Kiara lost track of how much time had passed since her father had returned, but it had to be at least a couple of hours. The sun was setting over their luxurious lands, ready to make way for the coming night, but also a possible sign of the darkness about to threaten their lives. She sat anxiously on the top of Pride Rock, with her mother at Simba's side nearly every moment. They kept checking on him to make sure his condition didn't worsen. Thankfully, it didn't, meaning all they had to do was wait ... which didn't sit that much better with either of them.

But their wait soon came to an end. Kiara's drooping ears shot up when she finally heard a light groan coming from her father. She immediately rushed over, as Nala gently nuzzled his neck to ease his return to the waking world.

"Simba?" her regal voice said softly.

"Ugh ... Nala ..." he whimpered. His eyelids were heavy, groggily blinking him awake. But he could still process the light of his life rubbing against him, and he returned it as eagerly as he could by pressing his forehead into her muzzle.

"How are you feeling?" Kiara asked.

Simba sighed. "Still weak. But I'm here, aren't I?" he mused. Even in his exhausted state, he was able to muster a hint of the grin that both females knew on him so well, slightly easing their frayed nerves.

But then he remembered what got him in this position to begin with, and his expression instantly soured.

Upon seeing this, Kiara saw her opportunity to question him. She'd gone more than long enough without answers. And worse, in all this time, Kovu still hadn't returned.

"Daddy ..." she asked, tentatively for fear of what he would say. "Wh-what happened?"

Another sigh came from Simba, this one far more melancholy. This was the moment of truth, he realized. She had to know, no matter how much it hurt her. While Kovu was the one who had betrayed them, he couldn't help but feel guilt for providing him that opening to begin with.

"Kovu and I went into the barren side of the Pridelands," he started, referring to the chunk of earth that still hadn't recovered from the devastation of Scar's reign. "I was talking with him, telling him about the past and our history. When suddenly ..." He took a deep breath before continuing. "... The Outlanders showed up, Zira included."

Much of the missing picture clicked instantly with both lionesses. Nala's face hardened, her muzzle scrunched up in anger. Kiara's eyes widened with fear as she gasped.

"It was an ambush," Simba said. "I'm so, so sorry, Kiara," he whimpered. He pushed himself into a sitting position, prepared to embrace and comfort his daughter however he needed. "I wanted to trust him. I really did. But h-he used you. Just to get to me."

To Simba's surprise, Kiara did a double-take to that statement. "Wait ... what? What are you talking about?"

She still didn't get it, Simba realized. He hung his head low. Nala looked away; she felt ashamed of her own trust in the lad, after she had rooted for him to be given a proper chance.

"Kiara ..." Simba said. "Kovu set us up. He led me into a trap. He was working with the Outlanders this whole time." He hated every word he said, but knew it was necessary. Kovu would surely be back, and Kiara needed to be ready to go against him.

She, however, could barely process any of what he was saying, feeling her mind nearly go numb. She walked in multiple circles, trying to keep her vision focused as her head spun. Kovu turned on them? The same Kovu she had gotten to know, with whom she had developed such a connection in so little time?

"N-no ... no, i-it can't be ..."

"It is," Simba said, almost inaudibly.

He saw that Kiara was still in denial, however, for she then proceeded to ask, "He said that? He attacked you?" She was close to tears, her voice cracking and wavering.

"What do you ... Kiara, what more do you need? It couldn't have not been planned. Zira even said it was," the king responded.

"What did he say?" Kiara said shakily, a bit shorter with him than before. "What did he do?"

"He tried to deny it! Didn't even attack me! The coward was still trying to play innocent," he scoffed.

"Simba," Nala joined in. "Where is he now?"

"Still with his pride, where else?" her mate responded bitterly. "And as far as I'm concerned, that's where he's staying."

"Daddy!" Kiara exclaimed. "Something's not right! I know Kovu, he wouldn't do this. We need to find him and hear what he has to say."

"Find him?!" Simba finally managed to get up onto all fours, albeit still wobbling, and tensed up the glare he directed towards his daughter. "He's not coming anywhere near us! As of right now, he is exiled from this pride."

"No!" Kiara shouted. "You can't! Not without hearing his side!" This couldn't be happening! Things had been going so well between them all, and now her father was just throwing that all away. All based on a circumstantial, presumptuous conclusion.

