A/N This is now a number of years old and I found it whilst trawling through old backup CDs. Having read the book and then watched the film I found the film ending wasn't exactly like I had been expecting, so I wrote my own with more elements from the book. I didn't publish this back then but when I found it again recently I thought that someone out there might enjoy it. So enjoy!
Last Chapter
The bombs were falling heavily. Sophie gasped as she spotted a familiar shape among the torpedoes.
"Howl!" She screamed as he grabbed hold of one of them and hung on.
There was a crash as the bomb hit the courtyard. Sophie was thrown against the wall by the shock waves; shards of rumble peppering her body. The air stunk of sulphur and burning. Sophie took her hands from her face and glanced into the courtyard. A feathered mass was untangling itself from the unexploded bomb.
"Howl!" she cried and ran, stumbling into his arms.
"I'm sorry Sophie. I should have gotten here sooner."
"You're alive! Thank goodness!" she sobbed and hugged him harder, burying her head in the soft feathers covering his body.
He put his arm around her and guided her back into the house, his wings falling behind him like a cloak.
Suliman's henchmen seized their chance and swarmed after them. Howl merely opened his wings and they were swept back out the door that locked behind them. He let her go and went over to the fireplace.
"Calcifer! You hang in there."
The demon flared up, "Urg! Howl she fed me something gross. I feel sick."
Sophie watched Howl fondly as he began to talk softly to the Witch of the Waste. At least he was safe with her now.
Suddenly he turned and swept past her. Her stomach lurched. Surely he wasn't going back out!
"Howl no!"
He turned back to her, smiling faintly. "Stay here. Calcifer will protect you from Suliman's henchmen. I'll guard the front."
"Howl it's too dangerous! Don't go back out there!" she pleaded.
He turned his head, gazing into the distance. "Another wave is coming and Calcifer's too weak to stop the bombs falling."
"Let's run! Don't fight them Howl!"
Howl looked down on her tenderly, "Sorry. I'm sick of running away and now I have something to protect. You."
Sophie gasped but before she could answer Howl was gone from her grasp and out the door. She wrenched it open and ran into the courtyard after him but Howl was already a rapidly shrinking dot. She looked angrily at Suliman's henchmen who were already scrambling back in now that Howl was gone. Growling she stomped back inside the house and slammed the door. Turning the knob to green she threw it open, onto a raining waste.
"That's where we are at the shop," she whispered to herself and glanced up into the sky. Howl was tearing the airship apart as a hideous monster. Bug like creatures were teeming around him. "Oh no!"
Sophie raced back into the castle.
"I preferred him as a coward!" she muttered wrapping a shawl over the witch and handing her over to Marco.
"Are you crazy?" Calcifer yelled, "You can't move the portals without Howl!"
"Then we'll just have to shut them down."
"We'll be too vulnerable!"
"Howl won't stop trying to protect the hat shop unless we're not there anymore."
Grabbing a shovel, she picked him up and headed for the door.
"You can't take me out of the castle! It'll collapse!"
Sophie ignored him.
"Okay, okay but make sure I'm out last. I don't know what's going to happen but it isn't going to be good."
Sophie backed carefully out of the door. There was a ripping sound and the castle shook. Sophie stumbled backwards and out of the way as the whole thing began to crumble and crashed to the floor.
"I told you it'd collapse!" Calcifer moaned. He felt something hit him with a sizzle, "Arg! Rain!" he shrieked.
Sophie looked over the ruins appraisingly, "I've found an entrance," she announced and scrambled inside, holding Calcifer carefully.
He was whimpering again, "Sophie hurry! Hurry!"
She quickly fed him some wood.
"Calcifer can you get in touch with Howl? Let him know we're not attached to the hat shop anymore."
Calcifer put his head on one side, "Sorry Sophie. We're both very weak and I'm too far away."
"Can you move the castle so we're closer?"
He stared at her as if she was crazy, "But there's no chimney here and the woods all damp."
"I know you can do it. I've never seen a fire with more spark."
