AN: I've never written for Howl's Moving Castle before, so please be gentle. I'm not entirely certain if this is going to have more points from the Anime or from the Book, but who knows. It's AU, but have pity on me. Once again, this is a first time thing, and if it goes well, I'll continue it. If it doesn't...well, I'll probably just leave well enough alone.
Disclaimer: I dun own Howl, Sophie, or their castle. Please don't sue me, I have mouths to feed.
Mist and Mysteries
By: Chibi-no-Oneesan
Chapter One
Most people move through their day to day lives never knowing that two worlds live parallel to each other. It was as such with her as well. She moved through her day to day life, the everyday normal hustle and bustle trying to make ends meet with her father's rapidly failing hat business. The old man had left her two sisters and a step mother, all of whom she loved very much, and a hat business that had reached it's peak about three years before he'd died. Since then, ladies bonnets had faded from style, and it left her and her step mother in a great deal of debt trying to keep the business afloat.
She didn't mind much. She enjoyed the work, but more often than not, she felt a little taken advantage of. As children, many suitors had come by to see her two younger, blond sisters, taking them out to lavish dinners, to extravagant parties. A short year ago, both had gone off to seek their fortunes, leaving her and her step-mother alone at the hat shop.
Lettie had disappeared shortly after that, missing in the great wide world.
Martha had found a place for herself at the small but prospering bakery up the street.
But Sophie Hatter, eldest of the three, remained at the failing business, making ladies bonnets, praying day by day that they would make enough money to get by. She was content to remain where she was.
Then, a few short months ago, her step mother had left to find away to find her dead husbands failing business, and Sophie had yet to receive word from the only slightly older woman.
That particular evening, she closed down shop so she might find something to fill the gnawing void in her stomach. It as a cool evening, fog already descending, making the already cloudy day appear even more dreary. Well, perhaps not dreary. The fog added that pinch of mystery that always made Sophie Hatter, eldest of three, jump at shadows. It was on days like this that she dared dream of different worlds. Worlds where perhaps she wasn't quite so ordinary. A world where she could stand alone, not just an ill-fated older sister, but someone worthwhile.
Since today appeared that it was going to be one of those days, she struck out on her own, heading towards the bakery where her sister worked. She pulled her coat tighter around herself to ward off the coming chill and glanced around the rather dirty Welsh city. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was getting late and she should hasten to Cesari's the bakery at which her sister Martha worked. She hoped the younger girl didn't mind a little disruption, or her elder sister's somewhat shabby appearance.
A hand reached up unconsciously and touched the ginger-gold hair she'd twisted back into a thick braid. She was certainly the plainer of the three. Martha had her mother Fanny's beauty and easy charm, Lettie had their mother's beautiful blond hair and a quick wit.
She was simply Sophie, with green-blue eyes and hair that was torn between red and blond. It was unkempt and her face was heavily dotted with freckles. Her clothing was rather dowdy and in ill-repair due to the shortage of funds. She was more timid and shy than her younger sisters, more practical, and lacking their 'charm', as several men had pointed out.
A frown turned down her lips slightly and she looked around in concern. It would appear that she'd gotten herself turned around, and it was growing more late. If she didn't hurry, she would not be home before dark, and she was pretty enough for it to be trouble if she were to be noticed alone and in the dark.
She turned to find the main thorough fair and bumped into a man who smelled distinctly of alcohol and cigarettes. She stumbled back, seeing the man wearing a leer that most certainly spelled trouble of any possible sort for her. "Pardon me..." She said, backing away.
It was most disconcerting that she ran into a man who looked almost identical and smelled the same behind her as well.
Not good, Sophie. Mentally she cursed her inattention which had led to her unfortunate circumstances.
"Look what we found, little brother..." The first one said, a look in his eyes that made her want to scream and run, but she was being held quite still by the man who stood behind her. He leaned towards her, getting far closer than was proper and invading her personal space. "A little lost mouse..."
