CHAPTER 5

Sophie's Surprise

Sheaori: I will try to make it flow better.

Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle at all.

Sophie gasped. The town was ruined. There were army men marching the streets, all looking for her.

"I hear they kill anyone who looks like the wizard, and capture everyone who looks like that girl. All about seventeen year old brunettes...Poor girls." Sophie overheard a man talking to his wife. She gasped and walked on. She was just there to buy a cake...Would she be hurt? What if they captured her and she never saw the face of her beloved Howl again. No. It was all too ghastly to even imagine.

"Hutt! Two three four..." She could hear the soldiers barking orders at each other. She just walked on, on the sidewalk to the bakery.

"Oh my, this is dreadful! I don't even know who the girl is and I fear for her! They say her name is Sophie..." A woman behind the counter was talking to another lady who was I the back room baking.

"Oh my! My sister's name was Sophie, but mummy called about a month or two ago and said that she was dead...Fell into the hands of the wizard, she did..." The other lady replied. The two stopped talking when they saw sight of Sophie.

"What can I do for you, Sweetie?" The lady behind the counter asked.

"I-I'd like to buy a cake." Sophie said, her voice shaky. She'd recognize that anywhere. It was none other than her younger sister, Lettie.

"S—S—ophie!" Lettie's voice burst out the words. She wiped her hands on her apron and flew out of the back room and into her sister's arms. "Your...Your...Hair..." Lettie said, looking curiously at her eldest sister.

"Yes. I...Dyed it...And...I cut it...I mean, my friend did...Uh...Calci—I mean, Cal." Sophie said, trying not to leak too much information.

"Oh, this is your sister?" The lady asked, smiling. "What else did you want on your cake, dear?"

Sophie blinked.

"Uh—D'you think you could write something in icing on there for me?" Sophie asked, bashfully.

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" The lady asked.

"Oh, probably a hat. My sister always WAS one for that little hat shop...Ugh, did you give that up?" Lettie asked.

"No, not a hat, and yes. I now work at a flower shop with my boyfriend. Which, could you put his name on the cake? H-O-W-L. Howl..." Sophie said, regretting what she had done.

Lettie's mouth dropped open, and the lady stopped at H.

"You...You...You mean--?" Lettie stopped to make a face. "Sophie I told you he was bad news, and you!" Lettie was close to tears.

"THE Howl? The heart stealing—." The lady began

"HE DOESN'T STEAL HEARTS! He loves me, and we are happy together! I've been with him for a little over six months, and YES! I'm the reason the war has started! Me! Don't tell ANYONE! Howl and I like being where we are! Together!" Sophie exploded, dropped the money on the table, grabbed the cake and left. "Good DAY!"

Sophie was so angry. She marched right back to the flower shop, but before she could get there, an old army man stopped her.

"Hey, good looking. You need help?" The man leaned against the entrance to the shop, just as another had done when she'd met Howl.

"No. I'm perfectly fine, but thank you for asking." She curtly answered, trying to push past him.

"That's a nice cake you've got. Who's it for? Boyfriend? I bet he doesn't deserve a cake." The man said, winking.

"Leave me ALONE!" Sophie exploded.

Just then, Howl came out of the shop.

"You'll be leaving, now. I think you've harassed my girlfriend enough. Now, leave, or I turn your little head into a nice mantle piece. Wouldn't that look nice in the shop, Anne?" Howl said winking at Sophie. She grinned.

"Yes. T'would suit the theme just fine." Sophie said, not as good at improvision as she thought.

Howl shoved the army man away with his magic, and pulled Sophie in the shop.

"Whew. That was close." Howl said, winking at Sophie. "Oh, cake...With my name on it! Sophie! You're so thoughtful!" Howl kissed Sophie and lifted the cake from her hands and put it on the table.

"I thought it would bring joy to us. It's for everyone, but I just wanted your name on it." Sophie said, smiling.

"Oohhh boy! Cake!" Markl said, running in from the courtyard. He attempted to poke his finger in the frosting.

"Ah ah ah!" Sophie scolded, tapping his finger. She paused when she saw Howl trying to do the same on the other side of Markl. They all just laughed.

So, in the time of despair, the odd family ate their cake. Afterwards, when Howl went to take his bath and when Sophie and the others went to bed, even Heen got a piece of the cake.