Calcifer gave a resigned sigh, "All right, but I'll need something of yours Sophie."
"Why?"
"I can't do it by myself. How about your eyes?"
She raised her eyebrows, "How about this?" She lifted her plait. Calcifer grabbed at it greedily. She looked at him apprehensively.
"Don't worry Sophie," he reassured her before swallowing it, "The bond will only be temporary." There was a flash as he consumed the last strands.
Sophie was falling from the sky. It was a horrible feeling. She was going to die and it terrified her. Suddenly, just before she hit the ground, and almost certain death, someone caught her. Howl's face appeared in front of her. His lips moved but she couldn't hear what he was saying and she felt her lips move to reply but didn't know what she had said. Howl opened his mouth and swallowed her. There was a moment of complete darkness then she was out in the light again, only this time there was another presence. A soft beating.
Sophie came out of her trance.
"What was that?"
"You probably experienced one of my memories," Calcifer stated.
Sophie became aware of the remains of the castle moving at great speed. She crouched at the edge of a hole in the floor and peered out. The land was flashing past and the air battle was getting increasingly closer.
"Thanks Calcifer! You're fantastic!"
"Imagine what I could have done with your eyes…or your heart."
"My heart…" she whispered. Howl's heart. Calcifer had Howl's heart. That's what that memory had been of; Howl saving Calcifer and giving him his heart. The witch was muttering something Sophie couldn't hear. "Calcifer can you contact him now. Are we close enough?"
"Sophie, all my strength is going into keeping this castle walking."
She paused for a moment, "Could I get him?" she asked, "we're connected through you."
"You could try."
She crouched next to Marco at the hole and looked up. Howl was a dark smudge surrounded by the hedge witches and wizards.
"Oh no!" She focused on him.
'Howl! Howl can you hear me?' she thought furiously at him.
'Sophie?'
Yes! 'Yes. Listen Howl, we're not attached to the hat shop anymore!'
'Sophie? I'm losing you.'
Suddenly there was an exploding pain. Sophie fell backwards, blinded by the agony. She felt the last strands of the link break.
"Sophie look out!" Marco yelled.
She spun to come face to face with Madame Suliman.
"What? How?" she exclaimed
Suliman gave a leering grin and waved her hand. Sophie felt invisible cords wrap around her arms and legs. They were pinioned to her sides.
"Marco get out!" she shouted from her position on the floor. "Warn Howl!" If he's still alive she added silently.
For once Marco did as he was told and dropped through the hole before Suliman could retaliate.
"No matter," she hissed, "because I now have what I want. Howl's heart is mine." She reached into the fire and grasped the bottom of Calcifer's flame.
"No!" Sophie screamed and struggled in vain against her bonds.
Calcifer gave out a cry. "Watch it! You'll kill us both!"
Suliman ignored him. "Howl's heart. At last. It's mine." She glared down at Sophie, "And soon I'll have the confrontation I've been waiting for, now that he's stopped running."
The air around them shimmered and Sophie found herself lying on the cold cobble floor of an enormous hall, the castle had completely vanished.
"You're wrong Suliman," she said, "Marco will warn Howl. He won't come."
"Oh I think he will." Suliman laughed, "because not only do I have his heart I have his love. His two greatest weaknesses," she slipped the heart into her pocket, "and stop calling me Suliman. I'm the Witch of the Waste."
Howl fell from the sky. The little creatures continued to bombard him as he fell, the combined magic striking at his body.
'Howl! The Witch of the Waste has So…'
The rest of Calcifer's message was cut off. Howl felt a sharp stab in his chest. Not Sophie! He groaned and, summoning every ounce of strength, pulled out of the dive, scattering Suliman's minions and gaining some distance between them.
Swooping low he encountered Marco running as fast as he could down the hill, followed by Turnip Head and the dog.
"Marco," he landed on the ground by the startled boy, too exhausted to attempt to change back.
"Suliman's got Sophie!"
