Chapter Nine

DC: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle

Feeling sick to her stomach, Sophie dragged herself under the covers. She didn't know what could have been the problem, other than the fact that she had some unknown virus in her or that it could be some sort of morning sickness. She wrapped the covers around herself and closed her eyes. She could feel deadweight on her chest, and she didn't like it. It felt weird and it scared her a lot. She hoped and prayed it didn't touch the baby either.

It hit her suddenly. It had been at least five months since she saw her little sister. She was, hopefully, still working in the restaurant in Market Chipping. Though the Hatter's shop was still being worked on, so a portal couldn't be put into it, Sophie could still find a way to get into town. The problem was trying to convince Howl to let her visit. She still hadn't seen a doctor, though Howl was still busy watching over Port Haven and Kingsbury. Maybe she could slip away unnoticed? Could she ask Calcifer to take her to the nearest point the could get to her hometown?

"No," she said to herself. "Howl can catch which way we'd be going. He'd never let me out of the castle…"

Sophie snuggled deeper into the pillows and quilts. She missed Howl's soft snoring, having not heard it in at least a week, and missed how the mattress indented when he was there. She stared at the empty place and found herself growing tired.

There was a jerk, and Sophie opened up her eyes. When she did, she could hardly see in front of her, it was that dark. She rubbed her eyes and couldn't believe she had slept all this time. She was hungry, very hungry. She rubbed her chest a little as she sat herself up on the bed. The deadweight seemed heavier, and it took all she could to get her feet moving on the floor.

When she went down the steps, Calcifer was popping logs into his mouth and Howl was sitting at the desk, his back towards her. Calcifer noticed her first. "Good morning. You slept the afternoon away."

"What time is it?" Sophie asked, not believing that it could possibly be morning.

"It's way into the night," Howl commented, more to himself than to anyone. He turned around. Sophie could see the dark circles of sleep deprivation under his eyes. Sophie went to him, and wrapped her arms around him. "I haven't seen you in a while, huh?"

"You need to come home more, Howl." Sophie was bent on her knees looking up at him. "You look miserable. Rest is what you need."

Howl sighed and moved a strand of silver hair from her face. "I've made an appointment for you to see a wizard doctor here in Ingary this morning."

"You've changed the subject on me," Sophie noted. She frowned, but Howl went on.

"It's in Upper Folding, so I've told Calcifer to move the castle to the north. She specializes in curses and other dark magic caused illnesses."

"Have you decided it's dark magic then?" Sophie asked worriedly. She didn't mind the subject change now that it had grown too serious.

"The black marks that were on your hands took some difficult potions to get off. Luckily this is a part potions shop so we had them in stock." Howl helped her off of her knees, and turned her around to what he was making. "I've written down what potions I used and what magic was in them. With this, hopefully she can make something to cure it."

Sophie read the list of magic, and still didn't know what it meant. She herself didn't read what magic went in what, usually, so she had no idea what could be in stock. Sophie rested a hand on her stomach. "Could any of that harm the baby?" she asked suddenly a little frightened.

Howl looked down at the list then at Sophie's stomach. He rested a hand on hers and gave Sophie a kiss on the cheek. "No, and that's what I've been doing for the past few…I don't know, hours, maybe? What time is it really?"

He found an old clock, that still worked, and looked at the time. "It's nearing four…"

"Go to sleep, Howl," Sophie said, taking his hand and tugging it towards the steps. "I'm going to make myself something to eat. Why don't you take this moment to go up and take a good rest?"

Howl couldn't argue. He sighed and dragged himself up the steps. Sophie looked out the window and saw the sky had turned from dark to a dark blue. The sun was coming up. She turned to the fire demon in the hearth.

"Calcifer, I'm hungry. Are you ready to cook?"

"Does anyone care that I honestly don't have to listen to you guys anymore?" Calcifer said with a sigh. "Yeah I'm ready when you are."

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Upper Folding, it seems, never got the worst of the war that had happened. It was busy and flourishing, and Sophie noticed a lot of people who used to live in Market Chipping had migrated over to this area. It wasn't too far off from her hometown, and Sophie felt a little pang of homesickness hit her again. The deadweight on her chest throbbed. She choked down a cough, hopping Howl didn't see her grip her shirt.

Howl guided her through the streets and into the busy market. They went past stalls of people selling food and clothing, which reminded Sophie that she would need to buy some cloth for her clothes if she was going to get any bigger. She felt lighter when she thought of the baby on the way. She could feel herself smile, allowing what little pleasure to seep through.

But it all came down in one big thud, when both she and Howl stopped in front of a sign.

"Look at how many missing children there are," Sophie whispered. Instantly her mind found its way thinking of Markl. It had been two weeks since they got that note that he was safe, but they haven't found anything else. Sophie felt that she couldn't breathe. Tears sprang to her eyes and her chest felt like it was constricting itself. She couldn't move.

