Disclaimer: I hereby state that Queen Kida, Milo Thatch, this particular version of
Atlantis, and any other characters from the movie 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' are the exclusive
property of Disney. Furthermore, this fanfiction has not been written for monetary gain, but
solely for personal enjoyment (and hopefully the enjoyment of those who read it).

Author's Notes: This is my first 'Atlantis - The Lost Empire' fanfic, and about the
second story I've ever written, so I'm hoping it's received well. It starts right at the end
of the scene where the city of Atlantis has been saved from the eruption, and Milo, Kida, and
the other explorers are viewing the city. It really doesn't have much of a point, and is
really more of a 'prologue' to what I'm hoping will be later stories. Right now I've posted
the first part of the story here; other parts will come later.
I have no idea how to write the language they used in the movie. So I've handled this
problem with a little convention; any dialogue bracketed with these symbols is to be
considered a phrase spoken in Atlantean (and translated into English for the benefit of the
audience).
And with that, here we go…


A Crown for a Queen


A day's time can really change things. At least, that was the thought that crossed Milo
James Thatch's mind as he and his friends looked out from the edge of the Central Plaza
towards the restored city of Atlantis. The giant stone statues, 'Sentinels' he liked to
think of them, stood on what was left of the barrier that had previously kept the city
drowned in a massive lagoon. Now, where once there had been only water with the occasional
outcropping of carved stone poking through, there was a vista of temples, palaces, roads,
suburbs: an entire city that had been preserved and was now revealed in all its glory. Some
damage was evident; towers were toppled here and there, and there were several roads that
had been shattered and broken off.
But it was more than offset by the waterfalls that were everywhere in the city now. They
flowed over what seemed like every building in sight, tumbling down into what was left of the
lagoon. The lagoon itself now flowed over a second ring of waterfalls to a lower level of the
tabletop before finally going over the side into the nearby lava fields. It was the most
beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
Well, almost. Milo could still feel his hand clasped in Kida's, and turned slightly to
look at her. The Atlantean princess looked radiant, and her blue eyes sparkled as she drank
in the sight of her reborn city. Milo was almost sure she'd be bouncing up and down like a
little girl if it weren't for him being there.
He looked to his left and right, at the remaining members of the expedition that had
brought him down here. Seven, including himself, out of two hundred men and women. It was
an incredible price to pay for him to be here in Atlantis with all this spread out before
him.
He felt bad about the people on the Ulysses; they had just been doing their jobs, and
hadn't deserved to get killed by an overgrown mechanical lobster. He'd have to find some way
to honor them, even if it was only with a simple plaque laid down somewhere in the caverns.
Rourke, Helga, and the troopers under their command were another story: they'd gotten pretty
much what Milo felt they had deserved. It almost scared him to think how close they'd come
to winning, and that he actually understood their greed now that he thought about it. Given
different circumstances, he might have succumbed to the same feeling himself…
Milo was so caught up in his reverie that he didn't notice Kida turning her gaze far
enough to see the other explorers. Her eyes went wide for a moment as noticed their presence,
though the smile on her face never changed. Quietly, she leaned her head close to Milo's.
"Milo," she whispered sweetly.
"Yeah, Kida?"
"Run and get help. I will hold them off as best I can."
Before Milo could react, Kida let go of his hand and did a roundhouse kick into Sweet's
gut. As the giant man staggered from the blow, she quickly kicked him between the legs,
following with a roundhouse kick into the face when he doubled over. The blow sent him to
the ground as the others began to recover from their shock and advance on her.
"Kida, what are you…" Milo desperately began.
"Milo," Kida shouted, "go! Get away before their men get here!" She leapt into a back
flip, landing into Vinny with both feet as he tried to get to her. The force of the blow sent
the tall Italian crashing back into Cookie, and they both went to the ground as Kida landed.
"Kida, the soldiers are gone!" Milo said as he tried to back away from the fight.
"Everything's okay! Just stop fighting!"
Kida turned her head to look at Milo, and the distraction gave Audrey an opening. The
teenager gave Kida a right hook across the chin.
"That's for my friend," Audrey said.
