Ekundayo Last Snowfall

Who would've thought that High Priest-King Moonlit Dawn was right? Last Snowfall was sent by the paranoid King's father to spy on him and to hopefully conquer his pride. Last Snowfall spend many years silently watching the pride in the mountains, watching the King go from a religious icon to a deceiving usurper who ruled with an iron fist. He couldn't believe how gullible the pride was; they had accepted him so quickly without ever knowing who he was.
When the King was finally on his deathbed, Last Snowfall revealed himself to the pride and told them everything. The King had a heart attack from the shock and passed from this after his greatest fear of being discovered came true. The pride was unsure of what to do after so many years under strict, religious rule.
Last Snowfall explained Moonlit Dawn's betrayal in depth and answered any questions the lionesses had. They asked him to be their King. He agreed as he had watched the pride and had silently gotten to know them. Normally his spy jobs had been quick enough to not care, but this time he had a special place in his heart for these lions. He took the royal name Ekundayo, meaning "sorrow becomes joy", and finally had a pride to call his own. He told them he had seen how they practically ran the pride themselves already and that he would only act as leader of the pride when necessary, not how Moonlit Dawn had.
King Ekundayo Last Snowfall spent many years without a Queen; he knew he only wanted to take a Queen if he fell in love. It was the one moral he had held on to throughout his life. When he spent time with the pride, he got to know a special someone...