Author's Note:

Thank you so much everyone for your awesome reviews. :)

I apologize for not updating sooner. I had a problem with my internet connection so I wasn't able to update.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter and keep reviewing!

Chapter Eight:

Howl banged open the wooden entrance door to his castle and went inside, he let out an exasperated sigh and called out to Markl. Calcifer watched Howl quietly as he laid down on the large chaise-lounge placed right next to the staircase and closed his eyes, Markl came down running and stood beside Howl, he was panting and had his hands on his knees. He waited for Howl to speak up but when he didn't, Markl asked him, "what *pants* do you need me *pants* for, master Howl?", he managed to say that through his uneven breaths.

"Get me a glass of water, Markl", Howl said keeping his eyes closed. Markl was overjoyed to be requested for something by Howl, he wanted Howl to depend a little bit on him, it made him feel as if they were a family. "I'll get it right away!", he said in his chirpy voice and ran towards the kitchen, he came back quickly and gave the glass of water to Howl. Howl sat up on the chaise-lounge and gulped down the cool water in one go to cool down his system, he handed the glass back to Markl. "Good boy", Howl praised him and ruffled his hair fondly, Markl blushed shyly and smiled sweetly at Howl before going back to the kitchen to put away the glass.

"Do you need anything else, master Howl?", Markl asked him expectantly, Howl smiled at his enthusiasm and shook his head, he was fond of Markl and occasionally asked the little boy to do things for him, he wanted Markl to feel like a part of the family so Howl paid extra attention towards him, "did you practice the spells I taught you?", he asked Markl.

"Yes, master Howl, I practice them everyday, but I'm not very good at casting them", he said and slumped his shoulders depressingly.

Howl patted his shoulder and said, "when I was your age, I was very bad at casting spells too, everyone used to say that I was a good-for-nothing brat", he knit his brows together to add gravity to his 'inspiring' story and continued, "but as I grew up, I became the most exceptional wizard, do you know why?", he raised his right brow to question Markl. The boy shook his head so Howl continued, "because I believed in myself. So, Markl, don't worry about being bad at casting spells, just believe in yourself and keep practicing, I'm sure you'll turn out to be a great wizard"

Markl smiled brightly at the encouraging words of Howl and nodded his head, "you're the best, master Howl!", he exclaimed. Howl grinned at being called the best and pinched Markl's cheek. "Go, practice your spells", Howl said as he turned Markl around and gave him a light push from the back, Markl nodded and ran upstairs to his room.

"That kid likes you a lot", said Calcifer in his saucy tone, he was as usual chewing on the logs and keeping the castle warm, "I'm aware of that", a gentle smile touched his lips as Howl said that. He laid down on the chaise-lounge again and covered his eyes with his arm. Calcifer eyed Howl for a while who was breathing evenly and drumming his fingers against the soft red fabric of the chaise-lounge. From his experience, Calcifer had learnt that whenever something was troubling Howl, he would become quiet as a log until someone asked him about his problems. Calcifer snapped a log with his hands and nibbled on it, "so, what's troubling you?", Calcifer asked him as he chewed on the log, Howl sighed, got up from the chaise lounge and went near the hearth to sit on his comfy chair, "you remember Madam Suleiman, don't you?", he asked Calcifer.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Well, I met that old hag today"

"And?"

"And she told me that it was the prince who wanted me in the Royal Army and he wants to meet me now since I've rejected his offer so many times"

"Uh-huh"

"She was ordered by the Prince to publicly shun me from Ingary if I rejected to meet him this time"

"And let me guess, you agreed to meet him, didn't you?"

"Yes, what else was I suppose to do? I can't risk being shunned from Ingary otherwise I won't be able to mee-", Howl stopped abruptly without completing his sentence.

"Oh for the love of God! How can I forget that your sweet Sophie lives in Ingary?", Calcifer said mockingly and looked heavenwards while shaking his head, "never mind, when is your meeting with the Prince?"