So it was true. Anger began to burn in Howl's chest. Anger at Sophie for not staying safe, anger at Calcifer for not being strong enough to stop this from happening, anger at the witch for taking her but most of all anger at himself for not being around to protect her.
"Howl the castle collapsed. She must have taken Calcifer too!"
Howl winced. So she had his heart as well.
"Stay here Marco," he ordered, "I'm going to fetch them." Marco made a move to protest but the fury blazing in Howl's eyes was enough to make him back off.
Howl spread his wings and lifted wearily off the ground but with a new determination giving him energy.
"Tell me how you did it then," Sophie said disgustedly. "I can tell you're dying to brag about it."
The Witch eyed her with superiority. "Suliman," she said eventually, "is dead. I thought that it might be her plan to strip me of my powers so I made a double of myself. That double is what you've been feeding and carrying around with you for the past couple of weeks. It was my spy and as soon as it heard Calcifer hint where Howl's heart was it alerted me. Calcifer was too weak and preoccupied to keep me out." She gave Sophie a condescending look. "Calcifer did warn you that collapsing the portals would make you vulnerable."
"When did you swap with Suliman?" Sophie enquired bitterly.
"Oh, soon after you and Howl left. I sneaked in and killed her then took her place. Ingenious was it not?"
She didn't wait for an answer but began to pace the length of the hall.
"Now where is Howl? Maybe I should give him a bit more motivation." She took the heart from her pocket.
"Don't you dare!" Calcifer exclaimed. "You'll kill him if you hurt his heart!"
There was a noise from outside.
"Well there doesn't seem a need," the witch stated, "here he is now."
There was a crash from the entrance hall. 'Howl' Sophie thought 'is not in a good mood'
The doors were thrown open by a violent wind and Howl strode across the threshold. Sophie's heart gave a lurch. His whole posture showed a challenge but she knew him well enough to be able to tell he was physically drained. His body was still covered in a sparse spattering of feathers but there were no wings. The wind whipped up his hair till it lashed around his head and his eyes held a look that frightened her.
"Howl, how nice of you to join us."
He stopped and faced the witch, the width of the room between them.
"This is between us. Let Sophie go."
The witch gave out a shrill laugh, "Let her go? Oh no! I can't do that. I'm intrigued Howl as to whether you value your life over your love's life. You take her first and I'll be in control of you forever. If you take your heart first, I'll kill her. It's your choice."
Howl's breath left him a hiss. He began to walk, faster and faster till he was running. Suddenly two wings exploded from his back and feathers burst from all over his body. He was no longer running but flying along the ground, heading for the witch.
At the last moment he swerved away and, grabbing Sophie, shot straight upward, through the roof.
Sophie felt his hands grasp her and hold her firmly to a feathery chest. There was a rush of air and a crash as they smashed through the roof. She felt bits of wood and tile hit any exposed part of her. Then they were free. Up in the fresh air.
Howl muttered a word and the invisible bonds fell away from her. The consequences of the situation hit Sophie like a tidal wave.
"Howl! Your heart!" she yelled.
He looked at her with his head tilted to one side.
"I know," he whispered.
The witch stared up in disbelief.
"He rescued the girl before himself!" she spat.
Calcifer flamed up a little in her hand, "You expected anything else?"
"I'll show him who's the master," the witch muttered, "he'll soon come to do anything I say."
Calcifer felt her fist tighten. "No!" he cried. "His heart's quite soft. You'll kill him!"
The witch ignored him and squeezed the beating object in her hand.
Howl had to get Sophie as far away as possible. Any moment now the witch would…
The pain was so intense it took him by surprise. The scream escaped his throat before he could check it. The pain swept through his body, touching his mind with darkness. He felt himself letting go of consciousness, even life. His last rational thought was that he had to save Sophie. Then the shadows claimed him.
Sophie felt Howl's body convulse and an unearthly scream tore from his mouth. Terror bubbled up inside her. Suddenly his wings stopped beating and the ground was rushing towards them as they free fell. At the last moment she felt Howl move slightly, sluggishly. He pulled her tighter to him and wrapped his wings around her.