"Kiara," Simba scolded. His voice was getting hard and firm, his eyes cemented with a hatred for the lion who had nearly destroyed their peace, their family. "This is not to be debated," he said, slowly to drive his point home. "My decision is final. He is following in Scar's pawprints-"

"You don't know that!" Kiara roared, her ears folded tightly against her head. "You haven't spent time with him, gotten to know him!"

"Simba, something isn't right," Nala said. She herself didn't know what to believe at this point, but was beginning to grow a tad skeptical that everything was as bad as it appeared to be. She was still furious, and her faith in Kovu had certainly been shaken. But she didn't feel comfortable jumping to conclusions like her mate had, instead trying to rationally work through all of the details. "Why would he try to deny anything at that point? What would he have to gain?"

"Probably a backup plan in case I got away," Simba growled. "These Outlanders are tricky; they'll think of everything to get the drop on you. Just like the lion they worship."

Kiara couldn't believe this. Was he really so caught up in his assumptions that he was willing to make up his own theories and then treat them as objective fact? Where was the fairness? He had told her that kings and queens were supposed to be compassionate, treating their subjects equally. Where was that now?

Simba could see her lips quivering. She couldn't accept what was happening, and so was lashing out at him as a result. He didn't entirely blame her. Not only was she still fairly young and naïve, but Kovu had clearly gotten to her. He had wooed and charmed his way into her heart, manipulating her into thinking he could do no wrong.

The king began walking towards her. But to his shock, she backed up the closer he got to her, looking at him like she didn't know him anymore. As if he was the one who had betrayed her.

No ... Simba thought. I will not let him turn her against me!

"He is a threat! They all are!" he exclaimed. "I fought to take these lands back from Scar. I worked hard to rebuild what my father left behind. Just as they wish to uphold Scar's legacy, I must do the same for him."

"You will never be Mufasa!" Kiara declared.

This snapped Simba right out of his anger. Instead, he now stood there in stunned silence, his mouth agape. As Kiara fired her stare at him in complete disapproval, the lion couldn't decide how to react. It was perhaps the most genuinely tense moment the two had experienced between each other.

Kiara had had enough, unable to take this injustice any longer. She had to get out of here, find out the truth on her own.

She had to find Kovu.

And so she ran, climbing down the terrain of Pride Rock, landing on the softer fields, and sprinting away into the distance.

"Kiara!" Simba shouted. "Kiara, stop! KIARA!!"

He tried to get up to chase after her, but his body screamed out in defiance, leaving him collapsed back onto the ground.

"Simba, you're too weak," Nala said. "Stay here and rest. I'll go after her."

The king looked at her hesitantly for a moment, but nodded. That was all the lioness needed, and she made for the ledge of the rock.

Before she leapt off, however, she turned back to her mate. She knew that Simba meant well. He always did, especially regarding Kiara. But right now, he wasn't acting like the Simba she knew and loved. He was no tyrant. But right now, his behavior more closely resembled Scar's than Kovu's ever had.

"We've lost enough over the years," she told him. "I don't want you to lose yourself."

Before Simba could react to her words, the agile lioness turned back and swiftly made her way down. Kiara had already dashed out of immediate sight, but she couldn't have gotten too far. Nala just needed to find her, and hopefully have a bit more of a reasonable conversation with her.

Simba reflected on what his mate and daughter said to him. He knew he couldn't be Mufasa; how could anyone? But he had to try his best. He had spent so long fleeing from his past, leaving those he loved to suffer. He couldn't risk abandoning that now. Not when so much was at risk.

If he did, everything they had overcome could be for nothing.

---

As Vitani made her way over to Kovu's cave of imprisonment, the events of the past few hours weighed heavily down on her.

As her brother was attacked, beaten, and bound by her own pride, she watched with terrible unease in her gut. She kept telling herself that it was his own fault, and that he had been the one foolish enough to go against their plan. And if it was simply a matter of holding him for questioning, that would be one thing. But the way her mother had so quickly dismissed him, treated him even more unfairly than usual, and even went so far as to seal his mouth up to keep him from speaking at all ... it just didn't sit right.

She knew Kovu, better than she knew anyone. He wouldn't make a decision like this lightly.

