Sophie's Sanctuary
My first HMC fic! All complete! Sophie and Howl are such a cute couple! Even though I only started reading HMC fics last week I couldn't resist trying to write a fic of my own! smile It's a mix between the book and the movie. The Witch isn't there, but Heen, Markl and Megan (Howl's sister in the book) are. Sophie's eye color is also the one from the book because I think it looks prettier that way. It might be a bit long but I hope you can all read it 'til the end! And don't forget to review!
"Ugh... Thank God those little terrors are finally gone..." Howl grumbled flinging himself into a seat, his messy unkempt bangs falling over his face and his normally pristine and perfect outfit wrinkled and covered in stains. Those past two hours were incredibly tiring even for a renowned, charming and brilliant sorcerer.
"Terrors!" A feminine voice cried. "My nieces were not terrors!" A twenty-two-year-old young woman stood defiantly in front of Howl.
"Hmph...That's just because those two little monsters weren't going through your magical potions and continuously interrupt your work! Nor did they throw food at you or yank out handfuls of your hair!" Howl snapped back grouchily.
The tension in the room grew stronger as Sophie's turquoise-blue eyes darkened furiously, narrowing into a glare. Her silver eyebrows drew closer, a frown emerging on her face. Anger was practically radiating from her and the sunny happiness that Sophie normally brought into the castle had vanished instantly.
Markl, who was standing in front of the hearth, exchanged nervous glances with Calcifer. "Uh-oh! Sophie's mad and so is Howl! I think we'd better leave before things get ugly..." Calcifer agreed whole-heartedly (AN: For a demon who doesn't have a heart that is ) and promptly shot out of the castle through the chimney.
Following Calcifer's example, Markl silently crept towards the door, hoping not to arouse any attention of any sort. He waited for the right time to open the door, when both Howl and Sophie were too absorbed in their argument to notice him. The moment Sophie opened her mouth to start berating Howl, Markl shot out the door.
'Yes! I got out alive! Now all I need to do is wander around for half an hour and everything will be fine.' Markl thought confidently. Until he heard the shrill shrieking of an infuriated Sophie Jenkins. 'Ummm...Better make that an hour. Just to be safe.' He strode off into Market Chipping hoping to stop by at Cesari's and get some cake. It was just a pity that Lettie, Sophie's sister, was out spending time with her husband instead of being at the bakery to give Markl free cake or pastries. But then again that was exactly what caused the fight between Howl and Sophie.
Lettie was finding it difficult to find a babysitter for her two magical daughters. Sophie, being the nice person that she was, volunteered herself and her husband, Howl Jenkins, to take care of them while Lettie enjoyed her romantic anniversary day.
Howl had been incredibly annoyed at the idea but not wanting to make Sophie angry, he agreed to help her. But Lettie's children were little two-faced monsters. They were perfectly angelic to Sophie, especially after they found out that she had a severe temper. Howl, on the other hand was very unfortunate. The twins seemed to realize that couldn't or wouldn't punish them and had the most interesting things to play with. Most of these things were quite dangerous so Howl kept on trying to protect the twins and confiscate the magical items. This resulted in Howl getting hit by the awry magic and the tempers of the twins.
While Markl wandered off into Market Square, Howl and Sophie continued to quarrel loudly. Both of them on their feet glaring furiously at one another, their faces barely inches apart. "How is taking care of my nieces any different from looking after Mari or Neil or Markl!" Sophie demanded furiously.
"Oh I don't know!" Howl snapped back, "Maybe because they're sensible enough not to touch my potions, or maybe because they're not messy little slobs or because they're actually nice! Besides those 'twins' are horrible little messy menaces just like all other brats!"
Sophie's eyes widened in shock and a hurt look flashed through her eyes. It vanished instantly leaving her outraged. "You-You-You horrible heartless JERK!" She shrieked, fighting back tears.
On most occasions Howl was very considerate of Sophie's feelings but even Howl couldn't notice everything. Fuelled by his anger and the feeling of being unappreciated made Howl oblivious to everything besides how he was feeling. "And you're just a bossy, nosy, selfish shrew!" He snarled back at her before storming up the stairs and sulking in his room after slamming the door loudly.
Sophie, stood stiffly rooted to the floor, her eyes wide with shock and horror. She let out a small gasp for air before her face contorted into one of pain and sadness, tears welling in her eyes. 'I can't believe it, Howl just—' Sophie choked back a sob at the very thought. She couldn't take it anymore, she raced to the door and flung it open before darting out and closing the door firmly behind her.
She was in Howl's secret garden. "Oh what a perfect place to hide from Howl; his own secret garden!" Sophie muttered to herself. Determinedly she stalked off towards the mountains. "Hmph, at least I have my own sanctuary, even if it is within Howl's."
