Chapter 1: In Which Sophie Sees the Heartless Man

Sophie looked out the window near the Witch's bed, "What are Howl and Markl doing out there, Calcifer?" She leaned closer, brushing her starlit hair behind one ear.

"Ah… nothing Sophie, could you come over here and give me a piece of wood?"

"Why does Howl keep pacing around like that?" She squinted, her dark brown eyes, "And why does he kept kneeling in front of Markl? It like they're practicing a play or some—"

"Sophie! Wood! I'm dying over her!" Calcifer cried.

"Oh sorry!" Sophie quickly placed a log down on the flames. "Calcifer tell me what they are doing. Is it a spell?"

The fire mumbled something as he stuffed a log in his mouth.

"Well if you aren't going to tell me, then I'm going out there!" Sophie grabbed her boots.

"No Sophie, don't! Howl will kill me if you go out there! His been practicing how to propose to you all morning, jeez, and he took forever picking out the ring!" The fire went on complaining.

Just then Howl and Markl walked up the stairs hearing Calcifer telling Sophie everything—unintentionally.

"Ring…? Propose…?" Sophie stood up utterly confused.

"Calcifer!" screamed both the wizard and his apprentice

"Oh no…" the magical fire shrank into a flicker.

"Howl, w hat is Calcifer talking about?" Sophie looked at the man, whose heart and life she saved only days ago.

"Now I guess is better than ever… Thanks Calcifer." The wizard said out the side of his mouth as he walked past the fire. Standing in front of the young girl Howl spoke, "Sophie I was once known as a selfish heartless man, but you changed that. I could not see me life going one without you beside me." Kneeling Howl took her hand, "Marry me Sophie."

Looking up at the room, Sophie saw Markl and Heen in each arm of the Witch of the Waste, squeezing them and Calcifer was practically falling out of the hearth, all of them with bright teary-eyed smiles.

Howl squeezed her hand gently making Sophie look back down, "Of course! Howl I love you!" Not waiting for the wizard to put the ring on her finger, Sophie wrapped her arms around her love causing them to fall.

One week later…

Sophie looked out the open window over the kitchen sink as she washed the morning's dishes. "Markl!" she called, "Markl come inside!"

Drying her hands Sophie felt arms circle her waist, "There's my girl," Howl whispered.

"Oh please you too are making me sick anymore with this lovey-dovey kissing stuff. Will you too just get married already! Jeez!" Calcifer rolled his eyes and grabbed for another log.

"He's just jealous I got you the most beautiful girl in all the kingdoms," Howl smiled as he pulled back to see the young girl turn around. Giggling, Sophie smiled back as the infamous wizard leaned in for a kiss.

"Sophie! Master Howl! I'm going to Porthaven to get something for my new spell. I'll be back for lunch I promise!" Markl yelled in one breath as he switched the dial to green and went into the Porthaven entrance.

"Bye…" Sophie said before Markl could hear then laughed, "Well at least we know he will be coming back."

Howl followed after the boy to turn the dial to blue. "Are you ready to go to Market Chipping?" Howl now stood by Calcifer feeding him a piece of wood. "I thought after you went to the hat shop to get whatever you needed that perhaps we could look at bakery to pick out a cake on our big day."

"That would be lovely Howl." Sophie fixed her hat and took his arm as they went out the Market Chipping portal. "Be back soon Calcifer!"

As the door slammed shut, the glowing fire looked at the aged Witch of the Waste, "Please hurry…" he groaned.

"What a pretty fire," the witch said with a smile.

"I will only be a minute Howl, just wait out here." Sophie went up the steps to her old hat shop.

Outside Howl stood taking in the market's crowd and his old stomping grounds for picking up girls, whose heart he had once stolen.

"Sophie! I can't believe you are getting married to Wizard Howl! You must be so excited! When is the big day?" Her mother asked smothering her in a huge hug.

Moving some of her mother's golden locks out of the way to speak Sophie told her that they had not yet picked a day. "We really haven't decided the day because well Howl only purposed to me last week, but we want a summer wedding." Bending her head the blushing girl continued, "Howl thinks that the flowers would be pretty then and that I look beautiful in—"

Suddenly her mother turned around, "Oh I have the hat for you Mrs. Welding" and with that Sophie's mother was helping and listening to some else.

Giving a sigh, Sophie went into her old room and gathered her memory box, which was the only thing she really wanted to keep from her old life. Howl had provided everything else in her life now—her new life.

"Goodbye Mother," Sophie yelled back into the shop as she left to go meet Howl.

