Well here is a new story I started. I don't have a very good track record of finishing stuff, but I am pretty determined to finish this(let's see how long it lasts though). Anyhow I will try to finish this story somehow, so I hope you enjoy!

Also before you read the dates I choose was just a random date since the book or the film never clarifies it's own date. This is more of a slice of life fic. I don't think it will be too dramatic

THIS IS A MIX OF BOOK & MOVIE VERSE BUT TAKES PLACE AFTER THE MOVIE.

Disclaimers: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle or any of it's characters.

Year 1819, Month of September, Day 14th. Ten Months after the war.

In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really do exists, it's quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one to fail first, and worst, if you the three set out to seek out your fortunes. Or it is at the least believed so.

Sophie was the eldest of such sisters. Being the eldest of three, she also believed for a long time, that she would be quite the failure. She was sure this was the case when she was turned into an old lady by the witch of the waste. But even before that had happened she was all too aware of her position as the eldest. This had meant that she would sacrifice much for her younger sisters. She didn't mind very much, she had loved her sisters dearly. Although Martha wasn't home every often since Fanny had always taken her along with her (which was quite often since Martha was young). But that did not mean that Sophie loved Martha any less than Lettie or at least she believed so.

However Sophie would be lying if she said that she never felt frustrated about being the eldest. There were times when her anger for her fate burned hotter than even the hottest days of summer. Though she doesn't really believe the curse of being the eldest anymore, she would still at times feel as if she would amount to nothing. Thankfully for the most part Markl and Howl would make sure that she wouldn't feel that way.

"Sophie you're the bestest person I've ever met!" Markl would say. "Even if you are the eldest!"

Howl would often chime in with sweet words of his own, and those always made Sophie blush in deep shades of crimson.

Speaking of Howl, she wasn't quite sure where the man went off too. It had been a year since the war, but half that time Howl wasn't home. It was almost five months since last seeing him. What's more he had only left a small slip of paper telling her that he had things to do. But unfortunately those things were left vague, and that had dreaded her for a while. For all she could know, Howl could be chasing skirts at this very moment. She wouldn't be very surprised if he was. He was quite the ladies man, and she couldn't do much about it.

Sophie let out a long sigh. This certainly wasn't the time to be sitting idly at the shop and be thinking of such thoughts. That was for later, for now she needed to cook something for Markl and Grandma. With that Sophie dusted her dress off and scurried back to the house in a hurry.

To say that Lettie was depressed would be an understatement. This was lowest point in her life so far. The bakery was bombed in the war, lost contact with her stepmother, have little to no idea of her sister's whereabouts and it's been the longest time since she had a proper meal.

She had heard that Fanny had sold the store to someone when her sister vanished. When she had heard the news, she was extremely devastated, and she didn't show at the baker for quite some time. Grieving the loss of her elder sister. At the time she had comforted herself saying that her sister might have left to seek her fortunes or something of the sort. But that had hardly provided the assurance she needed. Since it was soon after her sister's landing at the veranda that she had disappeared. Meaning the wizard her sister had met on May Day, may have been Horrible Howl. She shivered at the thought. But if the wizard did have something to do with her sister's disappearance, then she would give that damned wizard a piece of her mind.

Lettie grumbled as she eyed the busy reconstruction of Market Chipping. She only returned to this God forsaken place because she had heard rumors that her sister had come back. Unfortunately she wasn't quite sure if they were true or not, because the rumors were all over the place. And she was sure that her sister was not even half as adventurous as she was in the tales she had heard. She wasn't even sure they were her sister, but nonetheless it was the only lead she had.

"Lady? You may be in the way if you stand there too long," Lettie almost yelped when a young man's voice spoke to her.

Lettie noticed that in her daze she had almost stumbled upon a construction site. "Oh dear, I was lost in thought," Lettie replied as she turned to face the man, she almost swooned.

Lettie first noted his midnight black hair. It seemed to be in a casual mess at the moment, but she could definitely imagine them being neat and sleek. He had a nicely arched eyebrows that were thin and narrow, and angular cheekbones sculpted down towards a flinty jaw. His orb round sapphire eyes, had a gleam with delight and the vibrance of youth. But oddly, something in it told her that he was far older than what his true age may be.