"Three days from now, he's throwing a ball and I'm supposed to meet him there", Howl pinched the bridge of his nose and took a long pause before adding, "Calcifer, you know I hate the Royal people, they make me suffocate with all the authority and power they try to flaunt off at people around them"

Calcifer snorted and said, "you're no different from them either", Howl narrowed his eyes at him, "at least I don't make people suffocate", he said haughtily. Calcifer grinned, Howl was right about that, no matter how much he vexed Calcifer with his commanding attitude, Howl never once made him feel suffocated in his presence. And that was exactly what Calcifer liked about him.

Calcifer was busy grinning when an idea popped in his mind, "hey, Howl, aren't you supposed to take a partner with you at balls?", he said with a smirk, Howl looked at Calcifer and got confused by the look he was giving him, "yes", Howl said in a disconcerted fashion. Calcifer's smirk turned into a grin and he said with a glint in his eyes, "who cares about your meeting with the prince? you've got a golden opportunity at your hands, my boy", Calcifer's puzzling words were increasing Howl's frustration.

He gave Calcifer a frustrated look and Calcifer's grin grew wider as he said in an impish tone, "well, you need a partner to go with you at the ball, and who could be better than Sophie?", suddenly realization dawned on Howl and he finally understood what Calcifer was trying to say. Howl was suddenly very curious to know what Calcifer was trying to say next. Calcifer couldn't help but chuckle at his keen expression, "this is your chance to win her, Howl, she'll be with you all night if you take her to the ball".

Howl's face lit up and he forgot all about his meeting with Prince Justin, he hadn't thought about the possibility of taking Sophie as his partner to the ball till now, he couldn't wait to go to Sophie's place and ask her to go to the ball with him. Calcifer smiled at his exuberant expression and coughed to snap out Howl from his deep reverie. Howl looked at Calcifer with a huge smile adoring his lips, he got up from his chair and lively strode towards the stairs, "Calcifer, heat up the water for my bath and thank you so much!", he said vibrantly and went upstairs humming.

… … … … … … … …

Walking down the stony pavement, with a basket full of many fancy decorative ornaments, Sophie shaded her eyes with her hand from the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful and lively day, as Sophie walked by a park, she heard the merry squeaks and cackles of the children playing nearby. A genuine smile touched her lips as Sophie saw the children playing cheerfully with each other. She liked children, because they were the only ones who truly cherished and enjoyed their lives.

A gentle gust of wind caressed Sophie, making the skirt of her dull green gown flutter with the swirling wind, she brushed away the loose strands of hair from her face and looked ahead as her shop came in view. She unlocked her door and went inside. She put the basket on her crafting table and took out the fancy ornaments from the basket. Sophie was requested by one of her regular customers to prepare a bunch of hats for a newly married Countess within a day, as the customer, who had made the request, was a very aged Marchioness, so Sophie was unable to decline her.

Sophie sat on her stool near her crafting table and started stitching the fancy embellishment on one of the plain hats. She was passing the thread through the eye of a needle when she heard a knock on the door, she got up and quickly made way to the entrance door through the small gallery. When she opened the door, she found Howl standing there with a tender smile on his face, he was looking rather plain today, clad in a comfortable cotton button-up shirt and sleek black leather trousers.

Sophie smiled at him, "what brings you here, Howl?", she asked gently and moved away to invite him in. "I just wanted to know how you're doing", he said sprightly as he walked in and went to her shop. He looked at her inquiringly when he saw the ornaments and hats scattered on her crafting table, "I was requested by one of my customers to prepare a couple of hats, I have to finish them before the sun rises tomorrow, so I was a little busy", Sophie shrugged, "would you like something to drink?", she asked him.

"No, Sophie, actually I'd like to help you with those hats", he said and picked up a plain hat from the crafting table, Sophie looked at him incredulously, "you're going to help me? Do you even know how to stitch?", she questioned him while a hearty chuckle left her mouth. Although Sophie rarely mused about anything, but she found it really amusing, the way Howl had plainly stated that fact that he'd help her. She was unaware of the implacably dubious smile on her face, but Howl was very much aware of it, he took the plain hat and moved towards Sophie, put the hat on her head and held her by the shoulders, he stooped a little bit to come face-to-face with Sophie. Her innocent and pristine expressions never ceased to amaze him, every time he looked at her soft chaste lips, he wanted to devour them there and then, but he knew he had to control himself.

