* We're The Heart Takes You *
It was a bright new Atlantean morning and the market place was alive with merchants making their sale pitches to the shoppers as they passed by. Even though many of the people were shopping for gifts that they would give to honor the King at his funeral. The people were happily talking, joking and telling each other their tales of what they were doing and what they saw the day Milo and the other outsiders saved Kida and returned the Heart of Atlantis. All of the Atlantean people had a new sense of hope and pride, all except one.
Redic stood on top of a bench next to a fish stand as a small crowd of people gathered around him.
"My people! Atlanteans! You know who I am! Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you the truth about the outsiders, about Milo!"
The crowd of people watched Redic intently in anticipation of what was sure to be a fantastic tail of battle against the evil ones.
"I fought the evil ones, and the outsiders fought by my side. But why did they do this?"
"Because they have good hearts!" A woman in the crowd loudly and happily proclaimed.
"No! They did this because they are traitors!" Redic quickly replied.
The group of people started to grumble.
"They cannot be trusted! They turned against their own leader! And if we do not take care of these outsiders, they will turn against us...! They are dangerous, especially the one known as Milo. They all must be killed!" Redic proclaimed. "Now who will stand with me against these outsiders?"
"You are a fool Redic. If it were not for Milo and the others the Heart of Atlantis would have been stolen and our city would have been destroyed! Kill them? No... They should be celebrated." Said a man in the crowd as they began to disperse.
"No, listen to me! All of you, they killed our King and... and..." Redic desperately tried to plead his case to the thinning crowd.
A small boy looked back at Redic and said as he was walking away, "You stink as bad as those fish."
Redic, clinching his fists and shaking his head as he stepped down from the bench, yelled as loudly as he could. "You are the ones that are fools! You do not know how dangerous these outsiders are! Especially Milo!" Redic began to walk away disgusted that he couldn't make his own people understand his point of view when he herd an old man's voice.
"You do not understand how correct you are Redic."
Redic stopped and turned to see who was speaking to him. It was Likoosh. An old bald headed man with a poorly kept beard wearing a tattered dirty robe.
Likoosh had once been a royal servant. When Kida was still only a child, she caught him stealing the King's private reserve of crystals from the palace and told her father. The King had stripped him of his position, and banned him from the palace. Disgraced, most Atlanteans would not have anything to do with him. This included Redic.
"What do you want old man!" Redic said disgusted with his presence.
"I can help you."
"Help? Ha! Unless you can get the people to take heed to my warnings... Why am I even talking to you? Go-away." Redic waved him off.
"What if I said I could do just that?"
"I said go-away old man. I will not deal with the likes of you." Redic turned his back to Likoosh.
"As you wish Redic. But know this. If you do not accept my help you will never stop the one known as Milo." Likoosh replied, then slowly walked out of sight.
***
Milo stood in a wash of blue light, a sense of comfort and security coursed through every fiber of his being. He felt completely at ease as the sound of his own heartbeat echoed in his mind. And in between each beat was a single thought. (Kida, Kida, Kida.)
But his thoughts were interrupted by a vaguely familiar voice saying, (You will protect my people, protect my daughter. This you will swear to me.)
Almost involuntarily, Milo found himself replying, (I promise.)
Milo's thoughts quickly returned to Kida then suddenly the light was gone, replaced by the image of his clothing sitting neatly folded on the nightstand next to his bed.
"That was a strange dream." Lying in bed Milo tried to figure out what the dream meant but he couldn't remember all of it. He did remember making a promise to someone about something but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. But what he did remember clearly was the pleasant light and the thought of Kida.
Milo rolled himself out of the bed with a big yawn and stretch. Looking back down at his clothes he noticed a bracelet lying on top of them. He picked it up, "Where did this come from? It must be Kida's but..."
Milo heard a knock on the door and quickly put the bracelet down, then put on his pants just as Salin opened the door and peaked inside. Salin giggled as he struggled to put his shirt on as fast as he could. "My apologies Milo. I thought you would have been up and dressed by now."
"Oh... Aaaa... That's okay. I had a hard time going to sleep last night... Guess I slept in a bit late" Milo replied as he tried to make himself presentable.
"You need not explain, you may sleep as late as you like. I only stopped by to let you know that your friends have asked about you. They wanted to know when they could see you."
"Oh... Um... Did they say what for?" Milo asked.
"Something about leaving I think. I have to run down to the lower-level to pick something up for the Queen, would you like me to tell them anything?"
"Um... Just tell them I'll be down in a bit."
"Very well. Again my apologies for disturbing you." Salin said, taking her leave.
After Salin shut the door, Milo sat down on the edge of the bed. "Leave... They want to leave already? We just got here."
He picked up Kida's bracelet and looked at it again. "I can't leave, at least not yet. I have to know... I can't get her out of my mind."
Milo lifted up his crystal that was draped around his neck and looked at it. "There's something special about this place, about her... I have to know if she..."
Milo let himself fall back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. "How could I fall in love with a Queen...? Gees grandpa, so what am I supposed to do now?"
***
Kida stood in the private kitchen fidgeting and picking at the formal dark blue dress and light blue royal robe she was wearing, her hair was pulled straight back held in place with a comb.
"Kida. Stop playing with your dress and listen to me." Rosha said as she poured herself a cup of elsook juice.
"I cannot help it, it is too tight... I feel like I cannot move at all..." Kida complained, "I do not wish to wear this tonight."
"You must dress properly for your father's funeral. It is expected." Rosha explained turning to Kida.
"Very well." Kida muttered as she tugged at her dress one last time.
