Brother Ilisharan was trembling. They stood across the street from a small ramshackle house, in the dreaded city of Luskan. Information had come flooding in to his small cell in the village church within days of his meeting with the informant. Yarron had come back with three of his most trusted friends bearing maps and disguises. They had gone over the city layout until the good Brother knew it backwards and forwards.
They had shown him where the dreaded prison was, each entrance and exit, where the guards came and went from and where the captain of the guards had his office. He memorized the way out of the prison grounds from the guard's infirmary. Yarron and the men had introduced him to several drawings of the cleric that was charged with keeping Sir Casavir alive, day after day. They laid out the plan.
Yarron would dispatch the cleric and Brother Ilisharan would take his place. A guard would escort the brother to Casavir's cell. Once there, Ilisharan would ask him to help move Casavir. When the guard did so, he would be knocked on the head. Ilisharan would then proceed to temporarily heal Casavir, enough to stabilize him, switch the clothing and proceed with part two of the plan.
He would ask Casavir to wound him, and barring that he would have to wound himself and cover Casavir's face with the blood to hide his face. He would then call for help, the arriving guard would believe the story of the "prisoner" who went berserk and escort them to the guard's infirmary. It was easy to leave from there. Yarron would be waiting with two horses just outside the walls and Ilisharan would take himself and Sir Casavir out of Luskan to an area he had already chosen and prepared beforehand.
One of Yarron's friends was a wizard, and he had prepared an illusion spell to cast on Ilisharan. The spell was not long lasting, and if there were any anti-magic fields up then he had best be in his disguise just in case. He did not resemble the Luskan cleric much in the daylight, but in the darkness of the prison with the poor lighting and a hood over his head there would be no issue.
"That's where the cleric lives," said Yarron softly. "We will be going in tonight. I will take care of him, and you will be ready to take his place when you are summoned in the morning."
"You are not going to kill him, are you?" Brother Ilisharan did not want any deaths on his conscience. Killing an unarmed brother was unjust, and a great sin. Yarron looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"We are in Luskan, Brother. Every man here would just as soon stab you in the heart then say hello. This isn't the civilized city of Neverwinter. Every manner of thief and cutthroat roams these streets, not to mention the demon worshippers. If you mean to do this Brother, then we will do this right. I will not be risking my life, nor that of my friends if you are not willing to do what needs to be done. Tell me now, for once we walk down this road there is no turning back. Some or all of us might die or be captured ourselves. Is this a risk you are still willing to undertake?"
Brother Ilisharan tried to quell the fear that was roiling in his stomach. The idea of this plan had been so easy to form, but now that the reality was upon him he was terrified. His mind suddenly recalled the sunset eyes of the Lady Knight. He drew himself up.
"We will do it your way. May Tyr forgive me."
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Khelgar strode into the inn, and looked about. The note had been cryptic and unsigned, giving him no idea who would summon him out of the Ironfist stronghold. A pretty young elven barmaid came towards him, holding out a large tankard of ale.
"Your friends are here, and they are waiting in the room upstairs at the end of the hall. They said to give you this."
Khelgar looked suspiciously at her. "How do ye know it be me they are wantin'?"
"I don't see any other monk dwarves with red beards carrying a quarterstaff, do you?"
Khelgar laughed heartily and took the proffered tankard. It was his favorite ale; whoever had sent this was obviously someone he knew well. He headed upstairs to the end of the hall.
"Come on out!" he called at the door. "Ye willna get Khelgar Ironfist into a dark room less there be lasses waitin'!" he laughed again, holding his staff at the ready just in case.
The door opened, and a familiar sing-song voice greeted him. "Well if it isn't the warrior turned monk. You don't have anything to fear from us, dwarf, we have travelled together far and wide."
Khelgar's eyes opened wide and a huge grin split his face.
"As I live and breathe! I never thought te see ye again, elfy!"
