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

Chapter 1: Red Rose, White Rose

It didn't matter what type of rose she trimmed - the thorns always hurt.

Sophie Hatter cut the ends of each red rose in the bouquet with close precision. She'd trimmed and bundled dozens of flowers in beautiful arrangements, ranging from lilies to carnations to Forget-Me-Nots. Each one had its own special quality, yet the red rose was by far her favorite.

She twirled the flower between her thumb and index finger, careful not to prick her finger on any of the thorns. A year ago, Sophie wouldn't have imagined her life the way it was now. She thought she'd be trapped in that hat shop for the rest of her life, forced into a dull, steady life - one of which her parents would have been proud.

Things were far more colorful and full of life with the various flowers that surrounded her. She didn't feel the constant suffocation from the lack of excitement that was hat-making. The repetitive sewing and bland ornaments bored her, and she didn't find any true happiness from it. Of course, most of the hats her mother made were more eccentric and taboo, but those never satisfied Sophie, either.

Sophie sighed. Though it was her father who began the shop, it was her mother who added a sense of bourgeoisie flair to their style. And it was days like this where Sophie reminisced on the comfort of her father, wishing they were granted far more time than life offered. When she was young, he was the first person she turned to when things went wrong. He taught her how to ride a bicycle and was there to pick her up when she fell. When she had nightmares and her mother was too sound asleep, he was the one to rush in and soothe her back to sleep.

For everything that brought Sophie to tears, he would always remind her that things could always be much worse.

She gently fitted the final rose in the vase to complete the dozen. All in all, Sophie was proud of the man she called her father. He had been there for many of the ups and downs life hit her with, and she was stronger because of his example. Even still, she only felt obliged to run the hat shop in his name. It was never her dream - only his.

Sophie placed the vase on the front counter to be on full display. For the longest time, she didn't know what her dream was - or if she even had one. After growing up with the fear of endless consequences if she ever went searching for her fortune, Sophie let her parents run her life: from caring for her sisters to working at the shop, even to who she would eventually marry.

That arrangement never worked out in the end - and for the better, she thought. By falling into a whim of adventure, she found someone much more suitable.

As she wrapped her short, silver hair behind her ear, Sophie turned to the line of photos she kept on the wooden table. She chuckled at a framed photo of Howl and Markl holding a bucket of water over Calcifer. The poor fire demon tried to shield himself from the almost catastrophic event, unsure if their fun and games would turn disastrous for him. Sophie loved their banter and the tricks they played on each other. Markl helped keep Howl's innocence alive - more than she ever could.

Ever since Howl regained his heart - and ultimately his ability to feel - he was slowly learning how to accept the emotions he blocked away years ago. For a long time, he lost the ability to feel anything but hatred and vanity for years, and he nearly lost himself in the process. In the last year since they met, however, Sophie had seen that empty hole flourish with love and goodness.

That didn't shut away all her doubts, though.

Sometimes, Howl's anger got the best of him - fuming over petty things, like a simple joke from Calcifer or Markl's constant magical pranks. Sophie usually was present to calm him down and remind him that anger wasn't always the best channel, and then he'd simmer down. Often though, she wondered what would happen when she wasn't around to interfere with his outbursts.