"As I was saying before." Rosha took a sip of her elsook juice then continued, "You must do something about Redic."
"Redic is not a threat, he would not dare to do anything. Besides, I can take Redic with one hand tide behind my back." Kida boasted, "Unless I am wearing this dress."
"Kida, you do not understand. Redic is."
Kida interrupted, "I do not wish to speak of him anymore."
"If you do not wish to speak of Redic. Then what about the outsiders?" Rosha asked setting her cup on the table.
Kida sighed, "What about them?"
"They have expressed a desire to return to the surface world." Rosha said.
"I am aware of their wishes and I have already made arrangements for them to leave later today." Kida said in a slightly somber tone.
Rosha continued, "And did you also make arrangements for them to be rewarded for their service to Atlantis?"
"Yes, yes, I have done that." Kida said as she started picking at her dress again.
"You see, you can be Queen when you put your mind to it."
Kida threw her hands up in disgust, "I do not wish to be Queen. You are my father's sister, why can you not be Queen? I can be Queen later."
"Kida, it does not work that way." Rosha said upset by Kida's reluctance to accept her new role.
"Please forgive my intrusion my Queen." Salin said as she entered the kitchen, "I have brought the crystals that you requested."
Kida looked at Salin with rage in her eyes. All morning long everyone had been addressing her as Queen even though she had asked them not to. This was the last straw. Kida clenched her fists in anger and yelled as loudly as she could at Salin, "I have told you never to call me Queen!"
"Kida...!" Rosha quickly stepped over and took Kida by the arm; afraid she might actually strike Salin.
Salin was visibly shaken and tears were beginning to run down her cheeks as she slowly placed the gored filled with crystals on the table in front of Kida.
Kida's rage left her as she realized what she had done. Salin was new at being a servant to the royal family. Rosha had given her the position shortly after her parents died when the bridge they were crossing collapse over the lava flows. A somewhat overly sensitive girl, Salin had a good heart and she was always trying to please. Kida was ashamed at lashing out at her.
Kida slowly reached out to Salin, "I... I am sorry Salin, I did not mean to..." Salin stepped back from the table not looking at Kida. "Please forgive me my Queen... I, I mean, your mag... I... I mean..." Salin turned and ran out of the kitchen openly crying.
Kida, disgusted with herself, sat down at the table and looked up at Rosha. "Now do you believe me when I say I should not be Queen?" Kida looked back down at the table and buried her head into her arms.
Rosha sat down next to her and gently put her hand on Kida's shoulder. "This is not just about being Queen or even your father, is it?"
Kida shook her head no.
"Then tell me what is wrong."
"I have lost my bracelet that mother gave to me and I cannot find it." Kida muttered.
"And this is all that is upsetting you?" Rosha asked pushing for more.
"No..." Kida said after a short pause.
Rosha pulled Kida's arms down with one hand and putting her other hand under Kida's chin, she gently made Kida look at her. "Tell me Kida, tell me everything."
Kida was fighting back tears. "Milo will return with his friends to the surface world today. I do not want him to leave."
"Kida, Milo has said nothing about leaving."
"But he will go, Milo will leave me and then I will be alone." Kida said as she looked away from Rosha's eyes.
"Kida, tell me. Do you love him?" Rosha asked.
"Yes... No... I do not know." Kida looked back to Rosha, "I have never felt like this before, he is all I think about now. He even invades my dreams. Last night I dreamt that I was surrounded by light and I kept hearing Milo's name over and over again in my head. Is this what love is?"
"Yes, at least in part. Given time, it will grow into something much more." Rosha said with a smile.
"Then yes, I love him... But Milo could not love me." Kida looked away again.
"And how do you know this? Have you told Milo of your feelings?"
"No, but I do not need to. He could not love me." Kida said with her voice braking up.
Rosha gently made Kida look at her again; tears were rolling down her face. "You do not give him enough credit. Milo did not leave you when you merged with the Heart of Atlantis, and he did not leave you when you were grieving for your father. These are not the actions of a man that could not love you. But you must tell him how you feel."
"I do not know how to tell him." Kida said trying to hold back her tears.
"All you must do is tell Milo what is in your heart."
"But I am afraid to tell him. I would rather face down a cave beast with only a knife than admit to him how I feel about him."
"I know it can be scary, but the sooner you tell him, the sooner that fear will vanish." Rosha reached over and gave Kida a hug, stood up from the table, then asked. "Do you feel better now?"
"No..." Kida said looking up at her.
"Kida, I have never known you to back down from a challenge simply because you feared it. This is not something you should fight or run from. Share your feelings with him." Rosha said, softly placing her hand on Kida's shoulder.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes..." Rosha said stepping back as she picked up her cup to put away. "Now will you speak with him?"
Kida started to tug at her dress again. "I... I will try."
"Good... And you will not yell at Salin again." Rosha said, it was not a question.
"No... I will not." Kida understood that it wasn't a question.
Rosha sighed in relief; she had solved the first problem of the day. "Now I must go and find Salin."
***
Milo stepped out of his room on his way to find Kida. He had thought long and hard about his feelings towards her, and he had come up with a plan. He was just going to tell her how he felt. It was simple; all he had to do was to say three little words. I love you. No matter what Kida said or did, he would know how she felt about him. (CRASH...! THUD...!) Milo found himself sitting on the floor. In front of him, a bit dazed and sobbing was Salin who was also on the floor.
"Uh, so were is the fire?" Milo jokingly said as he picked himself up from the floor.