"Oh Goodbye dear!"

Stepping out into the street, Sophie was met with Howl being surrounded with young girls. Sophie quickly stepped into the arch of the door way to hear what they were talking about.

"I can't believe you are getting married Howl!" a girl with blond pigtails yelled.

"I know! Who is the girl Howl? You must tell us who stole the heart of the most handsome man in the kingdom!" another girl who asked twirling her hair.

Leaning coolly against the wall to the hat shop the once arrogant wizard answered all the bubbling girls' questions. "I'm to be married to Sophie Hatter."

Sophie slowly went down the stairs to meet up with her fiancé, but stopped.

In shock the girls covered their mouths, "Oh heaven and earth Howl how could you marry such a plain girl!" a redheaded girl remarked.

"And ugly!" added the blond.

One girl who looked like Howl's type spoke up then, "Out of all the Hatter girls, Sophie, REALLY?"

A girl who was undoubtedly beautiful took Howl's hand, "You should have married me Howl. You know everyone in town thinks I would have been a handsome match for you." Looking up at Howl under her lush lashes the girl admitted, "If you hadn't been such a bad man." Blushing the girl winked at the wizard.

Sophie felt tears prick her dark brown eyes as she heard all the nasty remarks made about her—and it didn't help Sophie thought them herself already—besides that Howl did nothing to counter what those girls where saying. 'Maybe he agrees with them…" Sophie thought as she ran past them.

Looking up, Howl saw Sophie run past. "Sophie…" pulling his hand away he took off after her.

Sophie ran as hard as she could back to the entrance to the castle and with a quick pull she flung herself through the door and went to where Calcifer and the Witch of the Waste were sitting.

"Sophie, Sophie, what's the matter?" the fire leaned over a log.

Pacing in front of the fire the young girl gathered some self control and explained why she was in so much pain, "And he didn't even defend me! Calcifer, he didn't even deny what they were saying." Sophie finished shaking from anger and thoughts of betrayal "He is thinking what they said was true! I mean Howl can see that I'm plain and ugly! UGH! And those girls were ten times prettier than I could ever be… I was such a fool." Sophie covered her face as she cried her poor heart out.

"Maybe he didn't have a chance to explain." Calcifer tried to think of an excuse for his former master, but inside he thought that Howl had gone back to his old ways and poor Sophie might now think of Howl as he once was—heartless.

"I can't be here anymore!" With that, Sophie ran to the door, but before she could make a run for it someone opened the portal.

"Sophie!" Howl panted as he caught his breath, his raven hair covered his distressed look. "Are you crying? Sophie why did—" With quick thinking Sophie slammed the door in his face before he could step through. Switching the dial to Porthaven the young girl went running out.

Sophie's starlit hair whipped behind her as she ran into the town, 'I never want to see him again, what a fool I was to think the wizard Howl would ever love someone as ugly as me.' Sophie cried harder then at the thought of never going back to the man she deeply loved. Holding her heart as she ran, Sophie was too lost in her self hating thoughts that she did not hear someone calling her name.

"Sophie! Sophie! Stop it's me Markl!" the young boy caught up to the girl as she turned down an ally way and sank to the floor.

"What are you doing here? Where is Howl?"

At the sound of his name, Sophie gave a great big sob, hurting her lungs as she did so, "I don't want to go back to that castle ever again!"

Markl bent down next to the girl and patted her back, "What happened, Sophie?"

Moments later, the wizard opened the door only to find his castle empty. Howl ran up the stairs, "Calcifer! Calcifer, where did she go?"

"I can't believe you hurt her really bad this time Howl." The fire put his arms on his hips and turned his face away from the 'heartless' man.

"CALCIFER! Tell me where Sophie went!" Howl screamed at the fire also blowing him out.

Peeking out from behind a log, "She went to Porthaven. She is not coming back Howl you hurt her. Why didn't you say anything back to those girls?"

Suddenly the open flew open, it was Markl. "Sophie is in Porthaven!" the young boy cried. The youngster pushed the door close against the wind and rain that was falling in the town.

"I have to go to her," Howl whispered to himself. Running down the stairs the wizard was stopped by his apprentice.

"Sophie told me to tell you not to come find her and that if she wanted to come back to the castle she would on her own."

Pushing past the boy, Howl went out into the storm to find Sophie.

A/N: okay… so tell me what you think b/c if you people don't tell me if you like it or not then this will be the only chapter b/c I really didn't know how to continue this story after the movie, So if you liked it tell me and if you think it could use some work…tell me! Thx!