “She just needs rest. The last few days have been hard on her, that’s all.”

Themba nodded. “Very well, we will fulfill your orders, Your Majesty.” She bowed her head and walked over to the young males. They looked to the King and bowed their heads. Then, with the Queen’s sister, they walked out of the den.

Aricin watched, pride filling him. He smiled and knew that everything else would be all right. He had to return to Asya. When she woke up he would have to tell her that he was taking the day off for her sake. Not because my mother-in-law inadvertently made me feel guilty for not wanting to, he thought to himself.

He entered the chamber and came up to her. Whatever she was suffering he found himself hoping it wasn’t serious. In truth, he wished it. He knew her mother would be devastated if anything happened to her. He lay down not far from Asya, watching her. His mind turned with thoughts, memories of the past, of his life in the Pridelands. Then one came. He allowed it to fill him and he smiled. The first time he came to the Jangwa Pride, the first time he met Asya.

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It had been arranged for him, maybe even before his fight with Nuala. But after the fight, after his father’s skilled timing, after he allowed his second son to recover from his wounds, King Chaka had taken him out into the Pridelands grasses, away from Pride Rock, for a talk. And in that talk the young Prince was told. His father knew a King in another pride far from the Pridelands, yet not far at all. Of course, it didn’t really matter. The bottom line was that Chaka was in contact with another ruler in another land and in that other land that other King had a daughter who would need a mate, preferably a Prince who was not in line to his family’s throne.

Well, Prince Aricin certainly wasn’t.

“You fought with your own sister for your family’s throne, Aricin,” said King Chaka grimly, shaking his black-colored mane in disappointment. “With that I fear you mean to threaten her, if not tomorrow, then sometime in the future. You cannot undo what has been done from the day your sister, Jelani, yourself, and Mohan and Jyotika were presented to the animals of the realm.” He looked at his son with hard eyes. “Nuala was and is the firstborn, Aricin, therefore the throne will be given to her and the first cub she has.”

Prince Aricin suppressed a growl. He gritted his teeth. “So because of the fight you’re sending me away,” he said. It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t stupid. This was why his father brought him out here. To tell him that he knew another kingdom that would need a King alongside its Queen.

Chaka didn’t nod to confirm but he didn’t say yes either.

Aricin tried to speak, to say something but couldn’t. It had already been done. He would be leaving the land of his birth. After a while he was able to say one word. “When?” he asked, not bothering to look his father in the eye because he knew if he did he would strike him, not that he wouldn’t deserve it. Aricin heard when and nodded stiffly. This was the second time he found himself hating his father.

Not long after his talk with Chaka a bird messenger from his soon-to-be new kingdom arrived and escorted Prince Aricin out of the Pridelands. The journey was long, but he, the son of both royalty and rogue, managed to endure. His escort did not speak to him in general, only to direct him to waterholes and places where he could hunt for food. The two slept out in the open sometimes and would wake early in the morning to start off again.

Aricin often wondered how long the journey would take. He even grappled with the idea of leaving his escort, return to the Pridelands and fight again with Nuala without interruption. Everything in him wanted to but he knew if he did someone, a male member of his family or more of the same, would stop him from harming or even killing their future Queen. But he resisted the idea. It was foolish and suicidal.

The journey continued. Though he still grappled and contemplated returning, another part of him told him that this – ruling another kingdom – wouldn’t be so bad. Thoughts filled him, spoke to his spirit.

“Isn’t this what you always wanted, young Prince: To rule a pride… to be a King?”

Thoughts like that carried on in his head until his escort chirped happily. “There it is Your Highness!” With a wing he pointed while keeping himself in the air with the other.

Prince Aricin looked ahead to see a nice looking, lush, green land. He sighed. “So, this is Jangwa, is it?” he asked, trying to sound surprised. His father practically sold him to another pride. Why should he be impressed?

The escort looked at him. “It is, yes, my Prince. The pride is located ahead. I’m sure you’ll be able to find them without too much trouble.” With that the bird flew off, not expecting a thank-you not that the Prince would give it. If the bird was honest with himself, it was the most uncomfortable journey he had ever taken.

Aricin watched him go and shook his mane. With a breath of nervousness, something very uncommon for him, he followed the bird’s instructions and made his way to where the pride was. In time he found it. There was a large group of lionesses whose heads shot up at his coming but one lioness, who, from what Aricin could see, held a great respect. He stopped. She knew who he was.

