Chapter 7 - Hope

"No… It couldn't be…"

Sophie's honey-brown eyes, once dull and lifeless, stared widely at the small figure in front of her.

"Markl…" she silently whispered to herself, trying to grasp what her eyes were telling her. Slowly, she shook her head back and forth in an attempt to dispel the vision of the little boy that had wound his way deep into her heart so long ago. However, this was no illusion. He was really there, standing mere feet from her.

"How…" she started, but was soon cut off as Markl, seeming to have finally come back to himself, spun on his heals and broke into a thundering run. In no time at all, his outline was fully engulfed in the shadows of the hall, leaving only the slight echo of foot falls in his wake.

"Wait!" Sophie's anguished cry bounced off the hall as she scrambled forward and onto her feet. She raced onward, heading in the direction of the slight echo of small feet only a few strides ahead.

Her mind still could not comprehend how he could be alive. She had just assumed like everyone else that she was the only survivor of their makeshift family. But this changed everything.

If Markl had survived, then maybe…

Filled with a new sense of hope, Sophie strove onwards into the dark hall. It abruptly ended with a flight of wooden stars which Sophie took without hesitation. The hollow sounds of the wooden planks giving underneath her weight creaked and groaned as she sharply turned the corner to take the second flight, her right hand sliding on the banister to keep her balanced. She raced down three more flights just to turn the corner and see the small figure in front of her reach the last stair, about to run onward into the dull night.

"Stop. Markl," she called out, out of breath, hugging the pole of the stair to keep herself upright. The figure stilled as if carefully contemplating what to do next, then plunged into the passage before him, one much darker than the one preceding it.

Heaving a sigh of frustration, Sophie took the last set of steps two at a time and plunged into the darkness after him.

The passage was long and gloomy, more of a tunnel than a hallway. Her boots now thundered on dark cobblestones instead of the soft wood of the upper stories, making an eerie reverberation on the stone walls with each ragged step. Faintly up ahead could still be heard the tale-tell sign that she was not alone; however Sophie could no longer see her quarry.

With it being such a late hour, there were only a few scattered lights still lit around the castle. This one passage, unfortunately, seemed to be one that was very seldom used after dark and not one torch stood lit to illuminate her path. Sophie was then forced to blindly stumble through the tunnel with no telling where she was being led. Nevertheless, Sophie did not waste one thought to her wellbeing. Her train of thought was strictly elsewhere as she raced onwards, her black boots making a clinging noise on the cobblestone floor.

The passage abruptly led to an open porch lined with wide, stone columns that were evenly spaced between rows of simple, white banister. Still running hard, Sophie caught herself on the top bar of the banister, her hands grasping the smooth, polished wood absently. Softly, she raised her head to take in the surroundings in front her with child-like wonder.

From the look of it, she was somewhere in the servant's quarters on the outskirts of the castle, the soft, grassy knoll of the castle grounds spread out before her. She had never been in this side of the castle before, choosing the solitude of the open terraces and empty halls instead of the more habitable places such as this. In the dead of night, though, the place was oddly deserted, giving it an eerie feeling all around.

Vaguely, her mind registered that in less than a few hours, this place would be teeming with life, so completely different than it was now. To think of all those people, so carefree and happy, going on with their day without one care in the world…

Reluctantly, Sophie tore herself from her thoughts and turned her head sharply back to the hall, her eyes searching. A flash of reddish-brown shone in the faint moonlight just to disappear some way ahead. Pushing herself off from the banister, she raced forward once again, easily breaking into an adrenaline-enhanced run. She leaned forward slightly, gently lifting her dress to ensure she did not trip. Around her, the world was strangely mute, the only sound the frantic beating of her heart ringing in her ears and the sharp exhale of breath as her lungs diligently pumped her raging body with much needed oxygen. Even the slight rustle of wind that had so enthralled her before was oddly silent.

