Howl's Moving Castle Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond the Indigo Veil ❯ Chapter 3: Queen of Hearts ( Chapter 3 )

Beyond the Indigo Veil: Part I of the Wallmaker Saga

Chapter 3: Queen of Hearts

Sophie woke to the familiar sound of chimes and the faint smell of roses and hyacinth. They were home again.

Our home, Sophie thought to herself with a smile.

She could feel the warmth of Howl's bare chest against her back. His arm followed the curve of her waist, holding her to him. His other arm was folded under her head, pillowing her neck. The gentle in and out of his breath tickled the hairs on the back of her neck and she smiled in spite of herself.

But her mind turned to more serious things. The late morning sun that filtered through the window mean that they had three days to give an answer to the terms of the treaty. Sophie smoldered angrily and resolutely refused to be used as a bargaining chip.

“You're thinking awfully hard for so early in the morning. Planning your escape?” The familiar voice tickled the back of her neck. She giggled and squirmed in a playful but futile attempt to escape.

“Good morning, Mr. Wizard,” Sophie murmured, cuddling back into him.

“Good morning, Mrs. Witch,” His husky voice turned her heart to fire and she rolled over to kiss him soundly.

“Ah, what a wonderful way to wake up in the morning,” Howl smiled as she looked down at him. His blearily blue eyes stared up at her lovingly, the tousled black strands of his hair spread out on his pillow. The liquid blue of his eyes darkened slightly and his smooth brow furrowed for a moment.

“In all seriousness, what were you thinking about?”

Sophie settled into the crook of his arm, and wiggled till she was comfortable.

“Three days,” She spoke sadly and there was no need for explanation.

“I've been thinking about how to get us out of this mess and I have an idea,” Howl spoke after a moment of silence.

“What?” Sophie rolled over onto her stomach and looked up into his eyes, which were winking mischievously.

“From what you've told me Walden absolutely believe the stories he's heard about us, right?”

“Yes.”

“You're a witch, yes?”

“I think so,” Sophie replied seriously and Howl chuckled.

“Just say yes, Sophie.”

“Alright… I mean yes.”

“What do witches and wizards do?”

“Use magic?”

“Beside that,” Howl eyed her hungrily and licked his lips.

“Normal people do that too,” She snickered, giving him a smoldering look.

“No, silly! What do wicked witches and wizards do?”

Sophie stared at him, taking in his look as his meaning finally dawned on her.

“They eat hearts!”

xXx

Wizard Howl did his best to look heartbroken as he and Sophie returned to the castle three days later. He wore all black and so did Sophie. Acting for all the world that he wanted to throw himself from the roof of the palace, Howl dutifully presented the silver-haired witch to the King of Ingary, who all but did a tap dance with relief. After delivering a star-studded performance of last good-byes, Howl went to sit next to the sobbing Justin and made good with a similar set of water-works. Apparently the golden haired prince had not moved from the spot that he discovered Lady Sophie would never be his.

Fat chance. Howl thought to himself.

His mind turned to thoughts of gigantic cakes and thousands of roses and it was all he could do to contain himself. Howl diverted the energy off his glee into his performance, plunging the dim room into darkness and creating a green mist on the floor.

Don't over do it, Howl. Sophie's voice reached his mind, as the King swept her from the room into an antechamber. He sent back an image of himself moldering in the corner next to a very nervous Justin.

The king returned swiftly and stood in front of Howl delivering a sparkling speech about how proud he was of the wizard's self sacrifice and blah, blah blah.

Howl tuned it out completely and was listening to the sounds from the antechamber. Five minutes passed and the King was still spouting patriotic poetry, in spite of the fact that Howl had obviously ceased crying. The tall wizard jumped from the chair, startling the King. This time Howl actually did dance gleefully next to the door as he heard the tell-tale sounds of scuffling and a distant shriek of horror.

“Help!” King Walden of Tyrn cried as he came tearing into the room white as a sheet. The young monarch nearly climbed the King of Ingary in his terror. Shortly after him came Sophie, doing her best to look emotionally bruised and rejected.

“I cannot marry her, King of Ingary!” Walden screeched.

“What?” The other king cried in horror, “But what about the treaty?”

“You can have your blasted treaty; just get that thing away from me!” Walden seemed to relax as Sophie went to stand beside Howl, managing to look extremely hungry.

Sensing there was no time to loose, the King of Ingary whipped out the treaties from within a large golden box that sat on his desk and dipped a fresh pen. Walden signed every scrap of paper put before him as though his life depended on it. He even left his signature on the desk once they had run out of treaty to sign. Straightening, Walden pushed open the doors to the hallway outside and stomped down the passage, nearly knocking over ambassador Varra as he came around the corner looked as though he had come to gloat.

“There!” Walden spoke heatedly to the surprised wizard, “Your treaties are signed, but I'll not lay a single finger on that monster! Do you know what they do on their wedding days?”

“What!” Varra screamed, taking hold of the young king and shaking him.

“I said I signed the treaties you've been going on about! But I'm not marrying the witch!”

“You fool. Do you realize what you've done?”

“Oh, he knows what he's done,” Howl laughed wickedly as he placed his arm around Sophie's shoulders.

“You!” Varra snarled, half throwing young Walden down the hall, “This is all you fault. The both of you!”

The hall around Varra began to darken as did the ambassador himself. It was as though he were absorbing all the light from the surrounding areas.

“I would step back into the office, your Majesty,” Howl told the rusty haired monarch, “Lock the door and do not open it for anyone but us.”

The King took one look at what Ambassador Varra had become and disappeared, the door slammed and the lock clicked audibly. Meanwhile, the young king was looking at his advisor in horror.

“Run Walden!”