Sophie sank into her thoughts trying to work out what she should do. It was very difficult especially when an image of Howl yelling at her with a look of strong hatred written all over his face. Before she even realized it herself, Sophie had changed from walking to running and she just kept running while tears rolled down her cheeks. When she finally reached the base of the mountains after a tiring ten minute run Sophie stopped, wiping the tears from her face and catching her breath.
Sophie's fist collided with a bump in the mountain. Unlike most rocks, which would've broken under the impact, this bump just glowed slightly before a passageway into the mountain emerged. Sophie smiled tiredly before walking through the newly-formed tunnel. The entrance closed behind her, as though nothing had ever happened. She continued to walk through the dark passageway. The moment she saw the warm light at the end of the tunnel her heart jumped, a serene smile flitted over her face and Sophie felt the tension within her slowly fade away. She started to run, yearning to be in her special place where she might find some peace.
Sophie stood at the end of the cave, feeling the glorious warmth of the sunlight on her face as a gentle breeze teased her silken tresses of spun starlight into caressing her face. She gazed serenely at the sight before her. Her own little secluded paradise protected by the ancient magic within the mountains. A field of flowers and plants with a small lake in the middle that flowed from a water source deep within the mountain.
It was almost like a miniature version of Howl's secret garden only there were two main differences. Sophie's haven had numerous varieties of trees, including a beautiful cherry blossom tree that swayed in the breeze, dousing the area with cherry blossom petals. There were also animals that lived there freely and happily who had such a limited amount of contact with humans that they greeted her merrily without the slightest bit of fear or caution.
Sophie was naturally aware of all forms of life thanks to her magic but being in this place just seemed to make her senses more alert especially her sixth sense; her magic. The sensation was felt like a gentler calmer version of what it would feel like with her brain on fire. She could feel it, she could feel everything; the trees stabilising the earth, the water flowing through the tunnels within the mountain into the lake, the gentle breeze blowing though the mountains scattering petals and leaves, the warm perpetual light of the sun shining down on the earth, the plants absorbing the nutrients from the earth and sky, the animals frolicking playfully perfectly content, everything. And throughout it all, she could feel her essence, as though she was a part of it or connected to it all somehow.
Sophie smiled contently before walking towards the cherry blossom tree. She sank to the ground, resting her back against the sturdy trunk of the tree which engulfed her in shade and gazing at the beautiful scene before her. On a few of her previous visits she had sat down for a few hours just to sketch and try to catch the view on paper. It was on her last visit a week ago that she discovered the truth that had changed her life and made her more nervous and anxious than ever.
Flashback
Her senses were always heightened when she came to this sanctuary making her more aware of any life-force within the vicinity. At that time spring had barely started and she could feel the instincts of the animals around her. After all it was the mating season, the time when animals would restart the circle of life. A few of the animals had already mated and Sophie could sense new life-forces within many female animals, which filled her with a feeling of elation and joy. But then she sensed a different life-force. It had the same air of a developing life, like the ones within the female animals but there was just a different quality about it.
After a few moments of puzzling about it Sophie decided to just track it down and find out what creature it belonged to. It took Sophie a few minutes to track it down and when she did it confused her endlessly. The creature was standing where Sophie was! She frowned trying to work things out when suddenly everything clicked into place. A rapid rosy blush bloomed in Sophie's cheeks. The creature was her! And the new life-force was within her! Sophie was pregnant
After getting over the initial shock, ecstatic joy rushed through Sophie's veins and excitement had flooded her. She started laughing hysterically and wondering what her child would look like. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it have Howl's hair and eyes or would it have hers? Or would it be a combination of both of them? Her thoughts drifted from there to how Howl would react. Did he want a child? Sophie felt her blood run cold. Howl had never mentioned increasing their family or children. She wasn't even sure how to tell him when none of the signs of pregnancy, like morning sickness, had even started.
Over the next few days she observed him, trying to predict how he would respond. Sophie finally gave up and turned to someone who might understand him better; His sister Megan. Megan and Sophie had talked for hours in which Megan had explained that Howl was a very childish and fickle person, which Sophie already knew very well and gave her a few tips about what pregnancy would be like. Megan also told Sophie that if Howl didn't want the child there was a way to remove it, as a last resort.
Sophie was still very scared about telling Howl so instead she found a way to accomplish three tasks in one step. She would invite her nieces over and see whether Howl liked children. At the same time she would also be able to see if she and Howl would make good parents. Lettie asking for her to baby-sit them just made Sophie's plan easier to accomplish.
End Flashback
Sophie sniffled before whispering to herself, "Although it didn't bring the results I had hoped for, at least I know for sure that Howl dislikes children. I guess I'm going to have to visit Megan again and get that abortion thing." She tried to smile but failed miserably. Tears started to roll down her porcelain cheeks. "I thought I cried enough when I was running here...I guess not."
