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

Chapter 10: Illumination

The moment Suliman pulled Howl's heart from his body and stared at it with her hungry eyes, Sophie knew she wouldn't sleep much that night.

She jolted awake and sat up, immediately rubbing her eyes and slapping her face. She didn't want to sleep if that's all her mind could conjure up. It tore her to pieces just watching even a fictional version of Suliman terrorizing Howl.

As her eyes adjusted, Sophie noticed that it was still dark outside. The light from the moon winked through the glass doors into Sophie's room, though it's mute luminance wasn't enough to combat the shadows of the night. The darkness always took over until the sun rose, conquering the daytime.

Sophie gave up all hope of getting sleep, so she pulled off the heavy quilt and twisted her legs to hang off the side of the bed. She sucked in a long, relaxed inhale through her mouth, the fear of the nightmare still haunting her thoughts.

The nightmarish dream sent goosebumps throughout her entire body every time she awoke. Though only imagination, she feared it as though it were reality. If Suliman took the most vulnerable part of Howl, there was no telling how far she would go. Sophie was there to protect Howl; she was always there to protect him no matter what the cost.

Now, she had let the sorceress take the advantage; and if anything were to happen to Howl by Suliman's hands, there would be no one to blame but herself.

Sophie stood up on the plush carpet and paced around the room. She refused to allow her eyes to rest - that would merely grant the nightmare permission to antagonize her once more. It was better if she stayed awake. She already knew the rest of her life would be an endless nightmare, so she wanted just one more night to be free.

Her eyes drooped low, though, and her mind ached for the natural slumber that would give her energy throughout the day. Even still, Sophie was willing to challenge her physical instincts with her mental.

She knelt by the fireplace, the smoke leisurely rising from the ashes. She took the last two logs and dropped them on the pile of ashes, causing the tiny pieces of molten wood to crackle and spark again, like tiny, exploding fireworks. Sophie held her knees into her chest, watching as the fire strengthened.

Sophie smiled as she thought of Calcifer. She missed him greatly and his sarcastic comments about literally everything. There was a peculiar spark inside of him that just warmed her heart, more than his flames could offer. He was a passionate creature.

Calcifer was always the one who helped her when Howl was away; for a fire demon, he took care of more household chores than Markl did as a human magician child. Though she couldn't be upset by the boy wanting to enjoy his childhood, sometimes she felt like Calcifer was the only one who paid attention to her needs. Most of the time, he understood her better than Howl. He was truly her best friend.

Sophie rested her chin on her knees. She missed the castle - she missed telling Markl to stop playing with magic and the flower shop and Calcifer's sarcastic jokes and the Witch of the Wastes always flirting with Howl even though she had no chance with him. But most of all, she missed the presence of true love.

Her beautiful wizard. Even through all the lies and deceit between them, nothing stopped her from loving him. Now, that love was tainted and crumbling right before her very eyes. Everything she had once known was gone. What haunted her the most was the unknown - there was no way to be sure she would see them ever again.

She buried her head between her knees and let the tears stream like an endless river. Since she hadn't cried in so long, all the tears she held back were liberating themselves and pouring through her eyes. It was always her responsibility to be the strong one, whether it was for her sisters or Markl or Howl. Now, there was no one to comfort her or take away the pain when she needed a companion.