"Sophie. Sophie, come on." She could hear the soft voice of Howl, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the children's faces. Howl began tugging on her sleeve, and she found that she could breathe again. "Let's go."

"I'm sorry," Sophie said, moving away from the wall of posters. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize. We'll find him in due time. Don't worry."

Sophie knew Howl felt horrible about leaving Markl out of his thoughts. Sophie, too, felt guilty that she hadn't been thinking about him recently. She wiped away a few stray tears and cleared her throat a few times. She allowed herself to think of the present situation, and tried to bite down the guilt that came rushing from herself.

"Here it is," Howl said, pointing out the little building. "She should be home…"

They walked up to the door, and knocked. It took a moment, but after some clattering and a few curses, the door opened up. There stood a tall lady dressed in a funny little purple outfit. It looked as though she just woke up, for her bright red hair was sticking up in random places and she still had a cup of hot coffee in her hands. Behind this woman, there were books packed high to the ceiling. There were things littered everwhere under her feet, and Sophie found it hard to believe that she could even climb over any of it. The woman fixed her wired rimmed glasses and peered at the faces before her. "Well, if it isn't Wizard Howl. Is this your little wife you've told me about?"

"Yes it is, Mathilda." Howl smiled, and scooted Sophie a little foreword.

Sophie walked through the door, and even if it looked messy when you were outside, once you stepped in, everything cleared and there was a nice waiting office. There were chairs and an old coffee table in the middle of it all. It didn't look like a messy place at all. Sophie blinked in surprise as Howl lead her to a chair to sit.

"Won't be long," the witch Mathilda called. "I've just opened up, so let me get situated."

She was no longer looking tired. She wore a white coat and her hair was pulled into a bun. The coffee cup in her hand was empty. She threw it aside, and it floated to a door across from them. Sophie looked up, confused, at Howl. He chuckled at her puzzlement.

"It's to hide away the fact that she is a witch. It's not as normal in Upper Folding to have a witch doctor in the town, so she hides herself, just like I used to hide behind two different names," he explained.

Sophie nodded, understanding a little. She watched as things moved about the room, and how things floated and buzzed. After a few minutes, a door opened and Mathilda beckoned Sophie to come on through. "Sorry Howl. It's a full physical; meaning only women allowed in the room."

Howl held his hands up. "Alright. Go on Sophie, don't be shy." He gently pushed her foreword.

I'm more afraid than shy, she thought as she walked into the room with the strange doctor. The room had one bed and a chair for the doctor to sit in. It was surprisingly clean and very white.

Mathilda looked Sophie up and down. She then clapped her hands together and said, "Okay then, strip!"

"What?" Sophie was startled.

"Strip down to your britches. Hurry up, we can't be doing this all day."

Sophie, a little timidly, peeled off her dress. Mathilda busied herself with getting potions and things ready. She sat herself down on the bed, her dress covering her body, and waited. The witch doctor threw her a gown, and Sophie hurriedly put that on. Mathilda brought out a tray full of things, and sat in the chair with a piece of paper. "How old are you, Mrs. Jenkins?"

Surprised at the use of that name, and the fact that this was all very weird and uncomfortable, she stumbled on the words. "I'm…I'm twenty…"

"Are you sure?" Mathilda smiled, trying to lighten up the awkward space. "Okay then. Next question. I hear you are with child, how far along?"

"I'm two months, I believe." Sophie made a mental note that she needed another check up with her own doctor.

"What seems to be the problem, then? What did you do to cause…what's wrong with you again?"

Sophie explained when she coughed and how the black stuff came onto her hand as she did it. Mathilda was taking notes furiously with her paper and pen. She noted a few things here and there, and asked a few questions about the violent coughing and pain.

"Have you been in contact with any type of magic, at all?" she asked Sophie.

Sophie almost shook her head, but she lived with a wizard. It was impossible to not come into contact with magic on a daily basis. There had to be something big she was missing. She recalled the past two weeks, but it had been silent and quiet in the moving castle. The week before wasn't any better. The whole month had been very quiet. She thought back to when she found out she was pregnant, but nothing was coming to her. She almost decided to shake her head again, but she stopped herself. She realized when she had been touched by some sort of magic.

"When…when…" Sophie pushed back the awful thoughts and let her tongue move. "There was a moment when I was touched by something. You see…our dear friend was kidnapped from us a month ago. I was trapped in my room trying to get out. There was a gush of wind that threw me back and an evil face appeared at my door. That's my only contact with…well…dangerous magic in the past few weeks."

Mathilda had her describe what had hit her in full detail, down to what she was thinking, and wrote it all down before getting up and setting the paper away. "Alright! Quiz is over, now it's the exam time. If you could just lay back on the table for me…"

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The last flutter of hope was released from Markl. He held his head in his hands, telling himself it was hopeless to try to get out on his own. Howl must be too busy to even care, he was now telling himself. If there was a chance that he was going to see any sort of light, he might as well let go of himself to the voice. Maybe he'd find a way out of it all. He wasn't a wizard's apprentice for nothing.