Sophie reached the end of the hall and grasped the handle for am opaque, glass door in front of her. However, something gave her pause as her fingers grasped the cold, metal handle. There was something familiar about this place; something she should stay away from and sent warning bells ringing in her head. Diligently, she pushed the glass door open, stepping into the large, spacious greenhouse before her. Bathed in moonlight, the greenhouse took on a different light, almost ominous. Feeling the door close silently behind her, Sophie edged her way slowly forward, trying to make the least amount of sound possible. The tall, exotic plants flanking her soon dissipated, leaving her mere feet from a person she would have never wished to meet again. Bathed in the soft moonlight coming from the glass ceiling sat none other than Madam Suliman herself, her face turned towards the large, dark windows beyond.

For a moment, Sophie just stood there, frozen to the spot, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Then, she inched her left foot backwards with great care, not trusting her self to breathe least she give away her presence. Yet, as she took another step in retreat, Mrs. Suliman turned her head, freezing Sophie in her place.

"Won't you to join me, Miss Hatter," Mrs. Suliman motioned towards the small chair to her side that had not been there a second before.

Sophie stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Obviously, escape was now out of the question.

"Where's Markl," Sophie asked, not taking her eyes off of Mrs. Suliman. Something wasn't right about this, she was sure about it. This seemed too much of a quincidence.

"You shall see him when the time comes, but not right now. Come. Sit with me." Again, she beckoned to the seat next to her.

Sophie's eyes narrowed in suspicion, her mind racing. "he was never here, was he. This is just one of your games."

"All in good time, Mrs. Hatter, but at the moment there are more pressing issues to discuss. You will just have to trust me for the time being that he is unharmed."

"And why should I believe you? You have done nothing to earn my trust" Sophie said, standing her ground, still weary of the old woman in front of her.

Mrs. Suliman sighed wearily, letting her eyes slide closed as she did so. "I know that this might be hard, but you have to trust me. At least give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that I have never wished to harm you. Everything that I have done was for the general good."

"Really now, that's what you call it," Sophie raised an eyebrow in speculation, "well, let me tell you, you've done a wonderful job showing it."

"I had to make sure that Howl would not be lost to us, that he would regain his heart before it was too late. I assure you, I was only looking out for his welfare. I never would have wanted anything like this to happen." she replied, annunciating her words deliberately as if talking to a small child.

Sophie let out a snort of disbelief, her left hand digging into her right forearm to try to dispel the stab of ache that she felt when thinking about him. "Well, we all know how great that turned out in the end."

A long silence filled the air as Sophie let her words dissipate into the air. Quickly, she turned her gaze from the old woman, no longer able to look at her. Her eyes drifted intently to the large windows and the darkness beyond. Slowly, she seeped back into her thoughts, trying desperately to make sense of what her mind was telling her. Madam Suliman stayed silent, waiting patiently for Sophie to make the next move.

Softly, she raised her right hand to rub her shoulder absently, trying on a subconscious level to give herself comfort. "I guess it doesn't really matter now anyway. Even if your intentions were good at the time, it won't bring him back. He's still gone, and nothing can change that." She whispered into the night, her eyes never swaying from the cold, darkness outside.

"Your wrong." Mrs. Suliman uttered loudly, causing Sophie's head to turn sharply in her direction.

"If you haven't noticed, Howl is dead. Gone. Never coming back. Even I have given up the hope of his return. It's too late, Mrs. Suliman."

"It is never too late," Madam Suliman answered, her voice adding in intensity.

Sophie turned her head away sharply, not believing what she was hearing. "Well, then you are more senile than I remembered. Nothing can bring the dead back to life, everyone knows that."

"Howl is not completely dead."

Sophie stilled, reverting her full gaze back towards the figure in front of her. "What kind of fool do you take me for? I don't know what game you're playing here but if you think…"

"I assure you, I know you no fool. What I speak is the truth. You can still bring him back," Mrs. Suliman interrupted before Sophie could finish, her words so filled with passion and the need for understanding that Sophie stilled. Slowly, she let the words sink in to her, letting the fullness of their meaning fill her soul.