He smiled at her naïve expression, "of course not" he said and inched a little closer to her ear, "but you're going to teach me". Sophie shivered when she felt his hot breath on her ear, and hastily moved away to hide her burning rosy cheeks with the brim of the hat. Howl smirked smugly at her adorable shy reaction, he loved teasing her just to see that priceless expression on her face. "Y-you don't have to help me, Howl", Sophie averted her gaze and nervously fidgeted with her hands, Howl frowned and said determinedly, "nonsense, you can't finish all these hats by tomorrow morning, haven't you heard of the expression 'two heads are better than one'?", he picked up a needle from the crafting table and passed a thread through its eye. Sophie had no choice but to allow him to help her, so she picked up a colorful ornament and took the needle from Howl's fingers, "here, let me show you how its done".

"First, you make the length of the thread equal on both sides of the needle and tie a knot at the end, like this", she twisted the ends of the thread in her fingers and tied a knot. Howl stood close to her while she demonstrated, he was paying more attention to her beautiful face than her demonstration, his heart-beat was going wild just by looking at her puckered lips. "Will you pass me a hat please?", her gentle request brought Howl back from his trance, "oh, okay", he said and handed her a hat. Her fingers brushed his large hand as she took the hat from him, causing her to blush, "uh, n-now, position the ornament in place on the hat, push the needle up through its fabric and pass it through the hole at the back of the ornament", she told him as she illustrated, "now, push the needle down through the fabric of the hat and repeat this process a few times". Sophie looked so gullible while concentrating on stitching, she had no idea that her innocent expressions were giving a hard time to Howl. Howl was enjoying his every moment with her even though he could hardly contain himself at the moment, "when you're done, secure the thread at the base by tying a knot", Sophie said in her smooth silky voice and handed a threaded needle to Howl, "now, you try it while I get more thread".

Sophie went near her crafting table and left Howl by himself. He eyed her as she opened her sewing box to get some thread from it, Howl absent-mindedly passed a needle through a plain hat, and because of his lack of concentration, he pricked himself. "Ouch!", he yelped out in pain, which quickly caught Sophie's attention and she rushed towards him, "you pricked yourself!", she stated as she saw a small drop of blood ooze out of his finger. Sophie quickly took out a piece of cotton from the first-aid box and dabbed it on his finger, Howl quietly watched the turbulent expression on her face as she cleaned the blood from his finger. She sighed after finishing and almost screamed at him, "that's why I told you not to help me!", Howl smiled at her worrisome expression and held a lock of her hair in his slick fingers and kissed it, "I didn't know that you were so much worried about me", Howl chuckled when he saw her turning scarlet. Sophie turned her head in attempt to free her lock from his fingers and hide her embarrassment. Howl was busy enjoying her embarrassment when suddenly he remembered he had to ask Sophie about the Ball.

"Uh, Sophie, actually I have a favor to ask you", he said as he cleared his throat, Sophie looked into his mesmerizing sea-blue orbs and raised her brows questioningly, "well, I was invited to the Royal ball by the Prince and I need a partner to accompany me", Sophie didn't seem to get his point because she still had a questioning look on her face, "Okay, so how can I help you?", she asked inquiringly , "you have to accompany me to the ball, Sophie", Howl said eloquently.

Uncertainty clouded her eyes, "me?", she looked surprised. Howl sighed and nodded his head. "But why me? I mean all the women in Ingary swoon over you, why don't you ask them? I'm sure they'll be happy to-", she wasn't able to finish because Howl cut in, "I don't like them because they swoon over me, I won't take anyone else with me except you, I won't go if you don't come with me", Howl pouted and crossed his arms, "and just so you know, I'll be shunned from Ingary if I don't go to the ball." Maintaining his pout, he eyed Sophie through the corners of his eyes.

Sophie was at a loss of words, she could decline him but her heart was telling her not to, she was his friend, wasn't she? Being his friend she was supposed to help him, besides she had never been to a ball before, this might be her chance to see what a ball really looked like. Sophie sighed and finally nodded her head and said yes. Howl's eyes instantly brightened up and he smiled at her, "when's the ball?" , Sophie inquired. "Two days from now", he told her, "I'll pick you at six in the evening".

