I awoke to a blinding white light entering even through my closed eyelids. It was warm, the light, but not in a bad way. It was comfortable, but at the same time, incredibly disturbing. All I wanted to do was sleep. But now that my mind was awake and my brain active, I knew that sleep was now forgotten. And so, giving up fighting for the sleep that had been chased away by the light, I opened my eyes.

I was in a spacious and brightly lit room. It seemed like wherever I was, it was daytime. The sun was filtering in from in between the large white pillars that were connected by decorative arches, illuminating gleaming floors made of cerulean blue and ivory marble stone. The bed that I was in was comfortable, the blankets draped over me so soft that they felt like smooth feathers. Outside, I had a view of sparkling blue water that that twinkled as the sunlight hit it.

Where the hell was I?

I let out a sigh. I was still groggy from sleep and I had a throbbing pain in my shoulders. Once I became more aware of the pain, it intensified tenfold. And then I remembered what happened.

There was a storm and Gerrard, Anoki and I had been caught in it. I had been blown away from Anoki and Gerrard and had lost them in the storm. And just when I was about to fall into the ocean, something had grabbed ahold of me. And that was the source of the pain in my shoulders.

I sat up quickly in bed as the memories came flooding back into my mind, but immediately regretted doing so. As I sat upright, my stomach lurched and I felt bile rise up in my throat. Unable to contain it, I retched over the side of the bed and onto the sparkling stone floors. I sat gasping, staring at the yellowish vomit on the ground. Clutching my stomach, I sat upright, groaning.

"Well, aren't you just a sight for sore eyes," I heard a crisp, accented voice say. I looked in the direction that the voice came from to find the source and my gaze fell upon a tall, handsome looking young man who looked to be about a few years older than me. He was dressed in a simple and fitted light blue button down shirt and light grey trousers. His hair was a dark golden brown and his features were sharp, but what was most striking about him were his eyes, which were a blue so bright, they matched the water outside.

I blinked. If he was a magic user, then that meant he was a water master. My mind was moving slowly, still not completely awake. I wasn't able to fully register what the significance of this young man was and what it had to do with where I was. I watched him as he walked over to me, taking care to step around the small splatter of vomit on the ground. 

"My family and I have been waiting a long time for you to arrive. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Caley Lucia," the man said, a smile stretching onto his features to reveal a set of straight white teeth.

"H-how--who--what--I--" I stammered, unable to form words. His eyes flashed in amusement as he came around the bed to the other side. He had his hands clasped behind his back and he kept a small smile on his lips.

I had so many questions to ask him. Where was I? Who was he? How did he know my name? What had happened to Anoki and Gerrard? He saw the questioning look on my face and smiled assuringly at me.

"I will answer all of your questions in due time. For now, we need to get you cleaned up," he said, reaching a hand out to help me out of bed. Although my first instinct was to immediately shut him down until he gave me answers, the smell emitting from me overpowered that instinct. Merlin knows how long I had been out for and my clothes reeked of salty sea water, sweat, and the newly added smell of vomit. I ignored his outstretched hand and stepped onto the ground beside him, my bare feet hitting the cold marble floor. He retracted his hand with a mild expression on his face.

"Can you at least tell me what your name is?" I asked as he ushered me out the door and into a dimly lit hallway. We walked down the hallway together. I wondered vaguely where my shoes had gone. 

"My name is Zayll," he replied. "Prince Zayll."

I stopped walking and it wasn't until he had taken a few steps ahead of me that he realized I had done so. I raised an eyebrow at him. A prince?

He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Is there a problem, Caley Lucia?" he asked. I pursed my lips and then shook my head, continuing to walk forward. I spent the majority of my time in the past few nations that I had visited with royalty. Just because this man was a prince--and a young, handsome one at that--made him no different. Prince Zayll chuckled quietly to himself as he fell in step beside me.

"Where are my friends?" I asked. I had been separated from Gerrard and Anoki and I wanted to know if they were safe.

"You can see them after you've cleaned up," he replied. 

"Are they safe?" I asked.

"They are safe," he replied, looking at me with those blue eyes of his that made me, for better or worse, trust him. I fell into silence after those questions, since they were the most pressing on the list in my mind.