Sophie called and the white-faced ruler scrambled to his feet, tearing off calling for help. But Varra had no care for him any longer, if the thing that stood before them could still be called Varra. After a moment even its human shape had dissolved leaving behind a familiar, shuddering column of nothing.

Sophie realized that the red-haired wizard had been consumed by a piece of the Dark. She shuddered to think that this might have been her fate. However, this being was a mere shadow of the thing she had met and left behind in the otherworld, a wisp of despair that had somehow eaten away the wizard's mind. The ambassador was not the root of the evil thing, although he had willingly given it purchase in this world. It had given him strength enough to overpower a weakened Suliman. There could be more of them out there and the threat they posed could not be ignored. But she and Howl had come prepared.

“Ready?” Howl asked, taking her hand as he came to stand by her side she nodded firmly.

Just at the thing before them let out a blood-curdling shriek and rushed forward the witch and wizard erupted into a bright nimbus of white light. Together they lifted their hands before them and Suliman's staff materialized between their palms. The butt of the shaft hit the floor as a hammer would an anvil and the clear metallic tone echoed through the hall. The piece of Dark rooted in place.

Shrieking and thrashing about, it took great handfuls of itself and lobbing the vile ooze at Howl and Sophie. The attacks flared up in purple-blue fire, turning to ash in the wind of their power. With a flick of his hand, Howl tossed a shard of glass from the silver box onto the floor. It landed unbroken just in front of the silver-shod butt of the Suliman's staff.

Again the pair lifted the magic stick and let it fall. Another clear metal tone echoed through the hall. The dark surface of the shard suddenly cleared, displaying the flickering red lights of the otherworld. Suddenly, the walls on either side of the Dark flicked and turned to large mirrors. Beyond the filmy panes a vast scorched plain of suffering stretch endlessly beneath a starless ruddy-indigo sky.

NO! Screeched the Dark as it realized what lay beyond those mirrors.

The staff fell once more, but this time the end pierced the shard before them, cracking it in two. The mirrors on either side of the Dark shattered, piercing the daemon with thousands of tiny shards of light.

For a moment Time stood still.

In between time Sophie and Howl could feel the vacuous pull of the scorched plains plucking at their heats and souls, but they held fast to Suliman's staff. Moaning and shrieking in its thousand metallic voices, the Dark was dragged back into the realm beyond the mirrors.

There will be others! It screeched ominously.

And Time returned.

In the fraction of a second that followed, the splintered shards of the mirrors snapped back into place and were whole once more. Where a piece of the Dark had stood, the real Ambassador Varra lay crumpled on the floor muttering madly.

Sophie and Howl gazed at the broken wizard and knew that he no longer had any power. The Dark had robbed him of his magic. For a moment the flickering otherwind lingered then vanished with the fire around them. Howl let go of Suliman's staff and picked up the two shards of the banishing mirror. They had cleared and were now simply bits of glass. Howl returned them to his pocket as the vast panes on the walls vanished. Turning, he knocked on the King's door.

“It's alright, your Majesty. You can come out now,” He and Justin opened the door a crack and peered out.

“Is it gone?”

“Yes, but ambassador Varra is still here,” Howl replied mildly, “You may want a doctor to look to him. I'm afraid he's not right in the head.”

The King emerged rather shakily, followed by Prince Justin of Marda.

“You may want Wizard Barimus to come by. As the Royal Sorcerer he should have a hand in dealing with this.”

“What, but aren't you the royal wizard?” The king asked foggily.

“No, Barimus is the royal wizard now,” Howl stated firmly, a fey look in his eyes.

“Yes, Barimus is royal wizard now,” The king repeated firmly.

“Sophie and I are going now. I would not speak to Bariums about the magic you have seen here,” Howl also stated firmly.

“No, I won't speak of what has happened here. But, you had better go,” The King also stated firmly, “Barimus and I will explain things to the King of Tyrn.”

“Goodbye, King of Ingary,” Howl smiled brightly.

“Goodbye, wizard Howl,” the king replied absently.

As they left the castle Sophie turned to regard the raven-haired wizard, “Howl! Did you just use magic on the King of Ingary?”

“Let's call it gentle persuasion,” He winked at her mischievously.

“I'm glad you persuaded him to accepted Barimus as the new royal wizard.”

“Suliman would not be pleased with me for slithering out of this obligation. But I would make a horrible Royal Wizard; I can't seem to keep my temper with that ruddy King. Besides, Barimus is a damn good wizard with an excellent head on his shoulders. He'll make a fine advisor to the King. Besides, if we ended up shackled with the position we wouldn't be able to go on our honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon?” Sophie asked sharply as they descended the royal stairs.

“Don't you remember? We agreed on a medium sized wedding didn't we?”

xXx

The medium sized wedding turned out to be a big affair in a small space.

The castle lazily circled the sky above Chipping Market, its thousands of colorful garlands and pinwheels flashing and spinning in the gentle breeze. Just as Howl had predicted, the beautiful summer day was perfect. White fluffy clouds hung high overhead in the azure sky and the sun sparkled merrily.

The raven-haired wizard had never been more handsome, although his radiant appearance had nothing to do with any glamour or bit of magic. He wore a sapphire silk shirt trimmed in elegant silver lace that Sophie had made for him by hand, which was a tradition in Market Chipping. Around his waist was a yellow sash that matched the canary color of her dress, which she insisted remained a simple affair. Its one vanity was the full skirt and square neckline, which Howl said framed her delicate shoulders beautifully. He had insisted that she wear his sapphire necklace, and it was the first time she had even seen him take it off.

In spite of the crowd, the wedding ceremony remained a simple affair at Sophie's behest.

