Disclaimer: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle. Rather, Hayao Miyazaki and/or Ghibli Studios does.
Looking and Research
With his cold forgotten, Howl leaped out of bed, and flung open his bedroom door with a crash, pulling on his blazer while trying to bolt down the stairs without tripping over his shoes in his haste.
His mind was running in an fitful frenzy as he swept across the room, disregarding Markl's uncomfortable eyes that were urgently implying something.
But Howl was to preoccupied in his own abounding thoughts to notice. He shouldn't have had gotten her involved. It would have had been wiser to just walk off and let her fight off the soldiers herself. He cursed himself for his impolitic thinking. He had forgotten the consequences of provoking Witch's jealousy, and had gotten another girl into her close regard.
Though Howl was excessively selfish and heartless, he wasn't unfeeling; in contrary to what Calcifer would say.
It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Ever since he had jilted the Witch, she had been threatening almost every girl, to whom he had done more than just smiling or winking at, to "leave him alone, or else".
Just last week, Martha from Upper Folding had decided to dump him – no, she had been blackmailed to dump him After all, what girl in the right mind would dump a handsome, charming, well-dressed, talented man such as himself on their own accord? – because that the Witch had threatened to turn her into a toad if she even glanced at him again, and then had promptly turned Martha's poodle into an amphibian, as a warning that the same fate may befall any other girl if they had dared so much as to lay a finger on him.
Though Howl didn't give much thought for Muffins – he never did like canines very much, ever since that memorable incident with Madame Suliman's errands dog, Heen, and Howl's favorite soft toy, Mr. Squishy, which he had foolishly left lying around – for he found dogs bedraggled and brainless, Howl had never felt so subjugated and bereaved by this new tactic to deprive him of his femmes.
He had thrown another one of his infamous tantrums back at the castle that very evening, though that specific paroxysm was much more impressive and outstanding than his usual tantrums as he had invited the spirits of darkness to sojourn.
He'd never forgive the Witch if she had turned that brunette mouse into a toad.
He'll have to warn her about the danger before the Witch did anything, and if he had the time, maybe even flirt simultaneously. Perhaps she'll be so grateful that she might fall in love with him.
But he'll have to find her first.
"Markl," Howl said breathlessly, "Where's the chalk?" There was no time to walk all the way to Market Chipping if he wanted to find her before the Witch did.
But looking at the encumbering pandemonium on his workbench, even Howl wondered if it would be faster to go on foot than to spend his time searching for the minuscule piece of chalk.
"Um, Howl," Markl said nervously, looking between his master who was rummaging through the jars on the shelf, to the red-caped personage who was standing impatiently by the open doorway.
The delegate pompously cleared his throat. "Wizard Pendragon,"
Calcifer almost smirked at the surprised expression on Howl's face.
"Finally got caught," Calcifer hissed loud enough for just the two of them to hear.
Howl stonily abandoned the cupboard and walked towards the door. "What?" he snapped curtly. "Hadn't you gone already?"
For a moment, a look of irritation crossed the dignitary's face, but was quickly covered over with the uniformed polite demeanour.
"An invitation from his Majesty the King." he handed a sealed envelope to Howl, who reluctantly took it. "The time of war is upon us, his Majesty requires that every witch and wizard to aid our homeland. You must report to the palace immediately."
Howl struggled not to throw a besieged look heavenward. He had heard the identical speech repeatedly before whenever he had the calamity to be found at home during an unexpected visit.
The dignitary paused for a moment, and then added. "If you do not report for duty by this afternoon, another messenger will me sent again tomorrow morning." Bowing stiffly, he stoically turned back around to return to the waiting vehicle by the pavement.
'Well that's never stopped me,' Howl thought as he peevishly slammed the door and turned the dial back to blue-up. Not even glancing at the envelope in his hand, he buried it between the pages of a thick, open book on the table.
"Are you going to report to the palace today?" asked Markl, seating himself on the chair beside Calcifer.
"No," Howl replied firmly. Seeing Madame Suliman again; Howl shuddered at that idea. He knew that he was too much of a coward to do that. But he'll have to think of a way to get Madame Suliman off his back eventually.
