My brother-in-arms de Verdin,

A year you say! Has it truly been so long? The time has passed by more swiftly than the ripostes of Maestro D'Angelo. Would you not agree? It has been a long time since we fenced under his tutelage, though it seems like only yesterday. For myself, I say those days remain thoroughly dear to my heart and our daily lessons and matches, which I remember more fondly than your antics at the Countess' affair, seem etched in some auspicious waking dream.

I should tell you of the time that has passed since last we spoke. I have continued my personal education in the ways of the sword by visiting the Orient to cross blades with several of the Japanese swordsmen who visited us at the Salle di Vitua, a few years past. If memory serves me well, I recall that you, too, shared my enthuse of those sessions. This trip was, for me, a grand experience to see their world and to once again share our blade lessons. There is so much to tell that it fills my head. Me thinks I will leave it for another time.

And what say you? "...The sword can, at times, be an instrument of justice, not its maker." My only reply can be to repeat the tenets that we have learned throughout our youth and days in training: Respect, Patience, Justice, Perseverance and Discipline. These must govern the behavior of men such as we. There are always those who will be unscrupulous and who will bully others, provoke combat and live by the blood-stained edge of their blades.

But yet, these individuals are not our brethren. They are like some base form of all we hold dear -- simple and cruel copies, with egos bent on ill conceived notions of fame, notoriety and fortune. Ah, excuse me my brother, your words ring of truth and touch a grand soreness in my heart. Too many have come into our world with their notions and beliefs, not understanding that our path lies in the realm of discipline and change. At the heart of all swordswork, are the harsh realities of the blade's edge. It cuts in all directions, regardless of right or wrong, and is guided only by the heart and hand that wields it... A heart which must understand life and breath. And a hand, my brother, that must know itself well.

We - you and I - live in such precarious times... sharing our instruction in order to keep a swift hand, smooth movement and clear spirit, all the while trying to foster in our apprentices a love of the blade, a respect for its lessons, and reverence of the tradition which we share. There are so few whose hearts ring true to this path. And yet, to find but one single man or woman whose heart is undivided in the quest for this instruction, is worth the trials and tribulations of dealing with thousands.

Enough! I too have come to ramble. Let me close with my hopes that this letter will find you and your companions in the best of health, with days as eventful as mine and nights, perhaps, a bit less eventful than I seem to recall.

- - Antonio de Bari

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