Standing on a terrace twisted with climbing roses that Howl had constructed just for the wedding, the two exchanged their vows. Calcifer hovered above them, sparkling silver and blue. Sophie had refused to wear a veil, as was the custom in Kingsbury, because she felt it was vain. Instead, at the beginning of the vows, Howl had tenderly tied a blue ribbon into her hair. They exchanged simple silver bands to signify the linking of their hearts, although they already wore matching enchanted rings that linked them in magic. When they kissed the little fire daemon exploded in size and a barrage of blue and yellow fireworks burst from the flame, showering the cheering crowd with shimmering sparks.

Decorated for the reception, every inch of the castle's interior was festooned with yellow and blue roses and the spaces left behind were crammed with mouth-watering foods and treats. The stairs and hallway leading up to the second story were bulging with gifts covered in fancy wrapping. Markl had been a wonderful dear about helping with the guests; answering the door all day and carrying off gifts that might have squashed a smaller boy. Sophie had made a blue silk shirt for the boy as well. The little blond apprentice beamed with pride at being dressed similar to his master.

Sophie's sister Lettie, now a proud mother, had catered the entire affair in spite of her newborn child. The baby was a little thing of joy and her whole family spent a great deal of time fussing over him at the reception after the ceremony. The pretty blonde woman had decorated the huge blue cake by herself, insisting it was her sisterly duty. Music and laughter filled every available space and the hundreds of guests, mostly Howl's friends and acquaintances, shook their hands and offered their blessings.

The silver-haired witch was quite shy of all the many dignitaries and fancy courtiers, but every so often she greeting someone she knew. Lovely little Mrs. Goose had even come to give her blessings, accompanied by a beet-red Jenny. Sophie would have withdrawn tactfully had it not been for Howl, who seemed to shine with pride every time he announced her as his bride. So many people showed up that the party was forced to spill over into the courtyard of the Hatter's shop by way of the door beneath the stairs. People frequently sent word that there was a marvelous time being had there as well.

The King could not attend; however, he sent his brother Prince Justin and Royal Wizard Barimus instead. Barimus turned out to be the apprentice that Suliman had taken on directly before Howl. The blond wizard had the same jovial character that Howl displayed before company. Like his apprentice brother, Barimus sparkled when he laughed, and his warm brown eyes had many of the single ladies in a titter. Sophie had an inkling that Howl's stint of blond hair might have come of jealousy associated with the attention his older apprentice brother received.

At first Sophie thought sending Justin to the wedding was cruel on the part of the king of Ingary. But after seeing the intent way that the blond-haired Prince was conversing with her younger sister Martha, her fears dissolved.

“Oh, what a lovely bride,” The old witch murmured every time she caught sight of Sophie, which almost brought tears to the silver-haired woman's eyes.

The Mrs. Fairfax and the former witch of the wastes were having a wonderful time together. They sat on the veranda chatting together about absolutely nothing as Heen cowered under the old witch's chair. That cheered Sophie a great deal, since she was a bit guilty about arranging for Granny Witch and Markl to spend some time with Mrs. Fairfax so that she and Howl could have the castle to themselves for their honeymoon.

Sometime after the eating of the cake, Sophie had been seized away from Howl by her sisters, who demanded some face time with the new bride. Settling onto one of the huge piles of cushions strewn around the garden, she had a wonderful time catching up with all the village gossip as they passed around the new baby.

Food consumed, cake eaten, sparkling wine drunk to the last drop, none the less, the party continued into the evening under a spectacular sunset. Calcifer outdid his earlier pyrotechnic display and dazzled the guests with plums of pink, green, and purple; then awed them with booming explosions of shimmering blue and yellow.

Markl, who most likely felt a quiet twinge of jealousy over having to share his home with so many strangers, climbed sleepily into her lap after having lost interest in Calcifer's fireworks. Sophie smiled down at the little boy, cuddling him to her. She caught the knowing look that Lettie was giving her as she held her baby. Her blonde sister leaned back against her husband, who was chatting with someone's cousin, and gave Sophie a knowing wink. Sophie blushed a ruddy red and made a froggish face at her sister, hugging Markl in such a way that made it clear she was quite happy with what she already had.

Her attention drifted away from her step-mother's conversation and she sought for Howl in the crowd of people. Standing with Markl in her arms, she passed around a bushel of kisses and then excused herself. Depositing Markl with Granny Witch, the silver-haired woman managed to snag a piece of cake and toss it into the hearth, where a very tired Calcifer gobbled it up greedily. She was stopped on several occasions by cheerful guests wishing to bid her goodnight, which she received graciously all the while searching for Howl.

She and Howl had expanded the Castle significantly after it had taken to the air. There were many sitting rooms, workshops, and libraries that would come and go as they needed. They had opened up all of these hidden chambers to accommodate the guests. Sophie had no trouble seeking her husband in the maze of rooms. Like the charms in Howl's bedroom, which pointed to distant places telling of ominous things, her heart pointed a direct path to the wizard who wore her ring. From a distance she caught sight of Barimus and Howl leaning against opposite sides of a balcony at the prow of the castle.

They were mirror opposites, both in posture and in color. Barimus, with his merry brown eyes and blond hair, wore red, while Howl, with his liquid blue eyes and raven mane, wore blue. Both their postures were defensive, and although the royal wizard's expression was earnest, Howl was obviously displeased. He caught sight of her immediately, in spite of the distance between them. He flashed a look at his apprentice brother that gave no mistake that their conversation had ended.

“What are you two brooding over?” Sophie asked cheerfully.

Barimus recovered quickly, giving her a laugh and a wickedly charming smile, “I was just telling Howl what a lucky wizard he is. If you weren't spoken for I might have tried to steal your heart.”

