The sun is beautiful until you're standing under it and you've forgotten your hat. Sophie cursed herself as she pored over dozens of fruits and vegetables sweating in their little wooden carts. She checked the grocery list in her hand as the midday sun beat against the top of her head. Carrots, apples, pears, potatoes… Oh forget it, there was no concentration to be had in this heat. She breathed in deeply, straightening her body and surveying the scene. Everyone was similarly affected; customers looked like boiled slugs. They dragged themselves about the square, complaining to each other about the hot air and the crowded fruit stands. Still, no one was feeling the temperature quite as hard as Sophie, who was covered from neck to toe in thick, navy cotton.

She took another deep breath, swallowing. The stiff collar about her throat reminded her that it was on the heat's side, threatening to strangle her. Nevertheless, her tradition of dressing modestly was one she refused to shake, even when it meant discomfort. At least her hat would've warded off some of it, having been enchanted by Howl some time ago to keep her cool under all circumstances. But she'd been stupid and in a hurry, and the hat was sitting expectantly on the table back in the castle. She moved to glance at the list again, but it was gone. She set her basket down, patted her pockets, checked the ground, looked under the cart…nothing. She begrudgingly picked up the first apple she saw and threw it into her wicker container.

"Psst," whispered a sudden voice to her left. She turned in time to see a white gloved hand snatch the apple from the air. The glove's arm retracted to its body, bringing the fruit to its face and sniffing. The eyes were obscured by the brim of a white top hat, but the nose was pointy, the lips thin and curved in a knowing smile. "This is a bad apple."
"Prince Justin!" Sophie shouted. Justin dropped the apple and grabbed the sides of his hat, pulling it farther down over his face.

"Shhh!" He looked around nervously, relieved only when it was certain the rest of the customers were quite busy with themselves and had no use for a tall boy in a yellow suit and a white hat.

Sophie smiled a little, the surprise wearing off now. "If you were going for an incognito look, the bowtie gives you away."

"It was enough to deceive you, miss Sophie." He was sifting through the apples now, leaning over her shoulder and fingering through the seemingly identical red masses. "Horrible day to leave these out in this temperature. Not even a canopy for the tomatoes!"

"Tomatoes soak in the heat," Sophie answered, also separating shriveled apples from juicy ones automatically. "They could do with a little sun."

"But it seems young ladies are not as keen to the heat!" She saw him nod at her in her peripheral vision. She was indeed sweating, her dress sticking to her back and her hair matted against the sides of her face. She must have looked dreadful. She turned her face completely away from his and attempted a quick smoothing of her bangs.

"Don't be ridiculous," Justin said, leaning away and blocking the sun completely. Sophie was able to turn around and look up at him now. He was dry, his blonde hair peeking out from underneath the hat, perfectly unfrizzed. Even his eyes, now revealed to be smiling down at her, were sparkling a blue like cool ice.

"You're wearing more than I am. How do you do it?" She willed herself to look unfazed by the weather.

"My father doesn't keep powerful wizards around for nothing," he said sweetly as he plopped his hat on the top of her head. She was refreshed immediately, a breeze like clean, airy mint, and something unquestionably Justin-like, wafted over her entire body. It jolted her achey muscles and bones into working order and she sighed in relief. Thinking of Howl and his similar magic charm, she seemed unimpressed.

"I have one of these," she readjusted the hat on her head.

"Oh?" he looked mildly surprised, and a bit wilted under the sudden sunlight, but he smiled. "And you came outside without it? That's very much like you Sophie, always losing your hats and your shawls."

"I didn't lose it!" she protested, turning back to the apples. She scooped one up to put it in her basket. It was overflowing with all of the things on her list. On the top of the pile was a large, smooth turnip. She gasped and looked to Justin, but he was gone. She stood in shocked silence for a few moments before heaving the basket under her arm by the handle. She nearly fell sideways with its weight. Please, she asked it silently, please allow me to carry you where I need to go! The basket grew lighter and Sophie began to sprint through the crowd. It didn't take her long to see Prince Justin moving ahead of her, against the flow of pedestrian traffic. He may have been clever but he certainly wasn't a wizard, and so instead of disappearing he was only walking away, a cheerful bounce in his step. His jacket was slung over his arm as he skipped away.

Sophie caught up to him, readjusting the growing weight of her fruits and vegetables. "Turnip!" He twitched, startled, then looked down at her.

"You caught me!" Then, as if he'd just realized, "Did I forget something on the list?" He furrowed his brow.

"No," she laughed, "I wanted to thank you. Why did you run away?"

"Cunning exits aren't only for wizards, miss Sophie. Royalty must show a bit of intriguing flare now and then. But come to think of it, it wasn't much of an exit at all. Here you are, ruining it." He smiled again.

She laughed a bit guiltily. "I only wanted to-" She tripped on an overturned cobblestone in her struggle to keep up with his long strides. She half-expected Justin to catch her, but when he didn't, she stuck her second leg out and righted herself. She stood unsteadily and turned to him, flushed with embarrassment. Justin was balancing seven potatoes in one hand, three carrots an a peach in the other, a totem pole of plums on the top of his head, and one half empty basket on the sole of a foot whose leg was dangling in the air. "Whew! Not a spill to be had." He wavered a little, then spun, dropping everything carefully into the food purse. "Who says ballet is only for girls?" He chuckled at himself and walked up to Sophie, concern spreading over his features. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said quickly, ironing out the new wrinkles in her skirt with the palms of her hands. "Just clumsy."

"I see," he said, glaring at the rock which sat smugly in the middle of the walkway. "Excuse me for a moment." He walked swiftly to the rock and kicked it clear off the path and into a cart, which buckled and spilled fresh bananas everywhere. He came walking back stiffly, smiling uneasily as a crowd of bewildered merchants circled about the stand behind him. "Did you see that miss Sophie? Making trouble even when being punished!"