They were face-to-face and the lioness introduced herself. She was Tosca, the mother of the Queen and his new mother-in-law. “You are most welcome here, Prince Aricin. Come let me introduce you to everyone.”

Aricin looked about. The lionesses bowed to him and told him their names. Even some younger lions just growing their manes bowed and did the same. “What kind of pride is this?” Aricin wondered to himself while trying to smile. This scene was strange. He was actually liked, and on first impression no less. “I could get used to this.”

Tosca spoke again. “These are my daughters, Princess Mila and Princess Themba.”

The two females bowed and Aricin was able to look on them. He had to admit, to himself that is, that the two lionesses in front of him were pretty. But it made him wonder too. Neither of these young lionesses were his intended, so where… He cleared his throat and looked away from the Princesses, addressing Tosca again. “It’s… good to meet them, and yourself, Lady Tosca. What of the Queen?” Aricin asked. “Is she among the pride?”

Tosca smiled. “My eldest daughter Asya is in the den. She’s waiting for you.”

He dipped his head. “Thank you,” he said with a dry voice and walked on into the den. He paused, allowing his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. He wanted to call out the Queen’s name, but couldn’t. It would be disrespectful.

“You must be Prince Aricin of the Pridelands,” said a female voice.

He started. “Yes, I am. You are Asya, the Queen of the Jangwa Pride, yes?”

“I am. You’ve met my pride?”

“Yes, they’re quite nice.”

“Good. Have you eaten?” When he said no, Asya started walking out of the den. “Follow me.”

It was there she announced that he was going to be, per her late father’s, and his still living father’s wishes, her mate and the new King. The pride cheered and Asya gave them permission to eat the kill. Aricin noticed it was zebra and as the leaders of the pride he and Asya took their pieces first. There was quiet conversation. Aricin and Asya exchanged smiles and the red brown Prince felt himself relax. He wasn’t sure what the future held, the betrothal was proof of that, but Aricin felt that for the first time in his life, he could relax.

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Aricin jolted. He jerked his head and mumbled something, nothing, to himself, and stared at Asya. Now she was quivering. Clearly, she was in pain and there was nothing he could do to stop or ease it for her. He turned away, looking around the cave. They had been alone many times in this chamber before. It was the chamber of royalty. Every King and Queen of the Jangwa slept here with their family. Aricin flexed his paws along the stone ground. He had never been in this kind of situation in his life and his lack of experience was showing. Thankfully Asya couldn’t see it. It would have made him feel foolish and embarrassed, ashamed, even.

He himself had never been sick. In the Pridelands, there was hardly any cause or reason, but here in the Jangwa… He had been here for a long time. From the moment he stepped onto the lands he never bothered to count the days. There was no point. He was here for life. His father saw to that. The pride had no shaman, which he thought strange when he first came. He wished they did and perhaps Tosca wished so too.

A shaman could help you, Asya, Aricin thought. Whatever is wrong, a shaman could give you herbs to dull any pain you’re in and help you sleep. He sighed. Rafiki, you old baboon, if you were here you would know what to do. You could help Asya.

The sudden turn of his thoughts surprised him and he was stunned that he was actually finding himself caring for Asya. Maybe not in a romantic way which is what his pride expected of him and Asya on a daily basis, but he did care about her. Love or not, she was his mate and he hers. He was moved by his thoughts.

He got up and paced. He suddenly thought about his parents King Chaka and Queen Penda. They were rulers together, they were mates and they were parents. He recalled a time when he and his siblings were cubs and – much to his great reluctance – had crowded around their parents who told their children how they met. His father said that he was instantly crushing on her while the Queen replied that she – at the time since they were adolescents – didn’t feel the same and hated him for his arrogance.

Hearing such a thing had made Prince Aricin chuckle and now he shook his head with a smirk on his face. “I’m more like Father than I realized,” he said quietly. “Never knew that he himself was arrogant and cocky…”

Then his mother went on to say that she left the Pridelands for a time, which, according to his father, had put him into a state of depression. The story went on and Aricin and his siblings learned that his father had been walking and saw some hyenas attacking a lioness. He had saved her and they exchanged names. The royal children learned that because of that attack and the exchanging of names his parents were reunited. Penda, after that, decided to stay in the Pridelands In time the Prince and rogue lioness had fallen for each other and became the new rulers of the kingdom.