The blond-wizard's tone was friendly, although the fey look in his eyes belied the fact that he was trying to provoke Howl. Apparently there was still a rivalry between them. From the dangerous sparkle in her husband's eyes Sophie could tell that Barimus was having an effect. Thinking quickly, the silver-haired woman gave a loud hiccup and wrapped her arms around her husband's head, hugging his face into her bosom.

“You can't have me, Barimus!” She declared loudly and hiccupped again, pretending to be drunk, “Howl's already eaten my heart, so you're out of luck!”

She would have given anything to see the look on Howl's face at that moment, because Barimus blushed a furious shade of red. Swaying drunkenly, Sophie let Howl catch her then seized his face and kissed him soundly. The blond wizard stood and mumbled several good wished then retreated from the balcony. She hiccupped again loudly for good measure, and then craned her neck to make sure the Wizard had truly gone. With a flick of her head the door to the balcony closed and she regarded her husband, who was staring up at her in utter shock.

“You looked like you needed rescuing, dear husband.”

Howl blinked at her, realizing she wasn't drunk. He dropped his face back onto her chest with a gusty sigh, hugging her tightly.

“Are they gone yet?” He murmured into her dress.

“You're the one who wanted a big wedding,” She chuckled, smoothing his hair.

“So they're still out there?”

“A few… What was Barimus prodding you about?”

“Let's not spoil our evening, dear heart,” Howl spoke sadly, still buried in her dress. Her heart sank for a moment; whatever it was, it was more bad news. Sophie hugged him to her once more, enjoying the faint floral smell of his hair. Some things never change. She smiled to herself and kissed the top of the wizard's head.

“Guess what?” Howl chirped mischievously, his mercurial mood transforming from gloom to glee. Sophie glanced down at him and had to stifle a laugh at the sight of nothing but his great blue eyes looking up at her.

“What?”

In way of an answer he whisked her into his arms and shot off of the balcony and up into the air like a comet. Sophie squealed in joy and they gazed down at the world, circling the castle at a distance. It seemed strange to see their home from the outside, it was so calm and peaceful within she often forgot that they were suspended in air. Sophie wrapped her arms around Howl's neck and gazed out over the ocean in the distance, listening to the wind as it whistled past them.

The crisp evening air plucked at her hair and clothes, although she did not feel the chill. Far below she could see the lights of Chipping Market clustered together like a merry basket of fruit. They were so small and distant; it was almost as though they hardly existed. Turing her eyes to the stars above, she watched them twinkle in the vast indigo heaven and suddenly one of the distant diamonds trembled and fell to earth. Another omen, Sophie's thoughts were troubled for a moment.

Would there be no happily ever after for them, if such things do indeed exist? The kiss that followed dissolved all her melancholy thoughts, and could have made the very stars blush and turn away.

xXx

The witch and wizard Howl enjoyed a fantastic honeymoon in spite of a brief moment of trouble on their wedding day.

Together they traveled a starry road to many fantastic distant places. Snowcapped mountain cities full of whipping banners scrawled with colorful prayers gave way to vast sandy plains where oases sprouted great cities with minarets and golden domes. Each stop of the way Howl insisted that they go and browse shops and rub elbows with local sorcerers.

“It's good for business,” He insisted, although the pile of books he had just purchased convinced her otherwise, “Plus it's good for you to meet other sorcerers.”

Much of their time was spent with magic. Howl had taken her education very seriously, although he was never overbearing or condescending in his lessons. The raven-haired wizard was an excellent teacher, often leaving her to study on her own and never forcing his opinion on her unless she asked.

Sophie had left the otherworld with a spotty ability to control her magic. Half the time she could wield it with surprising ease, accomplishing difficult spells that normally taxed accomplished magicians. Other times she couldn't manage to light the wick of a candle. Sophie was often awed by the boundless patience with which Howl met her frustration. He humored her rare temper tantrums with a grace that seemed all too familiar. However, not all of their time was spent on magic; but it is not polite to speak of such marital things.

The first three days of their honeymoon was spent opening all their wedding gifts. Rather, Sophie spent them watching a gleeful Howl tear open presents. As her husband reverted to childhood, she dutifully made a list of who had sent what so she could send thank you notes. As they sat in the kitchen of their castle, sunlight streaming in through the windows, she watched a laughing Howl tinker with strange bobbles all the while feeding happy Calcifer scraps of pretty colored paper and ribbon. She doubted there had even been a happier wizard and that fact made her heart burn merrily.

Howl had grown a great deal since she had returned his heart. He had actually helped her clean up the castle after the wedding; although he mostly made use of magic and a hungry Calcifer rather than good old fashioned elbow grease. In spite of his bouts of maturity, the wizard was still prone to violent mood swings and childish fits. He refused to open gifts from people he felt had recently snubbed him. But instead of disposing of them, he insisted Sophie open them instead. Howl could be quite greedy sometimes.

One of such gifts had come from Howl's uncle. The disappointment on his face had been plain when he received his uncle's response to their wedding invitation. The letter had contained only a single sentence saying he would be unable to attend the wedding.

A small, unadorned package had arrived on the day of the wedding and it was the very last present to be opened. It had sat on the kitchen table for nearly a week after the rest of the gifts had been opened. Howl glowered at it from time to time. That morning as Sophie made breakfast she watched her husband fiddle with it angrily.

“You do it,” Howl grumbled petulantly, pushing the small box across the table at her after she had placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

Turning away the raven-haired wizard crossed his arms sulkily, ignoring his meal. Normally she might have scolded him for his mood. But Sophie instinctively understood that there was more to Howl's anger with his uncle than the fact that he had not come to their wedding.

