AUTHOR'S NOTE AND DISCLAIMER
There really is a creature like Tillik in Atlantis, (in the house where Milo and Kida go for dinner) but I haven't been able to find out what they're called... if anyone knows, I'd be grateful if you could tell me! I wish they'd given it more screen-time, the bloody parrot-lizards cetainly got enough... And I don't know whether I write Milo/Kida properly, but I certainly don't care either.
Speech within square brackets indicates that the character is talking in Atlantean. Whoever decided to say that "How To Speak Atlantean" is a special feature on the DVD is a filthy liar.
Nikala belongs to me, everything else belongs to Disney.
CHAPTER IV - Pointless Fluff
Sitting on the top step of the stairway to the royal pavilion, Milo gazed out across the city. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him, and jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.
"Milo?" Kida was standing behind him, somewhat surprised by his reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Only just stopping himself from falling down the entire flight of steps, Milo managed to scramble back to his feet, wondering if he was cursed to keep embarrassing himself in front of the princess. "Scared? Who said I was scared?" Trying to laugh off his reaction, Milo's nervous giggle faded as he looked at the princess; Kida didn't seem happy at all. "What's wrong?"
"I... heard your companions talking about leaving." Kida replied quietly, looking down at her feet. She wasn't sure how to put this; she couldn't order Milo to stay after all. But she certainly didn't want him to go.
Completely missing Kida's meaning, Milo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's wonderful here and all, but they've got lives on the surface to get back to. Sweet mentioned it to me earlier, I was meaning to talk to you about it, but I didn't think it was that important..."
"You didn't think it was important?!" Kida interrupted him, her voice shaking slightly in both horror and anger. "What about... well... what about us?"
Still not fully comprehending, Milo could only stare at her blankly. "Uhhh..." He wasn't sure how to answer her, guessing that asking what she meant would be a bad idea.
Mistaking his hesitation for the answer she'd been afraid of, Kida felt lump rise in her throat. Milo was leaving too. Although she wanted to cry, Kida quickly concealed her true feelings with a mask of anger. "Just forget it then!" she snapped, turning to go back into the palace. "Go on, leave!"
Staring at Kida's retreating back in shock, Milo finally realised just what she'd been implying. "Kida, wait!" he shouted, running after her. "I didn't mean it like that!"
Pivoting on her heel, Kida swung round to face him once more, hands on hips. "Then what DID you mean?" she asked shortly, her eyes flashing dangerously. Despite her feelings for Milo, she was in no mood to be toyed around with.
She was cute when she was angry. Well, cute when she was angry and didn't have a weapon close to hand anyway... then Milo realised it was probably a good idea to calm her down before she went to find one. "Kida, I never intended to leave," he said gently. "Not after all we've been through."
Kida's anger evaporated at both his words and the heartfelt sincerity in his voice. Feeling guilty for having jumped to the wrong conclusion, she apologised. "I'm sorry Milo, I shouldn't have reacted so badly... I was just afraid that you were going to leave too. But what about your life on the surface?"
"That means nothing next to life here Kida." Milo replied. "And even less next to life without you." he added with a smile.
Returning the smile, Kida threw herself forward into him, hugging him tightly as she had done when the Heart of Atlantis had returned her. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders, and realised that even though she'd lost her father, she would never be alone. "I love you Milo." Kida told him quietly.
Milo would have replied, but the kiss took him by surprise. Not that he was complaining...
* * *
Helga's sleep had been fitful at best over the past few days; she'd been lying awake for most of the time, thinking about what had happened. Although Nikala had been using the crystal to ease her pain and help her relax, she'd been waking at the slightest sound or movement. Nikala's presence was somewhat reassuring, but the girl had left to go fishing about an hour ago. Though she didn't like to admit it, even to herself, Helga knew that she was scared. She was sure that if she were discovered, she'd quickly meet an unpleasant end, most likely at the hands of the princess. After all, she would have been partially responsible for the death of the entire Atlantean civilization if she'd gotten what she'd wanted...
No. No, it was what Rourke had wanted. She'd just gone along with him because she knew he wouldn't lose... No, because she'd had no choice. Yes, that was right, she'd had no choice. (and no idea what was going to happen, otherwise she might have stayed behind with Milo) Of course she hadn't sided with Rourke because she'd been sure he'd win, (and make her rich) she had sided with him because she knew what he was capable of. (besides, Thatch had no idea what he was talking about, why would taking the crystal have made any difference to the Atlanteans?) Yes, Helga was sure that story would convince Kida... she just wished it would convince herself.