Salin sat up and tried to collect herself embarrassed that she had ran into Milo. She tried to wipe her tears away as she sniffled.
Milo kneeled down in front her. "Hey, don't cry. Look, no harm done."
Salin looked away. "You okay?" Milo asked with concern.
Salin looked back at Milo sobbing again. "The Queen... I... I mean Kida... She... she yelled, but I did what she said... And, I was scared... And... and she is, she is upset with me."
Salin's confession caught him off guard. "Oh, um, here... Let me help you up." Milo said, helping Salin to her feet. "Now, let's try this again. But slowly this time."
Salin gathered herself and took a deep breath. "Kida asked me to retrieve some crystals for her, but when I gave them to her, she became very upset with me."
"Kida got mad when you gave her the crystals?"
"Well not exactly... She became upset when I address her as Queen. Kida said I was not to call her Queen, but she is the Queen." Salin explained.
"Then what happened?"
"I am not sure. I think she tried to apologize but, I was frightened and I ran away." Salin turned away.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I mean if she tried to apologize she can't be too mad at you." Milo reasoned.
"No, you do not understand." Salin turned back to Milo, "I ran away from the Queen. I will be banished now."
"Kida is not upset with you, and you will not be banished Salin." Rosha said stepping out of the shadows of the hall, "And you are right to address her as Queen."
Both Milo and Salin were startled by Rosha's sudden appearance.
"How... how long have you been..." Milo started to ask Rosha.
"Long enough." Rosha said. "If you are looking for Kida, she is in the kitchen."
"Oh, uh... Yeah, Kida, in the kitchen. I'll just go to..." Milo stammered, not sure which way to go.
Salin couldn't help but giggle at Milo, "It is that way silly." She pointed to the hall. "Milo... Thank you."
"Uh... No problem, anytime I can help." Milo said as he headed down the hall.
"I like him." Salin said.
"I like him as well." Rosha agreed.
***
Milo stepped into the kitchen and froze when he saw Kida standing near the table with her back turned. He thought he had it all figured out. Just three little words was all he had to say, but now fear coursed throughout his body as he looked at her. Those three little words were now as big as a mountain that could not be climbed.
"Ka... Kida." Milo said, trying to clear the lump in his throat.
Startled, Kida turned and looked at him. She looked as nervous as he felt.
"You... you look very..." Milo started to say.
"Stupid, I am aware of this." Kida said as she looked down at herself.
"No! You look beautiful." He tentatively took a couple of steps towards her as Kida looked up, giving Milo a short-lived smile.
"Milo there is something I must say to you."-"Kida I have something to tell you." The two of them said at the same time as they drew close to each other.
Milo gave a halfhearted chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair. "Ladies first."
Kida pulled back slightly, biting her lower lip. "No... You will go first."
Milo gulped as he tried to find those three little worlds, "I... I... I found this." He pulled her bracelet from his pocket.
Kida's eyes opened wide as she lunged foreword taking the bracelet from Milo's hand. "Were did you find it?"
"I'm not sure... It was with my clothes."
Kida gave Milo a big hug. "Thank you." For a moment, she was happy.
"Hey, I'm here to help." Milo said as Kida pulled away inspecting her bracelet.
Milo continued, "You said you had something to tell me?"
"Yes..." Kida said. Searching for what to say she bit her lower lip, "I... I would ask you for your help."
"Uh... Okay, I'm yours to command my Queen." Milo said jokingly.
Kida lowered her eyebrows giving him a dirty look, "That is not funny Milo!"
Milo cringed a bit, "Sorry... You were saying?"
"Your friends will be returning to the surface world later today. You will sta... No... I would like you to stay."
"Sure... I was planning on staying for a while anyway." He smiled, (She wants me to say.)
Kida smiled in relief at his answer. "Good. We will start tomorrow."
"Uh... Start what tomorrow?"
"You must help me restore my people's past. Teach me... Teach my people how to read and write our language. I also need you to explain the writings we are sure to find when we explore the new part of the city." Kida explained.
"Oh... Is that all?" Milo muttered.
"Is their something wrong?"
"Wrong, no. Everything's fine. No problems here... I better go down and tell everybody that I'm staying." Milo said as he backed up towards the hall.
"Yes, that is a good idea. I will join you shortly... After I get out of this intolerable dress."
***
"So... Look who finally decided to come down and see us commoners." Dr. Sweet said as Milo descended the last few steps down to the guest terrace.
"Yeah! Nice of you to grace us with your presence." Audrey added in a mocking tone.
"Hi guys..." Milo responded, ignoring their attempts at ribbing him, "Sorry I couldn't come down earlier."
"Well it was your loss... We had a great time last night, you should have been there." Audrey said with a smile.
"I imagine that Milo had his own private party with the Princess last night, no?" Mole said making his presence known.
"Mole!" Dr. Sweet said in an admonishing tone and stern look.
"What did I say?"
"Go away Mole." Audrey said giving him the same kind of look that Dr. Sweet had.
"Hey, guys... No need for that." Milo interrupted, " So what's up?"
Dr. Sweet turned his attention back to Milo, " We need to talk about what we are going to do when we get back home. I'm sure you heard. The Princess arranged for us to be returned to the surface later today."
Milo, looking down and running his hand through his hair, said, "Yeah... About that."
"You want-a-go home don't you?" Audrey asked.
Milo was about to respond when he saw Kida approaching now wearing her familiar blue top and sarong. She had a warm and pleasant smile upon her face. Dr. Sweet couldn't help but notice how Milo seemed to light up as the Princess approached.