Aricin laughed quietly and shook his head. When he was younger he would flirt with the lionesses of the Pridelands, not that he could help it. He was a Prince and, if he said so himself, was quite a catch.

He glanced back to Asya, his heart dropping. His gaze fell. He’d never had a chance to flirt with her; they had already been set up for each other. There was no chance for him to get a reaction from her in regards to his flirting. He felt himself smiling a little. I wonder what you would have said Asya, he thought again, his throat constricting. He found it strange that since he came to Jangwa he never flirted with any of the lionesses. He was in a loveless marriage so he could. He was free to. Why… I did it all the time back home.

He thought about his parents again and on how they met. It was odd that for all of his arrogance and cockiness Asya didn’t hate him the way his mother had, at first, hated his father. He looked at the ground shuffled the dirt in front of him with a paw. “Asya and I are different from my parents,” he mused quietly.

His eyes stung and he closed them for a moment. He felt cold and turned his head back to Asya. He walked over and stared down at her. Unlike his parents when they first met there was no animosity between him and Asya. She had treated him kindly from the start and from that day on he had wondered if, whether or not, he could fall for a lioness like her. She didn’t seem to mind his occasional bouts of cockiness or his arrogance, both of which had seemed to ease quite a bit in the time he’d been here. Were the lands changing him or was it the lioness that was lying on the ground, sick with a heavy fever? A lioness, a Queen, no less, who didn’t even need or want to be kind to him yet was.

He lay down, his eyes never leaving her face. For all of his flirtations with the lionesses in the Pridelands he had often wondered if he would ever settle down with someone. Well here he was in the Jangwa, married to a Queen and through that marriage he was a King. He had a pride, maybe not of his own, but he had a pride. He had food, shelter, a kingdom to protect and young lions he could shape into guardians, maybe even warriors.

His late grandfather, Kovu, had been trained to be such… and a killer. But a warrior nonetheless, the young King thought with a sly grin. Maybe being a warrior was in his blood so maybe he could teach the younger lions a thing or two.

He and his siblings, along with his cousins, had learned of their grandfather’s past. How he was trained by his mother to be a killer and how meeting the Princess of the Pridelands at that time, Aricin’s grandmother, the same grandmother of his siblings and respective cousins, had changed Kovu’s life, how he had fallen in love with her and helped her stop the war between their two prides.

Through that story Aricin had learned that feelings could be twisted for the wrong reasons and changed for right. He’d learned that feelings were fragile, but not once did it stop him from being the way he was, much like his father – arrogant, cocky, boastful, picky, and – when it came to his younger siblings – cruel, but he was kind to his sister Jyotika because she was the youngest and weaker than the rest.

His ears tipped back, his whiskers twitched. From the moment he and Asya took over the Jangwa Pride has the rulers Asya had never expected anything from him. Even in the early days of their rule he was a little arrogant and boastful but not as bad. Perhaps he wasn’t for the simple reason he wasn’t around any of his family. He wasn’t around anybody of Pridelander royal blood he could show up and or show off to. There was competition with so many royals in one large pride… perhaps, too much.

Under such pressure like that… it can make anyone do something crazy or act up and out.

Here he was with strangers, but these strangers were looking to him and Asya for guidance and leadership. Being around these Jangwans as he called them in his mind were slowly peeling away his old self – the arrogance, the boastfulness, the cockiness, everything that made him what he was.

And being near Asya in her illness was doing more. He was feeling something – Pity, empathy, maybe even some sympathy. He wasn’t sure about the last part, but he was feeling. It was frightening him. He was afraid to lose her. This lioness who was so kind to him, even when he was certain that she wanted to claw his eyes out and demand that he take some responsibility – not that he shirked his duties as King, on the contrary – this lioness who did not love him.

Aricin tried to speak, then did. His voice was soft and gentle. “Privately, away from each other, we both wondered what we would do if…” He paused. “If you had feelings for me or if I had any for you.” He looked up at the cave’s ceiling, his mind being pulled back again.

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It was Asya who came to him. He was sitting in the grass not far from the den. He had left the royal chamber because he was unable to sleep. He was unable to sleep near his mate and Queen because of the thoughts running through his mind, because of the constant struggle and fear of telling her the truth. How long he’d been outside he had no idea nor did he care, but he knew she would wake, see him gone, and leave the den to find him. When she did – and she had now – maybe they could get their feelings, or lack thereof, out in the open once and for all.

