Rhonda Petrie

June 2nd, 2009

Hi, this is Rhonda Petrie! This is officially my first fanfiction in this website and this is also my first fanfiction I have written in a long while. This story, like most of my other stories I have written before, is going to take a very bizarre and eerie turn due to the fact that this is written as an original reinterpretation of the first Lion King movie; this story features The Golden Girls: Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche and Rose, all roomates dwelling in the city of Miami and living in a house owned by Blanche herself, and of course, America's favorite cowardly dog, Courage, all taking a major part in one of Disney's most classical and popular movies in the history of cinema and of course one of my personal favorites. Basically, this storyline depicts the five heroes being uprooted from their usual setting and transported into the African world of the Lion King universe; they are born unto the King and Queen of Pride Rock, Mufasa and Sarabi, as heirs of the kingdom and potential saviors of the land. Their births are met with great joy, albeit with some confusion and bemusement, but alas all is not well. Scar, Mufasa's vagabond and wayward, younger brother who is the black sheep of the royal family, is insulted and disgruntled by the royal children's arrival and schemes to not only thwart their destiny to take their prominent place in the so-called Circle of Life, but to also slay and murder his own brother and take over the kingdom as well, with some help of course. Dorothy and her friends must use their magical, (albeit superhero-like), powers granted to them by the legendary palm tree that abides in the desert to not only achieve their ultimate potential and destiny, but to also save the vast, opulent and celestial land from descending into madness and ruin and stop Scar from driving Pride Rock into inevitable destruction.

Although it's not a key point in this epic tale, I'll try to bridge together some of the most troubling and persistent plot holes that had been introduced since the release of the sequel The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride as best as I can with my own ideas of the events that occured in the trilogy, (ex. how the heck did Zira come into the picture in the first place?!) And there is going to be a bit of romance in this tale, especially between Simba & Dorothy, who in my opinion make a very intriguing and fascinating couple, and also some adult undertones as well, such as Scar's fascination and interest in Blanche, Sophia and ultimately Dorothy, (mostly Blanche though) but nothing really M rated in here, or you may not be able to access this story in the first place (I have no clue how to access M rated stories in this website so if anyone can tell me how to access them that'll be great since I'm old enough to read them). And if you're wondering how Courage came to be a good friend of The Golden Girls, I was originally going to make a movie combining clips from two episodes of Courage The Cowardly Dog, (one of them was going to be an episode of the weremole where Muriel gets bitten by one), and also two more clips from The Golden Girls show, (with one episode detailing Sophia's bizarre and dogged quest to save her daughter from a perceived dangerous curse cast by a dying witch on her deathbed and the other one was when The Golden Girls went out on the town to a murder mystery theatre and Blanche ends up being accused of a real life crime after Dorothy uses her sharp and deft deducting skills to solve a particular staged murder), and that movie was supposed to be a basis for a prequel which would eventually lead into the movie version of this novel and I was going to send it to YouTube after I acquired an account, but unfortunately the plans for the proposed movie fell through and it was never made, hence, the "Novelization Of The Crossover Movie" subtitle; however, I'm planning to make a fanfiction prequel for this novel that would explain how The Golden Girls and Courage crossed paths with each other and became an indomitable and formidable team as soon as I'm done with this and the upcoming sequel, if I could find a good plot. I came up with a really snappy and impressive title for the planned movie but now I pretty much forgot it. Oh well. Well, enough blabbing about me, why don't you read and enjoy this lovely story and rate and review it while giving me tips on how to improve it; it will be most welcome. And when I eventually write a sequel for this story, which will continue the saga of The Golden Gang, I will also try to solve yet more plotholes in the Lion King sequel by introducing my own version of how and why certain events happened, which will also have some relevance towards the tragic atmosphere in my story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Golden Girls and Courage the Cowardly Dog, nor The Lion King itself, and all rights are reserved and rightfully belong to Susan Harris, creator of The Golden Girls, John Dilworth, who created Courage The Cowardly Dog, and of course, Disney. The majority of the characters portrayed in this story are of my own creation.

