Be Careful, Princess!

[divsalley]

[quote="YFWE"]Good going! Looks like some sort of adulation is growing between Ahadi and Uru, which of course was to be expected. Next chapter should be pretty great, I think![/quote]

Thanks, YFWE, for following ALL my fanfics so closely... I really appreciate it. Hopefully, my stories are getting better!

[divsalley]

Chapter Nine: New Alliances

Night had fallen on these strange lands as Uru looked around from her rock at the surroundings. Everyone else would have slept by now. Mako himself had come to check on why she hadn't left her position. She shuddered as she remembered the conversation.

"Why aren't you inside, my dear?" Mako asked her slyly. Uru winced as she heard the leer in his voice.

"I'm still on the lookout, Sire. The sun has set, I am aware. But my senses tell me that there's something out there, waiting to strike. I may be wrong, though," she finished. Mako smiled at her and walked a little closer and sat right beside her. Uru was repulsed by his presence, but tried not to show it.

"I'm not as bad as they make me seem, Uru... And sooner or later, I will need an heir to rule over all this after me... But none of these lionesses will have me!" he said slowly. Uru was positively alarmed. This wasn't happening!

"Sire, we're all wary, and I wouldn't want to say anything I'm going to regret. You must leave," Uru said as politely as she could. Mako laughed heartily.

"You're sharp, Uru... But that's not going to help you for long. I'm a King! I can do whatever I want. You have no idea how persuasive I can be," Mako said as he slowly got up and left.

Now, as she scanned the horizon, stars appeared slowly in the sky. The night felt suddenly cold and indifferent. Her father would've ripped Mako to shreds for talking to her that way. She suddenly missed him now... She missed his love and protection... his wise counsel and his comforting hugs... She teared up at the thought of him.

"Forgive me, father... I can only return once I prove to myself that I'm worthy of the throne you'll be leaving for me," she whispered as she looked at the stars. As she looked around again, she could clearly see an outline becoming larger and larger. She screwed her eyes up to get a better look, and was relieved to see it was Ahadi. She ran to greet him.

"What're you doing here this late? If Mako sees you," Uru began, but Ahadi cut her short by nuzzling her.

"I don't know why, but I had to see you," he told her simply. "And you shouldn't fear Mako that much. You're stronger than he is. You can take him if you wanted to. You're holding back," Ahadi said as he smiled at a shocked Uru.

"Why did you do that?" she asked him.

"Why did I do what?" he asked her innocently.

"You just... came up to me and nuzzled me! Why did you do that?" Uru asked him, a little annoyed.

"Well, I was under the assumption that you would appreciate some affection. If it offended you, I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Ahadi said calmly as Uru's face flushed. She didn't want to admit it, but Ahadi was right. She did appreciate it. She looked down for a minute before responding.

"Well, thanks, but... it was just so sudden, that I didn't... Well... shall we walk?" she asked him.

"It is a beautiful night... Let's not waste it. Come on!" Ahadi said and they began walking. It was a little awkward as none of them spoke for a long time. They kept stealing glances at each other, as if in turns. It was some sort of competition where neither was ready to give up. Finally, Ahadi decided to break the silence.

"So, Uru... enlighten me. How does a lioness like you end up in a Kingdom like this?" he asked her lightly.

"I'm sorry, Ahadi... I'm not ready to discuss that just yet. It was a very hard decision... One I'm still dealing with. I'll tell you when I'm ready," she finished.

Ahadi sighed and said, "I was a fool."

"What? Why?" Uru asked, a little confused.

"I was a fool to think you'd trust me so soon and tell me all about yourself! I mean... what have I told you about me?" he said as he laughed.

"Nothing, really... other than the fact that you're here to defeat Mako," Uru said with a smile.

"And I suppose you want to know why?" Ahadi asked.

"I do, but I won't ask you about it. I know what it's like to carry a burden that heavy. No one else should have to share it," Uru said seriously.

"Uru, I... I don't want to be so blunt about this, but... can you tell me more about Mako's defenses?" he asked her.

Uru suppressed a twinge of annoyance as she asked, "Is that all your interested in?" Ahadi raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Is there anything else you'd like me to be interested in?" he asked her.

"If you don't already know, then I can't help you!" Uru said scathingly. She thought that even though that may be the primary reason for their alliance, he should've at least spared her feelings by not declaring it so blatantly.

