It was the same blond that saved me from those annoying soldiers, dammit it was Howl. "Master Howl, the King's messengers were here," Markl tells him as he walks into the room. "They said you have to report to the palace as both Pendragon and Jenkins." I look at Sophie, shaking my head to point to Howl, she just looked at me in confusion. I sigh looking at her in disappointment before she went back to cooking the bacon.
"Calcifer?" Howl smiles in amusement. "You're being so obedient."
"Not on purpose. That dog bullied me." Cal complains and Howl looks towards me, I look all innocent playing Cal for a fool. "I'm not joking." I look at Howl, god was he wonderful.
"I can't not talk, it was me, I bullied Cal into making food, I was hungry," I speak finally, I look around at the others and laugh. "Just a talking dog here nothing odd at all." I joke getting Howl to laugh slightly.
"Not just anybody could bully Calcifer?" He compliments me. "And you are… Who?" He asks, turning towards Sophie.
"Uh, you can just call me Grandma Sophie. I'm your new cleaning lady. I just started work today." She tells him seeming nervous. "Serena came with me." She nods towards me and he nods in understanding.
"Give that to me," Howl says gently, he slides into Sophie's place and takes the wooden spoon from her. "I believe you want some too?" He asks me and I nod at him watching him cook. "Hand me three more slices of that bacon and eight more of those eggs." He directs and Sophie hesitates for a second before handing over the plate of bacon and she handed the eggs over to him. As he cracked the eggs he fed them to Cal, he ate them happily. "So, then, who hired you to clean?" Howl asks Sophie as she looks more nervous for us, well more herself.
"Cal did. He's disgusted by how dirty it is in here." I jump in saving Sophie from her stutter fest. He hummed to himself in response then asks Markl to get the plates for us.
"Wait a second, you're all gonna eat while I do all the work?" Cal rants.
"You did eat the eggshells, I had the impression that you could do everything," I remark.
"That's so kind thank you, Serena." Cal blushes as I jump off the hearth to the table. I jump onto the top of the table, sitting waiting for my food. Howl slides over my plate, Markl passes me a bowl of water as I look at it with annoyance as I was to forever maybe drink everything from a bowl. Gross.
"Which do you want? You can only get one 'cause the rest are dirty." Markl asks, holding two spoons and a fork to Sophie, he was so cute looking all innocent.
"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Sophie mutters to herself, Howl hands out slices of bread to all of us. I begin to eat my food trying to avoid anything on my face as it would be a pain to get off and Sophie would have to give me a bath, I wasn't ready to have that embarrassing moment. I look up at Howl to see him looking at me, he seems to have a look of pity on his handsome face and I never really liked people pitying me. "Even the manners are a mess in this house," She says quietly as Markl digs into his food hastily.
"So, what do you have hidden in your pocket, Sophie?" Howl asks suddenly, I look at her confused. She paused in eating her food, she lets her egg drop back onto her plate before she sets her spoon down and reaches into her pocket to reveal a red folded card.
"What is this?" Sophie asks confused.
"Give it to me," Howl says to her, she shrugs, handing over the red card. The card sparks into small flames as it touches Howl's hand, I jump up growling at the flames. It opens as it falls to the surface, it disappears revealing a mark on the tables appearing like scorch marks. Markl gasps in shock, leaning over in his chair to get a better look, I lie on my stomach looking down my nose at the scorch mark.
"Scorch marks. Howl, can you read them?" Markl asks his superior.
"That is ancient sorcery. And quite powerful too." Howl tells him.
"It's from the Witch of The Waste?" Markl asks I look at them, I know Sophie and me can't tell them it was her but she just told them herself. What was the point?
"'You who swallowed a falling star, o, heartless man, your heart shall soon belong to me.'" Howl reads. "That can't be good for the table." I glance over at Sophie, it seems to have gone over her head. Howl wipes his hand over the mark with smoke rising from his hand and it wipes away, leaving a clean surface, sort of. He brings his hand back to his chest, trying to hide the burn marks on his hand.
"Wow, it's gone," Markl exclaims, leaning close to see the result.
"The mark may be gone, but the spell is still there," Howl says, he clutches his coat tighter around him then stands up from his seat. "Excuse me, my friends, please continue your meal." He picks up his uneaten meal, he carries it over to Cal. "Calcifer, move the castle 60 miles to the west," He orders, pouring his food into Cal's mouth then walks up the stairs but stops halfway. "And while you're at it, make hot water for my bath," I smirk as Cal groans in irritations and Howl continues up the stairs.
"You're not working for the Witch of The Waste, are you?" Markl asks suspiciously.
"I would never work for that witch! She's the one who…!" She explodes on him but trails off as she tries to say what the witch had done to us. "I'm actually a…" She tries saying something else but it still wouldn't work. She sits up straight with her hands in the air then slams them back down on the table, knocking books and the food to the floor. Markl holds up his plate missing the tremble of the table, knocking me to the floor, I yelp out as I crash to the floor. "If I ever get my hands on that witch, I'm going to wring her fat neck!" She shouts out. "Finish your breakfast." She growls out at Markl, she finishes her food as I jump up back onto the table.
"Soph, you should stop and say sorry to Markl for spooking him," I demand.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, Markl," Sophie grumbles to Markl, she goes back to her food eating slowly. I jump down from the table walking over to the hearth and jump up sitting down next to Cal.
