The hunt for Ella Bandita began with the women. They raged with each new tale about the notorious seductress, these women who spent their lives caring for their beauty and enhancing their manners to appeal to the most desirable men in society. Wives and courtesans worked hard for their pampered lives, fine gowns, and sparkling jewels. Ella Bandita was a spit in the face of their world. Ugly in face and grubby in dress, how could this be a woman no man can resist? How could a vagabond be the Thief of Hearts, a destroyer of indomitable men, making them shadows of their former selves and never to be the same again? The wrath of the women grew alongside the terror of their men. I’ve never heard of a time when married ladies and harlots of easy living cast their rivalries aside. But they did in order to stand against Ella Bandita. Ironically enough, the man who brought them together was more akin to a courtesan than a Patron. He was an easy conquest, not worth a mention if it weren’t for what happened afterwards.
