The sun was setting in the Human Division, its rays no longer illuminating the path of the two young travelers that galloped on the road and Atlas' staff. Pretty soon it would turn night and the fear would set into the younglings' bodies. Not from fear of beasts, but from fear of man and their capabilities in the dark.
Sure, Atlas was a capable mage, but only during the day time. As for Primrose, a novice knight could only go so far.
The pair had not spoken for a couple of hours. Mainly because he wasn't sure what to say and hadn't been that close to someone in a long time. His social anxiety had taken over him; grabbing him by the tongue and forcing his mouth shut.
"Hey, we should find a place to stay soon," Primrose said.
Atlas snapped back to reality and looked around. He noticed a small cave in the distance and pointed at it.
"We could take refuge there," he said softly.
"Sounds good to me!" Primrose barked.
Upon arrival, they hiked up and hitched Hungus on a stone. Atlas opened his satchel and pulled out a couple wooden sticks. He placed them on the ground and took out a flint and piece of steel. He began rubbing the rocks together on top of the sticks.
"Why don't you just use fire magic?"
Atlas looked up and then back down.
"I don't know how to use it."
"If you know light magic, it shouldn't be hard to learn, right?"
Atlas shook his head.
"Mana manipulation isn't as easy as it seems. Especially if you have to manipulate it in multiple ways."
"I know that!"
Atlas nodded and continued working. Finally, the fire was lit, and the two sat across from each other.
"Hey… Lady Primrose, was it?"
"Just Primrose, okay?"
Atlas gave her a weak smile.
"Okay."
The two sat in silence, staring at the cackling fire. That was until Primrose spoke up.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"M-mm?"
"I said, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Atlas scratched his cheek and smiled.
"Well, I want to be in the Elven Magician's Army."
"I don't know what that is."
"It's like the Royal Magician Army…but for elves, I suppose…"
"Ah! I see…"
Although it was frowned upon for an elf to be a mage, the elves still had a Magician's Army. All divisions did. The two fell into silence again. Primrose shot Atlas a sharp gaze as if begging him to ask her what she wanted to do when she grew up.
"Well, it's more of a 'what do I want to be?' question because I'm already sixteen."
"So am I!" she said as her eyes lit up.
"W-well," Atlas said flustered, "what do you want to be?"
"I want to be a knight," she said proudly as she swung her legs in her tattered dress with a big smile on her face.
"A princess, a knight? Why would you want that?"
Primrose's smile faded and she gave Atlas a look of disgust.
"What? Am I not good enough because I'm a princess? Am I not good enough because I'm a woman?"
"No, no, not at all!" Atlas said, putting his hands up to calm her down, "it's just that…you have so much privilege… Why downgrade?"
That's when a single thought echoed in Atlas' mind. Something he had heard before, "Everyone needs a purpose. Something to live for…and you can't live for something or give anything a purpose if you hate it."
Primrose stood up and crossed her arms.
"Being all rich and girly is boring. Putting one's life at risk for others is exciting."
Atlas quieted down after that. That was good, because Primrose kept going.
"My father never let me practice anything physical. To him, I was to remain a petite princess and get married to a husband who wouldn't give a damn about me."
Primrose approached Atlas and bent down to look him in the eyes.
"Being a princess isn't purposeful to me. So I trained in secret, swinging a wooden sword around that I had made myself in the forest. I made a couple of guy friends from there and trained with them. Peasants could never be knights, yet, they aspired to be ones. Philip was my best friend until I turned fifteen. That's when my father discovered us training and Philip disappeared. I never knew of what came of him after that."
Primrose had a saddened look in her eyes.
"So, ask me again. Ask me what I want to be."
Atlas looked up at the woman that stood before him.
"What do you want to be?"
"I want to be a knight. A damn good one, too."
Primrose was the first to wake up. The elf, who she had learned was named Atlas, lay asleep with a goofy look on his face. His stomach was exposed under his robe. He looked like a sweet guy, maybe a little too shy, but definitely a good guy.
"Wake up," Primrose said as she kicked Atlas.
"Wha- oww!"
Atlas sat up and scratched his head. He yawned and looked around.
"What time is it?" he asked.
"Time to get on the road," Primrose said impatiently.
The elf frowned and rubbed his eyes.
"I need some coffee before we continue on, ma'am."
Primrose sighed and looked at Atlas with disgust.
"It's Primrose, not 'ma'am'!"
"Yes, ma'am- erk! I mean yes, Primrose!"
