Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/ Happy Kwanza/ Happy any holiday you celebrate! Sorry, I just wanted to get with the festivities and be cute :) I wish I had gotten this up on Christmas because I love giving you readers a little gift but I guess I'll settle for a couple days after. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm just going to let you read.
BUT FIRST!
I have to thank my SUPER COOL AMAZING HOT BOYFRIEND for the great Christmas gift ever! He took one of my fanfictions (Soaring Through the Sky, which is my Kiki's Delivery Service fanfic) and LITERALLY printed it in book form! I have my fanfiction printed! Honestly, I cannot thank him enough for this because it is the most amazing gift I've ever gotten from anyone. I just had to pay tribute to that amazing gift because, as I've said before, IT'S AMAZING!
Okay, story time. Enjoy!
When the church bells echoed twice from the tower above, the sound resonated through Sophie's body. The loud clang of the hour marker sent shivers through her. Her time was up, and she would walk down the aisle any minute now.
She held her dress up and hurried to the window that overlooked the courtyard that led to the Palace. She was taken by several guards through the courtyard to the Palace church, hundreds of people hoping to find a glimpse of the future Princess of Kingsbury.
Sophie shut her eyes tightly. Princess Sophie – that was always her sister's dream. Lettie said that she would marry a Prince one day, and part of Sophie always thought Justin would be the one to take her hand. That was before she had met the cursed scarecrow and the heartless wizard.
Sophie rested her palms on the windowsill, watching as the crowd migrated to the front entrance below, hundreds of people all dressed in their finest attire to attend the wedding of the year. This was not how she expected her wedding to look like. As a child, she always pictured a small, simple backyard wedding with close family and friends. Lettie and Martha would stand up, both as maids of honor, since she could never choose between the two. Her husband-to-be would watch her as she walked down the aisle, his eyes glowing with content and awe. His words would express nothing but love and gratitude, thankful to have found someone like her.
Sophie didn't think she was worthy of anyone. Howl explained to her thousands of times how he wouldn't be the person he was today without her and that he loved her, but all throughout her life she had been known as the lesser of the three sisters. The eldest of three, and the most likely to have a simple, boring, going nowhere life.
Sophie heard shuffling through the hallway and backed away from the window. She hadn't seen Gwenda since she left to find Howl, but she prayed she hadn't been caught by Suliman. She was still a little skeptical to the idea of telling Howl the truth for her being trapped in the Kingsbury Palace, but Gwenda said it was the best option and she trusted her opinion. Gwenda seemed to know more about witches and wizards than Sophie did.
She heard two people laughing and one opened the door to her room. Suliman waved off to her companion and made eye contact with Sophie. Her cynical smile widened as she shut the door behind her. Sophie's shoulders began shaking, causing Suliman to let out a hefty laugh.
"I can see you shaking, my dear." Suliman said. Sophie froze, taking a second to calm her thoughts and relax her fears. Though Suliman scared her more than most, she knew that exposing her fear was worse than the fear itself.
Suliman walked with her hands behind her back toward the round table near the dark walnut armoire. Sophie's wedding bouquet sat in a vase, eleven pure white roses without a single dead petal. Justin's trademark, Sophie thought. Only fitting for him to see his bride-to-be carrying his favorite flower down the aisle.
Suliman added the one she held, completing the dozen. She primped the bouquet as a girl would primp her curls. Sophie clenched her fists, her recently manicured nails digging into her palm.
"Stressed, are you?" Suliman asked. "I'm actually surprised with how well you are handling the situation, my dear. Lettie didn't have the strength to hurt you the way I did, though you have no trouble breaking Howl's heart by marrying another."
"I'm not doing this hurt him, I'm doing this to save him." Sophie said through clenched teeth.
Suliman laughed. "Please. With the situation I've placed you in, Howl's heart will be helpless either way."
Sophie widened her eyes. "No…" The lights danced in Sophie's eyes as they glistened like two crystal balls. Her dream was flooding back to her. Suliman clutching Howl, staring at him hungrily, her hand reaching inside of him and pulling out his beating heart – maybe it wasn't just a dream.
Suliman approached Sophie in her typical stance, smiling all the way. "Once he sees the happiest new couple, he'll break. His heart won't be able to contain the betrayal, and eventually he'll give up altogether."
"No." Sophie said, standing firm with her fists clenched in front of her. "You'll never have Howl's heart. He's too strong to give it up that easily."
