"What have you done?!"

Zira roared this at her son, absolutely fuming at the events that had just transpired. And at the traitorous son who had allowed it all to happen.

Their plan should have been so simple: use Kovu's past friendship with King Simba's daughter to gain the royal's trust. From there, find the perfect moment to strike the fraudulent king, finish him off, and take his place as the true, rightfully chosen heir of Scar. She had trained him for it his whole life. She had given him disproportionate amounts of the Outlanders' minimal food and run him through a childhood of rigorous, grueling training, ensuring that he grew strong, skilled, and well-built enough to fulfill his destiny.

And yet now, when they had Simba cornered ... Kovu didn't act! Rather, he was hesitant, unwilling even, to go against the lion he had been bred to hate! Had he struck when he had the chance, Nuka would not have been forced to go after an escaping Simba. He wouldn't have put himself in peril, and would still be alive and breathing right here, right now.

"I-I didn't mean to," Kovu stammered. He nearly tripped over his words, still reeling over Nuka's death as well as the usual fear he experienced when he confronted his mother. "I-it wasn't my fault, I ..."

It was then that Kovu realized something: how could Zira blame him for this? Nuka was the one who made the attempt to grab Simba. Zira was the one who ambushed them in the first place. They had all acted without his consent, and even prevented him from doing anything about it!

He felt a new burst of courage emerge as he argued, "I did nothing!" They had made sure of that!

"Exactly! And in doing so, you betrayed Scar!" Zira spat back.

"I want nothing more to do with him," Kovu responded.

That single sentence, that one declaration, rendered everyone nearly speechless. Even Kovu himself was stunned, having not fully thought about the words before they left his mouth. He had just told his mother that he wished to cast Scar out of his life. Scar, the being he had been raised his whole life to follow. The being that his mother worshipped, to the point of actually speaking with him when she thought no one could hear ... Kovu had just spoken heresy against him.

Kovu saw his fellow Outlanders tense up, but it was nothing compared to what his mother looked like. Despite her having just scarred him, she looked as though she'd been the one slashed. Kovu wasn't sure if she would lash out again, or worse ...

"You cannot escape it! Nuka is dead because of you!" the Outlander queen fired.

"No." It wasn't true. It wasn't his fault. They did this, he hadn't wanted to ... but he could have told them that. He could have confronted them before, or done better to keep in the fight ... No! He couldn't be responsible! That would mean he really was like ...

"You've killed your own brother!" Zira accused him of his worst fear: just like Scar, Kovu was responsible for his brother's demise.

"NO!!"

Unable to bear the tension or his own shame, Kovu fled. He darted away from his mother, past his pride sisters. This place, it had caused him nothing but misery. How could he have ever been a part of it? He had to get out of here. He had to ...

But he had to skid himself to a stop when two lionesses suddenly jumped in front of him, blocking his path. He tensed up before trying to leap around them, his agile body allowing him to soar over them. But then three more lionesses got in his way just as he landed, and the other two turned around to face him. He tried to sidestep them, but another sprang out from the side and pushed him back, just as one opposite her joined in as well.

Kovu darted his head around as he saw more and more of his pride closing in on him from all directions. He backed himself up, but couldn't add distance to anyone without bringing himself closer to another.

"Guys ... wh-what are you doing?" he asked, his voice more timid and nervous than he would care to admit. A few snickered in response, much to his embarrassment, while others simply grumbled at him bitterly.

He could see Zira outside of the circle, in between the females surrounding him. She wore an expression that was equal parts irate and smug, having clearly planned ahead for the current circumstance.

The male felt the hairs on his mane stand up when she growled, "You're not going anywhere."

... Oh no, Kovu thought.

"Back down, Kovu," another lioness said.

The voice was all too familiar to him, making him dread turning to its source. Surely enough, he felt his heart sink when he saw that it was his own sister, Vitani. She was staring hard at him with highly visible disappointment. The look in her eyes gave a blatant warning that he would be best surrendering; she clearly didn't want to resort to force on her own brother and best friend.

