Thank you my fellow readers! Sorry, for the long wait! I had a lot of tests to do! Why must I be torched this way? Thank you empress author for that nice review. Thank you to kristal, and cadius-lupus full moon, darkwolf88, tadsgirl, kerajier, and callarose! You all get cookies for sticking with me for a long time! And without further ado, chp 9!

Chapter 9: Forgotten Love

When Sophie woke up, her head was pounding. It felt like someone was hammering inside her head. Then, images started to float inside her head. Images of a man with blond hair, then black. He had the most beautiful pair of eyes Sophie had ever seen. He made her heart pound fast. But all of a sudden, as if they had suddenly come, the images were gone. Sophie could not explain why her heart felt so hollow. 'Where am I?' Sophie thought as she sat there, trying to remember. She looked up after she heard the opening and slamming of a door. Soraya came over, an angry look on her face.

"What right do you have, coming in here and…."

"Stop." Sorhab entered the room. He saw Sophie and he smiled. "Good morning Sophie. Are you okay?"

"Who are you, and what am I doing here?" Sophie asked. By the look on Sorhab's face, she had said the wrong thing.

"You don't remember who I am, or where you are?" Sorhab asked, kneeling by Sophie's side.

"No" Sophie said, before a memory flashed in her mind. It was of a castle coming towards her, before stopping in front of her.

"A castle… walking?" she said. She knew that this wired item was very important to her. But why…?

"What's that dear?" Sorhab said. He did not think she would remember the memories he tried to erase.

"Oh, nothing, it sounds silly" she said. Sophie was a little afraid of him, but did not know why.

"Sophie, where is your ring?" Sorhab asked, looking down at her hand.

"What ring?" Sophie said confused. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Why, the ring I gave to you! You agreed to marry me!" Sorhab said. He did expect Sophie to be surprised. But all she did was look down and say "oh."

"Here! I just remember that I have it," Sorhab said as he placed a ring with a diamond on Sophie's ring finger. Sophie looked down at it. Her head started to hurt. A man stared at her, his blue eyes looking at her lovingly as he slipped a ring in one of her fingers while whispering, "This ring will guarantee your safe return,"

"My love, are you okay?" Sorhab said. Sophie looked at him to see him worried.

"I'm fine…" she said. Something didn't quite make sense, but she shooed that feeling away. Sorhab stood up, and then said, "Come down for breakfast then?"

"Yes" Sorhab looked at her a little hesitant before he bended down and kissed her softly in the cheek He walked out of the room, but not before giving Soraya a warning.

"Make sure she comes down to eat breakfast" Sophie heard Sorhab say before he shut the door closed. Soraya stated at the door before turning to Sophie with a fake smile.

"Lets get you ready then, shall we?" Soraya said as she walked towards Sophie.

"One thing that I have not gotten use to is sleeping on the ground!" Justin yelled to Howl who was bending over Calcifer, cooking breakfast.

"No one cares turnip," Calicfer said from under the pan while glaring at Howl. Howl pretended not to see his stares. Turning to Markl, he said, "Dishes please Markl." Markl handed him a small stack, forks on top. Howl quickly divided the food up, all eating silently. Then, everything was being packed up, until Calcifer complained that he did not want to ride with Justin, and wanted to ride with Howl instead. Howl however refused, leading him and Calcifer to start arguing. Something made him stop. Something off in the horizon was emitting a strait green light. Justin was about to ask what it was what it was when Calcifer shouted, "There it is! Go Howl! Find that source!" All of a sudden, a flash of feathers blinded Justin's eyes before he recalled who it was. Horror struck him as he remembered Obaba's words. "Howl you idiot, what will I tell Sophie? I am sorry Sophie, but Howl.."

"What are you standing there for turnip head? Hurry up or we will lose Master Howl!" Markl said as his horse raced past Justin. Justin quickly mounted his horse before shouting to Markl, " Do you have any idea to where we are going?"

"No, but as long as we follow Master Howl, we'll be okay!" Markl said as Calcifer shouted, "Stop! The wind is too much!"

Sophie felt bad. Sorhab loved her, but she couldn't remember who he was.

"Sorhab?"

"Yes Sophie?"

"I'm sorry if I sound rude, but how come I can't remember who you are? I mean I can't marry you!" Sophie said. Suddenly, she wished she hadn't eaten breakfast. Sorhab walked over to her, and helping her stand up, he took her face in his hands.

"Sophie, I frankly don't care if you never remember anything! As long as I have you, nothing else matters to me!" Sophie found Sorhab's lips on hers. Then to make matter worse, Sorhab was deepening his kiss.

"My love for you will always be written in my heat Sophie Hatter" a man with blue eyes said before he gave her a kiss that made her long for more. Her heart started pounding crazily, and yet she wondered why. She pulled away from Sorhab, while looking away. "Howl, that's his name," she murmured, wondering why he made her heart pound.

"What's troubling you? You do not response to my kisses the way you use to" Sorhab said while walking over (a/n: she never like you stupid!)