She removed the lid of the package exposing a rosewood box. The small receptacle rested on tiny clawed feet that clutched small sapphire jewels. On the lid were several interlocking tiles of ebony and mother of pearl onto which had been inlaid twisting silver lines and gold filigrees. A single tile was missing from the middle. She tried to open it but the top would not budge.

Howl's face had gone white with anger as soon as he caught sight of the box. It passed quickly as Calcifer darted over to stare down at the gift.

“It's a puzzle box,” the flame noted curiously.

“Hand it to me, would you Sophie?” Howl asked in a quiet voice. She obliged and the raven-haired wizard deftly slid the tiles about. He aligned the silver and gold filigrees so that a heart engulfed in flame emerged from the shape of the pattern.

“Not much of a puzzle, is it?” Cal crackled mildly.

“It was my mother's. I spent a great deal of my childhood fiddling with it before I met Cal,” Howl muttered.

This was the first time he had ever mentioned his real parents. Wordlessly, Howl handed it back to her and she opened it carefully. Inside was a pair of sapphire earrings and an emerald pendant, both of which were a perfect mirror of the jewels Howl wore consistently. He took the emerald pendent and slipped it over his head. He had insisted that Sophie continue to wear his sapphire necklace after their wedding. He wouldn't say why but winked at her instead.

“Here, let me help you put these on,” Howl murmured with tender sadness. Taking up the sapphire jewels, he gently attached them to Sophie's earlobes. Regarding her with veiled eyes, the wizard smiled softly, “They suite you.”

“Howl?” Cal peeped softly.

Her husband let out a rough sigh and rubbed his face, revealing a melancholy smile.

The wizard touched the green jewels at his ears then dropped his hand to the pendent around his neck.

“These were my father's. The blue one's you wear were my mothers. They are talismans that have been passed down through my family from generation to generation. My mother left the sapphire necklace with me when I was barely a year old. Shortly after, she and my father gave their lives to stop a war that was beyond their power.”

It was at times like these that Sophie realized how little she knew about Howl. Suddenly his feelings toward war and politics made much more sense. She reached over and took his hands in her own, squeezing them encouragingly. He smiled weakly at her, but continued his story.

“After they were gone my Uncle kept these for me until he thought I was ready to have them again. After I dropped out of the academy he stopped speaking to me. I never expected to see them again. Damn cheeky of Uncle Agyrus to send these,” Howl spoke in irritation, doing a poor job of concealing how much the gifts were upsetting him.

“This is just like him to send bad memories as gifts when I would have simply settled for a visit.”

The knock at the front door was so unexpected that Calcifer singed the kitchen table. Not a single person had knocked on the door for almost two weeks. The wizard Howl had become quite horrible while making it clear to at their various storefronts they would be gone for a solid month, and were not to be disturbed.

“Kingsbury door,” Calcifer chirped loudly, then cowed at the expression on Howl's face, retreating quickly to the fireplace.

“Ignore it,” the wizard growled and began to devour his breakfast with gusto. Howl brightened in an instant and gave Sophie a dazzling smile, casting off his previous mood like a dirty shirt.

“So, my dear Mrs. Howl, what would you like to do today?”

The bright look in his eyes and his jovial smile made her almost convinced her that nothing had happened.

xXx

That afternoon, she led Howl on a rugged trek up a glacier carved mountain far north of Tyrn that was rumored to be magic. When she was young her father had told her stories of the Great Spirit gate at the top of the mountain that was rumored to make wished come true. Calcifer had flown the castle most of the way up the mountain, braving the gusts of ice and air at Sophie's behest.

The day was bright and clear, but the wind was wickedly powerful. They emerged from the castle muffled from head to toe in heavy furs; she made Howl walk the majority of the journey, convincing him that using their feet would make the magic of their wishes even stronger. The two of them spent the afternoon throwing good wishes scrawled on golden pieces of paper tied to rocks through the vast curved portal for everyone they could think of. Howl had even thrown a wish for his uncle. When they had run out of paper they threw snowballs, laughing and shrieking as they nearly froze off their fingers.

Calcifer had not attended, muttering that it was hard enough to keep the castle from being smashed to bits by the wind, adding moodily that he hated snow even more than rain.

Late that night, Sophie had crept downstairs after leaving a thoroughly asleep Howl in their room upstairs. She eyed Calcifer carefully making sure the fire was deep asleep. She tiptoed down to the front door and turned the knob to the Kingsbury door. Slipping outside, she glanced around the empty street.

All seemed well, the dark streets were peaceful and the rows of houses on either side of the street were dark. All was still and complacent. However, at her feet was a cream colored letter sealed with a purple ribbon and red wax. The seal in the wax glimmered with magic in her othersight and Sophie knew the letter was from Barimus. Picking it up she turned it over and saw it was addressed to Howl. She stared at the envelope for a long while and against her better judgment she opened it. Normally the seal would not have given way to anyone but the person for which the letter was intended. This did not do much to stem her guilt as she began to read.

Dearest Howl…

It began in a very personal tone, making Sophie feel even worse for sticking her long nose where it did not belong. She couldn't help but note what excellent penmanship Barimus had, but dismissed the silly thought.

I hope you will forgive my rude behavior at your wedding. I had no right to darken the most happiest of your days with worldly troubles.

I do not begrudge you the fact that you have let the Royal Wizard position fall to me in spite of dear Suliman's wishes. I dare say that I think it is one of the most mature decisions you have made in a long time. Nor can I hide the jealousy I felt over the favoritism our late master showed by appointing you as heir to the position of Royal Sorcerer. Nor can I ignore the fact that you, a renegade sorcerer, have far surpassed my skill in magic in spite of your lack of training.

Although ambassador Varra is quite mad, he confessed on multiple occasions to having conspired in a plot to destroy both Ingary and Marda. The fact that he was responsible for poisoning our master was a particularly cruel revelation I wish I could have come to know by softer means. That was particularly unkind of you to leave for me to discover.

