NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Truthfully, he had known that this day would eventually come, even if he hadn't really wanted to believe it. It was hard to face the fact that his babies were gone, and that they weren't planning on coming back to him. Roy was still around, somewhat, and for that, the lion was eternally grateful, but as for the others? He hadn't seen them in some time, and despite ages spent searching the territory as thoroughly as he and several others could manage, there was no sign of them anywhere. Not so much as a single pawprint to let the angel know what had become of his little ones. And for some time, he had chosen to keep their rooms intact. It had actually been sort of nice, being able to look into them and pretend that his children were still home, safe and sound, as well as happy. As the months had continued on, however, the rooms had only begun to serve as a grim reminder of what he had lost, his children's belongings staring at him whenever he dared to pass by. They made his skin crawl, and made him want to walk right out the front door and never come back, even if he knew that was an awful idea.

It had taken him some time to finally work up the nerve to venture inside their rooms with boxes, but once he finally did, he felt a sense of relief flood through him. As much as it hurt to take their little trinkets and decorations down and stuff them into the moving boxes, he also knew that it was for the greater good. Continuing to keep them up and wallowing in what he had lost would only do him more harm than good, and he doubted it made Roy feel very comfortable, either. Despite this, he still did feel choked up as he slowly went through their rooms, occasionally pausing on things that he had given them, or that they had given to each other. The occasional tear or two would end up colliding with the flooring beneath him, before he would quickly scrub at his face, swallowing down his sadness and continuing on. This was for a better future, and he needed to remember that. If any of his children did eventually come back to him... well, then they could start creating new memories, and new things for their rooms. Things that weren't tainted with months of dread and remorse.

Eventually, the lion had packed up everything that he felt needed to go, taking some of it and depositing it in the junkyard. What wasn't just random garbage and trinkets, however, he kept in a couple of boxes, dragging them out in front of his home. He wrote TOYS on one box, as well as BOOKS on the other, muzzle twitching a bit as he gripped the thick pen in his jaws. When he stepped back and turned to those that were already curiously watching him, he raised his voice to explain, "Hello! I'm going to be giving away some of the belongings from my home, since they're no longer needed anymore. They're mainly children's things, so if you've got any little ones at home, you can feel free to take any toys that catch your eye. Same goes for the books... although that doesn't mean that adults can't take things they want too." It never hurt to occasionally channel your inner child, after all.

( retro to takeover )— OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.