An Aspiring Author-In-Training

You trace your fingers against the engraving on the cold stone in front of you.

“I don’t know if they told you already, but Nobara wants the three of us to move in together once we leave school.” you add on, remembering. “Megumi said no, but I think he low-key wants to and is just holding out until we beg him to.”

The only response you receive is the thundering in the sky from behind, signaling the incoming storm.

“Umm,” you try to think of something else, trying to fill the silence. “Oh yeah, Jennifer Lawrence got married recently. I know you said you didn’t like her anymore, but in case you were having second thoughts. I thought you should know she’s really taken now.”

Intermittent drops of rain fall on the cold stone, wetting your fingertips.

A hand rests on your shoulder breaking you out of your trance. From behind Megumi gives you a worried look, an opened umbrella in his hand covering the both of you.

“It’s going to start pouring soon.”

Your eyes shift to the dark grey clouds above, realizing how dark the sky had become.

You nod with a small smile. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you guys in a second.”

He nods back, handing you the umbrella before walking away. He joins Nobara, who was giving you the same look of worry from under her umbrella. They exchange a few words, before she turns to you for confirmation. You give her a reassuring smile that convinces her to follow Megumi to the entrance where the car was waiting for them.

You turn back to the grave. “I have to go. Sensei’s treating us to wagyu and sushi for dinner.” you smile, remembering Yuuji’s love of food. As your finger finishes tracing the last character etched in the stone, you quietly stand up from the wet ground. “I’ll be sure to eat a lot for you too.” you joke, trying to keep up your smile- at least until you left.

The rain suddenly picked up, pouring down from above- to the point where it was hard to see in front of you.

“There’s no chance you’re gonna jump out of a box again like last time, right?” you shout over the heavy rain. Hoping.

But you knew there would be no response.

You could cry. Or scream his name, clutching his gravestone like how you acted the first time you came to see him. No one would hear you in the midst of the rain.

But you didn’t. You knew he wouldn’t be happy seeing you do that because of him. You couldn't rid of the thing he had worked hard to keep up on your face. So the smile remained on your lips, no matter how small it was- no matter how pained and forced it was.

“I’ll come see you again soon, okay?”

You take one last look, before walking away to the meet with the others waiting for you.

_______________

“Well, yeah. Master Howl never has time anymore to make food so I did it myself. I washed it, peeled it, and ate it. It was bleh.”

You shook your head, wondering how this poor boy survived under the care of the irresponsible man-child of a wizard that he called “Master”. Resuming your inspection of the fresh-caught fish, your eyes traveled down to see a huge blue fish displayed on the ground, with its eyes seemingly staring into your soul. Grimacing, you slowly backed away, inching towards Markl.

“Umm, I’ll take this one.” you quickly said, pointing to one of the fish you had been looking at earlier. 

“Great choice, ma'am,” the seller complimented as he took the coins from Markl, before moving to start wrapping the said fish for you.

A sudden commotion from behind, paired with an increasingly strong burning smell grabbed the attention of everyone at the market. Even the fish seller stopped midway in his wrapping, hurrying out of his stall to get closer to the harbor to watch what was going on. 

“But my fish,” you frowned, just staring at the half-wrapped fish with Markl. You looked down at the child and shrugged, before pushing up your sleeves to finish the wrapping. You had already paid for it anyways.

“Can we go look too?” Markl asked, as you placed the wrapped fish in the basket and took the basket from his hands.

“I have a feeling Sophie’s going to need our help back home right about now.” you frowned, remembering what was soon to come. “Also remember, we run away from bombs, not towards them, Markl.”

“Huh?” he replied confused, as you led the way back home with the basket in one hand and Markl’s hand in the other.

When the two of you had reached the castle door, a sudden series of explosions sounded from the harbor making you both jump. 

“Are those-”

“Yup.”

“How did you-”

You merely shrug, opening the door before it started raining flyers on the streets.

“Are you sure you’re not a witch?” Markl asked, suspiciously squinting his eyes at you.

“Do you want me to be?” you laughed, placing the basket near the sink to prepare later. “Sophie?” you called out, wondering what your friend was doing.

“Here!” she called out, from somewhere. A few seconds later, she finally popped out from behind the curtain in the makeshift bedroom. “Just organizing some stuff. Oh,” she noticed the basket, “you should have woken me up. I could have gone too.”

You shook your head, placing a hand on her shoulder for support. “No, no. You need your energy. There’s a greater evil coming upon us soon.” 

And as if right on time, a shriek pierced through the air as the castle shook in fright. Crying sounds accompanied by bumping into the wall noises sounded from above, quickly travelling to the stairwell.

