((I'm better! Sorry this Chapter wasn't so quickly finished but I've been panicking recently...High School Drama never goes away!))

In Which Howl Begs

"So the Wizard…Howl you called him—" Sophie nodded. "—has been considerate of your ailment and yet the previous night you and he had a little argument."

Another nod, but this time Sophie felt heavy with guilt.

"It was my fault though…" she said, eyes lowered, "I jumped to conclusions because of his vain personality…I was happy to see that he came down to see me that evening, but…"

"It was not your fault, Sophie. The wizard Howl is a vain man, you can not expect him to change, can you?"

Sophie twisted her hands together in her lap over the soft fabric of the sheets. Her legs were stiff from lack of use, her activity of being the cleaning lady was still fresh in her body but her illness has caused her to lie quite often. Too often for her taste…she would rather be out exploring Prince Justin's kingdom with her newfound freedom. Maybe even look for a place for her to go to so that she could find her fortune without the assistance of the prince or Howl.

"Ah, I've noticed you haven't been coughing today." Prince Justin said with a smile, "You have regained the color in your face as well."

The hatter nodded her head a little. "Yes, I think it's gone now. I'll be able to get out of your hair soon, Justin."

"Take your time. It's no trouble to have an old friend of mine stay in the castle. If you think you're well enough I may even be able to escort you on a tour if you like." He offered, his eyes hopeful but his face held a subtle smile to make the hope less obvious to Sophie.

She nodded her head a little, "That would be wonderful…but I think I'd better leave by tomorrow morning at the latest. I have some things I need to take care of before I can think about tours of palaces and things of the like."

"Well don't strain yourself if you're not completely recovered. Only when you're positive you are healthy."

It was nice to see such concern for her well being, Sophie thought it was a kind thought, but she also felt awkward in the prince's gaze. He watched her without blinking on occasions, eager to do anything she asked him to do and he would not let any of his servants assist her. Sophie recalled seeing him shoo one away when he came to the door to offer tea for them. It felt rather lonely in the fabric-covered room…empty without anyone else coming in as company but the prince. She was beginning to wonder if he still saw her as someone really special since she had helped break his curse when he was Turniphead.

"Thank you." She said quietly, "Not just for your hospitality but for your assistance when I was an old woman. Sorry that I called you Turniphead…now that I think back on it, it was rude of me."

"I didn't mind. You helped me so I wanted to assist you. But I also wanted to be near you…see what you were like since I could tell there was a curse on you like mine." Prince Justin said with a thoughtful smile, "You saved me from my curse…any I couldn't do anything about yours."

A lump formed in Sophie's throat.

The prince stood from his chair and he went to the window, staring out at the city while folding his arms behind his back. "I live in a splendid castle with every luxury…servants at my beckon call and subjects who hand on my every word…but when I was "Turniphead" as you addressed me, no one recognized me. People fled from me when they saw that I could move on my own, screams that I was a demon scarecrow or a spy of the Witch of the Waste. No one could understand me…no one cared to think of who I was. The realization of this caught up with me and I fell into that bush where you found me."

He turned his head, looking back at Sophie sitting there on the bed still in the dress he didn't recall seeing her in before and her hair having grown longer since she fed her braid to Calcifer. He wondered if she would braid it again…a long braid of silver hair…with that and the right attire she would look like a princess. Rather, in his eyes, she was always a princess…a kind young woman in spite of the old woman exterior in their early days and now she was in full splendor but not for the taking…

The wizard Howl had put a spell on her that could not be broken by an act of kindness, the prince knew that well, but what he wondered was if Howl would try to take her back after she had so suddenly walked out on him. Did the coward really love Sophie or was he just humoring her because she was there at his convenience?

Sophie clutched the sheets in her hands and she turned her face down, slightly ashamed that he had such strong feelings for her. It didn't look like she would be able to avoid them either, especially not when he was approaching the bed again and standing so close that his thighs pressed against the side. He leaned over and moved closer to her.

"I owe you for many things, Sophie…"

The former hatter leaned away from him, not surrendering to paralysis of fear as she did with Howl. Maybe the wizard did cast spells on her before…making her submit to his kisses so quickly. This must have been why she was able to react and move away when Justin suddenly leaned towards her like he did, stepping out of his princely manner.