With a sigh of mixed annoyance and regret, Helga shifted gingerly onto her left side and stared at the wall. She hated feeling guilty. It was even worse now that she was being cared for by one of the people who would have died if she and Rourke had gotten away. To be fair, she'd had her doubts from the moment they'd discovered that the Atlantean people were very much alive. But Rourke had been persuasive, and so had the thought of how much the Atlantean power source would be worth...
An ominous creaking in the tree branches above the gourd snapped Helga out of her reminiscence. Inhaling sharply, she told herself that it was only the wind. Then realised that if it were the wind, she'd have felt it. Helga was suddenly painfully aware of being completely alone, as far as she knew there was no other Atlanteans nearby. She listened carefully, but the creaking had stopped, and she exhaled heavily. She hadn't realised that she'd been holding her breath. It must have been some kind of animal, probably just a bird.
A dark shape leapt through one of the windows in the upper level of the gourd, landing with a thud upon the slatted floor. Jumping in shock, Helga tried not to wince as the movement made her ribs throb. Swallowing hard, she gazed helplessly up as the (large) shape paced about the upper floor on four clawed feet. She didn't know if there were man-eating creatures in Atlantis, but it certainly wouldn't surprise her.
'...stay up there... stay up there... please stay up there...' she thought desperately to herself as the creature's shadow fell across her, willing it to ignore her. As if it had heard, it stopped its movements. And leapt down to the lower level through a gap in the slats. Helga instantly turned to face it, putting her back against the wall. But in her hurry, she rolled onto her mutilated arm, and couldn't hold back an audible gasp as pain shot through it.
Instantly, the creature whirled round to face her. Five gleaming green eyes stared straight at her, glowing slightly in the dim light. Helga's first thought was that it was some kind of big cat, it was striped like a tiger... but it was blue. And as well as five eyes, it also possessed a formidable set of insectile mandibles. For several uncomfortably long moments, they regarded each other. Tilting its head to one side in what seemed like curiosity, the creature made a sound that was half-growl and half-chitter. Helga tried to stare it down, telling herself that this intimidated big cats on the surface. Well, intimidated or enraged them. There was no way she was taking her eyes off it, that was for sure. She didn't think she'd ever missed her gun quite so badly as she did now.
The green eyes narrowed as the creature clicked its mandibles together disconcertedly. At least Helga hoped it was disconcerted. Then to her horror, it started coming towards her. And there was absolutely nothing she could do, she couldn't get up, and she certainly couldn't fight back. Perhaps if she managed to hit it in the eyes it would back off, and she raised her left hand in readiness, even as she noted how the creature would probably be able to take it off with one bite...
"Tillik!" Both Helga and the creature looked round in unison at the shout. Nikala was standing in the doorway with her fishing spear in one hand; the evening's catch slung over her shoulder. And before the girl could react, the creature charged at her. Helga could only watch in silent fear as it pounced at the Atlantean, expecting it to tear her apart.
The impact knocked Nikala out of the doorway and onto her back on the path outside. The creature was pinning her to the ground, and Helga expected it to tear out her throat any minute. Then, to her complete amazement, the girl laughed and patted the thing on the head, talking to it in Atlantean as if it was no more than an overgrown housecat.
Scratching the big animal's head, Nikala pulled herself out from beneath its paws, stroking its shoulder as she did so. ["Where have you been Tillik? I've missed you."] she said fondly as she ruffled its tiny ears. The creature butted her knees with its head as she got up, almost knocking her down again. ["Behave yourself, or you don't get supper!"] she scolded as she leaned her spear against the wall by the door. Looking over at Helga, she saw the look of utter incomprehension on her face, and realised she should probably explain.
"Uhm... I'm sorry if Tillik scared you." Nikala said apologetically, still petting the animal's head as it rubbed against her legs affectionately. "I should have warned you about him."
"...that THING is a PET?!" Helga replied incredulously, still unable to believe what she was seeing. Not only was Nikala treating the creature like a housecat; it was behaving like one! As it followed the girl about the room, Helga noticed a small string of brightly-coloured beads around its neck like a collar. It looked like it had as much chance of restraining the animal as a cobweb. "Is it dangerous?"
"Oh no, he's not dangerous." Nikala reassured her. "Well, he IS dangerous, but only if he's been told to guard. He only attacks intruders, otherwise he's harmless."
"Right. Wonderful." Still eyeing the creature warily, Helga moved onto her back, which was less painful than her side. Nikala seemed completely unconcerned about the abomination of nature that was now sprawled happily by the fire-pit in the center of the room, so that obviously meant it either posed no threat or that she was insane. Helga hoped it was the former.
