Out in the Cold
Chapter 2
Hello, everyone! Welcome to Chapter 2 of Out in the Cold. Last time, Howl found a young girl outside a bakery when he went on an errand for Sophie. He decided to bring the girl home to the castle. Well, I hope you will enjoy the second chapter! Please review, and keep in mind, if you give me flames, they will go straight to Calcifer to make him bigger and stronger!!!!!! Muahahahaha!
Zeldafan3
Howl's POV:
I led the girl to an empty room in my moving castle. The girl was wearing the white dress I had found her in. Her hair, which was black, was still a little bit tangled and limp. I motioned to her to sit down on the bed. She was hesitant at first but then she followed and sat down on the bed. I said to her, "This will be your new home. Please don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it." She looked up at me in disbelief, or maybe it was gratefulness, I couldn't tell. I turned and walked out of the room. I sat down by the fireplace on a chair. Suddenly, the fire rose up from the fireplace and said, "You look worried, Howl. Is something the matter?" I stared out into space, lost in thought.
"…Howl? Howl?"
I looked around to see who had called me. Then I looked forward.
Calcifer waved a fiery hand in front of my face.
"Earth to Howl!" he said.
"Oh, Calcifer. What is it?"
He replied, "I just thought you looked worried. Is something the matter?"
I smiled and said, "I just found this girl when I was going to buy bread for Sophie. I'm worried about her. I wonder where she came from?"
Calcifer nodded and asked, "Where is she now?"
"She's sleeping", I replied.
"Did she tell you her name?" Calcifer asked.
"She said her name was Liese", I replied.
"Liese…" Calcifer said thoughtfully.
I said, "I'll go check on her now, Calcifer, if you don't mind."
"Sure", Calcifer said.
I stood up from the chair and walked toward the room Liese was sleeping in. I placed my hand lightly on the doorknob and turned it. I opened the door, and I saw Liese sleeping soundly. She was still wearing the white dress I first saw her in. As I looked at her, I noticed a small pendant on a chain around her neck. It was a very pretty pendant. It was a red heart inlaid with red jewels and white wings on the right and left sides of the heart. I reached out my hand and lifted up the pendant to get a closer look at it. It felt warm in my hands. Then, I heard a knock on the door. I gently laid the pendant back down and crossed the room to the doorway. I opened the door to see Sophie standing there with a tray. On the tray was a bowl of steaming soup, a plate of sliced bread and a spoon.
"Could you wake Liese up and feed this to her?" Sophie asked.
"Sure", I said, taking the tray from her. Sophie smiled and closed the door. When the door was closed, I set the tray down next to Liese's bed and sat down on a small stool next to her bed. I nudged her gently, and waited. Slowly, her eyes began to open, like a flower opening its petals after a winter sleep. She looked at me with her beautiful brown eyes.
I helped her get up, and said to her, "Sophie made you some soup. Would you like to have some now?" She nodded slowly, and I began to feed her the soup. As I fed her, I felt happy that I was able to help someone in need.
End of Chapter 2
