Summary: It's the morning after Sophie tried to flee from the castle. She wakes up thinking it's all a bad dream, and that life as a lonely hat maker isn't that bad after all.

Rating for chapter: T

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3: Inconsolable

Her lids felt like lead.

It is only a bad dream, Sophie Hatter, Sophie consoled herself. Open your eyes and it will only be another lonely, uneventful day at father's hat shop.

Sophie had never been more thankful for her nondescript existence, compared to the too lifelike nightmare she had dreamt, of belonging to a depraved man-orexic Wizard. Making hats was a blessed fairy tale sprinkled with sunshine and iced with larking songbirds measured up against that dream!

Wearily, Sophie tossed her unusually heavy covers off herself, grudgingly prying her eyes open to pitch black around her. A vapour of dust flooded her nostrils, choking in her throat. She spluttered in convulsion, clawing in the darkness over unfamiliar velvet covers, stumbling off the filthy duvet and falling with a heavy thud to the carpeted floor.

"Where am I?" Sophie winced in protest, feeling her way along the bumpy floor, towards the slant of pale light under what she presumed was the door. It was not until she fumbled for the knob, creaked it open, that she released the breath she had held to avoid inhaling the dusty, stagnant stench of the room. She squinted, adjusting her eyes to her surroundings, walking shakily down the dimly lit narrow hall to the source of the light. Disorientation, fatigue and dread weighed heavily over her shoulders, as she groggily steadied herself against the wall.

"Where am I?" she whispered again, goose bumps suddenly pricking at the skin from the tips of her toes to her hairline.

Her pulse froze to ice. Horrified, Sophie looked down and bit down the wail threatening to burst from her lips. "Where are my clothes?" She was naked save a man's flimsy white peasant shirt. The ties hung over the plunging neckline that ended above her waist, the hem billowed over her knees.

"No no no!" she howled bitterly, salty tears trickling down her thin neck. Her head shook convulsively, stricken by a sickening curl of dread in her stomach, that her innocence had been taken. Her legs started running of their own accord, sending Sophie blindly hurtling around a corner. It was then Sophie halted abruptly, seeing the familiar hearth, the flickering orange crimson glow arcing along the grey walls, undulating into the raked roof.

It wasn't a dream! She fought back the tears racking her body, and collapsed in a heap at the landing of the stairs. "Please, please. HE couldn't have touched me last night!" Sophie bawled into her knees, curling into the wall and sinking deep into the shadows. "Please tell me he didn't…!" Feeling physically and emotionally raped, the strength drained from every pore of her skin. Despite her daze, Sophie knew, the state of her undress, and waking up in a stranger's bed could only point to one truth. Trembles rippled up Sophie's spine, her blood boiled in anger, plagued with shame and repugnance at the animal, responsible for taking everything from her.

A voice from below floated up to where Sophie lay. "I've never seen Master Howl like this, Calcifer. Who is she?" It was the high-pitched voice of a young boy. "Did you see the way he flew after her last night, messy hair and all?"

Instantly, Sophie hugged her knees harder to her chest, letting the hot streaks roll down her cheeks: listening intently, shaking, and a succession of blunt thumps pounding mercilessly at the back of her head.

"Yeah, kiddo. I saw all right. And I don't like it. The fool has done some stupid things in his time, but this takes the cake, Markl. I already have enough to worry about with this curse! Cleaning Lady my flaming non-existent foot!" responded a sharp, flippant voice. "I liked it better when he simply wooed the ladies, had his way with them and left them where he found them. Bringing one home and expecting us to keep her here…" the sharp voice trailed off as if in disgust.

"So-phie," the boy's voice lilted as if singing a rhyme. "I like the name…"

"Yeah, unfortunately, that's all we know about her. Howl didn't exactly stop and tell us her life story before he took her upstairs last night, Markl. The only thing he said about her this morning before he left was 'Wake her up later, Calcifer. Make sure she does what I paid her for!' " The cutting voice transformed effortlessly to imitate the smooth, richer timber of Sophie's captor.

"No problems! I will," assured the boy, excitedly. "I'm sure Sophie must be Master Howl's girlfriend or something! There's no other explanation! What other woman has been in his room, right? I'll wake her! Then, we can ask her all the questions we want!" he chirped in anticipation, thumping sounds echoing from the hearth to the foot of the stairs.

Sophie jerked upright, grasping the situation and staggered back in the direction she had fled.

"Markl, wait!" said the pointed voice from the hearth.

"What, Calcifer?" the boy asked with impatience.

"I don't know what he did to Sophie last night, Markl. So, please be nice and…knock before going in, okay? Let's try and make her first morning with us more pleasant than her first night was." The voice hedged with sadness and kindness.

"I will, Calcifer."

By now, Sophie had dived back into the bed; in the room she knew with all certainty belonged to the wizard. He must have carried her here after she tried to escape. After that putrid kiss, he had claimed…why couldn't she remember the rest?

When the knock came at the door, Sophie's tears had soaked into the pillows, her eyes swollen red, her sobs audible to the young boy through the wood. No matter how nice and gentle Markl tried to be- as Calcifer had instructed- Sophie was inconsolable.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, put this on their favs and alerts. I'm sorry it's taken longer than expected to update this story. I'm moving to Japan end of this month and have a lot to do - but wanted to update before I left. Also, I'm trying to write a few stories at once. I really don't want to give up on this fic, so I'm going to try and keep it going by posting drabble'esque chapters. This way, I'm sure to be able to update regularly. Anyhoo, I love comments, reviews and suggestions on how to improve. Reviews also make me happy and lets me know that people want to read more.

I've rated this chapter T for the 'suggestion' of something happening to Sophie.

Disclaimer: same as in the previous chapters.