Just another ordinary day, blue sky and a few clouds. Nothing much. Really one of the most insignificant days Sophie's ever encountered. She stood up from her chair, setting her book aside to go check the mail. There probably wouldn't be anything of importance, especially with such a bore of a day like this. Maybe advertisements or a miscellaneous letter at most.
So she opened up the Kingsbury mailbox first, and was needless to say, shocked when she discovered a letter of high importance from the neighboring country where Prince Justin just happened to live.
She walked back inside the castle, and nearly slammed the door behind her, in a rush to read the letter. She hurried over to an area with the best light, which happened to be the nearest window, and she tore open the letter, revealing a small folded paper inside. She pulled out the paper, unfolded it, and began to read the neat text.
To: Sophie Hatter
From: the Prince Justin
You have been exclusively invited to go to lunch with the Prince! It will be this Friday (the twentieth) right outside the Wastes. No reply is necessary.
Wow, an invitation to a fancy lunch? With Prince Justin? The last time Sophie saw him was when she gave him a small kiss and he turned back from being her favorite little Turnip Head to the prince he is now. She also remembers in that particular moment he had said that only 'true loves kiss' or whatever it was could turn him back. Sophie was glad he left quickly after saying that.
But now, what does he want? He's inviting her to lunch so...maybe a date? No, that couldn't be, unless he was an idiot! She obviously is already occupied with Howl, and she wasn't one to go cheating on the one she loves; especially with someone who used to have a turnip for a head. But she couldn't just decline the invitation like that. She didn't want to be so rude to someone of such high royalty. "What's that in your hand Sophie?" Howl asked as he almost seemed to fly down the stairs.
"Oh, it's...it's a letter. Not one of much importance." Sophie manage to rush out, only stuttering and looking somewhat suspicious in the process. He stared at the letter crushed in Sophie's hand, and met his gaze with her, his eyes narrowed. "You're a terrible liar Sophie. Now what is that in your hand?" He commanded more than asked.
Her brows furrowed and she matched his glare. "Why should I go about telling you? What if it's a letter from my mother? What if it's a present for you and you're glaring at me just because I don't want to show it?" She countered, easily placing the crumpled letter in her dress pocket. He placed his arms across his chest and let out a laugh of disbelief. "Sophie, why would you go about giving me a present in such an angry manner? And my birthday was a month ago so there's no reason to get me anything."
He smirked as he watched her fumble for what to say. Unable to think of anything clever or believable, she huffed past him and folded her arms, stamping up the stairs and into her room. She flopped onto her bed and sighed, taking out the letter and reading it over once more. She gladly would've told Howl if she could trust he wasn't going to either follow her or turn into a jealous mess. Last time she told him that she was going to lunch with another man (who happened to just be a family friend) Howl had very obviously disguised himself as their waiter, and purposely made the guy Sophie was eating with very uncomfortable. Howl didn't speak to her for two days after that and Sophie didn't speak to him for a week.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling an oncoming headache. She knew she also had to wear something far more proper than the red summer dress she was wearing now. Did she even have the right shoes though? She had boots and sandals, but not high heels or glimmering flats. She fortunately did have a nice short-sleeved purple dress, that still looks pristine ever since Howl cast a spell on it to keep it clean. What about her hair? How would she even do that?
Suddenly the idea of having a meal with the Prince sounded rather tiring, and far too expensive. She really did not want to get new shoes just for a one or two hour event that only included the Prince and her. Plus when he was that stupid turnip, he saw her in drab clothing, so why should he care now? Because he's probably a snobby Prince now, that's why he'd care!
She nearly groaned into her pillow, the light knocking on her door being the only thing stopping her. "Come in," she said, barely loud enough. The door clicked open, and Sophie could immediately tell it was Howl from the scent of flowers, cologne, and fruity shampoo penetrating her sense. She sighed, and rolled over, quickly sitting up to look up at him directly. "What is it that you want?" She asked, making sure to hide any kind of joyful emotion in her voice. "Can't you just tell me what's in the letter Sophie? Please?"
He stared at her, desperation in his eyes, and when she finally resigned and handed him the crumpled letter, he smiled lightly, and took a seat next to her on the bed. A moment later he made a clucking noise, and put his finger on his chin, before shaking his head and looking back over at Sophie. "I don't think you should go." She snatched the letter back from him and frowned, "I didn't let you read it for your useless advice, Howl. I only let you read to let you know what I'm going to be doing this Friday." He merely gasped at her, jealousy pooling in the bottom of his stomach.
He stood up, and put his hands on his hips, as if trying to look more powerful. "You can not do this to me Sophie! Who knows what the Prince would do to you? What if he tries to make you his Princess?!" She stood up rising to her full height, mirroring his position. She took a large step forward, and looked up at him, her unwavering glare catching him by little surprise. "I can take wonderful care of myself, thank you very much. I'm not going to say yes to someone who used to be a Turnip Head, so stop fretting! You're acting like my mother right now!" He frowned, not liking being compared to Sophie's boisterous mother.