As we walked down the hallway, towards the end there was a brighter light filtering in. Once we rounded the corner, I discovered that the source of the light was coming from the corridor that we turned into. There were tall arches connected by elaborately decorated pillars on one side. On the other side was a mosaic tile wall in different shades of blue, white, and black. The arches gave a view of the outside that was so breathtaking, it made me stop in my tracks.

From where I was standing, which seemed to be the perimeter of whatever building I was in, I could see a sprawling city of blue and white. The first thing I noticed was that there was water everywhere. For miles and miles all I could see was sparkling blue ocean glittering in the sunlight. Obstructing my view were small houses and other buildings. They were made with white brick or cement and topped off with an elegant royal blue color that was just a shade lighter than the water. The city was bustling with people. Chatter could be heard through the streets and I could hear the faint sound of music coming from somewhere a bit further off.

I felt Prince Zayll stand next to me as I stared at the city in amazement. He leaned down a little so that he could whisper in my ear.

"The view is even better from your room," he said. I looked over at him and was slightly alarmed at his proximity. I stepped back a little to make some distance. He smiled. "Shall we continue?" he asked. I nodded and we kept walking. 

We walked through a door in the corridor that led to a staircase. From here, we ascended about 8 flights of stairs, after which I was completely out of breath. Prince Zayll, on the other hand, was completey unaffected. We walked down another hallway, picking up our pace. This hallway was brightly lit and there were numerous arched windows that gave a view of the city below. But we were walking too fast for me to stop and observe.

After what seemed like ages of walking, Prince Zayll led me into an enormous bedroom that was alarmingly filled with people. 

The room itself was decorated similarly to almost everything else that I had seen. It was a suite-styled bedroom, so the initial room I saw was the living space. The carpet was a plush white color and was covered with a royal blue rug. There was a creme colored leather couch flanked by two royal blue elegant chairs. There was a glass coffee table resting on top of a base decorated with a bright blue mosaic tile. And there was a single large arched window that gave me a view of the city.

My attention was not on the room, though. It was on the people inside the room. There were four other people in the room, all female. They were dressed in long white chiffon dresses that faded into blue at the bottom. They were all of equal beauty, various heights, and varying shades of blue eyes. And they were all staring at me with smile on their faces.

"Caley Lucia, these are your maids. They will be helping you get cleaned up. I will be back in two hours to collect you. Mother and father can hardly contain their excitement to meet you," Prince Zayll told me. 

"I don't need maids--" I began, but he cut me off by holding up a hand.

"Nonsense. I will be back in a few hours," he said. Then before I could protest, he turned around and disappeared down the hallway. I turned by attention back to the four maids that were staring ravenously at me.

"Ummm...hi," I said lamely. 

One of the younger looking women came up to me, beaming. 

"Caley Lucia, it is an honor to be your maid," she said, bowing when she came up to me. I looked at her in horror and pulled her back up.

"None of that, please. Why are you bowing?" I asked, feeling my cheeks flush with color. She looked back at her companions and shared a short laugh with them.

"All in good time," she replied, turning back to me. "I am Valencia. That is Anna, Sonya, and Jasmine," she said, pointing to each of the girls in turn. I nodded and smiled at each of them.

"Come we have much work to do," said Anna, the oldest looking of the four. They ushered me through a door that led to the bedroom part of the suite. Before I had time to examine the bedroom, they pushed me into a large mostly-white bathroom. Sonya started the tap for the bathtub, which was a royal blue color and Valencia began pulling at my clothes. I struggled against her.

"Really, ladies, I don't need help. I am perfectly capable of showering myself..." I protested. But they wouldn't have it. They stripped me of my clothes and shoved me into the bathtub. Then, they took to scrubbing every inch of dirt off of me until my skin was pink and clean and my hair was sleek and shiny. After they had bathed me, they wrapped me in a fluffy white towel that felt like it was made of the softest cotton balls. They dragged me into the bedroom and then rubbed conditioning oil all over my legs, arms, and shoulders. Then they slipped a silky long white dress over my head that cascaded down to my feet. After that, they tugged my hair into a soft braid and used makeup to make my face look more alive. Once they had done this, I was deemed acceptable. 

When they finished, they turned me so that I faced the vertical mirror that was propped in one corner of the room. My skin looked like it was glowing and with the dark makeup that they had put on my eyes, my blue eyes stuck out vividly in my face.

"You look angelic," Valencia whispered, standing at my side. I glanced at her.

"I feel overdone," I replied.