The young man smiled. "You don't seemed to be from around here," the young man noted eying her travel outfit.

Lettie shook herself from staring at the man in front her and tried to give a smile of her own, but only ended up with only an awkward grimace. "If anybody seemed out of place, I would say you take the cake. Rather too handsome to be from Market Chipping."

The man chuckled, "you flatter me. Although it is true that I am not from here, Kingsbury in fact."

Lettie nodded in understandment. She was often told that men from Kingsbury were on the handsome side. "And what may a man from the capital be doing all the way out here."

The man frowned, "that… is confidential I believe."

"Oh?"

"You wouldn't want to know. My story will bore you, I'm sure you have a much more interesting tale to tell." The man shook his head playfully. "Then if I may ask, what is fine lady like yourself doing out here. And alone?"

"Ah well, believe it or not Market Chipping is my home. I was away… during the war"

"I see. Then you must feel quite lost with the new roads."

Lettie groaned, she didn't want to admit, but she was in fact quite lost. She didn't recognize half the place.

"If you are trying to get somewhere, I may be of some assistance. May I ask where you may be heading?"

Lettie smiled, "oh my, are you sure, I don't want to take you away from work?"

"Certain."

"Then, if I may impose. I need to get to a small hat shop by Longshore road."

The man squinted in thought, "hat shop? I don't believe that there is a hat shop there..."

"There isn't?"

The man pondered for a moment, "ah! You must be meaning the flower shop."

"Flower shop?"

"Yes a flower shop. It's run by a young lady with silver white hair and a kid I believe," the blackhead man replied. "I'm not quite sure if it's her kid though. She looked a bit too young to have a kid of her own."

Lettie raised an eyebrow. Silver? Kid? Oh dear.

"But men around Chipping don't seem to care much for the child."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see the lady is quite popular around here, men all across the town proposed to her," the man mused. "If this was Kingsbury she would've been avoided like a plague."

Lettie narrowed her eyes, it was quite unusual, for men to chase a lady who has child of her own already. Even without the misfortune of being the eldest of three, Ingary was quite serious about its superstitions. So trying to court an unmarried (a young one no less) lady with a child was to say the least unusual.

This thought made her frown, with so many men chasing after her. Surely someone must have caught her eyes. "Has she... accepted any of them?"

"Oh no, she turns down all of them," the young man rubbed his chin in thought. " Some say that she must be married to a bedridden man."

Lettie frowned, this was starting to sound less and less like her sister. For one her sister did not woo men, much less multiple men.

The young man eyed Lettie, before speaking again. "I did forget to mention, if you hope to purchase the lady's hats. You may some luck for it."

The young lady's eyebrows knitted in confusion, "I believe you told me that it was a flower shop."

"Well it is, but the she seems to have a knack for hats, even I would have been tempted to buy them-of course if I was a young lady. So she does in fact sometimes have them on sale, but they never stay long since they're always sold out rather quickly."

"Oh?"

"It's likely because of the rumor going around."

"Rumors?"

"They say that whoever buys a hat from her succeeds in their love or something. At least that's what the ladies here believe," the man smiled awkwardly. "Not sure if I can believe it though."

Lettie furrowed her eyebrows, she had heard this one before too. It was before her sister disappeared to God knows where. The hat shop was famous for its rumors of matchmaking hats. Since she worked at a bakery (a famous one at that), she had met varying types of people and rumors. In fact she had heard rumors of matchmaking hats the most.

Lettie smiled at the thought. The flower shop lady may just be her sister. This was the first time in awhile that a rumor gave her assurance rather than insecurities. "Well if we are to go to the shop than, I wish to get there soon. But I would need to know the name of the gentleman who offered me help."

"Ben. Ben Sullivan," the man said with a grin. "May I have the privilege of knowing yours as well?"

"Lettie Hatter"

What do you think? Also did everyone catch how the first paragraph of was like the book?

Good? Bad? Meh?

Well R&R! Also please help with spelling & grammar!

Flamestone