After agreeing to draw more of Howl he happily invited me to stay until the rain had passed. Still in shock that this was truly Howl, eater of young women's hearts, I sat down again in the chair next to Calcifer. "Master Howl! Master Howl!" I turned my attention quickly to the stair case where a little boy ran. He stopped short and looked at me. "Hello!" I smiled timidly, waving gingerly. He studied me before looking over to Howl, who was going through some books. "Um, Master Howl, two of the kings representatives want you to report to the palace as both Pendragon and Jenkins!" The kid exclaimed, plopping himself down on a chair. Howl looked up with a grave expression. "That war has gotten so bad." He sighed, running a hand through his soft blonde hair. "I can't keep running like this..." Howl murmured to himself. "What are you going to do master Howl? And who is she?" The young boy whispered the last part. Snapping back into reality I stood up, bowing. "Lucy Chapman!" I introduced myself quickly. "Lucy, this is Markel! My assistant!" Howl smiled. I nodded. "Well my friends, I say it's time we eat!" Howl said, shutting the book he was reading. "Yes! I'm starving! I'll go get the plates!" Markel jumped off his seat and over to the kitchen. Howl walked over to the kitchen as well and got a pan, some eggs and bacon.
After Howl had cooked us a meal we all sat down and ate. We ate in silence until Howl stood up and dished his left overs to Calcifer and bowed to Markel and I. "If you'll excuse me my friends. I have to leave now. Markel, make Lucy feel at home. It's too dangerous for her to leave." That was all he said before the dial next to the door swished to black and Howl disappeared into the abyss of darkness before him. After the door shut behind him Markel finished his meal and stood up. "Here, I'll show you the guest room." He said, walking towards the stair case. Nodding I stood up and followed him. Leading me up the stair case and into a grimy second floor he stopped in front of a wooden door. "This'll be your room. Master Howl's bedroom is the door at the end of the hallway, and mine, is the door right next to yours. If you need the bathroom, it's right there." Markel pointed to a door next to the stair case. I nodded before Markel disappeared back downstairs. Sighing I turned to my door and opened it carefully. Peeking inside I saw a dusty old room with an empty overstuffed mattress. It had a puffy pink comforter folded on top along with some faded sheets. Stepping inside I lit a candle before shutting the door behind me. I hung my hat on a little hook by the door and started to dress my bed. After my bed was made I started to clean my room. Gosh it irritates me how dirty this room is, come to think of it this whole place is a filthy mess! Overcome with my string sense of cleanliness I went on a cleaning rampage. I'm easily peeved about dirty things, which is why my house and shop are always in tip top shape.
As I cleaned downstairs and upstairs I swept away bugs and dirt, scrubbed the floors, scoured tiles, washed every surface until everything shone like new. I even cleaned out Calcifer's ashes. By the end of the day my body was sore rom cleaning and Markel had fallen asleep at the table, his head on the book he was reading. As I wiped my hands on my skirt I plopped down into the chair next to Calcifer, who seemed to have dozed off as well. Taking off my boots I gently set my feet up by Calcifer to warm by toes. Leaning over to my basket I grabbed my sketch book and a pencil before flipping open to a fresh new page. I doodled a little here and there and ended up drawing two rough sketches of calcifer, one actually very good sketch of Markel and one stunning picture of Howl. Smiling softly I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Dropping my pencil into my basket I clutched my sketch book to my chest, falling asleep.
Howl's POV:
I flew swiftly back to my castle, in fear of being attacked again. I can't believe wizards would change into such awful creatures for the king. The thought made me shudder. By the time I got home I realized the whole place had been cleaned and looked brand new. Must've been Lucy's work... Shutting the door behind me I warped back into my human form, cringing slightly in pain. Slowly I walked up the stairs to see Markel asleep at the table and Lucy dozed off by Calcifer. As I walked up to her I noticed he was holding her sketch book. "You don't look to good Howl." Calcifer yawned, his voice crackled as he spoke. Turning to my friend I sighed. "I was attacked by my own kind today." I said in a low voice, looking down at Lucy. "It's disgusting! Those wizards don't know what they're doing!" Calcifer crossed his arms. Gently I pulled Lucy's sketch book from her grip and opened it. Flipping through page after page I was in awe. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a talent like I've never seen! Drawing after drawing of houses, landscapes, people and animals, each draw beautifully with care. I eventually came across the portrait she'd drawn of me. Smiling I flipped through the next few pages. She'd drawn a few of Calcifer and one very nice picture of Markel. I flipped the page only to be even more impressed. She'd drawn me once more, except this time I was smiling, standing up proudly. Running my fingers gently across the paper I smiled. "She worked very hard today ya know." Calcifer crackled. I nodded, closing the book and setting it in her basket. "She makes a wonderful addition to our family." I said, smiling at Calcifer. He looked back at me in shock. "You aren't going to eat her heart?" He asked, I shook my head, gazing down at Lucy's sleeping figure. "She's special, I can sense it." I told him. Carefully I picked up Lucy in my arms, her light frame resting gently in my strong grip. I walked her over to the old couch. Laying her down gently I pulled up a blanket. I brushed her bangs away and leaned down, kissing her gently on the forehead before I shut the curtains to let her sleep. Turning back towards Markel I picked up my sleeping assistant and said goodnight to Calcifer before bringing Markel up to his room. Shutting the door to Markel's room I retired to my own and went to bed.
DON'T HATE ME! I know it's been forever and a half since I've updated, and I apologize, but school has been hella hectic and I haven't updated a lot of my stories, which sucks. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I will try my very best to be more diligent with my updates! Toodles!