"Its nothing. However, I don't have any memories of you. Why!"

"A wizard named Howl took you from me, and as a part of his revenge, he erased all your memories of me. Is that who you are talking about?" he asked as he looked down at her.

"Sophie I don't want you to get the wrong impression of…"

"Master Sorhab! Master Sorhab where.." Soraya quickly ran into the gardens, looking very worried

"What is the matter Soraya? What ever it is, I'm sure you can handle it", he said as he turned around, to look at her.

"What's the matter now? Did..."

"No master, it's just the globe, it's.."

Nevertheless, Sorhab was gone. As soon as he heard the word "globe", Sorhab was out the door, not caring about the fact that he had left Soraya with words in her mouth. Soraya started at the door where Sorhab had exited, thinking what made Sophie so special to Sorhab.

He knew he would have a problem as soon as he saw his pendent hanging from a tree. As he tried to reach it, a barrier stopped him, signing some of his feathers.

'I should have know that Sorhab wouldn't hand her over so easily ' he thought as he flew to a near by tree. 'Sophie, I should have told you how I felt about you before you left.' Howl looked at the mansion. Without a glance backwards, he flew off, ready to do anything as long as Sophie would soon be home with them.

Sophie wondered what was so special about a globe. She kept thinking of a snow globe, but she knew that could not be right. She then had a sense of foreboding, and something told her Sorhab would not be pleased with it.

"Yes! Go back to the ramshackle you call a castle, you great coward! Sophie will be mine!" Sorhab yelled as he saw Howl fly away, through the globe. As he walked down the steps, after leaving his room, he wondered if he should use a love potion on Sophie. Then, he realized he wanted Sophie to love him from her heart, instead of her love coming because of a love potion. He stopped as soon as he saw Sophie standing on a balconary, more beautiful because of the sunset behind her. She quickly noticed that he was staring at her, before bowing quickly.

"You don't have to do that. We should be able to trust each other, seeing as we are going to be together for a long time," Sorhab said, as he got closer to Sophie.

"Would you knock it off? I'm sure Howl will be back any minute now!" Calcifer said as Markl keep going around in circles.

"He's right Markl. I'm sure Howl isn't stupid enough to die without finding out where Sophie is," Justin said before taking a bite out of an apple.

"You should be nicer to your elders turnip head," Howl said as he walked towards Calcifer and Markl. He was half way through his transformation. His black hair had feathers among them, and he looked like he was in pain.

"Master Howl! Are you okay?" Markl said as he ran towards Howl, Calcifer in his hands.

"A little closer Markl," Calcifer said. He floated towards Howl, who was sitting down. "You stupid wizard!" he said as he slapped Howl. "You know you are not suppose to transform, and yet, you do!" When Howl didn't reply, Calcifer laughed harshly, before saying, "Let me see what I can do for you."

"What!" exclaimed both Markl and Justin. After Calcifer started treating Howl's wounds, Howl told them that a barrier was surrounding the castle where Sorhab held Sophie.

"Can't Howl just blast the damn barrier?" Justin asked as he wondered who held Sophie, and why.

"Anyone with magic in his or her blood is blocked out, but not before getting hurt." Howl said.

'Now that he mentions it, the tips of Howl's hair was burned. Blood was coming from a wound in Howl's head, and he had a wound in his cheek. Why didn't I notice it before?' Justin thought to himself.

"So, how are we going to save Sophie?" Markl cried.

"I have a plan," Howl said, "want to hear it?"

Sorhab was getting too close to Sophie. It made Sophie very uncofterble. Now she was going to be kissed by a person she barely knew. Like before, she had another flashback.

"You smell good," the mysterious man with blue eyes whispered in her ear, before he started kissing her neck, and throat, sending shivers of sheer delight down her spine.

End flashback

"No!" Sophie yelled as she pulled away. "I'm sorry.. It just doesn't feel right. I mean I barely know you and.." Sophie ran upstairs to her room, before closing the door, locking it and putting two chairs in front of the door. Sitting on the first, she wondered why she felt so lost and alone. After a couple of hours of just sitting there, there was a knock on the door.

"Sophie? It's me, Sorhab. I was wondering if you would come down to dinner and greet our guests." Sorhab hope Sophie would come down. He wanted to show off his beautiful fiancée, Sophie. After a couple of minutes, Sophie and Sorhab walked down the huge stair case, and walked into the dinning room, where two young men and a boy stood up, as soon as Sorhab entered the room.

"Traveler Leviman, this is my fiancée, Sophie. Sophie, this traveler Leviman will be staying with us for a while" Sorhab said as the taller of the two young men walked over and took Sophie's hand.

"Please to meet you, Ms. Sophie" the stranger said as he kissed her hand. Sophie found herself staring into a pair of brown eyes the color of coffee.

Again, sorry for the long time! Please review and tell me if the chapter is okay. Chapter ten will be coming soon to a computer near you!