And for that reason, some time after he was taken away, Vitani decided to head over to him and try asking a few questions of her own. She needed to hear his side, and perhaps with her support they could work this whole misunderstanding out.

She reached the cave fairly quickly. The first thing she noticed was Kali and Siti standing guard at the entrance, making sure her tied-up brother didn't wriggle away from them. Which, given his endurance and strength, wasn't an irrational concern.

"What are you doing here?" Kali asked sternly as she approached them.

"Hello to you too," Vitani retorted, causing Kali to roll her eyes. "I just want to check on him. See how he's doing."

The two guards looked at each other for a few seconds, a bit unsure. They both trusted Vitani, but recent events had shown that trust wasn't too reliable. Nonetheless, the two soon nodded to each other.

"Alright," Siti turned to Vitani. "But don't let him pull anything. He's a clever one," she added a wry smirk at the end.

With a mildly annoyed expression, Vitani obliged and passed the two.

And looking at her brother, she didn't see what exactly he could pull.

Kovu still had his forelegs and hindlegs bound as before, with the same sap-dripped plant tightly secured around his mouth and head. But now, he also had his forelegs folded and tied against his chest, immobilizing him even further and forcing him in a lying position. All vines were still tied almost unnecessarily tight, compressing against his athletic frame so much that even the slightest movement had to hurt. Outlanders like them were used to discomfort, but he still must have been fairly miserable.

Indeed, he was. The vines new and old had dug themselves firmly against his skin, biting into his increasingly sore legs. He had been forced to lie like this for hours, causing him to go stiff, only able to barely stretch his bound hind legs. The hot air of the Outlands was bad enough to deal with regularly, but now that his breathing was so heavily restricted, it was almost unbearable. Not to mention the sap hardening against his lips and dripping into his dry mouth, with nothing else allowed in to lessen the taste or soothe his parched throat.

When he was left alone, the male had struggled relentlessly to free himself. He yanked and pulled his forelegs, but only upset his broad shoulders and back when the vines rubbed even further against them. He kicked and shimmied his back legs, flailing them uselessly as his ankles twisted and toes splayed out. The low pants and grunts of exertion that got past his gag were pitiful, although a few did reach the ears of his guards, much to Kali's annoyance and Siti's delight.

He tried rolling himself onto both sides, then on his back, but no position gained him any leverage or even any minimal amount of comfort. He heaved in what little air he could get, tossing himself around in feeble little bursts. The whole experience was so degrading, so disempowering. And it had been inflicted onto him by his own pride. By his own mother!

Despite his best efforts, the tough, sturdy lion felt a few tears come to his eyes at one point, and was unable to catch them as they rolled down his face, catching on the gag.

When Vitani finally walked over to him, he was laying nearly limp. His eyelids were heavy from the toll he had taken, his firm chest fighting to take in the air as it rose and fell. Vitani felt a lump in her throat as she witnessed the state he was in. Zira had been tough on him - tough on all of them, but him especially - but this was something else entirely. It was more than just a punishment; this was breaking him, little by little. It was cruelty.

As her shadow came over him, Kovu groggily turned his head to look up at the new presence. But when he saw who it was, he gasped through his gag.

"Phmtnnmm!"

The lioness folded her ears back, ashamed to look at the bound lion. Where was she supposed to begin? She wasn't even sure how much she truly needed to apologize for, or how Kovu would justify himself. All she knew is that she had to see him, speak to him, and hear him.

"Hey, uh ... Th-this is awkward, huh?" Wow, great start, she scolded herself. To her surprise, she heard a slight chuckle from Kovu's wrapped mouth, his eyes darting away a bit shyly.

But he was quick to get back to focus. He looked at her with determination, stretching his neck to get as close to her as he could.

"Mmnnnrr nmmghnnmmh. Phrrmm," he uttered. He wriggled a little when his words were lost, his tail thumping against the ground.

Vitani sighed. Even gagged, his urgency was unmistakable. "Kovu, I ... I don't like this. It's not fair to you. But what did you expect me to do? You went rogue on us! You didn't even come to us about anything!"

He just kept looking up at her, trying to apologize through his eyes. He may not have wanted to follow Zira any longer, but he never wanted to abandon his sister. She was right; he should have talked to her earlier, when he still had that freedom.

"Do you really think we have a shot with those Pridelanders? After everything that's happened between us?"