Kida's eyes were locked on Milo as she came to stand by his side, her smile meant mainly for him. " Have you told them yet?"
"Told us what?" Audrey said crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow.
"Milo will not be returning to the surface world with you today." Kida said before Milo could answer. "Come... All of you. I have planned a special celebration to be held in your honor." Before anyone could say another word, Kida began to motion everyone to head for the stairs that led to the lower levels of the palace. Audrey, Mrs. Pakord, Mole and Vinny followed Kida's lead but Milo lightly took hold of Dr. Sweet's forearm. "Hold up a sec Sweet."
"So... You're staying here?" Dr. Sweet asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah... Guess so."
Sweet continued, "Your staying here because of the Princess aren't you?"
"Yeah... No! I mean..." Milo said as he ran his hand through his hair, "I just got here and there's a lot left to learn about this culture. I just need more time that's all."
"Sure..." Dr. Sweet said with a grin, "More time with the Princess you mean."
Milo looked down and away for a moment somewhat embarrassed, "Queen actually. Look, why I am staying isn't important... I need you to promise me something."
"Promise? Promise what?" Dr. Sweet questioned.
"I need you to make sure that this place... Atlantis and its people stay a secret. Talk to Mr. Whitmore, make sure he understands that no one can know of this place." Milo said in a serious and almost commanding tone.
"You don't plan on ever coming back... Do you?" Dr. Sweet asked realizing that Milo was serious.
"I... I don't know. But I do know there are more people like Rourke and Helga that would stop at nothing to get their hands on the Crystal. We can't let that happen. So I'm asking you to make sure Mr. Whitmore and the others all understand this place must remain undiscovered."
"I don't have a problem with that and I'm sure Mr. Whitmore won't either but..."
"But what?" Milo asked with concern.
"Well these guys aren't exactly tight lipped you know. The story of this place is all they have left, and some of them will most likely try to cash in on it." Dr. Sweet explained.
Milo put his hand to his chin thinking for a moment. "What if I arranged for everyone to leave here with something more than just a story?"
"What did you have in mind?" Dr. Sweet asked.
"Let's just say I think I can come up with something that should keep them quiet." Milo said with a grin.
"Okay..." Dr. Sweet shrugged his shoulders. "Milo, I hope you know what you're doing." He wasn't referring to keeping Atlantis a secret.
"Yeah, me to..." Milo know exactly what he meant. "Um... We'd better catch up with the others."
Milo and Dr. Sweet quickly caught up with Kida and the others following them down the stairs that led to the throne room. Instead of entering Kida led them around the outside of the throne room ending up at the top of the stairs leading to the main palace courtyard. Smiling broadly, Kida stepped aside as her friends stood stunned and surprised as hundreds of Atlantean voices rose up in a jubilant cheer at their appearance.
"They are here to honor all of you for saving Atlantis." Kida said as she took Milo by the hand and began to lead him down the stairs.
The courtyard had the look of a carnival; hundreds of Atlantean's mingled all about. Tables covered in fine linen displayed every type of Atlantean food and drink imaginable. A band off to one end began to play traditional Atlantean tunes, a mix of Indian, Asian and Mediterranean sounds that had an upbeat and pleasant rhythm. Many of the people had begun to dance to the joyful beat.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the crowd of Atlanteans immediately swarmed the group of explorers pulling them into the crowd. The party atmosphere was contagious, and even Mrs. Packard found herself having a good time. She of course took lots of pictures, even catching Kida and Milo holding hands. They immediately let go of each other and turned away in embarrassment when Mrs. Packard's flash went off. Mole, on the other hand, found himself in the familiar position of being slapped more than once. But this did not deter him from enjoying the party.
One person, however, appeared to not be having a good time. Redic watched the celebration from a distance disgusted with what he was seeing. The idea of throwing these outsiders a party was beneath contempt and the more Redic watched the angrier he became. How could Kida allow this, how could the Atlantean people not see that the outsiders were a threat.
"All of them should be put to death, instead they treat them like heroes." Redic said clinching his fists.
As with all good things the party soon came to an end and it was time for the explorers to leave Atlantis. Redic followed the explorers down to the waterfront, careful to stay out of sight. Kida and Milo were holding hands as they walked behind the group of explorers. Their holding of hands had become almost instinctive. Most of the time they weren't even aware of their small embrace.
"How could she let him touch her? She is a Queen. Milo is nothing more than a commoner. No, he is less than that! He is an outsider." Redic muttered to himself, "This is not right!" Redic's first impulse was to run down and pull the two of them apart, but they were being closely followed by Toka and Impesh, he could do nothing. The sight of them holding hands made him sick.
Once at the waterfront Redic hid in the bushes and was shocked by what he saw. Royal servants were loading Atlantean treasure into a Nartak, a large Atlantean transport vehicle that looks similar to the Narwhal whale.
"They do not have to steal our treasures. Kida is giving it to them." Redic muttered to himself with disbelief.
Redic badly wanted to confront Kida and make her understand that what she was doing was wrong. If Kida allowed the outsiders to return to the surface world it would only be a matter time before they came back, and in greater numbers. But he knew the guards would stop him before he could reach her. Toka and Impesh were two guards he didn't want to fight without help.
Redic's heart sank as he watched the Nartak began to glow with crystal energy. It slowly lifted from the ground and began to fly off towards the caves carrying the outsiders to freedom. Redic looked back at Kida. Milo was standing by her side.
"Milo... This is his doing. He has bewitched our Queen" Redic mumbled to himself.