Maybe if he faked his own death, she might believe him dead and leave him alone. But first he'd have to decide which identity to kill: Pendragon, Jenkins or Howl.
No, she was too smart to fall for a simple illusion spell. She'd just try to pin him down with another one of his aliases. And besides, it was also very biased to kill off one of his identities and leave the other two.
What if he somehow made them all disappear all at once and then created a new appellation again? After all, he was very good at it.
No, that wouldn't work either. Madame Suliman somehow always knew every one of his apocryphal pseudonyms – even the ones reserved for flirting – no matter how well he tried hide them.
She possibly had a peek bug hidden somewhere in his castle, which actually wouldn't be that hard to achieve, considering that they were very surreptitious and there were many concealed nooks, cracks, and crannies in his abode. But that fault wasn't caused by the fact that his castle dirty.
Howl refused to believe that his castle was a mess.
It was just slightly unmethodical.
"Markl," Howl said, frustratedly looking under a misplaced spoon. "Where's the chalk?"
The boy hopped off the chair and rummaged through a drawer, pulled out the offending object and offered it to the discontented wizard.
"Thanks," Howl took the chalk and quickly sketched a transport spell on the already dusty floor.
"Where are you going?" asked Calcifer, leaning out of the grate curiously. "Aren't you supposed to be sick?"
"I feel better now," Howl answered as he quickly cast the spell to take him to Market Chipping, before Markl and Calcifer could pester him any further.
After five hours, thirty-seven minutes, and forty-nine seconds of searching up and down every alley, avenue, drive, boulevard, lane, pavement, bridge, road, byway, terrace, thoroughfare, through way, street, and viaduct that ever existed in the vicinity of Market Chipping, which was surprisingly larger than Howl first suspected, the wizard exhaustedly entered through the double doors of Cesari's.
He obviously wasn't going to find the brown-haired girl any time soon. Howl headed in an undeviating arrow towards Lettie, who was serving at the counter around a swarm of boys and men who were all declaring their undying love towards her, in between ordering copious amounts of "Lettie-Shaped Cookies".
Howl needed consolation. Now. That, as well as food. Lunch had passed almost three hours ago, and he had skipped breakfast that morning.
Howl joined the musters of hopeful suitors and pushed his way towards the counter.
"When do you get home, Lettie?" asked a teenage boy eagerly.
"May I have a box of 'Lettie-Shaped Cookies'?" inquired a man who was in his latethirties.
"When is your free day, Lettie?" questioned a soldier who had managed to get the day off.
"Your eyes are as blue as the summer's sky," recited a young poet with a romantic accent.
"How much are the Chocolate Eclairs, Lettie?"
"Lettie, what's inside those Cream Puffs?"
"Did you receive my letter yesterday, Lettie?"
"You look lovely in that dress, Lettie."
"Lettie, are the sponge cakes done yet?"
"Will you be busy tomorrow, Lettie?"
Howl almost pitied the girl. His ears were ringing with all the enquires, cajoling, poems, ballads, sweet talk and complements that were mercilessly directed at the poor waitress.
"Excuse me," Howl said, directing his most charismatic smile at Lettie.
It had worked. She turned both her blue eyes and her attention from the dissatisfied mayor's son towards him.
"Yes?"
"May I have a slice of chocolate cake, a croissant and a box of 'Lettie-Shaped Cookie' please." he said, looking as winsome as he could.
"Certainly, sir." she said, smiling brightly. "I don't remember you from around here. What's your name?"
Howl felt rather offended that she had forgotten his face so quickly after just one week.
"Wizard Howl," He was too tired to play Sylvester Oak.
Lettie's beaming smile became visibly more guarded. "Oh really?"
Looking closely at her face, Howl could easily understand why she had so many admirers crowding around her. She was doubtlessly very attractive, and now that he thought more about it, she also looked quite similar to --
"Do you know a girl who has braided brown hair, brown eyes, and looks a bit like you?" Howl blurted out without thinking as Lettie slipped the croissant in a brown paper bag.
Lettie's expression strikingly changed from a polite smile into a surprised pout, before quickly settling on a suspicious frown. If Howl wasn't so anxious for an affirmative, he would have had found it amusing.
"Yes," she pronounced equivocally, watching him distrustfully. "Why do you want to know?"