Primrose nodded and turned her attention away to gaze at the sunrise. She stood there, for a while, considering her decisions. What she had done was extremely dangerous. The king could have her chained up for the rest of her life and that disgusting sleazebag Pratt could have her way with her whenever he wanted.
Primrose was determined to never let that happen and she was sure that the company of this elf until she reached the next city was essential in order to prevent that. She turned to check on said elf and saw him brewing coffee over a fire.
"How could you like that gross stuff?" she asked, her nose twitching in disgust.
"I dunno, I guess I like the taste haha," Atlas replied.
"Hurry up and drink that thing and let's get a move on."
"Y-yes, ma- yes Primrose!"
Atlas chugged his coffee and jogged over to Hungus. He mounted and offered his hand to Primrose.
"I can do it," she grumbled.
And off they went.
The city of Zar was considered one of the finest and most beautiful cities in the world because of its seven rivers that served as streets. Its water was a beautiful light blue that shone like crystals in the sunlight.
Many of the buildings were centuries old and the city carried a rich history. It was no surprise that this city was the capital of the Human Division. Large boats that transported even the largest of beasts were visible throughout the water. Primrose and Atlas found themselves on a large vessel with Hungus tied to the centre.
The boat carried multiple people, but only one of them was in the corner alone.
"Why do you look so worried?"
Atlas looked up at Primrose, who took a seat next to him.
"It's nothing to be concerned of," he said as he twirled his hair.
Primrose sighed.
"Don't give me that crap. Just tell me."
Atlas nervously looked around his surroundings.
"I um…can't afford this boat."
Primrose blinked, unsure of what to say.
"You're telling me you're isolating yourself and have anxiety because you can't afford the boat ride?"
"Ye-yeah."
"Atlas, if you boarded a boat with me…at my request…you should realize that I'm paying for you."
"No, no, you're far too kind, but I can't accept being in debt-"
"So you're going to get arrested?"
"Well, no…"
"I'm paying for it and that's that."
Atlas looked away, embarrassed. Primrose was beyond shocked that the elf could worry that much. Were all elves like that?
"We're here," the old man rowing the boat called.
Primrose paid the old timer and stepped off the boat and onto dry land. She gazed at the ginormous palace in front of her, made entirely of crystals. She marched towards the gate of the castle and stopped in front of the guards.
"My name is Primrose R. Krat and I'm here to see Xavier L. Zar."
The guards looked at each other and nodded.
"Let her in," they said.
The gates opened and Primrose marched in as if she owned the place while Atlas stood behind her, hiding himself from everyone. Hungus was led away to the stable.
The iconic duo made their way to the throne room and once inside, stood before a large chair. The chair was made out of all sorts of precious stones like diamonds, gold and rubies. On top of it sat a man that looked exactly like Primrose's father. She wasn't surprised at all since most of these men in power all looked the same.
"Oh my, princess, you are quite the mess? What happened?" the king said in a mocking voice.
Atlas gripped his staff nervously.
"You look as fine as I remember…wait, am I talking to the jester or the king?" Primrose countered.
The king let out a bellowing laugh and smiled.
"Ah! You are as quick witted as I remember, princess! Tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need to borrow some of your equipment and then we'll be out of your hair."
"Equipment? And why would I give you that?"
"Because my father demands it."
A look of horror spread across the king's face and he fell silent. He adjusted himself and nodded.
"Very well, princess, you shall be given your arms."
Primrose, who had been lying out of her teeth, nodded and strolled to the armory, Atlas followed close behind her.
"Wait!" the king said, his booming voice stopping them. "Who is the commoner?"
Atlas made eye contact with the king and shivered. It seemed like King Zar had just noticed him. He was squinting, as if he was looking at something extremely small.
"He's my mage, who escorted me here," Primrose said.
"He wears the clothes of a commoner…what is someone like that doing in the Royal Magician Army?"
Primrose made eye contact with Atlas and hesitated.
"He's…my slave…but also my bodyguard," she said at last.
King Zar seemed to find this amusing and smiled.
"What a rare sight!"
"We should best be going," Primrose said as she walked to the barracks.
Atlas followed, shaking from head to toe. Primrose touched his shoulder to reassure him. Everyone was so focused on the duo that had walked into the palace that no one noticed a figure standing at the top of a wooden platform above the throne room.
Once in the barracks, Primrose quickly shut the door and scanned her surroundings. The barracks were full of different kinds of swords and uniforms. The princess brushed her hands past the different weapons, getting a feel for each one. Finally, she picked an odd looking sword. One with an odd curve and circular handle. She raised it and held it firmly in front of her.