"We did nothing but enhance your natural beauty," Valencia replied. "Come, Prince Zayll is waiting for you in the lounge," she said, tugging at my arm and leading me out the room after the trail of handmaidens.

Sure enough, the prince was sitting in one of the white recliners, staring out the tall arched window. He looked up when I walked in and a broad smile stretched across his face.

"Absolutely beautiful," he commented, standing up and coming up to me. 

"Thanks," I mumbled, my hands going immediately up to the braid that rested on my shoulder. His blue eyes glimmered in the afternoon sunlight as he smiled at me. Then his eyes flickered down to my neck, where the waterstone necklace that Trey had given me rested. He brought his hand up and picked up the stone from where it rested on my upper sternum.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked me, his gaze flicking up to meet mine. I nodded, a little caught off-guard at his proximity.

"It's a waterstone," I answered.

"It's extremely rare to find these. Even the royal family has very few. How did you get your hands on one?" he asked, furrowing his brows. 

"I found it in a shop back where I'm from. Trinity Hollow. It was a gift from my..." I trailed off. "Uh...from my fiancee..." I said. His eyes flicked up to meet mine sharply.

"Fiancee?" he repeated, his gaze trailing down to the ring on my finger. "You are engaged so young?" he asked. I nodded, not sure how to respond. For a moment, his face fell in disappointment and for the first time since I met him, his bright eyes dimmed. But in the next instant, his naturally good humored expression was back and he was smiling at me.

"Come, we have kept mother and father waiting for too long," he said. He took my arm in his and then began to lead me out of the room. I turned my head and looked back at my maidens. They all beamed at me and waved. I grimaced back and then faced foward, walking into the hallway with the prince.

We walked in silence for a few moments before I spoke up.

"Am I in Atlantis?" I asked him. He simply glanced at me and continued to walk. "Will my friends also be meeting the king and queen?" I asked. Again, no answer. I stopped walking then, growing frustrated with the silent treatment I was receiving. He stopped, too, once he realized that I was no longer walking next to him.

"Why won't you answer any of my questions?" I asked.

"Have I not said that you will receive answers in due time? There are other more pertinent things to do and discuss. Patience, Caley, is a virtue," he replied. When I continued to remain rooted to where I was standing, he sighed and came up to me.

"I am a man of my word, Caley. You will get your answers, but we have other things to do first," he said.

"They're simple yes or no questions," I argued.

"But they require follow-up questions with more detailed responses for which we do not have time right now," he answered. I frowned and he gazed at me gently. "I will tell you everything you want to know in time. Before the end of the day if you will. Just come meet my parents first," he said. I pursed my lips and then nodded, agreeing. He smiled and took my arm again, leading me forward. We hadn't taken more than a few steps when we heard a voice calling us from one of the hallways to our side. 

"Zayll!" the voice called. Emerging from the dimly lit hallway was a young woman that looked to be a few years older than Zayll. Her features matched his--she had sparkling blue eyes, a sharp nose, and soft golden locks of hair. When she reached us, she smiled warmly at me.

"Isla," Prince Zayll said, acknowledging the young woman.

"Is this her?" she asked, giving me an appraising once-over.

"It is," he replied.

"She's beautiful," she remarked.

"She is," he agreed, nodding and tightening his grip on my arm slightly.

"I am Princess Isla," she told me.

"Caley Lucia," I replied, extending a hand out to her. She ignored it and embraced me in a strong hug instead. I was taken aback and sputtered slightly as she released me and beamed at me.

"It is such an honor to finally meet you," she said.  I was growing weary of hearing that over and over again. "Are you taking her to meet mother and father?" she asked. Zayll nodded. "I will come with you," she said.

"Well, we must hurry. Our parents are growing anxious," he said. She nodded and the three of us began walking again, albeit this time more quickly. We went up another few flights of stairs and then reached a level whose walls and ceilings were made entirely of glass. I gasped when I saw the view from the windows. 

The building we were in was enormous and it seemed like it rested on a large central island that was lined with palm trees and bright white sand. There were smaller buildings scattered around the large one and hundreds of people walking about what seemed like a plaza down below. But what fascinated me about the set-up was not the central island; it was what was around this island that impressed me.

Around the central island, there were strips of land coming out and stretching into the water as far as the eye could see. The rays were of varying lengths and they curled in a way that was reflective of sun rays. I was sure that if this place wasn't hidden to non-Magii, from space, this island would look like a giant sun with rays extending from it. It was impressive, to say the least.