Courage The Cowardly Dog V.S. The Golden Girls V.S. The Lion King: The Dawn Of A New King – A Novelization Of The Crossover Movie

Chapter 1 – Birth Of The Golden Kingdom

The sun emerged from the hazy, amber/saffron-colored horizon that gleamed and shimmered like reflected waves in the watering pool just after dawn. The animals were on a several-mile long trek to go to the Prideland Kingdom, where King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi reigned and ruled in prosperity. The meerkats scuttled and scampered from their bolt holes on the lookout for the massively diverse herd of animals that were trudging their way through. And as the flock of African birds were gliding in a precise formation and were fluttering and flittering all to themselves, a grumpy voice cried out from within the flock. "You stupid birds, stay out of my face!" Eustace trumpeted in his African elephant disguise as he attempted to shoo away all of the birds that were trying to peck on his back and tip of his ears looking for fleas to eat. "Eustace, will you pipe down and leave those poor birds alone? We're on our way to Simba's ceremony," his faithful, kindly and benevolent Scottish wife Muriel returned with a stern and sharp reply as she swooped in with the form of a hornbill. "Damn it sucks to be a dingo," Shirley the Medium muttered under her breath as she kept her steady pace amongst the animals while concealed in her disguise as a dingo. "Why on earth are we going to be in Simba's ceremony with these stupid, stinking animals and these stupid, stinking birds? He's nothing but a stupid, stinking lion!" Eustace shot back at Muriel with an insolent and defiant tone. "EUSTACE!" Muriel chided him in an appalled and aghast voice. "That is no way to take about an innocent babe, especially since he is to be the future ruler of Pride Rock." "Ah, mam whatever," Eustace mumbled under his breath in a disregarding manner. "OHHHHHH! I am so excited to see Simba and Courage. I do hope that he and The Golden Girls are okay," Muriel gushed in excitement. "Well, it is their stupid, stinking idea for them to be transformed into lions just so they could experience the movie for themselves," Eustace griped in a tart, growly, exasperated tone. "If you don't shut up, stupid one, I'll bite you in the keister, and it is not pretty," Shirley threatened Eustace in her usual solemn, grave voice. Eustace snorted and continued on his merry way.

A giraffe perked his head up to see the morning sky dazzle the atmosphere with its clear, beauteous, baby blue hue dotted and stroked with fluffy, lofty, gassy, cotton, wooly-like clouds and the sun just lighting up the sky at an acute angle. He then glowered at Eustace before socking him in the side with his hind feet and Eustace yowled in pain as he trumpeted loudly in the crowd, startling the congregation. Zazu, the majordomo of the Pride Rock kingdom, then swooped into the sky in a gliding, sailing motion as he flapped his wings and then settled on the rock formation and bowed before the King and Queen. Mufasa greeted him with a nod and then showed him in onto the birthing chamber. "Good morning, Sire. I hope everything goes smoothly today," Zazu greeted him in a proper manner. "I hope so too. Let's go see how Sarabi is holding out," Mufasa agreed heartily and hopefully and then he sauntered on to his mate, who was resting on the floor with a newborn cub cradled in her arms. As expected, Simba was sleeping within his mother's bosom and was peacefully undisturbed. However, Mufasa saw a grey/silver tail with a navy blue tail tuft faintly flickering out and this aroused his suspicions. He drew closer to Sarabi and nudged Simba gently out of the way so he could see who the other cub was. It turns out that there was another cub in Sarabi's cradle, this time a girl. She had black tufts of little fluffy hair on top of her head and also had extremely dark, bold rims on the tips of her ears; she also had navy blue toes, underbelly and nose and she also had navy blue ruffles around her neck. The inside of her ears were also navy blue and her eyes were dark sapphire and indigo, making her an unusual looking cub due to the fact that she was a psychically stylized version of Klaus Nouvi. The female cub was also sleeping on her paws with her head resting on them and then Sarabi licked her awake and it wasn't long before the female cub opened her eyes for the first time and the first time she gazed at Mufasa's visage, her vision was so blurry and unused to the African sun that it took her a few minutes to adjust her eyes to her new surroundings and then after a few seconds of flickering and blinking she finally had her vision restored and soon she got a good look on Mufasa.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the female cub screamed in a terrified voice and instinctively she huddled under Sarabi's breast for protection. "Where am I?" she stammered in a muffled, practically garbled voice. "You're in the Pridelands, little one. I am Mufasa, your new father," Mufasa answered gently and patiently. The female cub then started as she tumbled backwards from Sarabi's cradle and as she lay prostrate on her back she stared dead hard at Mufasa's majestic, imposing, yet regal countenance. She then stared at her own two feet, which were painted with navy blue toes, and even at her own limping, thin tail, and then looked back at Mufasa with a dumbfounded and awestruck facial expression. "My name is Dorothy," the female cub finally introduced herself in a timid, husky, growly voice. "And I am Mufasa, King of the Pridelands. I am honored to be your father," Mufasa replied in return. "W-W-What the… Father? I didn't even have a father since my own father died!" Dorothy stuttered in surprise. "Well you do now. You're a Princess of Pride Rock now. And since you're our new daughter, you will be raised alongside Simba, our newborn son. I'm sure you two will get along just fine," Mufasa explained to Dorothy briefly. "You speak so eloquently for a newborn lioness cub. What school did you go to?" Sarabi enquired Dorothy curiously. "It's a long story, and I don't think you would like to hear it at this time," Dorothy answered nervously. Then she swerved around to look around at the cave before she added, "Hey, where's Rose? And Blanche? And Ma?" "Rose, Blanche and Ma? Who are they?" Sarabi asked Dorothy quizzically. "Rose and Blanche are my roommates and Ma is my mother. I need to find them; they came along with me," Dorothy quickly explained to her new lion parents.

