"A-are you sure about this, Simba?"

"Of course, you and my daughter stopped me from making a terrible mistake. I dare say the two of you are wiser than me."

"But...I'm not a leader. I'm a killer, an assassin."

"I disagree. I saw the potential for you to be a good leader in your actions. I made a mistake when I judged you by your upbringing. I of all people should have known that we are always more than our blood."

Kovu looked back over the savanna, the setting sun dousing everything in a bright warm orange.

Simba turned around. "Well, I'll leave it to you then," he said, walking away.

As the King walked away, his form shrouded in darkness, Kovu could swear the setting sun represented the end of his reign.

Which could only mean that when the sun rose again, it would bring with it a new reign.

~~

I drew this a while back when I saw a drawing of Simba and Kovu in the sunset! I instantly wanted to draw warm Simba.

Simba was never a perfect King. He suffered from a lot of personal flaws due to the trauma he experienced as a young cub, which was not helped by the rest of the Pridelands hailing him as the return of Mufasa himself and conflating his rule with his father's. However, despite all his shortcomings, Simba could reflect, and accept when he was wrong.

And when it was time, Simba was more than ready to leave his legacy in the paws of a capable young lion like Kovu.

I don't think I've spoken about how much I love that the lions have a belief about the setting sun. It gives the opportunity to play with so many ideas!

It's been a while since I've done actual TLK art! And much much longer since I've drawn Simba! I also tried to emulate a screenshot type style!

Hope you guys like it!

Simba and Kovu (C) Disney
At (C) me