He turned to her and offered a one sided smile. He dipped his head. “Good morning Asya.”

She returned the smile. “Same too you, Aricin,” she replied and then she stared at the horizon before them. There was a silence between them. There almost always was. Usually it was comforting, but not today. This time it was hard and uneasy. Asya flexed her paws and finally faced him. “Let’s go for a walk.”

He nodded and they left their keep. The walk was silent, but all of them were. What could two mates who were joined together for the sake of their kingly fathers say to each other? Or what could a King say to his Queen about not possibly loving her all the while half expecting her feelings would be the opposite, and, on the Queen’s part vice-versa with the same half expectation. Neither knew it but they both feared the same thing.

Aricin couldn’t bear himself to look at her, for fear of what he would see in her eyes. After a while he opened his mouth to speak but no words came. His throat was dry and before he could muster up any courage it was Asya who broke the tension between them. “Aricin, I have something to tell you.” She stopped. He did too and was surprised as she walked up a little then turned and faced him. He sat in the grass, bracing himself and his heart for what was to come, but little did he know that as she sat followed his move and sat she was doing the same.

“Aricin,” she began, “I like you, but… I don’t know if I ever could like you as anything more than a friend.” The young Queen’s ears tipped backward and for a moment she turned her face away, trying to keep her emotions in.

Aricin waited. He could give her that much, his patience. It was another rare thing for him but this was a serious matter and worth any waiting he was forcing himself to endure. He had expected to hear something different, not what had come out of her mouth. He watched as she faced him again, her eyes serious, yet pained.

“I… I don’t love you,” she continued. “I’m not sure I ever could. We still know so little about each other, and even if we did know more about the other it wouldn’t change anything.”

Aricin noticed she was shaking. This was hard on her, but he knew that if it had been him who started speaking he’d be shaking too. She spoke again, still staring at him. He felt his jaw drop at her words. Maybe they weren’t so different. He could just watch as Asya stared at him, at this lion who was her mate, yet not. An ear flickered.
“You do understand that I don't love you... right, Aricin?” she asked, her voice speaking with a slight tone of fear.
The dark red brown lion stared at her and nodded knowingly. He managed to speak himself, shaking his mane a little. “Yes, I do, Asya,” he said, pronouncing her name as kindly as he could. He shrugged. “Of course how could you? Or how could I love you? Like you said, we barely know each other. Even if we did it probably wouldn’t make a difference. Besides, we're only together for the sake of our prides, to keep them happy.”
“Yes,” Asya said with a dry mouth. “And… now that that’s out in the open, I… if it’s okay with you, I’d still like you to be my King. We… we’ll just have to pretend to be mates around the pride, which isn’t fair to either of us.”

“But we don’t have a choice, Asya,” said Aricin. “To do so otherwise, my pride, or, my old pride won’t like it and there’s a chance that both Jangwa and the Pridelands will attack each other.” He looked at her. “You and I are King and Queen here to prevent that.” He shrugged and looked away for a moment. “We’re stuck together, whether we like it or not.” He licked his lips and looked back at her. “I thank you for allowing me to remain King” He tried a smile. “I will continue to be a good co-ruler with you.”

Asya smiled kindly at him and agreed with everything he said with a nod of her own.

They didn't say anything more. There was nothing to say. After a moment of quietness they headed back to the den, their den, and to their pride. Though he and his ‘mate’ couldn’t read each other’s thoughts Aricin had a slight feeling what Asya’s were. Because two kings owed each other a favor, their children were stuck together... for the good of their prides and not for the good of themselves.
They were stuck, trapped in a game of politics with no thought or feeling of their own. Their fathers had decided their fates and their futures for them.

But for Aricin this matter made him hate his father even more, maybe more than when he was turned down for the Pridelander kingship.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The memory ended, and his ears twitched and flickered to the sound of near quiet noises. He turned his head sharply. It was Asya. She wasn’t speaking but she was making sounds. Suddenly, surrounded inside and out with more of that empathy or pity… something, Aricin reached out with a paw and touch hers gently. It was damp.

