Insurrection

***

In the Year DR 1370, the Year of the Tankard, the Kensai, Brynn Trueblade stepped down from the throne of her father, the God of Murder, Bhaal, and in doing so became more famous than she might have had she become a Goddess. For in Faerun there are many Gods and Goddesses, but rare are those who would turn down the chance at such power. That power, she told all who questioned her, meant nothing to her, but the lives she had restored in giving that power up meant the world. By the fates' decree, or perhaps through a little bargaining, Lady Trueblade was able to resurrect her dear companions who had fallen whilst traveling with her. Then, tired of her constant battles, she and the Blades of Honor, returned to Amn, and their keep therein, and tried to knit their lives back together.

Chapter 1:

An Old Friend Pays a Visit

The guards at the De'Arnise keep noticed the stranger even before he had fully emerged from the cover of the trees. He wore a gray traveler's cloak, and from beneath it came glimpses of navy blue. His face was concealed by the cloak's hood, but hank of silver-streaked black hair was visible. He approached the gate, and waited politely for one of the guards to walk over to him.

The guard, though he tried, could not seem to get a good look at the stranger's face. "State your name and business," the guard ordered sharply.

"I am here to see the Lady Trueblade, if she is in," the stranger said. He spoke with a strange accent.

"Well, that's you're business," the guard grumbled, "now what about you're name?"

"I would prefer to surprise the Lady Trueblade," said the stranger with a hint of a smile in his voice, "it has been many years since I have had occasion to speak with her, and doubtless she is not expecting me."

"All the more reason not to surprise her," the guard said pointedly.

The stranger sighed. "Then announce me to her, if that is what you wish. But my name must remain my secret until I meet her."

"Listen, fella," the guard said irritably, "You don't get to have any secrets unless you want to meet the Lady Trueblade in the dungeon behind a cell door, if you get my drift."

The stranger actually laughed. "Then tell the Lady that Touga Kurai is here to see her, I am sure you will find your precautions unwarranted."

The guard frowned. "Ric, Tevin, c'mere and take this fella to the Lady's audience chamber. Don't take your eyes off of him."

Another two guards hustled over and led the stranger up a flight of stone stairs to a large wooden door, and then escorted him inside. The gate guard watched the three of them until the wooden door had shut again, and then turned his eyes back to the path up to the drawbridge, and thought no more of the cloaked stranger.

***

"I have you now!"

"Eek!"

They landed on the huge four poster bed, messing up the covers and sending a wave of pillows thowmping to the floor. Somewhere in the tangle their lips met, and they shared a long, hungry kiss, and began to shed clothes.

There was a knock on the door, and it was ignored.

There was another knock on the door, this one more insistent, and from the other side a maid called, "Lady Trueblade! There be man wot want's to see ye in yer audience chamber!"

Brynn rolled over and groaned. "He can wait, I'm busy!"

"He's bein' mighty loud about it, me Lady," the maid replied. "He says if ye aren't there ta meet with him soon he'll come up to find ye."

"Perhaps you had better go," Yoshimo suggested, propping himself up and leaning over her.

Brynn shook her head. "I probably should, but I don't feel like it," she whispered. Aloud she said, "On what authority is he demanding to see me?"

"He said he knows ye," the maid said.

Brynn snorted. "Wonderful," she muttered, "probably some perfumed noble or what have you. What's his name?"

"He calls hisself Toga Curry or somethin' o' that sort. He speaks with a funny accent."

"Toga Curry?" Yoshimo wondered aloud.

Brynn shrugged. "I don't know anyone by the name of Toga..." she paused. To the maid she asked, "You mean Touga Kurai?"

"Aye, that be it, me Lady..."

Brynn sat bolt upright. "Tell him I'll be right there!"

"Yes, me Lady."

Brynn rolled out of bed and began gathering up her clothes and quickly putting them on again. Yoshimo watched her with an amused expression as she hopped around, trying to put on her left boot and her tunic at the same time.

"I wonder who this fellow is," he said mildly. "The name sounds familiar."

As soon as she managed to get her tunic on, Brynn gave him a look of mock irritation. "I should hope so. I'm sure you remember me talking about Master Touga at least a few times..."

"A day," Yoshimo finished for her, smiling mischievously. "Your tunic is on backward, aijin."

Brynn cursed and quickly got her tunic turned around the proper way. "Come on, get dressed!" she urged Yoshimo.

"Me? I think not, this is your reunion not mine. I would not dream of being in the way."

Brynn raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just miffed 'cause we got interrupted. You'll like Master Touga! He was like a father to me."

Yoshimo grimaced, but got out of bed and started getting back into his clothes. "Wonderful, and here I thought that I did not have to worry about impressing your family."

"Oh, he'll like you, I'm sure of it," Brynn reassured him. She managed to get her right boot laced up and cinched her belt around her waist. "Now where did I put my katanas... here they are! Master Touga will probably want to see how much I've progressed. Hurry up!" She grabbed Yoshimo's hands and started pulled him out of the room.

