Black birds crooned for the dawn of the new day. Light bounced off the sheen of theirblack feathers as they sat perched on the watchtowers and the tapered points of the wall. Lady Eboshi was the first to hear their song, having awoken before the first bird left its nest in the forest. She sat alone in her parlor. Before her were assorted papers arranged about a low table: merchant deals, reports from around the nation, logistical notes for Irontown, and messages from various daimyo. Few of the messages were positive, though none were threatening. Most were replies to proposed alliances, the vast majority of which were refusals, while others were trade offers. The sight of the awaiting papers never failed to give Lady Eboshi a slight headache, yet she approached them with the same smile and poise as she did every other task. They were necessary hassles.

Upon her return from her journey alongside Ashitaka and San, Lady Eboshi's reputation with the townspeople seemed to grow beyond a level she never anticipated. They could scarce believe she managed to return without harm, particularly with a partner like San traveling by her side. More viewed her as a warrior. That she undertook an arduous journey with only one arm and few supplies was shocking enough; nobody expected her to return with only disheveled hair and dirty clothes to signify her expedition. She heard many rumors. Some townspeople believed she killed another spirit, others thought she might discovered an artifact from before the rise of Japan's oldest clans. Eboshi smiled at the tall tales. Her bodyguards made jokes of how they were not needed.

Outside the walls of Lady Eboshi's home, Irontown's people were beginning to stir. Guardsmen rotated shifts, farmers prepared to disembark outside the wall, and fishermen readied their equipment. Women worked alongside men. Children stayed at home with their mothers, playing with each other in the streets when they weren't being taught. Lady Eboshi could see all of Irontown's happenings were she to step onto her balcony, from the ox drivers leading cattle out the gate to the hunters making their tepid approach to the forest. They made her think of Ashitaka and San. She had seen neither in weeks, particularly San. Ashitaka devoted much of his time to San as her pregnancy entered its latter stage. As for San, Lady Eboshi couldn't think of a single reason why the Wolf Girl would visit Irontown, hampered with child or otherwise. Their time spent together mended several wounds between each other, though what occurred after they returned created newer strains.

A knock at her door caused Lady Eboshi to glance from the message before her.

"Who is it?" Lady Eboshi called. She was certain it was Gonza, though there was the off-chance it was another one of her several guards.

"It's me, Lady Eboshi," Gonza's gruff voice replied from the other side.

"Come on in."

Gonza, Lady Eboshi's tallest, heaviest, and dullest guard, marched into the room with his usual uniform. He greeted Lady Eboshi and bowed.

"Excuse me, Milady, but this arrived for you," Gonza said as he presented a folded piece of paper not much larger than his palm. "The messenger was one of Asano's."

"I see," Lady Eboshi muttered as she took the note and unfolded it. It was a brief letter

containing few lines:

Lady Eboshi,

I will be sending an emissary to your town. He will likely arrive several hours after you receive this letter. Please meet him well.

Asano

"What is the meaning of this? Sending a diplomat with only a few hours notice?" Lady Eboshi wondered aloud as she set the wrinkled letter on the table. "Gonza, inform the guardsmen of this man's arrival. I'll prepare to meet him."

Gonza nodded and left for the gates. He left with a huff, his fists clenched at the thought of dealing with one of Asano's men, even if it was only an emissary. There were few reasons for Asano to send a messenger. His eyes were locked in on Irontown ever since the townspeople began mining in the mountains and Eboshi unveiled her new weapons. Nevertheless, Gonza begrudgingly prepared to accept the arriving delegate.

Lady Eboshi glanced at the window on the opposite wall, a viewpoint that overlooked Irontown and peered towards the distant mountains and adjacent forest. The mountains were rich in iron. She had no doubt that there was more to be found, but she had no intention of starting another dispute with those who lived in the forest, even if the spirits that once lived there were gone. San was brazen enough to fight back. Ashitaka would likely take her side if she were to oppose Eboshi despite his support for Irontown and its people. Then there were San's brothers. Even if the two wolves were weakened, they were still strong enough to combat several men at once and could shrug off most arms held against them. Guns were possible, but ammunition was limited. That didn't stop Eboshi from developing new weapons.

