Chapter 6: In which Sophie visits the Royal Castle

In the following week, Howl and Sophie spent as much time together as was humanly possible, and even a little more than that when Howl contrived to slow down time, but even with Howl doing his best, the week was over much, much too soon and Sophie was waving goodbye to Howl as his train pulled out of the station in Market Chipping. He had promised to write to her every day, and she just as often, but she knew their letters might be few and far between, what with the distance and the danger of his trip.

She wrote to him daily, but only sent out a letter on the third day to save on postage. In her first letter she told him about how she would spend days helping Michael in the shop to keep her mind preoccupied so that she wouldn't miss him so much. But she found that impossible to do and so she wrote that she hoped he would return home soon.

Howl wrote back to her that he had been received rather cordially in the Strangian court. He told her about the beautiful and strange architecture of the castle he was staying in and the unusual, but tasty foods that he had tried while he was there. He told her that while he did poison-testing spells as a precaution, so far he had not had any real cause for suspicion among them, which made him hopeful that his peaceful objective could be accomplished, and rather sooner than he expected.

For two weeks letters from Howl came almost every three or four days, and Sophie wondered if perhaps Howl had bewitched them somehow to make such speedy deliveries. The copious letters spoiled her because when suddenly his letters became fewer and fewer she began to worry. He never talked about how much busier he had become. He always told her some funny story about some diplomat he had spoken with, or some social blunder he had made since he didn't know Strangian all that well and was unfamiliar with the culture. She couldn't help but wonder if he had already become bored with her as a correspondent, and just did not feel like writing to her as often as he used to. She tried to convince herself that it was only natural that he stop writing as much, since he was surely very busy. Deciding that she didn't want him to think that she was wasting away waiting for his letters and was quite busy herself, she cut back to only writing him twice a week.

Sophie also debated about whether she should tell him that she planned on visiting Megan. Ever since that horrible first introduction she wanted nothing more than to tell Megan that she was very wrong about both her and her brother and their relationship. But when she had suggested going back herself and having a heart to heart talk with Megan while he was away, Howl had been against it, saying that she was his sister, and he would be the one to smooth things over between them.

Since Calcifer was the only one who even knew Howl had a sister Megan, she decided to ask his advice. She told Fanny that she was going to Market Chipping on the pretence that she wanted to pick up flowers from the shop for the house. Luckily, Calcifer was there sleeping in the grate. Not wanting to wake him up, Sophie decided to wait for him and once again took to straightening the room. She wasn't as quiet as she thought she was being, though, and Calcifer startled her from her task of dusting the shelves with a brusque cough.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Calicfer. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Of course you did. You obviously came here for a reason, or you would have left when you saw I was asleep. What's the problem?"

"Well, I thought I would ask you for some advice," she began somewhat unsurely. When Calcifer's bright blue flamed eyes looked at her noncommittally she took it as her cue to continue. "You know how Howl and I got in that nasty fight with his sister, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, I thought maybe I would go through the black door and speak to Megan on my own. She is going to be my sister-in-law and I'd like for us to get along."

"So what's the problem?"

Sophie looked away guiltily. "Howl asked me not to. But I think I ought to anyway. He's gone, and now is the perfect time for us to have a little heart to heart."

"It's seems like you've already made your decision. So I'm not sure why you're coming to me for advice."

"I just wondered…do you think Howl will get really angry with me if I do?"

"I think that Howl has his reasons for not wanting you to go there by yourself. It's a completely different world you know."

"Right, but I'd just be walking out the door, turning around and going back in."

"Well, maybe it's more than just that."

"So you think he'll be really upset with me if I do?"

"No, I don't think that. But I do think you might end up doing more harm than good."

"Well, I think I owe it to Howl to at least try. She couldn't possibly hate me anymore than she already does. And even though Howl must get on her nerves it's obvious that she cares about him a lot."

"All right then. You should probably change your clothes."

"Oh, thanks for reminding me! Howl always did it, so I don't even have any idea what kind of stuff they wear over there, other than it shows off a scandalous amount of skin."

Calcifer chuckled at that. "I'll help you, then." He flew out of the grate and pointed at a book. "Look in that book on page 478. There should be a spell that ought to do the trick. Tell your clothes that you want to wear a pair of jeans and a t-shirt." Sophie opened the book to the suggested page and then said the spell aloud, gently nudging her clothes to change their shape. When she finished, she looked down and saw the tight blue things that both Michael and Howl had worn when they had gone to Wales.