We walked from the outer area into a large room with a pointed ceiling. The ceiling was an arch shape that was reflective of the arches of the windows in the rest of the building. It seemed like this was a throne room of sorts, kind of like the one in Queen Maya's palace in Syllvanterra. Sitting at the head of the room was a raised platform stage atop of which several decorative chairs sat. In the center two sat a middle-aged couple who were leaning towards each other in conversation. When we entered, they stopped and looked towards us. Immediately, their faces broke into smiles, just like Zayll and Isla. 

I could see the similarities between the king and queen and their children. Isla looked like a younger version of the queen, who stood tall and regal beside her husband. The king was a handsome man with sharp features and dark hair. He had the look of a person that enjoyed joking around and that was extremely well-tempered. Both of them, like their children, had glittering blue eyes.

The two rose when we approached them. Zayll led me up to the stage so that I stood right in front of the king and queen. 

"This is her? Our Chosen One?" the king asked, looking me over with a critical eye. 

"It is," Zayll replied, exchanging a glance with his sister.

"What is your name, dear child?" the queen asked. She was a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair was braided like mine with soft curls framing her delicate face. Sitting on her head was a silvery gold crown encrusted with blue sapphires and white diamonds. She had a motherly look about her and for a moment, I was reminded of my own mother. 

"My name is Caley Lucia," I replied. She smiled at me and upon closer inspection, I noticed that her skin was pale, as if she was sickly. I wondered if she was ill.

"I am Caspian. This is my wife Cordelia," the king said. I began to bow to them, but Queen Cordelia stopped me, pulling me into a hug instead.

"We have been waiting so long for you to find us," she whispered in my ear, a sob in her voice. She pulled me away and I was alarmed to find tears in her eyes. 

"I--" I began to say, but King Caspian interrupted me.

"We know you have many questions. We have much to discuss with you, too. And we will give you answers to whatever you seek. But first, we must confirm that you are indeed the Chosen One," he said.

"How will you do that?" I asked.

"Simple. Only the Chosen One knows of the prophecy upon her birth," he said. "Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"The fish one?" I asked. He raised his eyebrows and I recited it to him, the words engraved in my memory. "Two fish swam in a stormy ocean. One astray, one chosen. United to make magic so unthought, to create serenity that all others could not. This fish swam in a stormy ocean. Not astray, but chosen. Chosen as the One," I recited. 

When I was done, I could feel all four sets of blue eyes on me. 

"It is her," the king whispered. 

"She has finally come," the queen said. I furrowed my brows.

"How did you know I was coming?" I asked.

"We had a prophecy of our own that said that when our nation was at its darkest point, only then will the light arrive," King Caspian said.

"Lucia means light," Isla told me. "You are the light that was meant to come in a time when our nation is at its worst," she said. 

"Is this Atlantis?" I asked, bracing myself for the answer. The four of them nodded.

"It is. We have been hidden for centuries. Only a true water master could find us," the king explained.

"So I was right?" I said, feeling a rush of pride for my excellent guesswork.  "But my friends...they aren't water masters. What happened to them?" I asked. 

"They are in holding for now. The only reason they are alive is because our sentries saw that you were with them," King Caspian told me. 

"Well, release them. They're with me and they mean you no harm," I said flatly. 

"We do not do well with...outsiders here," King Caspian said.

"You treated me like royalty even before you confirmed that I was the Chosen One," I said. 

"That is because you are one of our own," he replied. "There are so few water masters left that every life is precious."

"Well one of my friends is a half-breed. He's a partial water master, too," I argued. The king pursed his lips, deep in thought.

"Very well," he sighed. "Tell the guards to release our guest's friends. Give them rooms on the lower level," he told his son. Prince Zayll nodded and then retreated out of the room.

"Do you have other pressing questions?" the queen asked me, taking my hand in hers.

"None that can't be answered later," I replied. 

"Very well. You will dine with us for the remainder of your stay. Dinner will be served at sunset. Until then, Isla will show you around," King Caspian said. "Introduce her to the others, too," he added to his daughter.

"Of course, father," Isla said. And with that, she tugged my arm and led me out of the room. "I apologize for the strangeness of that. My parents wanted to be absolutely certain that you are indeed who we thought you were. In the past, we've had many impersonators. And we are in desperate times now, so we have no time for mistaken identities," she explained to me as we made our way down from the top of the building. 

