One Question: How the Heck did I get into the World of Howl's Moving Castle?

Chapter 4: In which our dear character tries a spell.

A/N: I'm baaack! Next chapter up! I'm literally starting on this chapter just after I finished the last one. I was kind of on a role...hahaha. But no promises on when this one will be up. And by request of Heze-chan, my character is going to do something very random, strange, and potentially hilarious. (I refuse to give a spoiler!) So yah, I'm done talking. Read my story now. Thanks!

The next morning I was awakened from my restless slumber on the wrought-iron bed upstairs by a series of loud bangings and other noises. Sleepily I stumbled into the tall, mostly empty decorative wardrobe on my way out the door. Then practically ran down the hallway and tripped down the stairs, hanging onto the railing for support.

"Lucius! What's going on?" When the noise quieted to a reasonable level I stalked over to the window and threw it open, letting the light fill up the room. From the way the dust motes swirling around caught only a little light I realized that is was in fact still early morning as I had suspected. When he didn't answer I spun around again and gave him a look that I new would have an effect, daemon or not. This time he answered immediately and I hid a small smirk.

"I was trying to get this place working again. It's kind of my job. No one else ever does any work." Well then.

"Okay, but isn't this a waste of magic?"

"It's necessary! Besides some of the magic I can do without drawing on the stores. I am a powerful and deadly fire daemon after all." Flames poured out of his mouth as he said this. Hmm. So he was a bit of a show off huh.

Already heading towards the broom closet to get a broom and bucket, I asked him in a side-comment type way "So have you thought of a way to get more power yet? I mean until I break your contract. You don't want to drain your resources too quickly."

"I'm not as helpless as you think," he sniffed offendedly. "I have quite enough energy to handle this much and plenty more. Now that this house is inhabited it will start to generate some of its own power again. It is a magic house after all. But you could help out a little by learning some magic. I can tell you haven't the slightest idea what you're doing enchantment wise."

"Well, I can't help it! I'm kind of new to this!" I hadn't even known this world existed in reality a few days ago.

"Fine, fine. Then start studying. I suppose we wouldn't be able to get you apprenticed to anyone either, with your lack of experience. We'll just have to make due seeing as your not much help as is. Why do I have to do all the work?" He mumbled the last part quietly to himself. I heard, but chose to ignore it.

Leaning exaggeratingly towards the hallway Lucien directed "Go down that hallway till you reach the door. Once you get into that room look around the walls." I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off. "No I can't tell you what you're looking for. Some of my last contract is still in effect so I can't tell you everything. Just hinting to look in that room is stressing the deal."

I sighed. Then paced down the domed hallway where I had discovered the broom closet until I came to the room I'd arrived in. I actually hadn't been in there since that first afternoon. I saw the spiders had been at work. Broom still in hand I started on the ceiling beams. I decided that since I would have to clean this whole place eventually anyway I might as well clean wile I looked.

When I got to the skylight of the room a shower of dust fell down on my hair. "Ugh! Why do things keep falling on me?" Grabbing one of the (clean) rags out of the (not clean) bucket, I promptly tied it over my braided hair. Glancing at my reflection in the window I chuckled. I looked a little like Sophie. Well, the not-old-woman version of Sophie. Book shelf next. It was empty. I was disappointed. After avengingly brushing away the spiders and their webs with my broom I set to work using a rag to get the undistinguishable gunk out of the shelves' edges.

There was a resounding creak as I scraped at a particularly stubborn crease. Then the wall cracked and split… Oh damn. The fracture quickly spread until it made a perfect…square? The corners of my mouth were already turned up in a smile when the now evident door slid back. God, I love this world. The absence of wall allowed me to see right into the next room.

It was dark except for a single narrow window. There was a strange, branched, milky blue colored lamp screwed into the centre of the ceiling but if there was a light switch I didn't see it. There seemed to be dark blue abstract designs on the ceiling as well. But by far the best part of the circular room was the bookshelves. Literally crammed with books of every type, shape, condition, and color, the bookshelves were definitely the highlight of the room. I stepped forward pulled by a metaphoric string to the books.

