Atlas strolled around the kingdom, taking in the crisp night air. This was definitely his favorite time of the day. Usually, he walks around in the nearby forest. But today, he felt like walking around the streets. He’s never really looked around here much anyways. Looking to his left, he saw a small store. Was this store new? He didn’t remember it. It was closed now, so he couldn't go looking inside of it anyways. Maybe tomorrow. He was about to move on, though at a second glance, he spotted something moving. Was that a person? He squinted and his thoughts were confirmed- that was indeed a person creeping out of the store's window. Odd. He could almost assume they were stealing, with the way they were acting, and the bag of things they were carrying out of the store… wait.

“Hey!”

He called out, impulsively. This person could have a weapon, what was he doing? The person froze, staring at him. He then got a closer look at them. They looked so familiar, was that..

“Charlotte?”

The person then bolted and stupidly, Atlas followed.

“Charlie, wait, wait, it's me!”

After a while of trying to run from him, she became tired and out of breath. Damn this man. Charlotte turned to him with an irritated look.

“Fuck off, Atlas. This doesn’t concern you.”

She snapped, chucking a can at him. Surprisingly he dodged it, staring at her. She still looked the same after all these years, the same raggedy brown hair, the same sharp blue eyes, the same glare, the same everything.

“What in the world are you doing?”

He asked the woman he hadn’t seen in years, picking up the can she threw at him.

“Oh, why should that matter to you?”

Yeah, she was definitely still salty about what he had done. Which, he couldn’t fault her for. He looked at her.

“I mean.. I just caught you stealing. I could turn you in for this.”

It was a small threat, but he was a weak man who never went through with threats. She knew that very well. One of the things she hated about him.

“Bullshit.”

She spat. He scoffed, walking closer to her, handing her the beat up can.

“Still this desperate to survive?”

Atlas asked, not trying to be rude, even if it was a rude thing to say. He’s always been a bit dense. She glared at him, looking about ready to punch him. She should have. But she still didn’t have it in her to hurt him, not yet.

“Maybe I wouldn’t have to be if you hadn’t left me.”

She shot, taking the can.

“Maybe you wouldn’t have to be if you had come with me.”

He shot back. Atlas didn’t miss arguing with her. She was stubborn. Extremely. Stubborn. And she’d always say he had a victim complex. Which it wasn’t true!

“Look, I was just trying to do what was best for us. But I wasn’t going to stay with you, still having to fight to survive, if there was the option to be safer. Sleeping in a warm bed. Happy. It hurt when you didnt come with me. You’re not the one who should get angry here.”

He said, his voice going softer, sadder. They had been everything to each other, especially considering they had nothing. Living on the streets, hiding from certain people they've wronged (people she wronged really), doing what they could to survive (stealing. A lot of stealing).

“Happy? I wasn’t happy to be working for a tyrant!”

Until one day they had gotten caught, arrested and taken into custody to eventually see the king. It turns out, the king had been in need of servants for the castle. They had been given a choice. Work for him, or spend a good amount of time in prison. They both chose the former. But Charlotte, being Charlotte, eventually found a way to escape.

But in Atlas’s eyes, working for the king was much safer- much better- than the danger they had been living in. He wasn’t one for a life of adventure. He had just had to live one for most of his life. But there, they had a warm bed, good food, and weren’t at risk of being murdered! What more could you ask for?

“Oh come on, it isn’t that bad.”

So he stayed. And she left. And they hadn’t seen each other since. She huffed.

“Spending your days being at someone’s beck and call isn’t that bad? You- you know what Atlas? I'm done arguing with you. You made your choice. And now, you can choose if you’ll turn me in or not.”

Charlie stared at him expectantly. He shifted, moving a bit of his curly hair out of his face. He thought about his options, but there wasn’t much thinking that needed to be involved. He didn’t need to turn her in. He wasn’t that loyal.

“…go. Just don’t come back.”

She continued to stare at him for a little while, her brown hair moving in the wind as her expression softened a bit.

“One day you’ll realize how shitty this life is.”

Charlotte said, and then in a flash she was gone, disappearing into the woods. Maybe never to be seen again. At least not by him. He sighed, looking back to where the castle is. He should.. be getting back now. His break time was almost over.