She broke free of the other man's grasp and started backing away from them both.
"Why don't you come with us, we'll help you find your way."
"We could take you down the street for a coffee." The 'younger' of the two men said, moving closer towards her.
She backed away again. "No thank you..." She said stiffly.
They laughed. The older one elbowed him. "See, I told you that mustache scares all the girls." The laughter wasn't nice. "Come on, let's just go-"
"There you are, darling, I was wondering where you'd gone!"
The voice was most unfamiliar, as was the hand that rested on her shoulder. She froze and looked up, seeing what she could only say was about the most handsome man she'd ever set eyes on. He had pale blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. He wasn't looking at her, rather was looking rather calmly at the two men who stood wearing peevish expressions.
"Hey, we were just having a word with the little mouse!"
Something odd flashed behind the man's eyes. "Well, I'll take care of her myself, thank you, so I think it's time you two were on your way." Sophie watched him make two slight gestures with his hands and the two men were sent marching off. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked up at the man once again. His eyes moved to her and a small smile turned up his lips. "Little mice should be more careful when they go out after dark." He teased lightly, tapping a finger against her nose.
A dark flush spread across her face and she quickly looked away. Yes, definitely the most attractive men she'd ever met.
"If you'll permit me, I would be your escort." He teased lightly, watching as her flush darkened and he decided he liked the mouse of a girl more for it.
"I'm just going...t-to the bakery..." Her voice was quiet, mousy. "Cesari's..." She didn't raise her eyes to his, but instead took that short time to examine her savior. His clothing was a bit outdated, but he looked quite comfortable, wearing rather loose flowing white cotton shirt and slender black pants. The pants rested so closely to his body she could just make out their shape and idly she wondered why more men didn't wear such clothes. The well kept appearance of them also made her feel horribly out of place when standing beside him. She truly felt like a little mouse, and here was this graceful...feline.
His arm extended around her shoulder and he guided her down the alley. It might have been her imagination, but he seemed rather preoccupied with something behind him. A quick glance made her eyes swell to the size of dinner plates and she looked up at the man who guided her along. Inky blackness followed, oozing out of the walls and ground, swelling up like a wave waiting to overwhelm them.
"Don't panic." He said soothingly. "I'm being followed."
OBVIOUSLY! She managed not to yell at him. It was sorely tempting, though. They darted through the mist and she yelped when he wrapped an arm around her waist, taking one hand and jumped right up into the air. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut and she let out a small squeak. It was with no small amount of desperation as she clung to the hand, and she clung to the other when it was offered to her as well.
"Just relax and put your feet down..."
The vaguely amused sound of his voice made her want to growl at him, but she instead extended her legs, and heard him laugh softly.
"Very good, now we walk..."
Somehow, the warmth of his hands on hers, the knowledge that he wasn't going to let her fall gave her courage. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to open and she stared out, through the dense fog. It was as though they'd stepped off of Earth and were in a completely different world. It felt joyously free to walk on the air. Like she was more than simple Sophie and a small smile worked it's way onto her face. She looked towards the man who held her as they descended, walking towards the roof of what she could clearly see was Cesari's.
For the first time in her life, Sophie felt like a girl again, instead of a shriveled up old woman.
"You're a natural..." He whispered softly in her ear. Her smile was like sunlight. Pure, radiant. She wasn't classically beautiful, no, but there was something about her that was getting under his skin. That meant he had to get away from her. And fast. The empty place in his chest seemed to tremble in the wake of that smile. She had this...something...that he hadn't seen in a woman before.
A soft, lilted laugh left her lips and if it were possible, his heart would have been turned immediately into goo.
They set easily down on the roof and he gave her one of those charming smile he always shared with a lady. "I'll lead them away. Wait awhile before you come out again." The smile turned into a slight smirk on the corners of his lips. "And do be careful, this time, little mouse."