She fairly flew down to the audience chamber, which doubled as the dining room at meal times and the ballroom if Brynn ever decided to have a ball (which wasn't very likely.) Brynn saw that all the rest of the Blades were already there, chatting with the aging Kensai. Imoen had probably introduced them. Brynn ran halfway down the stairs into the chamber, jumped over the rest, and sprinted across the stone floor to wrap her mentor in a warm hug.

"Master Touga! What are you doing here? It's been forever since I've seen you!" Brynn babbled. She let him go and took a good look at him. He had gotten so much older since she'd last seen him five years before. His hair was streaked with gray, and the once faint lines around his eyes and mouth and on his forehead had grown into deep furrows. His nearly black eyes still held the same youth she had remembered from when she first met him though, and when she hugged him she could tell he was still in top physical form.

"Brynn?" the old Kensai asked, sounding surprised. "By the gods, child, you have... changed."

"I have?" Brynn asked.

"Well, your grip has gotten stronger, certainly," Touga replied, smiling kindly. "You were hardly more than a child the last time I saw you."

"I was not!" Brynn protested.

"And it seems you have gathered yourself quite the group of friends," Touga continued. "I remember you being more interested in your training than people."

Brynn grinned. "You've met everyone?"

"I have," Touga replied.

"Not quite!" Brynn corrected him gleefully, feeling some of her old childlike playfulness coming back to her. She twirled around and called to Yoshimo, who was still standing at the top of the stairs for some reason, "Yoshimo, come meet Master Touga!"

Yoshimo chuckled as he slowly made his way down the stairs. "Oh, we have already met, I believe." He stopped next to Brynn and bowed to the Kensai according to the customs of their mutual homeland. "Though, he would have known me by another name," he added, straightening up and looking Touga in the eyes.

There was a flash of recognition in Touga's expression, and he threw back his cloak and reached for his katana. "You!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Brynn's stomach flip-flopped. What was going on? This wasn't how everything was supposed to happen! "You two... know each other?" she asked, wanting confirmation.

"We have met, yes," Yoshimo said calmly. Brynn noticed though, that he to was reaching slowly for his katana. Something was wrong.

"Do you remember the circumstances of my exile?" Touga inquired of Brynn.

"Yes..." Brynn replied, drawing out the word. He had never really explained what had happened, but she knew it had something to do with failing to do his duty, or something like that.

"It was because of this man beside you that I was banished from my homeland," Touga continued. His upper lip began to twist into a snarl, but he quickly schooled his face into an expression of impassive calm. "And for that I fear that I cannot forgive him."

Brynn gaped. "What? Hey!" She smacked the hand Touga had on his katana until he let go. "Cut that out! You too, Yoshimo!"

The other Blades were no longer sitting. They stood uneasily, unsure whether to prepare to fight or what.

"Now will someone explain this all to me?" Brynn asked.

"It is a long story, aijin," Yoshimo said, by his voice feeling more than a little edgy. He had let go of his katana, but his fingers itched to take hold of it again just in case.

Touga shot Yoshimo a look of disbelief mixed with anger. "What did you call her?" he asked. He had his hand back on the hilt of his katana, and Brynn, noticing this, smacked his hand again until he released it.

"That's not the issue right now," Brynn told him firmly. "Let's not get sidetracked." She turned to Yoshimo. "You said it was a long story? Well, I'm interested enough to listen to it, if either of you will calm down enough to tell me."

"I would be glad to relate it to you," Yoshimo told her.

"I agree, she should hear the story," Touga added, frowning darkly. "I will correct you if you... are not entirely accurate."

Brynn looked between the two men, sensing the tension in the room rising dramatically. "Well, then, let's all sit down and listen, hmm? Aerie, will you go fetch one of the servants and have them bring us something to drink?"

Aerie nodded and ran off, and the rest sat down at the table. Haer'Dalis produced a pen, paper and some ink, and got ready to jot down the story as it was told. To Brynn's eyes he looked all to excited about the events of the day. Then again, though the bard had been glad to relax after the mad frenzy of a few months before, he had been getting a little antsy lately. He probably was starting to miss the excitement and the danger. Come to think of it, Brynn was too... a little.

In a few minutes Aerie returned, and behind her a serving woman with two pitchers of fine ale. Drinks were served to those who wanted them, and then Yoshimo began to tell his story.

To be Continued

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A/N

So, here is the sequel I promised you, or at least the first two chapters of it. I'm holding off on the ToB plotline for now, and moving on to afterwards because I've been cooking up this story for sometime now and I wanted to start posting it. It does give away some of the stuff that would have happened tou our heroes in ToB, but it still leaves enough uncovered to make telling that story later worthwhile.

Thanks,

The Blue Sorceress