Authoress here.

So I know I've been gone for over a month, and I apologize. I really appreciate the kind comments you've all left for me. In fact, I appreciate them so much I'm not going to waffle on any longer.

Earth and Stone
Chapter Three: Temptation

Ashitaka awoke with a gasp, flying up. He looked wildly around his room, gasping for breath, sweaty and disorientated. He couldn't remember his dream, but it must have been bad.

Moments later, someone knocked on his door. "Lord Ashitaka? Are you alright?"

With a sigh, Ashitaka swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood, pushing a hand through his hair. He crossed to the door and pulled it open to reveal a pretty young woman in night clothes, holding a candle and looking anxious.

"L-Lord Ashitaka," she stammered. He was suddenly aware of his own sleeping attire; the night had been too hot to wear anything more than loose leggings. He blushed a little, feeling rude to answer to door in such a state of undress.

"I'm sorry, Song. What is it?"

"I-I heard you moaning, my Lord. Moaning 'my arm, my arm' and you sounded like you were in pain."

Ashitaka realized what his dream must have been about. The old scars from his curse still wrapped around his right forearm in a constant reminder of the past. He had had nightmares about the curse's return before, and of the curse's spread to San's face and arms. He smiled reassuringly at Song. "Just a bad dream. I'm sorry to have woken you."

Ashitaka had been given a room in Lady Eboshi's dwelling, as he didn't have a home for himself. He accepted the small, unassuming room gratefully, refusing later offers to have a home built for him. The room provided everything he needed, and he was close to Eboshi if she ever needed him, or if the town leaders had a meeting. However, he shared the house with Eboshi's dedicated servants. Song was one of those servants, a young medic's assistant, who across the hall from Ashitaka.

"You didn't wake me," Song said, smiling. "I just returned from giving Lady Eboshi her medicine when I heard you." She looked down, her smile fading. "Is this where you were…?" She tentatively touched his arm where the scars marked his skin.

"Cursed?" Ashitaka brought his arm up for her inspection. "Yes."

Song couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from it. "It looks awful." She looked up at his face, and he couldn't help but notice how the candle light danced inside of her eyes. She wasn't a native of Iron Town; she came from the North, traveling with the old medic to whom she was apprenticed to. She was very beautiful; Lady Eboshi always tried to cough significantly when he and Song were in the same room together. Song always misinterpreted the hint as a real cough and would try to get Eboshi to take a drink of spiced wine.

"Well, I should let you go back to sleep." Song smiled at him again. "You work so hard; you probably need your full night's rest."

"Actually, now that I'm awake, I don't think I can fall back asleep." Ashitaka admitted. Years of waking with the crack of dawn had trained his body to stay awake once he was up. It was a habit that Ashitaka was sometimes grateful for; now was not one of those times. "Perhaps I'll go to see to Yakul and Hiasu. Hiasu hasn't gotten a chance to stretch his legs in awhile." He sighed. "No, that'd wake people up."

"I was going to make some tea," Song said shyly, a blush heating up her cheeks. "Would you like to join me?"

Ashitaka returned her smile. "Tea sounds wonderful."

His words made song blush even darker, and she hurried across the hall. Ashitaka quickly donned a tunic before following her.

"How has Lady Eboshi been doing?" Ashitaka sat in one of the two chairs Song had sitting at a low table.

Song looked at him, and he thought he caught a hint of disappointment when she saw his tunic. If the look was there, it was gone quickly. "To be honest, Maeduyo has been displeased with her recovery," Song admitted. She placed a teapot on the grate of the small burner that sat in the corner of her room. "Her… wound has healed nicely, under the circumstances."

"Circumstances?"

Song nodded, voice professional. "The jaws of the wolf damaged the vein system and crushed the end of the bone still attached. Maeduyo was worried that the veins would be hindered by the damaged bone, and would not heal properly. We had to saw a little bit more off of her bone to remove the sharp edges, and even then Maeduyo did not know if the veins would heal, or if blood would pool at the base of the stump."

Ashitaka took the offered cup of tea Song held out for him, and blew on the hot water. "But it healed."

Song nodded. "Yes. There was no infection, the vein system rerouted, and the stump closed with skin. Lady Eboshi should have been strong enough to fend off all of the other sicknesses she has been inflicted with, especially with the medicine we gave her. There's no reason why she is this susceptible to illness except-" Song cut off, eyes welling with tears.