He walked out after that, wanting very badly to take a warm bath, leaving Sophie to take care of her pounding headache. She sat back down on the bed, head in hands, and decided she was going to go, and she didn't care if Howl said no or not.
XxX
The next day, Sophie woke up and trotted downstairs to go make breakfast. She grabbed her brush on the way down, and began detangling her hair. When she reached the bottom step, she was surprised to find Howl already cooking something that smelled far too delicious.
She carefully walked over to the living room table, setting her brush down on the way, and peered at the two plates filled to the rim with eggs and bacon, with the third one on its way. One she could tell was hers, and the smaller blue one was Markls. She glanced over at Howl, who had just began shoveling the eggs and bacon onto what was presumably his plate.
When all three of them were at the table and were starting to dig in, Howl was staring at her a little too intently. She set her fork down with the egg on it, trying to figure out what he was staring at. Did she have something on her face? No, why would he just stare at her over a small whatever on her face? She simply dismissed it with a inward shrug. He's just being weird as usual. Before she brought the fork back to her mouth, she noticed something odd on her food. Why was there blue specks scattered across her meal? She looked over at Markls plate, and noticed nothing amiss in it.
She picked up a small speck, and noticed Howl was starting to get anxious, like she noticed a secret he thought he'd hidden so well. Wait...was this magic in her food? If so, why is it even here? Whatever the reason, her curiosity grew into bitter annoyance, as she gave a sharp look at Howl, and asked, "What's this?" He merely laughed and said, "What are you talking about Sophie?" The nerve of that man! "Howl, you know exactly what I'm talking about."
They bickered at each other for a bit, before Markl looked up, and examined the blue powder Sophie was so kindly sprinkling over Howls untouched food. "Oh," he paused, waiting for Sophie to notice, "That blue powder has a spell cast on it that whoever eats it will be persuaded into not doing something they originally wanted to." Howl's eyes widened in horror, and looked over at his young apprentice who so easily just betrayed him.
Sophie shoved her food onto Howls plate, and went upstairs. She heard Markl and Howl arguing, but she just couldn't care enough to listen further. She slammed her bedroom door open, and thundered over to her closet. She opened it and snatched out her nice dress and her favorite boots. Maybe she could leave today, and just go to an inn for the night or something. She'd probably be spared from her headache, and she could easily meet up with the Prince with no problem.
She smiled, thinking herself incredibly clever, and began to pack. She neatly folded her dress for tomorrow, put in her favorite brush, and gathered two packets of magical powder that makes teeth perfectly white (but only if you drink plenty of water right before). She slipped out of her nightgown and put in her bag too, and walked back to her closet, changing into grey mid-calf length dress. She tied her boots on (the same ones she was going to wear tomorrow), and stood up searching around for anything else she might need. She didn't think so, she set out, hoping as she edged her way down the stairs that no one would notice her sneaking out.
The last step creaked, and for a moment she was sure someone had heard her. But no one came, and no one saw. She took a quick once over of the 'living room' and scurried over to the door. She changed the dial to the Wastes, grabbed her shawl on the way out, and quietly shut the door behind her.
As she walked carefully down the jagged slope that was the descent of the Wastes, she found that the shawl was doing her no justice. This was the kind of cold that crawled its way into your bones, and would not disappear no matter how many coats or scarves you're wearing. She somewhat regretted having left so early, but who knows what would've happened if she left later on? Howl could've done something sneaky.
About what felt like a good half an hour later, Sophie was on the outskirts of the Wastes, with two inns to choose from. Both of them seemed nice, but the one on the left looked more cozy and seemed to fit her tastes.
She happily walked over to it, and politely knocked on the door. When the door opened, she nearly fell on her butt from the force of the slam. "Who may you be?" An elder man, who looked permanently annoyed asked. "I'm Sophie Hatter. I've come here for a nights stay since tomorrow I will be meeting up with someone on the edge of the Wastes." The man nodded, and moved to the side, letting Sophie pass through easily. "Well you've come to the right place ma'am. This inn is one of the finest ones you'll find." The man said, his voice hoarse and his face prideful. Sophie smiled, then looked around.
The place was pretty nice, and it seemed like it had a good atmosphere. "This inn is very nice. You're made it so comfortable and cozy." Sophie said as she took off her shawl, since the inn was much warmer than the outside. "Oh I haven't done anything for it. My daughter is doing all the work around here." The man paused, his smile softening, "She made it especially clean for anyone of royalty that could pass by here. I know the Prince from the country over will be in the Wastes tomorrow having lunch with some lucky lady. Heard from a few others he might be making her his Princess." He finished off laughing, and Sophie politely laughed with him, hoping the rumors this man heard weren't true.
They settled the money for her nights stay, and after that, she walked upstairs to the third room on the left, and entered. Inside was a clean bed, a sectioned off bathroom, and several snacks along with a bowl filled with fresh fruit. She took a seat on the bed, and placed her bag on it next to her. If what the man said was true, then tomorrows lunch plans were going to be incredibly uncomfortable.