"This is the one," she whispered.
Atlas came over and looked at the sword.
"Wow, amazing!"
"Go back to the door, I need you to guard it. Something doesn't feel right."
Primrose had a nagging feeling that ever since they had entered the palace, something was going to go wrong. She needed Atlas to be as on edge as she was.
"Turn around, too. I'm going to change."
"Ch-ch-change?!"
"Yeah, so what?"
Atlas turned to look at her, his cheeks red.
"D-do you want me to leave the room?"
"No, stay near me."
"But-"
"Just don't look!" Primrose barked.
Atlas nodded and turned to face the door. The young girl grabbed one of the male uniforms and began to strip. She wasn't sure how to take off the corset, so she cut it off with her sword. She got into the uniform, cut off King Zar's emblem, and put on a black cloak that came with it.
The uniform was made out of a soft silk, perfect for movement, since the goal of a knight was not to get cut in the first place. A knight's fight was all about who was the fastest and the best with their sword.
"You can turn around now," Primrose said.
Atlas slowly turned around, his eyes wide.
"What? Pervert!" Primrose said with a grin.
"I-I'm not!"
"Uh huh, you're telling me you weren't looking?"
"Yeah!"
The two continued to argue while an ominous figure stood around the corner of the armory. It was the king of Zar. He had a glare and ill intent in his eyes. He looked over at the guard next to him and nodded at him.
"Block off all the exits," he said.
The guard saluted and ran off to deliver the message.
"Just admit it! You're a filthy perv!"
"For the last time! I'm not!"
The arguing duo turned around the corner of the armory only to be met by five knights, all kitted in iron armor.
"Oops, wrong room," Primrose said as she turned around to leave, pulling Atlas along with her.
"Primrose R. Kratt… there's a warrant for your arrest and of this…slave of yours. Surrender now!" One of the knights boomed.
Primrose turned around and tilted her head.
"Hmm? How dare you! Bring Lord Zar here right now! Let me speak to him!"
"Oh, but Lady Primrose, he's under my orders," King Zar said as he appeared from behind the guards.
"I won't be forced into an arranged marriage!"
Primrose drew her sword while Atlas hid behind her.
"Ummmm…Primrose…I don't think we can win this," he looked down at the ground, "we should surrender."
"Atlas, we can't. We absolutely can't."
She turned to face him.
"When you believe in something, you gotta stick by it. You don't have to fight, but I will."
Atlas smiled as Primrose charged at the nearest guard.
"Then I will join you," he said as he tapped the ground with his staff.
"Ajá!"
Multiple vines erupted from the earth and wrapped themselves around each knight, including the king.
"What the-"
"Release me at once!"
Primrose looked around at the guards rendered immobile.
"Where to now?" Atlas asked.
"Follow me!"
The pair ran down a long corridor that led to a singular door. Primrose tried the door, but it was locked.
"Atlas, can you open it?"
Atlas aimed his staff and shot an earth bullet at the lock. The door burst open and the pair entered a dimly lit staircase. They made their way down it and stopped behind a guard drinking ale at the entrance of a tunnel.
"Just so you know, Primrose, I can't use earth magic down here. It'd be too dangerous. It's also too dark to use light magic."
Primrose nodded.
"Leave the rest to me," she said.
She walked up to the guard and shoved her sword through a chink in his armor. Blood splurged out of his mouth and he collapsed. Atlas looked at the fallen soldier with an empty feeling. Another person died. Why did he have to be a part of so many lives taken?
"Come on! We have to keep going!"
Primrose grabbed Atlas' hand and pulled him along.
"Primrose…can we not kill people?"
"What? Can't we discuss this later?"
"No! I don't want any more blood on my hands!"
"Your hands? I've been killing them!"
"I helped, though!"
"You need to get over that because we're going to have to kill a lot more people!"
"No!"
"You can hunt animals, right? Would you put a horse out of its misery? That's what I'm doing to these peopl-"
Atlas stopped suddenly in his tracks.
"Hungus! We left him! I have to go back!"
Primrose turned her head to look at Atlas.
"That's suicidal and its just a horse!"
"It's not just a horse! It's my family's horse!"
Atlas turned to the way they had come from.
"I'll meet you outside of the city…from where we came from!"
Primrose sighed.
"Fine. Go and save Hungus."
Atlas nodded kindly and took off running down the hallway and back into the palace. He prayed for Hungus' safety and said to himself that he wouldn't take any lives. He wouldn't be like Primrose.