"Well, well, look at the boy, young Fisher…yes. Master he is ready."

Markl looked up and saw something coming. He was tall and wore a tailored navy blue suit. His eyes and nose was covered in a mask, though he could see his crooked smile under it. His hair fell around his shoulders and was just as black as the room around him. He stopped in front of Markl, stooped down to his level, and set his cane down beside him. "It's a good time as ever to introduce myself. My name is Kale Russell, and you are mine."

And with a snap of a finger, Markl was silenced.

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An agonizing twenty minutes later, Sophie was dressed and sitting on the bed, as Howl stood next to her in the room. Mathilda came into the room and stood in front of them. "I've good somewhat good news, but mostly…it's not looking very well."

Howl took Sophie's hand and squeezed it. "What is it?"

"She's not going to die, Mr. Jenkins…or at least at the moment there is no threat. There is a possibility that if it gets worse that it'll slowly eat her up inside."

Sophie held in her breath to stop the tears, and forced herself to listen on. "Now this is dark magic. It is a curse that slowly eats the person away when they think of…well unhappy things. It's the kind of curse that feeds off of negative thoughts and emotions. It's a very difficult sort of magic that even I can't just take off. I'm sorry, but it looks like you'll have to destroy the source."

Sophie let a tear slip. "Is it affecting the baby at all?"

Mathilda smiled, though it was a slow sad one. "Not now. You're baby seems healthy, though you might want to get a checkup. If anything feels wrong, come back here. I'll look into it also." She paused and dug around in her back that was slung over her shoulder. She pulled out three vials. "Here take these. If you start to feel an attack coming on. Just take a spoonful. If you run out, which I hope you don't, try not to think of anything too depressing, just come back I'll give you refills."

Howl nodded stiffly. He took the bottles and set them safely in his pocket. "How much do we owe you?"

"Master Howl, as a friend and fellow wizard, you owe me nothing. Don't argue. Now get away! I have more patients!"

She shooed them out of the room. Sophie blinked in surprise as they were outside, the door locked behind them. She looked at Howl. He was frowning and his brow was creased. He looked older with such a sad expression on his face. Sophie tugged on his hand. He hadn't let it go yet.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and took a step down.

Sophie followed silently. They took a different path through the alleyway, avoiding the market place altogether, just to get away from the posters. Sophie kept her mind clear. If she wasn't allowed to think of anything, she would try to not let her mind think of anything at all.

As they walked along, a woman ran in front of them from an adjacent alley. She stopped in front of them, catching a breath. Howl pulled Sophie out of the way, just in time too, and stopped the man who was chasing after the woman with a flick of his wrist. The man froze. Howl held the hand up, glaring at the man. He looked to be a thief.

"Leave. Now." Howl wasn't in the mood to talk, so he pointed in the opposite direction and the man began to awkwardly, and magically, walk back up the alley.

The woman held her head down, still gasping for a breath. "Thank you kind sir…"

Sophie recognized the voice. She pushed herself between Howl and the woman, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Lettie? Lettie, is that you?"

The young woman looked up, shock etched in her face. "Sophie? Oh my--it's really you!"

Sophie hugged her little sister, unable to hold back the relief that swelled in her chest. She was extremely happy to see her sister, alive and healthy. All the homesickness that was kept inside, spilled out, and she felt the deadweight on her chest lift a little. "I've missed you so much!" Lettie cried.

Howl cleared his throat. Sophie let her sister go, wiping away the stray tears. She had forgotten Howl was right behind her. "You won't believe it, Lettie. Lettie, meet my husband the Wizard Howl."

Lettie's eyes grew in disbelief. Sophie could just tell Lettie was debating whether or not she would allow herself to believe that, Sophie Hatter, had married the Evil Wizard Howell Jenkins. Sophie's sister looked up at Howl, before shaking her head and looking at her sister. "It looks like we have a lot to talk about."

Sophie looked at Howl, who shrugged. It was a detour, but he saw the happiness in Sophie's eyes. "I suppose a good visit is needed. For your health anyway," he added.

Sophie held her sisters' hand. "How about you come to our place? You can meet Calcifer, the old Witch of Waste and our dog! Yes Lettie--" Sophie still saw the disbelief in her sister's face, "--we live in the moving castle."

Lettie's mouth dropped as Sophie dragged her down the rest of the alleyway.

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Lala Rue here, and I've updated! Yay for me!

I'm excited. No more writers block, hopefully, for me, and I start my senior year in high school! Oh man!

I'll be writing more before my school starts, which is August 29th.

So I'll update soon!

Love, Lala Rue!