She was horrified when she felt color rushing to her cheeks. Oh dear god, she was blushing! Shyly, she nodded at the handsome stranger and felt him lightly tap her nose again. Her eyes crossed slightly, following the finger.
"That's my girl." He said quietly, and then seemed to simply vanish.
It was with a dazed expression that Sophie finally entered Cesari's, from the door which led to the roof top dining room. His girl? She didn't even know who he was! He certainly did presume a lot! But he seemed kind, and he had saved her from those men. And he was extremely handsome.
But where on Earth had he gone?
He'd walked on the air with ease, so assuming he'd plummeted to the ground was out. How had he done that anyways? Things like that weren't possible. Except in movies. Like the Matrix. A small smile turned up her lips at the thought, but she'd quickly dashed that idea. Where had he gone? People didn't simply disappear off of rooftops. She was still pondering this quandary when she entered the main store of Cesari's.
Upon entering the room, her half-sister Martha immediately threw her arms around her. "SOPHIE!!!" She all but screamed, drawing the attention of most of the patrons. "Dear girl, you look a fright! What happened?!" Martha took her into the kitchens and grabbed them each a fresh cookie off the tray.
Sophie nibbled on her cookie, staring off into the bright kitchen. "I almost got attacked on the way here..." She said weakly.
Her sister looked startled. "In daylight?!" She huffed. "Those darn fool men. It's a good thing I've got..." A faint flush covered the girl's cheeks and she looked back at her. "So, almost?"
She raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. There was something there that was not being said. She figured she'd return the favor. "Someone saved me...A man." Bright blue eyes filled her mind and she fought the urge to blush as well. It wasn't her fault. He was quite handsome.
Her sister bit her cookie, looking at her from under her eyebrows. "Sounds like a man with some class. What's his name?"
"I haven't the faintest." She said softly, taking a large bite of her cookie. She was startled when her sister slapped her arm lightly. "What?!"
"You didn't get his NAME?! What on earth are you thinking?!" Her brow creased. "This better not be more of that elder sister crap! Just accept that mom's abandoned you and the shop and PLEASE, do Lettie and I a favor, go out and find your niche in life." Her sister grabbed her hands, a desperate look on her face. "We always wanted you to be happy, and I can't stand seeing you waste away in that blasted hat shop!"
Sophie carefully extracted her hands, a small smile on her face. "Now, Martha...I am happy." What was a white lie when she loved her sister so deeply. A quick glance at her watch made her pale. "Blast, I have to get home. Could you wrap me up a loaf? I need to hurry before it's dark!"
It was with great reluctance that her sister did so, but within ten minutes she had her bread and was out the door, walking quickly through the streets. She paid so much attention to not getting lost that she failed to notice that someone was following her.
0o0o0o0o0o0
He walked into his moving castle, and Calcifer knew as soon as he'd seen him that something was definitely odd about the person who shared the contract with him. "Oi, Howl, you look pale. Did you see that old hag while you were out wandering in Wales?"
Howl, or Howell Jenkins, or Wizard Pendragon as the case may be tossed his friend a careless smile. "I'm always pale, dear friend, so whatever do you mean?" He asked, evading the question with a skill born from slipping out of tricky situations most of his life. What on earth was he going to do about the present one? A glance towards the fire demon told him the small creature wasn't buying it. Not for a moment.
Huge surprise. Calcifer held his heart. Calcifer would have noticed the strange sensations that occurred when he'd been in the company of the girl as well. He sought to distract the demon by tossing another log at him and watching as he snapped the log out of the air. "So, how went everything while I was gone? And where's Michael, I wanted to ask about that spell the King wanted..." He moved over and sat in a chair, looking at his friend with an expression that told him he wasn't going to divulge the information.
Moments later, the door, black knob still turned up, burst open, admitting a winded Michael. "Calcifer, did I beat him back-" He looked up, seeing Howl looking at him wearing one of those unreadable smirks and felt his face heat. "Sorry, Howl, I had some business..."
