Getting involved with a bandit was… not how you intended to spend your first time in the real world. You’d fled from your castle under the guise of night, to find the answers you sought. Your uncle and Regent, Duke Osmont, had kept you in the castle. He had hid you from the outside world.

But of course, Gisella didn’t know that. She just thought you were a Noblewoman, run away to be with a Knight, who was really your Queensguard. It was all very complicated and oh-so-confusing.

You had met Gisela for the first time on the night you ran away from the castle. She was a bandit, and she, with the help of traps and her crew, had taken you and Wyatt down and attempted to rid you of any valuable possessions.

You had struck a deal then, and helped to patch up her and her men when a small flock of beings called Spirit Eagles. Spirit Eagles were large blue birds. They were known to be wild and untameable, and were sometimes seen a a symbol of freedom.

But they were also violent, and prone to attack when their brooding territory was encroached upon. Gisella and her crew had each sustained injuries, though none of them life-threatening. Thanks to your skills as a healer, you had been able to reverse most of the damage.

Then, as a result of you stopping one of the Earl’s men and healing the man they had beaten for tax money, you had been forcibly recruited to join the Earl’s household as a Healer, and provide him with a sleep remedy.

After delivering the Earl a sleep remedy, you returned to your for only to see Gisella on your bed. She had, as always, made a few crude remarks that had you flushing. Then she had rid you of your dress, tossing it carelessly behind her.

She was fighting with your corset now, trying to remove the final barrier between your skin and her hands and lips. With an exasperated noise, she took out her dagger. She had you bare you back to her, and she began the work of slicing your laces.

The tip of the knife was cool against the line of your spine, but you managed to keep yourself from shivering. You trusted Gisella not to hurt you. She let out a small, proud noise when she freed you. But before she could touch you, you held out a hand. “Wait, Gisella…”

“What is it, Moonflower? Having second thoughts?” She asked, pulling back. When you pursed your lips and tan a hand over her leather chest plate, she nodded. “You wanna see me, huh?” She asked teasingly, before stepping back to undress.

She discarded layers of clothing and weapons she carried on her person until she was bare before your gaze. “You have a lot of scars.” You murmured as she laid you down, temporarily silencing you with a kiss. She caressed your curves, before a nimble hand slipped between thighs that parted easily for her.

“Not makin’ me work very hard for it, hmm, Moonflower? Ah, it’s alright. The sooner your let me in the longer this can last.” She whispered against your lips, pulling you back in for another kiss. She slotted one of her muscular thighs between your own offer ones, using her fingers to skillfully work you up.

She got on top of you, and you wrapped your arms around her. You traced the many scars along the skin of her back, feeling the raised bumps beneath your fingertips. Your expression grew sad as she busied herself with kissing your neck.

Tears welled up in your eyes, and she pulled back. “What is it, Moonflower?” She asked, slowing the pace of her fingers to allow you to think more clearly. But regardless of pace, they still stroked over your sweet spot.

“Gisella… all these scars… I wish I had been there to help. You don’t deserve these…” You trailed off, blinking the tears from your eyes. She moved you so you were more upright against the pillows, and knelt between your legs.

“So you don’t have to see the scars, Moonflower.” She murmured, kissing down your belly. As lovely as her mouth felt against you, you couldn’t shake the concern or the guilt that you hadn’t known her then. The very thought of her being in any amount of pain made you feel sick.