"Vitani ..." Kovu begged. And just like that, he saw her hardened expression fizzle, replaced with a new uncertainty. Surely, she would be the one to listen to him. They had backed each other up in the toughest of times; how could she turn her back on him now? "Please, just hear me-"

"Get back!" an Outlander hissed as she shoved Kovu roughly. Kovu's instincts kicking in, he kept his feet planted firmly to avoid being budged by the hit, and countered the move by taking her foreleg in his jaws and tossing her back.

That was the trigger. Suddenly, almost all of the lionesses leapt at him and attacked.

Kovu roared as he fought back in defense. As a lioness jumped at his neck, he grabbed hers in his mouth and threw her away, just in time to grapple with another. With a well-placed claw to her muzzle, she screeched out as she reeled back.

Kovu crouched low, his senses on full alert as he prepared for any move. He kept himself on the defensive, knowing that often it was best to let the enemy make the first move and then counter appropriately ... and feeling his soul ache as he referred to his own pride as the enemy.

The strategy worked, initially. For every lioness that went for him, he was able to successfully beat her down, or at the very least keep her at bay while he dealt with another foe. But he was quick to learn how rapidly they planned on attacking in quick succession. Not a second passed between his attackers, and one misstep on Kovu's part could be all that stood between him and defeat.

He reeled up onto his back legs to meet his next assailant, locking his maw onto her shoulder and throwing her into the pool of Outlanders. As his forepaws touched down, he got himself low when he saw another coming in airborne. In a split-second, he was able to aim himself to grab her by the stomach and toss her to the barren, jagged ground. His face recoiled slightly as he heard her moan in pain.

It was strange. He had gone through many sparring sessions with these very same lionesses, and had been quite aggressive with them. He initially felt guilty when he hurt them, but Zira was quick to beat the hesitation out of him, and he willed himself to force it down and let himself keep going unrestrained. Now, however, that will seemed to be diminishing; that sting of regret he experienced with every hit he landed was returning, and he had to put in more effort to keep it concealed.

But there was no time to dwell on it, as he turned around to headbutt an incoming attacker, charge at her, and plow her into the nearest rock wall. Another lioness was quick to come in and slam his head against that same wall, however, disorienting him momentarily. He got his wits about him just long enough to grab onto yet another foe and harshly pin her down.

"STOP!!" he screamed, pressing his paws into her chest. "EVERYONE, STOP!!!"

He looked around, hoping that his outburst got at least some of them to take pause. But sadly, he saw that the pride was still looking just as determined to take him down ... all except Vitani. She hadn't once made a move against him, instead acting as part of a barrier to keep him from slipping out and escaping.

"Too late for that, pretty boy," Siti, a lioness who had harbored a not-so-secret crush on Kovu, said sinisterly.

Backed up against the wall, Kovu had to act fast as the pride prepared to attack again. Wheeling around, Kovu coiled himself up and leapt against the wall, before using his powerful legs to vault himself off it. The move sent him flying right into the midst of the attackers, where he resolved to barrel his way through. He took whatever blows they were able to land on him, only determined to get past them and have a clear path to freedom.

"NO!! Don't let him get away!" a lioness named Kali shouted.

She had every right to fear, for Kovu had just managed to penetrate the wall of females that had previously blocked him. He could see only open space before him now, and got himself ready to make the sprint of his life.

Only to have his hopes be swiftly demolished when his mother suddenly came charging into him from the side. She had been observing the fight from a short distance, prepared to come in herself should her son manage to get through the barricade. She dug her claws into his chest, using all of her strength to send the larger lion down on his back and hold him there. He brought out his own claws and slashed her across the chest, forcing her to let up.

"AUGH!! This is not how I raised you!" Zira screeched.

Kovu prepared to resume his escape, but it was too late. All of the other lionesses were now surrounding him and less than a foot away on all sides. Kovu rolled back up onto his feet, his green eyes flaring. But he could do nothing as they all charged him at once.

The mighty Outlander roared and fought, striking and clawing in any and every direction. But he was getting swarmed, and the lionesses were relentless. It took mere seconds for five of them to get him pinned down on his back. He bucked and wriggled to get out of their grasp, but their combined weight was too much even for him.