"I thought there weren't that many water masters left. I thought my family was the last of the Aquarians," I said.

"Our nation has been hidden from the rest of the world for hundreds of years. Many believed our nation to be non-existent, which is why they have never accounted for our population. We are the only water nation left standing, yes. But there are other water masters in the world; they are just hidden," she explained.

"So I'm not the last. Clearly," I said. She smiled at me. 

"You are special in other ways, Caley," she told me.

"So the prophecy is real, then? I am the one that's allegedly supposed to break the elemental curse?" I asked.

"You are," she replied. I laughed hollowly.

"No pressure," I mumbled under my breath, causing her to laugh. "So how exactly did I survive the storm that was hiding this place?" I asked as we walked.

"The storm is an illusion meant to deter non-Magii and unwelcome Magii. It is our protective measure, along with an impenetrable invisibility spell. The only way to find Atlantis, as my father said, is to be an actual water master. You are a true water master, which is how you survived," she explained.

"I remember hearing a bird and feeling a sharpness in my shoulders..." I said.

"That was one of our water phoenixes," she told me. I raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled. "Most people think that the only phoenixes that exist are of the fire variety. But us water masters have bred our own kind. They are large birds that help to protect our nation. When we detect the presence of a water master, we send one out to save them," she said. "I will show you later," she said to my dubious expression. 

She led me to a large brightly lit common area where Zayll was sitting with two other people. One was a young girl who looked to be even younger than Trey's brother, Cole. She had dark brown hair like the king's and a pair of luminescent blue eyes. The other was a young boy who looked to be a few years older than the young girl. He, too, had dark hair and blue eyes. 

"Did you tell the guards to release Caley's friends?" Isla asked, joining her brother on the couch. He nodded and scooted over a bit. Isla pulled me down so that I sat between her and Zayll.

"This is Thames," Zayll said, indicating the young boy, "And our sister Brooke," he said, pointing to the young girl. "Come say hello," he told the two children.

"Hello," Thames said, stretching a small hand to me. 

"Hi," I replied lamely. His sister stood behind him with a sheepish expression on her face, her fingers in her mouth.

"She's shy," Isla said, beckoning for the young girl to sit on her lap. She climbed up onto her sister's lap and stared at me.

"What's your name?" Thames asked, taking a seat on the floor in front of me. I felt a bit claustrophobic with all of the attention, but if I was famous as the Chosen One here, then I had a feeling that this was only the beginning of it.

"My name is Caley," I replied. "How old are you, Thames?" I asked.

"I am ten years old. But my birthday is in eight days!" he replied. I chuckled lightly.

"And how old are you?" I asked, turning to the youngest one. In response, she buried her face in Isla's shoulder. Isla laughed, pulling her sister away.

"She's usually not like this," Zayll told me from my right side. I glanced at him and then back at Brooke, attempting to win her over again.

"I'll tell you what, Brooke. If you become friends with me, I'll play any game you want to play with you," I offered. At this, her expression brightened.

"Even hide-and-seek?" she asked.

"That's my favorite!" I replied. She clapped her hands, all shyness gone out the window. I laughed as Zayll and Isla exchanged a glance. "So how old are you, Brooke?" I asked.

"Five!" she said. 

"You're so big for a five year old!" I said, playing along.

"I drink lots and lots of milk! Mother said big strong kids drink lots of milk!" she said.

"That's right. They do," I said with a smile, nodding. I caught Zayll's eye and he smiled at me. 

"So is it just the four of you?" I asked. Zayll shook his head.

"We have four siblings that are older than us, too," he replied. I nearly choked on air.

"There are eight of you?!" I exclaimed in disbelief, shock evident in my voice and expression. Isla laughed.

"We encourage big families here," she said. 

"The more people a family has, the better chance we have to somewhat off-set the curse, which has severely decreased our population. We have a law that requires people to have at least one child by the age of 22," Zayll said.

"In or out of wed-lock," Isla added. 

"How old are you?" I asked the elder sister.

"I am 24. Zayll is nearing his 22nd birthday," Isla replied.

"Do you...have children?" I asked, looking at the prince. The two siblings exchanged glances.

"I have a daughter," Isla said. 

"Are you married?" I asked, my eyes immediately going to her hand where a rather large diamond ring rested. She nodded. 

