Alright, so this is my first fan fiction on Howl's Moving Castle. I'm not the greatest writer in the world so if there is anything wrong please speak. Oh, and my story is based on the book and the movie. In the book, (Marcl from the movie) is a 16 year old boy named Michael. So, just a heads up. (I don't own any characters) **I'll give you a hint, the chapters go in order of the month that Sophie is in.**
Prologue-After Howl and Sophie defeated the Witch of the Waste, the two of them married because they loved each other so much. Sophie invited her sisters and mother and Howl invited his sister and nieces and nephew. They had their wedding in the castle's backyard.
It had been six months since Sophie and Howl were married. Sophie enjoyed her new life with Howl, Michael, and Calcifer. She especially enjoyed being young again. No more back aches, tiredness, and no more wrinkles. Although she still had gray hair which she didn't mind so much because Howl had said it looked like starlight.
After the war, the town of Market Chipping was in shackles. There were once grand buildings which were now left to ashes. Since now Howl had a heart, he had offered to help with some of the repairs with his wizardly magic. Pretty soon, the town was up and running; hustling and bustling as normal. They had also rebuilt the hat-new found flower shop- that Sophie had worked at as an old woman. Luckily, their house didn't have much damage so they continued to live in it.
Sophie spent her days in the flower shop, collecting flowers from the fields, and then bringing them inside and putting them on display. She enjoyed working in the flower shop. People would come in and she would talk to them and hear the latest gossip of the town. Howl spent his time working on spells and potions people could buy. He had also begun studying magic with Wizard Sulliman. They each had different opinions about things and would argue, so sometimes Howl would come home in a fuss. Just seeing Sophie would make him forget about his troubles.
Howl's personality was much better now that he had his heart back. He was hardly ever depressed and was much more joyful. He would help Sophie in the shop and was still helping Michael become a great wizard, although now, he was more patient with the learning process. However, when Howl wanted something, he did still put on the charm.
Since Michael was a teenager, he was usually somewhere off with Martha, who was his girlfriend and Sophie's sister. When Martha was working in the bakery, Michael would help with the flower shop or study with Howl, but as soon as she was done for the day, he was running out the door to go and meet her.
Everyday during her break, Sophie would go and talk with Calcifer. Although he was a fire demon (who didn't have Howl's heart anymore), he was still part of the family. Calcifer loved having someone to talk to. He sat in the fire hearth all day with no one around. He was always so excited to talk to Sophie in their daily chat. Sophie loved talking to him as well. He still had his fiery personality but that was what she liked best about him. He would always express what he thought about a situation, even if it was rude or a joke, and he would get so mad if someone hurt Sophie. She loved that inside his hot, steamy exterior, was a caring and compassionate little fire demon. He only showed this side to Sophie though.
Howl and Sophie were actually quite popular in Market Chipping. Howl was soon awarded Royal Wizard at the palace for finding the lost prince and defeating the Witch of the Waste. People were no longer scared of Howl, now that they knew who he really was. The townspeople treated him with dignity and respect. Some evenings he and Sophie would take a walk around town to say hello to everyone. Everyone else knew Howl and Sophie were unbelievably in love, so much that sometimes they would stand still, staring into each other's eyes. They held hands everywhere they went and cared for each other very much. Howl often wondered what his life would be like if she had never barged into their house as a cleaning lady
It was a late April morning, when Sophie was just getting up to make breakfast for Howl and Michael. She was always the first one awake because Howl and Michael always slept in. She walked over to the cabinet to see what was available to cook for breakfast.
"Okay, let's see…what shall we have for breakfast?" She picked up a basket which held some bacon and eggs. "Well, I guess this will do." Sophie walked over to the opposite wall where three pans were hanging. She grabbed the medium sized pan and then walked over to Calcifer.
"Calcifer, can you please bend your head down so I can cook breakfast?" Calcifer smiled his purple mouth.
"Sure." She began by cracking the eggs into the pan and put all of the egg shells in a nearby bowl for Calcifer's breakfast. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. She turned around to see Howl coming down in a blue suit with silver trimmings. It was a lot fancier than what she was wearing, which was a yellow dress with an apron.
"Good morning Sophie!" Howl said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss.
"Good morning, Howl. Did you sleep well?"
"I did, thank you." Sophie then put the bacon in the pan. It made a loud crackling sound as its aroma filled the air.
"Is that bacon I smell?" Michael yelped as he jumped down the stairs and ran right up to the stove.
"Yes, it is. Now go wait at the table for your breakfast." Sophie gently pushed him away so he wouldn't drool on the food. When the food was ready, she took it out of the pan and put them equally on three plates. She grabbed the bowl of eggshells and placed it near Calcifer so he could grab them with his [fire] arms. Sophie joined Howl and Michael at the table. She set the food down and before she could say a word Michael grabbed the plate and started wolfing down is food. Sophie and Howl both laughed.
When breakfast was done, Howl took the dirty plates and placed them in the kitchen sink.
"Well, I'm off to the palace. The king told me he needed my assistance. I'm not sure what it is yet but I'll probably be home around noon." He said as he spun the color dial on the door. Sophie rushed over to give him a goodbye kiss before he was out the door and off to the palace.