Prince Justin frowned a little and tried to lean closer when there was a soft tap at the door, making him immediately straighten up and face the doorway, balling his fists at his sides.

"I said I did not want anyone to disturb, Sophie." He said, striding towards the door.

Clutching her heart, Sophie sighed in relief. She wasn't sure she liked the prince's frustration any more then she liked how he had suddenly forgotten courtesy and leaned in as if to kiss her. That was not like him…at least, he didn't seem to be that way to her in the small amount of time she knew him. She managed to see the prince whisper to a servant at the door and he sighed, stepping back into the room and turning back to her. She stiffened, afraid he was about to push the door shut on the servant but he held it in a tight grip.

"Forgive me, Sophie…but there is someone expecting to see me in the entrance hall. I will return momentarily."

"A-Alright. Thank you for your visit." Sophie said and glanced over the shoulder of the prince at the servant who was inclining their head slightly to the side as if trying to peer in at her.

"I want you to stay with Sophie and keep her company until I get back." Prince Justin said after he bowed to Sophie slightly.

"As you wish." The servant sighed, sounding as if nothing would sound duller to him. He bowed low, almost sarcastically before the prince swept out of the door and the strange man had to jump out of the way to let him pass clean through the gap. He then stepped inside and let the door close.

Sophie stared at the visitor and inclined her head a little.

The servant frowned at her and folded his arms. "You seem to be living high, don't you?"

"It was not my intention to stay here this long, sir." Sophie said, frowning a little herself, "I've pretty much recovered from my cold, I was planning on leaving by tomorrow morning."

"Oh, really? And where would you go, exactly?" the man asked, wondering to the window.

Sophie thought the servant was looking off at Howl's shop for a moment but his eyes were elsewhere, they were on the chimney pots of the roves in the distance, scanning over them passively. She wasn't sure why she thought he had looked that way…it was hardly likely he would even know of Howl's fake shop. This man looked as if he hardly even left the castle…his clothes neat and tidy and the slight roundness of his belly hardly shown. Servants were well fed weren't they?

"I'm not sure…" she admitted.

"Not sure? Why not go to where you came from? Surely you're wanted there…" the servant said, glancing back at her.

"Who was it that wanted to see the prince?" Sophie asked, firmly wanting to change the subject.

The man turned to her and folded his arms behind his back, "The Wizard Howl if you must be so nosey, Madam."

"H-Howl?" Sophie seized up.

The man smirked, "You know of him? He came here requesting to see you, I told him no one under your name was here and he insisted on speaking with the prince. Hence my trooping up here to fetch his majesty."

He might have had more luck sneezing roses…Sophie wasn't listening to a word he said. She was wrapped up in the thought that Howl was here, somewhere in the castle and talking with Prince Justin. Probably about some spells he could work on his kingdom with or something…surely not for her. No, it couldn't be for her. Howl was too selfish to come and call for her at the royal palace. He wouldn't come here for a silly little hatter…would he?

"You know…that Howl…was a rather handsome man…you know him personally?"

She snapped out of it. "I have…met him, yes."

"Oh, only met him." he nodded slowly.

"Actually…no. I knew Howl very well…until he became so wrapped up in himself that he became a pompous, ill-mannered, selfish, cruel—I couldn't even consider him human then!" she said, getting angrier the more she thought about his vanity.

"I beg your pardon?" the man said, his voice sounding a little awkward as he suddenly threw off his entire head, which turned out to be the hood of a cloak that Sophie hadn't even noticed.

The hood flapped backwards and she gasped, scooting to the other side of the bed in one quick movement as the man shook out his black hair, bracing his hands on his hips as familiar eyes stared at her, offended and a frown secure on his lips.

"H-Howl!"

The wizard managed to look away from Sophie as he removed the disguising cloak, his state of dress was not extravagant, the simple white shirt and high-waist pants he routinely wore and the shirt was even at an odd angle, half un-tucked from the pants. It looked as if he had gone to bed in his clothes from the last time they spoke…maybe he did.

"A pompous?" he said, offended, "Surely you can't mean me, Sophie…"

She swallowed, steadily climbing out of the bed and not taking her eyes off of the wizard as she gradually made her way around the mattress, paushing at the corner where she gripped the bed post hidden among the curtains, steadying herself from the sheer shock that he had come to the castle and even managed to trick the prince into leaving the room.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, managing to take a good hold on her anger that had almost entirely slipped out of her grasp, "Come to grace me with your presence?"

