Thorns of a Rose #1 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 7: Decisions Made in Waiting

The trolley bell rang three times, signaling its soon departure. There was a trolley ride into town every hour on the hour until seven, and Sophie knew if she ran fast enough, she would catch the last one. She held her hat tightly as she ran toward the car, the conductor waving at her to hurry. The second she jumped onto the step, the trolley started moving along the tracks.

Sophie dropped the change in the money box, then searched for a seat. Everyone sat shoulder to shoulder with a few people holding onto the rails, so she joined those standing. She turned to look out the large car window, watching the shadows of the buildings grow larger and darker.

She assumed she would spend the night at Lettie's - if Howl wanted to fix this, he needed to come to her.

. ❀ 。• * ₊ ° 。❀ ° 。

Howl paced back and forth between the couch and Calcifer. Kenta sat with one leg resting on his knee as Heen curled up next to him, wheezing with pleasure when he rubbed his ear the right way. It was nearly dark, and Kenta repeatedly looked to the front door, hoping Sophie would return and fix things with Howl.

Kenta had only met Sophie that day, yet even in that short time he could already see what Howl liked about her. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, and the fact that she went to Suliman and stood her ground was actually impressive, even to him.

Careless, he thought, but still impressive.

"We need to find out where she's holding our magician friends. If I were her, I would want to be able to keep a close eye on them." Howl said, his hand tapping his chin to the beat of his pacing.

"Howl, we don't have to do this now." Kenta said with a significant amount of concern. "Don't you think we should look for Sophie?"

Howl breathed in heavily, letting his head hang low. As much as he wanted to go after her when she left, it wouldn't solve anything. They needed to be apart for now. He still felt betrayed; he couldn't believe she had been so reckless by talking with Suliman.

Though he had made some mistakes himself, Howl relied on Sophie's wisdom to make the right decisions. What she did was the complete opposite of herself.

As much as he hated lying to her, he only withheld the truth to protect her. Sophie usually worried about the smallest things, but Suliman's hunt to put him in jail was far from the little things. It was better that Sophie was kept in the dark if it meant she was happy – even if it meant he dealt with the fears of Suliman's power on his own.

Howl sighed. "We don't have any time to lose. Those are our friends imprisoned by that evil sorceress, and I will not sit here and waste time."

Kenta closed his eyes. He remembered how stubborn Howl could be, and it was best to let him deal with his problems in his own way.

Calcifer sighed as he watched Howl ignore the situation. "Howl, remember what I said to you earlier." He worried for his companion, especially now as he let Sophie walk away so easily. She had every right to be angry, but Calcifer knew their love in the same way he knew Howl's heart. They were inseparable, even amongst a string of lies.

What frightened the fire demon the most, however, was witnessing Howl let her go as if they had ended things permanently.

Howl turned to him. "I remember. And I say we have more important issues to address."

Calcifer shook his head. Sometimes he felt like he knew Sophie better than her own boyfriend. Sophie needed him the same way he needed her, yet it always looked like a one-way street. Howl didn't realize how lucky he was to have someone as consistent and caring in his life as Sophie. Everyone Howl had known in his life had either left him or were left by him at some point. Sophie was the first who for certain would stay forever.