"He sure rushed off quickly." Sophie moped.
"I think he was just excited." Michael laughed. Sophie walked over to the table and sat next to him.
"Michael, will you do me a favor and look after the shop for me this morning?"
"Sure, I will. Are you not going to be home?" he asked confused.
"I have a doctor's appointment with Dr. Ambrose in the next town. I haven't been feeling very well lately."
"Did you tell Howl?"
"No, I didn't want to worry him." She paused. "Do you know where the seven-league boots are?" She asked Michael as she started putting on her shoes.
"Yes, I'll go get them." Michael ran upstairs.
"Are you going to be okay, Sophie?" Calcifer asked while nibbling on an eggshell.
"Oh, I'm sure I just have a cold or something." She smiled.
"Here they are!" Michael held up the boots for Sophie.
"Thank you very much!" Sophie Kissed Michael on the cheek. Normally, it would take several hours to get to the next town but with seven-league boots, you could travel somewhere in a matter of minutes. She grabbed the boots and walked out the door. Sophie turned herself to the east, and slowly put the boots on. She had learned from previous experience that it was difficult to travel in the boots. She had practiced and now she was used to them. Sophie took about twenty steps and all the while she could see the world rushing past her, hills and trees of all shades of green. Huge meadows of blossoming flowers that smelled beautiful. Crystal blues rivers seemed to follow her with amusement. At last she reached the town of Somsburg. This was her first visit here so she was a bit skeptical. The boots were too heavy to carry around all day so she hid them in a large bush near a statue of a horse, so she would remember exactly where they were. Walking through the front gate, she looked around at the large city full of people. It was much like Market Chipping except on a much larger scale. Sophie saw merchants chanting out items they were selling, men walking to work, and women walking with their children as they shopped. There was also a big harbor with lots of cargo ships waiting to be loaded. 'Wow.' she thought. Suddenly, she remembered she had a job to do. She noticed a man walking on the sidewalk and walked up to him.
"Excuse me, do you happen to know what time it is?" The man reached into his pocket and took out his pocket watch.
"Why it's ten o'clock right on the button."
"Thank you so much!" She smiled. 'Hmmm…I've still got a half-an-hour until my appointment.' she thought. 'Well, I guess I'll just go over there and wait.' She said, marching off to the doctor's office. She had to ask a few people how to get there but she arrived safely. When she stepped inside, it was very crowded. There were people in bandages, wheelchairs, and crutches. She heard babies crying and people moaning. Sophie felt a little embarrassed to be coming in with just a silly cold but quickly shook her head as she heard someone call her name. Sophie looked over to the corner of the room and saw Mrs. Fairfax motioning her to come over. Sophie, a little hesitant, smiled and went to go sit with her.
"Hello, Sophie! It's nice to see you."
"Hello, Mrs. Fairfax. What are you doing here? Is Lettie all right?" Sophie asked suddenly panicking.
"Oh your sister is great. No, I'm here for my neighbor, Mr. Boxard. He's caught a ghastly flu and he's asked me to pick up his medicine."
"Oh, all right." She said with a sigh of relief.
"Are you all right Sophie? You look a little pale."
"I don't know. That's what I'm here for." Sophie said quietly as she watched a man with crutches walk past her.
"Oh, of course, silly me!" Mrs. Fairfax laughed. "So how is your marriage with Howl?"
"Oh, it's terrific. He's so wonderful" Sophie blushed.
"Well, that's just fantastic. Oh, excuse me, I think they've called Mr. Boxard's name. I'll see you later, Sophie!" Mrs. Fairfax waved goodbye and went to pick up her neighbor's medicine.
Another hour went by and Sophie had still not been called. She was getting a bit impatient so she went up to the front t desk.
"Excuse me, my appointment was a half hour ago and I was just wondering why I still haven't been called in."
"Yes, I do apologize. We are very busy today and we only have two doctors on call right now." The nurse at the front desk quickly picked up the phone as it rang. She motioned to Sophie that she was sorry but she'd just have to wait. Sophie nodded and went back to sit down. About ten minutes later, Sophie heard her name called.
"Sophie?" the nurse at the front desk called. Sophie walked to where she was. "The doctor will see you now. Go down the hall, second door on your right." She followed the hallway and into the exam room.
"Hello, Dr. Ambrose." Sophie said nervously. Dr. Ambrose looked up from his charts and smiled. He was a tall man with gray colored hair, blue eyes and was wearing a very long white coat.
"Don't be afraid! Come in, come in!" he said very joyfully. Sophie smiled and slowly walked in. "Now, just have a seat up here on the table Miss…"
"Sophie."
"Miss Sophie." Sophie took a seat on the hard, metal table in the middle of the room. She could feel the coldness seep through her dress.
"Now, what seems to be the problem?" Dr. Ambrose said as he pulled up a chair next to the table.
"Well, I've been having a lot of dizzy spells, it seems like I'm tired a lot of the time and sometimes my taste buds act funny." Dr. Ambrose nodded his head. "Oh, and I have been feeling nauseous lately."