A sympathetic and worried whimper sounded beside her. Sophie looked down and saw a beautiful small yet elegant chocolate brown Cocker Spaniel (AN: Think the dog Lady from 'Lady And The Tramp' im pretty sure that it's a Cocker Spaniel) looking up at her with concerned dark-brown eyes.
"Oh Miri!" Sophie cried scooping the dog into her arms. "I have no idea how you manage being pregnant when Heen spends most of his time at the Castle. I know that I can't manage and I've only known for a week!" Sophie burst into tears at that, holding her dog in her arms. Miri licked Sophie's face as a way of saying "I understand, Sophie. It's okay. Don't worry" But Sophie couldn't let it rest. Once she had started all of her problems just came spilling out of her lips mixed in with tears that wouldn't stop flowing.
Markl walked home to the castle, whistling cheerfully holding a box of lovely and delicious assorted pastries and cakes from Cesari's. Thankfully the other shop assistants knew that Markl was related to Lettie somehow and gave him the entire box for free. A delighted grin spread across his face at the thought of giving these wonderful goodies to Sophie who still might be angry with Howl even after an hour. Sophie loved sweet things and they always put her in a pleasant mood.
Calcifer and Markl arrived at the exact same time. Hearing the silence within their castle made both of them feel better. "Oh good. That means that they've worked out their problems." Cacifer murmured relieved.
Markl walked in cheerfully with a bright Calcifer on his shoulder to be greeted by an empty and dismal castle. Both of them froze, a sense of foreboding engulfing them. "Sophie? Sophie? Where are you?" Markl called out. He put down the box of pastries and started searching for Sophie.
After searching all of the first floor including the kitchen, guest room, bathroom, gardens and balcony were Sophie and Howl spent most of their time kissing, Markl went to the second floor. When he found that Sophie wasn't in any of those rooms he went to Howl and Sophie's bedroom. Hesitantly, Markl knocked on the door. Hearing no reply he opened the door and cautiously poked his head in. "Master Howl?"
"What?" He moaned with exaggerated sadness.
"Ummm...Calcifer and I were wondering where Sophie was..." Markl replied hesitantly.
Howl shot out of bed, his eyes wide with shock. "WHAT?" All appearance of being sad, hurt or depressed vanished leaving behind a very worried Howell Jenkins. "What do you mean where Sophie is! Isn't she downstairs?"
"Uhhh...no Master Howl. Calcifer and I just got back and we searched for Sophie but we couldn't find her..."
"You mean to tell me that Sophie has been gone for around about an HOUR! She managed to walk to the castle from Market Chipping when she was in the body of an eighty-year-old woman! Who knows how far she traveled in an hour with her normal body!" Howl cried.
Howl swiftly raced out of his room, frantically searching for Sophie both physically and with his magic. He seemed almost like a blur of energy. One minute he would be working hard on a location spell, the next moment he would be racing up the stairs to find an object he just thought of before dismissing it, clearly not needing it. After that he would pelt into the yard to try and create a different location device before sprinting to his private library to find a book that he had just remembered might have some useful information. Markl and Calcifer both watched in awe and shock at how worked up Howl was getting over Sophie's disappearance.
Howl was working most unproductively by rushing around trying to search for Sophie in thousands of different ways at once AND put together any spells he had just thought of, but the amount of vigor, energy and sheer determination that he put in to each task might have made up for it. In a way it reminded Calcifer of Sophie when she first came to the castle and went on a cleaning spree. Sophie had been remorseless but lacked method. She ended up having to clean the entire castle three times before it was finally clean and that was before Howl 'slimed' the place.
Howl worked himself to the bone trying to find Sophie. After searching the castle from top to bottom at least seven times and with his magic showing no signs of Sophie he slumped into her favorite seat by hearth trying to think where else she would've gone. "Argh!" he cried frustrated. "Wasn't there anyone in the castle when Sophie left!"
"The dog was here." Calcifer replied flapping an arm at the dog that was lying on the rug. "Maybe he saw something."
"Of course! Madame Suliman's dog might've seen something! Heen, do you know where Sophie went?" Howl asked hopefully.
Heen let out one of his cough-like squeaks before waddling over to the door and squeaking at it. Howl, Markl and Calcifer followed him eagerly. Howl turned the doorknob and it changed to the Porthaven entrance. Heen squeaked again. Howl turned the knob again and this time it was the entrance to his secret garden. Heen started to scratch at the door eagerly.
The four of them raced out the door only to find an empty garden. Heen kept walking, he knew the route to Sophie's special place just as well as Sophie did. Although they followed him, Howl was getting frustrated at how slowly they were traveling. He swiftly picked Heen up and continued to walk forward. Heen would start squeaking if they went in the wrong direction so they didn't get lost.