"You—you mean… we could actually bring him back?" she asked in a small voice, a small thread of hope that she had never let herself feel slowly burning in her voice.

"Not we, child, but you. You are the only one that could ever have the chance of succeeding."

"But how?" she whispered, still not trusting her voice.

"Though the pendant."

Sophie's hand subconsciously went up to touch the soft, blue stone hanging around her neck underneath her clothes. "But how did you…"

"It is of no consequence." Mrs. Suliman replied hastily. "All you need to know is that through it, you can bring Howl back."

"Wait, I don't understand. How can this trinket bring him back?" Sophie clutched the blue stone to her, her eyes pleading.

"You've done it before. This pendant is made from the same stone as that ring you once wore. You should be able to find him, if your heart truly wishes it."

"You mean when I found out about Howl's past? I don't know how I did it—it just happened. A once in a life-time thing. How am I ever to do it again?"

"You'll know when the time comes. But, before you take on this burden, I must know, how far will you go to bring Howl back?"

"I'd do anything." Sophie replied without hesitation.

"I must warn you, though, the journey is not an easy one and the price demanded is great; sometimes greater than what is gained. Your heart must not waver, for one stray step, and all fails. Sometimes, it is not for us to play God, for nothing is ever free. Could you live with this burden? To risk all that you have done and defy nature with only a slight hope of victory? Could you live with knowing that you willingly caused everyone that has cared for you pain and anguish with your death? You do not have to do this. You could just live on as you were intended with Prince Justin."

Sophie thought carefully about what the old women was implying. She could live here; leave the way of things as they were meant to be. If she actually put effort towards getting past the pain and grief, she was sure that life could be better for her. She could even learn to love Justin, with time. She may one day even be happy. Could she really be so selfish as to intentionally make everyone who cared for her: Lettie, her mother, Prince Justin, and Markl (if he was still alive), suffer from the grief that has so become a part of her life? She could live on, if she put the effort forth.

However, even as these thoughts crossed her mind, Sophie already knew what she planed to do.

Without a doubt in her mind, Sophie stepped forward and gave her answer.

Let me tell you, writers block is the worst and I'd never wish it on anyone.

Sorry about the delay. At the time, I had this chapter fully planned out, however it did not go as planed. Life got in the way and all that but I won't bore you with my personal life. I feel really bad about not getting back until this late, however I wanted to wait until I had at least one other chapter finished before I posted anything else. The next chapter should be done around Halloween as a special treat, but no promises.

But before I go any further in my rantings…

Over 60 reviews! Thank you so much! You rock, people ;-)

Special thanks to: Kirseis: wow, thanks so much for the encouragement. It's an honor. Hope your patience paid off this time too. Avidlydreaming: as always ;) Keeper of the Times, S.Mercury: watching too much anime is a bad thing hides lots of love for the encouragement! Glad you enjoy the cliffies, since I just ended with another one ;) cookiemonsterks: ugh, the dreaded spelling! Hope this holds up to your expectations. Dreamz: it's nice to see a familiar face. Thanks so much for staying with me so long! couples lover!: because it's too much fun not to ;) sorry about the wait. Hope you enjoyed it! Shell, kataragirl11, Mini, cherryblossom64: thank you . whatsherface-ice, Grassina3: hope this clears things up for you a bit. You'll just have to wait and see! SunnyGoesNorth: will do, thanks so much. Terriah, and finally QuickStar. I always hold reverence for the last reviewer. Thank you so much and I'm sorry it took so long.

Just as a clarification, I am not going to ever give up on this story. No matter how long it'll take me, I'll try to update as soon as I can.

One last thing…

As always, I am so grateful to those of you who have read this and enjoyed it, even if you have not reviewed. Thank you so much and I hope to see you soon!

Lots of love,

onerogueangel