By now, people had begun to filter back to the plaza, and a small crowd was gathering
to watch the fight. Many of the people looked on in confusion as Audrey tried to follow up
her earlier hit with an upper cut, but Kida was ready this time. The princess ducked out of
the way, and then grabbed Audrey's arm. Using the momentum of the swing, Kida threw Audrey
through the air. The teenager crashed into the ground near Mrs. Packard, who calmly backed
up a step to get out of the way.
The commotion was drawing the warriors as well, and by the time Kida was turning on a
terrified Mole several armed men had arrived. An expression of shock on their faces, they
slowly fanned out to contain the fight.
"Your Majesty," one of them asked, "what is going on?"
Kida stopped her advance on Mole when she heard the voice. She turned and smiled when
she saw the armed men there. "Good," she said, "now we can deal with these outsiders in a
proper fashion."
She ran over to where Milo was, grabbed him by the arm, and before he could protest
he was being dragged behind the line of Atlantean warriors. Kida stopped then looked back
at the explorers, who had managed to pick themselves up and were looking at Milo expectantly.
Milo turned to Kida and yanked his arm out of her grasp, a move that got her attention.
Kida, he said insistently, stop this!
The fact that he was speaking her language seemed to stun the princess enough to
actually listen to him. Why should I do that? They and their commander assaulted my
father, held me hostage, and have most likely looted the city by now…
No they haven't, Milo said. I got them to see what they were doing was wrong, and
they actually helped save the city from Rourke. He turned to one of the guards. Isn't
that right?
This is true Your Majesty, the guard replied, as Kida turned to him. They braved
much danger to help us, and they did save you from the other outsiders.
You see, Kida, Milo said, turning back to face the princess, they're not your
enemies. Don't you remember being taken out of the city? Or the fight in the volcano?
Kida seemed genuinely confused. "No, I don't remember. I don't remember anything
after the Crystal Chamber and…" She seemed to key into something that had been said earlier.
Turning to one of the guards she said, "You called me 'Your Majesty', didn't you?"
The guard nodded.
Kida's eyes widened a little, and her face paled as she turned to Milo. "Where is
Father?" she asked.
Milo tried to figure out what to say, but the troubled look on his face told the
princess all she needed to know. Her face became pained and her voice dropped to a
near-whisper.
"He's dead, isn't he?"
Milo sighed, and then nodded. Kida herself nodded in understanding, and turned to
some of the warriors still on the plaza. Watch these outsiders, she ordered them in
Atlantean. If they try to escape, kill them!
The warriors seemed very reluctant to turn on the explorers. But, my Queen… one
of them began.
Do you question my orders?! she snapped, glaring at them.
After a moment, the warriors hurried to obey, even though they still looked slightly
mystified and embarrassed about what they were doing. Drawing their weapons, they surrounded
the party of explorers at a safe distance. Without looking at them, Kida turned towards
the palace and ran off to the entrance.
"Hey, Milo," Audrey said, "What's going on?"
"Don't ye get it?" Cookie piped in. "She's done gone and bushwhacked us. Prob'ly
gonna bury us in an anthill and watch us get eaten alive by fire ants, just like I seen
them do in Colorado."
Mrs. Packard was actually moved enough to roll her eyes heavenward as she smoked yet
another cigarette. Dr. Sweet actually managed to look a little uncomfortable at the
mention.
"Look, I don't know what's going on," Milo said hurriedly, turning his attention back
and forth between his friends and the entrance to the palace. "But I'll see what I can do.
It's all gotta be some sort of big misunderstanding."
"Well, I hope so," Audrey said.
"Just don't move," Milo said to them. "I'll try to figure something out."
"Like we have a choice," Packard said dryly as they watched Milo turn and run off
after Kida.
It only took a couple of minutes for Milo to make his way of the stairway from the
central plaza and reach the entrance of the throne room. The hole Vinny had blasted in
the double doors had been repaired, and one of them stood slightly ajar. A soft light
filtered out from the space beyond.
The first sensation to hit Milo as he entered the room was how much darker it had
become; several of the crumbling walls had been restored, and much of the vegetation
removed by the Heart. Light still came in from places where columns, rather than walls,
existed, but most of the light in the room came artificially now. The now fully charged
lamps were floating in place near the throne, casting shadows that made the place look
downright eerie. The result was a more impressive though colder, more intimidating throne
room than what Milo remembered.