Sophie had a hand over her mouth and was giggling almost uncontrollably. She only stopped as Justin folded his arms angrily, looking embarrassed and quite ruffled. He was sweating now. "I'm sorry," she said between laughs, "It's just…"

"I know," he said dismissively. He handed off the basket of food to Sophie, who nearly re-tripped herself under the burden. Without a moment's hesitation he pulled it from her hands by the handle. Sophie righted herself as Justin looked out over the town. "Which house is your delightful castle connected to? I'll transport these groceries to the doorstep."

"Actually," she said sheepishly, "Calcifer isn't connected to any of these buildings. I took the long way into town. The castle should be meeting me up on the hill."

"The hill," he repeated thoughtfully. "Rather vague."

"It isn't so vague, considering it's the only hill I climbed before first seeing the castle. And you."

"And me," he repeated again. There was silence for a moment before he looked past the road into the grassy plain beyond. "Shall I transport you and your vegetables, miss Sophie?"

She looked up at the sky. The sun wouldn't be gone for another few hours. It was a half hour walk to the hill where the flying castle would settle. Why did she choose the long route, today? Perhaps it was the fact that days were lonely without Howl. It wasn't often that he was missing from the castle, but on times when he was called in for official business with one king or another, he could be gone for days. This was one of those times, and in the three days that he had been out on various errands, Sophie found herself filling time with sewing, cooking, and more recently, long walks to the market. Today the basket was unbearably heavy, the path long, and the walk bound to be lonely. She wouldn't mind the company, and turniphead hadn't seen the castle since he became Prince Justin once again. Markl and Calcifer might be excited to see him. And she could cook him a fabulous dinner as a thank you for his help.

"Sophie?" he tapped her shoulder hesitantly. "Have I lost you?"

"Oh!" she had indeed been lost in a thought pattern he was unable to join. "Yes. I would be delighted if you'd walk me to the castle. And if you would stay for supper, of course."

Justin was taken aback. He hopped backwards a step and bowed smartly, his head dipped quite low, the basket sticking out awkwardly. "Thank you for your hospitality. I would be honored."

The market was beginning to clear due to the stifling heat. Sophie and Prince Justin began to follow suit, moving towards the misty mountains far in the distance. Sophie decided she must have twisted her ankle when she tripped, for every step on her left foot brought her a twinge of pain. She ignored it for a good five minutes, but as they left level land and began to climb, she developed a noticeable limp.

"Sophie," Justin said, observing her legs, "You are hurt."

"No," she said, a tad breathless, "Just a little stiff from the fall."

He stopped short and stilled her with a large hand against her shoulder. "It won't do you any good to keep putting pressure on it." He put his free hand over his eyes like a visor and looked back at the town, too far to walk quickly back to now, then up the hill, still a good fifteen minutes away. "Hm…"

"I'm fine, truly!" Sophie began to walk again, stumbling. Suddenly, the hurt was too much. It was as if Justin's mention of it had excited her foot into rebellion.

"Aha," he said almost haughtily, "You're incapacitated."

"Hardly!" She took a daring step forward and gritted her teeth in pain. She tried to turn this into a wide smile, which only served to threaten the prince into taking a step back.

"The monster bares her fangs!"

Sophie found this to be a very Howl-ish response, and in effect she softened and began to laugh. "It does hurt a little," she admitted slowly. "But there really is no time to complain. I have to get home to Markl!"

He turned skyward. "No wizard Howl to call?" He peered at the clouds as if the man might be waiting behind one of them. A welcome breeze rustled past them, carrying a few leaves, a warm scent, and no Howl.

"No," she said, walking determinedly again, "He's off on silly errands for people like you."

He caught the bitterness in her words and frowned. "I assure you miss Sophie, people like me ask little of their hired help. I would only ask for assistance in matters where it was honestly required. Something that you should be doing, now that I think of it." He watched her limp a few more steps before cutting her off and kneeling in front of her. "Up you go now."

She stopped, staring at his back questioningly. "Pardon?"

Justin sat the basket beside him and wrapped his arms backwards and behind each of her knees. Then, with a little 'hmph' of exertion, he stood straight, taking Sophie with him. She yelped loudly and clung to the back of his shirt for stability, nearly slipping and yanking his bowtie until it choked him.

"Sophie," he strained, "It's all right. I've got you. Could you… loosen your grip--" he coughed—"a little?"

"Oh!" she released the tie, listening to him take a deep breath as she placed her hands delicately on his sweating shoulders. "I'm sorry." Then, realizing she was wearing a skirt, she began to struggle again. "Put me down! I can walk!"

He laughed. "I said it's all right, Sophie!" He shifted a little, moving his arms under her legs so that he could reach down and pick up the basket. She could feel his fingers probing the backs of her thighs in his attempt to keep a firm grasp on her. Even with the enchanted hat, Sophie felt her face grow incredibly warm. "Really your highness, I can--"

"Formalities now, Sophie? Trust me." He began to walk forward, carrying her on his back like a small child. Compared to his long, wiry build, she did look much like a little girl clinging to him from behind. The clouds passed silently over their heads, casting the occasional shadow over the pair as they climbed the shallow, grassy mountain. Wind played in the weeds and through the petals of flowers, rustling gently. The air was heavy but Sophie could barely feel it, trapped against Justin's back and under the influence of his hat's magic, she had the sudden urge to sleep. Conversation was light, casual, as typical as any discussion about the weather could get, and then Sophie was leaning her cheek against one warm, working shoulder blade, her eyelids heavy and fluttering. She thought about the thickness of his shirt, even with the jacket removed, and then how it felt to press her face against Howl's thin silky top , the white one that was so big it endangered the baring of one, perfect shoulder...