It was a bright new Atlantean morning and the market place was alive with merchants making their sale pitches to the shoppers as they passed by. Even though many of the people were shopping for gifts that they would give to honor the King at his funeral. The people were happily talking, joking and telling each other their tales of what they were doing and what they saw the day Milo and the other outsiders saved Kida and returned the Heart of Atlantis. All of the Atlantean people had a new sense of hope and pride, all except one.
Redic stood on top of a bench next to a fish stand as a small crowd of people gathered around him.
"My people! Atlanteans! You know who I am! Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you the truth about the outsiders, about Milo!"
The crowd of people watched Redic intently in anticipation of what was sure to be a fantastic tail of battle against the evil ones.
"I fought the evil ones, and the outsiders fought by my side. But why did they do this?"
"Because they have good hearts!" A woman in the crowd loudly and happily proclaimed.
"No! They did this because they are traitors!" Redic quickly replied.
The group of people started to grumble.
"They cannot be trusted! They turned against their own leader! And if we do not take care of these outsiders, they will turn against us...! They are dangerous, especially the one known as Milo. They all must be killed!" Redic proclaimed. "Now who will stand with me against these outsiders?"
"You are a fool Redic. If it were not for Milo and the others the Heart of Atlantis would have been stolen and our city would have been destroyed! Kill them? No... They should be celebrated." Said a man in the crowd as they began to disperse.
"No, listen to me! All of you, they killed our King and... and..." Redic desperately tried to plead his case to the thinning crowd.
A small boy looked back at Redic and said as he was walking away, "You stink as bad as those fish."
Redic, clinching his fists and shaking his head as he stepped down from the bench, yelled as loudly as he could. "You are the ones that are fools! You do not know how dangerous these outsiders are! Especially Milo!" Redic began to walk away disgusted that he couldn't make his own people understand his point of view when he herd an old man's voice.
"You do not understand how correct you are Redic."
Redic stopped and turned to see who was speaking to him. It was Likoosh. An old bald headed man with a poorly kept beard wearing a tattered dirty robe.
Likoosh had once been a royal servant. When Kida was still only a child, she caught him stealing the King's private reserve of crystals from the palace and told her father. The King had stripped him of his position, and banned him from the palace. Disgraced, most Atlanteans would not have anything to do with him. This included Redic.
"What do you want old man!" Redic said disgusted with his presence.
"I can help you."
"Help? Ha! Unless you can get the people to take heed to my warnings... Why am I even talking to you? Go-away." Redic waved him off.
"What if I said I could do just that?"
"I said go-away old man. I will not deal with the likes of you." Redic turned his back to Likoosh.
"As you wish Redic. But know this. If you do not accept my help you will never stop the one known as Milo." Likoosh replied, then slowly walked out of sight.
***
Milo stood in a wash of blue light, a sense of comfort and security coursed through every fiber of his being. He felt completely at ease as the sound of his own heartbeat echoed in his mind. And in between each beat was a single thought. (Kida, Kida, Kida.)
But his thoughts were interrupted by a vaguely familiar voice saying, (You will protect my people, protect my daughter. This you will swear to me.)
Almost involuntarily, Milo found himself replying, (I promise.)
Milo's thoughts quickly returned to Kida then suddenly the light was gone, replaced by the image of his clothing sitting neatly folded on the nightstand next to his bed.
"That was a strange dream." Lying in bed Milo tried to figure out what the dream meant but he couldn't remember all of it. He did remember making a promise to someone about something but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. But what he did remember clearly was the pleasant light and the thought of Kida.
Milo rolled himself out of the bed with a big yawn and stretch. Looking back down at his clothes he noticed a bracelet lying on top of them. He picked it up, "Where did this come from? It must be Kida's but..."
Milo heard a knock on the door and quickly put the bracelet down, then put on his pants just as Salin opened the door and peaked inside. Salin giggled as he struggled to put his shirt on as fast as he could. "My apologies Milo. I thought you would have been up and dressed by now."
"Oh... Aaaa... That's okay. I had a hard time going to sleep last night... Guess I slept in a bit late" Milo replied as he tried to make himself presentable.
"You need not explain, you may sleep as late as you like. I only stopped by to let you know that your friends have asked about you. They wanted to know when they could see you."
"Oh... Um... Did they say what for?" Milo asked.
"Something about leaving I think. I have to run down to the lower-level to pick something up for the Queen, would you like me to tell them anything?"
"Um... Just tell them I'll be down in a bit."
"Very well. Again my apologies for disturbing you." Salin said, taking her leave.
After Salin shut the door, Milo sat down on the edge of the bed. "Leave... They want to leave already? We just got here."
He picked up Kida's bracelet and looked at it again. "I can't leave, at least not yet. I have to know... I can't get her out of my mind."
Milo lifted up his crystal that was draped around his neck and looked at it. "There's something special about this place, about her... I have to know if she..."
Milo let himself fall back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. "How could I fall in love with a Queen...? Gees grandpa, so what am I supposed to do now?"
***
Kida stood in the private kitchen fidgeting and picking at the formal dark blue dress and light blue royal robe she was wearing, her hair was pulled straight back held in place with a comb.
"Kida. Stop playing with your dress and listen to me." Rosha said as she poured herself a cup of elsook juice.
"I cannot help it, it is too tight... I feel like I cannot move at all..." Kida complained, "I do not wish to wear this tonight."
"You must dress properly for your father's funeral. It is expected." Rosha explained turning to Kida.
"Very well." Kida muttered as she tugged at her dress one last time.