"Ah, but when it comes to you, my dear," Suliman said, pushing Sophie's chin upward with one finger, "he's completely vulnerable. You're going to break his heart and singlehandedly give it to me."
Sophie stared into Suliman's eyes for what seemed like a century. Her grey eyes revealed nothing but vengeance and wickedness. Her smile was as frightening as her words. And the longer she allowed Suliman to control her, the more Howl would come to begrudge her submission to the sorceress.
A lady knocked on the door and walked in, her head bowing immediately at the sight of Suliman. She coughed softly and whispered, "Madame Suliman, the ceremony is about to begin."
Suliman nodded and dropped her hand to Sophie's shoulder, their eyes never parting. "Well then, I believe we shouldn't let Prince Justin wait any longer to marry the woman he loves."
Suliman strode to the door, the lady bowing as she walked through the doorway with pride. The lady looked at Sophie and motioned for her to follow the sorceress, but Sophie froze. These were the last few moments she had of being with Howl, the last few moments she had of being free. She had run out of time and out of prayers. Gwenda was too late.
As Sophie allowed a single tear to get the better of her, she knew Howl would resent her for this forever.
(-)
The Palace servants looked around the halls aimlessly, wondering where the strange gust of wind had come from. They were oblivious to the temperamental wizard running rampage through the Palace. He ran through a hallway, up the round staircase, and then through that hallway until he was on the top floor.
He found a quiet section of the floor and took a moment to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. He squeezed them tightly until his muscles began to shake. His emotions were taking control again, running wild through his body. His hands shook with fear and rage. His eyes glowed a fiery red. He couldn't believe what Sophie had done.
Sophie, the only person he felt honest love for; Sophie, the woman for whom he wanted to change and become a better person for; Sophie, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on – now, she had become the one who took that love and ripped it to shreds.
He couldn't believe the betrayal; he couldn't believe the lies and the sneaking around. He wondered how she could look him in the eyes and say 'I love you,' all the while preparing for a wedding with another man.
And not just any man. If this had been someone Howl had never met, his rage would be less volatile. Knowing Prince Justin had taken Sophie from him made her leaving even more painful. He saved the man's life from the Witch of the Waste, and this was the repayment for such an honorable deed. The Howl then never did anything that he couldn't gain from. But meeting Sophie and seeing how she was willing to go to extreme lengths for people she had recently met and barely knew, he wanted to become like that.
Howl's rage increased at the thought of Sophie. He couldn't control the power in him, so he punched the nearby wall, the force blowing through the thick wood and shattering the planks into tiny splinters. The hole went through to the outside wall, and was very much in plain sight.
Howl lowered his body until he sat on the ground, propping his knees up to his chest. He thought Sophie was the one. He knew she was different from the girls he normally chased, which was why he wanted to pursue her. He knew from the second he saw her cooking over Calcifer's fire that she was no elderly woman. He saw her true form, and assumed if he helped her break the spell she would repay him kindly. He didn't expect her to transform him.
Howl rested his head against the wall. He was defeated; he was alone; and most of all, he was heartbroken.
"Howl!" The shattered wizard didn't even flinch when his comrade came running down the hall, bending down to comfort his friend. Kenta saw the hole in the wall, but shrugged it off and returned to his broken friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder, but Howl didn't pay mind to anything but the thoughts running through his mind. "You have to go to the church and stop this wedding. It's the only way to bring Sophie back and save our comrades."
"What's the point?" Howl whispered. "She's made it clear she doesn't want me anymore."
Kenta bobbed his head back. "Howl, Sophie doesn't want to marry Justin."
Howl whipped his head to Kenta, slowly standing up and his voice increasing with each word. "If she didn't, then why would she be in that church about to walk down the aisle and say 'I do' to that wretched, no-good son of a bitch they call a Prince?"
Kenta stood up and raised his hands in front of Howl. "She's being forced into this. Suliman threatened your life unless Sophie agreed to this. Suliman told me herself."
"And you're going to start believing that woman?" Howl said, shaking his head. "My word, what has she done to you?"
"I know you think Sophie is doing this to hurt you, but she isn't. I know I barely know the girl, but you love her. You know her darkest secrets, her hopes and dreams, her passions. You know her feelings for you are truer than any you've seen in your life."
Howl darted his eyes to Kenta. He was right in some sense. Sophie expressed love like no other. It was like she had a gift for it, showing people that there was someone out there who cared for them.
