Poisonmoon – I agree, the second book was less than it could have been with Sophie and Howl. Thanks for reviewing!
Moonlight at Midnight – Wow! You've reviewed after every chapter! And very promptly! Kudos to you! You are one of my favourite people now! Keep reviewing!
Celtic Angora – I really appreciate your support. Keep reading!
QuillSwift – Thanks for pointing out some things you liked. It helps me know what to keep putting in my chapters. I appreciate it!
aLiDa wEbSter – I appreciate the review! Thanks for pointing out specific things, as I say to everyone who does. It really helps.
Haru Yoshioka – Thanks for reviewing. I'll try to update fast enough for all of you!
IMPORTANT! Well, not really, but read this anyway. You know the part last chapter where Sophie says "Marrying me clean room" ? Well, it was supposed to be marrying me EQUALS clean room, but the equals sign got deleted. Just to let you know so you don't think that I'm a total bimbo.
Sophie sighed contentedly, curled up next to Howl. After their…eventful honeymoon in Wales, Sophie and Howl had opted to spend a good long time settling into married life. And they'd been settling for nearly a year now. Sophie was quite good at managing the chaos that life brought, and Howl seemed to take it upon himself to challenge her abilities as much as possible. To improve them, Howl said, but Sophie knew that it was really a plot to drive her mad. Howl had admitted such, during a particularly satisfying argument.
But now, looking at him sleeping, it was hard to believe that he was so difficult. He looked rather boyish with his hair so messy, Sophie thought laughingly. She began reading again, finding it quite difficult to hold still, for Howl's elbow was digging into her back, although he hadn't intended that. Finally comfortable, she read her novel, a faerie tale, happily before feeling Howl shift. He looked blearily into her face and rubbed his eyes. "You're not reading that junk again, are you?"
"It's not junk." Sophie said irritably. "It's a perfectly good story."
"Humph." Howl grunted. He gently removed the book from her hands and tossed it onto the night table. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her cheek, than her mouth, and reached over to snuff out the candle.
Several mornings later, Sophie feeling like her stomach had decided to go for a boat ride - a boat ride on an ocean that was currently experiencing a storm so colossal that the waves were going to burst up past the sky. With a start, Sophie realized that the contents of her dinner from last night were about to do just that, and ran into the bathroom to avoid the mess that she would most certainly have to clean up.
She couldn't seem to get her stomach to calm down! Whenever the heaves would cease, it turned out to be only the eye of the storm – except that this storm, apparently, had several eyes. During a lull, she heard Howl getting up, and staggering to the bathroom. Just as he reached the door, she began retching again, this time more violently than ever before. She felt him behind her, his hands holding back her hair so that she didn't have to. "Th-thank you," she whispered weakly, shaking all over. It seemed like her stomach had finally calmed for good, but to be sure, she stretched out on the floor of the bathroom, not intending to leave for a while.
Howl left, and returned with a glass of water. "To clear the taste out of your mouth," he explained. She nodded, and drank the whole glass, feeling much improved. In fact, she was hardly able to tell that just a few minutes ago, she'd felt like her insides were going to come up her throat. But, as she had no idea what this could mean, she allowed Howl to bundle her back up in bed with a bowl of hot soup that Calcifer had warmed up and her faerie tale book. "Maybe I should stay home today," he murmured worriedly.
"But you were going to meet with the King today!" she protested.
"I know. But I really didn't want to go, and if you're sick…"
"Non-sense! I'll be perfectly fine on my own. I'm an adult, not a child! And besides, I've always thought that the worst part about being sick is having people fret over you the entire time. Go on! I'll be fine."
"You're kicking me out, aren't you, Sophie," Howl sighed.
"Absolutely."
"Well, alright then. Just don't die, because then I'd feel horribly guilty." He murmured. Sophie thought about beaming him with a pillow – he looked slightly happy about not having to stay home with her.
"Alright, now scat. You don't want to be late."
"Yes, dear." Howl dressed quickly and departed after kissing the top of her head. As soon as she was sure that he was absolutely gone for good, she hopped out of bed and scampered downstairs, to the chair in front of the fireplace.
"Calcifer, where could I find a good doctor? Preferably female," she added as an afterthought.
"And why would you need this doctor?" Calcifer asked suspiciously.
Sophie thought for a while, then decided that he could be trusted. She whispered a short explanation that caused Calcifer to raise his eyebrows. "I would try a little place in Market Chipping. It's called Mother Anne's. They're quite good with your sort of problem."
"Thank you!" she shouted behind her as she dashed up the stairs. She stopped abruptly at the top, clutching her stomach, before continuing into her room and throwing on her blue dress. She ran back downstairs and told Calcifer, "I'm going to be out for a bit." She rummaged through the work bench until she found the bag of money. Withdrawing a few coins, she said, "If you're here, and Howl comes home early, don't let him go upstairs to check on me, at all costs. If all is well, I shouldn't be long." And with that she departed.
When she reached Mother Anne's, she almost turned away, she was so nervous. 'Nonsense' she told herself sternly. 'You've faced the Witch of the Waste. You can certainly face a healer-woman!' And with that, she let herself in.
Mother Anne's was rather a nice place, Sophie thought. It was homey, with over stuffed chairs throughout the receiving room, and drying herbs hanging from the ceiling. A young woman sat at a table in the corner by the door, sorting papers. "Excuse me?" Sophie murmured, stuttering on both words.