“Sophie, you-you sabotaged me!” Howl shouted, glaring at the young girl. “Look!” And running to her, with no sense of personal space, butted his head to her face in anger. “It’s hideous!” he cried, with nothing but a towel on his waist.

Orange, orange, orange. Keep your eyes on the hair, (Y/N). Do not go any lower.

You definitely were not watching the drops of water cascading down his smooth chest and back, until the droplets disappeared behind the towel. And you definitely did not notice how the towel was barely hanging on to the man’s waist due to his wild movements. Hair. You were only paying attention to his hair. Nothing else.

“Now I’m repulsive. I can’t live like this.” he whined, sagging into the chair behind him.

Black. Now the color was bla- wow, that towel deserved an award for how it stayed on him without falling off. And oh look, there’s his back. His very wide shoulders on full display- no. Focus, (Y/N). Stop ogling.

“I give up. I see no point in living, if I can’t be beautiful.”

Coming to your senses, you looked in disgust as the man sat slouched over, moping. And having a tantrum over what? His hair. 

A child- he was a literal man-child.

Sophie and Markl looked in fear at the shadows lurking along the walls that were growing by the second, encasing the castle in darkness. Calcifer tried to save his logs from the slime that was quickly getting everywhere. Howl didn’t listen, what a surprise, continuing his murmuring- his pale skin turning increasingly green and slimy. You didn’t even want to know what the slime was made up of.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.” Rolling your eyes at the man’s childish meltdown, you stopped Sophie just in time from touching the slime on Howl’s back. “I’ll take of him, don't you worry.” you ensured her.

Suddenly grabbing the back of the chair, you pulled Howl’s weight towards the door. The only sound heard in the castle now was the screeching sound of the wooden chair being dragged across the floor.

The rest of the group remained in their positions, Calcifer really having no choice though, as you turned the dial to the purple color.

“(Y/N), what are you doing?” the fire demon asked, hesitantly. Half curious, half afraid for Howl’s well-being.

You looked up from tugging on the chair, to give him a thin smile.

“It’s raining.” 

“So?”

“Well, I thought since Howl didn’t like the bath, maybe a shower would be more to his liking.” And with a smile, you opened the door to face the pouring rain outside. “Markl honey, can you help me with the umbrella?”

The boy hurried to the door, grabbing the propped up umbrella and going ahead outside. Opening it, he held it up to make sure the two of you were shielded from the rain. Sophie and Calcifer stared from the doorway, as you pulled Howl out of the castle and into the pouring rain.

“She’s not going to kill him outside, is she?” Calcifer whispered to Sophie, while munching on a log.

“No. At least, not in front of Markl.” Sophie responded thoughtfully.

Once fully under the rain, Markl whispered to you from under the umbrella.  “Is he dead?”

“No, he’s just throwing a tantrum.” you responded, watching the green slime wash off his back from the rain. “Are you sure he doesn’t have a spell or something like your cloak, that makes him look older but he’s actually a child. Because I could believe that.”

Markl laughed at your theory. “No, I don’t think so.”

Sudden rustling in the grass made you look over to see Prince Justin hopping over with another umbrella in hand- honestly having no clue where he kept getting his things from- using it to cover Sophie who was coming out of the castle as well.

“Oh, thank you Turnip- Justin.” Sophie smiled, correcting herself.

Hehe, I did that, Justin. You can thank me later by giving me a high-paying, low work job in the palace after all of this is over.

“Justin, are you okay to be out in the rain like this? Can a scarecrow get a cold?” you asked when the two came near. He just bounced up and down a few times, so you assumed it meant he was okay.

Turning your attention back on the moping wizard, you thankfully saw that most of the slime was washing off his body with the rain. 

“Should we just throw him in the lake, and check on him tomorrow?” you whispered to Sophie. She slapped your arm at your suggestion with a forced frown that soon turned into a giggle. “Okay, next time then.” you laugh.

When Sophie and Markl soon left to clean up the mess Howl had made by the fireplace and to start a bath for him, you were tasked to drag him back in once he finished his “shower”. 

The rain felt nice on your face and for the small headache that was forming, once you had decided to forego the umbrella, and it was peaceful with Howl still unresponsive and spacing out. 

Laughter. A child’s laughter. Your headache grew a bit more painful.

“Markl, are you back to play in the rain?” you laughed, turning around expecting to see the boy in a raincoat. But there was no one. 

Another laughter. Two distinct ones this time. You rubbed your temples in an effort to relieve the continually growing headache.

“Markl? Sophie?” you called out, hoping they were playing a trick on you.

But there was still no one. 

“(Y/N).” A child’s voice whispered in your ear.

You whipped around to see only rain and the lake. Now you were getting paranoid. And your headache was feeling like a migraine now. 

