Atlantis, the lost city of legend, is rediscovered by a band of modern day teens after spending an eternity hidden from the world. Each person journeys on a path to rediscover who they are, and who they are meant to be. On a quest to reveal the secrets held by this strange new world, the heroes will face challenges beyond what they could ever imagine, all while a wicked evil threatens to send the world under his control. Can they emerge triumphant, or will the land be sent plummeting into darkness?

Amalie

The warm sun showered upon Myraid. People scurried around my room preparing for what was to come: today was no normal day.  Looking out the window, the sun rose above the mountains. Nada and Benar shined bright in the morning sky, as all moons do in early morning. I stared at the sun as it rose. I would often get lost in my daydreams. I could stare out into the sky for hours, never feeling the slightest bit of boredom. The sun shined brighter than usual today, something a normal person would take as a good thing. I, on the other hand, preferred structure. Everything had to be in line and perfect. I’d want everything to go the same every day. That never happens.
I felt something. Today was no normal day. Maybe that was just because I was being crowned ruler, or because deep down a part of me felt that something wasn’t right.  
Constantina sat behind me brushing my hair. She was beautiful, but frail looking. Her pearl-like hair fell down her back in a beautifully tied braid. At the end was, of course, a purple ribbon. Purple had been her favorite color forever. When I was little she made sure everything I wore was purple. Now, today, the only color I despise is purple. The ribbon at the bottom of her hair was tied almost perfectly, except it was just slightly tilted to the right. Just like the rest of her. She walked to the right, leaned to the right, did everything to the right. But that was her, the Constantina that I loved dearly.  A true mother. Even if we weren’t blood related, she was more of a mother than mine ever was.
That was not my mother’s fault, of course. She ran an entire kingdom on her own. Signed every paper, judged every court, and was always there for her people.
The sun grew brighter on my face until I realized I had been running thoughts through my head for over thirty minutes. Constantina pulled my hair.
“What are you thinking about, Amalie?” her sweet voice spoke out.
“What do you think I’m thinking about?” I answered back. She looked deeply into my eyes. Her mouth was partially open, as if she were making sure she would say the right words.  Her lips curled into a smile – she knew.
“You’ll make a great queen, no doubt about it. Your mother was a great queen, but I believe you’ll be an even better one,” Constantina whispered in my ear. She laid her head upon my shoulder. Lightly she stroked my face. My reflection stared back at me in the mirror. Constantina really knew how to make someone look beautiful. My black hair had been pulled back into one of her complex braids, while the rest of my hair cascaded down my back in curls. She had painted my lips rose red and my cheeks matched as well.
“Your hair looks good, and so does your face. But, your eyes outshine them all,” Constantina said, while making slight touch-ups to my hair. My eyes were a pale blue that caught the light just right and my eyelashes curled up, long and tall. My skin was china color and pale except for my tainted cheeks, which only made my eyes stand out more. She was right.  Constantina was always right, no matter what. She always knew when something was wrong.  
I slowly touched the necklace around my neck. I held it in my hands feeling the coolness of metal. It had been my mother’s. The necklace was the only thing that still held me to her. It was our connection. I twisted it nervously in my hand, spinning it around my fingers and getting entangled in it. It was about to snap when Constantina grabbed my hand.
“I know you miss her,” she said lovingly.  Quickly, she untwisted the necklace and laid it flat upon my dress. It didn’t quite match what I was wearing. The dress was lilac, of course, and my necklace was amber, with black metal wound around it. Constantina didn’t want me to wear it – she said it clashed with my outfit. She was right, like always. I didn’t care, though – I wouldn’t be separated from it for a moment.
“Amalie? Did you hear me?” She pulled my face to look at her, something she always did when I wasn’t paying attention.
“Huh? I mean, yes,” I said, trying to make her believe me, but she knew I hadn’t heard her.
“What did I say?” She looked me right in the eye. Not even one blink. She held her gaze. “I said, are you ready?”
“For what?” everything hit me in one single blast as I looked up at her with fearful eyes, “Please tell me it’s not time,” I said with an edge of terror in my voice. She patted my back, signaling that it was. I sank back into my chair, not wanting to get up, but I knew I had too. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to calm myself, but nothing seemed to help. Swallowing all my fear and taking my last deep breath, I stood up straight and tall. I took one last look in the mirror. I saw that there was a stray hair across my face, which I gently, slid behind my ear.
“We all know you look beautiful. How about you move things along, dear?” Constantina said with a slightly harsh tone. I guess I didn’t realize how long I had been looking in the mirror.
“Be careful,” Constantina whispered in my ear. “Keep walking, dear.” I walked forward, listening to her. Two guards stood beside me, four behind me. Constantina led the way. The walk to the throne room usually didn’t take long, maybe four minutes. This time, though, it seemed like forever. Every step I took, I could feel my legs getting heavier and heavier. What was she saying? Be careful of what? Everything seemed too much. Minutes were passing by me in what seemed like hours, yet at the same time felt like seconds.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ralf. His usually smiling face had wrinkles of worry. I tried to look back at him, but the guard pushed me ahead. That was strange. He… he was always smiling. Maybe he was smiling. I must have imagined the entire thing. Besides, I knew Ralf. If something was wrong he’d tell me, at least I thought so.  
I met Ralf when I was barely twelve. He was a pauper boy, with shaggy brown hair, that hung over his eyes. He walked with his back bent over and spoke with an accent. It was an unusual accent, with a very proper tone, but a lack of proper grammar. I remember I always tried to fix him, and teach him how to talk, but it never worked. My mother took him in to work as one of the kitchen boys at the palace. We used to play in the courtyard when we were younger, and he was the closest thing I had to a friend. Now that shaggy little boy had grown into a tall, dark, and handsome young man. He had strong arms and broad shoulders. He also had a dimple on his right cheek that appeared whenever he smiled. I liked it best when he was smiling at me.
That kitchen boy had become a soldier in our forces.  He was a great fighter. He fought in the civil war on Nada, one of Myraid’s moons. I remember it well. I begged him not to leave, but he said it was his duty. It broke my heart to watch him leave. I remember days and nights worrying about him, wondering if he would survive the harshness of war. I remember having dreams that he had died, and then waking up believing it was real. My greatest sin was worrying, and fear never let me rest – neither day nor night. Ralf returned a hero, though, and was honored with many awards. Most importantly, he was back, safe in the palace.  
We reached the entrance to the throne room. I turned to look at Constantina.
“I’m scared.” I could feel myself getting dizzy. Once I walked into that room I’d never be the same. I wouldn’t be princess Amalie – I’d be queen. I knew this was going to happen one day, I just didn’t expect to be queen before I was even twenty.
“Darling, being scared isn’t always a bad thing. Being afraid gives us a chance to overcome it. So do not fear, and do not fret. This is the beginning of days to come. Behind these doors awaits an adventure.” She embraced me tenderly. “Never fear anything, because there is not anything worth fearing,” she paused before she let go of me. Her lips met my ear as she whispered in a low tone, “Trust no one.” Those were the last words she said to me as we parted our ways.
Her hand touched my back softly. I turned to the two doors opening before me. I looked at her one last time. She looked at me with a smile on her face, but behind her mask I saw that she was terrified. There was something she wasn’t telling me…