A Heart in Flames #2 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 15: A Haunting Past

My dearest Lona,

You mean the world to me...

...There is nothing I can do...

...I must report to the Palace when summoned....

...This will not be forever, I promise...

She must have read the letter a million times since coming home. His beautiful handwriting was covered in her teardrops, the words smearing and becoming harder to read. It had to be this way; she knew that. Somehow, though, she thought he would have stayed.

Lona wiped her eyes. How could she act this way? She needed to be strong. Though the tears had stopped, the redness under her eyes wouldn't go away for a while. Madame Suliman had requested his services in the war, and while Lona was against war entirely, she understood that he had no authority to deny her. It was the price of apprenticing under such a prestigious teacher, Kenta had said before.

She read the last line once more: This will not be forever, I promise. The ring he had left on the table with the note was the only solace she had of him ever returning to her. The hints of diamond crested into the ring were the type of simplistic beauty Lona adored. She had already placed it on her finger, admiring the glistening stones. They weren't very rich, but she assumed this ring had taken a large amount of the money they had saved.

She laughed lightly. She was talking as if they were already married. It seemed that way, though. Everyone in their town called them Mr. and Mrs. Itō. She had been asked why there wasn't a ring on her finger before by their traditional neighbors, and she would merely say that they couldn't afford one at the time.

Now, he had proposed to her. Indirectly, of course, but he had meant to do so.

Lona shook her leg up and down, the thought of Kenta fighting in a war terrifying to her. Madame Suliman must have known he was special, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen him to join her army. He would survive this; he would come back to her.

She only had this beautiful ring as hope for his return.

All of a sudden, a knocking broke Lona from her imagination. She darted her gaze to the door, limbs shaking. She was still in shock of Kenta's hasty departure.

She wiped her eyes again, hoping her emotions wouldn't burst through. "I'll be right there." She walked toward the door, primping her dress and flipping her long hair back. She opened the door.

Lona expected her friends Zedda and Ann to arrive for their social, though neither stood on the other side. A large woman in a lingering, violet gown smiled eerily, her fur hat covering half of her face and her auburn red hair. Her jewelry was enchanting, something Lona could never dream of owning. Her complexion was stunning and intimidating all the same.

Lona raised her eyebrows. "Oh, hello."

The woman looked around the interior, like she was scanning the room, yet she avoided any eye contact with the young woman. "Is this the home of Kenta Itō?"

Lona opened the door wider - she knew Kenta. "Yes. I'm his... his wife." It felt nice to say that. His wife. Kenta's wife. She could wait for him to return; she would wait a million years.

The woman caught her gaze. Her eerie smile dropped. "Sorry, darling."

Lona wrinkled her brow. "For what?"

The woman raised her hand, and the cottage began to shake. "For getting involved."

Lona turned around, noticing the furniture and decorations fidgeting in their places. The picture frames on the fireplace mantel vibrated toward the edge, a couple smashing to the ground, the glass cracking into puzzle pieces. Lona gaped at the commotion. "What's happening? What are you doing? I thought you were a friend of Kenta's."