She could feel the impact of trees thrashing Howl's body as they fell through them. She could feel the blows despite the protection Howl was providing her with and dread to think the punishment he was enduring. There was a heavy thump as they hit the ground and Sophie was thrown violently from Howl's grasp that had been slowly weakening during the descent.
She lay gasping on the earth, trying to regain her breath and thanking the trees for slowing their fall. She got to feet groaning, her body complaining about the treatment it had just received. She scanned the area quickly and her eyes came to rest on a still form lying not far away.
"Howl!"
The witch watched as the black shape flying away shuddered fiercely and fell from the sky, plummeting into a group of trees and disappearing from sight.
"I told you it'd kill him!" Calcifer wailed. Howl's heart was still pulsing but infrequently and only faintly. It was growing weaker by the second.
The witch snorted and vanished from the room.
Sophie knelt at Howl's side.
"Please no!" she whispered, turning him over onto his front. He had transformed back into a human. She brushed his dark hair gently from his face and stared at his closed eyes, willing them to open, show her that amazingly sparkling blue, have him laugh and tease her for worrying.
Howl didn't stir.
There was a shimmer in the air. "Well isn't this touching?" the witch sneered from somewhere behind her.
Sophie felt an anger she'd never felt before rouse inside her. Felt it uncoil like a snake and flow into her veins till it occupied every part of her body. She stood, full of righteous wrath, her eyes burning fiercely in her face.
"Hang in there," she told him and turned to face the witch.
"That's enough!" she yelled.
The witch began to chuckle, "Oh and you, who have no magic, is going to stop me?"
No magic? Sophie felt a tingling in her fingers and throat. But she did have magic.
"Vines!" she cried out, "Bind her!"
The witch froze in disbelief as the recently inanimate trees unexpectedly shot out any rope like substance they had and wrapped them around her so she couldn't move.
"What?" she managed to shriek before one wrapped across her mouth.
"Now…" Sophie spoke quieter, "air if you please." She crouched at the witch's side. "Open up her hand."
The witch felt the pressure between her fingers increase and slowly force them apart. The heart dropped from her grasp and Sophie caught it.
"Thank you."
Taking the heart carefully over to Howl she crouched by his side.
"Calcifer?"
The heart flamed a little.
"Sophie," his voice was barely audible, "I feel so tired."
"Just a little longer," she replied. "How do I free you?"
"Only you can do it Sophie. You can speak magic into things."
"Okay. I'll try." She closed her eyes. "Let Calcifer be free and let Howl live." She opened her eyes and put her hands on Howl's chest, shoving the heart in as she did so, "Now get in there and work!"
The heart sank straight in. There was a flash of multi-coloured light and something flew from Howl.
"I'm free!" Calcifer laughed as he whipped around in the air, darting all over the place and vanished into the trees.
Howl gave a shuddering breath, which turned into a cough, and groaned.
Sophie allowed herself to smile.
There was a snapping sound and Sophie turned sharply to see the Witch breaking every rope. "You will pay for that. His choice was you or his heart. You've given him his heart so that'll cost you your life!"
Sophie got to her feet and drew away from Howl to put as much distance between him and the witch's rage as possible. She opened her mouth to call to the surroundings for help but the witch uttered a word and Sophie's voice vanished.
Backing away she tripped over a rock and fell. The witch cackled and began to gather a pulsing cloud of magic around her.
"Sophie move!"
She rolled to the side as a ball of magical fire exploded into the ground next to her, showering her with earth. She caught the smell of singed grass. She looked up to see who'd yelled. Howl was sitting up. He was muttering something, at the same time never taking his eyes off the witch who was shrieking and trying to throw off the magic he was bombarding her with.
Unable to speak Sophie watched horrified, powerless to help, as she saw Howl weakening and the witch gaining the upper hand.
There was a flash of fire and Calcifer was dancing around the witch, keeping the magical battle contained and helping Howl when he could, but they were no longer connected so could no longer support each other.
