Another chapter of the tale of mystery.
FAMILY SECRETS
A HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE FANFIC
Chapter 2
Howl returned home about an hour later. Arthur was nestled in his arms, sound asleep. Clearly, our little boy enjoyed his flight. I wondered how fast Howl went or where the pair ended up. With Howl you never really knew. He was a bit of a showboat. Surely his antics would make me want to scream. Howl never really understood the word caution. That would never change. It seemed that our Arthur felt the same way. What had I done? Have I really just created another Howl to blacken the world? Could I really handle two Howls? I wasn't really sure. Not that I had any choice: I loved them both dearly. I couldn't imagine life without them. I had no choice but to take care of them. I had to hope that one day they wouldn't be the death of me. I took Arthur from his father then put him to bed. He didn't even wake up once. Howl had tired him out completely. It seemed that tonight we might actually get some sleep. Thank god. I really needed some sleep.
By the time I had made it back downstairs Howl was reading my letter. He didn't ask for permission. Nope, just read it on his own. Good Old Howl, he never understood the concept of privacy. Then again, I suppose we are married. We do keep few secrets from each other. Or at least I hoped that was true. With Howl one never really knew. Still, I couldn't help but be annoyed.
To be fair, I was going to ask him to read it. Just once I wanted him to respect me enough to wait until I asked. Was that too much to ask? I guess not. Then again, I should have hidden it. That way he wouldn't have gotten curious. It's not like Calcifer would have told him. The man would have been in the dark! Well, maybe, not. It's hard to say. Howl had ways of finding things. I sighed as I took the letter from him, "Y'know, you should ask first."
Howl laughed, "How could I not read it? It does say 'my dearest Sophie'!" He gave me a look that suggested that he completely failed to understand the letter. "You have a secret admirer!"
I sat down on the couch beside my husband. I knew Howl better than that. He was teasing me. He knew full well that it was not another suitor. He was just playing dumb to annoy me. I wasn't fooled. Nor did I find his behavior cute. I sighed again, "You know that's not true. This letter is from my father, not a secret admirer."
He chuckled, "Oh! So, that's why he says, 'my flaky son-in-law?' Because he's your father. I see!"
I wanted to hit him so very badly. Of course, he figured that out on his own. He didn't need me to tell him that! It wouldn't take a genius to figure out who wrote the letter. No, Howl was teasing me again. He always did that. Sure, I know that it means that he loves me, but it was annoying. I needed his help, not his sarcasm. I had no idea how my father wrote this letter or what it meant. If anyone would have an idea then it was Howl. He was good at figuring out things like this. I needed that twisted brain of his to tell me what it meant! Not to make fun of me!
"Howl," I warned. "Please, stop." Howl took notice of my tone and quieted down. He knew better than to push me when I was like this. "I need your help. I don't know what to do with this. I have to know how father wrote this. Father has been dead for years. He couldn't have known about you or Arthur. Yet, he mentions you! How? I didn't even know you back then! How would he know that I would marry you? How?"
Howl looked at the letter. It's been a long time since I've seen that face. It was serious and furlong. It scared me. "I don't know, Sophie. Like you said, I never met your father. It's possible that he was a wizard." He sat back then stared at the ceiling, "Often, magic runs in families. I thought that your family's success was built upon your father's power. I assumed that he had the power to talk life into things, like you do, Sophie. But, I could be wrong. Maybe he could see the future instead. Maybe none of that is true. Maybe he wasn't a wizard at all! Maybe this is fake. Maybe this is a trap. I just don't know."
What Howl said could be true. Father could have been a wizard. He also could have not been. I didn't know either. For back then I wasn't even aware of my own power let alone others. Father could have had the same power that I have. Or he could have had no power at all. Either was possible. I don't know. My power had to come from somewhere. It couldn't have come from a void. It's possible that father had similar powers.
If he did have similar powers than he might have had the power to predict the future. Once, long ago, I had a bad dream about Howl. In it, he was a monster in pain and I couldn't help him. It felt so real. Like it was really happening. I might have sensed Howl's pain and reach out with my power. I might have used that power to force him back from the brink. He did tend to overdo it. It was possible that was real. Maybe my family does have physic power power. It's also equally possible that I imagined the whole thing! That none of it was real. I may not have physic powers. Just as father might have not been able to see into the future. I just didn't know. It is all confusing.
Sometimes I swear that Howl can read my thoughts. He knows just when I am feeling down. "Don't worry about it, Sophie." His voice was as cheerful as always. "If it is a trap, then it will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you or Arthur."
"Really?" I asked.
In response, Howl kissed me. His warmth filled me with confidence. When we parted he said, "I will always protect you, Sophie. I gave you my word years ago. And wizard's word is his bond. I can't break it. Not that I want to. You and Arthur are my world. You're staying right here.."
I smiled. I just couldn't help it. It was so like Howl to go over the top like this. He didn't need to promise that he would protect me. I already knew that. Still, it was nice to hear. Especially, now. I was worried about that letter. I wondered if my father had the power to see into the future. Or if it was something else. Like maybe he was still alive. If so, then where was he? How did he know about Howl and me? How?
"Howl," I began, "What if it is something else? What if father didn't have the power to see the future? Maybe it's something else entirely." Howl said nothing, however, his eyes remained fixed on me. I had his complete attention. "Remember a few years ago when you still had no heart?"
"I remember, Sophie." He said bitterly.
"One night, I had a strange dream. You came home after transforming into some bird or something. Only, you had gone too far. You were hurt badly and you couldn't change back." The bit hurt just to say. Whether it was real or not it didn't matter. It slashed at my heart just to say it. "Your room had changed. It was now some sort of weird nest. It was dark and scary. I was desperate to find you! I knew that something bad had happened to you. When I found you. I found that you had been turned into a monster!"
Howl stopped me there. He grabbed me then held me close. He whispered, "It was just a dream, Sophie. Just a bad dream. That's all. That never really happened."
I closed my eyes. "I know, but what if it was more than that? What if . . ."
Howl cut me off again, "It didn't happen, Sophie. It didn't."
I listened to the sound of heart. It was strong and reassuring. I could feel his love wash over me as he tried to comfort me. I knew that Howl wasn't telling the entire truth. It was more than a dream. It was so much more than that. It really happened. Somehow I knew that it had been real. Maybe Howl wasn't a bird or a monster but something bad had happened to him. I sensed his pain and instinctively reached out. Maybe it was something else. I don't know. But it really happened. I knew that now. Howl was hiding something from me. That much was clear. It seemed that I have another power that I never knew about. Maybe my father did too. Maybe he really was alive . . .
Next Chapter coming up!