"If I knew her darkest secrets, I wouldn't be doubting my trust for her right now."
"You know she loves you. And if you stop this wedding, maybe you'll get the explanation you need to understand her side of the story."
Howl shook his head, tightening his eyes shut. He rarely felt betrayed or hurt, and he never thought he could be so vulnerable. He never thought someone could have that power over him.
Howl looked up into Kenta's eyes, the tears streaming down his face. "I don't want to lose her."
Kenta bit his lip and nodded. "You don't have to."
Howl sniffed and wiped his eyes clean, but the tears flowed like a waterfall out of him. He hadn't cried in years, never allowing himself to be so vulnerable in front of anyone, ever. He didn't want someone to take advantage of his fragile heart.
Kenta wrapped his arms around Howl, the broken man holding his dear friend tightly. He cried into his shoulder, allowing the tears that had been held in for so long pour out of him. He loved Sophie like a mother loved her child; he loved Sophie like the Witch of the Waste loved her magic; he loved Sophie like Suliman loved power.
He loved Sophie because she made him the person he wanted to be. Without her, he would still have been a womanizing, heart-breaking, power-hungry fool. He loved Sophie because she gave him a reason to be good.
He loved Sophie because through even the worse times, she always loved him.
Kenta broke the embrace and held his shoulders, watching Howl's vulnerability shift to determination.
Howl raised his chin. "I will not let her go."
Kenta smiled and nodded. "Then we better hurry."
Kenta patted Howl and they ran through the hallway at lightning speed, off to the church where the wedding would commence. However, at the bottom of the final staircase, a tall guard stood, almost as if he had been waiting for them.
Howl looked to Kenta and they both nodded. This would be an easy target. Nothing lethal, nothing too serious, just a small spell to get him out of the way.
"Master Howl? I found you!" Howl and Kenta raised their eyebrows at the guard who supposedly knew him. He didn't know if he should attack, but before he could make the decision, the guard transformed into a small, redheaded boy who looked terrified.
Howl lowered his arms and rushed down the stairs to the boy. "Markl, what are you doing here? You should be at the castle with Calcifer."
Markl embraced his master, his arms shaking. "Master Howl, I was so scared. This Palace is scarier than I thought."
Howl nodded. "I know, that's why I wanted you to stay home and protect yourself."
"A servant of the Palace said she was coming to see you."
"Me?" Howl questioned.
Markl nodded. "She said that Sophie sent her to tell you about the wedding and to find a way to stop it before she marries Prince Justin."
"How… how did you know Sophie is marrying Prince Justin?" Kenta asked as he walked down the staircase. "We only found out moments ago."
"Gwenda told us, the servant."
"Gwenda?" Kenta asked, creasing his eyebrows. "Where is this Gwenda girl?"
Markl sighed. "Suliman captured her. She turned her into a flower and that's why I was wandering here alone. I was trying to find you two so we can complete the mission."
"Well, Howl?" Kenta said. "What do you say?"
Howl turned from the boy to Kenta, smiling. "Let's bring Sophie home."
Markl cheered and Kenta nodded approvingly. As they were about to head for the church, the faint cries from the bell tower striking twice sent chills down their spines. Time was not on their side, and the wedding could have been over and done with for all they knew.
(-)
The doors opened and Sophie was greeted by hundreds of guests, standing as she walked forward. There were no bridesmaids, no maid of honor, no one to stand up with her. Only Suliman leading her down the aisle arm in arm, a position her father should have taken if he were still alive.
"This won't do anything." Sophie whispered through her teeth.
Suliman smiled wider and tapped her arm. "How little you know, and even more that you cannot understand."
The pianist played beautifully, and everyone whispered wondrous things about her dress, the church, and the handsome Prince that stood on the altar.
Sophie caught Justin watching her as she slowly made her way down the aisle, holding the bouquet of roses he picked out just for her. He stood straight, his hands properly held behind his back. His tuxedo was white, appropriate for the theme he was going for. In fact, most of the guests wore white or an off-white color. Suliman was the only one wearing a green formal dress.
As Suliman and Sophie approached the stage, Justin held his hand for Sophie. "You look more beautiful than ever."
Sophie froze slightly, but eventually rested her hand in his. She had no choice at this point; she must obey his every command.
