Once Upon a Wizard [Howl's Moving Castle Fanfic]

Chapter 5

That night, Y/N found herself unable to sleep. Calcifer and Markl had helped the two get settled, Sophie taking the couch at the bottom of the stairs while Y/N took the mattress that they had given her. Despite the comfort that she was feeling on the plush mattress, she couldn't help but toss and turn. It felt like there was something wrong. Terribly wrong. 

"Calcifer," Y/N asked after what felt like forever. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest as she stared at the flickering fire. The castle was dark, save for the glowing orange flame in the hearth, and the soft glow that Calcifer emitted. "Are you awake?"

Calcifer let out a long sigh and Y/N watched his eyes appear, turning toward her mattress. "I don't sleep. I have to keep the castle safe."

Y/N nodded and got to her feet, sitting down in the chair in front of the fire. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she stared into the fire, watching as the smoke billowed up into the chimney. It was relaxing. Simply listening to the crackle of the embers, and smell the subtle scent of the burning wood.

"Do we have any candles," Y/N asked softly, turning to look behind her. The mess was long gone, as was any dust and grime. It looked like people could actually live in this place now.

"Yeah, over in the cupboard. Why?"

Y/N didn't answer and got to her feet, walking over to the cupboard that Calcifer had pointed to. Sure enough, piles of candles were sitting inside, some short and stubby ones that looked like they were scented, and some taller ones that seemed to be unscented and used more for simply providing light. She took one of these tall candles in hand and held it for a moment, running her finger over the wax. 

"Do you know if Howl has any parchment that I could use?"

Calcifer didn't answer, and when Y/N turned, she noticed that an odd figure was slowly appearing as it entered the castle. Y/N gripped the candle tight and shut the cupboard door behind her, trying not to draw any attention to herself. The figure slumped over in the chair, and that's when Y/N noticed the facial features of the creature, or perhaps man would be the more correct term to use. 

"Howl?" 

Y/N slowly approached the man, taking in his feathery appearance as she did so. He seemed exhausted. His wings, black and silky were pooling on the ground beside him, and he raised his clawed feet to rest on the edge of the hearth in front of Calcifer.

"Howl," Y/N asked again, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. 

His crystal blue eyes widened when they heard her voice and he tilted his head to look at her. "Y/N?" His voice was weak and tired. "You should be asleep by now. What are you still doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Y/N answered. "What happened to you?" She noticed what looked like a burn on Howl's cheek and she gently brushed her fingers over the skin, pulling them back immediately when Howl hissed at the connection. "I'm sorry! I didn't-"

"It's okay." Howl shut his eyes again. 

"You okay," Calcifer asked, joining the conversation. "You smell terrible." It wasn't a lie, and even Y/N noticed it.

Howl suddenly gritted his teeth and his body tensed. Y/N watched, half in awe and half in horror, as Howl's body began to shift. His bird-like appearance slowly melted back into the body of the man who had allowed Y/N and Sophie into his home, and Y/N felt her heart clench at the sound of his pain. Once his body was back to normal, he seemed to relax more and Y/N let out a silent breath of relief.

"You shouldn't keep flying around like that," Calcifer said. "Soon you won't be able to turn back into a human." The little fire demon reached over to a pile of wood that Y/N and Sophie had set up for him and pulled a log into the hearth.