"Indeed..." Howl agreed. He looked back towards Calcifer. "That answers that question." He sprung to his feet and smiled broadly. He needed to get away from his home-mates and spend some time alone. He needed to think. "Calcifer, heat some water for a bath." He said, then moved gracefully up the stairs. "And move the castle 60 miles north by northwest!"
From his place he could hear the fire demon cursing at him about being used for such mean labor and smirked a bit. It seemed a fair trade to him. He was unable to really feel anything, so he would use the one who was to blame for it for a few simple chores. It wasn't like he had Calcifer hold the castle together with his magic, now that was all Howl. All Calcifer had to do was tell it to move.
He entered the bathroom and nudged a dirty towel aside with his foot. The path to the tub was littered with dirty clothes and towels, the sink, toilet, and tub littered with bottles that held the concoctions he'd used to make himself presentable. Or as Calcifer put it, what he used to preen like a peacock.
A small smile turned up the corner of his lips. He and Calcifer spent most of their time at each other's throats, but there was a deep affection between them. Something that went deeper than mere contract. When he'd been a lonely boy, and Calcifer had been on the verge of death, each had received something they desperately needed. Howl received a friend, and Calcifer received a way to live.
Unfortunately, neither of them knew how to break the contract now as separating them would almost certainly kill at least one of them. Most likely him, since it was his heart on the line. He turned the tap and tested the water against the back of his fingers. A blissful smile turned up his lips while he pondered his collection of scented bath bubbles and finally selected one that had a slightly floral scent.
Lavender was a good, calming scent. It would do him well after the events of the day.
He poured the potion into the tub liberally, closing his eyes and deeply breathing the scent as it permeated the bathroom. Ah, a slice of heaven for a heartless devil. He smirked, then shed his clothing, sinking into the scented, bubbled water. A deep sigh escaped him and he relaxed, his eyes lifting towards the ceiling. It was only then that he allowed himself to remember the days events.
He wasn't sure how the Witch of the Waste had found him in Wales. It troubled him slightly, especially since it was his families home, and he'd left a convenient little target standing on a rooftop. Why he considered her a target to be used against him he wasn't certain. But there was definitely something about that girl that made him itch. The shape of her eyes seemed so familiar as well. But not the color. He could almost grasp the name from the tip of his lips, but found it evaded him quite well.
It took him a few minutes to realize he had an incredibly dopey grin on his face as he thought of the girl and quickly shook off the feeling, suddenly deeply alarmed. Why in the scant moments that he'd known her had he managed to memorize that face? Why could he remember the feel of her hand so clearly it was as if the petite limb was still clinging to his? And why in the HELL had he called her his girl? He was Heartless Howl, Howl the Horrible, who spent his time in Ingary as a Casanova, loving and leaving many different girls, which was ironically how he'd wound up in the situation he'd found himself in his most recent visit to his homeland.
The only thing he didn't know how to write off was the odd feelings the girl had stirred inside him. He couldn't say they were located in his heart, because that area was quite empty. He was quite literally heartless. It had never been that he didn't care for anyone. He simply couldn't. The lack of a heart prevented that.
He suppose he had Calcifer to thank for that. The fire demon was keeping that particular part of him under close watch. It had kept his heart from being hurt by anyone.
Which once again, was how he wound up in this situation to begin with. If he hadn't seduced the Witch of the Waste, none of this would ever have happened. The relationship was extremely short-lived, even for him, because he'd quickly learned that he'd bitten off a bit more than he could chew. He joked often about being wicked, especially since so many women fell for a wicked smirk, but deep down he knew he could never be as dark as that woman.
There was too much that held him in the realm of light.
Evidentially more than he'd ever expected.
A deep sigh escaped him and he looked out the small window in his bathroom out at the sky in Wales. It was where that girl was. That little wispy mouse with the ginger colored braid that more hair fell out of than was kept in.