The priest stood between the two and Suliman left to find her seat in the crowd, having taken the bouquet with her. The guests sat down in unison as the service began. Sophie tuned out the words from the priest as he explained why they were gathered here today and how the two are coming together as one and other things Sophie didn't care about. She only cared about her fast-paced heart rate and the fear of the rest of her life.
"If anyone can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
Sophie searched the room for a hand or a shout or someone stopping the wedding. She had a glimpse of hope that Howl would push the church doors open and object to the marriage, saving her from this monstrosity.
A few seconds passed and nothing. So the priest continued.
He asked for Sophie to speak her vows. Sophie hadn't written any down, nor had she any true words of love to speak of the man who stood before her.
She gulped before speaking. "Justin, my love." He smiled wide at the sound of 'my love,' but Sophie rolled her eyes slightly and continued. "I promise to always be there for you and to cherish you as my husband."
Sophie tried coming up with more words that would seem sufficient for this occasion, but nothing came to mind. She had no true feelings for Justin.
The priest seemed to wonder why she hadn't continued, so when she nodded slightly, he was somewhat shocked. Nevertheless, he turned to Justin to speak his vows.
Justin held Sophie's hands gently, his eyes never parting from hers. "Sophie, my darling Sophie. Only a year ago I first met you, and I haven't been able to keep my mind off of you since. You brightened my mornings and my evenings, for you were the first I thought of as I awoke and the last before I fell asleep. Sophie, I promise with this ring to never see you cry, never see you in pain, and never be the cause of any sorrow that befalls you. My life will be dedicated to your happiness and nothing shall be too much. Your love means more to me than a crown, a throne, or even a kingdom, because no magic or power compares to the strength of love."
The crowd gasped softly at his words, and Sophie dropped her jaw. Never had she heard such words. Never had someone expressed so much love in one paragraph. He had more love in those words than Howl had ever said to her.
And yet, she knew that she loved Howl more than Justin loved her.
Even if he didn't always express it, Sophie knew Howl loved her. The little things he did, like a good morning kiss or making breakfast with heart-shaped pancakes or even just wanting to know what troubled her… those were the ways Howl showed his love. Howl didn't need to say it; he showed it.
As the priest nodded to Justin after he had finished, Sophie noticed a light glowing within her. Justin was too preoccupied with the priest's words to notice, but Sophie knew what it was. Howl's necklace was glowing, calling to her. She could feel so much strength in the blue pendant. When she touched the stone, she remembered the promise Howl made the day he gave it to her.
"Sophie, you taught me something no one ever could, not even my uncle who cared for me since I was young. You showed me that having a heart was a burden worth taking, that having someone to love and cherish was more important than being a narcissistic wizard with powers beyond belief. You showed me that I could feel that way for someone…"
Sophie hadn't noticed Justin holding her left hand to place the wedding ring around her finger, his eyes so full of hope and desire. "I give you this ring as a symbol of our vows, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you. With this ring, I thee wed."
Everyone looked to Sophie, who merely stared at the silver band around her finger. Her fingers trembled. The necklace stopped glowing, but the power hadn't left.
The priest coughed. "Your turn, Miss Hatter."
"No."
The priest and Justin leaned closer, unsure if they had heard her correctly.
Justin laughed lightly. "I-I'm sorry?"
Sophie never broke eye contact. "No. You heard me. I said no."
The guests started whispering loudly amongst each other, Suliman sitting calmly in the front row, her legs crossed and her eyes narrowed.
Justin looked at the crowd and then back to Sophie. He leaned closer and whispered, "Sophie, you know that's not the answer we were looking for."
"Screw you, Justin." Sophie said. She pulled the engagement and wedding rings off her finger and threw them at him, the clang of the jewels hitting the ground shocking the guests. "You think you can terrorize me into marrying you? Think again. I don't care if you threaten Howl or me with your fake evidence that he killed my sister. I don't care if you had real evidence that Howl killed my sister."
The crowd's whispers became louder, and Suliman stood up, alerting the guards to take action.
Sophie stared him straight in the eye, tapping his chest with her index finger. "The fact of the matter is that I am in love with Howl. I will always be in love with and I will never feel for you what I feel for him. I love him more than my own life, so do what you want to me. I'm not going to be a pawn in this sick game of yours any longer."
There was a long silence in the room. Not one sound escaped anyone's lips. Justin swallowed hard, as he saw the truth. He saw Sophie's true emotions, and nothing would change them. Not even life-threatening accusations against the man she truly loved.