"There they are!" Sarabi exclaimed as she turned around and saw Rose and Blanche snuggling under her right side. Between Rose and Blanche was Courage draped in diapers and reverted into his puppy form while Sophia was between Courage and Blanche. Sarabi then smiled at her four new cubs and puppy and then licked Rose awake, then Sophia, and then Blanche. "What on earth are we doing here...?" Rose started to say as she roused from her sleep and then saw Sarabi peering at her. "AHA! Who the hell is that? And why am I painted pink?" Blanche ejaculated in horror as she glanced from her to herself. She was a bright pink lioness cub with russet tufts of hair on her head, and also russet toes, tail tuft, underbelly, nose and even the inside of her ears were russet. She also had russet red eyes along with russet ruffles adorned around her neck. Courage was in his usual color and was only reduced to his puppy size; he remained in his natural form. Sophia was as scruffy and furry as a dog; she was bleach colored snow white and had fuchsia tufts on her hair in addition to fuchsia colored eyes, fuchsia colored toes, underbelly, fuchsia tail tufts, a fuchsia nose, and even the inside of her ears were fuchsia colored besides having fuchsia ruffles wrapped around her neck. Her ears were as scruffy and wriggly as a cocker spaniel's, and her glasses were still intact. Rose was yellow just like Mufasa and her red, spiky, bristled hair, red toes, red underbelly, red tail tufts, red eyes, red ruffles around her neck and also the red hue in the inside of her ears made her an exceptional breed. Mufasa smiled at Rose and then nuzzled her lovingly and marveled at how her fur color looked so much like her own. Rose's rooster comb-like hair made her an odd sight, almost like a young hen.

Sarabi then licked Courage's fur in an attempt to encourage him to open his eyes, and then Courage finally opened his eyes; the moment he did so, he found himself gazing right into her soft, wise, sagacious, light green eyes and his heart melted at the sight of her, despite of the fact that she was a member of a despised species that were his mortal enemies, the cat family. "Hello, what is your name?" Sarabi inquired him. Courage babbled his name to her and then Sarabi nodded understandingly. "Courage, you say? What a fine name for the Prince of Pride Rock. And you…" She remarked in fascination and then she turned to Blanche, Rose and Sophia. "Who are you?" she questioned them softly. "I'm Rose, and this is Blanche, and this is Sophia… (Quickly turning to Courage) And this is also Courage the Cowardly Dog," Rose introduced herself, Blanche and Sophia to Sarabi before turning to Courage and introducing him. Courage continued to babble and then Mufasa roared in a belly laugh. "I have never had such a son who talks as you do," Mufasa chuckled in sheer amusement.

"Dorothy, I want you, Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Courage to meet our newborn son, Simba," Sarabi informed the gang in a crisp and precise tone as she had them gathered around to behold the cub for the first time. Dorothy then leaned over to take a closer look at the young lion cub with her weak and shaky legs supporting her own weight as she loomed in and met him face to face. Simba just stared at her blankly and placidly; he was a tiny creature with dark brown spots speckled on his body with apparent dark rims on the tips of his ears, just like hers, and he also had faintly tiny tufts of hair. "Simba, these are your friends and siblings: Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Courage. This is also your sister Dorothy, and she looks just like you," Sarabi whispered gently and softly to her young son and Simba took a sudden swipe at Dorothy, making her flinch momentarily. Dorothy's fur then bristled with a furious flair as her muscles tensed and her back arched upward and she snarled at him challengingly, making him whimper frightfully. The sight of Simba cowering right before her caused Dorothy to stifle and restrain herself right in her tracks and the moment Simba began to mew pitifully Dorothy immediately began to feel terribly sorry for the young cub and then as she drew closer to him she then nuzzled him lovingly in the face with her nose and murmured to him, "It's okay, kiddo. I'm here; I'm always here. I'll protect you and keep you safe and warm and I'll always stand by you as a friend." She then crept up to him slowly in Sarabi's cradle and then she circled around him before wrapping her sinuous and slender body around his; she rubbed herself against him and then cradled him in her arms in a loving and protective embrace as her paws were enfolded around his sinewy, diminutive body.