I am not so angry with you that I will refuse to inform you of the successful treaty negotiations between Ingary, Marda, and Tyrn. I managed to calm poor King Walden, who remains convinced that the witches and wizards of Ingary eat hearts. Although I am amused by the young ruler's innocence in the matters of wizards, I do not appreciate being forced to clean up after your messes as I once did during our apprenticeship.

I am being rude again but you have left me at a loss. There is more afoot here than the greed of a courtier and his lust for power. I must say that I was not amused to find that you had used a forgetful spell and words of persuasion on King Ferdinand. I do not have to remind you that that is quite an offense, but one I will let pass. I was able to gain some insight into what transpired in the hallway that day and I am offended that you did not offer me council on the matter. You keep to many secrets.

Regardless, I am writing you this letter because I have received a word from your esteemed Uncle, Wizard Agyrus the Wall Maker, hero of the Mage Wars of old. He has informed me that a Reckoning is planned to take place in Ingary. You should know that he has requested that I send word to you about his arrival on the next full moon. For the sake of your family I hope you will attend.

I wish you and Sophie many happy blessings. I remain your brother in magic as always.

Barimus.

Having finished reading the letter, Sophie felt guiltier than ever and far more confused than before she had opened the missive. But that didn't prevent an outburst of petulant rage. It was her honeymoon, and she didn't want to have to deal with cranky wizards, doddering kings, and ominous meetings!

Why can't the world leave us alone?

But Sophie's anger cooled as she realized the importance of this matter. Just who was Howl's uncle? The Mage Wars must have been the battle in which Howl's parents died. Wizard Agyrus would arrive in two days. That meant they would have to come home from their honeymoon early.

Sophie often longed for the simple days where her greatest challenge was finding the right trimmings to sew onto the hats in her family shop. At moments like these she hated magic, hated the world for all its troubles, and hated the unyielding sense of responsibility that made her feel obligated to try and solve them. Turning, she took the letter back inside and crept up to the fireplace.

“Cal?” She whispered gently as the little flame lifted its rosy head from the ashes in the grate.

“Yeah, Sophie?” He mumbled sleepily, blinking his dear little eyes.

“I have a favor to ask,” The guilt in her voice brought the fire daemon to full attention.

“Anything for you, Sophie. What's up?” He regarded her with large worried eyes as she caught wind of her troubled state.

“I need you to seal this letter and make sure the magic on it indicates it hasn't been opened.”

She hated herself for being sneaky, but something in the desperate nature of her plea made the fire daemon decide to acquiesce to her request. He reached out one of his thin arms and touched the wax seal, it snapped back onto the parchment as though it had never been opened.

“Thank you, Calcifer,” She mumbled and placed the letter on the table. Turning she went back down the stairs and stood in front of the front door, fiddling with one of her earrings. But her mind was made up.

“Where are you going, Sophie?” Cal's worried voice carried down to her a little too loud for her liking.

“I won't be long. If Howl wakes up and asks where I went, tell him I had a bad dream and I needed to check something.”

The half-lie almost stuck in her throat as she reached out and turned the dial to black, disappearing into the otherworld before Calcifer could object.

xXx

She and Howl had gone into the otherworld a few times since the cursed mirror had shattered, but it still made her nervous. She knew that the scorched plain was far away from this gentle place of light, kept at bay somehow by a great dull wall that the Dark apparently could not pass. Still, the fact that it was out there terrified her still.

Sophie had long since learned from Howl how to fly on silver wings in the veiled indigo sky that loomed high above the stars below. For a moment the breathless feeling of freedom washed away all of her fear and worry, leaving her heart to soar with dizzy exhilaration through the vastness of the othersky. She understood in that endless place the stories Howl told her of wizards who had refused to throw off their spirit forms, never returning from this place of mystery. But a distant peal of soundless greeting drew her from her dreaming.

Sophie could see a shape in the distant sky; a great red bird soared out of the gloom towards her. She reared back for a moment trying to anticipate the intentions of the stranger, but as he drew near she recognized Barimus' face.

I knew to expect someone, but I was not sure it would be Howl. The great red bird spoke as it back-winged, hovering before her with troubled eyes.

I am not pleased to be here, Barimus. Why are you bothering us? Sophie ruffled her shining silver feathers in irritation.

I apologize, Lady Sophie. It is necessity that brings me here. Howl keeps secrets that he should not horde. A dark time is coming for all wizardry and we cannot afford to stand divided.

Sophie's hackles rose at the mention of the word Dark and Barimus flinched.

By now you should be well aware that you cannot expect anything from Howl. Sophie replied mildly. His methods are unusual but are always fueled by good reason.

You think too highly of him, Sophie. Barimus quipped in irritation, but continued quickly as he caught the dangerous look in her eyes.

Howl is trying desperately to forget the past. Magic is a circle, tenuously balanced between good and evil. As of recent it has been tipped towards the ill.

Sophie flared her wings angrily; the blond-wizard's tone had become patronizing as though she knew nothing of magic. It was mostly true, and Sophie perhaps should not have taken offense, but she was in a bad mood. Besides, she knew very well what he was talking about. It had to do with the Dark.

I respect you, Barmius; I have no use for wizards who talk in riddles for the sake of mystery. What do you want? Speak plainly or I shall leave.

Barimus recovered quickly and spoke in an even tone. Howl will receive a summons to a meeting with Wizard Agyrus in Kingsbury. He must attend.

Sophie gave Barimus heavy look. You and I both know that Howl does as he pleases, it will do you no good to demand anything from him.

Barimus returned her stare with a cunning look. You have more power over him than you think. I have faith in your abilities, Lady Sophie.