Halfway there the lights flashed on. I shut my eyes tightly against the sharp brightness of the glare which instantly gave me a headache. When I opened them I kept my gaze set on the floor where I stood. The polished wooden floorboards had a twisted circular design chalked on them in white. I was standing on the centre point where all the lines met. I stepped off carefully and was relieved when the lights stayed on. It was then that I saw that this room (in ridiculous contrast to the rest of the house) was actually pretty clean. Slightly messy, with a few books and sheets of paper scattered on the floor, but clean none-the-less.

There were also a few other items on the bookshelf. A small globe, a glass ball, yellowing paper hung by hat pins to the wall, and some rough colored stones. There was a set of book ends shaped like horse heads too. In short, the whole room was filled with strange things. I strode up to the middle bookshelf (which had draws at the bottom by the way) and picked up one of the books lying at its base. It was dark green with worn gold lettering. It was titled "The Seven Branched Wand".

After examining around half of the books, and failing to open the draws (they were locked; I assumed I'd find the key somewhere in the mess later) I almost regrettably left the room (careful not to step on the chalkings) and poked my head inside the living room where Lucien smoldered waiting.

"I found it." I stated simply and a little self satisfied.

"Good. That's Ferman's old "secret" library .You might be able to learn something from those books. The room next to it is the study. Underneath the stone plaiting by the window there's a key. You can use that to open the drawers and the writing desk."

I held back a "yay!" This was going to be amazing. I was about to start that very second but Lucien impishly stated that he wasn't going to help me with a thing until I cleaned at least a few of the rooms. Claiming that his lack of legs was the only thing preventing him from doing it himself. To which I replied that I could manage quite well by myself I'm sure. And that he could spark all he wanted but it wouldn't make me like cleaning any more. But in the end I consented. I finally finished mid afternoon.

I spent hours pouring over the books there. I had transferred all the usable paper and writing/drawing tools I could find onto the desk. On the shelves in the study I put all of the bottles, jars, packets, and etcetera until they were practically overflowing. The ones with the pealing labels I rewrote to the best of my ability and the others I asked Lucien the names of. I had also made use of the countless nails protruding from the ceiling beams by hanging the many dried plants and other things from them. The shutters of the window were torn down revealing climbing ivy that reached all the way to the second story. I lit the oil lamps too. Surprisingly, the room still didn't seem filled.

I was finishing scribbling down the notes from a book on the Gaelic language with a fountain pen I had found when the slip of paper fell out of the book. It was hard to make out considering Ferman had the worst, spidery handwriting I had ever seen. But eventually I processed that it read "Novice's Flying Charm". I swear at that second a bell went off in my head. "Well I've just got to try this." I whispered. Who knew flying could be called beginners anything.

Technically Lucien hadn't told me not to do any magic. He probably thought it was implied. So technically I could use this…Heck I was definitely gonna use this.

Okay. So I need a pot or container, some steaming water, a primary feather, crushed quartz, milkweed seeds, and soot from burned dry birch leaves. And also an object to put the charm on. Preferably something small that can be worn. Then at the bottom of the very crinkled paper were the words and directions for the spell. That's right, the spell. I squealed inwardly. This was just too good to be true.

Well the water and pot should be easy to get. I saw several pots in the kitchen and by the fireplace. And I can use the sink's hot water instead of asking Lucien to heat it, though he might still notice. I could use the quill pen for the feather since it broke; I pulled it out of the trash basket on the floor near my chair and set it on the desk. The slightly dusty birch leaves were hanging right above my head by the rafters. I pulled them down. I can burn them later with a candle. I think there are some milkweed pods in one of those packets I found too. There are a few things made of quartz in here but I'd feel bad about crushing them. There are probably some outside anyway. The only things that would be hard to get are the object to be charmed and a way to heat the water. Well I'll get those last then.

Quietly, I snuck past Lucien and into the kitchen. It was an amazing stroke of luck that he was resting. Once in the kitchen, I walked over to the counter top and grabbed the topmost pot as silently as I could. With only a little clanking I set it on the table. It was deep and made of fine, strong metal. Perfect. Then using the back door I crept into the courtyard. After a wile of searching around the pathway, I found three small quartz stones. Keeping only the biggest one, about the size of a penny, I set it down in the pot and tiptoed back past the fire place where Lucien flickered with a low, rosy glow.

As soon as I was out of sight of the main room I scurried up the stairs to the bathroom. Turning the taps slowly, I winced when they made a screeching sound. I waited for the water to heat up. That's when the half awake voice of Lucien called from downstairs.