Sarabi knew that a strong bond was beginning to develop between the two, and she lifted up her head to see Rafiki approach the couple and their new litter and soon he advanced towards Courage and the lion cubs and soon reached Simba and Dorothy. As he studied the lion cubs intertwined and cuddled close to each other's arms and watched them lie in Sarabi's arms and curled up into a pile of heap in a state of blissful peace and tranquility, he nodded in acknowledgment and took out 6 juice gourds from his shaman staff as a representation for 6 of the heroes that lay before him on this day and then ripped apart one of the gourds. With an index finger he scooped out a drip of the juice and then anointed Simba by spreading the juice across his forehead. He then wipes another pint of juice out of the gourd and does the same to Dorothy. He then shovels a mouthful of sand from the ground and sprinkles some on Dorothy and Simba, causing the two newly chosen heirs of the kingdom to sneeze out the substance from their nostrils. Dorothy then instinctively brushes some of the sandy residue off Simba's face and then washes him clean with her tongue, causing Sarabi to chuckle at her conspicuous maternal instincts.

"Wait a minute! Why are Dorothy and Simba being ordained first and not us?" Rose protested in a displeased and dissatisfied tone. "Because the great kings of the past has chosen them to rule the Pridelands with a prosperous and fair hand. Dorothy is to be his Queen Consort and Simba is to be the next King of Pride Rock. But you four, Rose, Sophia, Blanche and Courage are chosen to be the loyal subjects and protectors of the kingdom and will have your share of the kingdom as long as Simba rules the land. Then, when Simba dies, and if there are no heirs left from his line, Dorothy will be the next Queen to ascend the throne, then Rose, then Blanche, and then Sophia, and finally, Courage," Rafiki explicated a prophecy that was long foretold by the ancient ancestors. "Are you mad, Rafiki?! A dog cannot possibly rule the Pridelands! He's not one of us!" Zazu stammered in astonishment and disbelief. "He is brought to this world; he deserves his claim to this kingdom. The will of the great kings will not be defied," Rafiki countered with a pointed remark and that made Zazu clam up and cease to say anymore. "So, this kingdom is ours too?" Rose inquired Rafiki curiously. "Of course! It belongs to all of you! Especially you, Courage," Rafiki proclaimed happily and joyously while he turned to Courage with an assuring smile. Courage laughed in cackling glee. Rafiki then resumed his anointment of the cubs as a signal of their eligibility to them being heirs of the Pride Rock kingdom, starting first with Rose. Then he moved on to Blanche, ("EWWW! Get this stinking juice off me!") Sophia, (who retorted with a "Hey, don't mess with my glasses!") and then eventually Courage, who responded by expressing a disgusted and repulsed grimace as the gourd juice was smeared messily on his forehead. Then he doused the sand on their faces and the quartet sneezed out plenty of sand from their airways, especially Courage, who proceeded to sneeze out a lungful of coarse dry sand blasting and proliferating from his nose. "UGH! Get this sand out of my hair! I feel dirty and disgusting in my fur coat!" Blanche grimaced and griped as she struggled to shake out the sand off herself in a dog-like manner.

"(Chuckling) Don't worry, Blanche, Sarabi will wash your fur clean in no time," Mufasa reassured her as he stepped in to reassess the situation. Blanche smirked as she gazed right at his face and boldly did an akimbo stance. "And just who you might be, hot stud?" she huffed at him flirtatiously as she attempted to blow her hair off her eyes as a suggestive gesture of her promiscuous sexuality. "Well! Aren't you a vivacious young lioness? I am Mufasa, this is Zazu, and of course this is Rafiki," Mufasa introduced himself in a sonorously booming and deeply commanding voice as he pointed to Zazu and Rafiki and stated their names to her. Blanche then immediately crouched down to everyone's great surprise in her hunting pose as her eyes narrowed in heightened concentration and her tail flickered slightly to and fro without missing a bit and then in a flash she pounced at him with a shrill yowl but the unfazed and cool Mufasa responded by pinning her down to the ground on her back with his right paw and as he peered down at his new daughter an abashed and unnerved Blanche could only manage to grin sheepishly at him. He then lifted his paw off her chest and then grabbed her by the nape of the neck and carried her off out of the birthing chamber, with an envious and wary Dorothy analyzing their every move as Blanche gave her a devilish grin from a mere distance. Sophia then galloped up to Dorothy and then gave her an encouraging nudge. "It's okay, Pussycat. You're a strong, confident woman. You'll have a fair chance of beating Blanche yet," she assured her eldest daughter supportively."Thanks, Ma. You've been a really big help," Dorothy thanked her mother gratefully and then as a sign of gratitude she nuzzled her mother in the face and then Rafiki stepped up to Simba and then picked up the cub by the underarms and finally strode through the cave and out into the light as the lions trailed right behind him in a scattered and diffuse procession.