For a moment it looked as if Howl would smile but his face remained fixed as he approached her and she flinched, stepping back from him. That made him halt and lower his arms to hang at his sides. His eyes were still on hers, blue on brown, neither of them looking away. (I used the movie version of Howl's eyes. Don't get mad.)

"Sophie…"

"N-No…" she shook her head, "You have no right to be here, Howl. Sneaking into the palace…th-that could get you into a lot of trouble if they catch you."

Howl clenshed his hands into fists and strode towards her, Sophie once again took in a sharp intake of breath, covering her face with her arms but there was no blow delivered, the steps had suddenly ceased and there was no sound other then a rustle of fabric and there was a tug on her skirts.

Sophie lowered her arms and peered down at Howl, he was on a knee in front of her, a hand gripping the fabris of her skirt and head bowed pitifully.

"Sophie…please…listen to me, and don't scoff. I don't want you to leave…"

She faltered but forced herself to stay strong, "What does it matter to you where I go? I was your cleaning lady and temporary play thing, was I not?" she asked coldly.

"It wasn't like that." He said calmnly, lifting his head, tilting up his face to that he could see hers, "I didn't keep you there because I saw you as a convenience, Sophie…I thought you wanted to stay with me and I was soon wanting you to stay just as much. Sophie, please come back to the castle."

"No, Howl."

"Please, Sophie!" he lowered his other knee, tightening his hold on her skirts. His hands seemed to be shaking with desperation that she just couldn't read in his face even if she tried. "Come back, if not for me, then…how about Markl and Calcifer? You know they both care about you and what use is Heen to me? I would have been more then happy to give him back to Madam Sulliman if you hadn't have wanted to keep him around so badly."

Sophie bit her bottom lip.

"Come back to the castle…"

"I can't, Howl." She said, her voice weakening, "I-I can't. After walking out on Markl, Heen and Calcifer…I can't just apologize to them and come back. I have to have a reason to stay there."

"I thought this was just about the argument." He said, perplexed.

Sophie glared down at him and brushed his hand from her skirt, striding away from him. He got to his feet, reaching for her but his fingers misses and he hit only air. With that his confidence seemed to drain as well, as if he had swung through a spider web that was made of his strength and now the threads were broken and dancing in the air.

His knees trembled and he sank onto the side of the bed, dropping his head into his hands and bending over as he did when his hair had turned gingery in the bath when Sophie had mixed up his potions. He didn't make any weeping noises but when Sophie risked a glance back at him, she could see his shoulders shaking.

"I'm sorry…" he said suddenly, his voice too calm…too mature for his pitiful looking state. "Sophie, I don't want to loose you to Prince Justin…"

As much as she should have ignored him…Sophie couldn't take seeing him as he was sitting on the edge of the bed surrounded by the cool colored draperies of the bed. His arched back, his shaking shoulders, the promise of tears to be shed…all too much.

That's enough…

Howl sighed, his body shuddering as he exhaled, he hardly noticed that Sophie's fet were softly moving across the floor. The faint sound was hard to tell if they were either coming or going. Leaving him behind to his former lonliness…that is…until he felt the touch of a warm hand on his shoulder. A gentle touch that he recognized all too well, one he longed for what seemed to be ages even though it was only a day's time.

He extended his arms and found the waist belonging to the one woman who was able to stand by him for so long, he drew her closer, pressing his head into her ribs just above her stomach, not so much that it hurt her…but it was enough to make her feel a little flushed to have his face so close to her chest. Sophie stroked his hair like a mother comforting a child, the arms around her waist tightened slightly and she felt the tug of a smile at her lips.

"I…can't stay mad at you, Howl…" she said quietly, "You have made a contract with me, taking my heart as Calcifer did yours…but this contract…can not be broken."

"It's one I don't want to break…" Howl said turning his head slightly and pressing his cheek against her stomach, "Because it's your heart that keeps me alive."

((Ok, Howl's begging wasn't exactly groveling on the floor, PLEASE FORGIVE ME begging...but he did plead a little. I think the characters are a little off in this chapter because I wrote this while thinking about the fact that I'm actually holding an ID badge hostage of all things...my friend has a bright idea to have me give it back to its owner by meeting him at the movies. I'm scared.))