"Alright, I'll wait for you", Sophie didn't have a gown to wear to the ball, but she wasn't worried about that, she could ask Lettie for one anytime. The only thing that worried her was how was she going to face so many people and dance in front of them? She didn't even know how to dance, but she couldn't possibly embarrass herself in front of everyone, so she made up her mind to ask Lettie for help first thing tomorrow.

"Can I finish the hats now?", Sophie asked Howl who had a huge grin on his face, "absolutely, but we'll finish the hats together", he replied enthusiastically, and picked up a needle and started stitching. Sophie didn't know why but every time she was with Howl she felt calm and at peace, she didn't have to put up a façade in front of him, and it was quite surprising to her that she was actually starting to appreciate her life now.

Sophie picked up another needle and started sewing the embellishments on the hats along with Howl. Every time Howl pricked himself, Sophie would either sigh or laugh at his foolishness. Both had made a deal to prepare ten hats each, when Sophie was done with her share, she went upstairs to prepare dinner as it was already six in the evening. By the time Howl had finished, Sophie was done making dinner.

"Since you helped me with the hats, I made dinner for you", Sophie told him with a smile adoring her pink lips, Howl smiled back at her, "you didn't have to make dinner for me", he said. "You helped me, Howl, its the least I could do, now come on", she invited him to her dining table.

"I made beef stew, roasted chicken and potato salad", she told him as she took off the lids of the pots, "and for dessert we have apple pie, Its not much but I hope you enjoy the meal", Howl was starving and his mouth watered when he saw the delicious looking dishes, he was feeling elated because Sophie had specially made the meal for him, he didn't know what actual felicity was until he had tasted the food Sophie had prepared, Sophie was a gifted cook. He enjoyed his every bite and thanked Sophie again and again for such an appetizing meal.

"Lock the doors properly and take care of yourself", Howl was standing in her porch, the gentle swirling wind was playing with his hair, and the soothing moonlight was highlighting his visage, making his eyes twinkle. Before taking his leave, he bent down and lightly brushed his lips across her baby-soft cheek. Sophie was caught off-guard, a deep blush colored her cheeks which made her look ethereal in the moonlight, "thanks again for the meal", he said before pulling away and smirked at her timidness. Sophie managed to thank him for his help and meekly said good-bye to him.

… … … … … … …

The next day…

After delivering the hats to the Marchioness, Sophie went on her way to the bakery in which Lettie worked, she didn't know how she was going to explain about Howl to Lettie, she just hoped that Lettie doesn't ask many questions. She sighed as she entered the bakery and waved at Lettie, Lettie's face lightened up immediately as she saw Sophie and came running towards her. "Sophie! Its so good to see you", she exclaimed happily and hugged Sophie jubilantly, Sophie hugged her back, "Its good to see you too, I need your help with something, Lettie", Sophie told her, Lettie just stared at Sophie for a moment before smiling, "finally! you need my help. So, tell me, Sophie, how can I help you?", she asked her in a playful manner. "Not here, Lettie, lets go to the pantry to talk", Sophie held her by the wrist and took her to the pantry.

"Now, tell me what's wrong?", Lettie was beginning to worry about her sister now, "Lettie, do you remember, on the May day a wizard helped me and dropped me off here?", Sophie asked her.

"Yes, what about him?"

"Actually, he became my friend after a couple of our encounters"

Lettie gasped, "Sophie, he's trying to trick you! He only wants to eat your heart! Stay away from him!"

"No, Lettie, he's not like that, I can assure you, Howl's really a very kind-hearted person"

"I don't know, Sophie, but there are so many rumors about him"

"Rumors are what people create for their own enjoyment, they're not true. Believe me, Lettie, I used to think that Howl was a bad person too, but when I got to know him, he turned out to be really different from my imagination"

Lettie was getting perplexed at Sophie, she didn't know why Sophie was taking Howl's side even-though he had a bad reputation. She sighed, Sophie was very good at judging people, if she said that Howl was a good person so he must be one. "Alright, Sophie, I believe you, you never stood up for anyone ever before, so what you're saying must be true. Anyway, what's the problem?"