The young woman looked up. "Hello! Are you here to see Mama Anne?" she asked kindly. Sophie nodded, nervously. The young woman sensed this, and giggled. "She's quite nice, you know. There's a couple in with her, but they've been in for a while, so I'd imagine that-" she was cut off by the door behind her opening. A man and his wife came out the door, with a friendly looking, portly woman following, who was talking rapidly. "-And come see me if you've any problems, you hear? Have a nice day now."
Well, she seems nice enough, Sophie thought nervously. "And who might you be, young miss?" the woman asked, turning her attention to Sophie.
"Sophie Jenkins," Sophie stuttered.
"I see," the woman murmured kindly. "And I'm Mama Anne. Would you like to come in?" Sophie nodded, and the Mama Anne ushered her into the back room, which was also quite homey, despite the medical table and magical healing instruments. The walls were painted warm colors, and, like in the front room, there were herbs everywhere. "Take a seat, dearie." Sophie complied. "Now tell me, what seems to be the problem?"
And Sophie did, explaining about the sickness, and the queasiness she'd felt running up the stairs, and how she'd been fine immediately after throwing up, and how for the last few days, she felt uncomfortably sensitive in some embarrassing areas, and good old Aunt Flo was nearly 2 weeks late. "I see, I see," Mama Anne murmured. She rummaged in a drawer behind her, coming up with a small needle, an herb, and a jar. "Hold out your arm, my dear."
Sophie did rather nervously, and flinched as Mama Anne drew a small amount of blood, depositing it into the jar. She mixed it with the herb, and then set it on the counter. "It needs a few minutes to tell us what we want to know," Mama Anne explained. "But I already know the answer; this is just to make it official. Now, do you have a husband of some sort?"
Sophie nodded. "I wanted to find out for sure before I told him," she sighed, blushing. "He's at work. He caught me being sick, so he thinks I'm sick and at home tucked up in bed."
"Tell me, is he the sort who likes children?" Mama Anne seemed concerned.
"Well…he seems quite good with his sister's children," Sophie said doubtfully. "And I suggested that we use some sort of…method, and he said that if I didn't want mind the possibility, he certainly didn't."
"I see." Mama Anne was lost in thought for a minute. "Well, it sounds like everything should be alright. But if you have any problem with him, just call me."
"Oh, I will, Mama Anne." Mama Anne smiled. "Good. Now lets look." She pulled the jar off the counter and held it up to the light. Underneath the lid, there was a hazy golden mist floating, and her blood had vanished. "Well, congratulations, miss Sophie. You're going to be a mother."
Sophie smiled in relief. "Oh good! I was so afraid that it mightn't be true! This is wonderful!" she jumped up and twirled around, then abruptly stopped. "Ohh, we weren't too happy with that little dance, oh no we were not!" Sophie exclaimed emphatically.
Mama Anne laughed. "Here. This herb will keep down the sickness, this herb will drive away cramps, and this one will help you keep your head when your moods are swinging like you wouldn't believe," she said, hand Sophie three packets of herbs. "That won't be enough for the whole nine months, so you come back anytime you need to, hmm?"
Sophie nodded and put a few coins, more than enough, on the counter. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. She hugged the older woman, then skipped out the door, humming happily. When she reached the castle, she opened the door and twirled in, singing softly.
She read the directions on the packet of herbs for morning sickness, and found that it said to put a teaspoon of crushed bulbs into a cup of water or tea at night, and decided to begin taking it later. Returning to her room, she changed back into her pajamas and headed back downstairs. "Well, what happened?" Calcifer demanded.
She grinned. "I hope you don't mind the pitter patter of little feet," she said teasingly.
"Oh no! Now we're going to have a child with the faults of both you AND Howl running around. What are we going to do?" Calcifer whined.
"Hush. You'll love having a child around."
Calcifer grumbled, but Sophie was in too good of a mood to take notice. Retrieving her faerie tales, and her favourite blanket, she curled up next to Calcifer, placing a large bowl next to herself, just in case. She read for an hour or so, then there was a thump outside the door and Howl entered, looking rather disheveld. "Hello Sophie, how are you now?"
"Pregnant," she told him, not looking up from her book, but trying not to laugh.
There was a crash as Howl dropped whatever he was carrying and ran to her in two large steps, picking her up and swinging her around. She giggled, but then felt a queasy feeling in her gut that was rising rapidly. "HOWL, put me down put me-"
She managed to grab her bowl, then retched into it, her body shuddering uncontrollably. He eased her down, then stroked her back as she retched, and cradled her gently when the heaves finally ceased and she had rinsed her mouth. "Well, now I know that you were serious," he joked quietly, breaking the silence.
She moaned and buried her face in his shirt. "As if life wasn't…interesting enough with only you to look after," she groaned.
"Oh, you're happy about it," Calcifer cackled. "You came in dancing around like a gleeful pixie."
Howl laughed and put Sophie back in her cocoon of blankets. "I'm proud, cariad. You have no idea."
"You better be," she told him, laughing.
He laughed with her and kissed her, ignoring Calcifer's groan, enjoying the moment.
Well, that's the end! Hope you liked it! I was going to end it right where Sophie said "Pregnant," but that was too mean. Review please! If, and only if, I get more than, oh, say 35 reviews, I might consider a sequel. If anyone wants one, that is. Tell me in a review! And be proud! This is my longest chapter EVER!