"Are these 'jeans' things supposed to be worn by men? What have you got on me?"

"Don't worry. Jeans are all the rage. And they're worn by everyone. Men, women, boys, girls. I think you look quite nice in them."

"Err…thank you for the compliment, Calcifer." She took a stiff step. "How do people wear these things? They're too tight for me to breathe in."

"I know," Calcifer said leeringly.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad as Howl."

"We did share a heart once, you know."

But Sophie was already on her way through the door with the black blob side down. As soon as she was through she turned around and knocked on the door. She stood there for a minute and when no one came, she knocked again. She heard footsteps from inside the house, and then Megan opened the door a crack. "What do you want?" Sophie didn't think Megan recognized her.

"My name is Sophie, and I'm Howl's fiancée."

"Oh, it's you," Megan replied derisively, but made no move to let her in.

"May I come in and talk with you?"

Megan looked at her warily for a moment as if she were trying to decide whether or not she should slam the door in her face. To Sophie's surprise she didn't, but opened it completely and beckoned her in. She led her into the kitchen where she politely offered to make her some tea. Sophie accepted. While Megan was in the kitchen, Sophie looked around the room. There were lots of pictures of Mari and Neil at various ages. There were also a couple of large family photos, and there was a wedding photo where Megan looked radiantly happy. It was sort of striking to see that the woman was capable of being happy, rather than angry like she had been whenever Sophie had encountered her. Sophie was still looking at the photo in wonderment when Megan returned with a pot of tea and a pair of cups and saucers on a serving tray.

When they had both settled in their seats across from each other Megan began to speak. "So what are you doing here?" she asked cutting to the chase despite her seemingly polite formalities.

"I…wanted to come here on Howl's behalf. I know that what he did was really wrong, but he really cares about you and your family and it would mean a lot to him if you could come to accept our relationship."

"Where is Howell? If it means so much to him, why isn't he here to do this himself?"

"Well, he's away on business. Very important business, and so I decided to come in his stead."

"Business? That's a shock. And what kind of business is it?"

"Howl's…err…he's on a diplomatic mission of great importance…life and death stuff," Sophie added lamely.

Megan didn't seem to buy it, but she didn't press Sophie for more specifics. "Even so…I have no reason not to accept your relationship with my brother…other than that you tried to kidnap my children using some kind of hypnotism or something…I don't know what it was, but I don't like it, and I don't like you."

"You must believe me when I tell you that the woman you was not me."

"And why should I believe that?"

"Because it's true."

"Well, if it wasn't you, then who was it?"

It was then that Sophie realized the reason why Howl had not wanted her to come by herself. Megan was already skeptical about her, and Sophie knew that she could not lie convincingly. "She…she was one of Howl's old…lovers." Sophie choked on the word.

"And let me guess. She was angry with him and wanted to get back at him through his family." Sophie nodded. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. This isn't the first time this has happened, although most of the women didn't do more than ring the phone off the hook calling looking for Howell, or at the most showing up at the door shouting out pathetically. This new one really took the cake though." Megan noticed Sophie's discomfort. "You seem surprised, though. Did he not tell you about all the women that he's been through?" Sophie nodded. "Well, then you should realize that my brother is a rake. A no good scoundrel who couldn't be faithful to one woman if his life depended on it."

Sophie shook her head. "That's not true. He may have courted a lot of women in the past, but that doesn't mean he can't be faithful."

Megan laughed. It was a cold harsh sound like ice shattering in a frozen pond. "You poor silly girl. What kind of lies has he been filling your head with? He can be sweet and charming, I'll give him that…but he doesn't know how to maintain long-term relationships. He likes the chase and once he's gotten you, he throws you away. And I've had to pick up the pieces of too many of the girls that he's left broken hearted. So why don't you do yourself and me a favor and ditch him?"

Sophie stood up, her face flushing with fury. "I can't believe that you're his sister! How can you say such terrible things about him? He may be a little irresponsible sometimes…he never should have allowed that woman to come after you…and he has been something of a philanderer, but he is capable of deep feeling, and the feelings he has for me are real!"

Megan stood up, facing her challenge. "I say this as his sister because I know him better than anyone else in the whole world. I've been taking care of him since he was a little baby. And I've watched him break heart after heart. You will be no different."