The thought sounded ridiculous. They had not only been enemies for years, but they had just made an attempt on their king's life. And Zira would never go against Scar's wishes, or even doubt them for a single second. How were they supposed to believe that anything could change now? What had Kovu seen to change his outlook so drastically?

Or ... was that outlook never as resolute as he made it appear to be?

Vitani reached down to put a claw towards Kovu's face. He moaned and inched away from her, but stopped when the claw landed on the plant gagging him.

He then looked up at her with renewed hope, anticipating her next move.

"I'm taking this off," Vitani said. "And you need to tell me what-"

"No!"

Vitani whipped her head to the entrance, where Kali was now looking at her with highly disapproving eyes. "He is not to be allowed to speak! Zira made that very clear to us!"

Vitani narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her snappy attitude in check. "We need to hear him. Just to give him a chance."

"Absolutely not," the guard responded aggressively. She took a few steps towards Vitani as her expression gained a tinge of suspicion. "He's been corrupted. If he speaks before being cured, we risk him infecting others."

Vitani had to turn her head away from the two to hide the incredulous look her face took on. This was insane! They were treating Kovu like some hostile intruder! Did all the hardships they'd gone through together mean nothing to this pride now? How could Zira be so unwilling to give her own son even the slightest benefit of the doubt, and how could these lionesses be so willing to go along?

And, Vitani thought, if Zira was being so unreasonable about this ... what else could she be wrong about?

"Vitani," Siti interrupted her thoughts. "If you don't have anything else to add, I think you've gotta go."

Vitani's claws dug into the barren terrain below her. She looked back down at her bound and gagged brother, and he looked back up at her, their views of each other upside down as his mane lay against the ground.

The lioness felt herself nearly shaking when she looked into his eyes. Those beautiful green, emerald eyes that she had come to trust and admire so much, were shimmering with pure, unbridled vulnerability. She had never seen such a pleading expression on him. This wasn't the ruthless assassin she thought he'd been molded into. This was a lion who believed in something greater, and was now scared of the consequences such belief would inflict on him.

"Mrrmph," he whimpered helplessly.

That sad little grunt was the final straw. In that moment, Vitani knew one truth: whatever possessed Kovu to make the decisions he did, it was for good reason. He saw something that no one else in the pride did. And all he wanted was to tell them, so that they could see it too.

Further, it was becoming clear that even if the Outlanders won this upcoming war, things wouldn't get much better. They would have the flourishing home they had always craved, yes. But Kovu would still be ostracized, treated like a disease by nearly everyone. And that was only after Zira allowed him back his freedom, which Vitani doubted would happen any time soon. And even if all that passed, whatever truth he had come to realize would either be lost, or no longer have any power.

Something needed to change. And it needed to happen now.

But to do that, she had to leave Kovu behind.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to her brother, preventing it from being heard by the guards keenly watching her.

She couldn't say anything more to him without arousing further suspicion. So, much to her chagrin, she turned around and headed out. Kovu was left to, unsurprisingly, yell at her through the moss, begging her to not abandon him. With a heavy heart, Vitani forced herself to ignore him. But she made an unspoken promise that she wouldn't leave him like this forever.

Just hang in there, she thought.

"Phmtnnmm! Nmmhghmm!! HMMHMM!!"

Grunting loudly, Kovu began worming and wriggling his way towards the mouth of the cave, trying in vain to keep up with his sister. He thrusted his bound body to get mere pitiful inches, forcing himself to ignore how the vines squeezed him tighter with every move.

But it was no use. Even with her saddened pace, she was out of reach. By the time he reached the cave entrance, she was too far away to hear him.

Heartbroken and desperate, the gagged lion turned to the two guards, swiveling his head between them as he tried in vain to speak. "Prmmh, rmmmghmm! Rmmmnrrg, nnnhnng! Mmnnrr nnmrrm! Mmmnngnmph, prmmh!!"

"Oh, now you wanna talk," Siti said. She brought her nose to lightly brush against his, and Kovu recoiled. "Shoulda thought of that earlier, handsome," she said with a smug smile.

The gagged lion vigorously shook his head, trying once more to dislodge his tight, putrid gag. "Mmnnrmrrmph nnphrph! Mmnnnrrh!"

