Hey all! So after my last update, I started college for the first time. My life entered an entirely new season. This form of higher education required all of my time and energy. Fanfiction just wasn't on the menu.
Now, this summer, my old fanfiction stories crept across my path and I had a spark. I'm relighting the candle and having another go to prove to myself that I can, and I hope through doing so you will be provided with a grand source of entertainment.
Enjoy!
re-cap: Fanny gets married and decides to sell the shop, which sparks some drama among the shop girls. Fanny supports Sophie after one of Henrietta's tantrums, and Sophie get's her step-mother's blessing to go "job-hunting." Sophie rolls up her sleeves to start the hunt for Howl's heart.
"To Steal a Heart"
Chapter 11: The Unforeseen Path
A little boy swung his legs against the seat.
"Mommy, I'm bored…"
"Hush, honey. We haven't pulled out of the station yet."
The boy sighed. His short legs thumped up and down in a last surge of energy before he dejectedly slumped in his seat. He glanced at his mommy. She was looking at a hand mirror, painting her lips. He rolled his eyes.
Reaching into his pocket, he wiggled out a new toy train. His mommy had bought him this one for their trip to the ocean. Its paint shimmered blue like water.
"Choo-choo," he whispered, dragging it along the armrest. He had wanted to save his new toy for later, but his poor bored brain gave him no choice. He puffed his cheeks and made the chugging sound of a train running along the tracks. "Choo-choo!"
Whoo-ooh-woooo!
The little boy hopped up in excitement as the train began to pull away from the station. He scrambled towards the window and pressed his small hands against the glass.
"Honey, get down from there," his mommy scolded.
"But I wanna see the smoke!"
He pressed his forehead against the glass and looked as hard as he could in both directions. All he could see were people on the platform drifting past.
The little boy's breath clouded the window. He began to draw a face, but something caught his attention.
"Mommy, look!"
Sophie reached out in panic when the train began pulling away.
"Wait!" she cried. "Wait!"
Her heels pounded across the platform. Startled people scattered as she zoomed past, her hat flapping wildly beneath her hand. Straight ahead was the short set of stairs used to mount the train. Determination in her eyes, Sophie shoved her heels into the ground and bolted towards it. She grabbed for the railing. Her fingers brushed it.
The train was picking up speed now, and the surges of wind whooshing past dragged at the dark gray fabric of her dress. Gritting her teeth, Sophie lunged for the railing. Her hand slapped the metal bar and slipped, and within seconds it completely eluded her. Her legs staggered to a halt, and the train faded with a cheerful Whoo-ooh-woooo of its engine into the distance.
Sophie moaned in exasperation and bent over her knees, sucking in sweet gulps of air. When she could finally stand without feeling light-headed, she slid her ticket out of her pocket. Her blurry vision settled on the cleanly stamped destination: Kingsbury.
She turned and squinted at the station sign: Porthaven. Another groan escaped her lips. Of course you got off at the wrong stop, Sophie Hatter!
Porthaven wasn't the most popular town, and the booking clergy said the next train was four hours down the track. She straightened her lopsided hat and stuffed the ticket back in her pocket. What on earth was she going to do til then?
Unlike her, most people who had disembarked were intentionally visiting Porthaven, and they bustled around with their new parasols and sun hats. Sophie ambled past them to the platform's edge.
Ahead stretched the road to Porthaven. The dirt road ran along the railroad tracks for some time before deviating through the hills. Perhaps she could spend her afternoon in Porthaven? She glanced around. Certainly, it would prove more entertaining than the station's attractions. Many of the people headed there already, some by foot, most by carriage. Might as well. She double-checked her person, adjusted her hat, and joined the crowd.
For the past four days, she had searched for the Wizard Howl with very little luck. She had practically scoured Market Chipping. But even before that first step out of the shop, Sophie knew that if a wizard didn't want to be found, there was little you could do about it.
However, she didn't have much of a choice. If Howl was planning on doing something to her through his curse, then she had to try - for the sake of that woman in black, at the very least. Initially, Sophie began tracing rumors and asking for the whereabouts of Howl or his castle. Everyone assumed she was insane. She lost count of how many times she was asked, "Are you trying to get your heart eaten?"
Was she? To the world, her actions belied her intentions. But the tall woman in black had insisted that this was the only way, to kidnap Wizard Howl's heart before he destroyed any more lives.
It had been three days since that terrifying night.
Each day she searched, she felt the darkness of that cursed chain on her ankle and determined anew to stop its leaching. But no one knew anything in Market Chipping. Discouragement started seeping in until she met the seamstress.
"You say you're looking for a wizard?" the seamstress had asked with a lifted brow. "Well, you know what they say… If you need a seamstress, ask another seamstress. So if you need a wizard…"
"Ask another wizard," Sophie had answered slowly, surprise written on her face. Goodness gracious, it was so obvious! Maybe years of shop dust had dulled her senses.
