A bit of info before you read this... I LOVE Howl's Moving Castle! It's one of my favorite movies, and I'm actually watching it while I write this. But, the idea for this came to me while I was watching it earlier today, and I thought... Why not? :3 Anyway, enjoy!
P.S. All other fanfics and those in the making are still being worked on, they just need some proofreading done.
"So, Sophie, what will her name be?" Howl asked his wife, who was cuddling their newborn daughter. The baby had light chocolate brown hair and dark blue-gray eyes. The perfect mixture of Howl and Sophie.
"Hmm... I'm not sure." Sophie confessed. She looked over at Markl. "Have any suggestions?" Markl tapped his chin a few times. Then, he shook his head. Sophie looked over at the Witch of the Waste. "How about you? Do you have any names in mind?"
"Oh, I doubt that child would fancy any names I'd pick for her. They're all boy names. I wasn't expecting you to have a girl." The Witch of the Waste waved her hand dismissively.
"What about Twila?" Everyone looked over at Calcifer. "It means star. What you do think?"
Howl smiled. "That's a terrific name, Calcifer. Twila it is, then." He smiled down at his daughter.
Markl sat next to Sophie and looked down at his little sister. "I'm gonna take good care of you, Twila. No one's ever going to hurt you." He smiled as Twila gently grabbed one of his fingers.
The Witch of the Waste sank back in her chair. She glared slightly at the sky. "It seems Madame Sulliman has a word or two for you, Howl."
Just as Howl turned to ask what she meant, a hole appeared beneath him, Sophie, and Markl. They fell through and landed gently inside the palace, in front of Madame Sulliman. She held no emotion on her face until her eyes fell upon the newborn in Sophie's arms.
"Congratulations, Howl. You must be proud." Sulliman said, bowing her head ever so slightly. The black-haired wizard said nothing as he bowed his head slightly back at her.
Sophie held both of her children close to her. "Did you want something of us? We still have much to do, preparing the castle for a newborn." She said with a bit of anger. She still hadn't completely forgiven Madame Sulliman for what she'd done.
The Madame could sense that, and replied gently, "Yes. I just wanted to give you all a friendly warning. Not everyone will see this child as a blessing, Howl." She turned to him. "I suggest you get any past affairs in order before anything goes wrong."
Madame Sulliman waved her cane-stick... thing, and sent them back home. When they landed back in the living room, Calcifer and the Witch of the Waste bombarded them with questions.
"What did Madame Sulliman say?"
"Is there something wrong with Twila?"
"Will the baby be alright?"
As the questions continued, Howl glanced down at his wife and children. He knew exactly who Madame Sulliman was referring to, but had no way of reaching her. He would find some way, though. To protect his family, he would spent every waking moment trying to find her and patch things up.