When Sophie woke up, the bed beside her was cold and empty, much like it had been for the past two months.
She felt an ache in her chest; an ache that seemed to root itself inside of her soul. Since the day Howl left, the ache grew more prominent, and Sophie often found tears spilling from her eyes when she thought of him.
As she lay in the bed she shared with Howl, she recalled the day he left. They had spent the entirety of it together, because no matter how arrogant and indifferent he acted, she knew that he would miss her just as much as she would miss him (if not more). They had a picnic amongst the flowers, took a leisurely walk by the sea, and spent the rest of their time locked in one another's embrace atop the very bed she slept in now.
Sophie smiled sadly as a single tear fell from the corner of her eye and onto the pillow. She wondered when Howl would come home to her. He had told her, "Three months at the latest. I expect an extravagant homecoming." To which Sophie replied with a chaste kiss to his smirking lips before shooing him outside to where the King's men waited for him.
She couldn't begin to understand why Howl agreed to such a lengthy mission. She understood that it was the King's request, but she found Howl's attitude towards it quite troubling. In her eyes, Howl had never shown a great amount of respect for royalty. One might even say he didn't care at all. She also found it quite peculiar (and infuriating) how he'd slither away every time she would bring up the King's request.
She supposed there was no need to worry about it now. He was gone, but he'd be back sometime before the end of the month, and that was all that mattered.
Feeling somewhat satisfied with her thoughts, Sophie forced herself out of bed and headed into the bathroom to draw herself a bath. She couldn't think of a better way to start off her weekend. The shop was closed and she had the entire house to herself. I'm going to spoil myself today, she thought.
After her bath, she slipped into a simple blue dress. Howl had bought it for her as a gift before his departure. She thought perhaps he was trying to compensate for his oncoming absence, so she didn't protest. But, to be quite honest, she wasn't particularly fond of Howl spoiling her so shamelessly. It thoroughly embarrassed her, and she thought she didn't much deserve it.
When Sophie walked into the kitchen, her jaw almost fell to the floor.
The sink was piled high with dishes. Packages belonging to various baking mixes and other various ingredients, such as eggs and flour, were scattered across the counter. A pile of spilt sugar was gathered on the floor. The entire kitchen table was covered with baking.
Sophie sighed to herself rather pitifully. She had completely forgotten about the monstrous baking rampage she went on last night. So much for having a relaxing day, she thought to herself.
Sophie was just finishing up the dishes when the fire place began to sizzle behind her. "Hello, Calcifer," she said without turning around. Since Howl left, the fire demon had been visiting her on a daily basis. She suspected Howl had asked his old friend to do this favour for him, and she could only imagine what Calcifer would ask for in return.
"How are you today, Sophie?" the demon asked. Sophie also supposed that Howl had threatened Calcifer to act gentlemanly. The language he used with her now was noticeably different from the way he used to talk to her when she was an old biddy. Or perhaps this was Calcifer's true nature, and he had only been bitter because of his contract.
It didn't much matter to Sophie. She was just glad to have the company.
"I'm quite all right, though it seems as though I made more food than I intended," Sophie mused, turning around and gesturing to the piles of baking that sat atop the kitchen table, partially blocking her view of Calcifer.
"Who is all of that for?" he questioned.
When Sophie couldn't come up with an answer (because truthfully, she hadn't made it for anyone but herself) she confessed. "No one in particular. I suppose anyone who wants some can have some, though I can't guarantee if they taste all right."
"Could I try one?" asked Calcifer. Blue sparks flashed about the room at his excitement.
Drying off her pruned hands, Sophie turned around and for the first time, took a closer look at what she had made. "What would you like? There is bread, croissants, muffins . . ." she trailed, sparing a questioning look towards Calcifer.
"I'd like a muffin."
Sophie frowned, then chuckled to herself. "What kind? There's chocolate-chip, blueberry, carrot, and banana."
"I'll take one of each, please."
Obeying, Sophie gathered four small muffins and one-by-one, began tossing them into Calcifer's open and waiting mouth. It wasn't as if she didn't have a dozen more, so she didn't see the harm in giving him what he asked for. It proved to be satisfying when Sophie noticed that he chewed with a smile on his face.
"Not that I'm complaining, because these were delicious," Calcifer began, his mouth still full, "But don't you think you went a bit overboard?"
Sophie sank into the chair in front of the hearth, suddenly feeling defeated. "I miss Howl terribly," she said, quietly. She felt hesitation well up inside of her. She had never talked about her feelings regarding Howl with Calcifer, ever, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him uncomfortable and cause him to leave. But when Calcifer voiced no complaints, she continued, "I spend most days alone, apart from your visits, which I suspect Howl is to blame. The point is, I'm bored and lonely. Lettie is busy with Wizard Suliman. Marth and Michael have started their own life together." Sophie sighed. "Perhaps I shut down in the midst of baking. I tend to do that every so often."
"Don't be so sad," Calcifer said, his tone hinting towards encouragement rather than annoyance. "I wasn't going to tell you this, because I really didn't want to get your hopes up, but I spoke to Howl about a week ago."