"Except what?" Ashitaka prompted gently.

"She may not have the will to live, my Lord." Song said softly. Although she was newer to the town, she was impressed by Eboshi and loved her as much as the original townsfolk did.

"I wouldn't worry about Eboshi's will to live, Song. She's a strong woman." Ashitaka thought back to the look on Eboshi's face as she stared at her arm.

"I… I know. I just hate to see her this way." Song brightened. "At least we have you, Lord Ashitaka!"

Ashitaka wasn't sure how to respond to that statement, so instead he took another sip of his tea.

"You do look tired, my Lord."

Ashitaka smiled. "Thank you, Song, but you don't need to call me 'Lord.' In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

Song blushed again. "Of course, my… Ashitaka." She smiled again, coyly, shyly. "If you needed some help to fall asleep again…"

Ashitaka smiled again, shaking his head. "I've tried Maeduyo's sleeping draughts before, and they've done nothing more than give me a headache, but thank you for the offer."

"Lo- Ashitaka, I…" Song trailed off uncomfortably. She was saved further embarrassment by the Lady Eboshi herself appearing in the doorway.

"Lord Ashitaka, may I have a moment?"

"Of course, my Lady." Ashitaka stood, and bowed slightly to Song. "Thank you for the tea and your concern, Song."

As he followed Eboshi out of Song's room and up the short staircase leading to her private room, Ashitaka let out a sigh. "Lady Eboshi, you shouldn't have gotten out of bed."

Eboshi shut the door firmly behind Ashitaka once he had passed before proceeding to her bed. "And you shouldn't lead young girls on, Ashitaka." There was a trace of amusement in Eboshi's voice as she pulled back the mantle on her bed and settled in. "Young Song forgot to shut my door when she was finished; I heard your conversation."

"I wasn't trying to give her any wrong ideas." Ashitaka said.

"Really. Did you catch that she was giving you an offer for a bed-warmer?"

Ashitaka sighed, pulling up his usual chair to sit by her bed. "I did. I also wanted to spare her some embarrassment by playing dumb."

"How kind of you." Eboshi said sarcastically. "Ashitaka, you're forgetting that you're in love with a wild thing. I'm sure your wolf –princess would agree with me when I say she wants to be no more than an animal."

Ashitaka opened his mouth, but Eboshi cut off whatever he wanted to say. "I'm worried about you, Ashitaka. I'm worried that you're going to waste your life chasing impossible happiness when you could find equal happiness in many of our own young, beautiful women. You're at an age where most young men are married and expecting a child. Don't you want that?"

"Yes." Ashitaka adjusted her coverlet a little more firmly than he intended, a closed look on his face.

Eboshi sighed. She understood that the young man had a firmer control on his emotions due to his experience with his curse, but sometimes she wished that he'd get angry, get passionate, and maybe get a little unsettled. His stalwart belief in his wolf-girl's image really did worry her.

"Are you happy?"

"No, my Lady, I am not. But there are bigger things than my happiness, and I know you understand that." With that, Ashitaka stood up and left.

San's eagle guides were perched high above her, sleeping in the tree she had her back to. It was on the edge of a small clearing, and the stars twinkled brightly above her. San looked for the pictures that her mother had taught her, eyes outlining the familiar shapes. The Hunter, the Bear, the Swan, and the Fox. He would have liked to know each animal that danced in the heavens.

San's fingers fisted in the tall grass shooting from the base of her tree. Angrily she ripped them out and threw the blades towards the sky. Her mind had been turning more and more to her brave boy; to his stupid promise to come and visit her.

San remembered how each day after they parted she'd come to the ridge overlooking Iron Town and try to catch his scent, see his form astride his red elk, pick him out from the countless dots milling around the wreckage of the former town. He never came, and her visits to the ridge became less and less frequent. She had other things to do, important things.

And, San thought bitterly, so did he.

Something hot and wet trailed down her cheek, and San wiped it away angrily. There were no rain clouds in the sky she could blame the moisture on; all she had to blame was Ashitaka. All she had to hate was Ashitaka.

But somehow, all she could do was love Ashitaka.

San let her tears fall freely, and she curled up as tightly as she could. Damn him!

End Chapter

As usual, sorry if my updates are slow, I'm writing and posting as quickly as humanly possible. Hope you enjoyed!
Cheers,
Pen