He studied her, looking on her side. Carefully he laid his face there, feeling her side rise and fall with every tiny breath she took. His emotions rose and he felt more pained than ever. He hoped and prayed she wasn’t going to die. He found himself wanting her to be all right. She has to be… The pride needs her, the kingdom needs her, and…

Could he finish the thought? Wasn’t it her being this way making him feel the way he was? They were King and Queen and their pride was looking to them for complete leadership. The way he and Asya were living now… mates, yet not, telling each other that they could stay together and have different mates… There had never been such a custom in the Pridelands! No ruler would ever allow him or herself to be mates with another when his or her true mate was the one ruling alongside them. It had been that way in the Pridelands for generations. Probably since the kingdom’s founding for all Aricin knew.

Here things were different, at least the way he and Asya ran things. It was her father, the late King Malka who made it so that the only mate a ruler in Jangwa could take was the one ruling alongside them. Asya’s parents… they had ruled together up until the old King was too tired, near death, gave the throne to his eldest daughter, and eventually passed away. He kept his head on Asya’s side. She was still breathing but she was cold. The fever was taking its toll. She’d been warm when he first entered and laid his paw on her head, but no more.

He withdrew his head, slowly rose, and walked to the other side of her, just barely able to squeeze his large body between her and the wall. Carefully he laid a foreleg upon her shoulder. In that moment he couldn’t help but think on their agreement to remain mates for the sake of their prides and still take other mates. He had known even then that such an idea could go wrong. It’s like having three creatures in a union… He shut his eyes and quietly groaned. No, not ‘like’. It is!

If Aricin was honest with himself, something that was truly rare, but for the sake of doing so in this moment and where he was, whom he was with, he would be. He’d always believed Princesses were spoiled, much like his own sisters, or at least Nuala. He wasn’t sure about Jyotika so he ruled her out as not. But Nuala… she was headstrong and stubborn. He believed that she was more arrogant than him. He smirked quietly. I wonder how the Pridelands will fair under her rule, he silently wondered. Jangwa, on the other paw, was doing well under him and Asya. With any luck they would keep it that way.

Aricin looked down at his mate with tenderness uncommon to him. The day he was named her King she included him in every decision, asking his opinion, but even doing that there was nothing more than friendship between them. Staring at her now, seeing her so vulnerable, so helpless, Aricin wondered if they had given up too easily. Both he and Asya had been born into unstable lives. She had an elderly father, two young sisters and a kingdom on her shoulders by the time she was fully old enough to inherit it, receive it and protect it with her life.

Aricin, however, had been the third born to his royal parents, the second son, and the only one of his siblings to lose his home because he allowed his hotheadedness get the better of him and attacked his equally hotheaded older sister for rights to the throne. His foolish actions had gotten him exiled and sent here because his father couldn’t deal with him and didn’t want anything or anyone stupid or dangerous to stand in the way of his chosen successor’s rise to the throne.

He suppressed the urge to growl, and now that he ran it over in his head for what seemed the umpteenth time, he realized he never told Asya the reason he was passed over the Pridelander kingship. Why talk about something that landed me here in the first place, he thought with a roll of his eyes.

He felt movement under his foreleg. He looked. Asya was moving a little, not enough to stir her from her fever imposed sleep but it was a start. At least he knew she was okay. He wanted to get up and let her mother handle this but the hunting party was her responsibility. They needed her. And she wouldn’t like it if I told her to take care of her daughter when I promised – under her orders – I would.

He could imagine the look in Tosca’s eyes if he did just that. It made him shake a little. For a near aging lioness Tosca did not look her age, but she was feisty. Aricin knew that. She reminded him of his mother.

But did Asya’s mother know that her daughter was not in love with her mate, the King? If she did Aricin was surprised she didn’t come to him or Asya separately or with the two of them together and ask what was wrong. If that ever happened, what could they say? They would be putting their respective prides at risk for war if they told the truth.

Aricin’s head darted all around. He shook it. He was tired. All of his thoughts were giving him a headache. He laid his head down on the ground close to Asya’s, his eyes blinking. They had been born into unstable lives and almost found stability ruling together. They were friends, always would be it seemed but he had learned from living in the Pridelands that mates, especially ones who led a kingdom, were more than just co-rulers. They were partners in each other’s lives. They took care of each other, which was what Aricin was doing now for Asya. Would she do the same for him if he was the one laying here sick? Neither of them had done nothing to earn the other’s mistrust. Neither had cause for concern not to count on the other to get things done for the sake of the kingdom. Everything was working together; everything had its balance, even they themselves as King and Queen.