She checked the drawer of a small corner table, sifting through blank papers, unused quills, and a number of empty ink bottles painted black. Beneath them something she developed to compensate for the loss of her arm: a smaller version of her rifles, a gun light enough to use with one hand. Its accuracy sulked compared to a rifle's precision, but it was light enough to carry without hinderance and small enough to keep concealed. Eboshi tucked it in her robe. Despite Lord Asano claiming he was sending a messenger, she wasn't meeting him unarmed; such lack of forethought would have spelled her end long before she took over Irontown. The gun sat between her robe and coat, the barrel pointed downward. Her back was straight and head held high as she went to meet Asano's emissary.


Tatsumi Sonoda rode a chestnut horse with one hand on the reins, the other dangling at his left side. His eyes were half-open and brain half-working. Lord Asano wanted him to reach Irontown in a week when it would normally take two. He was one of Lord Asano's three political emissaries, and he was the only one present at Asano's fortress when the daimyo announced that he needed a diplomat to send to Irontown. The messenger delivering the initial message wasn't cut out for negotiations, lacking the tact and shrewdness that the task required when dealing with nobles. Lady Eboshi, however, was an anomaly. There were few other female daimyo, none that Tatsumi could name off the top of his head, and she didn't care for allegiances or territorial expansion.

Before meeting Lady Eboshi, there was one other person Tatsumi was to contact. Akio, one of Lord Asano's spies, was supposed to gather as much information as he could on Irontown's external weaknesses. Asano had one more task for the spy. A sword carried on the saddle was the one piece of extra equipment that Asano provided for the new task: discover any internal weaknesses. Tatsumi knew the plan. He and Akio were already planned to meet, though Akio was under the presumption that it was to relay his discoveries to Tatsumi.

Irontown's walls were in sight when Tatsumi heard his name called. To his left was a hill that led to the once mighty forest that was rumored to house spirits, though it was shell, if not an impressive one, of its former self. Akio was at the border between the hill and forest. He hurried down the slope to greet Tatsumi, who hopped off his horse and unfastened the sword from the saddle.

"Well met, Fujinami," Tatsumi greeted in a clear, baritone voice. Despite his fatigue, his voice was not devoid of its clarity and his mind was as sharp as any samurai's blade.

"And you, Sonoda," Akio said. "How's the journey been?"

"Dull, though surprisingly safe."

"I can't imagine anybody would mess with someone carrying a sword like that!" Akio exclaimed as Tatsumi slipped the last bit of string from the scabbard.

"Then you'll be pleased to know that nobody will be confronting you anytime soon," Tatsumi announced with a smile. He held out the katana to Akio, who glanced at the sword with narrow eyes and raised eyebrows as he tried to discern what Tatsumi was implying.

"Is it a gift?" Akio asked.

"No, it's a tool for your next assignment," Tatsumi answered. "Lord Asano had a sudden change in plans just before I left; I suppose you were gone before he could inform you. Regardless, we've been tasked with seeing if there are any issues within Irontown's walls that we can exploit: food shortages, discontent amongst the townspeople, and any other faults we can tear."

"So why do I need a sword?"

"You are to act as my bodyguard during my meeting with Lady Eboshi. I will attempt to speak with her in private, during which point it will be up to you to slink away from her guards."

"And then what? Go around asking people about their day? They'll know I'm not from there."

"Simply eavesdrop; that should produce some results."

Akio shrugged as Tatsumi hopped onto the saddle. The two walked side-by-side on the dirt road that connected Irontown to a dozen other settlements, keeping an eye on the imposing walls. Boats bobbed on the distant lake. Trails of smoke emitting from cooking fires dissipated in the air, creating hazy trails of white close to the open town center. Tatsumi and Akio saw several people at the gates. Neither made out a specific figure, but judging by the small cluster, they judged that Lady Eboshi was at or nearing the walls.

"That's them," a watchman said as Lord Asano's emissary approached the walls. Lady Eboshi glared down at the two men, nonplussed at the sight of an undisclosed second arrival. She thought Asano would send a larger troop of guards, perhaps four in total, to accompany an ambassador; certainly, one who at least appeared physically capable. The provided escort was a lanky man. He was armed with a sword that he carried, its weight too much to hang from his thin belt. His other weapon was a small knife barely fit for scaling a fish or skinning a squirrel. Eboshi would have thought of him a farmer had he not a katana in hand.

"Keep the gates closed," Lady Eboshi ordered the men to her side. They relayed her command to the gatekeepers below, whose hands remained at their sides as they awaited further instruction. Eboshi glanced back at Asano's messenger. He had a pleasant smile as he looked up at the guards lining the ramparts, his eyes squinted as the sun's rays pierced from above the walls. The shadows of Irontown's walls stopped inches from his feet.