He walked into the room and saw a female figure sitting at the table, with a hood over her head, her face cloaked in shadow. Sand sat down beside her, beckoning the dwarf to sit.
"Thank you for coming, Khelgar. It was a chore to find a messenger willing to descend into the Stronghold to send the message."
"Eh, I was gettin' mighty bored down there. Teachin' young 'uns te fight isna always excitin'! I sometimes miss the old days when we were crackin' skulls left and right and fightin' tha good fight! Ye remember tha little lassie there, our Knight Captain, oooo she had that way with tha' sword, her hair a-flyin' this way and that!" the dwarf animatedly swayed and waved his hands in excitement. Suddenly, reality jerked him back down to earth. He looked at Sand, and his happy eyes turned down at the corners. His voice turned sombre.
"She went down in tha fortress there and didna come out again, eh laddie. And the knight Casavir…they be together now aye, on the Mount, with Tyr!" he raised his tankard and toasted the air, then drank deeply.
"Actually, Khelgar, they aren't with Tyr at all."
"Och as pious as those two were, they are dinin' with the god every day!"
"They are alive, Khelgar."
"Alive ye say! What do ye mean, alive?!"
He looked at the cloaked figure, then back at Sand then at the cloaked figure again. She raised her hands and pulled the hood off.
"By Tyr's hand! You!"
"I'm sorry, Khelgar," said Sand. "We didn't mean to deceive you but not everyone was as forgiving towards Torio as Kyrie was. We didn't think you would have come if you had seen her."
Sand reached across and gave her hand an affectionate squeeze and smiled at her.
Khelgar looked at the open show of affection and drank down the rest of the tankard then shook his head.
"What's the world comin' to? The two of ye always sparrin' with yer words! I thought there was murder in both yer eyes when ye looked at each other! Must have been somethin' else my eyes didna see! What is this now, elfy? She yer woman?"
Sand smiled ingratiatingly at him. "Indeed, Torio is my "woman" as you so eloquently put it. We have known each other a long time, and have come to terms with our pasts. Is this going to be a problem for you, Khelgar?"
"Nay laddie. I care not who ye choose te spend yer life with. The lassie got the forgiveness from Kyrie, that's good enough for me te go on. Ye've a good head on yer shoulders, ye know how to judge folks and Ive not got te be stickin' my nose where it dont belong! Now ye tell me somethin' like Kyrie is alive! What do ye mean?"
Torio and Sand spent the next 2 hours detailing their adventures with the ebony haired paladin. They discussed their notions that Casavir was also alive, and most of all, what they proposed to do about it.
"Yer talkin' about walkin' into Luskan, and getting' a prisoner out of there! Torio ye know how impossible that might be! I better get me Ironfists together! Its gonna be a fight te end all fights!"
"No, Khelgar, that's the thing. We aren't going in there with an army, as tempting as that is. I want to raze that evil city to the ground myself for what they did to Sand and I, but its about Kyrie and Casavir." said Torio.
"We need a plan that will see us in, and then out, with Casavir. We have the intel Torio can provide about the prison. She and I both know the city very well. Have you heard anything from the tiefling, Neeshka?"
"Nay lad. I can tell ye she frequents Duncan's old place there, she's not the same since she heard Kyrie fell. Last I knew she was still in Neverwinter, keeping away from tha Keep and all its memories! The little druid, she went off te Neverwinter Wood, or so I heard tell. She didna like the Keep or the city neither being a tree-worshipper an' all. As for Ammon and Grobnar, they never made it out of the fortress, and I heard that traitorous ranger was torn apart by the rocks. Good riddance on that devil! If he hadna died I'd a killed him myself!" Khelgar shook his fist.
"You would have had to wait your turn after I was through with him. That might have taken awhile." retorted Sand dryly. "We need to get messages out to Neeshka and Elanee if possible. As for Kyrie, we are hoping that she makes it back to the Keep. Unless she has heard the rumors regarding Casavir, she will not be heading to Luskan. Kyrie had many friends in the Keep, and Torio and I are headed there to speak with them. We don't want many to know about this, the less people involved the better. Will you travel with us?"