But not as true mates, Aricin thought again, and he shut his eyes for a moment. Then he looked to Asya. Did we really give up too quickly? Could it be we were just scared, afraid of getting hurt that we’ve allowed ourselves the chance to not get close?

His emotions rose again and tenderly he stroked her shoulder with his paw. “Asya,” he said, speaking her name softly and gently, “it was so hard for me to rely on my family for anything, including the chance to prove myself to them that I could rule the Pridelands.” He shrugged. “Of course, I didn’t make it easy. But I feel like my father ruled me out to not be his successor the day I was born.”

He didn’t realize it at first but hot tears of anger started to leak from his eyes. “I find myself envious of the relationship you had with your siblings and parents.” He chuckled. “I know that must sound crazy coming from me.” He gritted his teeth. “And I feel like I’m wasting my words because you’re unable to reply.” He swallowed. “Oh Asya, I am so sorry you’re like this.”

He laid his head down on her side again. He felt his heart beat and heard hers. They were beating at the same pace, the same rhythm. He’d heard his late grandmother Kiara talk about being one with his grandfather Kovu, her mate. She said it was like being in tune with the one who was meant to be your other half long before you realized it. She said that she and Kovu were so connected to each other they didn’t even need to speak half the time.

Aricin, a cub at the time, had thought such a thing gross and disgusting, something only for adults. But now he was an adult and had a mate, though only in name. Hearing the beat of their hearts, so, as his late grandmother called, in tune with each other, made him feel one with Asya in that moment. But he still wasn’t sure if he was letting himself feel this way towards her because she was sick or if…

He put it out of his mind… for now.

“Asya,” he began again, “I promise I’m going to be here with you until you’re well. And the pride… everyone is fine. They’re worried about you, of course, but your mother is assuring them you’ll be okay. Your sister Themba is patrolling with the young lions. All is well with… with our kingdom.”

For the first time since he entered their chamber he wanted to hear her voice. But until the fever left her he wouldn’t. His heart beat hard in his chest. His stomach dropped and he closed his eyes. He was tired and didn’t want to eat anything from the kill when it was brought back by Lady Tosca and the hunting party. As long as Asya, his Queen, was unwell, he would be unable to consume any meat. He laid his head down on the ground and decided to sleep.

It was a long while later before he opened his eyes again. With such darkness there was no need for the dark red brown King to blink his dark red hazel eyes. Suddenly alarmed he turned to her and, like before, laid his head down on her side. She was still breathing and her heart was still beating. He sighed in relief. Asya was still alive… still with him.

Aricin felt his own heart rise in his throat. Anxiety accompanied it. He rose, walked around her and stood in the middle of the chamber, just near the entrance and stretched. How long he’d been lying down he wasn’t sure but his legs were numb. He stretched his forelegs out first, then the back. He shook his mane. He wanted to see if any of the pride had returned but he dared not. Asya still needed him. She was his top priority. Anything could happen. He turned his head back to her, sorrow filling him. He wished she would wake. He wanted and needed her to be all right.

“Aricin,” said a voice behind him at the chamber entrance.

The King turned his head and walked over. It was Tosca. “Hi Tosca,” he said with a tired voice.

The elder lioness noticed. “How is she?”

“Still with us, thankfully. I’ve been here the whole time, I promise you.” He paused. “I… I didn’t want to leave her, in case anything happened.”

She nodded. “Yes, I understand and I am glad you’ve…”

He allowed a smile to fall on his face. “Kept to my marriage vows?”

“I didn’t mean –”

“No, Tosca, it’s okay.” He shrugged a little. “Since I’ve been here I’ve done a great deal of thinking.” His ears flickered and he stared at his mother-in-law. “I know that my relationship with Asya has to change. It has to be what it should be. It’s not fair for either of us to live a lie, and…” Aricin turned back to Asya’s still unmoving body. “And life is so precarious… so short and fragile.”

“Aricin, you don’t have to tell me this.”

“No, I do. You need to hear this.” He stared at the former Queen once more. “I know that you were deeply hesitant to agree with your late mate, Asya’s father, with his and my father’s plans to betroth Asya and me. She and I weren’t too thrilled about it either.”

