Secret of the Princess
Chapter 9
San woke up slowly. She tried to rub the bump on her head, but found she couldn't. She could hear voices around her, speaking in fluent Japanese. Suddenly she realised where she must be. Some samurai must have captured her. Her rage boiled over and exploded. She tugged at the chains holding her captive and struggled to rise. Pain too great for her to accept flooded her body. Somebody had tightened her chains especially tight around her wrist stump. She gave a shout, alerting her captors that she was awake. The samurai gathered around, smirking. It was rare to see anyone so feisty and full of life. San could feel her clothing was torn, and felt suddenly vulnerable. She glared at her captors, flexing her legs, which were wrapped with chains.
"Get your stinking carcasses away from me."
Her voice dripped hatred, loathing and contempt. One of the samurai, more sadistic than the rest, picked up a handful of nettles. The others cheered and held San still as the stinging leaves were forced into her mouth. San gave a muffled cry of agony as the nettles stung the inside of her mouth and tongue. After a while, the samurai holding her mouth shut let her go, and she retched, spewing the nettles out in a mixture of bile and blood. She was in total agony, but at least it wasn't a cold night. Suddenly she was drenched from head to foot in cold, smelly water. The samurai laughed at her, then moved off as Asano came up to her. His blood-red katana was still in its sheath, but he was taking no chances with his rabid daughter. He held a towel and began to rub her dry, a process which wasn't made any easier by the fact she was writhing all over the place. He sighed and sat back. San pulled herself upright, unable to speak because of the boils welling up in her mouth.
"Listen San, I'm not going to kill you. Drink this potion. I saw what my men did to you."
San gave a strangled sob, but in the end, her aching mouth decided for her what to do. She opened her mouth, and Asano poured the potion down her throat, and she gave a sigh of relaxation as the medicine got to work on her pain. She looked up at Asano, still not trusting him, but grateful he had at least helped her ache die away. She then gestured to her severed hand, and Asano quickly caught on and took the chains off. San felt more inclined to rest, and sat back, trying to get comfortable. Asano left his daughter and went back to directing his horde of disgruntled samurai. San tried hard to listen. It was hard to tell, but it sounded as though he'd said anyone who touched her would die.
Back at Iron Town, the villagers were taking stock of their ravaged party. With the Lancet-type cannon in samurai hands, they would soon be hit with their own weapon. Lady Eboshi was in a quandary over what to do when an emissary came from Asano's camp. She was sat in her home when the diplomat arrived.
"Greetings Lady Eboshi. Your reputation is well deserved. Even your practice party was hard to slaughter."
Eboshi narrowed her dark eyes at him.
"I train my people well. Now what do you want?"
"I've been authorised to make a deal with you. Hand over half your town's produce and we'll give you back your new weapons. The ones who operated them had the poor grace to kill themselves. It's a shame none of you come close to the sheer power Princess Mononoke has."
"What does that half-mad wolf girl have to do with this? Her clan is strong."
The messenger laughed.
"Not so strong. She is our captive, and has had her right hand cut off. Lord Asano will kill her soon."
Eboshi betrayed no reaction at all. San had wanted to cut her throat after Moro had ripped her arm off. The messenger pressed for an answer.
"Anyway, do we have a deal?"
"No, we don't. We're mass-producing those cannons; we have another ready even now. Leave before I tell my guards to kill you."
The messenger laughed.
"Guards? You mean prostitutes too ugly to make a living even in the lowest brothel in Japan, peasants too stupid to farm and lepers so diseased each breath is likely to be their last? You mean those guards? And what a fine leader they have these days, a woman with one arm and more fine talk than clout in a battle."
Eboshi signalled, and eight guards entered the room. The messenger left, and the second cannon, Lancet 2, was finished.
At the samurai camp, San was enjoying a few brief moments of motion. Asano had set her loose, but kept her collared. She couldn't speak, and nor was her pain much better. Her clothing was still ragged, but as she couldn't ask for anything else, she just accepted it. She stretched her sleepy muscles, and tried to drink some water. The camp was slowly being put back together, but food was at a premium. Suddenly, a samurai who looked like he didn't know when to stop drinking sake approached her. San clenched her fist, feeling the cold steel of her shackles still over her skin. The samurai swept her off her feet and pressed her down against the ground. San was shocked by the speed of the attack. Before she could begin to recover and plot a counterattack, her assailant had torn a long strip off her dress and tied it firmly over her mouth. She began to panic rather than become angry, as she'd never been attacked this way before. Her drunken assailant tore at her clothing the way a mountain lion would tear at its prey. Her collar came off as he desperately lunged at her. She got hold of herself and kicked outwards, forcing him off her and into a large rock. She struggled to untie the gag over her mouth, but couldn't make her fingers co- operate. She got up shakily and ran out of the camp as fast as she could, not caring if all the samurai were after her. At that moment in time, all she wanted was the warmth of Ashitaka's embrace, the phantom taste of his lips on hers, the reassurance that all would be well despite how bad things were. She felt a lump swell in her throat and sobbed around her gag.
Outside the cave, San's brothers had met the lone female wolf. She was seemingly their age, and quite a bit smaller, but white nevertheless. Already they were getting friendly, and showing her the forest. Inside, Ashitaka finished persuading Chrysaetos to look for San.