In her mind's eye Sophie imagined a line, bonding Howl to herself. She couldn't speak magic but she might be able to wordlessly order the air to create that line. Concentrating hard Sophie pushed the air together then sent her magic running down it and straight into Howl. The change was immediate. Howl started to win. She saw the colour return to his face, the very air spark around him. He glanced at her in confusion, then back to the witch. He got to his feet and she had to, in turn, to keep the connection.
The witch was disappearing under a swirling cloud. There was a terrible screech and it was over. The cloud dispersed leaving a pile of ashes. The tie broke and Sophie staggered slightly, feeling drained. She looked over to Howl who was standing rather unsteadily, relying, she realised, for the first time, only on his own resources.
"Sophie?" He smiled at her. She returned it and threw herself into his arms. Their lips met briefly in a tender kiss before they drew back.
"You were lending me your magic?"
She nodded. Howl gave a bewildered look. "Why?"
She made a face and opened her mouth but no sound came out. Howl laughed.
"Took away your voice did she? I think I might keep it on, save arguments."
Don't you dare! She thought at him furiously.
Howl was taken off guard by this then laughed again, "You truly amaze me Sophie." He gave her a playful look, "Why should I take it off?"
Because if you don't I'll mess up your hair products so badly you won't know what colour your hair will be!
His eyes widened, "You wouldn't!"
I most certainly would and if you think…
The rest of her thought was cut off as he pressed his lips to hers again.
"Don't try that every time you want me to shut up," she stated, noting that he'd given her voice back, "it won't work."
He raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Really," she nodded. "How are you feeling?" she asked more gently.
He smiled then gave a groan, "I've been better. It feels like someone's sitting on my chest."
"A heart is a heavy burden to carry,"
Howl gathered Sophie's hands in his and held them to his chest, "And you restored it to me. Thank you Sophie." He took a deep breath, "I love you."
She smiled, "I love you too."
"Hey! Have you two done with the soppy yet?"
"Calcifer! You didn't have to come back!" Howl exclaimed.
"Yeah, well I sorta missed you guys…and it looks like it's going to rain."
Sophie chuckled, "I guess we'd better go find the others."
Howl frowned, "Maybe now the witch is dead I'll be able to take that spell off the scarecrow. I'd bet that it was the witch that put the spell on him."
They went back to where they'd left Marco and Turnip Head. Marco jumped up at their approach and hugged Sophie fiercely.
"Thank goodness you're alive."
Sophie smiled down at the young boy then raised her eyes to Howl who was lifting the spell off the scarecrow.
There was a strange moment when Turnip Head's body began to wobble and contract then it was over and a handsome young man stood in his place.
Howl took a step backwards, "Prince Justin!"
Sophie was equally shocked, "The missing Prince!"
Justin gave a smile, "Thank you! I never thought I'd be changed back."
Howl looked coldly at the prince, "And now maybe you can go back and tell your brother to call off this stupid war."
The Prince's smile faded and he looked grim, "Yes, I must go tell my brother. Thank you my friends for your assistance." He gave a formal bow and left them.
Sophie stared out over the rolling expanse of grass and the sparkling blue of Star Lake, leaning her arms on the balcony.
"Sophie,"
She felt warm hands enclose her waist and rested her head against Howl's chest.
"It's beautiful."
"Yes."
She sighed deeply and happily.
"You told Marco you wouldn't leave."
"Yes," she replied, "If that's okay with you of course."
"Is it okay?" he asked in disbelief. "Sophie you must know that if you left me I'd be eternally in darkness!"
She smiled, "Well as long as we have that established."
"This means that I'll have to make more changes," Howl said. "First though…"
He slipped a ring on her finger, the third finger on her left hand. Sophie looked up at him in delight.
"When?" she asked.
Howl laughed, "As soon as you're ready. I take it that's a yes?"
She pressed her lips to his in answer, "I love you Howl. Of course it's a yes."
His eyes flashed with happiness and love, then he gave a mock sigh, "This means I'll have to remodel the castle."
He bent and kissed Sophie again.