The Lion King: Scar's Reign (editing) - Chapter 13 - Goddess_of_Loki (2023)

Chapter Text

Last night from his rock, Scar had watched Nala settle herself down. Naturally, he had rather wanted her to lie next to him; side by side and feeling each other's warmth. But because he still had a long way to go in gaining her trust, he let her choose a place within his den herself. Nala had picked a spot on the ground closer to Zazu's cage than to Scar's rock.

Now it was Nala who observed Scar. He was still asleep. For her it was the perfect opportunity to overthink the brief conversation they shared last night before sleeping."I don't know if I will be able of sleeping with you looming over me like that!" Nala had snarled to the king after he had wished her a goodnight sleep.

Scar had reassured Nala that she was save with him, in his den. His voice had remained awfully calm, even when Nala opened up her volume. Nala wished that she was able to find her way in trusting him, so that she could let go some of her restlessness. Did he really think sleeping peacefully here, without opening her eyes every now and then to see if he kept his word, was easy for her? To see if he wasn't sneaking up on her? To see if the hyenas or Zira hadn't come in to kill her? On a subtle way, Nala had tried to share these thoughts with Scar.

"I am not the cruel lion you think I am," Scar had responded.

"You've taken away my freedom by giving me no choice at all. How's that not to be called cruel?" While thinking back, Nala realized that she might have overreacted it a little.

"All my actions are for the greater good of our kingdom, Nala. We'll take on this subject later, you need to rest now," Scar had simply said. Nala had not spoken another word to the lion after that. He was right about one thing; that she needed her rest, so she tried to get some. Beyond her expectation, she managed to let go the thoughts a little and gained the sleep she had lost the other night. Although, her metre of energy truly had been that low.

Nala got taken out of her thoughts by Scar, who hummed a song in his sleep. "Seriously?" She frowned as she peeked over at the lion. The song he hummed she rated as a rather creepy one. Nala had heard Scar sing before. It was one of her least favourite habits of his. Now it reminded Nala of the time when she wondered about what strange things happened inside of the cave she just spend the night in. She also remembered that she thought she heard Scar speak to the dead.

"No.. no, leave.." Scar gasped loud in his sleep. Scar's creepy way of humming made its way for a restless continue. While he was still deep in his sleep, he moved his paws rapidly like if he tried to run from something. Nala couldn't pretend not to notice the king's odd behaviour, especially after the noises that started to escape from his mouth sounded almost squealing. Much time to observe him closer, she had not. Nala got distracted by Shenzi and Banzai entering the cave, with Banzai carrying a piece of this morning's kill.

"Better wipe that surprised expression of ya face, girl. This is for Scar," Shenzi spoke hostile. It resulted in Nala getting temped to correct the hyena for her rudeness, but then a loud yell was to be heard after Banzai aggressively dropped the prey on the floor.

Banzai's action had effected Scar to be violently awakened from his nightmare. "What? Where am I?" Scar nervously looked around but his facial expression darkened when he saw the two hyenas standing a few steps away from him. He narrowed his eyes at Banzai. "Where did you do that for? I apologized to you last night!" he spoke with an upsetting tone.

"I'm sorry. I didn't meant to scare ya.." Banzai reacted.

"Alright," Scar frowned as he gave the food in front of them a brief look. "You're lucky I'm not that hungry. This is not enough for two. Tomorrow you will bring us a larger piece!" he commanded the hyenas.

"But.. There's not..-" Shenzi started to object.

"Now leave and let us eat," Scar ignored the female hyena's complaint and cut her off. Then, with having to do extra some effort, he quickly shared the two leaving hyenas a sign of gratitude. "Thank you."

"I see that you are feeling better today," Scar said after he and Nala had fed themselves on to the prey. Scar had allowed Nala to eat the largest part.

"Despite of the circumstances, I do," Nala responded. She sat herself down next to the remains of their breakfast. She hadn't been so stuffed in weeks that she almost had forgotten the feeling of it.

"Good, because we still have a lot of work to do eventually. Cubs do not just fall out of the sky, you know and lands do not magically restore, at least not on my watch.." Scar mumbled and then, he yawned.

For a moment Nala stared at the scarred lion in front of her. She still wondered why such a powerful king as Scar was being haunted by nightmares. "You.. You were.." Nala struggled finding her words. Causing the lion to snap at her was the last thing she needed to happen right now.

