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

Chapter 36: Heart of Courage

Gwenda looked around the stone streets of Kingsbury, watching as others followed her motions. Johanna had disappeared into the mass, as had everyone else she knew. Lona was nowhere to be found; Markl returned Heen to his normal size, and they quickly vanished from sight. Mari, Beth, Aria, and everyone else joined the fleeting crowd.

She was alone.

Dark clouds covered an even darker sky, light posts failing to brighten her view of the surrounding area. The city was a ghost town, the citizens of Kingsbury simply too afraid to vacate, leaving the streets abandoned save for one person. She didn't know where she was or where she was going.

All she knew was that she needed to run.

"Wait!" Gwenda turned her head, but kept running. The man on fire was chasing her, only her. Why? Why was she his target? Something had happened to him in that Palace. The flames seemed to consume him, but she didn't waste a moment to ponder these thoughts.

Her heart raced against the speed of the pouring rain as they splattered like bullets onto the stone pavement. The sky roared in anger and the droplets fell harder, faster. Puddles formed in the low dips of the street and she attempted to avoid them at all costs. She didn't need anything slowing her down, though her racing thoughts were already doing so.

Get out, now.

Leave before they find you.

Save yourself.

These words would haunt her dreams and nightmares.

She didn't listen; she ignored their pleas for safety. Whatever courage that had been hidden in her before suddenly sprung to life the moment she decided there was something worth fighting for.

"Wait, please!" The man's voice again. How he continued to find her everywhere she turned was still a mystery. She couldn't be safe as long as he was trailing her.

Be stronger, she thought to herself. Be stronger, faster, braver.

The sound of his heavy footsteps against the puddles increased. There was nowhere left to turn. In the middle of a dark alley, she was trapped.

She turned around, only to find the man mere inches from her. She jolted back and fell to the cold, wet ground, pushing herself away from him. He knelt to her level, his face hidden by his cloak though his brilliant hair burned ferociously. He reached one hand forward, and she slapped it away.

"No!"

"Please." He begged. "You know me."

She widened her eyes, wondering if it was true, then quickly shut them. "I don't remember you, so how can I know you?"

"Before this. Before I was like this." He removed the hood from his head, revealing his true self. "Please, look at me."

Gwenda trembled, keeping her eyes in the dark. Her lips quivered from the chills of the rain and the fear of this stranger. He did not dare touch her, but rather inched closer to her until his breath grazed her cheek.

"Please, Gwenda." She opened her eyes at the sound of her own name. The pitter-patter of rain and their heavy exhales were the only sounds they heard, making them the only two people in the vicinity. If his intention was to harm her, he would have done so by now.

Gradually, she turned her head forward, her eyes following the ground until she reached him. He rested on the balls of his feet, his knees propped out for balance. He wore dark clothes that matched the night and a radiant cloak that equaled the vibrance of his orange hair. He was not a threat.