As capable as he was, the sheer number of attackers was far too much. He was simply outnumbered.

The headstrong young male still didn't give up, however. He squirmed, lashed out, and gnashed his teeth at the females. But either he missed, they bore the hit, or they struck back, further weakening him.

"Come on! Let me go! You don't have to do this, LET ME GO!!"

He kept struggling, determined not to give up. But even as he did so, he eventually couldn't deny his reality any longer: no matter what he did, he was trapped. Stuck in this despair-ridden place, prevented from leaving by a pride he thought he could trust. His own family had turned against him.

All because he refused to kill.

And he watched with deep, worried eyes as his mother waltzed back to him, accompanied by a degrading tongue click. The lionesses made room for her to look down at her fallen son, and Kovu couldn't conceal his fear as he looked back up at her. Her eyes bore no sympathy, only cold-hearted disgrace in how far her perfect heir had fallen.

"My foolish boy," she uttered, and as always, Kovu felt himself shrink down to the size of a cub at her scolding. "I've never been so disappointed."

---

Simba's body felt like it was on fire, as he slowly and exhaustedly fled back to his home. And his mind wasn't faring much better.

Everything had happened so quickly. He thought that he could have a nice, heart-to-heart talk with the young lion who had, despite his own misgivings, wormed his way into his family's life. He had been unwilling to take him in due to his history and upbringing, but after a full day of him living in the Pridelands, Kovu was showing that perhaps there was more to him than that. He certainly seemed to have won the affections of his daughter, and even Nala seemed willing to give him a chance.

But when he heard the twisted cackling from the fog of the wasteland they had wandered into, he learned how foolish he had been.

It was all a setup. A lie, a way for the Outlanders to infiltrate his pride, lure him into their fiendish little trap, and take over. Kovu truly was Scar's heir; there was no denying it now. Right now, Kovu was probably back home coming up with some new scheme, not paying any second thought to the hurt he had caused. It made the golden king sick to his stomach that he even considered letting the boy get close to him ... get close to his daughter.

He didn't want to see how she took it. Kiara clearly trusted her friend, and Simba was ready to do the same simply because of how happy he made her. But now, he had broken his little girl's heart. And Simba would make sure he paid, one way or another.

The voice that he soon heard was fuzzy, but it was unmistakable as Kiara's. That alone soothed his frazzled nerves, knowing that she was safe and sound ... and after seeing how deep the danger surrounding his home went, he'd make sure she always would be.

"Daddy, what happened?!" Kiara asked, nuzzling her father as he panted to remain conscious.

But he was failing. Now that he was in the presence of loved ones, the will he'd dug into to make it this far was leaving him. He could feel his world fading, and could only get out two of the many words that he desperately needed to tell her.

"... Kovu *huff* *huff* ... ambush ..."

That was all he had left. The royal lion collapsed onto the ground. Leaving Kiara with worry and countless questions.

Ambush? Who? Where did they go ... Where's Kovu?

Her father and her best friend had gone off together earlier that day, much to the princess's delight. Yesterday had been one of the best days of Kiara's life, primarily thanks to the cubhood friend she had gotten back. They had initially started their day with him giving her a much-needed hunting lesson, at her request. But true to her nature, Kiara soon ended up devolving the lesson into playful antics, which Kovu slowly but surely got accustomed to. In the process, she could tell how liberated he felt, and it warmed her heart to be able to do that for him.

But little did he likely know that he, in a way, had done the same for her. She had few lions her own age to be around in her strict upbringing, and she and Kovu talked and interacted as naturally as she could imagine. He had a tenderness in his heart that the Outlands likely didn't let blossom, and could laugh and play with her like they had known each other their whole lives. She also couldn't deny how handsome and charming he'd grown to be ... It was clear to her that her feelings for him went deeper than a friendship. And she dearly hoped he felt the same way, and even further, that he could become a widely accepted and beloved member of her family.