The multitude number of animals filled up virtually the entire vicinity of Pride Rock in a broad wave of diversity; the sun was just approaching its zenith and was shining its light on the cave when Rafiki finally emerged from the cave as Zazu flew out with the adult lions following behind. Rafiki then whistled for some baboon assistants and then they came scampering into the scene in droves and before Courage and the lion cubs knew it the baboons scooped them up off the ground and then one by one they were raised into the air almost as soon as Simba was raised up into the heavens. At this the animals roared and shouted with rejoice in their own language, even though some of the animals were rather puzzled and troubled by the sight of a puppy being presented as the future King of the Pridelands and were also rather disturbed and vexed by the unusual psychical appearances of the lioness cubs. The elephants trumpeted and stomped their feet into the dirt as their ears flapped and swished in the calm, still air and the giraffes jumped and danced up in the air as the monkeys performed square dancing and the Irish jig in pairs. Then the multi-colored flock of birds, collectively comprised of macaws, parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, hornbills, egrets, storks and African grey parrots, then soared and flew in the air in a constant and fleeting stream of colors over Pride Rock and were sashaying and gliding in a flowing motion over the royal family. The blistering, hot and sizzling yellow amber sun then radiated and gleamed over the newly ordained heirs in a shimmering and glistening pure light and as Dorothy gazed out into the blue heavens she saw her father Sal smiling down at her. Blanche and Rose also saw their deceased husbands beam at them proudly and joyously as well. Sophia even got a good glimpse at her dead husband as well. "You take care of our little princess, eh, Sophia? I'll see you and Dorothy real soon," Sal's ghost replied to Sophia before disappearing into the light.

Rose then glanced over her shoulder and saw her old boyfriend Miles among the crowd, disguised in a sandy tan fur coat with a pure white underbelly, toes, tail tuft and inside of his ears and a distinctive beard and mustache with green emerald jaded eyes. "Miles! What are you doing here?" Rose gasped in a whisper. "I'm here to see you, Rose. I came to watch you in your little ceremony," Miles whispered back in a low voice while grinning excitedly. Rose giggled in a silly manner and then when Dorothy turned around to see Miles, her face paled and blanched with a livid expression upon seeing Stan hidden among the animals. He was a pure white lion with a black goatee on his chin and dark rimmed, wide, angular, curved ears to match besides black tufts on his head. He also had black tail tufts as well and also a black mustache and black splotched markings on his body. Compared to the women, they were full-grown lions and had chosen to be just spectators/minor characters. "STAN! What the hell are you doing here? Get out this instant! Why do you insist on coming here?" Dorothy scowled and hissed at him disapprovingly as she bared and exposed her fangs and unsheathed her claws in a threatening manner. "Why would I miss this for the world? I'm here for your presentation, babe. And boy, you look gorgeous," Stan attempted to appease her by trying to sweet talk her into toning down her temper. "Get out, Stan, NOW! Before I tear you out into pieces and leave your remains to scavenging vultures. Now scram!" Dorothy threatened Stan angrily and indignantly and to drive home her point she took a deep breath and let out a deep, rumbling, raspy snarl while thrashing and struggling in the baboon's hands. Stan then instantly darted out of the humongous crowd in terror and as Dorothy laughed in glee Sophia hollered at the top of her voice, "Yeah, you better run, you good for nothing yutz! Now scram and run home to your mommy!" Courage, Blanche and Rose then engaged themselves in a chorus of laughs. Finally, the presentation was over, and the mass multitude of animals were now beginning to disperse and regroup back into their own individual herds as they all headed home. The baboons set the litter down and then Mufasa nudged Courage and the cubs back into the cave for an afternoon nap as Sarabi conveyed Simba by the scruff of the neck and soon the royal family disappeared into their home cave to kill a few hours with a much needed rest.