"First thing, let me give you a quick check up before we jump to any conclusions." Sophie nodded. Dr. Ambrose checked her eyes, mouth, ears, and throat to see if anything else was the matter.
"Well, there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong so I'm going to take a blood sample just to be sure. Sophie rolled up her sleeve while Dr. Ambrose got a needle. He took a quick sample and put a cotton cloth on Sophie's arm.
"All right, I'll be back in about twenty minutes with the results." Sophie had to admit to herself she was a bit nervous. She stayed on the metal table the entire time. She tried not to think of the worst but it just always seemed to slip into her thoughts.
"I have good news!" Waving some papers, Dr. Ambrose arrived into the room. Sophie stood up off of the table eager to hear the news. "Congratulations Sophie! You're pregnant!" Dr. Ambrose excitedly said as he hugged her. Sophie didn't hug back and just about fell to the floor when he let go. "Whoa, whoa, are you all right? Sophie?" Dr. Ambrose said as he held her up from fainting.
"Yes, I suppose. I'm just a little shocked." she said, still in a daze.
"Well? Are you happy?" Dr. Ambrose said with excitement. Sophie nodded her head.
"Yes. Yes, I am!" she said happily. A wide grin swept across her face.
"Good. I'm happy for you. I'll tell the nurse to schedule a visit next month and here are the vitamins you need to take every day. Every day, all right?"
"Okay." Sophie put the bottle in her bag.
"Again, congratulations." Dr. Ambrose said as Sophie walked out of the room, down the hallway. As she walked out of the office she thought to herself, 'A baby. I'm going to have a baby! I've never had a baby before. This is amazing!' She was so happy that took a wrong turn and found herself lost. "Oh, my! I believe I'm lost!" She said confused. Sophie walked down many streets and turned many corners but none looked familiar. Finally, she found a woman watering the plants in the front of her house.
"Excuse me, miss?" The woman turned around.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I believe I'm lost and I was wondering if you could show me the way to the front gate." Suddenly, Sophie found herself dizzy and grabbed the woman's white picket fence in a hurry to hold her up.
You don't look so good, honey." The woman talked with a southern accent.
"I'm just a little dizzy. That's all."
"Why don't you come in for a drink of water?"
"That would be nice. Thank you."
"Well, come on in!" The woman opened her gate to let Sophie in and they both walked up the steps into the little yellow house.
"By the way, my name's Charlene. And you are?"
"Sophie." She said as Charlene handed her a glass of water. They both sat on the bright red couch in the middle of the room.
"So I'm guessing you're not from 'round here are ya?"
"No, I live in Market Chipping." Sophie replied.
"Yowza! That's a real far walk. Why'd ya come down here if ya don't mind me askin'?
"I came here for a doctor's appointment. Actually, I just found out that I'm pregnant!" Sophie said happily.
"Well, congratulations!" Charlene went to give Sophie a hug. Sophie smiled.
"Yes, I'm very excited. Thank you so much for the water, but I better get home." Sophie stood up.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Charlene led Sophie out of her house and to the front gate. They talked and laughed like they were great friends.
"Well, thank you so much!" Sophie said as she hugged Charlene.
"No problem! Hey come and visit me next time ya come 'round!"
"I will!" Sophie walked back to the statue of the horse. Then, searched the bush and grabbed the seven-league boots. She turned herself towards home and started walking.
When she arrived at home, her stomach grumbled.
"I guess I'd better eat a big lunch. After all, I'm eating for two now." She giggled to herself and opened the door. She saw Howl sitting at the table.
"Oh, hello How-." she was interrupted. The second she walked in the door, Howl dashed towards her and grabbed her in his arms. She almost fell backwards from his force.
"Oh, Sophie, Sophie!" Howl exclaimed. "Are you all right? Michael said you went to the doctor because you felt sick! Why didn't you tell me? I was so worried about you!" Howl began squeezing her even tighter.
"Howl! Don't worry, I'm fine." She put her hands on his face and kissed him. Howl slowly let go of her body but kept his hand locked into Sophie's. Anyone could tell that Howl's heart was beating a mile a minute. Sophie set her things down and faced Howl.
"Actually, I've got some great news!"
"What is it?" Howl said eagerly.
"I'm going to have a baby!" Sophie said ecstatic.
"A…baby?" Howl was silent for a minute. "Sophie, that's fantastic!" The two of them then jumped up and down. "Michael! Get in here!" Howl yelled through the house.
"Uh, I'm helping a customer!" Michael yelled back.
"Well, hurry up! We've got great news!" Howl and Sophie held hands while they waited. They looked like two giddy little children. After a few minutes, Michael walked in.
"Boy, the store is super crowded today! Everyone wants flowers for May Day! What's up with you two? Is something the matter?"
"Michael, we've got great news! Sophie's going to have a baby!" He grinned and looked at Sophie.
"Really?" Michael asked. Howl and Sophie nodded excitedly. Michael ran up to Sophie and hugged her. "Oh, Sophie, that's great! I'm so happy for the two of you." Suddenly, they all heard a strange noise. "What was that?" asked Michael.
"That was my stomach. It's about lunch time, is it not?" she laughed. They all agreed and went to the kitchen.