"Ellie! Why are you using the hot water?"

I paused for half a second then called back "I need some hot water to clean up one of the jars I spilt!" Good enough excuse I guess. For such short notice anyway.

"Hold on a second." There was a pause during which the water slowed to a dribble. Then water almost instantaneously turned steaming hot. I quickly filled the small pot to the brim then stopped the flow of water.

'Thanks!"…No reply.

Sloshing a little water on the floor I carefully carried it down the stairs and past the hearth.

"You should be careful with the ingredients in there. Some of them are pretty rare. It's a good thing you didn't spill the truth potion. That takes months to brew."

". I'll be more careful." I tried to set off again.

"Wait!" Ugh! C'mon, the water was starting to cool already.

"What is it?"

"Can you hand me another log before you go?" With one hand I tossed a piece into the fireplace where Lucien devoured it greedily. Then I left before he could give me another request.

"Alright." I breathed. "Now all I need is something to put the spell on." I was thinking of using a necklace or earring or something, but then I remembered that I didn't have one with me when I got dragged to this world. I guess I'll just have to look around. Eventually I found a long thin gold chain at the bottom of the desk's drawer and after further searching in the library, a pearly white teardrop shaped gem with a gold clasp holding the stone to the remains of what I assumed was once an earring. But it seems like the hook of it had snapped in half.

After spending a little time fiddling with the items I ended with a suitable necklace. The clasp was a little rusty still but it would work. I set it aside.

Direction time. First I placed the pot of water (thankfully still steaming) in the direct sunlight. I had to put it on the floor because the sun had shifted wile I was getting the ingredients. For the next step I needed scissors. I rummaged around the drawer until I found a pair. Holding the feather over the narrow pot I snipped off the tip of the feather. A light dusting of the fibers fell down into the water. Okay, now I need to crush the quartz stone. "Err…I guess I need to find a hammer." No such luck. I ended up using a larger rock that had been doubling as a paper weight. By the time I had demolished the stone to a powder my arms were starting to ache. Sweeping the powder onto a scrap of paper I shuffled it into the potion. Milkweed seeds next. I pulled at the fluffy white fibers until a few seeds came loose from the pod. These I methodically dropped into the liquid. I was thankful then that I had thought to bring a few candles into the room. Burning the birch leaves made a bit more smoke then I had anticipated but opening the window solved that problem. The soot turned the water grey.

Now all the ingredients were added. "Step seven: Blow three breaths on the potion." I read aloud softly. Okay. Then I stirred the concoction with deliberate circular strokes using the remains of the feather. When I lifted the feather out it had a bit of the potion clinging to it and was trailed by strands of a watery paste like substance. Alright, now I just have to let it sit for a wile. Wile I was waiting for the potion's surface to "turn a faint pale blue and the liquid to become a little thicker." I tidied up as best I could. By the time I was done the surface of the potion was glistening slightly with a light blue sheen.

Slowly, biting my lip, I dipped the stone into the potion then hurriedly lifted it out and let it hang suspended in mid air. It felt much lighter now I noticed, and the surface of the gem shimmered with slight waves of pearly blue when it caught the light. All that was left was to say the spell. I won't repeat it here as it would be almost impossible. All but a few of the words were in some other language. By the time I had gotten half way through the third line the words were coming on their own. As if they had taken on a life of their own. It felt like a song. Or a story. Something that you don't have to think about. I felt the words rise and fall of their own accord and I felt as if I were already flying. Finally the flow of words ebbed and I stood there for a moment stunned.

Eventually I realized that my eyes had been closed. Opening them I stared at the evidence of my first spell. When I cupped it with my hands it felt warm and seemed to have a soft glow radiating from the inside. I smiled and drew it over my head. It fell around my neck with the softest of touches.

I felt ready to fly.

I dashed over to the window and leaned my head out. Tendrils of ivy scaled upwards along the stone side of the house. I realized I was fairly high up due to the house being on a hill. Suddenly the idea of climbing out the window became less appealing. Could I risk going past Lucien to climb the stairs and make use of the balcony up there? It might look suspicious but it would be worth it to try the spell. I could make up another excuse if he asked. Right. It's decided.