Kida was halfway across the room; slowly making her way to the throne, where her
father's body still lay. Milo simply stood in the entranceway, watching as she walked
to the throne and went to her knees in front of it, burying her head in the old king's
robes. For long minutes he stayed there, not wanting to disturb Kida in her time of
grief, yet not wanting to leave her alone.
"Milo, don't stand there like an idiot. If you wish to enter, come. If not,
then leave me be."
The sound of Kida's voice startled Milo, especially since she hadn't moved from her
position or turned to face him. For a moment, he thought about finally leaving her alone,
but then he began to slowly pick his way across the stones of the reflecting pool to the
throne. As he walked, Kida continued to kneel, never showing the slightest sign of movement;
she was as much a statue as the stone heads behind the throne.
It took a full minute for Milo to reach the dais at the far side of the reflecting
pool, and another little while before he went to Kida's side and knelt next to her. Still
she did not move. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.
"Kida? Are you…"
The question died as she turned to look him, and he saw the emotion that was on her
face. There were no lines of moisture running down the princess' cheeks, no bleary eyes.
Just a weariness that seemed to suffuse her very being, and for the first time Milo saw
the ancient person who lived within this young woman's body. The mere sight of it caused
him to pull away slightly.
One of Kida's eyebrows arched slightly. "Have I become so intimidating?"
"Well, no…uh," Milo backtracked, and then sighed. "Are you all right?"
The princess took a long moment to answer. "I do not know, Milo. I know I will be
able to move beyond this someday, but…"
"Your life will never be the same," Milo finished. He smiled sadly when she seemed
surprised. "I told you my own parents died when I was young. It felt like the end of the
world to me when it happened; I have to say, you're taking it a lot better then I did. I
know what you're going through, and I'd just like you to know that…well…I'm here if you
need me."
"Thank you, Milo," Kida said, and embraced Milo before he could react. He returned
the gesture, and the two sat there on the floor of the room for what seemed like several
minutes. She still didn't cry, merely held herself to him, and Milo comforted her with
his presence. It seemed to be all she needed at the moment.
"Kida," Milo said at last, "I'm so sorry about this. About what happened to your
father, your city. I should never have…"
"Never have what?" Kida asked, pulling herself away from him. "Never have come down
here? Never have helped me find the Heart of Atlantis?"
"Never have helped a bunch of greedy mercenaries into your home," Milo finished.
Kida's mouth twisted into a bitter smile, and she looked as though she would laugh
in his face. "You concern yourself with that? _I_ am the one who should have been more
careful…"
"Yeah, but…"
Kida held her hand up to silence him. "Where is the one who killed my father?" she
asked quietly.
"He's dead."
Kida thought about that for a moment. "And the woman who helped him?"
"Helga?"
"Yes. What of her?"
"She's dead too," Milo said.
"Good," Kida said with a finality that shocked Milo a little.
"Kida…"
"Let us talk more about that later," she said. "If ever. For now, I have another
question to ask."
"What?"
Kida waved her hand towards the body of her father. "What happened to the crystal
around Father's neck?"
Milo suddenly look a little horrified. He quickly fished through his pockets, and
then pulled out the king's crystal and its cord. Gingerly he presented it to Kida, who
looked thoroughly confused.
"Milo, how did you…?" she began, a suspicious look in her eyes.
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're thinking," Milo responded quickly. "He…gave
it to me."
Now Kida really looked unsure. "Why would he do that? He hardly knew of you."
"I don't know," Milo said. He explained some of what had happened after Kida had
joined the Heart, of how Dr. Sweet had tried to care for the injured king. And how, later,
the king had charged Milo with rescuing Kida from Rourke and saving the city.
"And you saved the city and myself?" Kida asked. She looked bemused at the thought
of Milo saving anyone.
"I had some help from the others," Milo admitted. "But, anyway, here's your dad's
crystal back. Sorry if I did anything wrong." He held the pendant out in front of him
for Kida to take.
The princess looked at it for a moment, and then shook her head. "I believe what
you say, Milo. And I know that if Father was the one who gave this to you, he wanted you
to have it." She pushed Milo's hand and the offered pendant back to him.
"Kida, are you sure?"
She nodded. "Keep it."
Milo began to put the pendant back in his pocket, but then thought better of it in
front of Kida, and put it around his neck. He studied the crystal for a moment or two,
and then turned a sheepish face back to the princess.
"Uh, Kida…" he asked, "does this mean I'm king now?"
