Disclaimer- I do not own the right's to Howl's Moving Castle nor to any of its characters.

Warnings- None, but be warned that I've only seen the movie once so I'll probably make mistakes. Please bear with me, and correct me when that happens. Thanks!

CHAPTER 1- Father's Ring and Work

A small, lean boy with blue hair sat on a wooden floor in front of a large desk. The quaint cottage he sat in wasn't very large but it made up for its lack of space by emitting a calm comforting feeling. It was here that the most ingenious spells and incantations were created and perfected by one of the most renowned wizards in the world. The boy, Howl, loved to watch his father work. He could only think, 'Someday I'll be as great a wizard as he is.'

The man sitting at the large desk could only be the boy's father. His hair was a darker blue than his son's and shorter but a hundred other little subtle features in the man's face reflected into that of his son's. The only thing that distinguished them from being clones of one another was their eyes. The father had eyes the color of liquid gold, while the son had eyes that were a misty blue.

The man was reading a book that appeared to written in a long dead language. He wore glasses that were perched precariously on the end of his nose. Suddenly he picked up a pen and wrote down notes, but continued to read, not once glancing down to see that he'd taken his notes across several pieces of paper. He set down his pen and the book after he'd finished the page, and then sat back in his seat to stretch out his legs in front of him. He looked down at his son, who was still watching his father with interest. He grinned at him and stood up. "Howl, let's take a break." Then walked out of the cabin. Howl quickly got to his feet and ran after his father.

They walked around outside and, unlike the cabin, there was much space and endless skies. All around them were wild flowers that tickled their ankles, and smelled sweetly for them. Howl's father and the young boy stood on top of a large hill that overlooked more rolling fields, wild flowers, and a deep shining lake. Father sat down in the grass, and Howl mirrored him.

After a moment of comfortable silence, father spoke, "Howl, you know we can't stay here forever, right?"

Howl looked quizzically at his father, "Why not?"

Father sighed, suddenly looking much older, "There's trouble brewing back at our other home. Soon, very soon, all wizards and able men will be called to arms."

Howl continued to look confused, "But why?"

Father smiled indulgently and rested his arm gently around his son's shoulders, "Because the powers that rule this land and other don't agree. It's a matter of petty greed and immaturity."

"Then why go?"

"I'm going because I want to protect the things that are important to me." He said, placing one large hand on his son's head, for emphasis.

"Oh." He said, looking down at his shoes.

His father smiled again, love reflecting in his eyes, "You'll understand one day, I promise." He said, knowing that the matter was too complicated to take in all at once. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, so make sure you don't leave anything behind." He paused, then slid a silver ring off his finger and put it on his son's. "This ring will keep you safe. Take very good care of it. Understand?"

Howl nodded, grinning in pleasure at his father's present. His father touched the ring lightly and murmured an incantation under his breath. The ring glowed bright blue, then shrank to fit Howl's smaller finger. "Now it will expand and shrink to fit the size of your fingers. This way you'll never out grow it." He smiled, patting the top of his son's head affectionately then stood and walked back to the cabin.

Howl scrambled to his feet and ran after his father eagerly, his fingers that held the ring curled tight into a little fist. As a precaution against losing it. Just in case.

(A/N: Yeah, it's a short chapter. So sue me. Actually, please don't -sweatdrop-. But I plan on writing much more, so please tell me what you think so far... Thank you!)