Tosca tried a smile and barely succeeded. “Yet here the two of you are ruling Jangwa together.”

“Yes, but not in the way we should be. This kingdom deserves a King and Queen who are together not just for the kingdom but for themselves, which Asya and I are not.” Aricin sighed. “I’m not sure if I should tell you this, but not too long ago she and I agreed to take different mates.”

Asya’s mother nodded knowingly. “It wouldn’t surprise me, Aricin, but in many ways, I do wish that this – you and my daughter – had happened on its own.” She turned her face away for a moment. “But we cannot change the past. We just have to accept it, no matter how hard it is, and learn from it.”

Aricin gave a nod of his own. “Yes, that is true. And I’m not going to lie to you when I say that I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel towards Asya now. Please don’t misunderstand I do want to her be well.” He heard himself chuckle. “I’m not sure I could keep Jangwa together without her.”

Tosca allowed herself to smile again. She succeeded this time. “Aricin,” she said, gently placing a paw on her son-in-law’s, “I know my daughter. Out of my three she is the strongest. She will come out of this.” Her own strength failed her suddenly and she bowed her head.

Aricin, filled with pity, came close and laid his head on his shoulder. He felt her put her head against his mane. “You said it yourself, Tosca. Asya is strong. She will be okay.”

The lioness sighed, sniffed and slowly moved away. “I do hope you’re right, Aricin.”

“Is it still daylight?”

“The sun is sinking and the hunting party returned with the kill. I hope it’s alright that I told everyone to eat of the kill while being mindful to save some for you.”

“Yes, it’s more than alright. So… everyone is back, including Themba and the young lions?”

Tosca nodded. “Yes, and Themba wants you to know that the borders are all safe. There were no signs of intruders which... is a first I have to admit. Our lands are quite valuable.”

Aricin’s eyes hardened. “Yes, but as long as Asya and I live, and as long as the young males continue to remain strong, no malicious rogue is going to get Jangwa.”

For the first time the Queen Mother allowed herself to admire her son-in-law for a show of strength, courage and determination he rarely made known. He was becoming more and more like a true King with each passing day. A part of her wanted to let King Chaka know of the lion his son was becoming.

“I’m glad you feel that way, Aricin. I really am, and I know Asya would be too.”

“I wasn’t entirely sure when I first came here, but I am starting to feel that this, Jangwa, is more my home than the Pridelands.”

Tosca smiled. “Would you like me to get you a piece of the kill?”

His stomach growled softly. Even if he wanted to eat, he couldn’t, but when Asya woke up… “Yes, please, and thank you, Tosca… Mother,” he added shyly, a trait very uncommon to him.

“You’re welcome, son,” said the elder lioness and she turned and left.

Aricin walked back to Asya and gently buried his face in the crook of her neck. He had no idea what came over him in that moment but he knew he had to do it. Slowly he pulled away. “Your mother was just here. Everyone’s fine.” He was about to say more but the smell of fresh meat came to his nose. He turned around just as Tosca dropped a large piece of meat in front of him. He smiled and bowed his head. “Thank you, Tosca.”

The lioness returned his smile, took one look at her daughter and quietly departed.

As she did Aricin walked to the meat, picked up and laid it not far from where he had laid near Asya when he first came in. The smell of the meat enchanted him. He was hungry, but what of Asya? She’ll need this more than me, Aricin thought and pushed it away with a paw. It wouldn’t be the first time he had chosen to go without food.

What he said to Tosca was true. His and Asya’s relationship was not what it should be and he had been assessing it all day, making his head hurt but clearing his mind. He turned to his ill-stricken mate again, only this time his wedding vows came to mind. There had been no shaman to perform it but he had learned a lot about wedding vows in particular from his parents, as much as it disgusted him when he was younger. But he was no longer incredibly young, no longer an arrogant Prince. He was a King whose mate was sick. Sick…

He searched his mind for one of the vows his parents had taken. What was it? Then it came to his mind. “In sickness and in health,” he said softly and studied Asya. That would apply to them, him and Asya, since they were, in a sense, but not a true sense, mates. His parents had vowed to take care of the other when they were sick or healthy. Wasn’t that what he was doing for Asya? He was fulfilling a vow he had never made, but the vow existed.