Kida stared at him for a second, and then burst into giggling; she was her old self
for a moment. When she had calmed down, she shook her head and looked at Milo again. "No,
Milo. Just because Father handed you one of his crystals does not make you king."
Milo shrugged. "It was worth a try." Then he thought on what Kida had said. "Wait
a minute. You said 'one' of his crystals?"
Kida nodded her head, and then started looking around for something. Finally, she
picked up the king's staff and held the top part for Milo to view. "Father kept other
crystals in these," she said, pointing to the gourds on the end of the staff. "I have no
idea why he would need more than one crystal, but they are here. He always kept them near
himself."
Milo took a look at the gourds; small and spherical, he could 'feel' what he now
recognized as crystal energy coming from with the three of them. He could see the stoppers
on the top of each one, and resisted the temptation to open one then and there. He instead
turned his attention back to the crystal the king had given him. This was definitely
something he'd have to puzzle out…but later, under less unhappy circumstances.
As he looked at it, Kida's face turned grave again. "Milo, since we are on the subject
of Father, I would ask a favor of you."
"What is it?"
Kida thought for a moment. "With my father…gone…I am the queen of this city. But I
am queen in name only; without a proper coronation I cannot truly begin to rule."
"Let me guess," Milo said, "you've forgotten how to perform the ceremony."
Kida flushed a little. "Yes, that is exactly the problem. You must remember that it
is not only our history that we have lost, Milo. Many of our old customs and rituals have
vanished as well, and the kingship rites are one of them."
Milo thought a moment. "Can't you just make something up? I may not have been here
long, but I don't think the citizens would care much about what kind of ceremony you use.
Especially if they can't remember what the old one was like."
"If only it were that simple," Kida said. "If I were to do that, I wouldn't know if
my rule was truly legitimate. And who knows whom I might offend with such an act? Our
ancestors, the gods, even the spirits of the Founders themselves might cause us all sorts of
grief if I did something wrong or left something out." She sighed. "No, Milo. I need to
know the proper crowning ritual, and you are probably the only one who could help in this
matter."
"It'd be pretty difficult," Milo mused. "I know the Shepherd's Journal wouldn't have
anything like that in it, considering it was written long after Atlantis sank, and your father
was crowned before. I suppose there might be something back on those murals you showed me
earlier…"
"You would have access to whatever parts of the city you wanted, of course," Kida said
quickly.
"Thanks. I might also want one of the vehicles to use; some of that writing is probably
a few dozen feet off the ground now."
Kida quickly nodded assent.
Milo thought for a moment more. "All right," he said. "I'll see what I can do, though
I'm not going to promise anything. The ancients might not have been kind enough to leave us
crowning instructions on the side of a pillar, you know."
"I understand," Kida said, gratitude edging into her features. "Thank you."
Milo began to get up, and then stopped when he thought of something. "There's one
condition, though," he said.
"What is that?"
"What about my friends?" Milo asked quietly.
Kida seemed to consider this. "They helped kill my father, Milo. They killed the king
of this city. Is that not a serious crime where you are from?"
"Actually, it is," Milo admitted. Another regicide in his world, in Sarajevo, came to
his mind. "But they didn't know Rourke was going to go that far." Kida, for her part, didn't
seem to buy it.
"They're not bad people, Kida," he continued. "They were just misguided…and more than
a little greedy, I'll admit. But when it mattered, they did help save the city." He bent
down again and looked into her eyes. "I know you don't remember anything after you joined
with the Heart, but could you at least trust me on this? At least give them a chance to
prove themselves to you."
Kida seemed to think for a moment, then sighed and turned back towards her father's body.
"Very well, Milo. I will spare them for now, until I can look into the matter further. They
can wander where they will in the city, but they cannot set foot outside of it."
"Thanks, Kida."
"I do this for you, and you only, Milo," Kida continued. "And if any of your 'friends'
should cause more trouble in the city, if any of them tries to escape, none of them will leave
Atlantis alive."
"I understand," he said, getting back up. "I'll go tell them. And thanks again."
Kida's only response was a slight nod. Milo slowly walked out of the room, turning back
only once when he was at the entryway again. Kida had set her father's staff down, and seemed
to be in solemn prayer. Quietly, Milo left the room and went to tell his friends about Kida's
sentence.