It was no use; Zira had made sure that he couldn't get through to any of his pride sisters.

"Get back in there!" Kali snapped. She gnashed her teeth at him threateningly. When he refused to comply, she did it again. Fearfully, Kovu backed himself up, tossing his head in despair at his failure.

"MMMGH!!!" he roared, thrashing in a fit.

Why won't they even try to listen?! he thought. He felt himself sob dryly, having never felt more abandoned in his life. He struggled some more, but it was, of course, futile.

Little did he know, someone had listened, in the only way she could. And she was determined to, however necessary, make this right.

Even if it meant going against everything she'd been taught.

---

Kiara had searched everywhere in the Pridelands for Kovu.

She took to the treetops to try and get a better view. She scoured the edges of the pride's territory, careful to still remain within the border. She asked any passing animal if they had seen him, but any sightings of him had been when he was with her father earlier. Soon her mind began playing tricks on her, as she kept wishfully thinking that any random rustling could be the lion she sought out. And each time when she was proven foolish, her spirits were deflated a little more.

In conjunction, her fears were rising further and further. Any number of things could be keeping Kovu from her. Maybe he thought he would no longer be trusted and decided to run away. She didn't know how she'd cope with him believing that she didn't care for him anymore. Maybe the Outlanders had decided to hold him prisoner, or worse ... She shook her head to try and rid herself of the terrible thought. But still, where else could he be?

Unless he really was plotting with Zira - No! Stop it! she told herself. That couldn't be the case ... it couldn't. They had something special, the likes of which she had never truly felt with another lion. And so she refused to even humor the possibility that it had all been a lie. That it was only real for her.

Growing tired from her rigorous search, Kiara forced herself to take a break. She collapsed on a soft patch of grass with a defeated exhale. She lay her paws and head flat, and her eyelids grew heavy with dejection.

Where are you? she thought. Please, come home. I love you.

"There you are," a kind, loving voice came from behind her.

Kiara gasped and shot up onto her feet, wanting to believe that it was her dear Kovu that had finally returned to her. But when she turned around, she saw that it was her mother, now padding her way towards her.

Though Nala showed no signs of being upset or angry, the princess took a single step back. "Mom, please ... don't tell me to stop."

A dry, humorless chuckle was Nala's response. "Can't we just talk?" she asked, not raising her voice in the slightest.

Sensing that her mother would be far more reasonable to talk to, Kiara felt herself relax. She sat back down as her mother joined her side, lightly licking the top of her head.

"Do you think he's right?" Kiara got right to the point of the matter. "Do you think Kovu's a traitor?"

Nala looked down at her paws, taking a few seconds to come up with a response. "... I really don't know, sweetie. I can't pretend that it's not a strong possibility."

Upon seeing her daughter prepared to fire back, Nala added on, "But I want to hope he's honest. I know you really like him."

Kiara nodded with a sad smile, mirrored by Nala.

When Nala saw her daughter interact with the boy, she saw traces of what she had felt when she was reunited with Simba back in that jungle years ago. And while Kovu was a bit brash and hotheaded at times, he seemed to have plenty of heart. Much like Kiara herself. It didn't surprise her to see the two young lions get along so well.

"I just don't understand," Kiara lamented. "Why is Daddy so sure there's no other way?"

"You know what he's been through," Nala said solemnly. "But I don't think any of us know just how badly it affected him. He was just a helpless boy when his uncle, someone he loved and trusted, betrayed him so horribly." She fought to keep her own hatred for the beastly lion out of her voice. "Even after he came back, your father was never truly the same. It's made him paranoid, to the point where anything resembling Scar can no longer be trusted."

Kiara hadn't thought of it like that before. The mere idea of Kovu turning against her, having never truly been her friend, stabbed at her heart. So to think of what her father had been put through, at such a young age and with such devastating consequences ... she could understand why he was so over-protective of her. And it sourly reminded her that as firm as her beliefs were, she couldn't always know what was real and what wasn't.

Nala looked up to the stars, as if praying to the Great Kings for some form of guidance or advice. "It's ironic," she continued. "He spent his childhood running away from his past. Now, it seems he's unable to let it go."

Kiara leaned in to nuzzle her mother, and the two let the warm affections pass between them. This family undoubtedly had scars, ones that would never truly fade no matter how much time passed. The question was whether they could ever learn to live with them, and more importantly, let something stronger be born from them.