It wasn't long before Courage and the lion cubs were snuggling close to Sarabi's dark, fuzzy, soft, fluffy grey/silver fur with Sophia, Blanche and Courage lying close on Sarabi's right side and Dorothy enfolding the infant Simba in her arms while enclosed and cradled in Sarabi's fore arms. Mufasa had slung his arm around Sarabi's neck and was leaning over her back in his sleep. But then, Scar, the black sheep of the family, and the one who was set to be first in line for the throne before Simba's arrival, stepped out from the shadows with a mouse in his mouth and then Mufasa roused from his sleep and stared at his brother warily and Scar reluctantly dropped the mouse from his mouth and the frightened and alarmed mouse skittered away in a dash. "What is it with you, Scar?" Mufasa sighed as he peered cautiously at his wayward younger brother. "I would like to see the little hairballs if you don't mind," was Scar's gruff, contemptuous, disdainful answer. Mufasa then guarded Sarabi closely in a crouching position as his glaringly glowing and blazing brown eyes glowered right at him and he emitted a brief growl to let Scar know not to get too close for he was intent on protecting his new family. Scar then strolled over to see the new cubs and then he came in to see Simba first. Upon laying eyes on his nephew for the first time, he scoffed indifferently but then when he spotted Dorothy, his eyes sparkled and shimmered with interest and a smirk spread on his face. "Ah, I see a wonderfully mighty and strong lioness who will someday lead her own pack. I'm surprised that she's your cub at all, Mufasa. She should be mine," he leered impressively and with such intrigue that he turned to Mufasa with a slyly quizzical expression.

"I would not betroth her to you for all the lands of the world. You should be just satisfied that she's your niece at all," Mufasa warned Scar admonishingly and then he approached him in a confrontational stance with his fangs gleaming and radiating brilliantly for his brother to see. "Oh, now you're resorting to a confrontational stance, hmm? You're such a pathetic little king, aren't you?" Scar quipped to his brother in a caustically sly manner. "Don't even push it, Scar!" Mufasa snarled at his brother in an indignant wrath. "All the brats in this fucking cave get to have the entire kingdom and I get nothing! Nothing! I'm the king's brother and I get absolutely nothing! And your little bratty hairball gets all of the land he desires, but not me! This is not over yet between us, Mufasa!" Scar shot back in an irate and wrathful tone. "You better get out of this cave now, before I drive you out of the Pridelands forever!" Mufasa threatened ominously and portentously with a fierce roar.

Scar then swerved around to meet Blanche, Rose, Sophia and Courage and stalked towards them slowly in a menacing stride, careful to stifle his footsteps as not to disturb their slumber. He then first came upon Blanche and he was enthralled and entranced by the sight of her. Scar then cast an intrigued and enchanted glance at Mufasa before inquiring, "Dear brother, may I enquire as to who this child may be?" "This is Blanche. You can look but do not dare touch her," Mufasa answered to Scar in admonishment. Scar ignored his command and instead turned to Rose and Sophia. "Oh, who is this scruffy little cub? She looks so strange with glasses," Scar commented in fascination. "That is Sophia. The fuchsia dog is Courage and the yellow lioness cub is Rose. Sophia is also Dorothy's mother, believe it or not," Mufasa explained to Scar in clarification, with his voice wearing thin in patience. Scar then nuzzled Blanche awake and then Blanche was roused from her sleep. She pried her eyes open and that was when she gazed up at Scar for the very first time. "Ahhhh! Who the hell are you?" Blanche cried in a terrified and alarmed voice. "I am your Uncle Scar, Miss Blanche. You must be the new Princess of The Pridelands," Scar introduced himself to Blanche politely. "Who the hell let this damn nut in here?" Blanche demanded angrily and irascibly. "Now, now, please be rational, princess. I didn't mean to displease you," Scar attempted to appease and mollify her irritable and petulant temper. "Displease me? You disrupted my beauty sleep! Now I don't know who you are mister, but you have no right to come barging in here and harass me as if I'm some kind of floozy, for Miss Blanche Devereaux does not do things to men she does not trust!" Blanche spat in great displeasure as she proceeded to scold, chide and berate Scar right in front of her lion father. "I think that is enough! Scar, you're dismissed from the cave. I see that you have greatly upset Blanche," Mufasa thundered in a stentorian, sonorous voice and then he glowered at his younger brother before adding, "Now get the hell out, NOW." "Fine, I'll get out, but remember, Mufasa, one of these days, we'll see who has the upper hand in this kingdom, and don't you forget it," Scar scoffed disdainfully and scornfully at his older brother before he stormed out of the cave and disappeared without a hitch.