"As I was saying before." Rosha took a sip of her elsook juice then continued, "You must do something about Redic."
"Redic is not a threat, he would not dare to do anything. Besides, I can take Redic with one hand tide behind my back." Kida boasted, "Unless I am wearing this dress."
"Kida, you do not understand. Redic is."
Kida interrupted, "I do not wish to speak of him anymore."
"If you do not wish to speak of Redic. Then what about the outsiders?" Rosha asked setting her cup on the table.
Kida sighed, "What about them?"
"They have expressed a desire to return to the surface world." Rosha said.
"I am aware of their wishes and I have already made arrangements for them to leave later today." Kida said in a slightly somber tone.
Rosha continued, "And did you also make arrangements for them to be rewarded for their service to Atlantis?"
"Yes, yes, I have done that." Kida said as she started picking at her dress again.
"You see, you can be Queen when you put your mind to it."
Kida threw her hands up in disgust, "I do not wish to be Queen. You are my father's sister, why can you not be Queen? I can be Queen later."
"Kida, it does not work that way." Rosha said upset by Kida's reluctance to accept her new role.
"Please forgive my intrusion my Queen." Salin said as she entered the kitchen, "I have brought the crystals that you requested."
Kida looked at Salin with rage in her eyes. All morning long everyone had been addressing her as Queen even though she had asked them not to. This was the last straw. Kida clenched her fists in anger and yelled as loudly as she could at Salin, "I have told you never to call me Queen!"
"Kida...!" Rosha quickly stepped over and took Kida by the arm; afraid she might actually strike Salin.
Salin was visibly shaken and tears were beginning to run down her cheeks as she slowly placed the gored filled with crystals on the table in front of Kida.
Kida's rage left her as she realized what she had done. Salin was new at being a servant to the royal family. Rosha had given her the position shortly after her parents died when the bridge they were crossing collapse over the lava flows. A somewhat overly sensitive girl, Salin had a good heart and she was always trying to please. Kida was ashamed at lashing out at her.
Kida slowly reached out to Salin, "I... I am sorry Salin, I did not mean to..." Salin stepped back from the table not looking at Kida. "Please forgive me my Queen... I, I mean, your mag... I... I mean..." Salin turned and ran out of the kitchen openly crying.
Kida, disgusted with herself, sat down at the table and looked up at Rosha. "Now do you believe me when I say I should not be Queen?" Kida looked back down at the table and buried her head into her arms.
Rosha sat down next to her and gently put her hand on Kida's shoulder. "This is not just about being Queen or even your father, is it?"
Kida shook her head no.
"Then tell me what is wrong."
"I have lost my bracelet that mother gave to me and I cannot find it." Kida muttered.
"And this is all that is upsetting you?" Rosha asked pushing for more.
"No..." Kida said after a short pause.
Rosha pulled Kida's arms down with one hand and putting her other hand under Kida's chin, she gently made Kida look at her. "Tell me Kida, tell me everything."
Kida was fighting back tears. "Milo will return with his friends to the surface world today. I do not want him to leave."
"Kida, Milo has said nothing about leaving."
"But he will go, Milo will leave me and then I will be alone." Kida said as she looked away from Rosha's eyes.
"Kida, tell me. Do you love him?" Rosha asked.
"Yes... No... I do not know." Kida looked back to Rosha, "I have never felt like this before, he is all I think about now. He even invades my dreams. Last night I dreamt that I was surrounded by light and I kept hearing Milo's name over and over again in my head. Is this what love is?"
"Yes, at least in part. Given time, it will grow into something much more." Rosha said with a smile.
"Then yes, I love him... But Milo could not love me." Kida looked away again.
"And how do you know this? Have you told Milo of your feelings?"
"No, but I do not need to. He could not love me." Kida said with her voice braking up.
Rosha gently made Kida look at her again; tears were rolling down her face. "You do not give him enough credit. Milo did not leave you when you merged with the Heart of Atlantis, and he did not leave you when you were grieving for your father. These are not the actions of a man that could not love you. But you must tell him how you feel."
"I do not know how to tell him." Kida said trying to hold back her tears.
"All you must do is tell Milo what is in your heart."
"But I am afraid to tell him. I would rather face down a cave beast with only a knife than admit to him how I feel about him."
"I know it can be scary, but the sooner you tell him, the sooner that fear will vanish." Rosha reached over and gave Kida a hug, stood up from the table, then asked. "Do you feel better now?"
"No..." Kida said looking up at her.
"Kida, I have never known you to back down from a challenge simply because you feared it. This is not something you should fight or run from. Share your feelings with him." Rosha said, softly placing her hand on Kida's shoulder.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes..." Rosha said stepping back as she picked up her cup to put away. "Now will you speak with him?"
Kida started to tug at her dress again. "I... I will try."
"Good... And you will not yell at Salin again." Rosha said, it was not a question.
"No... I will not." Kida understood that it wasn't a question.
Rosha sighed in relief; she had solved the first problem of the day. "Now I must go and find Salin."
***
Milo stepped out of his room on his way to find Kida. He had thought long and hard about his feelings towards her, and he had come up with a plan. He was just going to tell her how he felt. It was simple; all he had to do was to say three little words. I love you. No matter what Kida said or did, he would know how she felt about him. (CRASH...! THUD...!) Milo found himself sitting on the floor. In front of him, a bit dazed and sobbing was Salin who was also on the floor.
"Uh, so were is the fire?" Milo jokingly said as he picked himself up from the floor.
