Gohan's Moving Castle
A Place to Stay
Inside Gohan's Castle
"Oh well…at least it's warmer in here", Videl thought to herself as she cautiously climbed the stairs and into the first room of the castle. Before she was fully up and inside the room, she made sure the cost was clear above, her head poking out of the stairway. Her eyes looked around a couple of times, taking in the first glimpses of the inside of the castle. Unable to see everything just yet but was for certain that there was no danger, Videl fully exited the stairway shaft and stepped into the room.
The floorboards creaked under her weight as she slowly walked through the dim, her eyes trailing left and right along the dusty surrounding furniture lying scattered.
The room was basically wide to suit family purposes. The floor was carpeted in the middle with the surrounding walls painted daisy yellow. There was a good quality couch thrown up back and a second staircase leading up to a second, unknown floor. There was also a big, dinner table set up far away enough from the couch with smaller chairs set up around it. The table wasn't elegant and clear though since it was piled up with at least a ton of books, paper work and artwork. There was also a bookshelf and plate display cabinet behind the dinner table, dusty and untidy. To her left there was a large sink with some dirty dishes but a lot of cleaned up ones. Utensils and other cooking equipment were hung up around that area too. There were kitchen cabinets and tables stacked with articles of food. There were no freezers, ovens or fridges, everything homemade with no electronics. A little ways further down the wall, there was a large fireplace with a pile of long burnt up ash. There was also a small, orange flame slowly flickering away on a burnt ridden piece of firewood, threatening to burn out. There were framed pictures and photos hanging around the room, accompanied by other, gold encrusted lights that were currently switched off.
Videl only had to look around once to capture every detail. She could tell from sight and scent that the entire place was filthy. It was dusty, jam packed with cob-webs and all sorts of stuff dumped everywhere. A second couch (detailed red and gold) was stuffed underneath the stairs. Videl thought it was nice setup, minus the mess.
Seeing the fire burning warmly invited her over. A chair was positioned in front of it, offering one person a seat. Videl took it before anyone else could. It was after she had taken the seat did she finally feel the effects of exhaustion. Her bones creaked and her muscles relaxed with almost cramping results. Her hoods were already off, but because of her tiredness she couldn't be bothered taking off her jacket and cloak. A breath of air escaped her lips freely, giving evidence to how relieved she was. She lifted her arms, raising her hands towards the fire.
It was surprising that this small fire could produce such warmth, especially since it warmed up the entire room. But, seeing that it was on the verge of dying, Videl came up with an easy solution. There was a box of firewood sitting beside the fireplace with a slot above it. She assumed that when more wood was gathered it would cut them up cleanly and send it down the slot so that it landed in the box. Pretty useful; she just wondered how the wood was actually gathered. It was a smart castle so it must have developed some way of gathering wood.
Finding enough strength to get up, Videl managed to get three more blocks of firewood and toss it onto the fire. With that settled, she sat herself back down, all the while looking around at the mess lying about. She couldn't help but comment on her dark surroundings. "Man…what a dump. Some castle this is. When I pictured a place of royalty this is the exact opposite…" A couple of spiders were nestled in a corner, watching her every move while weaving intricate webs to catch bugs. Videl cringed at the creepy pests, tearing her eyes away and towards the table. Of all the places in the house, why stuff a bunch of quills and ink here? She sighed and went back to gazing at the fire. She placed her hands on her lap and tucked her neck into the warmth of her jacket. She could feel herself begin to drift into sleep.
"Well…at least there aren't any rats in this place…that's a good thing…"
When she looked back into the fireplace, she saw that the flame had grown and had risen. Her eyes began to close, the drowsiness she felt overtaking her and pulling her into a dream world. If she wasn't so sleepy she would have noticed a set of eyes appear floating in the fire. The white orbs with black pupils blinked and stared up at her with curiosity. The raven haired girl still didn't notice, not until the fire suddenly spoke, a crack of ash leaving its red hot blaze.
"I don't envy you lady, but that is one mean curse," the fire said loudly. Videl heard this and gasped, jumping on the spot. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared into the fire, seeing some sort of entity form out of it. Fiend or not, the fire was literally alive. Not only were their eyes floating in it but also a mouth. The fire chuckled. "I've had seven years experience with these sorts of things. I can recognize a cursed person from a mile away."
Videl blinked, gaping. "D-did you…just…speak to me…?" The fire, though a little irritated that the girl wasn't responding to him in the way he expected just took it in stride and continued talking.
