Author's Notes: If you've read my other stories, you'll notice that this piece is a little different than what I normally tackle. It is sparse, dialogue-driven, and in the first person PoV. The good thing is that since each chapter is short, it will be updated frequently as you begin to piece together their story. This story exists in the Scepter continuum, far before it starts.

"You're a pretty one for a priestess, aren't you, Love?"

I pursed my lips together and was grateful that the low light of the temple hid any rebellious blush against my cheeks. I kept my mind on my task as I carefully washed the wounds on the man's bare torso. It was bad enough to have to sully my hands blessed by Elune Herself to wash and tend to a random vagrant, but to deal with this man's impertinent questions and overt inappropriateness was enough to try anyone's patience. I kept my eyes down and my voice disapproving as I spoke.

"We are all the same under Elune, sir."

The man's low chuckle did nothing to quell my discomfort. "Of course we are."

He pushed himself up on his elbows, grunting at the pull against his wounds. I leaned back at the movement, waiting for him to get comfortable. He had appeared outside the Temple gate in the small of the morning, bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds and his face a mottled shade of dark blueish grey underneath the deep hood he kept pulled as far forward as possible. He only relinquished the hood after being brought in by the guards, safely out of sight from the outside world. As one of the more skilled healers available, he had been given over to my care. I twisted my mouth minutely more crooked as I wrung out the cloth I was using and wondered what I had done lately, to incur the wrath of Elune that I was to be tested in this manner. The man's low voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"I wonder though, Miss-" he paused, waiting for me to supply a name. I smoothed the displeasure from my face and kept my voice neutral.

"You may refer to me as Priestess."

The man's mouth turned up into a one-sided smile. "Alright then Love, Priestess. I do wonder though, if Elune truly thinks men such as I are equals to the ones that you are most familiar with."

I looked him in the face fully then. Despite the swelling around his eyes and cheekbones and the scabbed over cuts on his face, his silver eyes seemed to hold a deep intelligence. In the low light, their glow highlighted strands of his dark blue bangs. I resisted the urge to brush the hair out of his eyes so that his face was not half-hidden from me. I straightened my back and returned to my task of cleaning his wounds.

"I'm sure that Elune can make her own judgments, sir."

His quiet laugh drifted up to my ears again. He did not speak again as I bound his wounds with herbs and clean linen bandages, and I did not look at his face until I was finished with my task. I met his eyes as briefly as possible as I bowed and took my leave.