But while that dream seemed so close to being achieved this morning, now she had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that Kovu and her father had left together, but only Simba came back, and in poor condition. A dark feeling entered her gut, and she tried not to assume the worst.

Right now, she had to get her father to sanctuary. Then, she'd hopefully get answers.

Kovu ... please be okay.

---

Kovu shuddered a bit as he felt the vine first brush against him.

That feeling didn't let up when three lionesses worked together to wind that vine around both of his forelegs, which Zira ordered be placed together and not move. The vine went further up the legs like a snake, allowing Kovu to already envision how restrained he'd be before he was even tied. Just a little over halfway up, the lionesses finally decided to secure the last knot. Doing so required heavy coordination, but they pulled it off.

Kovu gasped lightly when the vines were tightened and tied, his legs now reduced to one limb. His hardened biceps tensed up as they were bunched together, straining in the pose they had been forced into.

All this, while Zira watched, much to his humiliation. She bore an expression of hurt and betrayal as she observed him being tied up.

"I didn't want to do this, Kovu," she said, pacing around while her ominous brown eyes shot daggers at him. "But you've forced my paw."

"This isn't what you think it is," Kovu said. "The Pridelanders aren't the villains."

"So we are?!" Zira spat. She jumped up onto a small rock, allowing her to stand a few inches taller than him as she got up close to his face. "After all we've done for you, that's what you call us?!"

Kovu recoiled and took a couple steps back, awkwardly due to his forelegs being bound. "N-no, it's not ... I've seen what they're like!" he shouted. He was now not just addressing Zira, but all the lionesses who were watching. He turned to address as many of them as he could.

"Simba isn't a tyrant. The princess, she-she's not some spoiled brat. We thought Scar was the victim of their wrath, but it's the other way around! Please, just let me talk to them. We can find some way to-"

"NO!! There will be no negotiations!" Zira snarled. "And I've had just about enough of your lies!"

She then gave a whistle, and two more lionesses approached in response. In their jaws, they jointly carried a large, thick strip of some moss-like plant. Kovu turned his head, only to be greeted by them lifting up the moss and slamming it over his lips.

"Hmmmn! Mmrrrnnnnmmnn?!" His yell of surprise was muffled. Kovu squirmed and moaned as they pulled the plant back, but his efforts were limited thanks to his bonds. The lionesses were able to bring the strip around his face and tie it tightly at the back of his head, the knot catching in the male's dark, stylish mane.

"Mmmrrph!!" he cried, his voice muted by the gag. It was then that he noticed the plant had some sticky substance, most likely sap, slathered all over it. It pressed deeply into his lips and did well to further keep the gag securely attached. In addition to making him cringe at the unpleasant sensation that he was unable to be rid of. The lion shook his head vigorously, light groans emerging, but his captors had made sure that it would do no good.

"Mother ..." Vitani chimed in warily. "Is this really necessary?"

"Of course!" Zira shouted back. "He speaks blasphemy!"

"Rrmmnnn nmmmrrm!!" Kovu protested, snarling when his words were blocked.

"You should have listened to me!" Zira whipped her head around to confront him. "I wanted nothing but the best for you, and you threw it all away!"

"Mmmrnnmm hmmnnph! Hrrmnnmmhh!! Mmmmmm ghnmmph!!!" Kovu positioned his legs in the best defensive stance he could muster. He scowled hatefully back at his mother, enraged by his words being silenced.

"Oh, don't give me that look! Even now, all I'm doing is thinking of you. This is for your own good! Your future, your destiny!" Zira roared. Her villainous eyes were aglow, her razor-sharp teeth bared as her hackles raised. "You'll thank me for all of this when you're king!"

"Nnnnnhh!!"

As he tugged his toned forelegs in the tight binds, Kovu's handsome emerald irises shimmered ablaze at the twisted Outlander queen. He growled at her, lowly and softly through his gag. His eyes kept steady as he stared at her with disgust, fury, and a tinge of sadness, all while she did the same to him in a tense, silent standoff. He tried not to break it as slight traces of the bitter sap leaked into his mouth, plaguing his taste buds.