"The nearest wizards I know of are in Kingsbury. It's a magic capital over there," said the seamstress. "Though please be careful, dear. Wizards are known to live by their own rules."
Back at the hat shop, Fanny had given her that very tacky locator charm. Sophie had intended to seek out the elderly sorceress who made it - in Kingsbury, that is. She just hoped sorceresses were a great deal kinder than wizards.
Neither, of which, I expect to find here, she mused, walking amidst the countryside. The road was now winding into the hills. They rose up on either side like the backs of great grassy cats. Sophie smiled and could almost imagine them purring in the sunshine. There was a low rumble behind her.
"Hello there, miss!"
Sophie turned. The speaker was an older man of about forty or so, sitting on a wagon stacked high to the sky with hay bales. He smiled kindly.
"Need a lift?"
Twenty minutes later, they crested a hill overlooking Porthaven. The countryman rode away happily munching one of Fanny's special wheat buns, leaving Sophie standing there as she gazed out over the quaint town. Rows and rows of brightly painted brick and cement houses stacked straight down to the water's edge. The water, nestled between hazy green ridges, sparkled a deep cerulean blue. White sailboats and tiny specks of seagulls dotted the surface.
Sophie strolled down the unpaved streets flanked by weathered buildings. The last time she visited was ten years ago, when her father was still alive. There had been red-and-white-striped swim outfits, cold ice cream, and lots of laughter. Now, the sea-side town was much poorer than she remembered it, but the streets were still just as lively. People chatted right in shop doorways. Small sailboats anchored snugly at the docks. Lovely flowering bushes and vines spilled out from the cracks, and an old fisherman in brown enthusiastically sold his day's catch. Sophie thought she could be pleasantly lost in this place. Her heart twinged in warning, so she stopped. Townspeople slowly passed her on by.
She took a deep breath. How silly of her to forget. She didn't have the time. She was a fool for getting off at the wrong station. With merely eleven days left to find the Wizard Howl's heart, four hours were precious time lost.
"No sense in dallying," she murmured, reaching into her satchel. Fanny's tacky locator charm resurfaced. Sophie lifted the muddy stick to her lips and took a breath.
"Wizard Howl," she whispered.
She closed her eyes and opened them again. The stick was trembling in her hand. The pendulum dangling at the bottom began to twirl. Faster and faster it went, its tiny stone drawing so close that Sophie had to hold the charm away from her. She stared fearfully, anxiously, awaiting the charm's answer to her request when suddenly the center orb flashed brightly. A loud 'crack!' followed. Horrified, Sophie beheld the broken stick between her fingers.
"Och, I see it did it to you, too!"
Sophie tugged her bewildered gaze up to the face of a woman leaning in a doorway. The matronly woman patted her apron. "Did the same to meh last time I asked fer my husband. He's dead, you see."
"...dead?" Sophie sputtered, trying to understand the implications.
"Yeah. Poor thing. Sorry, lass, but if yer lookin' to replace it, there's a real good sorcerer in town. He goes by Jenkins. Just go around this corner here and travel three blocks. His shop will be sittin' out like a broken tooth."
"Oh. Um, thank you very much," Sophie answered, trying to reconcile this news. A wizard? Here? Her heart lifted in excitement. Of course! The "incredibly handsome wizard" who helps the poor in Porthaven. Ariel had mentioned him on May Day. This trip might not be wasted after all!
She waved goodbye and found herself staring up at her destination a few minutes later. The run-down, plain yellow building indeed stuck out like a broken tooth. A stone wall and rickety wood fence walled it off on either side. Above the front door arched the words "The Great Sorcerer Jenkins" in peeling white paint.
It was far less impressive than expected. However, the humbleness of the establishment touched her. With the nervousness of a mirror-less woman about to meet a handsome man, Sophie gripped the handle. The door barely budged. She furrowed her brow and pushed harder. "Door, you must not mortify me!" she muttered. "Open properly!" Suddenly it gave way, and she stumbled inside to the sight of stairs and someone yelling, "Porthaven door!"
Sophie clutched her satchel and carefully scaled the concrete steps. They led into an open room positively crammed with wizardly things. Bunches of herbs, garlic garlands, and strange-looking roots dangled like shaggy curtains from the ceiling beams. The tables were a busy place, stacked with leather books amid wrinkly scrolls, funny-looking jars, and bottles. Tall wooden cabinets leaned against the walls, ready to burst with odd assortments, and to the left sat an open fireplace with a little flame burning atop the ashes. Sophie's boots stirred dust clouds as she shuffled near to the fire, not because it was warm but because it was the cleanest place to stand.