"You know curses and spells are hard to break, you're going to have a very hard time with that one. Heh…it's beyond skin deep too. Not only has it given you a tail but it's changed your blood, muscle strength, endurance and spiked up your intelligence. Boy…what luck…"
Videl was still bewildered beyond belief. Of all the things she has seen, this just beats it all. But she hasn't seen weird, not just yet. "Y-you did speak to me…" The fire laughed.
"Of course I did. I'm guessing that you've never seen a talking fire before. Oh well, that's not what's interesting me. I presume that the spell won't let you talk about it either…figures."
The raven haired girl tilted her head, looking at the fire curiously. "A-Are you…Gohan…?" The fire snorted, growing larger with sparks and red bolts of fire flickering out of him. He lit up the room all the more with that little stunt.
"No, I'm an extremely powerful fire demon named CALCIFER!" the fire shouted, his voice deep and booming. He chuckled and returned back to his original size. "Heh…I just like to do that sometimes…"
When Videl heard what the fire actually was, she grinned cheerfully and leaned forward. Her expression was all the more eager. "A fire demon…hey, that means you will be able to break my curse!" she exclaimed. The fire made a shrugging gesture, only to have more heat flicker out of him.
"Maybe, maybe not…it all depends," the fire replied teasingly. He then grinned and nodded to her. "Listen, let's be fair here. If you can break the spell that's on me, then I can break the spell that's on you…got it?" Videl smirked, looking at him more suspiciously.
"If you're really a demon then how do I know I can trust you? From what I've been through and what I have heard, your type is very untrustworthy. Will you promise to help me if I help you?" Videl asked. Calcifer flickered on the spot, his face scrunching up in a very discomforting way.
"Ehh…I don't know lady, we demons don't make promises," Calcifer stated blankly. Videl frowned and fell back into her chair. She was very taken aback by Calcifer's attitude and words. Guess she was right about demons, despite her lack of knowledge about them.
"Then go find someone else who will help you. I don't like anyone who doesn't help someone else in return," Videl replied. Calcifer shouted in protest, his entire form flaring up.
"COME ON! You should feel sorry for me! That SPELL keeps me locked up in this castle and Gohan treats me like I am his slave and burns me up. He's got to keep everything in order. Move the castle, keep the water hot, keep it cold, keep the rooms warm, control the ventilation and cooling, control the weight distribution, relocate, keep the charms up…its like this everyday! In and out…non-stop! Always on the move! Have you ever tried moving a castle?!" Calcifer shouted. He was really venting his feelings on his situation. It was obvious he had gone through a lot.
Videl smiled, nodding in understanding. She managed to catch everything Calcifer said, even if she was close to falling asleep. "Man…sounds rough…"
"You bet!" Calcifer shouted, his flaring now dropping to a controlled level. He sighed. "Alright then, let's make a deal. If you can figure out how to break this…thing…you know, with Gohan; then you can break my spell. And after that…I can easily break the spell that's on you. So…" Calcifer smiled at her, "…what do you say?"
Videl grinned, nodding to the demon with sparkling eyes. "It's a deal. I help you…and you help me. I guess I can hang around for a while and figure out what is up with you two. It shouldn't be too hard," she exclaimed.
Calcifer snorted. "Bah…easy for you to say; moving this castle is no walk in the park. Hey…if you want to stay, you may as well pitch in and help with the work load. For starters, you can take up house tending and cleaning. This castle is a mess. Being the new cleaning lady should be convincing enough for Gohan. He doesn't take too kindly to uninvited guests, just so you know," Calcifer added. Videl nodded, letting out a yawn.
"I'll keep that in mind," the raven haired girl replied. She looked around the room sleepily, seeing the state it was in. She looked back towards Calcifer. "Is it alright if I sleep on one of the couches? I need to get some shut eye…"
Calcifer nodded with a sigh. "Sure…but don't dirty it…the place is already a dump…" Videl thanked him with a smile before walking sluggishly over to the couch against the wall. The one underneath the staircase wasn't looking too advertising since cobwebs hung over it underneath the stairs. Taking off her bag she hung it on the wall hook beside the couch and, not bothering to take off her jacket and cloak, fell right onto the couch. As soon as she crashed onto the cushiony surface, she was out like a light. Calcifer blinked.
"Hello! Hey lady…hey! HEY-HEY-HEY! HEY…hey! Grrhh…let me just…get over there…gah! (Sigh) Some big help you're going to be…sleeping on the job…"
While Videl slept and Calcifer continued to mutter to himself, the castle moved across the wastes, its gears grinding and machinery pulsing. The steam that escaped its joints hissed loudly with the piles of armor and buildings mounted on its back creaking agonizingly.
Night time was at its fullest. The stars were gleaming brightly, the moon was full and the breeze was cool.
It was going to be a long, peaceful night…
TO BE CONTINUED…