It was even harder to keep when he felt more vines being wound around his hind legs. His range of movement was about to go from somewhat restricted to precarious, even with how good he was at balancing himself. He breathed deeply through his nose to keep calm as he kept glowering at his mother, but was unable to hold back the muffled grunt as the vines were tugged tight. They went halfway up, stopping just above the knees, now harshly and relentlessly squeezing the tightly-corded legs.

Zira still kept her gaze fixed on her son. She studied his every movement, analyzing even the slightest twitch of an eye. Such defiance, such conviction to his backwards new way of thinking. This was more than just some childish rebellion; his mind was tainted. In between the launch of his mission and now, something had drastically changed in her prodigy.

It was then that Zira's eyes gradually went wide, as she had some sort of epiphany.

"... Oh ... I see it now ..." she whispered in her husky voice. Kovu raised a brow.

The lioness shook her head. "My poor, poor child ... of course. None of this is your fault," she said with genuine hurt. "That vile, blasted Simba ... he's brainwashed you."

"Hmmm?" Kovu grunted. Brainwashed?! ... How could she-?!

"Yes ... yes, of course," Zira continued. "It all makes perfect sense. As you acclimated yourself to their lifestyle, they knew that you couldn't be trusted. But rather than kill you, they decided on a crueler method: turning you against me."

"Nrr," Kovu shook his head. That's not true.

"I thought that I had prepared you well enough for any trickery those lions pulled ... but I clearly underestimated that king's cunning. And the cunning of his daughter."

Kovu's eyes narrowed when she brought up Kiara. She wasn't just using him as some tool. Don't you talk that way about her.

Zira brought a paw under Kovu's chin, and he let out a stifled growl as she lifted it to examine him. Gone was her cold, heartless ire, now taken over by grief for what had become of him. She saw in him a victim of manipulation and mental abuse, completely oblivious to how it was she herself who was guilty of such actions.

"You're not well, Kovu. They've poisoned you ... but fear not. We will strike them all down. Forever. And with time, the toxins in your mind will wash away. You will be your strong, proud self once more. I promise, my son."

"NNRR!!!"

Kovu had had enough of this! Zira clearly believed every word she was saying, which scared him more than anything. He lashed out at her, but his aim was off and he missed. As a result, the mighty Outlander was forced to stumble about to keep his balance in the vines. When he finally got himself stable, he lowered his head, heavily huffing for breath through his nose and grunting in exertion. He then raised his head back up angrily, still huffing, his eyes peering out from behind the upsweep in his mane.

"But until then," Zira said, completely ignoring her captive's efforts, "You are to remain here. Siti, Kali!"

The two lionesses perked up as their names were called, and quickly darted over. "Yes, Zira," Kali said, sternly and with the most audible respect for her ruler.

"Escort Kovu to our prisoner cave. He is not to leave, and not to be untied."

Kali simply nodded curtly, while Siti's muzzle curled up into a devious grin. Kovu looked at both females pleadingly, but they weren't receptive. Instead, they got on either side of him.

"Turn around and get moving!" Kali wasted no time and barked out her orders to him.

Kovu scowled and mumbled under his gag. He gave one last twist to both sets of legs, but they remained tightly tied. And so, begrudgingly, the prisoner obeyed. He looked down at his feet as he turned himself in the opposite direction with difficulty, needing several seconds before he was successful.

His muscles worked to keep himself steady as he hobbled his way along, slightly wobbling on the occasional step, while his captors walked with ease. He turned his head back to look at the lionesses he thought to be his friends, but all of them either showed no sympathy, or hid their faces, preventing him from reading them.

Vitani looked at him with shame, although he couldn't tell if it was shame for him or for herself. But when she turned away and walked off, Kovu sighed through the gag, lowering his head in defeat.

"We didn't say stop!" Kali shouted again. She nipped at the lion's tail to entice him to keep going.

He did so. But not without trying his hardest to protest, to get something at least somewhat resembling coherent argument across to them.