"Just simple curiosity." he dismissed, leaning casually against the counter. "I saw her here yesterday and she caught my attention, I was hoping to see her again."
Lettie's pretty countenance hardened up. "Leave her alone," she hissed at him with such venom that made even Howl take a step back with an uneasy laugh.
"No, no. I mean no harm, I was just concerned because she looked very lost. I just want to make sure she made it home safely." he lied smoothly, flashing her another one of his charming smiles.
Lettie's eyes softened and she smiled back with obvious relief. "She's fine, she should be back at home."
"Are you her sister?" he asked, leaning forward, keen for more information about the mysterious girl. That would explain the resemblance.
She stiffened up again, realising what she had just unwittingly revealed. "That will be a silver piece and a penny, please." she said coldly, handing him two boxes and a paper bag.
Howl reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold piece.
"Keep the change," he said courteously as he exchanged it for the packages. He could feel her distrustful eyes boring into his back as he left the shop.
Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, Howl walked around to an empty alley behind of the shop and quickly drew another transport spell to return him to the castle. He rarely ever used strong magic, unless if it was for vanity or very important circumstances. Using it in over-exuberance could be very draining, and would result in stress. And stress, as Howl knew very well, could also be facially damaging as it caused wrinkles, even though that wouldn't really be a problem as he could easily cover them up with his many cosmetics.
Calcifer flicked slightly as Howl materialised before him with the ambrosial smell of freshly-baked products. "Cesari's again?"
Markl came down the stairs, irresistibly allured by the food. "Is there cake?" he asked excitedly, looking into all the packages that had Howl had carelessly dropped into his arms.
"Calcifer," Howl asked, looking around the table. "Where are the rest of my books?" Since actively searching clearly wasn't working, maybe research would be more helpful.
"How am I supposed to know?" Calcifer shrugged and gesticulated for a log. "It might be back in your childhood home. You had left quite a few books back there in your study."
"Hmm," Howl took the box of biscuits from Markl's lap and walked towards the door.
"Are you going out again, Master Howl?" asked Markl as he bit into the cake, leaving a rich, brown smudge on his top lip.
Howl turned the knob to the much unused, but certainly practical fourth colour on the dial. The black dial was an adaptable portal, which its temporary destination could be controlled by the directing user, even though it was maintained by Calcifer as he did with the rest of the castle.
Howl pulled open the door stepped into the impenetrable black fog, the door slamming independently behind him.
Howl restlessly flicked through another book which he had randomly selected from the dusty bookshelf, called "Curses and Charms". He scanned down a few uninteresting lines and stopped at a diagram which somewhat resembled a decapitated cabbage before turning the next page.
'Even the most powerful and carefully laid charms and curses always has at least
one fault, drawback, or weakness . There are a variety of causes which may
trigger the rift; a physical or emotional condition, tiredness, unconsciousness, a
different spell and/or potion, a kiss from a true love, or even the health of the
wizard or witch who had cast the spell.
The spell would always wear off eventually, though the stronger and more precise
that they was executed, the longer they can last and the more effective they would
be.'
Howl slammed the book shut and picked up a different book, which he had chosen purely for the excuse that its title – "Magic and Monsters" – was engraved in an aesthetic gold. He splayed the book onto the table and fervently hoped that there would be something which concerning finding spells.
'Morphing into animals and monsters is a significantly magically draining process. To
change ones self into a shape which is of a different construction to ones original
structure requires great strength, mental ability and magical talent, especially after
the transformation. Otherwise, it would be impossible to regain human form. As you
gain the physical embodiment of the creature, you also receive their mentality and
instincts. However, you may regain control over the animal impulses with a humane
ego, though it would be very difficult and tiring to hold for an extended period of time.
Though it is crucial to constrain the instincts, for it is very difficult to repossess your
humanity after it has been lost.'
Howl hoisted another book, labeled "Sorcery Encyclopedia: St-T", from the floor onto the table. He struggled to heave open the heavy cover, coughing from the disrupted dust that had been collected from years of neglect.
"Stars
There are two main types of stars. The more commonly know form is a huge ball
of glowing gas much like the sun. The estimated amount of these stars in the
universe is ten billion trillion, and they may live up to 15 billion years. The
smallest diameters of these plain stars is 20 kilometers.