"Finally, you're home!" someone shouted from upstairs. There was a thundering of feet. "Just in time, too! I think I got that air spell figured out. Turns out I…"
The voice faded as the owner leaned over the upper railing. Sophie glanced up at the rapidly paling face of a familiar fifteen-year old boy.
A moment of silence descended with the crackling of the fire. It was the young man who had bumped into her at Cesari's. What was he doing here?
He works for Jenkin's, remember? she reminded herself. And Martha likes him. Be nice.
"Ah Mitchell, hello! …I mean, Markl?"
"It's Michael," the boy corrected, too shocked to find offense. "How did you get in here?"
"The front door?" Sophie responded quizzically. A guilty look stole across Michael's face, and he skipped down the steps to the first floor.
"Oh. Well, I was supposed to lock it," he admitted, glancing worriedly past her shoulder. "Are you here for something?" he asked, his tone very polite compared to their first meeting. Up close, Sophie could see that his face was pleasant, open, and he dressed like a respectable gentleman. Behind his external demeanor were the flickerings of apprehension. Sophie lifted her chin.
"Yes. I am here for retribution," she said. Michael winced.
"Please, Ms. Hatter! I'm very, very sorry for my rudeness May Day. I was dealing with... unpleasant circumstances, and I'm afraid I made a poor introduction of myself. It's been eating me up all week," he confessed.
Sophie felt her heart soften, but she continued to eye him, as all protective sisters should.
"Why do you work in Porthaven, not Market Chipping?" It was suspicious. Was he planning on whisking her sister away?
"It's a recent job relocation," Michael responded sullenly.
Sophie looked at him with growing understanding. Then that night must have been his last in town. It would explain his offense when her crushed hat dirtied his suit sleeve: it was his best suit. He wanted Martha to remember him well since he had to leave.
Michael flinched when Sophie patted his arm and walked around him. "You'll get to see Martha again, don't worry."
The boy stared in astonishment as she settled into the low chair by the fire.
"Wow, she wasn't joking! Nothing really does get past you," he muttered.
"What was that?" Sophie asked. The chair had creaked when she sat.
"Oh! Um, nothing."
Sophie let out a small sigh. Suddenly all the aches in her limbs relaxed after the walking and stresses of the day. This little fire was exactly what she needed, flickering in shades of orange and blue. In that moment, Sophie thought that if someone wanted to move her, they'd have to use very strong magic.
Michael hovered a little helplessly. Sophie started to feel bad for making him worry.
"I do forgive you," she said, "and I see we were never properly introduced. I'm Sophie."
"And I'm Michael," he said in obvious relief. "H- Jenkin's apprentice."
Sophie cautiously pulled the broken charm from her pocket and offered it to him. The boy's eyes lit up instantly.
"Do you think you can fix this?"
"A locator charm!" he exclaimed, holding it carefully. "My master taught me how to make these. Hawk's tears make the best ones. Hard to come by! This one used a needle from a haystack."
"Do you know how long it might take?" she asked. The train was coming in nearly four hours, but she had to be sure she'd be on it. Michael calculated.
"A bit of time," he admitted. "Can you come back in three? I have a couple of things to take care of, but it should be done by then."
It was cutting it close, but Sophie needed that charm. Reluctantly, she nodded. Perhaps she could gain some answers while she waited on him to finish.
"So your master," Sophie began, watching Michael carry her charm to one of the cluttered tables. He set it atop a stack of dusty papers. "He's a wizard. Can he be found like ordinary people? With a locator spell?"
"Master Jenkins?" Michael asked, procuring black powder from behind a moldy cheese chunk. He poured it into a glass jar. "I suppose so. Actually, it depends." He paused. "Why?"
Michael glanced up at her. Did he think she was crazy like the others? Sophie bit her lip. "Just curiosity, I suppose."
He shrugged and titled a vial of clear liquid on top of the black powder. The mixture bubbled and turned a neon green. "Okay. Well, wizards have lots of protective spells on them. You could ask a charm for a wizard and that thing could have you searching for years. There's no telling which location is the real one."
He reached for a skull on the window-sill. Sophie's face paled as he spilled the concoction into the skull's eyes.
'Years?'
The room was suddenly too small. Sophie grabbed her satchel and stood up from the chair, quickly striding to the stairs.
"I'll be back," she announced, shutting the door behind her before Michael could ask any questions.
Michael glanced over at the fireplace. Calcifer flared and wrapped his arms around a chunk of wood.
"Well?" Michael said. "Weird, huh?"
"Yeah," Calcifer said, staring pensively at the door. 'Howl, when will you be back?'
Calcifer waited. After a moment...
'Later. Why?'
This time Howl waited.
'...Bring food. REAL food. I'm hungry.'
'Pesky.'
'Vain.'
'Hmph.'
Calcifer smirked and hunkered down on his log. He watched the door, thinking of the girl in gray and anticipating her return.
