Nalafina

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Nalafina
GENERAL
The Lion King
Character	Nala
Character	Sarafina
Canonical?	Canon
Status of Relationship	Mother-Daughter
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Family

Nalafina is the family ship between Nala and Sarafina from The Lion King fandom.

Canon

Sarafina is Nala's mother, and the two have an obvious bond of affection. In both the original The Lion King and its 2019 remake, Sarafina is giving Nala a tongue bath when Nala's friend Simba arrives to invite her to play. After consulting with Simba's mother Sarabi, Sarafina consents to the two cubs going off together with Zazu for an escort. Shortly thereafter, Zazu reveals that Sarafina has arranged for Nala's betrothal to Simba. Later, Sarafina is seen comforting Nala after Simba is supposedly killed.

In the novel Be Prepared: A Twisted Tale, a timeline branching off from Simba's reported death in the original film sees Sarafina become overprotective of Nala. She goes so far as to prevent Nala from learning to hunt in order to keep her safe, much to Nala's consternation and embarrassment. At one point, Nala attempted to broach the subject as the pride was preparing for their Hunting Games. However, Sarafina dismissed her daughter's concerns, claiming that she knew enough to perform well.

Unfortunately, Sarafina then interfered in the games when Nala and her teammates traveled too far from Pride Rock for Sarafina's liking. Even with other lionesses keeping track of the cubs, Sarafina chose to withdraw Nala from the games, creating a humiliating scene for her daughter. Nala became so despondent that she approached Queen Sarabi, asking her to speak to Sarafina on her behalf. Sarafina quickly deduced that Nala was responsible for Sarabi approaching her, and much to Nala's horror Sarafina revealed that her determination to keep Nala safe was based on a wish to avoid ending up like Sarabi in the wake of Simba's death.

Nala felt greatly upset over causing a rift between her mother and the queen, who had always been close friends. However, she still resented Sarafina for hovering over her and eventually set out on her own to investigate a rumor of Simba's survival. Upon learning of Nala's disappearance, Sarafina began to panic, and was ultimately barred from joining the search for her daughter for fear she would be a hindrance rather than a help. Sarabi would later find Sarafina gazing into the distance in the direction Nala had gone, clearly distraught.

Upon returning with Simba, whom she had found, Nala spoke to her mother in private. While Nala apologized for leaving, she remained adamant that Sarafina's restrictions were preventing her from being able to care for herself. Much to Nala's astonishment, Sarafina noted that she too had been wrong, letting her fear blind her to how she had been holding Nala back. She apologized to Nala, who in turn apologized for not confiding in her mother earlier.

Fanon

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Nala and Sarafina's relationship doesn't receive a great deal of attention in the films, with Sarafina only appearing in a couple of scenes in the original The Lion King and its remake. Sarafina, like Sarabi, is absent from The Lion King II and The Lion Guard and thus has no scenes with her daughter in either media. Fan material also tends not to give the pair a great deal of attention.

There are 11 works featuring their relationship on AO3, 2 of which are rated Mature or Explicit.

Trivia

• In Mufasa: The Lion King, a younger Sarafina is seen with a cub, possibly a younger Nala. However, this isn't explicitly stated in the film, and the novelization of Mufasa indicates that this cub is named Zuri while leaving Sarafina unnamed.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Nala & Sarafina tag on AO3