The sheer confidence in Megan's voice began to get to Sophie, devastating what little control she had over her emotions. She felt her heart fluttering queerly. Her skin felt clammy and she had trouble catching her breath.

"My god, what's happened to you!" Megan suddenly exclaimed. "You look pale as death." Sophie feared the worse, and then knew that it had happened when Megan let out a screech of fear.

Sophie closed her eyes and began to chant over and over. "I'm not here. I'm not here. I'm not here." She wished with all her heart that she were back in the moving castle and that she had listened to Howl when he told her not to try to make up with his sister. When she opened her eyes she was standing in front of the fireplace with Calcifer looking at her worriedly.

"Sophie? Are you all right?"

"How…how did I get here?"

"I think you wished yourself here."

"I did? How did I do that?"

"You have great magical abilities. More than even I thought at first."

"I…I do?"

"Yes, I believe so. But they are unmeasured and untrained. And I think you might have put a strain on them just now. Sit down."

She reached for the chair that always remained next to the fireplace and collapsed into it.

"What happened, Sophie?"

"I spoke with Megan."

"That bad, huh?"

"She said the most horrible things about Howl…and I began to believe them."

"Megan is just bitter that her own marriage turned out so abysmally. You shouldn't let anything she said discourage you from marrying Howl," Calcifer said dismissively.

"Well, what she said really upset me, and I turned…I…it was like I was cursed by the witch again."

"That's not good."

"Then I must have disappeared because when I opened my eyes I was here. I fear I've made a bigger mess of everything," Sophie replied despairingly.

"Don't worry about it. Megan was bound to find out that magic really exists in the world some time. Howl will straighten everything out when he gets back."

"But he wouldn't have to straighten anything out if I had just listened to him and not gone there in the first place! And if I didn't turn into an old woman every time I get upset. Are you sure that the spell is broken on me?"

"Yes, I'm sure. With the Witch of the Waste dead, there's no way that any spell she put on you could be lingering. This is all you're doing, I'm afraid."

"So how do I make it stop?"

"You need to be more confident in yourself. You were fearless when you were under that spell, but now that you're you, you let everything get to you. That has nothing to do with magic. That's all in your head."

Before Sophie could ponder that idea too deeply, Michael came bounding into the room carrying a letter.

"Hello, Sophie! Hello, Calcifer!" he greeted, smiling brightly.

"Did you just come from visiting Martha?" Calcifer asked knowingly.

"Yes! She and I had the loveliest picnic in the park. She makes the best chocolate cake." Sophie couldn't help but laugh that the most memorable part of their time together was how good the food was.

"And what do you have in your hand?" Sophie asked.

"Oh, it's a letter from Howl."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. And it came right on time too. He sends one almost every three days. Most of it has to do with the business, but he also likes to know what going on with everyone here."

"He does?" Sophie croaked, startled that Howl continued to keep up his correspondence with Michael.

"You don't know? I thought for sure he would write to you every day."

"I haven't gotten a letter from him in a week."

"I'm surprised. Maybe the mail is just behind in the Kingsbury area?"

Sophie tried to believe Michael's suggestion, but she could not dismiss Megan's words that Howl had become bored with her, especially since they echoed her own fears. "Maybe there's a letter in the mail today. I should probably get back to check."

"That's I good idea. I'm sure he's sent you something."

"Thanks, Michael. It's good to see you. And thanks, Calcifer, for your help earlier."

"So what are you going to do about your problem?" Calcifer asked.

"I guess I'll just have to change the way I think, won't I?" Sophie sighed.

When she finally made it home she raced to the desk in the main hall where all the mail was put when it arrived and was disappointed to find no letter from Howl. But she did find a letter she wasn't expecting. It was an invitation from Prince Justin to come visit the palace. Sophie remembered blindingly golden domes and climbing a mountain of stairs the last time she had gone to the palace to see the king. Just thinking about it made her sweat and fill with dread even though she doubted that she would be forced to climb the stairs like she had last time. She was surprised by the invitation, though. She thought that he had forgotten his entreaties that she come visit him so that he could do her some favor in return for the way she had saved his life. But obviously he hadn't.

