Disclaimer: Howl's Moving Castle doesn't belong to me. Its original version belongs to Diana Wynne Jones and the movie version belongs to Hayao Miyasaki.

Note: This story is based on Miyasaki's movie and doesn't have any connection with the original book.

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First Waltz

By Eiko Makimachi

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Chapter 5: In which Howl gets in trouble

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The Market was very crowded and Howl was having a hard time to walk from one grocery to the other. He wished he could use magic there, but he knew that Sophie would disapprove that. He had already bought vegetables, fruits and some bread, but he still had to buy milk, tea and cheese.

While complaining about the sun on his head the wizard accidentally bumped into a girl and her mother. The young lady lost her balance and feel on the floor, to Howl's surprise. Immediately he apologized for the accident, but the girl was too busy trying to stand up with her innumerous layers of petticoat and dress. Her mother, a snobbish looking woman with a huge black hat adorned with a long red plume, looked to the wizard.

"How dare you do that to my poor daughter, you peasant!" the woman said, shaking her fat finger in front of Howl's face.

"I said I was sorry, madam, I didn't..."

"Oh dear, let me help you." The woman said, ignoring Howl and helping her daughter. The girl's blond curly hair was now messed up under her pink flowered hat. "Do you know who are you talking to, young man?" continued the mother.

Howl was quite uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm afraid not, madam. But I have already apolo..."

"You must be one of those ignorant poor people that doesn't even know who the king is." Said the woman. "I'm one of the richest woman of Kingsbury."

Like I care about it thought Howl.

"Oh, mother, he ruined my hairdo! Do something, mom!" said the daughter, crying.

"You are so rude! A decent man would at least help the lady. Humpf! That's why I hate going to the Market, it's full of ignorant fools!" continued the snobbish woman, still shaking her finger to Howl.

"That's enough, madam! You don't have the right to call people ignorant or rude!" said Howl, who lost the temper. "I couldn't see your daughter because of this huge package with some bread and fruits, I've already apologized!"

The whole crowd had stopped what they were doing to watch what was going on. The mother, who looked offended by Howl's word, placed her chubby hands on her waist and glared to Howl. The scene was rather comical because the woman was fat and short, in contrast with the wizard who was slim and tall. Yet, the woman acted like she was thousand of times taller than Howl.

"How dare you talk to me like that! Who do you think you are?" yelled the woman.

"I am Howell Jenkins." Said Howl, angry. "But I think you know me better by the name of Wizard Howl, don't you?"

His name provoked the effect he wanted. The woman opened her mouth to answer, but them she closed it again, as if she was considering if it was safer to remain quiet. The people around them looked to Howl with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Holding his brown pack with bread and vegetables with one arm, Howl let his free hand on his waist.

"I may not be rich like you, madam, but I'm sure I'm not an ignorant fool. " Howl said, straightening his eyes and smiling. "And if I am rude, you are one million times ruder than me."

"W-what! You... you..."

"Ah, I wouldn't say that if I were you..." said Howl. "Anyway, I'm feeling nice today, so I'll fix your daughter's hairdo with my magic."

"Don't touch my daughter!" said the woman, putting herself between her daughter and the wizard.

"So, you don't want it? Women change their mind so easily! That's one of the mysteries I haven't solved yet." Said Howl. "Well, who am I to say that, I change my mind easily too. So, if you please, madam, I have to finish my shopping."
Howl left the crowd and the two women and went to a small grocery where he could buy a bottle of milk and some cheese. When he was about to open the grocery's door, he looked back to the woman and her daughter, who were still looking at him.

"Ah, I forgot!" he started.

The woman froze. He is going to cast a spell me, he will transform me into a frog or something worse! She thought.

"Please, don't transform me into anything, Wizard Howl!"

Howl tilted his head to the side and looked to her with innocent eyes. "But I wasn't thinking on transforming anyone into something. I just wanted to know if you know somewhere where I can buy some tea."

Completely astonished by the question and still afraid of what Howl could do, the woman simply pointed to a small green house on the other side of the Market.

"Oh, there? Thank you very much!" Howl said, before disappearing inside the grocery

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"I wonder why Howl isn't back yet." Murmured Sophie.

Suddenly, the door opened and Howl entered laughing. Lettie had recovered her consciousness and was trying to not faint again inside the strange moving castle.

"What happened, Howl?" Sophie asked.

"You can't believe what happened in the Market." Howl answered. "I had a little problem with an old snobbish woman and her daughter."

Sophie raised her eyebrow. "The daughter isn't one of your previous girlfriends, is her?"

Howl laughed. "No. I accidentally bumped into her. I couldn't see the way with those food packages. Her mother started yelling at me, saying that I was rude and ignorant, it was so hilarious when she found out who I am."

Howl continued his story, taking the food packages with him to the kitchen. Sophie followed him, curious to know the rest of the story.

