KING NABU AND HIS FORBIDDEN BETHROTAL

The screams of her sisters echoed through the cavern, their voices twisting with agony and fear. The scent of burning stone and blood filled the air, choking Mandlavi as she staggered forward, her hands pressed protectively against her swollen belly. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her breath came in shallow gasps.

This couldn't be happening.

The sacred Isaki Cavern, her home, the birthplace of their power, was in flames. The walls cracked, crumbling under the weight of an unholy chant. Shadows danced wildly as fire consumed everything in sight. The stone floors that had once been so familiar were now slick with ash and soot, a black tide swallowing their heritage.

And standing at the mouth of the cavern, with flames licking at his heels, was Kovu.

Mandlavi's heart shattered at the sight of him. The man she had loved. The man who had whispered promises of forever.

Now, he was the one holding the torch.

Her legs threatened to give way as a surge of disbelief overtook her. This couldn't be true. Not Kovu. Not the man who had once claimed his love for her, his love for her people. Not the one who had touched her heart in ways she had never known before.

Her voice cracked as she whispered his name, "Kovu…" The word was a soft plea, barely escaping her lips as the flames seemed to roar louder, mocking her.

But Kovu didn't answer. He just stood there, the flames casting sharp shadows on his face, turning his features into something foreign. Something cold.

"Kovu," she whispered again, her voice trembling, "Why?"

He took a slow step forward, the harsh crackle of the fire underlining his every movement. His gaze swept over her, over the cavern that had been their sanctuary, over the ruins of everything they had built together.

"You should have never trusted me," he said, his voice smooth, almost mocking.

Mandlavi's breath hitched, and her stomach twisted with the growing ache of betrayal. This wasn't him. It couldn't be. The man she had loved wouldn't do this. The man who had once spoken of futures together, of plans and dreams. He couldn't be the one behind the destruction of their home.

She shook her head, desperately trying to make sense of the scene before her, but nothing fit. The man before her this was not Kovu. The coldness in his eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen. The venom in his words struck her like a slap.

"Did you really think I would let an Isaki bear my child?" His voice held no remorse, only a twisted satisfaction that cut through her like a blade.

"Your kind were meant to serve, not rule."

The words stung like salt in a wound, each syllable eroding what little remained of her trust. The weight of his betrayal felt like the crushing blow of a thousand broken promises.

Mandlavi felt something inside her break.

"No…" she whispered, the word barely audible. "You're lying…"

But the smirk that curled on his lips was merciless. It was the same smirk that had once made her heart flutter with warmth, now twisted into something grotesque. This wasn't the man she had known. This was a stranger, a ghost in Kovu's form.

Ramna's grip on her arm tightened, pulling her away from the scene, her voice urgent. "Mandlavi, we have to leave. Now."

But Mandlavi couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. The world around her was collapsing, crumbling to dust.

"Why?" She found her voice again, her tone pleading, desperate for answers that would never come. "Why would you do this?"

He took a step forward, his eyes glinting with something dark. "Because this is how it has to be. You and your kind were never meant to stand in the way of a royal."

Mandlavi's heart twisted. This wasn't the man she had loved. This was an imposter, a dark reflection of everything she had once held dear. The betrayal tasted like ash in her mouth.

"You're not Kovu," she choked out, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

But he gave no indication of remorse. "You should have known," he said, almost lazily, "That even your love wasn't enough to stop this."

Ramna yanked at her arm again, desperation flooding her words. "Mandlavi, please! We don't have time!"

But Mandlavi stood frozen, her mind reeling, the truth too impossible to process. How could the man she had loved, no, trusted, betray her this way?

The truth hung heavy in the air, suffocating her.

And then the words came, the final blow: "Go," he commanded, his voice like ice.

"Run, Mandlavi. Run as far as you can. But know this, if you ever return, it will be the end.

The fire seemed to roar louder in response, an angry beast that wanted nothing more than to consume her whole. The weight of his words pressed down on her chest, and for a moment, Mandlavi couldn't breathe. She felt her powers fading, slipping away, as if the fire itself was draining her. Her child, her pregnancy, her grief, it was all too much.

She wanted to fight. She wanted to strike down the man who stood before her. She wanted to burn with the same fire that consumed her home.

But her body betrayed her.

Her child drained her strength, and the grief, the unrelenting grief stole whatever remained.

Ramna made the decision for her, taking Mandlavi's arm in her own, dragging her toward the hidden tunnel, away from the destruction, away from the betrayal that had shattered everything.

Tears streaked down Ramna's face as she pulled Mandlavi through the darkened passageway. Her voice was strained, frantic. "Mandlavi, we have to go. Now. Please, we can't stay here."

Mandlavi looked over her shoulder one final time. She saw him standing in the distance, his eyes locked on her. The firelight flickered over his face, and for the briefest moment, she saw the man she had loved. But then the illusion shattered, and the contempt in his eyes made her blood run cold.

Her world crumbled around her, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but smoke and ruin.

The night swallowed them whole as they fled into the darkness.

Ramna had seen the subtle shift in his stance when he spoke, the tiny flicker in his eyes. The slight imperfection in the illusion—the way he moved, and immediately she knew he wasn't Kovu. Everything had been wrong. She had known the moment he had entered the cavern.

But she couldn't say a word.

Not yet.

She had watched him disguised as kovu to carry out the massacre. The fire. The betrayal. The destruction.

As the fire raged behind them, the truth swirled in Ramna's chest like a storm. he had done this, he had killed their people, destroyed their home. But she couldn't tell Mandlavi. Not yet.

Because Mandlavi wasn't ready to hear it.

The truth would come one day, but not tonight. Not while the flames still burned. Not until the storm had passed.