"The royal family is supposed to marry before having a child. It's tradition," she answered. 

"What about you?" I asked, looking at Zayll. His expression darkened and he shifted under my gaze and then glanced down at his hands which were clasped in his lap. 

"We were hoping you would get here sooner," Isla answered for him. "We wanted you to wed him."

I looked at them sharply.

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. But it all made sense. His flirting, his gentleness. He was trying to win me over all day. And I had told him that I had a fiancee in the most blunt way possible: by blurting it out. It must have crushed him.

"She has a fiancee," he informed his elder sister, his tone slightly bitter. I felt Isla's gaze on my face before it dropped down to my hands where I was twirling my ring around my finger. She pursed her lips and then sighed.

"I am not surprised, to be honest," Isla said. Zayll and I both looked at her. "She's beautiful, Zayll. I would have been surprised if she wasn't engaged or in a relationship," she said. I felt my cheeks flush with the compliment and I glanced down at my hands. But from my periphery, I could see the saddened expression on Zayll's face.

Isla sent Thames and Brooke off to play and excused herself, too, saying that she had to tend to her daughter who was probably running around the palace somewhere. This left Zayll and me in an awkward and slightly uncomfortable silence. He stood and went to one of the windows in the room. It wasn't until a few moments later that I joined him. We stood next to each other in silence for a long while.

We were on the tenth floor of the building. From this height, I could see the city below from a different perspective. I could see long stretches of land jutting out like rays from a central mound of land that the palace was on. Right below us was a plaza that was lined with palm trees. In the center of the plaza was a large statue whose form I couldn't exactly make out from our height. All around on the island that we were on were buildings of varying heights scattered around. They were all white with blue domed roofs. The streets were cobbled with a dusty grey brick. In the stretches of land that extended from the central island were hundreds of houses that looked like the ones on the central island. In between each stretch of land was water that seemed endless. 

Zayll had been right. The view from up here was amazing.

I glanced at Zayll and then decided to break the silence.

"I met him in high school, right before I got my powers. My fiancee," I said. "We immediately had this connection after we got our powers. We couldn't explain it, but it's what brought us together," I explained. I was trying to get him to understand that falling in love with Trey had been unintentional at first. But what had happened afterwards between us was completely intentional.

"All water masters feel that attraction with the one they fall in love with. It is one of the ways that the curse works. You feel an attraction, act on it, and then it destroys the relationship slowly. I feel it towards you now, but you don't feel it back. It's not reciprocated because you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you," Zayll said.

I chewed on my lip, mulling over what he had just said. 

"It can be reciprocated by anyone? Even non-Aquarians?" I asked. He nodded sullenly at me and I felt guilty for some reason. I barely knew this man and I already felt terrible for hurting his feelings for me. 

"Look, Zayll. I'm sure you're a great guy. You've been nothing but nice to me ever since we met, which is saying a lot considering what I've been through in the other nations I've visited. I really appreciate your kindness and I'm really sorry that I couldn't be what you wanted me to be," I said. 

I had no idea how to do this. Lance had been the only other guy that I had ever had to turn down romantically. And that had been simple because it was Lance. But this was different. Clearly, Zayll had created this image of me in his mind and had hoped to act on it when we met. He was invested emotionally even before he had met me. It was a difficult situation because I didn't want him to dislike me. As strange as it was, I felt comfortable around him. I felt comfortable around his whole family. And maybe that was because they were the same as me. They were all water masters just like I was and they were struggling with the curse just like me. I didn't want to ruin the potential relationships that I could procure with them. 

"If I hadn't met him--my fiancee--I wouldn't have hesitated to be involved with you," I said. "It's just..." I trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

"We create this law to try and find a way around the curse. To keep our civilization alive. But what we fail to realize is that you cannot make a law about falling in love. Love is unexpected and something so out of our control," Zayll said. He glanced down at me and in that moment, he seemed much older than me, even though he was only a few months older. "I do not blame you for falling in love, Caley. I blame myself for being irrationally hopeful," he told me.

"I'm really sorry--" I started, but he stopped me. He turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Don't apologize for falling in love," he said.