In a nearby corner, Prince Justin was taking care of Lettie, who was way too confused and scared to say a word. Markl didn't help at all, practicing his spell lessons in front of her.

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After lunch, Sophie decided it was time for more waltz practicing with Howl, but something was bothering her. They had to practice with music from now on, but the wizard didn't seem to have a jukebox or a more appropriate place for them to dance.

"Howl, we can't continue practicing at the flower field. We have to practice with music!" she exclaimed.

The young man turned his head lazily and looked to her. "Well, that's not a problem. Follow me." He said, guiding Sophie to a corridor that she had never noticed. It was hidden behind the kitchen's shelf, which opened the passage when Howl waved his hand by moving to the side. It was dark and dusty, but when the couple entered the corridor lights turned on one by one. At the end of the corridor there was a single door. It was bigger than the others in the castle.

Howl approached and touched the door knob. The golden door knob made a click sound, so Sophie assumed that it was locked until then.

When Howl opened the door Sophie was amazed with what she saw. There was a piano, some violins, flutes and many other orchestra instruments that were covered with dust inside that large room that she had just discovered. The wizard tilted his head, examining the instruments.

"I guess we have to clean it all." Howl murmured.

"Oh my, Howl, is this...?"

"Yes, this is a ball room. I created it when I decided to live in this castle, but I've never used it to dance. I only came here once or twice to listen to music. Real life music is far better than jukebox music."

"But how are we going to clean it all?" said Sophie.

"Well, I just need some water and I can do a spell to clear it."

Sophie was surprised to know that. "Wait? If you know a cleaning spell, why you never used it when your castle was dirty?"

"Because this spell has a limited area, so to clean the whole castle I would have to spend a lot of energy and magic to do it, I would probably faint before finishing it. But one room is just fine, I won't faint using this spell only once."

"So better cleaning it like normal people." Said Sophie giggling. "But you and Markl are so lazy that you never tried to do it by yourself."

"Yes, that resumes everything quite perfectly." Said Howl.

Prince Justin and Lettie, who followed the two of them, were also astonished with the ball room.

"Sophie, call Markl to come with a glass of water." Said Howl.

The wizard took a charcoal from his pocket. Going to the middle of the room, he drew on the floor five circles, one inside the other, and wrote several words in a strange language next to the circles. On the middle of the smallest circle he drew a half moon and a small star.

Markl came with Sophie, holding a glass of water. "Here is the water you've asked, Master Howl!"

"Good. Put the glass inside this circle." Said Howl, pointing to the circle with the moon and the star.

The apprentice put the glass on the circle like he had been told to do and joined Prince Justin, Lettie and Sophie, looking rather curious to what his master was going to do.

Howl stepped inside the circles and raised his hand to the air. As he did it the glass broke, and somehow the amount of water grew, washing the whole room. Lettie jumped when she felt the water reaching her ankles, the prince just looked astonished with the spell. Sophie and Markl, however, didn't seem to be much surprised. Afterall, they have been living in a magical castle for a good amount of time.

Once the water washed everything it disappeared. The circles and other drawings that Howl had done before vanished as well. The wizard smiled, satisfied with himself and walked towards the instruments.

"Well, now we only need some music!"

Suddenly the instruments gained life and were playing. Everyone looked amazed with that, even Markl.

"Woa, Master Howl. I didn't know there was a spell to give life to objects!"

"Yes there is." Howl said calmly, while searching for music scores behind the piano. "But that's advanced level spells and you are not learning it until you've mastered all the basic spells. That means you still have to improve your floating spells."

Markl pounted. "Aw... not fair! It's hard to make that book float!"

Holding a really old-looking book, Howl opened it and started to search for a waltz. When he finally found one, he waved his hand over the book. Automatically the instruments started to play waltz.

The wizard walked back to the group. Elegantly, he took Sophie's hand and bowed to kiss her hand.

"Will you dance with me, my dear Sophie?" he asked, looking to her eyes.

Sophie blushed a little but replied quickly. "Yes." She looked to Prince Justin and her sister. "Why don't you dance with us? It will be fun that way!"

Both prince and Lettie looked at each other with surprised faces.

"Me?" they said in unison. "Us?"

"Yes."

After some time in silence, Justin looked to Lettie, who didn't know what to say.

"Well...huh... would you like to dance me, Miss Hatter?"

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Author's note: YES, FINALLY AN UPDATE! Again, people, I can't update this very often due to school, I have lots of problems to solve in real life, like deciding what I'm going to do for a living, decide which university I want to go to study...

Next chapter will show the waltz practice! For anyone who is curious about me choosing waltz and not another dancing style, if you listen to the Howl's Moving Castle OST most soundtracks are waltzes. Not to mention that waltz is perfect for the book/movie's atmosphere. And I don't know waltz myself, I just know how to play waltz on keyboard.

I read this chapter again once and so far I didn't find any mistake... but that doesn't help much since I'm quite sleepy today...