The rarer type of celestial bodies is more uncharted and unfamiliar. They are not
'stars' but an uncommon type of demons. They have an shorter life span in
comparison to the plainer stars and once they are about to die, they fall in large
numbers, much like a meteor shower. However, if they can find a host who would be
willing to offer help for their survival, the two may live in a mutual sustentative
relationship. Demons prefer landing in areas with quiet bodies of water, such as a
lake or a lagoon. Though they are greatly powerful, they are also very timid and tend
to avoid falling near big populations. Their colours range from blue, white, yellow,
orange, or red.
See 'astronomical bodies' and 'demons'."
He had almost forgotten why he was there when he was hunched over a thick book involving voodoos and exorcisms in the dim lighting. He mused over the reasons why he cared so much about what might happen to that brown-haired girl as he studied the simulacrum of a maple leaf, while biting into his last cookie. He wondered if she was really worth all this effort as he skimmed through the list of runes, which were supposed to repel imaginary objects. He pondered over what he was going to do afterwards if he somehow could find her, as he copied down the ingredients of a recipe for a potion which purportedly was a cure for curses that turned girls into toads.
Howl pushed back the towering pile of books away from him and leaned back against the chair with a sigh, rubbing his tired eyes in the flickering candlelight.
He had not moved from the hard-backed wooden chair for over nine hours, stopping his monotonous reading only to light the oil lamp when he finally realised the reason why couldn't see the page directly in front of him was because that the sun had already set and he was sitting blindly in the dark, or to distract himself by growing as many resplendent and imaginative flowers of varying shades and hues as he possibly could in the grassy field outside, with a spell he had found earlier in a book called "Magical Gardening; A Janitor's Guide", before he began ripping up the large collection of books out of exhaustive frustration.
Howl yawned and blinked drowsily. He arduously picked up another thick book and opened the first page.
Looking at the first sentence, Howl despairingly realised that it was about the magical qualities of honey.
'This,' Howl decided as he resignedly slumped against the desk, staring blankly at the diagram of a bee's abdomen. ''Is incontrovertibly useless.'
A long A/N of explanations: Even though I said that it would take longer for me update, I suppose that I was bored and wanted Howl to meet Sophie as soon as possible.
I know that the last section was probably boring . . . but I'm fitting all the transitions onto one chapter so I can get almost all of them done and over with. And also getting Howl to make the flowers in the secret garden while he was at it. LoL
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, its great hearing from you all . . . and making me feel less bad about publishing this poop. And also thanks to Elyssa – again – for helping! XD
And I'm finally going to make Howl meet Sophie in the next chapter!
Explanations
First of all, I know that this black portal was different from the book. I had to change that part as it was different in the movie compared to the book. There are several reasons which made me believe that I had to change it from Wales to a completely different thing:
1. Howl had used the black portal to see the war: which was NOT in Wales.
2. When Sophie used it, not only had she gone into a completely different place, but a completely different time.
3. There were those flying battleships and Madame Suliman's henchmen at Howl's childhood home place. And I'm pretty sure that flying battleships and henchmen who look suspiciously like a cross black, flying pigs and a mosquito don't exist in modern day Wales, or even during the 20th century. But if I'm wrong, please correct me.
And this was my best theory for explaining Miyazaki's version of the black portal. All my other theories were just weird, and the book version wouldn't have had worked along with the movie line. If anyone has a better explanation, please tell me! I'm completely put of ideas, so I'm just going to use this one for now.
Second, Martha, in the film, apparently had previously been courted by Howl, so that's why I included her. If you listen very carefully at the beginning of the movie, when Sophie's in the trimming the hats in the hat shop, you can hear the girls discussing or gossiping how Martha from Upper Folding got her 'heart torn out' by Howl . . . so I intertwined that and the 'spirits of darkness' tantrum Markl was telling Sophie about.
And one last thing, the reason why this version of Howl is more like the book than the movie, is that I barely know the blond Miyazaki version of Howl, and besides, I found the book version a bit more interesting and understandable. I'll change Howl back into the movie version once his hair turns back into that black/teal colour.