"Good afternoon, Lady Eboshi," Tatsumi greeted, bowing before the twenty foot high walls. Akio mirrored Tatsumi's action. After straightening his back, Tatsumi continued, "My name is Tatsumi Sonoda, the emissary sent by Lord Asano. I take it you received the message previously sent?"

"That's right," Lady Eboshi replied. "May I ask why you didn't send whatever it is you want to talk about with the first man? I can't think of one thing that I and Asano need to speak of that requires an emissary."

"Well, my lady, the reason I'm here is because Lord Asano wishes to bring peace between you and himself. He realizes that the attack upon your lands a year ago was a mistake, and he has no desire to degrade relations any further."

Lady Eboshi peered down at the two men sent by Asano, searching for a tiny spark of disingenuity in Tatsumi's voice or a hint of angst that would make their bodies twitch. Akio was silent. Tatsumi stood with the posture of a respectful diplomat, his back straight and head high as he smiled at Lady Eboshi, hoping to bring the talks inside Irontown.

"Very well then, Sonoda, let us begin our talks where we are," Lady Eboshi said. Her grin widened at one side.

"Ah, Lady Eboshi, would it not be more appropriate to hold our discussion in private?" Tatsumi asked. His body suddenly flashed with warmth, and he fought to keep himself from sweating.

"Surely a declaration of non-aggression can be made from here," Lady Eboshi retorted. "Unless there are some terms that Lord Asano wishes to make regarding this peace he wants."


Akio and Tatsumi strolled down the road with their mouths shut and their heads staring down at the winding stone path. Tatsumi didn't manage to get them past the gate, as Lady Eboshi seemed determined to keep them in front of the walls and out of her town. Perhaps she suspected their plot. It was possible she was paranoid about letting anyone from Lord Asano's lands into her own, even one masquerading as a peacemaker.

"We at least have a layout of the walls," Akio said. "It isn't like we need some information on what's going on inside, anyway."

Tatsumi remained silent. The failure, insignificant as it may result in the end, made his face flushed in shame when he stood outside the walls and turned away from Eboshi. Her will was indomitable. By the time the meeting had prematurely concluded, Tatsumi couldn't see himself inside those walls while they still stood and Eboshi remained Irontown's leader. His tact and courtesy failed. He couldn't imagine being brash would have allowed him inside, though he knew Eboshi was a shrewd person herself, and she may have respected him if he was more assertive. Regardless, he knew it was fruitless to think of tactics after the battle was over and lost.

On the bend where Irontown vanishes and the road returns to dirt, Akio and Tatsumi spotted a man in clothes like none they'd before seen. He was a lithe man several hairs below average height, clad in a blue tunic, beige pants, a red hood, and shoes which appeared to be little more than cloth. Tatsumi took note of the scar below the man's eye. Though Tatsumi never once laid his eyes on the man, he felt that he once heard of him based on his attire and face. Atop a saddle he rode a red elk with massive antlers. As their paths crossed, Tatsumi greeted the stranger. They struck a brief conversation, where Akio and Tatsumi learned the stranger's name was Ashitaka.

"Where are you headed?" Akio asked as their talk seemed to draw close to its end.

"I'm going to Irontown to pick up some supplies," Ashitaka replied. Tatsumi felt his eyes widen in a flash. "It may sound odd, but I live in the forest nearby and make occasional trips to gather things that I need or see people that I know."

"You go to Irontown often, then?" Tatsumi questioned.

"Well, I haven't been there in a while, but I'm glad to be back."

Tatsumi nodded, carefully but quickly choosing his words so as not to arouse suspicion. "My friend and I were just leaving there, actually. Can't say I've ever seen a town like it."

Ashitaka nodded. "It's bounced back quite well. Some soldiers attacked it around a year ago and caused a great deal of damage."

"I think I heard about that. There some other talk about spirits and gods, too."

"It's somewhat hard to explain, but there were some involved. They used to live in the forest until the battle. As far as I can tell, only the wolf spirits remain."

"Townsfolk aren't fans of them, I take?"

Ashitaka shrugged. "I wouldn't say that they hate the wolves, but I do think they're scared of them. They fought each other for years; the peace between them is new."

Tatsumi nodded, and an idea came to him piece by piece. He and Akio bade farewell to Ashitaka and continued home. Although they failed to get into Irontown, Tatsumi felt that what Ashitaka told them was a useful enough substitute. The tools Lord Asano needed were readily available. An impish smile curled upon his lips.