Howl groaned when they reached the base of the mountain. "Where in Ingary is Sophie?" he demanded impatiently. Heen responded by throwing himself at a rock on the mountain. A passage opened allowing them entry into the mountain. Markl, Calcifer and Howl gaped at the sight before plunging into the darkness.
The moment the three of them got to the end of the tunnel their jaws dropped again and their magical senses expanded. Heen on the other hand ran off to the only cherry blossom tree there. Breaking out of their trance, Howl, Calcifer and Markl followed him.
The three of them stopped when they caught sight of Sophie. She looked like an angel standing beside the tree with her silken strands of starlight flowing on the breeze, her turquoise-blue eyes shining with delight, her azure sundress billowing around her complimenting her figure and bringing out the color of her eyes. With the sunlight of a setting sun shining down on her, it added an ethereal affect and gave her an unearthly glow.
"Heen what are you doing here?" Sophie laughed, a clear crystallic heavenly sounding laugh. "You couldn't stay away from Miri huh?" She teased, her eyes twinkling. Neither Heen nor Miri paid any attention to Sophie, both were too busy greeting one another. Sophie laughed again. "You two lovebirds better take that somewhere else!"
"Sophie.. ." Howl murmured looking at Sophie with awe and unabashed love shining in his deep blue eyes. In an instant he was in front of Sophie, cradling in her in his arms. He buried his head into her hair. "Oh Sophie. I was so worried about you."
Sophie on the other hand was very surprised and shocked. "Howl? What are you doing here?" Looking over his shoulder, she also notice the two people behind him. "Markl? Calcifer?" She broke away from Howl's embrace and looked him straight in the eyes. "Howl what is going on? How did you three get in here?"
"We were worried about you. An hour had past and you still hadn't come home so we started to look for you. Heen took us here." Markl replied. "Where is here?"
"Ugh... I should've known that Heen would use any way of getting to Mari, especially since she's going to have puppies soon." Sophie grumbled "And as for where this is, this is just a grassy area within a mountain."
"Which happens to be soaked in magic?" Calcifer inquired dryly.
Sophie stared at him, confused. "It is? Hmm... That's probably why it's so well protected and why my magic feels so strong here..."
"Sophie, why didn't you tell us that you found this place?" Howl asked feeling slightly hurt.
"Because it's my refuge. My place to escape! Well it was. Not anymore, I guess seeing as you all know about it now... Besides it's peaceful and relaxing and helps me relieve any tension or anger."
"Is that why you left? Because you were mad? Oh Sophie! I'm sorry!" Howl held Sophie close while he apologized. Then he paused and frowned and pulled away slightly, looking into her eyes. "Wait why did you get so mad?"
Sophie broke out of his arms and glared at him furiously. "Why? WHY!" Sophie shrieked angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. "Because Howl Jenkins, I'm pregnant! And all you could go on about was how horrible children were!" The tears started to flow down her cheeks while Howl, Calcifer and Markl stared at her shocked. "I kept trying to find a way to tell you but the time never came, and then when I tried to see if I would even be a good mother, all you could do was complain that children were bratty little monsters!" Sophie just broke down and cried hysterically.
Howl swept her into his arms. "Oh cariad, I had no idea. I'm so sorry. I was just so frustrated because we planned to spend the day together but you just dismissed that because your sister needed a babysitter. I thought you had forgotten, I hadn't realized that you had more important things on your mind. I'm sorry. I didn't mean all those harsh things I said."
Sophie continued to cry into his arms, her arms wrapped firmly around his torso. Her sobs slowly died down but she didn't move her head from where it lay on his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier." She whispered. "I just didn't know if you wanted children."
"Forgive me, cariad. I should've been more attentive. If you knew that you were pregnant I should have been able to realize too."
"It's not your fault... I only realized last week when I came here. I can naturally sense life-forces and when it joined with the power boost from being here I sensed my child..."
"Our child, cariad. Our child" Howl corrected, a bright smile forming on his face.
Tears threatened to fall from Sophie's eyes again. Her lips met his in a sweet and love-filled kiss. The strong feeling of being needed and wanted always came back to Sophie whenever she kissed Howl. She had never been so close to someone that she would give up anything in the world just to be with them before she met Howl. Now they were even closer and she was bearing his child. The very thought filled her with an indescribable feeling of warmth and love. As Howl deepened the kiss Sophie's mind just went blank, unable to focus on anything but Howl. She didn't even notice Markl slowly processing all of this new information.
"I'm going to be a big brother? I'm going to be a big brother! Calcifer! I'm gonna be a BIG BROTHER!" Markl let out a loud excited cry.
Yay! I finished! Wow! This is loooooooong! I had planned for it to be 2,000 or so words... Instead it ended up being over 4,000 words... Hehehe guess I put in too much detail huh? Oh and for those of you who don't know cariad means 'love/sweetheart' in Welsh.
Please Review!
-Sneezii