Normally she would have turned down the invitation out of respect for Howl. Even though it was the Prince who had invited her, he was still a man who was not her husband, and she knew that she would be jealous if Howl spent time with other women. She tried not to wonder if Howl had to spend time with the experienced courtesans of the Strangian court. And at the moment she was disgruntled with Howl. If Howl had the time to write to Michael and Calcifer, then why didn't he have enough time to write to her, the woman he claimed was the one true love of his life?

Her return note got a quick response, and it was decided that she would visit Prince Justin at the castle in Kingsbury the very next day. Fanny was beside herself with excitement when Sophie told her about it at dinner. Her exuberance seemed to spill over to Sophie, who began to feel a little excited and nervous as well. She spent the night tossing and turning and asked Fiona what she thought about at least four different dresses that she tried on. She wanted to look extra special for the Prince even though she knew that it shouldn't matter. She finally decided on a simple pink gown whose skirt swished from side to side like a bell when she moved. She wore her hair up with pink roses in it, and curly tendrils falling down to caress the nape of her neck. She thought the whole effect was enchanting. Fanny told her that she looked irresistible.

Prince Justin's open-mouthed gape seemed to agree with that assessment since that was his reaction when he saw her. He told her that he found her to be the most charming creature he had ever seen and then escorted her into the large, comfortable royal carriage that would be taking them to the castle in Kingsbury. Sophie was somewhat surprised that Fanny did not insist on going with them and chaperoning, but only gave a wink and a smile to them both as she waved them away.

Sophie did not have much time to puzzle out Fanny's odd behavior as Prince Justin began apologizing immediately. "I really must apologize to you again for not arranging this sooner," he began when they turned the corner out of her neighborhood and on to the main road. "I wanted to, but as you can imagine with the way things are going in Strangia, I was rather busy planning and arranging contingencies if our two countries should come to war. Everyone hopes that Howl's idea will stave off such an outcome, though. So do you forgive me?"

Sophie couldn't help but blanch at the casual mention of Howl and how much danger she was in, but she only replied politely, "You are completely forgiven, my lord. As I told you before, you owe me nothing. You have already repaid me with your thanks."

"You are much too generous. But I am glad that you at least agreed to see me again. And I think you could use the distraction. I can only imagine how you must feel about Howl going away."

"If anyone can prevent this war, it's him," Sophie replied, pointedly leaving out the way she felt about it.

"I believe in him too. It's just that I feel a little ashamed that he is out there risking his life while I am here in the safety of my kingdom."

"He has quite a knack for self-preservation," Sophie replied dryly. "There isn't anything he wouldn't do if he thought it would save his neck."

"I'm glad to hear you are so confident in him."

Despite her seeming confidence in him, Sophie was beginning to have her doubts. Ever since Howl had slowed in his correspondence with her she wasn't sure that she trusted anything that he said anymore. She felt a little uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. Changing the subject, she asked, "So why are you taking me to the castle?"

The Prince was quick to explain. "I've gathered that you enjoy flowers. You must to work in that Flower shop in Market Chipping and you looked so lovely in the Smiths' garden. So I thought that I would show you the Royal Garden. It was started by my grandfather who was a magician in his own rights. A very powerful one. Unfortunately for my father and my brother and myself, we didn't inherit his talent with magic. But it's just as well. When someone has that kind of talent with magic he becomes a target. And many magicians challenged him in order to prove that that they were even more powerful."

"The Witch of the Waste was one, wasn't she? She told me that the feud between her and your family started with your grandfather."

"Yes, you're right. She challenged him…and he exiled her to the Waste." Sophie thought he might go on with further explanation, but he stopped there, making her think that there was something else that he was hiding. "Anyway," he continued, "My grandfather used his magic to create a beautiful garden within the palace, much the way that Howl does. I thought you might like to see it, to cheer you up."

"Why did you think I needed cheering up?"

"Well, with your fiancé gone, I assumed that you might be a little upset."

"Well, I suppose you're right about me. I miss Howl very much," she admitted softly.

"And that is completely understandable. Which is why you must let me try to entertain you."

"I agreed to come, didn't I?"

"And you won't regret it, I promise."

When they finally pulled up to the castle Sophie already felt much better than she had in days. The Prince had entertained her with court stories, and their conversation flowed freely from topic to topic, completely distracting her from all the heavy stuff that had been on her mind. And just as she had suspected, they had gone around to a side entrance so that they wouldn't have to climb the mountain of stairs. Prince Justin laughed when she mentioned her former fear.