"Well, I don't ask you about what I'm really interested in because I know you wouldn't want to answer me!" he said a little defensively. Uru's cheeks had suddenly turned a deep shade of pink at these words. She knew that he was referring to her past, and that she'd told him that she didn't want to talk about that just yet.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... to hurt your feelings. I just felt a little used, that's all," Uru said slowly. "I guess there's no point in delaying this. As you know, I'm stationed at the eastern border. Avina and Ansara guard the south and north... Mako guards the western border himself. He never leaves the place until late night. He met me before he went inside the den," Uru said bitterly as she remembered the revolting conversation she'd had with Mako.

"What did he say?" Ahadi asked her casually.

"He practically asked me to be his Queen," she told him simply. "Not in so many words, but..."

"He WHAT?" Ahadi asked her angrily. The thought of Uru with Mako was somehow unbearable to him. He was infuriated by the thought of that disgusting, treacherous lion anywhere near Uru. "You'll stay away from him from now on. Do you hear me?" he said firmly.

"Ahadi, calm down! I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know he's getting to me! There's no need for you to get so worked up about this. I'll take care of Mako if he crosses the line. Believe me, I won't tolerate it! I'm not his slave!" she said in a voice that suited a Queen. Ahadi was stunned to hear such power in her voice.

"You're one of a kind, Uru," he said simply. "You may do as you're told when it's convenient... but the minute they take advantage of that, you won't let them get away with it." Uru was stunned at these words. She'd heard them from her father a long time ago... An image of him searching frantically for her flashed before her eyes. She suddenly felt her eyes well up as she thought of him again.

"Uru, I want to ask you something," Ahadi said softly.

"What is it?" Uru asked, suddenly caught off guard.

"Why did you decide to help me? he asked her.

"Oh," Uru said, relieved that he didn't ask her any pressing questions. "Well, I decided to help you because... our goals are the same. You don't know what it's like here. Mako mistreats all of us. None of us lionesses is ready to actually have his cubs, which infuriates him. He has a Kingdom, but no heir. This suits us just well because all this will end after he dies. We'll be free to move to new lands. But I didn't want to wait that long to free these lionesses. I want to do something about it now. So when you came and told me that you were here to challenge Mako, I decided to help you."

"Is that so?" Ahadi asked with a smile. "Well, thank you, Uru. I really appreciate it. It's getting late, and we must both go back home. Let me walk you to your den." Uru nodded and walked with him silently. It seemed like there was something weighing on their minds heavily, but they didn't want to talk about it. Uru was thinking about Ahadi's reasons for challenging Mako while he was thinking about why she was here. Soon, they were at the foot of the den.

"Goodnight, Uru. May I see you later today?" he asked her politely.

"I guess you want to get more information on the pride?" Uru asked slyly.

"Among other things," Ahadi said with a smile as he watched her walk up to the mouth of the den. Uru had to laugh at his cheek as she tried not to blush.

"Goodnight, Ahadi," she said and walked in. It took every ounce of her will power to stop herself from screaming. Someone was waiting for her. Calm, amber eyes danced in the darkness as the figure moved closer to Uru.

"Avina! You scared me to death!" Uru whispered.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you jump, ok? Tell me more about him!" Avina said in hushed tones. Uru smiled at her with relief. She could trust Avina.

"Let's sit here," Uru said calmly as they both sat by the mouth of the cave.

"So, what's going on? I watched you leave to meet him. Who is he?" she asked Uru.

Uru laughed as she said, "His name is Ahadi, and he's here to help us. He wants Mako gone more than we do. He didn't tell me why, but he's got some issues of his own with Mako. I guess he stirred up some trouble a while ago... I wouldn't know about it. Anyway, the thing is, he needs our help. I've been giving him information on our defences for a while now."

"What? Uru, how do you know if this guy’s genuine? What if he turns out to be a spy of Mako's? You'll be in big trouble then!" Avina said.

"He seemed genuine to me, Avina. I don't think he's Mako's spy at all. The only one who'd be ready to spy on him would be his own cub. And since he doesn't have any of those, we're in the clear," Uru said.

"He didn't tell you why he wants to defeat Mako, then?" Avina asked skeptically.

"No, he doesn't want to get into it," Uru said.

"I... heard a strange tale a while ago... when I was a cub and this land was prosperous. An old lioness had once told me that this land wasn't Mako's to begin with. He'd taken it from someone. There was a battle, and it was told that the pride that lived here had acknowledged a Crown Prince, too. He was too young to fight, but we never found him after we came here. Some say he escaped, but the lioness told me that the cub may have escaped before we got here. No one knows... I don't see how he could've survived out there, though... There's a desert right across the western border. Nothing lives there. I don't see how he could," Avina finished dramatically. Uru was deep in thought. After what she'd heard, she didn't think it farfetched that Ahadi was that Crown Prince. Why would Mako watch the western border himself otherwise? He feared attack mostly from there. But then again, Ahadi had met her by her post at the eastern border. Had he led his pride in a more circuitous route? She'd have to find out.