Best try and be casual about it I reminded myself just before I stepped into the main room. Lucien glanced my way then looked back to the book he had requested that I lay open for him, then asked in a talkative voice that I turn the page for him. (Because, of course, being a fire daemon, handling books was a very hazardous thing to do, and so most fire daemons (as Lucien significantly pointed out) did not often read). What a horrible notion, I contemplated as I trotted up the stairs, to only be able to read so rarely. And never to be able to draw!

I rattled the latch of the balcony door and with a hard shove from my shoulder it swung open. A gust of wind rapidly unfurled in the room. I stepped out onto the fenced veranda and leaned my hands against the mettle railing.

What do I do now? I thought. Jumping certainly didn't appeal. I settled for balancing on the edge of the platform, where a section of the fencing had come away. I bounced lightly on the balls of my foot indecisive. Then absentmindedly clutched my hand tightly around the smooth shape of the white blue stone. I backed away from the edge and letting go of the charm vaulted forward. I did it without thinking because I knew that if I stopped to consider what I was doing I would shirk from the idea. I mean, I wasn't that insane.

As I passed over the side of the ledge I had the feeling of a powerful wind lifting my up. It wasn't quite the feeling of sudden weightlessness you get on a rollercoaster; the closest things I can compare it to are the feelings of sitting on a tree branch during a wind-storm or being caught in an abrupt powerful swell of wave at the ocean. Neither similes come even close to describing it. I instinctively uncurled myself from the tight crouching position and started moving my legs wildly as the force ebbed to a softer, floating feeling. I mean, I didn't have a handsome wizard to show me how*, so I was learning as I went. Eventually I calmed down and was able to enjoy the feeling... After all, I was flying.

I laughed joyfully and took a huge gliding step away from the house. I wanted to go higher! I climbed upward till I had surpassed the top of an especially tall nearby tree. I enjoyed the feeling of the wind swirling around me to no end. Landing on a protruding branch I would never have been able to reach under normal circumstances, I shaded my eyes with a hand and peered out over the hills. From here I could see a large cluster of buildings and railroad tracks that I assumed was a town. Torrents of steam and smoke rose from a miniscule train and barely discernible movement littering the streets. "Oh I hope its Market Chipping!**" I gasped elatedly. I raked several now-loose wisps of hair away from my face and with an effort (I was still new to flying in my defense) turned around so that I was facing the cottage. The roof was the same russet color as in that drawing. Many of its shingles had fallen or hung at odd angles. It was strange; seeing a roof from above. I strode over and descended until I hovered around ten feet over the rooftop.

The "standing still" didn't last long. Around three seconds after I stopped moving I felt the increase of gravity. Two more and I was hurdling, screeching and flailing my arms, towards the notably week patch of roof. I landed with a crash, a yelp, and a cloud of dusty mortar in the room below. This, by the way, happened to be right next to the room in which Lucius resided.

With a groan I propped myself up on my bruised arms and closed my eyes. I sighed.

"…Why?"

A/N: See Heze-chan? I told you I'd make her randomly fall threw the roof! I wonder how Lucius is going to react. I mean, how do you respond to that? This is the longest chapter yet so I am a happy person. I think I'm gonna make Ellie leave the cottage for a wile in the next chapter. By the way, she's only been in that world for 2 days (during which time she hasn't eaten anything) so she kinda needs to get some stuff. If you have read this PLEASE leave a review otherwise I will never know that you so much as realize that this story exists! Which reminds me to remind you people about a second story that I am writing with two of my friends. It's called Chance Encounter and is in the Hakushaku to Yousai archive on this site so please read it! I hope this chapter wasn't too long and rambley. But in an effort to make up for the late update I made it longer. If it was I'm sorry! Anyway, thanks so much for reading! Please Review!

{-:-}

*Its sadly true. I don't get the epic scene where Howl teaches me to fly like with Sophie. :( It was tempting, but it would be a little out of place. Aww. And I love that scene too.

**Market Chipping is the town where Sophie lived. And is where one of the portals in Howl's castle opens up to.

***Remember how Ellie said "Ugh! Why do things keep falling on me?" earlier in the chapter? I just wanted to point out to everyone how unintentionally (that's right I didn't plan this) ironic this is. Now she's the one doing the falling. All I had to do was make her fly first.