He took her through his home, telling her a little history about each room that they passed until they got to a garden gate on the interior courtyard of the castle. He surprised her when he covered her eyes with his hands. They were warm and dry and she could feel the heat of him against her back through her clothes. "Why are you blindfolding me?"

"I want it to be a surprise." He gently pushed her forward until she felt that she was stepping on grass. But she knew that they were in a garden long before she felt the grass beneath her feet. The flowers around her had a very pungent scent. She smelled rose, and hibiscus, as well as tulip, hyacinth, lilac, hydrangea and a bunch of others. But even though the scent of the flowers warned her, she was still unprepared for the sight of the garden. When Prince Justin finally released her, she caught sight of the largest flowers she had ever seen in her life. The flower buds were bigger than her head, and the stems rose taller than her. She gasped in amazement.

"Good heavens! These are the largest flowers I've ever seen. I feel like I've been bewitched and put under a shrinking spell."

Prince Justin laughed. "Maybe you have."

"What if the whole world was actually under a spell, and it's really the plants that are bigger?" she joked.

"If that's true, then I'd hate to see what the bees really look like."

Sophie laughed. "How did you get the flowers to grow so big?"

"Magic. It was all my grandfather's doing. He did it for my grandmother. He dedicated this garden to her as a symbol of his love."

"Wow, that's incredibly sweet. He must have loved your grandmother a great deal."

"That he did. It's part of the reason why I feel so badly for my brother. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but he and his wife do not have a very happy marriage." Sophie hadn't really noticed, but then she didn't spend every day living in the same place they did. But it served as a warning that no matter how happy a couple may look on the outside, it is really hard to tell what's really going on the inside. "And I know that's not what my grandparents, or my parents wanted for him, since they both had such successful loving relationships."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It makes me despair that I'll ever find someone that I can love the way my grandparents and parents loved each other."

"I'm sure you will," Sophie said reassuringly. She smiled what she hoped was an encouraging smile despite how she wasn't sure about anything anymore, especially when it came to love. But the Prince didn't seem to notice if she was unsure about anything and only smiled back warmly.

"Thank you for saying that. I have to say that Howl is a very lucky man. I think you are absolutely splendid. And if you weren't already taken I would want to make you my princess."

Sophie blushed warmly at the Prince's compliment. Feeling a little flustered she walked away to explore a different part of the garden. The Prince followed her, and told her as much about each flower as he could. As well as being taller that most plants, each had a longer lifespan as well, like that almost of a tree, and because of that they had been given personal names. There was a giant pink rose named Leila, and a bright yellow tulip named Gervaise. Sophie laughed when Prince Justin told her that there was a lily named Lily.

When they had gone around the large enclosed garden, Sophie turned to the Prince appreciatively. "Thank you, my lord, for showing me the garden. It is really beautiful. And you managed to get my mind off a few things that have been bothering me. But I fear the time has gotten away from us. I really should return home."

"You are quite welcome," Prince Justin replied graciously, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss. Sophie blushed and the Prince released her hand allowing her to walk away.

Before they could return to the garden entrance the Prince was accosted by a squealing two-year-old.

"Unca!" the little Princess Valeria cried out, raising her arms to signal that she wished to be picked up, which her uncle was more than happy to oblige her by doing. She promptly buried her face in his neck since she had just spotted Sophie and was shy.

"Hullo, darling," Justin greeted softly, rubbing his niece's back. "Do you want to say 'hi' to my friend Miss Sophie?"

The little girl shook her head in his shoulder. Justin smiled deprecatingly. Sophie shrugged her shoulders beginning to feel as nervous as she always did around children. She didn't know why. She had helped to raise both Lettie and Martha, but they were hers and there was something unnerving about other people's children. Valeria was no different. Sophie tried to greet the little girl, but felt herself becoming flustered. That feeling did not go away when Justin began to stare at her in shock. "My dear, Sophie, you're old!"

"What?" her voice crackled, but she didn't necessarily feel the way she had when she had been cursed before. She gasped when she looked down and saw her familiar gnarled hand. Her startled cry got Valeria's attention, who then looked at her and grinned. "I know you!" She clapped her hands and then reached for Sophie who obliged her by holding her. "At least one of us is pleased with my appearance," Sophie said wryly.

"Sophie, did you do that?" Prince Justin asked awed.

"Yes, I did."