Khelgar laughed heartily. "Will I! Anythin' is better then rottin' away down there! Adventure! Just like the good ol' days! When do we leave? Im ready te go now!" He clapped his hands and stood up.
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Kyrie rode up to the Keep gate. The guards asked her who she was and what business she had inside. With a trembling hand she pulled the hood from her head and looked down at them.
They stood, shocked for a moment, then bowed low.
"Milady Knight Captain! We...we took you for dead!"
"This is the work of Tyr! We must let the people know!"
Kyrie dismounted.
"No. Please keep this quiet. I do not want the entire Keep being set on its ear because of me. The truth is, I will not be here for long and I do not wish to cause any ruckus. Please summon Sergeants Bevil and Katriona, and Lt. Kana to Deekin's shop."
There was much rejoicing and storytelling in that back room of the kobold's shop. Delighted at being included, the little creature closed up his shop and scuttled back and forth, bringing them drinks and snacks, then sitting quietly on a stool nearby, listening to the wonderful tales of the "Sunset Captain". The myths were untangled from the truths, and rumors were confirmed or denied.
Kyrie was honest with them, her memories were still not intact and there was as yet far too much she did not remember. There were still faces and places that slipped from her grasp when she tried to hang onto them, but slowly things were falling back into place. Bevil was saddened that she did not remember their adventurous childhood together or their friend Amie. She did not mention Daeghun or her Uncle Duncan but she did remember meeting Katriona at Old Owl Well. That memory was tied up with the day she first met Casavir.
The four of them were riveted when she detailed her meeting with Torio in the little village, their subsequent friendship and how the former ambassador had eked out a living for herself and her two children.
"She has children?" Kana's eyes almost fell out of her head.
"Yes a little boy and a little girl. She adopted them. The girl was a Luskan orphan."
"I just cant believe that woman even has a heart, much less one large enough to do something like that." Kana drank her mead and curled her legs under her on the bed she was sitting on.
Kyrie turned to Bevil.
"Well how have things been for you since the war ended?"
Her oldest friend smiled shyly and looked at Katriona, who gave him a smile back. Kyrie looked at the both of them, a grin lighting up her face.
"Im glad you are still here, Bevil. Seems like you have something to stay for now... I thought maybe you would have left."
"Well, for awhile he did," said Katriona. "After your...funeral...he refused to believe you had died. He went to the ruins of West Harbor, and I followed him. It was there we realized we had a lot in common. Although it was a very sad situation, something good did come out of it." She reached over and squeezed Bevil's shoulder with a smile.
"Kyrie, does this mean you will be resuming your command of this Keep?" Kana resumed her military air. "If so, there is much I need to brief you on. There have been many changes since the war."
There was silence in the room for many minutes. Kyrie looked at each one of them in turn, thanking Tyr for their continued love and loyalty.
"The truth is, I dont think I will be staying long. No part of my heart believes that my Cassi died after the battle."
"Captain, at the risk of sounding unkind, that is your grief speaking. You have been through so much, you have not settled long enough to properly grieve his loss."
Kyrie's eyes burned bright as she focused them on her Lieutenant. Before she could speak, Bevil spoke up also.
"I...I think Lt. Kana is right, Kyrie. I felt the same way about my mother and my siblings after West Harbor was destroyed. That feeling, it stuck with me and when I was told that you had died too, I went back to West Harbor, with Katriona. I really believed I would find some sign that you were all alive."
Kyrie pursed her lips to try and stem the flood of tears that wanted nothing more then to leak from her eyes.
"Bevil you said you never believed that I was dead."
"Thats right. I just didnt believe it."
"But...here I am..." she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze. "Why cant I be right too?"