Sophie gave a soundless screech as she returned to her bird form. Furling her wings she shot away leaving the started wizard in the wake of her wind.

Angrily, she felt as though she was once again being used as a bargaining ship in some greater game. If Howl's uncle wanted to talk to him so badly he would have to come and seek him out himself. She had half a mind to go home and feed the letter to Calcifer. But for the moment she tried to take solace from the ocean-like serenity of the otherworld. She tasted no trouble on the otherwind at that moment and reverently prayed it would stay that way.

xXx

The front door clicked open revealing an empty doorway, letting in a gentle breeze of otherwind. Soft steps fell on the stairs and a gentle shadow began to coalesce into a woman's form. It was difficult to shake off the hold of the otherworld once back in the mortal realm. It took concentration to leave behind her spirit wings and exchange her feathers for fingers. The process invoked such a keen sense of despair that it was horribly painful.

Calcifer watched as Sophie came to sit in the couch before the fire, his round eyes wide.

“I never like watching you two go through that,” He crackled softly.

“How long was I gone?” She asked in a tired voice looking at her fingers as though they were not her own.

“About three hours. Howl's still asleep. You shouldn't be flying around out there, you know. It's not a good idea.”

Time moved very differently in the otherworld. Seconds were like minutes and minutes were like hours beneath the starless veil. If you stayed too long you risked the chance that your world would be gone if you did decide to return.

Standing, she stood and stared for a while at the letter, trying to decide what to do. At last she strode over and picked it up. Turning the knob on the front door back to Kingsbury, she tossed the letter out the door as though it were a dirty thing.

“Goodnight Calcifer,” she murmured and crept back upstairs to the sleeping arms of her husband.

xXx

For once she managed to sleep in. And she awoke from a troubled dream to find the bed empty. Sitting bolt upright she leaped out of bed, pounding downstairs only to find the kitchen empty. Even Calcifer was gone. Cold fear seized her.

“Howl?” She called out loud.

“Sophie?” The tall wizard came around the corner of the veranda carrying a vase full of pink roses. His look of dismay was colored with a playful smile. Calcifer came whizzing in from the garden and settled into the grate.

“G'morning, Sophie!” The little fire chirped and all was right with the world.

“Oh! I was hoping you would sleep more. I was going to surprise you with breakfast. Are you alright?” His tone became concerned as he caught wind of her agitation. Setting the flowers on the table he came over to her.

“I'm fine. I just had a bad dream and when I woke up you weren't there,” She hugged him to her fiercely and murmured into his shirt. He smelled like roses this morning and it filled her heart with love.

“I didn't mean to scare you, dear heart. You don't sleep in very often so I didn't want to disturb you.”

“No, it's alright,” She smiled brightly forgetting all her troubles in her husband warm blue eyes, “How about some orange juice with breakfast? The fruit on the tree should be ripe by now.”

“Sounds delicious,” Howl grinned as he reached for the frying pan, “Go get dressed and I'll start on breakfast.”

Sophie's heart was soaring as she went back up stairs and quickly got dressed. Humming to herself she tied the blue ribbon from their wedding into her hair and skipped down them stairs. Blowing a kiss to her raven-haired wizard, she snatched up a basket from the sideboard and almost danced out into the garden. The silver-haired witch looked up at the oranges trying to decide how to get at them. The little fruit tree was thin and spindly, but rather tall. She had helped Markl climb the tree on various occasions, but very much doubted it would carry her weight.

She felt using her magic on simple task was frivolous, but as Howl often told her, what good was having magic if it you didn't use it? Concentrating, Sophie stepped into the air imagining there was a ladder beneath her feet. Thus, she ascended into the air rather awkwardly, a froggish look on her face. Howl could sail into the sky with more grace than a golden nightingale. But at the moment Sophie felt like a lame pigeon. With the oranges in range, she smiled to herself and began selecting the best fruit.

From her vantage point she could see down into the kitchen through the skylights Howl had put in during the expansion. She caught sight of the raven-haired wizard through heart froze in her chest. She began to sink like a stone, but willed herself back up. Looking in the skylight she saw Howl standing with Barimus' letter open in hand, the frying pan held nowhere near the flame.

His face was shielded from her view by his long bangs, but she judged from Calcifer's flickering size that Howl was very upset. The wizard crushed the letter and envelope in his hand and tossed them both into the fire daemon's waiting mouth. Sophie sank slowly to the ground, the wheels in her mind turning furiously.

“Sophie, the eggs are done!” Howl called cheerily from the kitchen. For the moment Sophie decided that she would take a clue from Howl and pretend that nothing had happened. Perhaps they could steel a few more days of bliss before the world came intruding once more.

xXx

The decision to return home came two days later as Sophie sat reading with Howl's head in her lap. The two of them lazed like cats in the sunshine of the garden on a pile of enormous cushions. Howl have a heavy sigh and Sophie put down her book to study him. The wizard was staring up at the blue sky rather intently.

“Do you think the Castle is too quiet, Sophie?”

For a moment she panicked and thought he was going to asked her if she wanted children.

“What do you mean?” She replied evasively.

“I've been thinking,” here it comes Sophie trembled, “Would you mind horribly if we surprised Markl and Granny Witch with an early return?”

The silver-haired witch let out the breath she had been holding and laughed at the face her husband gave her.

“Not at all, silly wizard!”

“Good,” Howl smiled guiltily, “Because I miss them so terribly that I already asked Calcifer to start flying us home.”

