Castle of Air

Sophie was offered a glass of champagne from Justin for desert. She’d drank before on the holidays mostly red wine. This champagne was lovely to Sophie it's was light and sweet and gave Sophie a light and weightless feeling, the king brought in entertainment while everyone drank. After some point Sophie had downed three glasses of champagne and her head was drowning in alcohol, fanny had left with her husband and Marie reluctantly followed, and Sophie insisted on staying and watching the end of the King’s show. Sophie continued to drink and clap and enjoy the night Howl had come close to her and Justin. Justin and Howl eyed each other with contempt but Sophie was too drunk to notice; her face was flushed and lazy looking towards the end of the night. The king had dismissed Justin and Howl much to their disapproval, but denying the King was an act of treason so either men retreated huffed and frustrated each for their own reasons.

Sophie sat erect in her chair now that she was alone with the King and the entertainment gone. The king looked at Sophie in a friendly Manor as if two Comrades, and then he spoke.

“I’ve herd of quite a tale about you Miss.Hatter, you must be a powerful witch to be able to break howls curse all by yourself." The king waited for Sophie, dazed an in a drunken stupor she spied the first thing that bubbled to her tongue.

"Now listen here, I don't know how you herd about MY perbinal Buidnezz-." Sophie slurred

"But yeeeaah I guess I did creak Howl’s burse, but I'm best at cookin, cleaning, sewing." Sophie licked her lips slowly though they weren't chapped and batted her eyes.

"That's me Sophie the cleaning witch." Her head collapsed into her hand and she looked at the King and waited for a reply.

"I'll call upon you again possibly when you’re not so intoxicated" the king called for a servant to escort Sophie from the castle he was tall and quiet he reminded Sophie of Howl his face shrouded by a hat. She briskly walked over to the boy a tripped into him arms and she felt a strong shock of nostalgia.

The King waved again for them to be dismissed and the boy took Sophie.

“you look a lot like my LOVER" Sophie said giggling to herself a bit, Sophie's face was pressed to the boy’s chest as she was losing balance. The boy didn't even answer her.

They road home and didn't make much conversation, Sophie began to sober up; so much so that she could formulate sentences now. Sophie spoke meaningless words to the boy and he remained silent, Sophie though it was nice to have someone to listen. The boy carried Sophie to her room, and sat her on the end of the bed. The boy took off his hat curly blond hair sprung out that framed deep blue eyes, "Sophie" he said in Howl’s voice.

His golden curls unfurled and turned black, the boy filled out a bit and his uniform turned into howls evening wear.

“Oh so it is youuu, I where did you come from, I met this nice boy who took me home here reminded me a lot of you." Sophie got up and walked over to Howl sure footed and took her hand behind his neck and drew in for a sloppy kiss. Howl made no effort to shortly return the kiss and pull away.

“I’ll get your night gown" Howl said stroking Sophie’s head.

Howl pulled out a light cotton night gown with a daisy yellow hue and told Sophie to strip down in the bathroom an out on the nightgown. The thought of Sophie unable to undress flew across his mind; luckily she was able to get her self-dressed and in bed. Howl turned to leave though he would have preferred a night with Sophie in his arms.

"Please stay, just for tonight" the words rung in Howl’s ear and he couldn't resist, Howl wanted to be with her every night.

~
The two lay in bed together Sophie snuggled onto Howl's chest quietly cooing, he often enjoyed intimate moment like this, how defenseless Sophie was and how she laid there, he often felt his need now that she was gone from the castle.

"When we first meet in the square, why were you so scared of me?" Howl said rubbing Sophie's back slowly with his thumb. Sophie's eye lids drew back and she sat up facing Howl still a bit Drunk. She drew in a deep breath and looked at him.

"Because you were breathtakingly beautiful, and beautiful people don't notice ugly things” Sophie paused and looked a bit bashfully down at the blanket, Howl hated when Sophie called herself ugly

“I also I didn't know myself then; you seemed so magical and perfect it scared me." Sophie put a strand of hair behind her head and looked Howl up and down.

"It's quite intimidating." She finally added

Howl came up to Sophie and kissed her quietly on the forehead, then his lips wandered to her right eye lid then to her cheek and finally ended on her lips. The fell down on each other and showered one another with kisses. The two broke for air and Howl said.

“I was drawn to you little mouse like a moth to a flame, I could just reach out to you and feel your warmth. It was like nothing else I've experienced." Howl hid his head in the crook of Sophie's neck and let out a sigh.

"I'm exhausted the King has me running everywhere and nowhere at the same time." He paused "does that makes sense?" Sophie only shrugged and smiled.

"It’s ok because I'm not going anywhere." Sophie replied. The two then fell asleep.

~

'Awkward was an understatement for this dinner party'. Is what Sophie explained to Lettie while sipping some lunch tea. The two sisters sat in the side lawn of Mrs. Fairfax’s house bees dancing all around them. Lettie sported a daisy yellow dress her coal with a French braid. Sophie wore her hair in a lazy bun and was wearing a dusty yellow colored blouse with a long moss green skirt. The area surrounding the sisters was a lush green garden varying hydrangeas bounced around the as the wind blew.