Chapter 9
San woke up slowly. She tried to rub the bump on her head, but found she couldn't. She could hear voices around her, speaking in fluent Japanese. Suddenly she realised where she must be. Some samurai must have captured her. Her rage boiled over and exploded. She tugged at the chains holding her captive and struggled to rise. Pain too great for her to accept flooded her body. Somebody had tightened her chains especially tight around her wrist stump. She gave a shout, alerting her captors that she was awake. The samurai gathered around, smirking. It was rare to see anyone so feisty and full of life. San could feel her clothing was torn, and felt suddenly vulnerable. She glared at her captors, flexing her legs, which were wrapped with chains.
"Get your stinking carcasses away from me."
Her voice dripped hatred, loathing and contempt. One of the samurai, more sadistic than the rest, picked up a handful of nettles. The others cheered and held San still as the stinging leaves were forced into her mouth. San gave a muffled cry of agony as the nettles stung the inside of her mouth and tongue. After a while, the samurai holding her mouth shut let her go, and she retched, spewing the nettles out in a mixture of bile and blood. She was in total agony, but at least it wasn't a cold night. Suddenly she was drenched from head to foot in cold, smelly water. The samurai laughed at her, then moved off as Asano came up to her. His blood-red katana was still in its sheath, but he was taking no chances with his rabid daughter. He held a towel and began to rub her dry, a process which wasn't made any easier by the fact she was writhing all over the place. He sighed and sat back. San pulled herself upright, unable to speak because of the boils welling up in her mouth.
"Listen San, I'm not going to kill you. Drink this potion. I saw what my men did to you."
San gave a strangled sob, but in the end, her aching mouth decided for her what to do. She opened her mouth, and Asano poured the potion down her throat, and she gave a sigh of relaxation as the medicine got to work on her pain. She looked up at Asano, still not trusting him, but grateful he had at least helped her ache die away. She then gestured to her severed hand, and Asano quickly caught on and took the chains off. San felt more inclined to rest, and sat back, trying to get comfortable. Asano left his daughter and went back to directing his horde of disgruntled samurai. San tried hard to listen. It was hard to tell, but it sounded as though he'd said anyone who touched her would die.
Back at Iron Town, the villagers were taking stock of their ravaged party. With the Lancet-type cannon in samurai hands, they would soon be hit with their own weapon. Lady Eboshi was in a quandary over what to do when an emissary came from Asano's camp. She was sat in her home when the diplomat arrived.
"Greetings Lady Eboshi. Your reputation is well deserved. Even your practice party was hard to slaughter."
Eboshi narrowed her dark eyes at him.
"I train my people well. Now what do you want?"
"I've been authorised to make a deal with you. Hand over half your town's produce and we'll give you back your new weapons. The ones who operated them had the poor grace to kill themselves. It's a shame none of you come close to the sheer power Princess Mononoke has."
"What does that half-mad wolf girl have to do with this? Her clan is strong."
The messenger laughed.
"Not so strong. She is our captive, and has had her right hand cut off. Lord Asano will kill her soon."
Eboshi betrayed no reaction at all. San had wanted to cut her throat after Moro had ripped her arm off. The messenger pressed for an answer.
"Anyway, do we have a deal?"
"No, we don't. We're mass-producing those cannons; we have another ready even now. Leave before I tell my guards to kill you."
The messenger laughed.
"Guards? You mean prostitutes too ugly to make a living even in the lowest brothel in Japan, peasants too stupid to farm and lepers so diseased each breath is likely to be their last? You mean those guards? And what a fine leader they have these days, a woman with one arm and more fine talk than clout in a battle."
Eboshi signalled, and eight guards entered the room. The messenger left, and the second cannon, Lancet 2, was finished.
At the samurai camp, San was enjoying a few brief moments of motion. Asano had set her loose, but kept her collared. She couldn't speak, and nor was her pain much better. Her clothing was still ragged, but as she couldn't ask for anything else, she just accepted it. She stretched her sleepy muscles, and tried to drink some water. The camp was slowly being put back together, but food was at a premium. Suddenly, a samurai who looked like he didn't know when to stop drinking sake approached her. San clenched her fist, feeling the cold steel of her shackles still over her skin. The samurai swept her off her feet and pressed her down against the ground. San was shocked by the speed of the attack. Before she could begin to recover and plot a counterattack, her assailant had torn a long strip off her dress and tied it firmly over her mouth. She began to panic rather than become angry, as she'd never been attacked this way before. Her drunken assailant tore at her clothing the way a mountain lion would tear at its prey. Her collar came off as he desperately lunged at her. She got hold of herself and kicked outwards, forcing him off her and into a large rock. She struggled to untie the gag over her mouth, but couldn't make her fingers co- operate. She got up shakily and ran out of the camp as fast as she could, not caring if all the samurai were after her. At that moment in time, all she wanted was the warmth of Ashitaka's embrace, the phantom taste of his lips on hers, the reassurance that all would be well despite how bad things were. She felt a lump swell in her throat and sobbed around her gag.
Outside the cave, San's brothers had met the lone female wolf. She was seemingly their age, and quite a bit smaller, but white nevertheless. Already they were getting friendly, and showing her the forest. Inside, Ashitaka finished persuading Chrysaetos to look for San.