A Heavy Burden of Hearts (Howl's Moving Castle Fanfiction)

Picnic

As they walked towards the mountains, Erin saw something that caught her attention. There was a cafe and on a stage there was someone singing. She tugged on Howl's sleeve. "Howl, can we go in?"

Howl looked at her, and then nodded. "Alright then. If you want. " The women who was singing finished, and the crowd applauded for her loudly. She then announced that anyone from the crowd could go on stage and sing. The woman scanned the crowd, and Erin hid behind Howl.

Howl raised his hand. "Yes, sir with the jacket? Do you want to come onto the stage?" Howl shook his head, and Erin whispered a murderous threat to him.

"No thank you but she wants to. " Howl picked Erin up and helped her to the stage, though she was trying to run away. The crowd urged her on, and once they were on the stage Erin punched Howl in the face, and faced the crowd.

"I really didn't want to, but since you all want me to sing me so bad I will. " the crowd went silent, waiting for her to sing. She whispered something to the pianist, and looked into the crowd. "Well, um, I don't know what to sing. Can it be anything?"

The crowds gives her a yes, and Erin put her hand up, and whispered to the players. She breathed in and starts to sing.

When the song is over, she opens her eyes and the crowd is silent. She looks at Howl, whose bruised jaw has gone slack. Then the crowd gets into an uproar, and cheers her on. Erin beams at them, because she has made them happy. And the crowd accepted her, just a girl who could sing.

"How about a song to dance to?" A man with a group of other men carrying instruments say. The crowd claps their hands, and they make way for Erin, so she can get down.

She stands on one side with the ladies, and see can't see Howl, and Markl is sitting at a table, watching and waving at her. She waves back, and hears the opening notes.

The two groups start to march towards each other, the women spinning around the men, luring them towards them. They then move backwards, and Erin decides to go out, and she sees Howl walk forward. He grabs her by the waist and they spin around. Erin leaves, merging into the group of women, and Howl is left, in the middle of the dance floor.

Erin makes her way back to him, and feints dancing with him, only to go back into the crowd again. She is spun around, and turns to see that it's him again. They stick together for the end of the song, and at the end Erin feels overjoyed.

She hugs Howl on an impulse, and some of the women clap their hands, while a few young men groan in dismay. Erin takes Howl by the hand, and they leave to the outside. "Oh Howl, that was amazing, wasn't it?" She leans on the brick wall of the building, and wipes her forehead.

Howl moves, and places his forehead on hers, and their noses also touch. He suddenly puts her cape up, and a feminine voice calls out his name. "Howl, is that you?"

"Oh hello Sophie, how are you?" How says, and Erin looks at this Sophie. She has grey hair and brown eyes. Erin notices that Sophie is pretty, and self consciously touches her own hair, that must look horribly cut.

"I'm fine. " She says, a little forced. She then looks at Erin, and Erin can feel a bit of angriness come off of her. "Who's this?"

"Oh she's.. she's just a temporary. You know how I am. " Erin is slightly hurt, and then puts the pieces together. Sophie was Howl's girlfriend. That's why Sophie was talking so politely but angrily, and why Howl was so tense. "You know I don't keep girls. They're just to fool around with. "

Erin is starting to seethe with anger, and feels a heat in her hands. Howl, now in her mind, seems like a player, and she wondered why her mother would ever send her to him. Erin just starts walking away, putting her hands in her pockets. She hears Sophie voice say to Howl, "You've done it again, you idiot.," Howl says something that's inaudible and Sophie responds by saying "Wait, you're going to go after her? You might be changing after all then. Good luck. "