"Thanks for telling me about this, Avina... But I don't think that Ahadi could be that Crown Prince. He came in from the eastern border, remember? That's why I saw him first. Otherwise he would've run directly into Mako!" Uru said, trying to test her theory with Avina.

"That guy's not stupid, Uru. He'd have figured out that Mako would suspect attack from the western border, because he probably suspected that the true heir survived! It would be easy for him to take another route," Avina said. Uru nodded thoughtfully.

"But how did he survive the desert? The lioness told you that he ran right into it, right?" Uru asked.

"Well, yes. That's why they stopped chasing him, apparently... I don't see how he could've survived that... Seriously... it's not possible," Avina said sadly, as if hope had been extinguished.

"But even if he survived, how does that help us? None of the lionesses here are from the old pride, right? They must've died a while ago, right?" Uru asked.

"I don't know, Uru... Some of them may still be here. But this is for certain. Very few lionesses survived that battle. My mother told me that she was badly wounded herself, and they'd considered leaving her behind. But she was able to keep up and they let her stay. The story I told you was told to me by a lioness of the old pride when I was very young. Mako had any male cub that was born killed immediately. He didn't want a challenger. Female cubs... well, they'd be potential mates... so why kill them?" Avina said in a hollow voice. Uru couldn't believe how cruel Mako had been. He'd killed cubs just to eliminate competition.

"Ansara and I had a little brother... Kulu. Mako killed him as soon as he was born," Avina said angrily. "He just killed him... My mother had been away. She'd left us to take care of him. Mako didn't care that she had a young cub to care for. He wanted her out hunting. He pretended to play with us and shoved Kulu off that ledge," she finished. Her voice was shaking.

"I'm so sorry, Avina... I didn't know... Kulu's death was terrible! Mako shouldn't have done that," Uru said, infuriated. Had she been outside the cave, she would've roared in fury. How could Mako do this? He'd killed so many innocent cubs... He'd robbed another one of his family, if what she'd heard was true. How could there exist such a lion when a lion like her father ruled so well over the Pridelands? She had to do something about it. She looked outside in the direction where she'd first met Ahadi.

"I promise you this, Avina... I'll do whatever I can to bring Mako down. Ahadi will help us do that, too. We have to work on a plan to make this work. Mako's time is nearing its end," Uru said firmly.

As the sun rose that morning, Uru got up soon and walked slowly in the direction of the rock where she'd first met Ahadi. As she stood there, she could see him approaching. She smiled, but there was a curiosity in her today that just couldn't be satisfied by vague answers. She walked to him with a fire in her heart that she'd never known until this day. Ahadi smiled at her, but it faded as soon as he saw the look on her face.

"Are you alright, Uru?" he asked her,

"It is time, Ahadi, for you to tell me exactly why you're here. I heard a tale from a friend, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. Many moons ago, this land was attacked by Mako and taken over by him. The Crown Prince was too young to fight, so he was back at the den while the battle was being fought. When he realized his parents had lost, he ran away past the western border and into the desert. Am I right so far?" Uru asked seriously.

It was as if someone had clenched Ahadi's insides. He could remember clearly how horrific the whole thing was. He remembered the terrifying desert... and the mirage... and almost dying in a sand storm. "Yes," was all he could manage.

"Ahadi, are you that cub? Were you the Crown Prince of these lands? Is that why you want to defeat Mako?" Uru asked him with an assertiveness that he couldn't defy.

"Uru, I," Ahadi began, but Uru cut him short.

"Please just say yes or no, Ahadi... Are you that cub?" Uru asked firmly.

"Yes, I am. I was the Crown Prince of these lands, and I've come to reclaim my throne," Ahadi said. "Now, Uru, I have a request to make. You know about my past. You know why I'm here. It is only fair that you tell me about your own journey."

Uru was hesitant at first, but Ahadi was right. She did know his purpose, while he didn’t know hers. "I'm here to prove something to myself," she said at first.

"What do you have to prove to yourself?" Ahadi asked, slightly amused.