Scar arched his eyebrow when he noticed the lioness was looking at him awkwardly. "Shoot!" he commanded. "Don't hesitate. If you got anything to say, just speak up."

"Before you woke up, you had a nightmare," Nala finally said.

"That.. I've had them quite a lot lately," Scar started. "However, I thought they were gone.." He knew that eventually some of his weaker sides were going to be discovered by his freshly new bride. "You must know, a king alone, that's a tragedy. For too many nights I've been forced to sleep all alone on this cold, sad rock!" he spoke dramatically and highly extravagant.

At first, Nala had wanted to roll her eyes but she couldn't stop the feelings of pity that suddenly came flooding inside of her when she looked into his green eyes. "There's still so many I don't know about you."

"This afternoon I shall take you somewhere, so that we can have some privacy," Scar threw Zazu a look. "I'll answer your questions."

As a reaction, Zazu took a deep breath. "For crying out loud, just set me free!" the bird responded irritated.

"Yeah, why don't you?" Nala looked at Scar with questioning eyes. She never understood why Scar insisted to keep the hornbill locked behind bars. He didn't really seemed to enjoy its company so that surely wasn't it. Rarely and only under supervision by him or the hyenas, he had let the bird out. Nala couldn't remember when that last occurred. As the queen Nala hoped to have an influence on the king. She was determined to get Scar to change some of his own ridiculous decisions and this truly was one of them.

"I just don't trust the flying tabloid!" Scar responded. "I never did!"

Flashback Scar/Zazu:

Scar yawned as he walked out of his cave. Behind him, Zira followed.

"Ah, there comes the morning report!" Scar said with an odd smile when he saw Zazu flying towards them.

After he landed, Zazu showed the black maned king a face of aversion. "Morning report? You can stick that one into your..-" The hornbill widened his eyes and the blood vessels almost started to burst from all the anger present inside of his little body. "I refuse to work for such a despicable king as you are! I quit!" he snarled loudly. Rapidly Zazu fluttered his wings up and down.

If this is where the monarchy is headed, count me out.
Out of service, out of Africa.
I wouldn't hang about..
This child is getting wildly out of wing..

His own words brought him back to a little conflict he had with the playful young Simba. Something that now seemed a decade ago, while just a few days were passed. A real tragedy. And now in front of him stood a grown-up, much more darker version of a lion that just wanted accede the throne too much.

Scar frowned. "What a temper.. Be careful your eyes aren't going to pop out," Scar spoke sarcastically. He had to withhold himself from rolling his eyes. "Such horrible words.. And that against a lion who just lost his entire family. I'm only the king since two days, what could I possibly have done wrong already?" he threw in a fake innocent tone.

"What haven't you done wrong, young man, in your ENTIRE life? Anyway, spoken for the past two days.." Earnestly, Zazu pointed out one of his wings and used Scar's nose as a button to push on. "You've let the hyenas in, while not that long ago, they tried to kill Simba, Nala and me! Those slobbery, mangy stupid poachers! My feathers are still ruined!" With letting go a sigh, Zazu extended his wings and gave them a sour look. "A traitor! That's what you are, a filthy traitor!"

"I gave my explanations about why I did that!" Scar pulled a face. Like if he was trying to hit a fly, Scar used his paw to avoid Zazu's wings furthermore.

"And you've knocked me down! I was going to help Mufasa, but you knocked me down!" Zazu panicky continued.

Behind the scarred lion, Zira growled. She was ready to sell the chattering bird a hard smack from her claw, but Scar blocked her path when he noticed it. "Stupid bird.. You just flew into me.. It was nothing more than your own hysterical fluttering that knocked you down!" he improvised.

"Ugh, if only Mufasa listened to my advice and made a throw rug out of him.." Zazu muttered as he took a deep breath again.

Scar rolled his eyes. "Fine! I don't need you anyway!" he shared and narrowed his eyes towards the bird. "But then I forbid you to ever even step a foot..- or flying over..-" Scar stumbled over his own words. "Just get out of my lands!"

With giving Scar a silence, spiteful glance, Zazu flew off. In his eye corner, the king followed the bird's way and witnessed him flying towards the lionesses. Scar let it go. He thought that after the past few days and years of service, it was more than normal that Zazu desired to give Sarabi one last visit for saying his goodbyes.