There really is a creature like Tillik in Atlantis, (in the house where Milo and Kida go for dinner) but I haven't been able to find out what they're called... if anyone knows, I'd be grateful if you could tell me! I wish they'd given it more screen-time, the bloody parrot-lizards cetainly got enough... And I don't know whether I write Milo/Kida properly, but I certainly don't care either.
Speech within square brackets indicates that the character is talking in Atlantean. Whoever decided to say that "How To Speak Atlantean" is a special feature on the DVD is a filthy liar.
Nikala belongs to me, everything else belongs to Disney.
CHAPTER IV - Pointless Fluff
Sitting on the top step of the stairway to the royal pavilion, Milo gazed out across the city. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him, and jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.
"Milo?" Kida was standing behind him, somewhat surprised by his reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
Only just stopping himself from falling down the entire flight of steps, Milo managed to scramble back to his feet, wondering if he was cursed to keep embarrassing himself in front of the princess. "Scared? Who said I was scared?" Trying to laugh off his reaction, Milo's nervous giggle faded as he looked at the princess; Kida didn't seem happy at all. "What's wrong?"
"I... heard your companions talking about leaving." Kida replied quietly, looking down at her feet. She wasn't sure how to put this; she couldn't order Milo to stay after all. But she certainly didn't want him to go.
Completely missing Kida's meaning, Milo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's wonderful here and all, but they've got lives on the surface to get back to. Sweet mentioned it to me earlier, I was meaning to talk to you about it, but I didn't think it was that important..."
"You didn't think it was important?!" Kida interrupted him, her voice shaking slightly in both horror and anger. "What about... well... what about us?"
Still not fully comprehending, Milo could only stare at her blankly. "Uhhh..." He wasn't sure how to answer her, guessing that asking what she meant would be a bad idea.
Mistaking his hesitation for the answer she'd been afraid of, Kida felt lump rise in her throat. Milo was leaving too. Although she wanted to cry, Kida quickly concealed her true feelings with a mask of anger. "Just forget it then!" she snapped, turning to go back into the palace. "Go on, leave!"
Staring at Kida's retreating back in shock, Milo finally realised just what she'd been implying. "Kida, wait!" he shouted, running after her. "I didn't mean it like that!"
Pivoting on her heel, Kida swung round to face him once more, hands on hips. "Then what DID you mean?" she asked shortly, her eyes flashing dangerously. Despite her feelings for Milo, she was in no mood to be toyed around with.
She was cute when she was angry. Well, cute when she was angry and didn't have a weapon close to hand anyway... then Milo realised it was probably a good idea to calm her down before she went to find one. "Kida, I never intended to leave," he said gently. "Not after all we've been through."
Kida's anger evaporated at both his words and the heartfelt sincerity in his voice. Feeling guilty for having jumped to the wrong conclusion, she apologised. "I'm sorry Milo, I shouldn't have reacted so badly... I was just afraid that you were going to leave too. But what about your life on the surface?"
"That means nothing next to life here Kida." Milo replied. "And even less next to life without you." he added with a smile.
Returning the smile, Kida threw herself forward into him, hugging him tightly as she had done when the Heart of Atlantis had returned her. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders, and realised that even though she'd lost her father, she would never be alone. "I love you Milo." Kida told him quietly.
Milo would have replied, but the kiss took him by surprise. Not that he was complaining...
* * *
Helga's sleep had been fitful at best over the past few days; she'd been lying awake for most of the time, thinking about what had happened. Although Nikala had been using the crystal to ease her pain and help her relax, she'd been waking at the slightest sound or movement. Nikala's presence was somewhat reassuring, but the girl had left to go fishing about an hour ago. Though she didn't like to admit it, even to herself, Helga knew that she was scared. She was sure that if she were discovered, she'd quickly meet an unpleasant end, most likely at the hands of the princess. After all, she would have been partially responsible for the death of the entire Atlantean civilization if she'd gotten what she'd wanted...
No. No, it was what Rourke had wanted. She'd just gone along with him because she knew he wouldn't lose... No, because she'd had no choice. Yes, that was right, she'd had no choice. (and no idea what was going to happen, otherwise she might have stayed behind with Milo) Of course she hadn't sided with Rourke because she'd been sure he'd win, (and make her rich) she had sided with him because she knew what he was capable of. (besides, Thatch had no idea what he was talking about, why would taking the crystal have made any difference to the Atlanteans?) Yes, Helga was sure that story would convince Kida... she just wished it would convince herself.