"I was a Princess. I was to be Queen of my lands someday. But my father's accomplishments were so legendary that I started to worry about how I'd ever live up to them. Everyone else in the Kingdom kept telling me that it was a feat close to impossible... I lost confidence in myself and left... so I could prove to myself that I was worthy. That's why I'm here. If I can free this Pride of Mako, then I'll know that I'm worthy of being my father's successor," Uru said firmly. Ahadi didn't speak for a minute. But when he did, she was surprised to hear such anger in his voice.

"I'm here risking everything to avenge my parents' death... to take over the Kingdom they'd lost. And you... you left them worried when you could've stayed with them and had their love? What kind of a spoilt Princess does that? I thought you were smart, Uru... I thought you had a real purpose! But you just abandoned your parents, leaving them worried! Do you have any idea how worried they'd be about you? This is not a game! Lions and lionesses die in battles like this! And I cannot believe how selfish you were by putting your fears over theirs this way! Clearly, you only thought of yourself when you left! If I still had parents, I'd never leave their side! I'd realize that they could be taken away from me any moment and cherish them! But you... you just left home for no reason!" he yelled.

Uru was shocked at first, but she had to retaliate. "You have no right to judge my purpose based on yours. I understand that losing your parents has completely changed you, and that you deem anyone who has parents lucky. But that doesn't mean you look down upon my reasons! You don't know what it's like to have a father whose accomplishments were the stuff of legend! You have no idea what it's like to be compared to him every single moment, being whispered about behind your back that you'd never be good enough. And if you had..."

"I'd be honored!" Ahadi thundered. "I would give anything to have my parents back! I wouldn't care what others around me said! I would've been loved!!!"

"I guess I've changed my mind about helping you," Uru spat. "You can do this by yourself if you can! You got all the information you need from me anyway! You don't need me to help you anymore." Then she turned around and didn't even look back as she heard him call out to her. As she thought of how harsh he'd been about her reason for being here, she felt a fresh wave of anger surge through her.

"Why did I ever want to help him?" she asked herself angrily as she walked to the den. But as she looked at who was standing at the entrance, her face turned pale. Mako was standing there with a furious look on his face.

"Well, well, well! We have ourselves a traitor!" she heard him say maliciously. She gulped as she walked up to him. Running away wouldn't have been an option, either. What he would do to her now, no one could tell.

[TheWhistlerify]

That... my friend, was excellent!

[divsalley]

[quote="TheWhistlerify"]That... my friend, was excellent![/quote]

Glad you enjoyed it! More coming up soon!

[TheWhistlerify]

K, I didn't have time before but now I got plenty...

It was well written as always, it was longer then the previous episodes which is good, It's quite clear that you took your time with it which made it more better. Also the ending brings up alot of questions; What will happend between Uru and Ahadi, what will Mako do to her, how did he find out and a few more that I can't remember.
Cool =o

[divsalley]

[quote="TheWhistlerify"]K, I didn't have time before but now I got plenty...

It was well written as always, it was longer then the previous episodes which is good, It's quite clear that you took your time with it which made it more better. Also the ending brings up alot of questions; What will happend between Uru and Ahadi, what will Mako do to her, how did he find out and a few more that I can't remember.
Cool =o[/quote]

I really appreciate the fact that you've taken the time to read ALL my fanfics... I hope they don't disappoint you!

[TheWhistlerify]

Are you kidding? I read all Tale of The Great Kings 1, 2, 3, 4, and the beginning 3 chapters of A Prince's Wish in a row. Now I'm not a book reading person and reading is rarely a part of my schedule but I really enjoyed it!

[divsalley]

[quote="TheWhistlerify"]Are you kidding? I read all Tale of The Great Kings 1, 2, 3, 4, and the beginning 3 chapters of A Prince's Wish in a row. Now I'm not a book reading person and reading is rarely a part of my schedule but I really enjoyed it![/quote]

Wow! Well, thanks again... and it's readers like you and YFWE that actually make me want to write stories... feedback is always welcome... More chapters coming up soon!

[YFWE]

Ooooh, now this is getting exciting! The spat between Uru and Ahadi seemed slightly unreasonable at first, though understandable, and it did lead into some uber-crazy plot development! Should be a fantastic next chapter. Looking forward to it!

[divsalley]

[quote="YFWE"]Ooooh, now this is getting exciting! The spat between Uru and Ahadi seemed slightly unreasonable at first, though understandable, and it did lead into some uber-crazy plot development! Should be a fantastic next chapter. Looking forward to it![/quote]

That was the idea! I guess it worked... Next chapter coming up soon!