Salin sat up and tried to collect herself embarrassed that she had ran into Milo. She tried to wipe her tears away as she sniffled.
Milo kneeled down in front her. "Hey, don't cry. Look, no harm done."
Salin looked away. "You okay?" Milo asked with concern.
Salin looked back at Milo sobbing again. "The Queen... I... I mean Kida... She... she yelled, but I did what she said... And, I was scared... And... and she is, she is upset with me."
Salin's confession caught him off guard. "Oh, um, here... Let me help you up." Milo said, helping Salin to her feet. "Now, let's try this again. But slowly this time."
Salin gathered herself and took a deep breath. "Kida asked me to retrieve some crystals for her, but when I gave them to her, she became very upset with me."
"Kida got mad when you gave her the crystals?"
"Well not exactly... She became upset when I address her as Queen. Kida said I was not to call her Queen, but she is the Queen." Salin explained.
"Then what happened?"
"I am not sure. I think she tried to apologize but, I was frightened and I ran away." Salin turned away.
"I don't think you have anything to worry about. I mean if she tried to apologize she can't be too mad at you." Milo reasoned.
"No, you do not understand." Salin turned back to Milo, "I ran away from the Queen. I will be banished now."
"Kida is not upset with you, and you will not be banished Salin." Rosha said stepping out of the shadows of the hall, "And you are right to address her as Queen."
Both Milo and Salin were startled by Rosha's sudden appearance.
"How... how long have you been..." Milo started to ask Rosha.
"Long enough." Rosha said. "If you are looking for Kida, she is in the kitchen."
"Oh, uh... Yeah, Kida, in the kitchen. I'll just go to..." Milo stammered, not sure which way to go.
Salin couldn't help but giggle at Milo, "It is that way silly." She pointed to the hall. "Milo... Thank you."
"Uh... No problem, anytime I can help." Milo said as he headed down the hall.
"I like him." Salin said.
"I like him as well." Rosha agreed.
***
Milo stepped into the kitchen and froze when he saw Kida standing near the table with her back turned. He thought he had it all figured out. Just three little words was all he had to say, but now fear coursed throughout his body as he looked at her. Those three little words were now as big as a mountain that could not be climbed.
"Ka... Kida." Milo said, trying to clear the lump in his throat.
Startled, Kida turned and looked at him. She looked as nervous as he felt.
"You... you look very..." Milo started to say.
"Stupid, I am aware of this." Kida said as she looked down at herself.
"No! You look beautiful." He tentatively took a couple of steps towards her as Kida looked up, giving Milo a short-lived smile.
"Milo there is something I must say to you."-"Kida I have something to tell you." The two of them said at the same time as they drew close to each other.
Milo gave a halfhearted chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair. "Ladies first."
Kida pulled back slightly, biting her lower lip. "No... You will go first."
Milo gulped as he tried to find those three little worlds, "I... I... I found this." He pulled her bracelet from his pocket.
Kida's eyes opened wide as she lunged foreword taking the bracelet from Milo's hand. "Were did you find it?"
"I'm not sure... It was with my clothes."
Kida gave Milo a big hug. "Thank you." For a moment, she was happy.
"Hey, I'm here to help." Milo said as Kida pulled away inspecting her bracelet.
Milo continued, "You said you had something to tell me?"
"Yes..." Kida said. Searching for what to say she bit her lower lip, "I... I would ask you for your help."
"Uh... Okay, I'm yours to command my Queen." Milo said jokingly.
Kida lowered her eyebrows giving him a dirty look, "That is not funny Milo!"
Milo cringed a bit, "Sorry... You were saying?"
"Your friends will be returning to the surface world later today. You will sta... No... I would like you to stay."
"Sure... I was planning on staying for a while anyway." He smiled, (She wants me to say.)
Kida smiled in relief at his answer. "Good. We will start tomorrow."
"Uh... Start what tomorrow?"
"You must help me restore my people's past. Teach me... Teach my people how to read and write our language. I also need you to explain the writings we are sure to find when we explore the new part of the city." Kida explained.
"Oh... Is that all?" Milo muttered.
"Is their something wrong?"
"Wrong, no. Everything's fine. No problems here... I better go down and tell everybody that I'm staying." Milo said as he backed up towards the hall.
"Yes, that is a good idea. I will join you shortly... After I get out of this intolerable dress."
***
"So... Look who finally decided to come down and see us commoners." Dr. Sweet said as Milo descended the last few steps down to the guest terrace.
"Yeah! Nice of you to grace us with your presence." Audrey added in a mocking tone.
"Hi guys..." Milo responded, ignoring their attempts at ribbing him, "Sorry I couldn't come down earlier."
"Well it was your loss... We had a great time last night, you should have been there." Audrey said with a smile.
"I imagine that Milo had his own private party with the Princess last night, no?" Mole said making his presence known.
"Mole!" Dr. Sweet said in an admonishing tone and stern look.
"What did I say?"
"Go away Mole." Audrey said giving him the same kind of look that Dr. Sweet had.
"Hey, guys... No need for that." Milo interrupted, " So what's up?"
Dr. Sweet turned his attention back to Milo, " We need to talk about what we are going to do when we get back home. I'm sure you heard. The Princess arranged for us to be returned to the surface later today."
Milo, looking down and running his hand through his hair, said, "Yeah... About that."
"You want-a-go home don't you?" Audrey asked.
Milo was about to respond when he saw Kida approaching now wearing her familiar blue top and sarong. She had a warm and pleasant smile upon her face. Dr. Sweet couldn't help but notice how Milo seemed to light up as the Princess approached.