All of them did, including one his parents, namely his father, would cuff him for not keeping. “Forsaking all others…”

He and Asya agreed to take other mates when they were supposed to be faithful to each other, even though their marriage was in name alone. But they had broken that vow.

The idea that they had given up on falling for each other too quickly filtered through his head. It was true. They had, and Aricin hated himself for it. Couldn’t we have tried a little harder? She’s a good lioness, and I a good lion. Well, sometimes…

He swallowed and forced himself to turn away from Asya. He got up and paced again. It seemed to be the only thing he had done all day but he had no idea that Asya falling ill would make him realize all of this, let alone give him a chance to consider it. He and Asya needed each other and he wanted to do right by her and keep his commitment, as much as he didn’t want it in the beginning. But things were different now.

A sudden sound reached his ears and he turned his full body around, eyes wide. He stared and didn’t move. He heard the sound again and walked forward. It was Asya. She had made the sounds and… was trying to move her head!

Elation filled the young King’s body, his heart pounded and he told himself to calm down before he spoke. Asya tried moving her head again but it was a slow move. He expected that. She had been ill all day. It would take time for her to recover.

She can have all the time she needs. If she wishes I’ll be with her while she does!

“Asya,” he began, speaking her name in a kind, gentle voice. He noticed she tried to open her mouth. He waited.

“Aricin?” she asked in a very weak voice.

“Yes, it’s me. I’ve been with you all day. Your mother wanted me to be, and… I did too.” When the last words left his mouth he told himself it wasn’t a total lie. He hadn’t been at first but after seeing her he knew that here with her was where he needed to be.

“M-mother… how…?”

“She is well, so is the pride. The kingdom is still under our leadership. Themba and the young lions saw to that.”

The young Queen groaned quietly in pain. “I’m… tired, Aricin.”

“I know. Try to rest. I’ll be here. I’m not leaving.” She still had her eyes closed and Aricin knew that she didn’t have the strength to open them. He considered it a miracle that she was able to speak. “Don’t say anything more, Asya. You need to regain your strength. And I swear to you that I am not leaving until you’re well but in the event that I have to, I shall ask any member of the pride to watch over you. But… you are my mate and it is my duty to take care of you.”

He had no idea what he did next until it was already done but he kissed her cheek softly with his tongue. In any other circumstance he never would have, but this was different. Her life had, and was, still hanging in the balance. While he was certain beyond any doubt that he was not falling in love with her, he was caring for her… a great deal. Perhaps more than even he cared to admit.

“Rest Asya,” he continued.

When she didn’t say anything, let alone protest – not that she could – Aricin sighed with peace and in his mind thanked the Great Kings of the Past. His mate would be all right, but he still couldn’t eat so he left the meat where it was. He walked around Asya, settled down beside her and moved himself close to her but not too close, just enough to let her know he was there. He looked down at her again. “If you need anything, let me know,” he said quietly.

“Thank you,” she said in weakened voice.

He was moved again. “You’re welcome,” he replied and he gently nuzzled her and laid his head down on his paws. But before he could sleep, a thought came to his mind. Because of this event he knew he wasn’t falling in love with her, but through this – her illness – he was allowing his blocked and arrogant heart to be open to something other than what he’d allowed himself to feel all his life. He hated the way he’d been and wanted to continue being the way Asya’s illness was making him. He really did like Asya and wondered if this would lead them on a new path. A path to being what true mates ought to be.

As he closed his eyes he hoped. As he swore to be there for Asya during her recovery and after it he hoped that she would see a change in him. A change Aricin himself was starting to feel. He was even starting to accept it. And the fact that his father had sent him here for his own good… he now understood. His father knew that Aricin wanted to rule a kingdom. Now he was. He hadn’t been thankful at first but as the days passed that changed, and taking care of Asya in her illness made him more so.

Aricin closed his eyes. “Thank you, Father. Thank you,” he whispered in the darkness with a quiet voice so he wouldn’t wake Asya. She needed her sleep, and so did he. He felt his heart beat softly in his chest. The events of the day filled his mind. He had woken, hoping to continue the routine he and Asya did daily and instead heard she was sick and spent the day with her in their chambers thinking and wanting to change not just himself and their relationship but to do it for the better of everyone.

Hearing Asya’s voice – though weak – warmed him. He wanted now, more than ever, to try and form some kind of relationship with her.

The feeling spread through his heart and body. It felt good and right.