A loud, slow clapping frightened the crowd, and everyone turned to the King's Royal Sorceress. Suliman walked toward the center of the room, a few feet behind the three on the altar. She laughed maniacally, confusing everyone in the room – especially Sophie.
"Bravo, my dear. You think you've won, don't you?" Suliman said, her smile fading. "You're so very wrong."
"No she's not." Everyone looked around the room for the voice, and the room gasped when a man flew from the indoor balcony to the center of the aisle. He stood up slowly, revealing himself to the crowd. Whispers of the amazing and terrifying Wizard Howl Pendragon floated across the room.
Sophie's entire being shook. Howl was here. They locked eyes; so many questions running wild that neither could ask at the moment. She couldn't tell if he was relieved or angry or hurt or which emotion he chose to express at that time. All she knew was that he was here, staring at her on the altar, in a wedding dress, next to Prince Justin.
Suliman smiled. "So nice to see you again. You're making it far too easy for me to devastate you."
Howl tightened his fists. "Sophie said no. You cannot allow a woman to get married when she denies the man." Sophie breathed in and out faster than normal. He heard everything. He heard her deny Justin, but she didn't know what that meant for them. She was scared to find out.
Suliman walked toward Howl, but he didn't back down. He reached his arm forward in an attempt to use his magic, but before he could cast a spell, chains flew from behind him and bound his wrists.
"Howl!" Sophie cried and rushed toward him. Suliman's guards pulled on the chains, bringing Howl closer to them. Sophie pushed Suliman out of the way as she bent down and held Howl's cheeks. The tears flooded down her face. "Howl, no. They can't do this to you."
"Get her as well." Sophie turned around and two guards bound her arms as well, standing her up and away from the fallen Howl.
Howl bit his lip and lunged for the guards that held Sophie, but he couldn't get very far. "Let her go."
"Did you honestly think I would let you two walk out of this wedding with a happily ever after?" Suliman said. She walked down the aisle and stopped when she was between both of them, taking up the space that separated the pair. She looked from one to the other, satisfaction written all over her face.
"Send Wizard Howl to the cell with his other friends. I'm sure he will enjoy working for me again. And having him under my control will do this country some good."
"No!" Suliman turned to Sophie, enjoying the fear she wore on her face. She pat Sophie's cheek lightly.
"And send this one to the tower in the East Wing. I believe a lifetime of solitude and a certain amount of persuasion on my part will allow this wedding to continue on a later date."
"You can't force us apart, Suliman." Howl said, clenching his teeth. "We won't give up that easily."
Suliman laughed softly and shook her head. "Trust me, dear Howl, you haven't seen the capacity of my power just yet."
As Suliman walked away, the two prisoners were sent to their isolated prisons, separated from one another once again. Justin watched as the woman he loved and the man he loathed were taken away, no sympathy for anyone but Sophie. He only wished she had accepted her fate.
No wedding! Oh my God! Let me know what y'all think in the reviews. I hope you enjoyed it because this was such an interesting chapter to write. I'm sorry for how late these updates have become, but bear with me. This story is not complete and I will continue until it is! Thank you for reading, and now... replies to reviews!
Review Replies:
Whisperofneverland - Cliffhangers do terrible things to us, don't you think? Anyway, I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)
Guest 1 (since I had two guest reviews) - Suliman is really evil, isn't she? I actually liked writing her because the evil characters make things spooky. I'm really glad you like my OC Kenta, he's one of my favorites! (And nice touch with the #Kenta). Thanks for reading and reviewing!
obsessive-anime-freek-1 - I gotta say, I loved getting your review! Thanks for reading and wishing I had updated more (I'm working on that!) Thanks again!
vampiregirliegirl - haha yeah sorry for the late updates, work takes up like 30 hours and then I get too tired after to write. I'll update faster, I promise! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
rutarutule - I love that you're looking forward for the cliffhangers! I personally love them, but when I don't write them and I'm just reading I'm like "Whaaaat? Noooooo!" And I wasn't going to turn a Miyazaki character into some damsel in distress. Nooooo way! Thank for complimenting my writing and for reading and reviewing! It really means a lot!
Guest 2 - thanks for the insight on the book! I actually just got it recently and I've been reading it, so I'm catching up with everyone else who's read it. Thank you for helping me out, though, it means a lot! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)