Mufasa then approached Blanche as she cuddled close to her lion mother and then he nuzzled her in the face and soon she began swatting at his face playfully with her paws. "You remind me of Big Daddy," Blanche said to Mufasa plaintively. Mufasa chuckled with a belly laugh before saying to her, "That's really sweet of you, Blanche. Now settle down and get some sleep." "But I don't want to sleep!" Blanche wailed fussily and fretfully. "I want you to tell me a story, about the great kings of the past!" At this Mufasa laughed even harder. "You are a very demanding cub, Blanche. How about I tell you a different story, about the golden palm tree?" he informed her before recommending a suggestion to her. "What's a golden palm tree?" Blanche enquired Mufasa quizzically. "Why don't you sit in Sarabi's cradle and then I'll tell you the story. If you behave like a good cub, I'll take you to one of my secret places," Mufasa instructed Blanche as he coaxed her with a reward for her good behavior. "Secret places?! Which one are you going to take me to, Mufasa?" Blanche squealed excitedly in enthusiastic delight. "I'll take you to a distant swamp somewhere miles away from the Pridelands that is abundant and prolific with sweet, tasty mint leaves collected in copiously numerous bushes and thickets. I'll teach you how to gather and harvest them," Mufasa offered promisingly to Blanche and the eager and keen Southern lioness cub then clambered up into Sarabi's cradle and snuggled close to Dorothy, who then rolled over on her right side and then blinked her eyes open before sneering at her friend. "Blanche, why the hell do you insist on interrupting my beauty sleep?" she growled at her testily. "Your beauty sleep? That creep brother of Mufasa's was the one who interrupted my beauty sleep! He even dared invade my personal space!" Blanche gasped in mock shock as she hissed back at Dorothy. "Settle down, Blanche. I'm in no mood to argue; I need a much deserved rest," Dorothy moaned sleepily and exhaustively and then she stroked Blanche's ear affectionately before she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Simba then glanced at Blanche wide eyed and blankly and then he playfully and innocently swiped at Blanche's face with his left paw before Blanche scowled and glowered at him and retorted with a venomous tongue, "Who are YOU looking at, you detestable little brat?" Simba shrieked joyfully and in oblivious bliss before he nipped Blanche in the nose and then started to tug on her ear. "OW, OW, OW, OW, OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Blanche yowled in sheer agony and then anger started to bubble and erupt within her and then she took a swipe at him before she snarled at him shrilly, "I said enough!" Simba then stopped short of his tugging of her ear and then his countenance was contorted into a frown as his mouth began to tremble and quiver amidst the brimming and overflowing of tears and then he began to shriek and cry pitifully. "No, no, no, no!" Blanche cried in a fit of panic and then she instantly swept Simba out of Sarabi's cradle and then as a gesture of motherly affection she cradled and rocked him in her arms as the young cub continued to sob and wail profusely and incessantly. Blanche then tried to think of a lullaby to sing to Simba as her mind was racing with countless fleeting thoughts and then that was when she thought of a song. "It's like I told you, only the lonely can play; it's like I told you, only the lonely can play," she crooned softly to him as Simba began to listen intently to the song and immediately stifled and halted his weeping and in a matter of minutes huddled close to Blanche's chest before he yawned and closed his eyes shut and drifted into a peaceful sleep. As Blanche was humming the last notes of the song she crept into Sarabi's forearms and then settled right next to Dorothy with Simba sprawled in her cradle. Blanche lay in Sarabi's cradle for several minutes as she gazed at Mufasa sleeping sprawled near his wife and cubs and it wasn't long before she drifted further and further into sleep and eventually was snoozing soundly in the dead of night.

