The mid-afternoon sun hung high over Auravale, bathing the cobblestone streets in a warm, golden glow.
To the town people, it was a beautiful day.
To the newly formed Blackfang Mercenaries patrolling the streets, it was a high-alert security scenario.
But to the Bandit Queen, it was finally the time for her long awaited date.
She walked through the bustling market street with measured steps, her arm resting lightly around Leo's, as though afraid a careless movement might shatter the fragile calm of the moment.
Before she met him, she was recognized as the Bandit Queen, the dread sovereign of the Endless Forest, a figure whose mere mention once froze hearts across Auravale and even the capital beyond.
But in the arms of her man, she was walking with a stiff, unnatural gait. It wasn't because she was injured. It was because she was terrified of tripping to look foolish in front of the one person whose gaze mattered.
