Book 3: The Love of Fire & Rain

Chapter 1: The Masquerade

Atlanta the Queen of Atlantis was walking barefoot through the cobblestone streets of a Spanish seaside town in the coastal heart of Spain busy admiring the beauty of the architecture and the people as they danced around her. Her massively beautiful sea faring ship had been recently damaged during a small rouge storm off the coast of Spain a day before.

Delaying her voyage back to the island kingdom of Atlantis residing within the Bermuda triangle, while her attendants and crew were all busy tending to the repairs, Atlanta figured that since she was here and all, the least she could was have some fun before departing back for her sea faring home.

There were people laughing, toasting, and drinking goblets of red and white wine all around her as she walked amongst the dancing people surrounded by the romantic scenery of the Spanish villas and homes. This wasn't just a party this was a lavish masquerade ball on the streets of Spain! The music was lively, vibrant, and full of love as the mask-wearing couple's danced circles around her. Many of the young bachelors would ask for her hand to dance but Atlanta refused them all with a kind turquoise lipped smile, backed up with a few gentle words.

Atlanta's peach colored skin and sparkling turquoise eyes made her beautiful to look upon, but it was her kind and peaceful smile that drove men to their knees. Her wild colored hair made her stand out in a crowd mainly because it was a beautiful shade of turquoise blue matching her lips and her eyes. As the Elemental Guardian of the Water, it was quite common to see the Atlantian Queen with a few strands of seaweed tangled within her hair from her many deep sea dives off the coasts of the Caribbean and Bermuda islands and the three caldera island rings that make up the island of Atlantis.

Atlanta wore a Spanish style tight fitted turquoise blue salsa dress that faded into a deep bright indigo blue near the bottom. The dress was covered in dewdrops and tiny pearls. She also wore a mask of blue and white ocean waves mimicking that famous Japanese painting of the ocean waves. She sat alone at the edge of a beautiful fountain in the middle of the city square preferring to watch the people as they dance instead of joining them.

That was until a man dressed in a black dragon skin hooded cloak approached the fountain.
The man's cloak had decorative flames sewn along the bottom hem and the ends of the sleeves only to be accented with a few actual burning flames! The flames were supplied by small pieces of flint stone and phoenix feathers that were sewn into the dragon skin. All it took to spark a flame was to have the flint stones touch the dormant feather and when that happens a spark occurs which ignites a flame!

The fire unfazed him however as he sat down beside her. He wore a beautifully detailed Phoenix mask to conceal most of his face except for his lips and chin. The man wore a pair of dragon skin gloves as he spoke to her while flipping a small silver coin over his head and into the fountain.

"A beautiful woman like yourself, I'm surprised no one has asked you to dance?" Atlanta turned to face him and her eyes widened in shock. The man's eyes were striking burning into hers like a pair of glowing embers. They were orange, kind, and loving she smiled at him and spoke flirtatiously.

"Perhaps I just haven't found the right partner."

The man smiled as he stood up and bowed saying with his hand out stretched.

"Then may I have this dance with a beautiful woman?"

Atlanta blushed as she took his hand he danced with such grace in every step. She had never danced with anyone quite like him before. He was dashing and gallant he knew every movement by heart as they danced their movements were elegant graceful and full of love as they stared into each other's eyes when the dance ended he spoke with a slight smirk.

"How about we do something a little different, follow my movements."

The dance was unlike any dance she had ever danced. It was a mix of the very passionate tango, salsa, and flamingo dances but different with each movement the feeling of love within their hearts grew stronger as they stared deeply into each other's eyes unable to look away from each other's gaze.

Atlanta wasn't one to divulge 'love at first sight' but she felt drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The dance ended when he lowered her, she stared up into his eyes and for split second, she thought she saw fire within his eyes as he raised her up. Her arms were wrapped around his neck while his hands were upon her waist. She was breathing heavily her body was pressed against his from their dance she was blushing and gazed into his eyes. She saw the spark of flames within them and that spark sealed her fate. She was in love.

Their lips were mere inches apart as they both leaned forward in a loving trance. They were about to kiss when suddenly someone interrupted them.

"Atlanta my lady queen, the repairs have been made to your ship we are ready to depart."

Atlanta quickly leaned away from the mystery man with pain in her eyes. She didn't want to leave, not now anyway, as she turned to her attendant and spoke when the man released her waist from his grasp allowing her to back away. "Alright I'm coming Barabbas."

She turned back to face the mystery man saying in sorrow as she turned to leave; "I'm so sorry, I truly wish that I could stay here and dance with you more...but I have to go..."

She gasped when she felt something on her cheek. The mysterious man leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek before placing a Fire Lily in her hands while whispering into her ear.

"Long live Atlanta Queen of Atlantis. I had wished for your beauty to never fade from this earth, and that we shall me again...if the fates allow it to be so."

Her heart skipped a beat over his voice. She turned to face him but he was gone vanishing back into the crowd. She stood there holding the flower in her hands in shock as her attendant Barabbas spoke.

"Who was that man?" Barabbas's right eyebrow rose in shock and suspicion when he saw that strange man kissing the Queen's cheek.

Atlanta stared at the flower and smiled only to frown as she spoke, "I-I don't know...he never told me his name."

Standing on one of the rooftops of a nearby building was the mystery man. He removed
his cloak and his Phoenix mask to reveal a black dragon skin Japanese suite with flaming cuffs, collar, and seems like on his hooded robe. The man was bald, but he did have hair, even if it was flames. The man smiled a love-struck smile down at Atlanta. His heart was warmed by her presence. Suddenly melody of a birdsong caught his ears. A Phoenix was flying overhead; it flew down and landed upon his shoulder, and screeched a hello call to him. The man smiled as he stroked the bird's bright red, orange, and yellowish golden feathers with his right hand.

"I know Phonx she is beautiful isn't she. Atlanta Queen of Atlantis the Elemental Guardian of the Water," He sighed as a love struck smile crept across his face, "Huh, may we meet again."