Why on earth had the Fates placed him in that random back alley? He would have had better luck avoiding the Witch on the main roads, seeing as she preferred anonymity. Yet, something had drawn him into that alley and he'd arrived in time to swoop in and play the hero.
He smiled at the irony. He, Horrible Howl Jenkins had saved a little mouse of a girl and had asked for nothing in return. In fact, he'd behaved much like the hero's in the comics he'd read as a boy. He'd fled the moment he was assured of her safety. He, who was rumored in Ingary to feast on the hearts of young women-a myth he'd helped get started.
He didn't eat hearts.
But he was rather fond of playing with them.
Perhaps he'd spent too much time without his own. Or too much time in the influence of a fire demon who spent his life playing with hearts.
Yet, never once while he was assisting the girl did he think about using her in such a way. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, quite the opposite. Usually, she would be among his normal 'fare'. But one look at that timid smile, one peal of that joyous laugh, wiped any and all thoughts of treating her like any other girl from his mind.
That made him deeply worried, and extremely uncomfortable. With a sigh, he rubbed his neck with one hand and looked back to the window. He wondered idly if she knew about how close they really were, Ingary and Wales. Two worlds that were superimposed on top of one another, separated only by the mind. And what the mind wanted, usually the world opened up into possibility.
After all, when he'd been a boy, he'd longed to find a place where he didn't need to fear this inner fire, this magic that fit him like a well loved glove. His family had never understood why he was different, and as a result, he'd always kept his heart guarded against them. He could almost taste the bitterness when he thought of his sister, Megan. Her constant impatience at his 'flippant eccentricities' as she'd called them.
They didn't understand that this wasn't something that would just go away. It was part of who he was, part of what he was.
Fortune smiled upon him while he was in college, however, and he met another wizard by the name of Benjamin Sulliman. It was from Benjamin he first learned of Ingary, since the other young man had been traveling between the two worlds since he'd been a mere boy of ten. As soon as he graduated from school, he took up a nearly permanent residence in the other world. Yet, always, he kept the black door, the door to his child hood home, the door which led him to Wales.
Where she was...
He realize his thoughts had once again strayed to the girl he'd only met that day and he cursed. "DAMN AND BLAST!" He snarled, expressing the dark emotion that filled him. It wasn't often he decided to express himself, and when it did, it usually spelled trouble for the castles other occupants. It took a great deal of effort to calm the urge to let the emotions ooze through his skin, several long minutes of meditation techniques he'd learned from his mother.
When he finally opened his eyes, he came to a decision.
He would force himself to forget her. Those eyes, that smile, that lilted laugh.
He would completely wipe her from his memory.
He just hoped it would be as easy to do as it was to say.
0o0o0o0o0o0
Sophie stared out the window her face contemplative. She could still remember the encounter from the other day vividly in her mind. The warm, smooth hand wrapped around hers, the amused tone in his voice, the way his eyes seemed to shine from within, from a power she couldn't comprehend.
She'd felt like he'd cast a spell on her.
She looked at her tattered dress and sighed. "You're fine as you are, Miss Sophie Hatter. You don't need any spells to make you special." She said firmly, then went to trim an unfinished hat. She selected a few pieces of fabric and some flowers and set to work. In the time since Fanny had left, she'd begun talking aloud to the hats she worked on, as well as herself. Since Lettie was gone, and Martha was always working, she didn't have many other's to speak to. The hats didn't ridicule her about staying. She even likened them to appreciating all the hard work she did to make them beautiful.
The door to the shop jingled and Sophie looked up, seeing a slender woman with honey blond hair standing in the doorway. The woman looked at her with an unspeakable expression on her face. It stirred definite feelings of discomfort in the younger woman. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you there..." Sophie stood, moving around the counter, wanting to get this woman out of the shop as quickly as possible.
She wasn't certain why she felt so unnerved. She looked like any other high-end business customer in Wales. Her feet were clad in Prada boots, and she wore what were probably designer everything. "Is there anything I may do to help you?" She asked softly, trying not to let her unease show.
