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Starlight	By : sarahM Category: +G to L > Howl\'s Moving Castle > Howl\'s Moving Castle Views: 11152 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Howls Moving Castle, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Starlight

By Lady Mac
A/N: So I read the book of Howl�s Moving Castle, and it is very different from the movie, but it�s quite good all the same. Funny note: in the book, Markl is Michael. Doesn�t that make more sense? It must have gotten lost in the translation.
I saw it again!!! Yay!! This time I made my boyfriend (v2k3) go with me, and he liked it, too. Though he says he doesn�t like it more than Spirited Away, which is one of his favorite films, along with The Breakfast Club. But he did say he liked it, and it gave him warm fuzzies. But he complained that the resolution was kinda forced: �Hi! I�m the prince who was missing! You probably didn�t even hear that at the beginning! What a wonderful coincidence that I showed up after 2 hours of movie! Okay, live happily ever after now!� And I agree, but it�s still my favorite movie of all the time because I loved every 1/12 of a second of it, both times!! But I�d be a little happier if I�d had a school ID so I could�ve gotten in for 7 bucks instead of $8.50. But oh well. It all makes a lot more sense in the book, but to make the movie that way would have involved changing a lot of character stuff regarding Howl, and completely removing Madame Suliman (who is not in the book).

Also note: You may have noticed already, but chapters one, two, AND three have undergone MAJOR revisions since I saw the movie a second time and picked up some more details. Please reread them! They�re not too long, and it will probably factor in to future chapters.
And a note for people who missed it before: THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER FLUFF!!! Any plot is filler and kinda unintentional. Fluff is my lifeblood. It�s too bad I can�t sell it; I�ve got so much. :grin:
For Crystal56: P.I. progress: 15 percent complete! I�m ahead of schedule! OMG, why was chapter 3 so LONG????
Special note: I have no idea where this chapter is going. I�m just kinda jumping in with both feet. So tell me if it sucks, please.
Now playing in iTunes: �One Night in Bangkok� from the soundtrack from Chess.
Quote from Pete the Beta: Smokers get plenty of tar. We just need to add feathers.

And �How do you spell Ph. D.?�
Exciting UWAY-related findings: �Faggott� is Italian for �a bundle of sticks.� Also German for �bassoon,� from the same Italian root. So a bassoon is a bundle of sticks, and so is the poor kid you called a fag.
�Mommy-daddy! I�m scary!�

�I know.� xX pats on head Xx

Just a little warning: Howl is kind of horny again, but no lime or anything. Just humor.
Location notes (gleaned from the book): Market Chipping is Sophie�s town, Porthaven is the one with the docks, and Kingsbury is where the palace is. Yes, it�s relevant to the story.
Okay, enough. On to the story!
Disclaimer: Fine, I confess: I have Howl locked in a magic-proof closet, and I kidnapped Sophie and stole her soul. He�s MINE, I tell you!! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!! XD