Hours passed and Sophie thought, ate, and worried. Finally the time came for her to get ready for bed. She changed into her nightgown, and brushed her hair out again. She whitened her teeth, and shortly after fell into the soft bed, and fell asleep.
XXX
Late the next morning, Sophie woke up to a quick and hard knock on her door. "Who is it?" The door opened up, despite Sophie having locked it, and a young woman entered, probably only a couple years younger than Sophie. "Are you Sophie Hatter? Someone downstairs is asking for a Sophie Hatter, and it seems like he won't leave till he finds her." Damn it all! Howl must've followed her or done some frustrating magical thing to find her. She groaned and said, "No, I'm not Sophie Hatter. Now please tell him to go." The woman looked at her strangely, before exiting and going downstairs.
After a few minutes of lying down, Sophie knew trying to go back to sleep would be futile. She stood up, and tugged her dress down from its hiked up position, and pulled out her nice dress. She changed at an almost impossibly slow rate into her dress, then put on her shoes. Her door slammed opened as she was midway in the process of brushing her hair. It was the woman again. "Are you sure you're not Sophie Hatter? Now the Prince from the neighboring country is here and is asking for her! When we said we didn't know, he started describing her and it matches your description!"
She sighed, defeated, and nodded. "I am. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I was hiding from the man who was demanding for me." The woman looked alarmed, but kept it to herself. "Well the Prince is waiting for you, and the man you're hiding from said he's going to be waiting outside. Good luck with your predicament." Sophie smiled, and placed her brush back in her bag. Now that she was all done and now that the Prince was here, this was probably a better time than ever to go downstairs and have lunch. She quickly exited the room with all her belongings, and headed downstairs.
Right by the doorway stood Prince Justin, his ridiculous hair and his strange yellow suit in all of its glory. His smile brightened and his eyes shone with excitement. She smiled back, and walked to him, expecting a handshake but getting a hug instead. "Its so nice to see you Sophie! Shall we set off to eat? The innkeeper and his daughter have a meal ready for us at a table out back." His tone was politely containing his pounding heart, and the hands behind his back hiding his twiddling thumbs. Her grin widened only slightly, and she followed him out back to the table.
Prince Justin pulled her chair out for her, and then he did so for himself, and they both sat down. Two plates of gourmet food were set in front of them, and two cups of champagne followed. "It's so nice to see you Sophie! It's been quite a few months since I've last seen you. How are you and Howl doing?" It almost sounded like he was hoping they weren't together anymore. "We're doing fine. He's being a drama queen as usual." The Prince laughed, obviously forceful. He took a sip of champagne and asked, "That's too bad he's acting that way. But I can't say I'm surprised. Although, from your tone, it doesn't exactly sound like you're happy with your relationship with him."
She inwardly wanted to hit her head against the table and be done with this, but she restrained. "Well sometimes I'm happy with him, and sometimes I'm not. It happens though in every relationship doesn't it?" She took a bite of her food, and glanced up at the Prince who was frowning. An awkward silence passed between them, the only sound being the food that was being chewed. "But Sophie, you know you could have such a healthier relationship with anyone else right? It doesn't have to be him. It could be someone of high royalty who despite his class, actually cares for other people." His voice dropped, and he smiled, "You could always be the Princess of the neighbouring country."
It's only been five minutes into the meal and Sophie was already at her limit. "You're even worse than Howl! You're not even subtle, you know that? Besides, I love him, and I'm not going to betray him to be with someone that I barely even know! Good luck finding your princess." She stood up, and pushed her chair back. She glowered at him before rounding back to the front of the inn. That didn't take long at all for her to storm off and leave. Normally she was so calm and polite, but somehow both Howl and the Prince manage to make her act like a grumpy (and sometimes bossy) old woman. She kind of felt bad for being so harsh.
Her thoughts were shattered when she collided into someone with an all too familiar scent. She looked up to see Howl smiling. "I'm glad I wasn't the Prince back there. Man, and I thought I was the heart breaker!" He hugged her and she just stood there, in his arms, her mouth open and ready to say something angry. "Thank you though, for not accepting his offer. I very much appreciate it." He grinned like a little boy, and she sighed, just happy that this time Howl wasn't obviously jealous and wasn't pouting like a kid. "Whatever Howl, let's just go back home. This whole thing turned out uneventful. Please, on the way back, refrain from using your smart mouth. I am not in the mood." He slung an arm around her and heartily laughed. He turned his head to look at the Prince who was glaring straight at him, in a very unprincely manner. Here Sophie thought jealousy between women was fierce, but here Howl and the Prince were glaring at each other like they wanted to kill each other.
"I will be back you know! I love Sophie Hatter and I will make her my Princess!" The Prince waved his arms around, and Howl and Sophie just continued walking back home, as fast as they could.
"You know, he will probably be back." Howl said, with a small frown. "I'll just reject him again. You know that I will." She smiled up at him, and he smiled right back. Here was to hoping Howl would stop being so jealous and to the Prince finding a Princess that actually wants to be with him.