"So how are Marie and the house?" Lettie inquired,

Sophie recalled the past few days in her new home, the house was always clean, there was always food and Marie clung to howl every chance she got. It irritated Sophie just thinking if it.

"Everything is fine" she said point blank.

"Is it that bad?" Lettie retorted back understanding Sophie's underlying annoyance.

Sophie was within her own thoughts when Lettie spoke, Sophie was for lack of better terms green with jealousy. Marie had some nerve to be all over Howl like that cooing and carrying on. Didn't she know that they were together?

"Sophie?" Lettie spoke again, bringing Sophie from her thoughts.

Lettie looked at Sophie with a smile on her face.
"You don't honestly take Marie seriously, she's a 15 year old girl it's almost like having a Martha around."

Lettie sipped her tea and wiped her mouth after.
Sophie didn't reply to her comment and only looked off blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

“Did anything else happen that night?” Lettie asked

Sophie was just about to reply no when she remembered waking up with Howl. Her face became a bit flushed in the thought of the past night.

“What happened?” Lettie pressed with a steading tone

“Well I was with Howl for the night” Sophie said a bit hesitant

Lettie’s jaw dropped she could even believe her ears. She was proud of her big sister for taking the next big step with howl.

“Nothing happened though” Sophie said snuffing out any joy her sister Lettie might have gotten from this.

Lettie looked like a fire just after a bucket of water was dumped on it. She then asked how Howl would have gotten out without anyone noticing and then added with how could Howl leave without doing anything. Sophie then explained the door howl had enchanted for her and ignored the second question.

“So tell me, how does this magic door work?" Lettie asked.

“You can go anywhere you imagine you just need a clear image" Sophie replied.

Lettie's eyes lit up with curiosity.

"So you can go somewhere you've never been before, so long as you have a clear image?"
Sophie paused she'd never tried going somewhere she'd never been before it was possible though and defiantly worth the try. Sophie told Lettie what she thought and Lettie rushed in to the house and dragged out a dusty rug curled up and a small picture frame.

"Why didn't you just tell me to go inside?" Sophie asked

Lettie looked at Sophie with sudden realization and quickly put her palm to her forehead.

"Never mind that look at this for me."

Sophie walked over to the now unfurled rug decorated with red gold and black ornate figures foreign to Sophie. She could smell a stale dust from the rug that made her nose crinkle slightly, though the smell didn't bother her much. Lettie sat down on the rug and patted a spot for Sophie to sit down.
“What’s the purpose of this Lettie?”

"Ms. Fairfax said this was a magic carpet, I'm not quite sure for what but maybe it'll help us get to this place, it's called Zanzib, I met a worrier there once and aid to the king and princess a truly charming man" she said holding up a picture of him and her together. Sophie looked at Lettie skeptically. Lettie just returned defensively that she met him before Suliman and she were serious.

"Ok let me describe Zanzib for you and then we’ll try the door thing." Lettie paused for a moment and took Sophie's hand.

"Zanzib is a place plagued with dust; the sun hangs in the sky blue and clear, the towns alive with people in the late day." Images came to Sophie's imagined the warm glow of the sun on her skin, dust that specked on her shoes, dogs that pranced around alleys and yelling merchants making the days spoils, Lettie described various silks and foods, people tall and dark; short and far. Some round with life and some gaunt an sickly, a place of great trade with Ingary as well as High Norland; Sophie had herd Great War stories of high Norland as a child and thought of possible iron works that Zanzib would craft for the violent nation. Lettie closed her eyes as well to try and help Sophie muster up some power, the sisters imagined a bustling town squared with a fountain in the center of a square and down the road sat a castle tall white and erect a wise king and a beautiful princess that mirrored the simple beauty of a flower dressed in a night-like blue. Lettie squeezed Sophie's hand rousing her from the day dream. All around them the smell of the land hit the girls faces wide eyed and in awe the two seemed to be in the center of a bustling square but when the Lettie let go of Sophie’s hand to get up off the rug she disappeared.

~

People now began to stare at Sophie; she quickly got up from the rug and rolled it up. Sophie wasn’t used to these narrow crowded streets in what she believed to be Zanzib and only sought her own personal space, she sought refuge in a dusty carpet shop with a rather vocal dog; she had half a mind to smack it in the nose to shut it up but she feared the repercussions.

“If only I were old again, BAM POW! right in the nose that’ll shut you up” Sophie grumbled to the dog.

The dust being kicked up from the nearby pedestrians was beginning to make Sophie’s eyes water so she got up and headed towards the back of the store, in the back she found a man sleeping he seemed to be around Sophie’s age, she snored quite loudly mumbling things as she licked the spit that was dripping out of his mouth.

“Excuse me sir” Sophie said getting closer.

The shop keeper took a big yawn in and patted his mouth on the exhale. The man got up and patted the dirt off his clothes.

“I am Abdullah the keeper of this shop what is it that you need ma’am” Abdullah said putting his hands behind his back.

The name sounded familiar to Sophie like a distant memory, but Sophie quickly dismissed it.

“Yes I seem to have some sort of magical rug and now I can’t get back to my home in Kingsbury.”
Abdullah look back at Sophie quite confused,

“You are a ways away ma’am, but luckily I am master of magic carpets”