The bright lights faded, the world around them taking back its darkness. "Who was that?" the young wizard with raven hair asked, and turned to the small flame that resided in his hands.
The dim flame looked at him, something a simple flame wasn't accustomed to, but it was no ordinary flame, it was a fire demon, or more commonly known, a falling star. "It was probably some crazy witch, jeez what have I gotten myself into?" he muttered to himself.
The young wizard nodded, but something about the girl whose hair resembled that of the light of the stars tugged at his heart, her image etched into his mind.
"Howl, Howl, earth to Howl!" the flame called, its annoyance growing.
How shook his head, pushing the thought of the girl to the back of his mind. "Uh, sorry, let's head back to the cottage."
With one last look in the direction the girl had been, the young wizard Howl, made his way back to his small cottage, the new bearer of his heart in hand.
With a loud click the color on the wheel turned to yellow, a certain wizard storming through the door. The impact of the slam made the disorderly room around him become even more disheveled.
"Jeez," Calcifer, the fire demon that rested in the soot filled fireplace called. "What happened to you?"
The blonde haired man simply grunted, and began to bark out his commands. "Move the castle to the east, and heat the water for my bath."
"Would you like me to take your bath for you too?" he muttered sneeringly.
He simply waved his hand in dismissal, dragging his exhausted body up the steps and into the grubby bathroom of his. After closing the door he began to undress himself, careful not to press against the bruised places on his body.
The bathroom around him was completely untidy, but he knew exactly what everything was, and what exactly they did. Over the past few years, six to be exact, he had become a very vain man, constantly caring about appearances. Most of the things that cluttered the bathroom did just that, help maintain his youthful and elegant appearance.
He gently lowered himself into the steamy water, the warmth immediately beginning to soothe his sore joints. Laying his head back, he closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. Random things cluttered his mind, the war that was beginning between kingdoms, his recent breakup, how to break his curse. They all clouded his mind, but something shined through, her.
His mind had unintentionally drifted to the thought of her, though her image became foggy throughout the years, the hair that resembled starlight never left his mind. "Sophie," he sighed. "Where are you? Do you even exist?"
Every so often he thought of her, especially on hard days such as this. She had told them that she could break the curse, but was that possible? He was constantly at war with himself, one half holding on to her memory, searching for her wherever he went, the other, scolding him and telling him to forget that foolish memory. What was he ever to do?
He sighed heavily as he reached over the side of the tub and grabbed a mirror. He held it up to his head, searching his scalp. There, you could see the raven color he had grown to hate so much begin to grow back. After gently placing the mirror back where it once was, he began to search through the potions that rested on the floor next to the tub, looking for the one that helped him maintain his golden locks. After a few moments he found exactly what he was looking for, and began to go through his daily routine, the thought of her still tugging at his mind.
AN: Hey everyone! Here is a concept I thought up the last time I watched Howls Moving Castle. It is honestly my favorite movie of all time, so I hope you like my idea. Please review and tell me what you think!