Yes... conditionally

"I have conditions of my own," you say.

"I would be surprised if you did not."

"You have stolen much of value from those who travel through these woods. Some of it cannot be returned; I do not know who all your victims are, and many of them are out of my reach. But to those who I can reach, the crown will make repayment, and you must then pay that debt."

"In what manner am I to make this restitution?" she asks.

"You are not the only thief in these woods. Some of them are killers as well as thieves, and I cannot allow this to continue. I shall assemble a team of the best huntsmen in Elyssia; we have men and women who are skilled at woodcraft and stealth, but none of them could be equal to the Vixen. You know these woods better than anyone, and your skill with the bow is unparalleled. With your assistance, we will bring the wolves of these woods to justice."

She thinks for a moment. "Is that all?" she asks.

"That is all I demand of you. There is more that I would ask. Your true name, for instance."

She is silent, and then says, "In time. For now, I am only the Vixen. I will accept your condition if you will promise me protection from those who I fear."

"As King in Elyssia, I am sworn to protect my subjects," you tell her. "As one of them, you would have that. I swear this upon my crown, my sword, and my honor: If it is in my power to protect you from your enemies, then I shall do so."

"Then, I surrender to you, Your Grace," she says. She goes to sit down at a log by the fire, and when she does, you get your first clear look at her face. You are suddenly struck by how young she is; there is certainly no question as to whether her body is that of a woman grown, but she cannot have been such for more than a year or two. "You have not asked why I chose this time and place to come forward."

"That would have been my next question," you tell her, "but then something happened, and another one occurred to me."

She looks down at her nude body, shrugging slightly. "I needed to know that you spoke the truth," she says. "Distraction prevents a man from thinking of a convincing lie. It is why I interrupted you, Your Grace; it was most impolite of me, and I apologize. I come to you now because the most dangerous enemy of whom I spoke is in our midst, and I made the mistake of accosting one of his men. I fear not only for myself, but for Elyssia." She lowers her eyes. "I am a thief who haunts the woods, but this is still the only home I have."

"Of whom do you speak?" you ask.

She hesitates for a moment.

"I have sworn to protect you," you say. "I cannot do this if I know not who you need protection from."

"I fear the Warlord, Velimir Reznik," she says softly.

You feel a chill that has nothing to do with the night breeze. "Lord Velimir is not welcome in Elyssia," you say. "If he is here, it is not because it was my will."

"I do not know that he is here himself," the Vixen says. "But yesterday morning, I took this from a man I encountered on the road."

She tosses a small coin purse to you (with perfect accuracy, you can't help but note). You loosen the drawstring and discover a number of copper pieces inside, crudely stamped with the outline of a rearing bear. "It is the Warlord's mark," you agree, "but the man you took this from may simply have had dealings with Velimir."

"No. The string of the purse is threaded through a bear's tooth. Only Reznik's men carry such a purse. And all of the coins in this purse are stamped with the mark; a mercenary for hire would have many different coins. Furthermore, I heard him speak; his language was the same as the Warlord's."

"I can understand why you would fear Lord Velimir," you say to her. "Only fools do not. But I sense that you have reason to fear him more than most."

"I can explain all to you, and I will," the Vixen says, as she stands up and begins putting her clothing back on. "But we have lingered here too long. As you say, I am not the only thief in these woods... and while it is unlikely we would find trouble here, I am sure your guards have nearly exhausted their patience."