Kapitel Vier

Both Feet Forward

Sophie woke slowly as the room gradually grew brighter. She blinked slowly, trying to clear the cobwebs from her mind and figure out where she was. The large, warm mass in the bed beside her moved slightly and sighed, and all the memories from the night before came flooding back. She had given herself to Howl, and he had given her all he had in return. And now his face was nestled in the crook of her shoulder, and his left arm lay across her belly under the sheets. He snored softly as she slipped out of bed, but didn�t wake.
Sophie dressed in her petticoats and one of his shirts –
which was far too large –
then went downstairs to start breakfast.
No one else was awake but Calcifer, and she talked to him quietly as she prepared cinnamon toast, a cheese omelet, and a pot of tea.
�That for Howl?� he asked, peering up at her from under the frying pan.
�Who else?� she asked, smiling.
Calcifer snatched a glance at her ring. �Ooh. He managed to propose to you first, then.�
She blushed. He had obviously caught on to what had happened. �Yes.�
�Powerful spell on that ring,� he said as she lifted the frying pan away to make up two plates. �I think that�s the strongest one I�ve ever seen him do as a lasting protection. It probably took him a long time to get that ready.�
�You think that�s what he was hiding from me before?� She put the two plates and cups on a tray.
�Oh, for sure. Enjoy your breakfast.�
She smiled at him as she climbed the stairs. �Thank you!�
Howl grunted sleepily when she opened the curtains in his room. �Time to wake up,� she said cheerfully. �I brought you breakfast!�
�Huh?� he asked, rubbing his eyes. �I wha?�
She plopped next to him on the bed and kissed him quickly. �Breakfast, silly.�
He seemed to wake up a little more as he looked at her. �Wha � what are you wearing?�
�One of your shirts.� She held out her arms, and he looked at her strangely. �What do you think?�
He snorted in amusement. �Whatever. I smell food.�
She laughed as she fetched the tray from the corner of his desk and set it on the bed, then climbed up beside him. �Bon appetit!�
�Bon appetit,� he agreed, raising his teacup to his lips. �Oh, this is divine.�
�Thank you,� she said, smiling as she watched him tuck into the omelet.
�I didn�t mean the food, really,� he said, his voice muffled by egg. �More like the whole breakfast in bed with you. You don�t know how long I�ve been waiting for this.�
�How long?�
He chuckled at her playful question. �Since � well, you remember the first time I moved the castle, right? And I got you the new portal, and the room and the shop and all the new clothes. Well �� He tapped his chin with the side of his fork. �I think I�ve been in love with you since � well, the first time I saw you in that alley. But I�d only decided to devote myself to you right before we moved the castle. Of course, I couldn�t really love you until I had my heart back, but by that time it was a no-brainer. � They ate in silence for a while, reminiscing. �How about you?� he finally asked.
�Me?� Sophie said. �What about me?�
�When did you fall in love with me? Or dare I even ask?�
She laughed gently. �Well, it certainly wasn�t until after your hair color fiasco. Or � well, I�m not really sure. Because as soon as I came up here with the milk I was certainly in love, but before that I was far too annoyed to notice.�
Howl snorted, trying to contain his laughter. �What luck that you stayed! I don�t know what I would have done. I think I might actually have died, if you hadn�t come back.�
She grinned up at him. �You�re so sweet.�
He licked the food off his lips, then leaned in and kissed her.
�Yuck!� she said, laughing as she pushed him away. �Your lips are all slimy!�
�Sorry,� he said grumpily, turning back to his breakfast and attacking it crossly.
�Oh, come on,� she said, touching his shoulder in an attempt to make him look at her.
He shook his head, keeping his back turned.
Sophie sighed loudly. �You�re being such a child.�
In the time it took her to blink, he had pinned her beneath him. �I�m not really a child, am I, Sophie?� He grinned suggestively, and when she smiled back he came down on her, kissing her furiously. Their limbs tangled together and they promptly forgot about the dishes.
-----#%&%#-----
Markl and the Witch were eating bread and butter when Sophie and Howl came downstairs later with their dishes, which had sustained a bit of damage. One –
Howl swore it was a mug –
was shattered beyond recognition.
�What happened?� Markl asked, astounded.
�None of your business,� Howl answered, putting the intact plates and teacup in the sink.
�Calcifer said we shouldn�t disturb you because you were having breakfast in bed.�
�That was very wise of him,� Sophie said, going to help Howl with the dishes.
�So why are the dishes all broken?�
�They�re not all broken,� she said, looking at the bits of china in the sink that Howl was scrubbing furiously at. �Just a plate and a mug.�
�They were done for, anyhow,� Howl said, plucking one out of the suds and handing it to Sophie to dry. �We�ve needed new dishes for � what? Several years? Since before you got here. And silverware, too.�
�I�m sure my mother would love to give us new china and silver,� Sophie said. �She�s recently married again, you know, to a rich man named Smith.�
�I remember your mother,� said the Witch. �She brought that spy-bug and the wonderful cigar.�
�That was a horrible cigar! At least you could have taken it outside.�
�I�ll say the same thing I said last time, young lady. Don�t deny an old witch her pleasures.�
Sophie rolled her eyes as she put away the last plate, and Howl dried his hands on a dish towel. �Oh, by the way, Markl, she said yes.�
�What!� he squeaked, jumping up. �You asked her and you didn�t tell me?�
�I don�t need your permission,� he said, patting his apprentice on the head as he walked past. He threw open the double doors to the yard and inhaled deeply. �It�s beautiful outside!� he called, stepping out into the fresh air. �Come on, Sophie!� He grabbed her hand and a piece of paper and pulled her outside. �Let�s go plan our wedding!�
He flopped on his stomach in the grass, and Sophie let herself down gently in front of him. �Okay,� he said. �Let�s get started. So � pick a day.�
She thought for a moment. �Midsummer�s Eve.�
He raised his dark eyebrows. �So soon? That only gives us a week and a half.�
�It should be fine,� she said, lacing her fingers together around her knees. �I don�t want anything extravagant. What�s the simplest thing we could do?�
He thought for a moment. �We could just do it out here, if there aren�t many guests.�
�I like that idea.�
�Only thing is, if it�s not in a church, I don�t know who we can get to officiate.�
�What about Madame Suliman?�
�Yeah, right,� he snorted. �If she�s gotten over all the crap I did, which she hasn�t.�
�There�s a nice little chapel in Market Chipping,� Sophie said. �We could have it there, and then no one would be angry that it wasn�t in a church.�
�Market Chipping is fine, then,� he said, writing it down. �All your family is there, right?�
�My mother and my sisters,� she said with a nod. �Is there anyone you�d like to invite?�
He rolled over on his back and stared at the sky. �Well � Madame Suliman, if she�d come. Which I doubt.�
�What about your family?�
He shook his head. �Haven�t heard from them for years. I don�t even really know where they are. And it�s only my sister and her family now, anyways. I�m not sure they�d want to come. I�ve kind of blackened my name over the years, and I don�t know how willing they�d be to believe I changed.�
�I think we should invite them,� Sophie said. �Isn�t there a spell you can use to find them?�
�Yeah, but I don�t really want to.�
�Oh, buck up. You went to hers, didn�t you?�
�Well, sure, but that was seven years ago, before I became all great and terrible. I was only nineteen then. And her kids have never met their Uncle Howl. I only know of them from the last letter she sent me, right after the second was born five years ago.�
�Well, then they can get to know Uncle Howl and Aunt Sophie personally. If you don�t invite them, I will.�
�Fine.� He reached above his head and wrote �Megan and family� on the paper, though it came out chicken-scratchy and barely legible. �But I don�t know where they are, and they might not be able to come.�
�That�s fine. At least they�ll know we�re thinking of them.� She plucked the quill from his idle fingers and wrote �Mother and Lettie� below Howl�s scratches.
�And then,� he said, stretching, �we can have our honeymoon at Meadowbrook.�
�Meadowbrook?�
�You know, my old study. That�s what I called it.�
�I don�t think we really need to plan that now. What about a dinner? Where will we do that?�
�Could do it here. With the kitchen and yard together, we should be able to fit everyone. What do we have, eight, nine maybe? Depends on how fruitful Megan�s been.�
�Plus Markl and the witch and you and me makes more than ten.� She looked around, surveying their home. �We should fit all right.�
�Good. So who will cook?�
�I will.�
He rolled over onto his stomach again and looked at her squarely. �No, you won�t. Not on your wedding day. I forbid it.�
She smiled. �Okay. Well, Mother might do it. And Lettie�s apprenticed at Cesari�s Bakery, so we could go through her for all that.�
�Cesari�s,� he mumbled, writing it down. �Okay. We can buy all the food, I just don�t want you doing prep for your own party.�
�Then you�re not allowed to worry.�
�What makes you think I will?� he asked, laughing.
She shrugged. �You�re kind of a drama queen.�
�I am not!�
�You threw a tantrum about your hair being red and nearly killed yourself.�
�Ancient history.�
�You freaked out at Markl about proposing to me.�
�Also ancient history!�
She laughed. �Two weeks ago is ancient history now?�
�My dear, everything that happened before last night no longer counts. This is my life now, and I�m sticking with it.�
�You�re just full of sweetness today!� He stretched up for her, and she obligingly leaned down and kissed him.
�Eew!� cried Markl from inside. �Do that where I can�t see you!�
They both giggled as they parted. �Well,� said Sophie, �I know one benefit of being married so soon.�
�If you mean what just happened, think again.� He grinned at her. �That won�t ever stop.�
�No,� she said, dropping her voice. �I know that won�t happen. I meant if I get pregnant before then, no one will know. Though � it could be seen as a cover-up.�
He shook his head. �Won�t happen. Your ring protects you against that, too, as long as you�re wearing it.�
�Wow.� She examined it closely, impressed. �So that�s why you wanted to give it to me then.�
�Right. And you know, as a man, that was a very difficult thing for me to do, to take the time to give it to you rather than simply having you right there.�
She blushed. �That�s horrid.�
�No,� he said, �it�s perfectly typical. Take this morning, for example.�
Sophie buried her burning face in her hands and didn�t answer.
�I can�t help it, you know,� he said, rolling over and poking at her fingers from below. �I�m just so in love with you, I can�t control myself.�
She let go of her face and caught his hand. �Guess what?�
�What?�
She kissed his knuckles and smiled. �We have to go dress shopping.�

Ende Kapitel Vier

Word count: 2083. My longest yet (in this story)! And that�s not counting author�s notes and so forth. I hope you liked this chapter! I�ve actually decided what the main point of this is going to be. The whole wedding and all is mostly exposition, but it should be fluffy and enjoyable. After that, some stuff is going to start to happen that is real meat-and-potatoes-type plot, but with a side of marshmallow fluff. Then probably an epilogue, since I�ve got a couple of half-cooked ideas I want to touch on. I don�t know how long this will end up being, but I can see it going out to at least ten chapters, maybe more. Look forward to it!
Now playing in iTunes: Nothing. My dad has the stereo on while he reads on the porch, but I�m going to go practice my clarinet now.
Please review kindly! I know this chapter was nothing but fluff and a little setup =^.^=
Ja ne!
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