The Judgement Trilogy
The Lion King: Judgement
is a trilogy of Lion King Fanfictions, by Haradion. The trilogy tells the story of Scar as in the wake of his defeat by Simba, he finds himself before the Spirits who are to judge him for his various crimes. Although Scar first attempts to plead ignorance, he quickly finds himself outmatched and thus latches on to the idea that there is some reason in his past for the way things turned out.
The three volumes that make up the Judgement Trilogy, are the first part of "The Saga of the Broken Throne", a greater narrative that includes the sequel series, Legacies.
Therefore, the two spirits (one decidedly more helpful than the other) watch fragments of Scar's life in an effort to understand and judge fairly the fallen King. Through this, the reader is also show his cubhood, his time as leader of Mufasa's Lion Guard, and his disastrous reign.
This story goes through the timeline of before, during and after the original movie, as well as incorporating events and lore from The Lion Guard into the its narrative. Although, often the events as they are described are show to be fabrications or simplifications.
The books can be read below:
As well as at FF.Net here, here, and here
Tropes found in this story include:
- Acceptable Breaks from Canon: Although it is perhaps technically true to suggest Scar "destroyed" his own Lion Guard, the idea that he did so utterly in one fell swoop after they refused to assist him in his coup, is shown to be a fabrication. The truth is much, much more complicated.
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Zira was orphaned when her parents were killed by members of Caliban's Black Hyena Clan, leading to her developing an intense fear of them, which then would evolve into her canon distaste for all hyenas in general. Due to her Rogue origin, she also has to deal with discrimination from other pride members.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: Quite a few:
- Scuffles, pranks and some disputes aside, Mufasa and Taka respected and loved each other as brothers even when they reached adulthood. It isn't until a very long and extremely guttrenching series of tragedies strikes and mistakes being made that Taka's (now renamed Scar) hatred, ambition and bloodlust reach the height as portrayed in the movie.
- Zira isn't just Scar's most devoted follower, she's his mate, thus making her Simba's aunt. He even sorrowfully refers to her as 'Auntie Zira', when he has to decide her fate after Pride Rock is reconquered.
- Mufasa had been already acquainted with the Hyena Trio while he was a cub, having even worked alongside them for a common goal.
- Taka's and Ahadi's conflict between each other isn't just limited towards supposed favoritism regarding Mufasa as in the books: Both son and father come to frequently argue and fight between one another about their respective roles as Protector and Leader of the Pridelands. All of this conflict culminates in a mashindano between the King of the Pridelands and The Fiercest of the Lion Guard, during which Ahadi gives Taka his signature scar.
- Animalistic Abomination: The River Lord Crocodiles are so impossibly old that they can still remember the times when dinosaurs ruled over Africa. Their huge frames overreach even the biggest of estimations for a nile crocodile, putting them into the same size category as the extinct Deinosuchus rugosus or Purussaurus brasiliensis. So terrible is their might, so dreadful their mere presence, that nothing short of a summoned lightning bolt of magical/divine nature is capable of piercing their eons-old hides, rendering them literal demigods meandering among their mortal kind.
- Dash Attack: When one of your heroes is called 'The Fastest', expect this to be employed.
- Disappeared Dad: Most of the cubs in the Pride are fathered by Rogues who do not routinely have much to do with the Pride. This is not seen as unusual; in fact it is usually seen as preferable to Rogue lions sticking around; as they are treated with some degree of prejudice.
- Five-Man Band: Taka, Imani, Kasi, Nguvu and Jicho form this, especially once the Lion Guard is properly installed in Book II
- Heinous Hyena: Outside the Pridelands, there exist a total of 4 different hyena clans, with 3 of them being based on real species and one being a fictional one. All of them are portrayed for the most part as vicious predators and scheming backstabbers.
- The Black Clan: Large, pitch-black bloodthirsty sociopaths, which are the most dangerous type. Caliban, son of the matriarch, becomes one of Scar's arch-enemies.
- The Spotted Clan: The same hyena clan as seen in the movie. Shenzi, Banzai and Ed naturally count among its members, with Shenzi eventually rising up to the rank of matriarch.
- The Striped Clan: Not as powerful as the Black or Spotted Clan, but they can prove themselves to be a menace for both the Pridelands and their rivals.
- The Brown Clan: Least influential of all the 4 clans, to the point of being realtively irrelevant.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Frequently.
- Judgement of the Dead: Pretty much the reason for this fics existence.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: The swamps and deep rivers cornering and winding around the Pridelands' borders are home to large crocodile floats who prove themselves to be much more menacing than Makuu or Kiburi. These floats are ruled by the so-called River Lords, crocs of uncountable age and terrifyingly large sizes.
- Oh, My Gods!: The characters use the Great Kings in this manner. "King's Blood!" is similarly a curse.
- Scavengers Are Scum: Even the supposedly 'good guys' tend to have a low opinion of scavengers. Though this is generally reciprocated.
- Shout-Out: "The Mountain Pride" with his King Malka and later his Son, Afua, are a reference to the Lions in Mt. Tempest in Incarnate Firefly's Kopa's Legacy series.
- Wham Line:
- Chapter 17 of Dark Star, has a ton of these.When did I start calling him Kion?How many times?
- Chapter 18 of Dark Star ends with a line that reframes a lot of the series.You should have known better than to dance with the Devil, Kira.
- Chapter 17 of Dark Star, has a ton of these.
