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2.1. Trouble and Strife

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The coronation of the new King was to take place two sunrises hence.

Nearly a year had passed since the disappearance of Agano, and at last the people had accepted he would not be returning.  But while the preparations were being attended by most within the lands, several of the principal players were in less than jubilant moods. Mufasa himself was consumed with nerves and with unease, not sure what was the right path. Since his father’s exile, he and Shauku had kept their secret, letting everyone think that Agano must have followed after Daemane to search for water. Some had looked sideways at the wound on his brother’s face, but Shauku had been quick to put out a story about being struck by a water buffalo as he had worked crowd control the day before. Although odd for a horn to cause such slight and specific damage, no one really had a reason to doubt what he said and the matter had been left to lie.

Things had moved on, and Mufasa had grown more despondent by the day. Despite their pledges and oaths, there was some measure of distance between Shauku and himself that lingered yet, and seemed to grow. Mufasa was not sure of where it sprang from, and his brother began to keep more to himself than ever before, leaving Mufasa mostly alone to his own devices. The king-in-waiting had thus turned to others for solace, and had begun joining the lionesses on their hunts, helping where he could, to alleviate the pressures of taking down prey in drought conditions. It was hard work, and time-consuming, which gave him little time to dwell upon his ennui and depression over the loss of his parents.

It was on such a hunt that he’d spotted her, at the edge of a dried out little forest. She’d been so beautiful and he’d been unable to focus on anything but the sight of her, like some dream-lioness created by his heat- and hunger-addled brain. She’d stood there, watching him, and he’d stood there, watching back. It had taken prodding from his sister, Nuru, to make him approach.

“Who is that? Why is she on our lands?”

Her words reminded him of his duty as ruler and protector of the land, and so he’d approached the stranger. “What is your name?”

The words came out like a demand, and he cringed to think of the impression he was making, but she seemed to take no offense. She just smiled enigmatically and replied, “I am Sarabi.”

Sarabi. His betrothed, his intended, bound to him since he was but a small cub. This was she? The lioness he’d rejected out of hand and refused to even see? Oh, what a fool he’d been! Mufasa could barely contain himself, stumbling over his words as he introduced himself and asked her to accompany him back to Pride Rock, to join them in their feast on the prey they’d taken down. She warmly agreed, and while the others of the pride radiated suspicion (she could really be anyone, after all), they said nothing against her presence.

Their fears were unwarranted, however, when Sarabi’s family came looking for her. They didn’t act too surprised to find her settled amongst Mufasa’s people, and indeed, it seemed as though they had planned for it, behind the scenes. It was never tacitly said, but it was strongly danced around that although they had been not wishing to intrude on the Prince’s grief at the double loss of Agano and Daemane, they had also not been above waiting for an opportune time and manner to “remind” Mufasa of his duties and obligations to themselves in tact; presenting Sarabi in such a fashion had been their idea to do all of the above. Queen Nyake and her consort had been very much assured of their daughter’s ability to win the heart of any male that gazed upon her, and they had had no fears she would not succeed on Mufasa as she had on anyone else.

Which was all how Sarabi had come to live with him, and how preparations for marriage had begun.

Caught up in the whirlwind of new love (and lust, to be honest), Mufasa had wanted to share his joy with Shauku, and had started to pressure his brother to make up with Sarafina. “You have no idea how great this feeling is, Shauku,” he sighed, infatuation radiating from every pore. “It is the most wonderful sensation I have ever experienced, and all I ever think about is her. I only want to hold her, in all this world.”

Shauku had not seemed overly interested, but Mufasa had kept at it until finally his brother had agreed to court his own intended, as he was also obligated to do. His loathness confused Mufasa, but since he was ultimately getting what he wanted, Mufasa didn’t press for much of an answer. The pride began to see Shauku around with Sarafina more often, and while it was clear their interactions were strained and mostly to placate their future King, it was at least moving in the right direction.

Yet, the day before their joint marriages, Mufasa began to have doubts. What if Sarabi was not really his true love? What if he’d made a mistake and she was just a shrew waiting to reveal herself? He sought the counsel of several lions, all of whom told him it was just pre-wedding jitters, while Shauku rolled his eyes and told him that if he was not sure, to hold off for a while – no one said the wedding had to be right now. Mufasa dithered over the matter, but finally made his choice when Sarabi herself revealed shyly that she too had had doubts for a few moments. This shared moment of hesitation made Mufasa’s need for her stronger than ever, for not only was she perfect in looks, she was also relatable in spirit. He knew at last she was the one and could go into marriage free of any lingering worries. And so he had been wed to his intended, alongside his brother, and two new unions had come into being that day.

Time had passed from then, and now it was near-time for Mufasa to become King. Two days, and the matter would be settled forever, with him on the land’s throne at last. Most celebrated –

But not all.
______

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Go to Part 1

Welcome to Part 2 of my fanfic. This may seem confusing at first, what with the large jump ahead in time. I wanted this part to be almost a 'new beginning' since it's the next arc of the fic, but it also needed to still flow nicely from the previous part. So this piece comes after the next, chronologically, but it comes first in where it is in-story. It introduces us to the beginnings of Mufasa's reign, the days before his coronation. The next few parts will fill in what happened in the days leading up to this coronation, as well as answer what is behind this new distance between the brothers and other questions left unanswered in Part 1. I feel like this is the way to do it, odd as it is, so please be patient ^_^

Artwork & story, characters Daemane, belong to me. 
Elements from the story relating to The Lion King including its associated characters ('Shauku', Mufasa, 'Agano', 'Nuru', Sarabi, Sarafina, 'Nyake') (C) Disney.

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