"Well, I need a dress to wear to a ball and some dancing lessons"

Lettie's eyes widened and she had an incredulous look on her face, "Sophie, I can't believe it. You want a dress and dancing lessons? Please don't tell me that Howl is the reason for this"

Sophie sighed and nodded, "Why is it so hard to believe?"

If Howl's the reason for this change in Sophie, then who am I to judge him?, Lettie thought and said "Remind me to thank Howl for making you realize how to actually live life!"

Sophie smiled at her sister, "Fine, but you have to help me first"

"Deal!", she squealed, and hugged Sophie again.

"I'm so excited, Sophie, come on!", she said and took Sophie to her hostel.

Lettie took out an extravagantly beautiful navy blue satin gown from her closet, it was the most beautiful thing Sophie had ever seen. Delicately and exotically trimmed, the dress had a slightly deep boat-shaped neckline embellished with silver lace to accentuate the creamy skin of its wearer and short puffy sleeves, the bodice was decorated with intricate embroidery which matched the color of the gown. The skirt was full and elegantly structured, ruffles covered the underskirt in the form of petals which lasted near the forepart of the skirt to reveal the hem of the pleated navy blue underskirt, the hem of each ruffle was gilded with silver lace, to put it simply it was a perfect ball gown.

Sophie caressed the fabric of the gown which shone in the incandescent light of the ceiling lamp, it felt so soft and smooth like a feather. She was busy caressing the exotic gown, when Lettie's shrilling voice caught her attention, "you like it?", Lettie was grinning from ear to ear, "Its perfect, Lettie", Sophie replied. Lettie clapped her hands to show her cheerfulness, "now, lets go to Madam Rose for your dancing lessons", she said and hung the gown back into the closet. Sophie followed Lettie as she led the way to the studio in which Madam Rose held the dancing classes.

Madam Rose was an excellent dancer, she mastered in almost all kinds of classical dances, on the request of the ladies of Ingary, she had started teaching dancing at her home. When Sophie and Lettie arrived at her studio, Madam Rose was demonstrating ballet dancing to a group of young girls. Madam Rose dismissed the young girls and excused herself when she saw Sophie and Lettie standing at her porch. Lettie introduced Sophie to Madam Rose and requested her to teach Sophie how to waltz.

Madam Rose was very patient with Sophie and showed her the basics of waltz dance in detail. Sophie was never acquainted with any form of dancing before, so all the rhythmic body movements felt a little but strange to her. She made many mistakes at first but Madam Rose kept her cool with Sophie. Finally, after many trials and errors, Sophie managed to learn the basics of waltz dance by the end of the day.

… … … … … … …

"Thank you so much for your help, Lettie", Sophie smiled at her younger sister as she stood in front of her hostel, "no problem, Sophie, in fact I'm so happy to help you", said a gleeful Lettie. Sophie had a huge rectangular box in her hands inside of which was the same gown Lettie had lent her, "I'll come at your place around three in the afternoon tomorrow and help you with the gown", Lettie said. "Okay" Sophie nodded, "I should get going now, its getting late".

"I'll come with you, Sophie"

"No, you stay at your hostel"

"But its dark and you'll be alone"

"No buts, Lettie, I can take care of myself. Now, go inside before you catch a cold"

Lettie pouted, "You never listen to me, Sophie!"

Sophie ignored her protests, "Good bye and take care", she said and started walking down the long road.

"Good bye, and you take good care of yourself too!", Lettie shouted at the receding figure of Sophie. She went inside when Sophie completely disappeared into the darkness.

… … … … … … … … …

AN:

Hope you liked it. Please review!

And here's a link to Sophie's dress, its not navy blue though. But when you imagine her wearing it, do imagine it as navy blue. :)

(Remove the hyphens from h-t-t-p & c-o-m, do not remove hyphens from anywhere else, and remove spaces from the rest of the link. Fanfic won't let me paste the link as it is.)

h-t-t-p : / / 2 . b p . blogspot . c-o-m / -c9keP1Fe9fM/ UQAD0GmkSMI/ AAAAAAAADpE/ 9MGY0PzAtic/ s1600/ anna - karenina - gown - small - tabbed . gif