They just needed the chance.

Nala's ears then went erect when she faintly picked up the sound of rustling in the grass not too far from them. She slowly rose up on all fours and looked out in the distance. Kiara then saw her eyes widen, and she turned her head in the same direction.

Her face also lit up in surprise when she saw the sole figure wandering around. It looked like a lioness, although neither of them recognized her.

The duo cautiously made their way over, their bodies tensed and ready to spring. After the ambush, they needed to be on their guard, and they both could somehow sense that this wasn't a usual outing for this lioness.

Eventually, they made eye contact with the newcomer. They saw her then freeze up, raising a single forepaw. She almost looked scared, wanting to come closer but fearing what would happen if she did.

So Kiara and Nala went ahead. They soon could get a better look at this stranger. She was skinny, unhealthily so, and sported a mangy dark-tan coat with narrow, indigo eyes surrounded by dark markings. But to Nala, her most prominent feature was the little tuft of fur hanging over her forehead. A tuft that Nala was familiar with.

And as she got a bit closer, her recognition was confirmed.

She paused, turning to Kiara with worry.

"Mom?" Kiara uttered.

"Kiara ... stay back."

Before the princess could ask another word, she saw her mother suddenly charge at the stranger. She didn't seem to react, rather getting into a submissive stance and allowing herself to be tackled by the queen. She ended up pinned on her back, but still made no effort to resist.

"What are you doing here?!" Nala growled, showing her teeth.

Vitani breathed in deeply, trying to maintain an air of passivity without looking weak. It went against her nature to not fight back against such hostility, but it was a needed sacrifice in what was possibly the riskiest thing she had ever done.

She was, however, grateful to see the princess present as well. Given how she seemed to be at the center of this entire debacle, as well as Kovu's defection, it gave Vitani the slightest bit of hope that she could be the key to her efforts.

The Outlander swallowed her pride, looked at Nala with disarming and rare urgency, and said, "I need your help."

---

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 Disney.

---

I'm definitely pleased with how relatively quickly I was able to continue this story. This is thanks to how familiar I am with the first two Lion King films, how clear the plan for the whole fic was for me since the start, and my own motivation to not allow this story to heavily delay my others any more than necessary.

But now the focus shifts to two primary perspectives, Kiara and Vitani, who both are having very similar epiphanies. One of my favorite parts of Simba's Pride was how similar the hero side and villain side were in having to overcome their own inner demons and, as Simba puts it, let something better grow than what was there before. Simba is trying to be Mufasa, Zira is trying to be Scar ... and Kiara and Kovu just want happy, prosperous lives. (Yet even Kiara is just assuming Kovu's innocent, oblivious to how he initially wasn't. I briefly touch upon this here and will address it again later.) And now Vitani is coming around to that, in a way that's different from the movie.

I said that this would probably be four parts, but I somewhat underestimated how much wording some parts would take. So it may get pushed to five. Writing this story has drilled in even further how condensed my earlier works could be, and how many corners they cut. Not that I don't take a few shortcuts now, but if I had approached writing The Kidnapping of Kiara the same way I approached writing this, that story would be at least twice as long as it is. When I get the majority of the fics I currently have in mind finished (which will likely be a long ways from now), I'm seriously considering doing rewrites of some earlier stories to give them the quality they deserve.

But until then, I hope people are happy with this! I've recently accepted a trade with someone, so I'll intersperse writing this story with writing the (oneshot) story I owe as a result. It shouldn't take too long :)

---

Kovu's gag speech translated:

"Phmtnnmm!" - "Vitani!"

"Mmnnnrr nmmghnnmmh. Phrrmm," - "I need to talk to you. Please."

"Mrrmph," - "Please,"

"Phmtnnmm! Nmmhghmm!! HMMHMM!!" - "Vitani! Don't go!! HELP ME!!"

"Prmmh, rmmmghmm! Rmmmnrrg, nnnhnng! Mmnnrr nnmrrm! Mmmnngnmph, prmmh!!" - "Please, let me go! Let me talk, anything! I'm not your enemy! I'm begging you, please!!"

"Mmnnrmrrmph nnphrph! Mmnnnrrh!" - "I didn't realize the truth! I do now!"