"Why in the world would he fancy you?" The woman asked with an air of arrogance. She flicked a strand of hair from in front of her face and looked around. "There's nothing special about you..."
Irritation filled her. She couldn't guess what this woman was talking about, but she did not enjoy being ridiculed in her own store. "Ma'am, you will find nothing here for you." Sophie said bluntly, honestly. She could see the shock on the woman's face, but didn't twitch. "Please leave!"
The woman pondered her for a minute, then a positively evil smile turned up the corners of her lips. "I see...I most certainly do..." She said, leaning towards the girl. "You may someday attempt to walk in his world, but he wont know it's you. You're cursed, Miss Hatter...And you will look as old as you feel inside..."
Sophie felt one sharp fingernail touch her forehead and she flinched. When her eyes opened, she found herself alone in her shop. She took a long steadying breath and went back to work more on the hat, hearing an odd popping sound. She passed the full length mirror and stopped in shock on the other side of the mirror. Slowly, she stepped back and looked into the glass, stunned to find an old woman staring back at her. She looked down at her hands and felt fear grasp her.
They were wrinkled, the skin very transparent, each blue vein standing up in sharp relief.
You will look as old as you feel inside..
She pulled out her closed sign and hung it on the window. Quietly, she pulled all the blinds and closed and locked the front door, then went upstairs to pack a small bag. Nothing else to do. She would have to run. She couldn't let Fanny or Martha see her like this. She packed the necessary belongings and a small lunch of bread and cheese and silently left the hat shop, walking down the street.
It seemed odd to her. As though the facade that was hers but not had given her courage of a sort. She was certain that was not what the other woman intended, but that's what it had done. She walked past the men who'd accosted her only days before in the alley, but they pretended they didn't see her. She needed to find a way to break this...curse. Lords knew she didn't believe in magic, but if it existed, if this really was a curse, she'd need to find someone with the experience to break such a thing.
Suddenly, the world around her felt like sticky taffy. Like it was stretching around her, pulling or pushing or tearing at her. Fear twinged in her heart for the third time that night, but she kept walking resolutely forward. She was old, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This was probably just her mind playing tricks on her...Air didn't feel like taffy.
With a deep breath, she took another step and suddenly, the feeling of warm taffy went away. She looked around and frowned deeply. This was most certainly NOT Wales. Not unless she had somehow magically teleported to the countryside. So then, where was she?
She caught sight of a small town down in the valley and sighed, moving towards it.
Just then, a loud grinding sound went up beside her. She froze and looked over and found a castle moving along beside her. Her eyes went wide and she frowned. "That's no way to treat a castle..." She watched as the black bricks rubbed together as it passed her, giving off a cloud of dust that smelled suspiciously like carbon. Then, a few feet up the road, it settled down and rested against the grass.
It was with mild trepidation that Sophie moved towards it, walking around it's perimeter. Her curiosity grew and she felt a girlish excitement rise up through her. She felt the walls, searching for a door through which she could gain entry.
To her surprise, she found one. It's small and wooden, not a grand entry way, almost more like a back door. It a bit of terrified excitement, Sophie pushed open the door and entered the moving castle.
0o0o0o0o0o0
AN: So, here's my first attempt at a HMC fic. If you've opened this thinking it was going to be based soley on the movie, sorry to disappoint. I've watched the Miyazaki version of the movie, and read Diana Wynn Jones novel, and I liked both, so decided to fuse some of the themes. However, since it is, in fact an "AU" version of the stories, I plan to take several more liberties with it. Besides Sophie starting out in Wales. I may possibly also run the story over into Diana Wynn Jones sequel, "Castle in the Air" (Not to be confused with "Castle in the Sky"). I dunno, it'll depend on whether or not I can get my hands on a copy.
Please, if you have a comment, I'd love to hear it. Just check the little box in the corner and let me know. Love everyone to pieces! Chibi-no-Oneesan