All was quiet in the Pridelands and the entire landscape was shadowed by the full moon, including the celestial kingdom of the Pridelands. The great kings of the past were looking down at the new family with elation and ecstasy and one of the great kings then cast a ray of moonlight on a desolate and isolated golden palm tree that swayed and danced in the cool and crisp breeze in the midst of the desert. The golden palm tree's golden palm leaves glistened and shimmered in the brightly brilliant and radiant moonlight and then voices in the wind began to whisper a message foretold so long ago by kings passed down to their sons and daughters: Once upon a time a golden palm tree grew in the midst of the blistering, hot, sweltering desert. It forebodes a legend as old as time; the legend says that in 10 generations five heirs from the Pridelands will be born to great acclaim within the calm before the storm. According to the legend, the golden palm leaves grants powers and wishes to the five heirs in accordance to their symbols. The symbols are attributed to five distinct personalities that are inherent in each of the heirs. The five personalities are strength, wisdom, sensuality, earthliness and gallantry. These five personalities will stand up together against the test of time to fight against the greatest evil that the world has ever seen. If the leaves are used in accordance to its power, ability and design, they will serve the users well for all eternity. However, if the powers of the heirs are used together with the power of the future King of Pride Rock, they can conquer anything. However, if anyone has been first in line prior to the future King's birth, he has as much access to the golden palm tree as the heirs of Pride Rock. There is also a power called the power of darkness that must never be used at all costs, and if someone with a dark heart gains access to it and uses it for his or her evil purposes, the entire kingdom will be plunged into chaos and the user will go to the point where the power's own usage will corrupt his or her every being and eventually consume himself or herself into self-destruction. The power of darkness is designed to satisfy every need of the person's internal darkness and to amplify and strengthen any of the person's powers or abilities, whether intellectual, emotional, mental or spiritual. On the other hand, there is another power that can reinforce and fortify the five powers of the heirs to make them invincible; this power is called The Power Of The King or The Power Of The Queen if the future monarch of Pride Rock is a girl. Thus, the powers of all those involved are: The Power Of Darkness, The Power Of The King/Queen, The Power Of Strength, The Power Of Wisdom, The Power Of Sensuality, The Power Of Earthliness, and The Power Of Gallantry. The number of heirs and personality powers can differ and vary every 10 generations, though, so there can be more than 5 heirs and more than 5 personality powers; ergo, The Power Of the King, along with The Powers Of Strength, Wisdom, Earthliness, Sensuality, and Gallantry, all make up The Power Of Heroes.

As Rafiki looked ahead out into the night with the winds singing Celtic songs from generations ago, he then turned back into his painting of the five heirs in his famous painting of the kings who had once ruled the Pridelands and then with a couple of flourishes painted first Sophia, with her distinct cocker spaniel look and glasses and with her unusual height and stature, then Dorothy, with her Klaus Nouvi like psyche and had a statuesque look of a goddess while looking almost similarly like the female counterpart of Simba, then Rose, who looked like a hen version of a lioness and was definitely the most ditzy and naïve of the quintet, then Blanche, who had a very distinct pink hue unlike anything seen in a lioness, especially one who was supposed to rule the Pridelands one day long after Simba was gone and was the more sophisticated and sociable of all of them, and finally Courage, who was definitely not one of the best looking mongrels of the Pridelands but was certainly one of the most unique, despite of his extreme cowardice.

"Ah, yes, Dorothy, you shall be Simba's equal in every way imaginable. You will be his partner, friend, soul mate and perhaps mate. She is very headstrong and outspoken and also very courageous and rational, the voice of reason, with a personality to counteract his in return. Oh and here's Blanche. Blanche is certainly the most spirited and bold of all of the cubs in the Pridelands. I'm pretty sure she'll be the one attracting all of males in the pride, and seeing that she and Dorothy have a strong bond, there shall be strong competition between the two. And here is Rose and Sophia. Sophia will also be the voice of reason, the one person who will hold everything together when things get tough; and Rose will be the one who will possess unending kindness and benevolence to yield to those in need and she will also stand by her friends loyally regardless of the situations they face. And lastly, but not least, Courage; he may be a timid and fearful dog, but there is great courage that lies in him. That is why he is called Courage, no?" Rafiki promulgated and stated a careful description of each of the heirs' personalities as he looked at their portraits carefully. Then he turned to Simba and beamed proudly and with a satisfied leer, "And you, Simba, will hold the most important role of all, with your friends to guide you, protect you, and support you, you will successfully fulfill your role as the King of the entire Pridelands and therefore fulfill your destiny. And with that I wish you good luck." Then he swiveled around to look at the horizon and bellowed at the top of his voice, "Do you hear that? Huh? Do you hear that? Simba will triumph over you all!" And with that he cackled and chortled wildly and with a hysterical and impassionate screech until his uproariously screeching cry echoed and resounded throughout the land, a message for all to hear.

Well, this is Chapter 1. I hope you like it so far; this story has to be one of the best I've written so far. This chapter is also going to set the stage for what is to come later on. So long!