"I'm not sorry I fell in love. I'm sorry that I hurt you unintentionally. If I had known what you had planned for me, I wouldn't have blurted out that I had a fiancee. I would have been nicer and more discreet about it," I said. He chuckled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Once I found out about your engagement, I wasn't going to tell you about all of this. My intention was never to ruin your relationship or make you feel guilty. Unfortunately, Isla spoke without consulting me first, hence this awkward predicament," he said. 

"It is pretty awkward, isn't it?" I said. He laughed.

"I believe awkward is an understatement," he said. I felt myself laugh at this.

"How about a proposal?" he suggested. "Let us forget this conversation ever happened and let us start over from the beginning," he said. 

"I'll take that," I agreed. He smiled at me and pulled his hands away from me.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" he asked, saying the first sentence he had said to me when we met.

"Speak for yourself," I joked. He laughed.

"Would you like to explore the city a bit before dinner?" he asked me after settling down.

"I would love to," I said.

                                              ~**~**~**~**~**~

About twenty minutes later, Zayll and I were walking out of the palace building to explore the city. When I glanced up behind me to look at the building from the outside, I gasped at the sight.

The building was enormous. Set in the very center of the island we were on, it loomed over all of the other buildings in the area. The central part was the most spectacular. The highest point of the palace was set atop a gaping hole that was in the shape of a domed archway. Connected to that part were two tall vertical towers that were then connected by a long horizontal stretch of wall which was then connected by another two towers on either side. There were hundreds of windows in the sides of the building. Along the bottom of the building were open corridors connected by smaller arches. From the gaping hole, the view of the other side of the island could be seen. It was amazing.

"That is the most amazing piece of architecture that I have ever seen," I said. Zayll laughed.

"It is quite unique," he said. "But so is the set up of Atlantis," he added. He gestured ahead and we started walking through the plaza. As we walked,  many people bowed down to Zayll or call out to him. He would simply smile and wave. He had put his sunglasses on and his hair fluttered around in the slight breeze. There was no doubt about his attractiveness and I'm sure all the young girls in the kingdom had a crush on him. Hell, I probably would have, too, if I didn't have Trey.

"As you probably saw when we were looking out the window, Atlantis is in the shape of a sun with rays. The central part is where the palace is. This plaza is where people gather to listen to speeches from my parents or to hear announcements and such. Celebrations occur here. All of our government buildings are located on this central location. Stretching out from the central part are the rays, which are just wide, long strips of land," Zayll explained, pointing in the distance to one of the strips.

"There are 20 rays in all. These are where the people of Atlantis live. Family owned businesses and residential areas are mostly on the strips. The rays are all different, sizes, too. There are four main strips which are the longest of the 20. We call it North Atlantis, East, South and West and they each correspond to the direction they are facing. Each of these four are governed by my four eldest siblings. Those four are responsible not only for those main strips, but the two smaller strips on either side. So each of my siblings is responsible for 5 pieces of land," he continued. I nodded, trying to conjure up an image in my mind. We walked towards the outer part of the central mound, towards one of the rays. The outer part was a beach area and it was a bit of a long walk, but the weather was nice enough.

"So we have a central island and from the island are 20 rays. There are four main strips and each of those four have four smaller strips that they are in charge of. Think of it like this. Atlantis itself is like a country. The center part is the capital. The four axes are like states and then the 16 smaller rays are like cities," Zayll said. "Do you get the set up?" he asked. 

"It's really complicated," I commented. He laughed. 

"Here, let me draw it for you," he said as we reached the beach area. He bent down and in the sand he drew a sun with 20 rays of varying lengths. In it, he drew the exact set up of the nation of Atlantis. With the visual, it was easier to see and understand.

"Do you understand now?" he asked me, standing upright again. I nodded. 

"So your four oldest siblings are kind of like governors, right?" I asked. He nodded. 

"They each have families of their own. At the centers of the main strips they have their own palaces. They aren't as large as the palace on the mainland, but they are quite big," he told me. "They will be joining us for dinner tonight, so you will get to meet them," he said. 

"There are so many of you, I'm afraid I won't be able to remember all of your names," I joked. He laughed as we made our way across the beach.

People were laying around, sunbathing or swimming or just relaxing. The people of Atlantis dressed no differently than non-Magii. This was different from what I had encountered in the other elemental nations I had visited, which each had their own unique dress and culture. But I guessed Atlantis was a nation of integration. It accepted water masters of all kinds, regardless of nationality. The only thing that mattered was that a person was a water master. It was almost like a big, cultural mixing pot. Except the main gene was the same.