No one had an easy answer for that, nor any answer at all, and they sat quietly for some time, drinking their mead and nibbling on the snacks. Kyrie turned around and sought out the kobold.
"Deekin, Im very glad that you are still here." she said softly. The little creature hopped off his stool and bounded over, coming to stand in the middle of the little seated group.
"Deekin never leave Keep! Little shop has roof! Deekin loves roof! Shadow man try and break Deekin's shop but Deekin has friends! Small people come and fix Deekin's shop!"
Kyrie hugged the little kobold. "Small people? Dwarves?"
"Not dwarves, the small people! The young ones!"
"I think he means the orphans, Wolf and Dory and their friends." said Katriona. "They have been really wonderful. For children, they are so eager to help. You did a good thing letting them come here, Captain."
The kobold leapt from foot to foot excitedly. "Yes! Deekin small friends named Dory and Wolf! Help Deekin so Deekin help them! Deekin feed them and give them toys!"
Kyrie's heart leaped with pride. So much happiness lay within the walls of her Keep. People were finding one another and starting lives together. It was a blessing to see the once ruined Keep beautifully restructured the way it was. It was her home, yet she could not take any joy for herself. The man she loved, her soulmate was missing.
Reluctantly Kyrie reiterated that she would not be staying at the Keep for long for her heart was insisting she look for her knight. She refused to hear any part about Casavir being dead, buried or otherwise memorialized, and in the end there was nothing any of them could say to dissuade her. Kyrie did not share with them the fact that she was with child. She wished to keep that knowledge to herself for a time, to share privately this final bond she had with her precious Casavir.
Kyrie decreed that when Torio Claven returned to the Keep, she be made welcome and treated as an honored guest. She made it clear that Sir Nevalle's threat towards the former ambassador was made while the Keep had no Lord, and now that she was alive and well control was rerouted to her once more. Kyrie appointed Kana as overseer of the Keep in her absence.
"There is one more thing I feel I need to share with you, and although it will be hard I ask you to keep an open mind." said Kyrie. She told of her encounter with Bishop and her belief that something inside him had been irrevocably changed by Tyr's will.
"That demon has no right to be walking this world after what he did to you, to all of us!" exclaimed Kana. "I can't think of anything that could possibly redeem that traitor!"
"Not even the god of justice?" questioned Kyrie gently.
Kana bristled at this, but she respected her Captain and had enough sense to fear the gods.
"Well I dont believe he would dare show his face around here if he knows what is good for him!"
Kyrie sighed softly and sadly.
"Kana, if Bishop should ever appear here, please inform your men that he is not to be harmed. Detain him to a prison cell and inform me immediately. If I am not here, then he is to be told that and allowed to leave the Keep."
"Captain, are you certain this is wise? The men have been told to shoot on sight of him. He is branded a traitor of Neverwinter by Lord Nasher himself." Kana was not impressed.
"Lieutenant, this is not the city of Neverwinter. This is Crossroad Keep and I am its head. Lord Nasher does not control the ruling of this place as he does his own city. Bishop is not to be harmed. Do I have your word?"
Kana nodded, her lips tight. Kyrie touched her shoulder gently.
"You have done a remarkable job here, and you will continue to do so. I know you bear ill will towards Bishop for his actions, as did I, but I am a follower of Tyr and as such have great faith in the words and deeds of my god. Please trust me in this."
Slightly appeased, Kana gave her a small smile.
"It will be as you say, Knight Captain."
"Should we share the good news of your return with your people, Kyrie?" asked Bevil.
"Please let them know, but also ask them to keep everything low key. I will send a message to Lord Nasher and the Nine myself. We all know that Bards will spread this story far and wide soon enough. I...I am not ready yet to face the notoriety that comes with the battle we fought and won. I need time to grieve those others who were lost. This is also why my friends scattered afterwards. "
She hugged them all and told them that finding her beloved was first and foremost on her mind, but she wanted to be reunited with Sand and Torio first and she hoped they would come find her.