With a sigh of mixed annoyance and regret, Helga shifted gingerly onto her left side and stared at the wall. She hated feeling guilty. It was even worse now that she was being cared for by one of the people who would have died if she and Rourke had gotten away. To be fair, she'd had her doubts from the moment they'd discovered that the Atlantean people were very much alive. But Rourke had been persuasive, and so had the thought of how much the Atlantean power source would be worth...
An ominous creaking in the tree branches above the gourd snapped Helga out of her reminiscence. Inhaling sharply, she told herself that it was only the wind. Then realised that if it were the wind, she'd have felt it. Helga was suddenly painfully aware of being completely alone, as far as she knew there was no other Atlanteans nearby. She listened carefully, but the creaking had stopped, and she exhaled heavily. She hadn't realised that she'd been holding her breath. It must have been some kind of animal, probably just a bird.
A dark shape leapt through one of the windows in the upper level of the gourd, landing with a thud upon the slatted floor. Jumping in shock, Helga tried not to wince as the movement made her ribs throb. Swallowing hard, she gazed helplessly up as the (large) shape paced about the upper floor on four clawed feet. She didn't know if there were man-eating creatures in Atlantis, but it certainly wouldn't surprise her.
'...stay up there... stay up there... please stay up there...' she thought desperately to herself as the creature's shadow fell across her, willing it to ignore her. As if it had heard, it stopped its movements. And leapt down to the lower level through a gap in the slats. Helga instantly turned to face it, putting her back against the wall. But in her hurry, she rolled onto her mutilated arm, and couldn't hold back an audible gasp as pain shot through it.
Instantly, the creature whirled round to face her. Five gleaming green eyes stared straight at her, glowing slightly in the dim light. Helga's first thought was that it was some kind of big cat, it was striped like a tiger... but it was blue. And as well as five eyes, it also possessed a formidable set of insectile mandibles. For several uncomfortably long moments, they regarded each other. Tilting its head to one side in what seemed like curiosity, the creature made a sound that was half-growl and half-chitter. Helga tried to stare it down, telling herself that this intimidated big cats on the surface. Well, intimidated or enraged them. There was no way she was taking her eyes off it, that was for sure. She didn't think she'd ever missed her gun quite so badly as she did now.
The green eyes narrowed as the creature clicked its mandibles together disconcertedly. At least Helga hoped it was disconcerted. Then to her horror, it started coming towards her. And there was absolutely nothing she could do, she couldn't get up, and she certainly couldn't fight back. Perhaps if she managed to hit it in the eyes it would back off, and she raised her left hand in readiness, even as she noted how the creature would probably be able to take it off with one bite...
"Tillik!" Both Helga and the creature looked round in unison at the shout. Nikala was standing in the doorway with her fishing spear in one hand; the evening's catch slung over her shoulder. And before the girl could react, the creature charged at her. Helga could only watch in silent fear as it pounced at the Atlantean, expecting it to tear her apart.
The impact knocked Nikala out of the doorway and onto her back on the path outside. The creature was pinning her to the ground, and Helga expected it to tear out her throat any minute. Then, to her complete amazement, the girl laughed and patted the thing on the head, talking to it in Atlantean as if it was no more than an overgrown housecat.
Scratching the big animal's head, Nikala pulled herself out from beneath its paws, stroking its shoulder as she did so. ["Where have you been Tillik? I've missed you."] she said fondly as she ruffled its tiny ears. The creature butted her knees with its head as she got up, almost knocking her down again. ["Behave yourself, or you don't get supper!"] she scolded as she leaned her spear against the wall by the door. Looking over at Helga, she saw the look of utter incomprehension on her face, and realised she should probably explain.
"Uhm... I'm sorry if Tillik scared you." Nikala said apologetically, still petting the animal's head as it rubbed against her legs affectionately. "I should have warned you about him."
"...that THING is a PET?!" Helga replied incredulously, still unable to believe what she was seeing. Not only was Nikala treating the creature like a housecat; it was behaving like one! As it followed the girl about the room, Helga noticed a small string of brightly-coloured beads around its neck like a collar. It looked like it had as much chance of restraining the animal as a cobweb. "Is it dangerous?"
"Oh no, he's not dangerous." Nikala reassured her. "Well, he IS dangerous, but only if he's been told to guard. He only attacks intruders, otherwise he's harmless."
"Right. Wonderful." Still eyeing the creature warily, Helga moved onto her back, which was less painful than her side. Nikala seemed completely unconcerned about the abomination of nature that was now sprawled happily by the fire-pit in the center of the room, so that obviously meant it either posed no threat or that she was insane. Helga hoped it was the former.