“I think we'll have plenty of time to honeymoon even after we return back to business,” Sophie replied ominously, and gave her husband a smoldering kiss to tell him just exactly what she meant.

xXx

Later that evening, as the sun was just beginning to set and the full moon rose on the horizon, Howl and Sophie knocked on Mrs. Fairfax's door. Much to Howl's delight Markl tackled his Master as they showed up on the doorstep of Mrs. Fairfax's house. Heen wheezed at them, madly circling her feet and snuffling Howl on the ground as his tale blurred happily. It was good to be back amongst family.

“Howl! Sophie! You're back early!” The little blond boy squealed with delight as Sophie scooped him up into her arms off of the prone wizard, who feigned a swoon

“We missed you too much to go a second more without you,” Sophie laughed happily as she squeezed him hard. The little boy was not so little anymore and had apparently begun a growth spurt. Where once he had barely come to her stomach, the apprentice had gained about and inch and almost reached her waist.

“My, you've gotten bigger, Markl! What has Mrs. Fairfax been feeding you?”

“She puts honey on everything, Sophie. She keeps bees,” the little boy paused to look down at his master on the floor, “Are you alright Howl? I didn't flatten you did I?”

Sophie put Markl down and the little boy crept over the poke his master, who sat up with a playful shout and seize the little boy only to tickle him mercilessly.

“Who is it, dear?” Mrs. Fairfax called over the shrieking and giggling as she peered around a doorframe from a distant room. The look of surprise on the sunny woman's face melted to delight and Martha's dark head appeared as the little girl craned to look over her master's shoulder.

“We're back early!” Sophie called as she was nearly knocked off her feet by Martha.

“Oh, so good to see you too,” Mrs. Fairfax beamed, “Do come in!”

They all settled into the hedge witch's parlor and stuffed themselves silly on honey-soaked cinnamon buns and tea. Even Granny Witch was pleased to see them.

“Oh, what a handsome couple,” she murmured to herself over her tea, feeding bits of bun to Heen as she gazed at Howl and Sophie.

Howl regaled the company with fantastic stories of their journeys through strange and foreign lands, half of which was completely untrue. But Sophie loved to see her wizard husband so full of light this way, his blue eyes dancing merrily as his dazzling voice lulled them all into the spell of his tall-tales. Later Martha and Markl cuddled up to her and told her of all their magical achievements.

Mrs. Fairfax and Howl openly lauded each other's apprentices. The hedge witch complimented the blue-eyed wizard for having instructed such an astute and intelligent little boy. Howl returned her praise of Markl by commenting on how quickly Martha was becoming well known for her own tinctures and simples in the wizarding community.

They were almost loath to leave, but eventually Sophie kissed her sister and Mrs. Fairfax goodbye. Howl had gathered up little Markl, who had tried to stay up far too late and had fallen asleep with his face pressed so hard into his master's leg that the cloth had left and impression.

“Goodbye, dear Granny,” Mrs. Fairfax smiled at the old witch, who was cuddling Heen happily. Looking up the old witch caught sight of the castle.

“Oh, what a lovely castle!” She exclaimed, and then waved back at Mrs. Fairfax as she followed after Howl and Sophie. Once inside Calcifer grumbled about taking a vacation for himself, but dutifully took the castle up into the sky, heading south for the wastes.

Sophie tucked Granny witch in and lifted a sleepy Heen onto the foot of her bed. Howl had taken Markl upstairs to deposit the sleeping apprentice in his own room and she could hear her husband's steps overhead. Drawing back the curtain, she made sure that there were logs within Calcifer's reach even though she knew he could get them on his own. Sitting before the fire, she warmed her hands and remembered the first time she had sat before the little flame daemon.

“It's good to have the family home, isn't Cal?”

“Mmm… Missed them,” crackled the glowing ember who was already almost asleep.

She was almost dozing herself when she heard the handle of the front door jiggle. Calcifer flared up, surprise plain on his face.

“Sophie! Someone's trying coming in the front door!” He cried.

Sophie scrambled to her feet and clambered over to the top of the stairs peering down at the jiggling handle in terror. The castle was in the middle of the air. How could someone be at the front door?

“Howl! Howl!” Calcifer called anxiously, doing his best to look huge and scary, “Someone's trying to come-“

The fire daemon's cry was cut short as the front door burst open under an explosion of silver and blue sparks. Wind and magic ripped into the kitchen as a great dark shape filled the stairwell. Sophie tumbled over backwards as the shape loomed up to the ceiling, tucking in its dark blue wings.

Suddenly Howl was beside her, lifting her onto her feet as he gathered her to him. The darkness in the kitchen shattered beneath the light of his magic as the otherwind whipped into life around him. His face was calm but his large eyes brimmed with furious power; the wizard flicked his arm out to the side and it burst into blue flames. He was about to launch the burning lance at the castle's invader when a powerful voice shook the room.

STOP! It commanded, and Howl hesitated for a moment, recognizing the speaker.

The front door slammed shut but the wind continued. The dark shape coalesced and took the form of a powerful man. The dark winds became his arms, which swept back a heavy indigo cloak that faded into nothing at its whispering hem. Drawing back the hood, Sophie gasped because the man could have been Howl's father. But the silver-haired witch knew him to be another of her husband's kin.

Although his long dark hair was mostly grey, beneath the full beard the Wizard Agyrus' face could have been Howl's. However, the man's visage was heavily lined and held none of the kindness or impish good-humored she so loved in her husband. There was no warmth in this man, only cool business. Sophie noticed that his eyes were ice blue, almost the same cold grey that Wizard Suliman's had once been. He gazed at them without feeling.

Howl's fire extinguished as he dropped his hand. The otherwind left him but his eyes never moved from the intruder, which Agyrus remained in spite of their kinship.

“Howl,” The voice spoke again, a neutral statement but not without heavy judgment.

“Hello, Uncle Agyrus,” Howl's voice was bitter, “Nice to see you again.”