Sophie's eye's met his in an instant, full of questions and excitement. "What did he say?"
"Well, he didn't give me many details, probably because he knew I'd eventually tell you, but he did say that he misses you more and more every single day."
That ache in Sophie's chest started up again and tears prickled her eyes, eventually falling down her cheeks. The thought of Howl hurting as much as she was made her entire body quiver.
"He didn't tell me when he'd be coming back," Calcifer continued, "But I imagine he's doing everything he can in order to get back as soon as possible."
"You think so?" Sophie wondered, a flicker of hope igniting inside of her.
"You know Howl. When he wants something, he gets it. Anyway, it was nice seeing you again Sophie, but I must be off. A storm is brewing, and I need to get out of here before the rain comes."
Sophie smiled at the fire demon. "Thank you, Calcifer. Be safe."
With that farewell, her friend was gone.
Normally Sophie would feel quite grim following Calcifer's visit, but he had sparked a sense of hope inside of her that brightened her mood significantly.
Humming to herself, Sophie finished up the dishes before cleaning up all of the baking and sitting down at the hearth to enjoy a chocolate-chip muffin and a cup of tea. She spent the rest of the afternoon in the small alcove attached to the flower shop, where she finished up stitching and mending several bonnets and headpieces. Her old job had quickly become a hobby over the past few months, and it made for good money when she sold them to the young female customers who waltz into the shop.
The sound of booming thunder and rain pattering down against the roof soured Sophie's mood significantly. She had never much liked the rain, much less thunder storms.
Sighing with defeat, Sophie set down the hat she was working on and slumped in her chair, leaning her head back and closing her eyes as a sort of annoyed fatigue took over her.
This was not how she imagined spending the day. If anything, it simply reminded her why she didn't take days off of work. It was just too boring without the hustle and bustle of gathering flowers and dealing with customers.
Suddenly an idea came to Sophie. Flowers! Perhaps her flowers were spared from this awful weather!
Abandoning her work, Sophie to set out to find her shawl before running to the front door and turning the dial purple-down. When she opened the door, she was relieved to see that she was right. The storm had blown over the fields and left the completely unharmed.
She set out on the path that had naturally formed due to her constant visits. She passed the daffodils, the lilies, the roses . . . She stopped when she reached the clearing.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a breathtaking orange and pink glow across the expanse of the fields. Warmth filled Sophie's chest as she sat down and relaxed on the soft grass.
When Sophie woke up, her entire body shuddered. In her semi-conscious state she could faintly feel a comforting warmth press against her side and she snuggled against it.
It wasn't until she heard a deep chuckle that her eyes shot open.
Long hair tickled her forehead. A steady heartbeat thrummed against her ear. Strong arms held her against his body.
"Howl," she whispered, tears threatening to spill. Let this be real, she thought. Or if it is a dream, let it last forever!
"My, my . . . I leave and look at what has become of you. Falling asleep outside? You're positively freezing."
The sound of his voice sent Sophie into a frenzy. He was here! Howl was here! My love had come home to me!
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he set her down once they were back into the house. She faintly heard the door shut before Howl's arms gathered her small form to his chest.
"Sophie," he choked out. She could feel it in the way he embraced her. He was holding back, afraid to crush her. But that wasn't what she needed. She pressed herself closer to him, urging him to do the same to her. When he did, she let out a sob, tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes.
"I - I missed you," she cried, "I missed you so much! Don't ever do that to me again!" She let her selfishness get the better of her, but by this point she was beyond caring. She couldn't - no, she wouldn't - go through that again.
"I missed you as well, Sophie," Howl whispered, patting her hair with one hand and pressing her against him with the other. "Don't cry. I'm here."
She pulled back, her hands coming from around his neck to gently hold his face. His eyes were filled with unshed tears. His hair was long and dark, which was a stark contract compared to how he left her. He also looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. Sophie could almost laugh at the dishevelled state he seemed to be in, but she didn't. She was just too happy to see him.
He brought his hand to her cheek and wiped away her tears. "My beautiful Sophie. My imagination doesn't do you justice."
She laughed now, but it came out as a strangled hiccup, which made him laugh. Her heart fluttered at the sound. The sound of his voice, his laugh, it was like music to her ears.
"I know you must have many questions," he started to say, "But I'm quite exhausted and I would be obliged to answer all of your questions tomorrow after a good night sleep alongside my beautiful girlfriend."
Sophie nodded. At this point, she probably would have agreed to anything he said. She was so happy. She could hardly contain it.
"Go wash up a bit. I'll set out something for you to sleep in," Sophie said, reaching up to place a gentle kiss on his cheek before leading him through the house, only letting go as he slipped into the bathroom.
It was true that she had many questions - Why did he have to go for so long? Why did he agree to work for the King? Why was he home so soon? Why did he look like he got his by a carriage? - but they could wait. She would spend the night with Howl, and he would answer her questions tomorrow. She wasn't going to let him slither out of this one.