Kida's eyes were locked on Milo as she came to stand by his side, her smile meant mainly for him. " Have you told them yet?"
"Told us what?" Audrey said crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow.
"Milo will not be returning to the surface world with you today." Kida said before Milo could answer. "Come... All of you. I have planned a special celebration to be held in your honor." Before anyone could say another word, Kida began to motion everyone to head for the stairs that led to the lower levels of the palace. Audrey, Mrs. Pakord, Mole and Vinny followed Kida's lead but Milo lightly took hold of Dr. Sweet's forearm. "Hold up a sec Sweet."
"So... You're staying here?" Dr. Sweet asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah... Guess so."
Sweet continued, "Your staying here because of the Princess aren't you?"
"Yeah... No! I mean..." Milo said as he ran his hand through his hair, "I just got here and there's a lot left to learn about this culture. I just need more time that's all."
"Sure..." Dr. Sweet said with a grin, "More time with the Princess you mean."
Milo looked down and away for a moment somewhat embarrassed, "Queen actually. Look, why I am staying isn't important... I need you to promise me something."
"Promise? Promise what?" Dr. Sweet questioned.
"I need you to make sure that this place... Atlantis and its people stay a secret. Talk to Mr. Whitmore, make sure he understands that no one can know of this place." Milo said in a serious and almost commanding tone.
"You don't plan on ever coming back... Do you?" Dr. Sweet asked realizing that Milo was serious.
"I... I don't know. But I do know there are more people like Rourke and Helga that would stop at nothing to get their hands on the Crystal. We can't let that happen. So I'm asking you to make sure Mr. Whitmore and the others all understand this place must remain undiscovered."
"I don't have a problem with that and I'm sure Mr. Whitmore won't either but..."
"But what?" Milo asked with concern.
"Well these guys aren't exactly tight lipped you know. The story of this place is all they have left, and some of them will most likely try to cash in on it." Dr. Sweet explained.
Milo put his hand to his chin thinking for a moment. "What if I arranged for everyone to leave here with something more than just a story?"
"What did you have in mind?" Dr. Sweet asked.
"Let's just say I think I can come up with something that should keep them quiet." Milo said with a grin.
"Okay..." Dr. Sweet shrugged his shoulders. "Milo, I hope you know what you're doing." He wasn't referring to keeping Atlantis a secret.
"Yeah, me to..." Milo know exactly what he meant. "Um... We'd better catch up with the others."
Milo and Dr. Sweet quickly caught up with Kida and the others following them down the stairs that led to the throne room. Instead of entering Kida led them around the outside of the throne room ending up at the top of the stairs leading to the main palace courtyard. Smiling broadly, Kida stepped aside as her friends stood stunned and surprised as hundreds of Atlantean voices rose up in a jubilant cheer at their appearance.
"They are here to honor all of you for saving Atlantis." Kida said as she took Milo by the hand and began to lead him down the stairs.
The courtyard had the look of a carnival; hundreds of Atlantean's mingled all about. Tables covered in fine linen displayed every type of Atlantean food and drink imaginable. A band off to one end began to play traditional Atlantean tunes, a mix of Indian, Asian and Mediterranean sounds that had an upbeat and pleasant rhythm. Many of the people had begun to dance to the joyful beat.
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the crowd of Atlanteans immediately swarmed the group of explorers pulling them into the crowd. The party atmosphere was contagious, and even Mrs. Packard found herself having a good time. She of course took lots of pictures, even catching Kida and Milo holding hands. They immediately let go of each other and turned away in embarrassment when Mrs. Packard's flash went off. Mole, on the other hand, found himself in the familiar position of being slapped more than once. But this did not deter him from enjoying the party.
One person, however, appeared to not be having a good time. Redic watched the celebration from a distance disgusted with what he was seeing. The idea of throwing these outsiders a party was beneath contempt and the more Redic watched the angrier he became. How could Kida allow this, how could the Atlantean people not see that the outsiders were a threat.
"All of them should be put to death, instead they treat them like heroes." Redic said clinching his fists.
As with all good things the party soon came to an end and it was time for the explorers to leave Atlantis. Redic followed the explorers down to the waterfront, careful to stay out of sight. Kida and Milo were holding hands as they walked behind the group of explorers. Their holding of hands had become almost instinctive. Most of the time they weren't even aware of their small embrace.
"How could she let him touch her? She is a Queen. Milo is nothing more than a commoner. No, he is less than that! He is an outsider." Redic muttered to himself, "This is not right!" Redic's first impulse was to run down and pull the two of them apart, but they were being closely followed by Toka and Impesh, he could do nothing. The sight of them holding hands made him sick.
Once at the waterfront Redic hid in the bushes and was shocked by what he saw. Royal servants were loading Atlantean treasure into a Nartak, a large Atlantean transport vehicle that looks similar to the Narwhal whale.
"They do not have to steal our treasures. Kida is giving it to them." Redic muttered to himself with disbelief.
Redic badly wanted to confront Kida and make her understand that what she was doing was wrong. If Kida allowed the outsiders to return to the surface world it would only be a matter time before they came back, and in greater numbers. But he knew the guards would stop him before he could reach her. Toka and Impesh were two guards he didn't want to fight without help.
Redic's heart sank as he watched the Nartak began to glow with crystal energy. It slowly lifted from the ground and began to fly off towards the caves carrying the outsiders to freedom. Redic looked back at Kida. Milo was standing by her side.
"Milo... This is his doing. He has bewitched our Queen" Redic mumbled to himself.