"So how many people live here?" I asked as we stepped onto one of the main strips of land.

"In total, Atlantis has a population of around 100,000 people. Each of the 'states' has 25,000 people each. But we lose hundreds of people every day. Once upon a time, we had over a million people in Atlantis. The numbers have dipped below 100,000 as of late," Zayll said.

"Wow, that's a really significant decrease," I remarked.

"It's a 90% decrease," he said. I gaped at him. "That is why we were expecting you to arrive soon. More people die everyday due to the curse than people born. Regardless of our laws to fight against the curse, it's still winning. Soon the rumors will be true. The water masters will be extinct," Zayll told me. I frowned and we walked in silence for a few moments.

This was a lot bigger than just saving my relationship with Trey now. There were thousands of people that were depending on me to save them, thousands of people that were dying because they had fallen in love. It was on me to save an entire race of people. And the pressure that came along with that left me feeling desperate and useless.

"I have to break the curse," I said after a while. "I can't fail. Not when this many people are counting on me," I said with a strained voice.

"I wish I could tell you otherwise, Caley. I wish I could tell you that you are not in this alone. But you are. Only you can break the curse," he told me. 

I felt my eyes well up with tears as I felt the stress and pressure kicking in. He noticed this and stopped walking. He put one hand on my shoulder and the other cupped my face. 

"We will do everything we can to help you with what we can, Caley. Yes, the ultimate act must be done by you. But we can try to make it easier for you," he said, trying to assure me.

"But in the end, it's up to me. And you can't change that," I said. He pursed his lips, his eyes full of regret.

"I am sorry, Caley," he said. I pushed his hands away and shook my head.

"You don't have to apologize. I knew what I had to do ever since I learned about the curse and figured out that I was the Chosen One. I accepted it a while ago. But I had no idea that this many people will be depending on me, too. It just makes it so much worse because I can't fail. If I do, I will have the deaths of all of these people on my hands," I said. 

He didn't say anything, then. He put his hands in his pockets and stared out at the water that we could see from between the white and blue houses. 

"You will have to make a speech to address the people. Despite your desperation, it is important to put on a brave face. My family does it every day. It is not an easy job ruling over a people that are doomed to die at any moment. We can only do so much to keep positivity in their minds. To ease their pain and fear just a little before the inevitable happens. You must do the same when you address them," he told me. 

The thought of addressing an entire nation sent a shudder down my back. It was even more frightening than battling Anokhan in Aghbad.

"I've been to so many different nations and learned so many different things. I had to battle the strongest wizard I've ever met and even that wasn't as scary as delivering a speech," I said, sighing. Zayll chuckled to himself. The mood from before was lifted and replaced by the natural calmness that seemed to penetrate our conversations.

"How many different nations have you been to?" he asked as we started walking again.

"Three others before coming here," I said.

"And you were searching for Mikael Gemeni, I presume?" he questioned. I stopped in my tracks. I hadn't mentioned looking for the Twin in my conversation with him yet. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and then his face broke into a grin. "You are wondering how I know who you were looking for?" he asked. I nodded stiffly. He continued walking and I followed him.

He led me down a cobbled path into an alley that was lined with small homes. We passed a few dozen and then turned and walked down another more barren street. At the end of this street ws a single home. We stopped in front it. It was a small square, box-like house. Like the rest of the houses, it too had white walls and a royal blue domed roof. 

"Believe it or not, Caley, but my family and I were not the only ones that were anxiously awaiting your arrival," Zayll said, knocking on the door to the small home.

"What do you--" I began to ask, but just then the door swung open. Once we stepped inside the small one room home, I realized what he had meant. Because standing at the other end of the room staring out the window was an old man with long white hair and a matching beard. He held a staff in his hand which was resting on the orb at the top--the orb that was filled with blue, red, yellow, white, purple and green lights. 

It was Mikael Gemeni.

_________________________________

A/N: YAY! I love this part of the book because this is the part that first came to me when I got the idea for this story. 

She found Mikael!!! Finally!

What do you think of the royal family? What do you think of Atlantis? Pretty awesome, eh?

Anyway, I'll try to update again soon. I have an exam coming up and my move-in date is approaching really fast (2 weeks!). Adult life, here I come!!

Remember to comment and vote!

To see pictures of the royal family and the palace, go to the external link!!!

XOXO