"That's amazing!" Sophie was surprised by his reaction. She thought he would be disgusted by her aged appearance, but he only seemed impressed with her magical abilities. "Can you control it?" he asked.

Sophie put Valeria down, who scrambled away after her nurse who had led her to her uncle in the first place, and began to concentrate with her eyes closed. When she opened them again she was back to her old-younger self. "Yes, I can undo it…but I always seem to do it unconsciously. Howl says it's a self-defense mechanism."

"That's evidence of some powerful magic," Justin replied. "Changing your age like that is almost like manipulating time…"

"How do you know so much about magic?"

"Even though I don't have a magical bone in my body, I've always been interested in it. I thought about studying it in University, but my brother needed me to be his general and I had a knack for it, so here I am." Sophie sensed some regret about that decision. "But I would read books about magic in my spare time. It's also the reason why I became such close friends with Wizard Suliman."

"And why not with Howl?"

"He wouldn't waste his time on a person who has no magical ability like me. That's probably why he has an interest in you—" He cut himself off, looking away guiltily. "I probably shouldn't have said anything."

"No, what did you mean?"

"Nothing."

"No! I want to know."

"Well, you have to know that his longest relationship was with the Witch of the Waste, but everyone else he soon got bored with."

"Right. Because he had no heart enjoyed the challenge of making them love him."

"That and every woman who fell in love with him had no magical abilities to resist him."

"Why would he want someone who had magical abilities?"

"I'm guessing to break the curse on him. He had to know that only someone with powerful magic would be able to give his heart back. And that was you. Please forgive me, but I wonder how much longer it will be before he gets bored again."

"That's what everyone says. My sister. His sister. My mother. My mother's stepdaughter. Now you," Sophie said, beginning to get upset. She wondered at how everyone knew so much about Howl's former conquests. Was he really that notorious? And would that make her an even bigger fool for falling for him? "And everyone has such good arguments. I've only known Howl for a couple of months and most of that he spent courting one of my sisters."

"I'm very sorry for bringing it up. I only wanted to cheer you up, and now I think I've only made you feel worse. Please allow me to take you home."

It was then that Sophie looked down at her left and realized that her engagement ring was gone. She let out a startled cry. "Oh, no! My ring is gone! How could this have happened?" She immediately picked up her skirts to see if she had dropped it on the ground, and when she didn't see it, she began to backtrack frantically searching. The Prince began looking too, and signaled to his extravagantly dressed servants who had been standing silently on the sidelines to continue the search. After ten minutes of searching and nothing turned up, Sophie began to cry in earnest. She felt an enormous wave a guilt, wondering if she were being punished for doubting Howl and spending the day with the Prince.

Prince Justin tried to console her, telling her that his servants would find it if it were in the castle and asking her if it were possible that she left it at home since he didn't remember seeing it on her finger at all earlier. She told him that it was impossible that she had left it in her jewelry box since she never took it off. She began to despair that she would ever find it, and began to dread how she would tell Howl that she lost his beautiful ring.

When the servants were unable to turn up anything after an hour, Sophie turned to Prince Justin in defeat. "Please take me home, my lord. I fear that I have overstayed my welcome and I'm really upset that I lost my ring."

"Of course, my dear," the Prince replied. "But please allow me to invite you again. I hate to think that you might never return."

"I really don't think I should," Sophie said guiltily.

"Please," the Prince implored, grasping her hand and pulling her toward him until she was forced to look up into his pleading face. When she looked into his eyes, she was once again startled by their brilliance, just like she had been before in the garden at the Smiths. And when he looked at her like that she couldn't think of any reason why she shouldn't give in to his request. Especially with him reasoning with her so logically, telling her that she should not feel guilty for spending time with him when she deserved to enjoy her own amusements, and that she ought not to think of it as a betrayal of Howl when their time spent together was of a completely innocent nature. And what they had shared had been harmless, and he made her feel good about herself, and when she was with him she forgot about how much she missed Howl, which was exactly the point. With those thoughts in mind, she agreed to return to the castle the next day.

A/N 2: Well this chapter is even longer than the one before it, which I didn't think would be possible. And I feel like that at the same time each chapter is getting longer, they get more repetitive too. And I think they're rushed too. I'm really sorry about that, but the good stuff is coming. But it might be a while until the next chapter, since I'm going to England for the summer. I hope I get the chance to go to Wales, though, and hear some authentic musical or unmusical Welshmen. That'd be hot :)