"Goodness you'd think she was the bad sister." I mock, gaining a glare from Sophie.
Sophie soon begins to work on cleaning the castle, she was in her usual wear but modified like she does at home, no shame for the old Sophie as she wears a cloth covering her mouth with one covering her hair, she had her dress tied up, she looks amazing. "I've had enough of this!" She tells me, sweeping the roof angrily before sweeping the floor. "You bugs better run before I bite your heads off!" Sophie hisses as all types of critters run across the room trying to escape their fate. "I'm sick of being treated like some timid little old lady!" I try staying out of her way as she sweeps everything in sight, knocking down books and jars to the floor. Markl runs around the room going inside and outside the castle trying to save what he could from the evil cleaner. I jump out the way as Sophie tries to sweep me up too, I race over to the hearth knowing I'd be somewhat safe from her for now.
"When are you going to clean the bath and me?" I ask her over her ranting.
"Soon wait." She yells at me as she cleans more of the place. I look at Cal who seems to be dimming more and more.
"Soph, Cal's dying!" I shout out to her as she grabs a bed sheet, placing it on the floor.
"Sophie! Please help me! I'm going out!" Cal shouts out in desperation. "Please, get me some firewood, quick! Hey, please help me. Wait, what are you doing?" He asks, as she grips hold of the metal stake picking up the tongs grabbing onto the long Cal was on, he was put in a bucket as Sophie took all the ash from the hearth getting some on me.
"Thank you, Sophie, I've got ash on my paws." I snap at her as I watch Cal struggle to stay on the log.
"Don't! I'll fall! You crazy lady with tongs." Cal cries out in distress.
"You'll be fine," Soph assures him calmly.
"I'll fall! Help! Make her get me out of here Serena quick!" Cal yells.
"Sophie Hatter!" I shout out at her, worried for Cal, Sophie seems to have heard me as she turns to me and Cal as she went out to get rid of the ash, I had to do something. "Howl, hurry Calcifer is in trouble!" I shout as I run to the bottom of the stairs creating soot paw prints on Sophie's clean floor, So sad. The sound of the bathroom door slamming open in a haste, as Howl all clean and proper races down the stairs to Cal's rescue. He goes to the hearth with the bucket with Cal inside, he picks it up and puts on two new logs for the hearth. He tips up the bucket over his hand, I jump up back onto the hearth to see Cal had turned blue, Howl blows onto Cal soon he grows to burn red. Howl places Cal back onto the grate with the new logs, I go closer to Cal to see if he was okay, a hand sits on my head patting it.
"Thank you, Serena," Howl says to me, if I could I would be blushing right now. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't torment my friend," He tells Sophie once she came back in with Markl. He walks off towards the stairs to the door and both Sophie and Markl move out of the way.
"Master Howl, are you going out now?" Markl asks him, Howl closes the door and turns the dial to the black one.
"Markl, Serena, make sure the cleaning lady doesn't get carried away while I'm gone." He orders us with a sweet smile, he opens the door and flies off into the darkness. The door slams behind him switching back to the Porthaven door again.
"Sophie, what did you do now?" Markl demands I look at my sister accusingly and all she does is shrug her shoulders.
"She almost smothered me! If I die, Howl dies too, I hope you know." Cal yells, and I look at him with concern.
"Oh, be quiet. You're alright. Now quit bothering me, I've got to clean the floor again, Serena?" Sophie says, then looks at me, I jump down the hearth and run to Markl hiding behind his legs.
"I was trying to save Cal." I defend myself. Sophie gets her mop again, doing the floor for the second time before making her way up the stairs. Markl races after her interception her at the top of the stairs trying to stop her. I race up there to have a look.
"Wait, you can't come up here!" Markl cries out.
"Whatever you don't want me to clean, better hide it now," Sophie warns him trying to hide her mischievous grin.
"Save my room for last, okay?" Markl gasps, running off into his room. Sophie cackles and I look around the hallway.
"These little outbursts seem to be giving me some energy." She mutters as she continues up the stairs. I run out of her way back downstairs with Cal.
"Thank you for saving me, Serena." Cal thanks me.
"That's okay, I was only trying to help." I smile, I see Sophie race down to the middle of the stairs looking at us with awe across her face.
"Are you the one moving the castle?" Soph asks Cal, I look at her like she was missing some brain cells.
"Of course I am. No one else does any work around here." Cal moans rolling his eyes.
"I am thoroughly impressed!" Sophie gasps with sparkles in her eyes. "You are a first class fire demon. I like your spark." She winks at him before going back up the stairs to clean more of the castle. Cal sparks turning a darker red, almost purple.
"She likes my spark! Haha," He cheers looking at me as I laugh at him.
"I thought she was trying to kill you?" I ask him.
"Not anymore," He replies, I just laugh.
I was outside with Markl and Sophie as they were doing the laundry with Turnip Head as I play around in the grass. "Serena, it's bath time," Soph yells to me. I stop moving hoping she hadn't seen me yet. "I can still see you, Serena." She calls out, I huff in annoyance before running to the castle past Sophie.
I run down the stairs after my bath shaking my tiny body to get rid of any of the water my sister had missed. I jump onto the hearth next to Cal to keep warm, I got too relaxed and soon dozed off into sleep.