"Ghrmph, mmrrph! Rrrnnnhmphn nnnrrmph. Nmmrmmnn mmmrrrnn mmnhmm nnmmmrrh!"

It was no good. With the sticky, sturdy plant tightly sealing his mouth, any attempts to speak were reduced to indecipherable mumbles and grunts. He scrunched and shifted his muzzle around to try and dislodge it, but only managed to leak more of the vile-tasting sap into his mouth.

"Don't bother, big guy," Siti said. "This is what you get for believing their lies. I mean, did you really fall for that dirty little princess?"

"Grrrmmm," Kovu growled, still moving.

"And when you had me right here this whole time," Siti crooned. She brushed her tail against his hindquarters, causing them to tense and wiggle even further in their bonds. "What's she got that I don't?"

Boundaries, for one thing, Kovu thought. He rolled his eyes, annoyance now being piled on to the fear and anger he was experiencing.

She continued to harass the poor captive by rubbing her muzzle against his forelegs, their muscles made even more prominent in his bound state. When she pressed in to his rugged biceps a little too much, it nearly toppled Kovu over. He grunted out, having to scramble to keep himself upright. He just managed to avoid bumping into a very unamused Kali.

"Enough, Siti," she scolded sharply. "He is our prisoner, not your toy."

"Hmmph," Siti huffed. She reluctantly went along without another word, but gave her captive one more wink, much to his irritation.

Kovu had bigger worries than that, though. As he continued to move along, the ache from the vines getting worse, his mouth still trapped in the sap-covered moss, his thoughts raced at what was to happen not only to him, but possibly to Kiara. He had no doubt Zira would commence her attack soon. And if his new love ended up suffering as a result, because he had failed to warn her about the Outlanders' plot sooner ... he pulled his legs in the vines as the idea tormented him. He couldn't forgive himself if that happened ... he didn't know if he could even now.

The nearly-adult male couldn't believe how wrong he had been, all this time. Just yesterday morning, he was ready to finish off Simba. Now, he wished he could fight by his side. He'd been ready to toss Kiara away once he took the throne. Now, the thought of how much she must hate him now would surely haunt him for the rest of his life.

As he was further escorted, and saw the cave inside which he would be held, a part of Kovu couldn't help but feel like he deserved this. Even if not for the reasons Zira believed.

---

The Lion King franchise, the named lion characters (except Siti and Kali), and the image used to make the photo edit above, all belong to the irresponsible Disney.

---

As promised, my second story in the TLK bondage "trilogy" I offered. Though this one won't be a one-shot. I did a story of Kovu already, but while I love a lot of parts to it, I can't deny that I really didn't do it justice. Plus, with how much I love the character, he deserves more than just a one-shot anyway, much like his princess!

As you can see, I went with the option of an alternate timeline to Simba's Pride, where instead of letting Kovu flee after Nuka's death, Zira holds him captive in the Outlands as the chaos continues to ensue. This first chapter mostly focuses on him being taken down and tied up, but also sets the seeds for other developments that will play out in the rest of the fic (which I predict will be four parts long in total). Considering what a great captor Zira would make, I'd say it's long overdue that I write for her.

I also want to give credit to AchromaticStallion for coming up with these two lines. He did so when I uploaded the edit that I'm using as the thumbnail for this fic, and I hope he doesn't mind me using them here:

"You should have listened to me! I wanted nothing but the best for you, and you threw it all away!"

"Oh, don't give me that look! Even now, all I'm doing is thinking of you. This is for your own good! Your future, your destiny! You'll thank me for all of this when you're king!"

I hope this is to your liking, as it's an idea I've had for a while now! Thank you to everyone who reads, faves, and/or comments! :D

---

Kovu's gag speech translated:

"Hmmmn! Mmrrrnnnnmmnn?!" - "Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Rrmmnnn nmmmrrm!!" - "Listen to me!"

"Ghrmph, mmrrph! Rrrnnnhmphn nnnrrmph. Nmmrmmnn mmmrrrnn mmnhmm nnmmmrrh!" - "Guys, please! You don't have to do this. Just let me explain everything to you!"