TLK: Talks with the In-Laws by Vtoony on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

The thing that prompted me to consider the idea of this was thinking more about Simba and Nala's initial betrothal, and how certainly their parents must be onboard with this. I am curious with the entire notion of the betrothal, since ideally I do see it as a potential way to secure alliances and ties within and in-between prides. My headcanon for Nala being betrothed to Simba is due to two things; one being Sarafina being both Sarabi and Mufasa's closest female friend and Nala proving herself so young to have good energy and friendship with Simba, which they hoped would blossom in the future into something deeper. Secondly is more for fulfilling a generational obligation, where because Sarafina's grandmother was queen Uangaze's closest attendant and a great assess to the pride in crisis, and Sarafina's mother being betrothed initially to king Ahadi before he selected Uru as his wife and consort, they felt obligated to have part of that lineage accepted into the royal family.

However this notion also made me considered did Simba and Nala have a relationship with the other's parent(s). Nala's father is unfortunately out of the picture, in my HC Sarafina gets axed later in Scar's reign, and we all know what happen to Mufasa, and I already HC Sarabi is essentially a second mother to everybody, so I decided to focus on Sarafina and Mufasa and potentially relationships they might've had with Simba and Nala respectively.

First here Sarafina is discussing with Simba about the discussion that he and Nala had with Zazu about the notion of betrothal. Here Sarafina is discussing, with Sarabi's knowledge and consent, what the betrothal means to her family, the pride, and his traditions. Sarafina isn't too worried whether or not Nala actually becomes queen, she just wants her daughter to be happy, although she does want to check with Simba that there isn't going to be any negative feelings between him and her daughter. At the very least, she wants them to maintain their friendship and be there to support one another in the future, whether they get married to each other or not. Simba doesn't yet grasp the full gravitas of what she's trying to convey, but in his innocent child demeanor he reassures her that he and Nala will be best friends forever and that even if he doesn't like the idea of Nala as a future wife, he does think she's still really cool and does hope that they can still support each other as they grow up. He also does apologize here for getting Nala in danger in the Elephant Graveyard. Sarafina accepts this apology, seeing the genuine sincerity, though also comments how Nala told her how he had tried to protect her when the hyenas were approaching, complimenting him on his bravery and to her daughter. Simba is surprised, but appreciative of this, and he then goes on to describe what he's gonna do as he king to Sarafina and suggests ways Nala can help, to Sarafina's bemusement and reassurance. Simba did really like Sarafina, since she allowed him to talk and encouraged him to spend time with Nala. He felt he could be more open and enthusiastic around her, which made it sadder when he found out that she hadn't survived his uncle's reign, and was even made a intentional casualty when Nala protested Scar's rule, as a way to silence the pride. Though the pride had given her a funeral with what remains they got away from the hyenas, Simba honored her by moving her marker close to where they buried their rulers, and even 'talked' to her prior to his and Nala's presentation as rulers, to 'ask' for her blessing and promising that he would still keep his promise from back then.

As for Nala and Mufasa, I do want to think they had somewhat of a fatherly-daughter relationship, even if it just was for a short while. Mtoto and Mufasa weren't the closest of friends, however Mtoto did get along well with Mufasa, more so then Askari at least, especially after being snubbed over for the Lion Guard position. Mtoto did help offer Mufasa some fatherly advice, sharing in his own anxieties about becoming a father soon, though when Mtoto passed before Sarafina even gave birth, Mufasa promised he would do right by Mtoto. The betrothal suggestion was more or less a debt repayment for the kindness both Mtoto and Sarafina's family had shown the royals. My own personal HC is that Mufasa and Sarabi were also intending to have more cubs after Simba, though in an effort to prepare for more cubs, they did offer to watch over the other cubs in the pride, and Nala was more often then not involved. Mufasa gave her more or less the talk with her about the betrothal and what that entailed, though also did ask her more about her personal goals in life and what she saw in her future, where he learned that she aspired to be a hunt chief like her mother and Sarabi. I could see him talking with his wife to see if Nala could take any one-on-one lessons about hunting from her, and also further encouraging her by personally taking her to see her mother and the hunting group in action, as well as giving her the lessons on the Circle of Life and the importance of their homeland and such. Though their time together was too short, Nala respectfully took Mufasa's words, kindness, and loyalty to heart. She strived to help contribute to her pride and home by participating in the hunts, excelling and joining early thanks to Mufasa's encouragement. She believes that Mufasa was also guiding her to find help outside the Pridelands, giving her the strength and courage to sneak out and find to where Simba was.

I'm not sure if we'll see Sarafina in the upcoming Mufasa film, though it would be nice to get even a mention or line. I felt since I've been doing Mufasa and Taka a lot lately, and even Sarabi a handful of times, I might as well include Sarafina too.

By this point, I'm almost done with doing all the artwork for Savannahtober, I just want an opportunity to do something different from all the prompts I'm getting.