Roughly, Zira claimed the space opposite from Scar and was now standing in his comfort zone. "You fool! We could have fed him to the hyenas!" she almost spit the words in Scar's face.

After Scar backed a few steps in reverse, he responded with a roar. "Don't you dare calling me a fool ever again! I've got nothing to fear from that annoying bird! Your task as the queen is to give me a heir, not to interfere in how I'm ruling my kingdom!" he called out.

"Who helped you gain this kingdom? If it wasn't for me you'd been living your life beneath Mufasa's rule in eternity, until it bored you that much your skin had started to rot off your bones!" Zira growled.

"Alright, stop!" Scar sighed as he thought something in his mind. Females..

(A/N: This artwork made by user Camii97 on DeviantArt (asked permission to use it) totally is how I imagine Scar & Zira in this scene XD..)

But obviously Zazu couldn't abandon the Pride Lands forever. One day, around the time Scar had finally kicked Zira out of his den, Zazu was discovered by the hyenas. "Just create a cage out of those bones," Scar had commanded them after heaving a giant sigh.

"At least in here I'm save for the hungry mouths of those ugly friends of yours!" Zazu shivered. He figured he was never going to get himself over the events of the past. "Good luck with him, Nala. You'll need that! I've never succeeded in having a decent conversation with him!" he loudly spoke. The bird knew that Scar needed to gain Nala trust, so he wouldn't do anything to him. "I'm afraid this is going to be your every day's morning report from now on.."

Blasting out some air from his nose, Scar moved his steps towards Zazu's cage. Zazu swallowed and faced down when the lion stared at him strictly. Then Scar grabbed one of the bones that restricted Zazu from his freedom. Aggressively he pulled it out. "Change of plans.." he started.

Zazu stared confusingly to the bone-free pass between his cage and Scar's den, just created by the black maned lion himself. For the first time in a long time he could just walk or try to fly away from here. Or not.. Scar had his sharp clawed paw standing close to the entrance.

"For this once.. Nala, take him out for a couple of hours. A little fresh air helps for your healing process anyway," Scar finally said. "We'll reschedule ours, tomorrow I guess will do too." Changing his plans actually was the last thing Scar had wanted to do but he assumed that if he succeeded in making Nala feel like less his prisoner, he'd eventually benefit.

"You really aren't joking, right?" Nala glanced from Zazu, who carefully wiggled himself out of the cage, to Scar. The lion gave her a quick nod. "Thank you!" Nala started to think Scar wasn't as bad as she first thought. Nala's intentions of creating a better life for all the Pride Lands remaining residents, perhaps was going to be done easily than she had expected it to be.

"I'll inform the hyenas, they will be no danger to the both of you," Scar shared. Then he narrowed his look at Zazu. "I expect you to stay by Nala's side the entire time, bird. If you are not back in there tonight.." Scar widened his eyes and shot the hornbill a look worth a kill. He had to contain himself, so slowly, he turned around. "Now go, before I change my mind!"

When he finally was able to breath in some fresh air, Zazu relieved heaved a sigh. "Just like the good old days," Zazu referred to Nala's childhood, when he often kept an eye on the cubs. "You've got no desires for ditching me now, I assume?"

"I think we've got the roles switched now Zazu, I'm the queen, no one dares to hurt me now!" Nala felt her confident growing.

"What's your secret, Nala?" Zazu asked.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, how have you enchanted the um.. mad tomcat?" For just in case, Zazu lowered his voice. They hadn't come far from Scar's place yet. "I can't remember if I ever saw him making one decent decision before today and trust me, he and I go way back!"

"Hopefully I can also do something about his singing habit. He even does it in his sleep, haven't you heard?" Nala arched an eyebrow.

"Ahem.." Zazu nearly choked. If only Nala knew how often he heard Scar testing his vocals. The bird often wished to be able to shut off his hearing on moments that occurred. "Good luck with that! It's a typical trait of Ahadi's bloodline and Scar by far is the worst of them all!" Zazu couldn't decide what he hated more: Being forced to listen to Scar's theatrical performances or having to serf as Scar's personal singer himself. Hopefully with Nala as the queen soon both the options were to become history.