Is this place haunted?

“(Y/N).” The same voice sounded from beside you. But only Howl was there, unresponsive as ever still.

With the headache worsening, and hearing children voices in the rain not being a normal occurrence, you quickly grabbed the back of the chair, pulling Howl back into the castle with haste. 

Just as you stepped foot in the castle, the voices and pain stopped. 

Maybe it was the rain that was causing the headache? But the voices? 

“-him up the stairs.” Sophie waved her hand in front of your face to grab your attention. “(Y/N)? I said I need help taking him up the stairs.”

Though still perturbed, you grabbed ahold of one side of Howl, lugging him up the stairs with Sophie’s help. A sudden wet plop sound from behind made Sophie turn her head to see a small wet towel on the floor, making her suddenly lock eyes with the ceiling.

“(Y/N), don’t look down.” she warned, keeping her eyes above and ahead. 

“Hmm, what?” you asked, moving your eyes down to look at what she was talking about. 

Your eyes wandered around until they landed on something that took you a second to realize what you were staring at. Your eyes shot up to the ceiling, face burning red.

“You looked didn’t you?” Sophie laughed.

_________________________________________

Some screamed, others jumping in fright. But everyone watching was forced to physically turn away to shield their eyes, if not from the light then from the debris of stone and soil that was the aftermath.

Amidst all the chaos, the Shogun seemed unaffected by the lightning that had missed her by an inch. But her eyes told otherwise, confusion filling them. And when she looked to the spot before her, a glint of surprise passed in the archon’s eyes. 

Not a second later, the archon disappeared with a flash of light, similar to the color of the lightning strike moments before- but this time with a darker violet tinge. 

The soldiers marched away as well, following their master’s exit.

Whispers and murmurs sounded throughout the crowd at what they had just witnessed. But even they too soon dispersed, returning to the comfort of their own homes- out of the pouring rain.

In the pavilion, now only two remained. 

Thoma and Ayaka stood standing in the deafening silence- in the unrelenting rain.

___________________

Silence rang throughout the Kamisato residence the next day. A sound that had not been heard since the death of the previous clan heads. 

The siblings kept to their rooms. Mourning the loss of a loved one was not foreign, but was not to be welcomed either. 

Thoma stayed retreated in his room as well. 

He sat numbly on the floor, still in his drenched clothes from the previous night. A small trail of water led from the door to where he was. He had yet to move- not to his closet for a change of clothes, not to his bed to sleep, not to the kitchens for food. 

How could he? You were dead.

There wasn’t even a body for them to bury. You were just gone. No warning. No goodbye. Just gone.

Within the silence ringing in his ears, he could only replay the final words you had left him with. 

“I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll be okay.”

You had smiled. Even in the final moment as you faced your end- you had smiled. All that was left of you were those three words- three words said for him not to worry. That you had accepted your fate.

He clenched his fists in frustration at the questions arising. Why had you challenged the Shogun to a duel before the throne? Why had you been there in the first place? 

He should have done something to it. Stop you. 

Was this why you had confessed your feelings the night before? Had you known what was going to happen beforehand?

With his mind so scattered, he hadn’t realized something was happening outside until the voices had elevated to shouting. 

“Let me go!” 

Thoma furrowed his brows. 

Kujou Sara?

“Do not touch me!”

With haste, Thoma fumbled towards the door- legs still weak. Stepping outside, he saw a few Kujou clan soldiers holding back an enraged General Kujou Sara from the entrance to the residence. The commotion had managed to bring Ayato and Ayaka out as well, already standing outside before them with looks of confusion. 

The Commissioner observed the general quietly, finally addressing her once she started to become physical with the soldiers. 

“Kujou Sara, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Ayato called out to her. “You well know, we are in the middle of mourning the loss of a family member.” His voice was seemly neutral despite all that had happened, yet the second sentence gave a subtle warning to her overstepping. 

“Family?” the general hissed. “You don’t deserve to call her family.” 

Amidst the pouring rain, she continued to struggle against her soldiers’ hold. 

“Kujou Sara, I advise you to choose your words carefully.” Ayato warned. “If I’m not mistaken, the Kujou clan was in charge of the ceremony and everyone involved.”

Kujou Sara laughed maniacally at him. “Are you blaming me for her death, Commissioner?” she spat out his official title with venom. “You say she was family and you couldn’t even protect her. You’re nothing but a coward!”

The general’s eyes narrowed at Thoma.

“And you!” she spat at him. “She did this because of you!”

Thoma’s heart dropped at her words, dread filling him. 

“What do you mea-”

“You were the one the Shogun chose for the ceremony. You were the one who was supposed to be there, not her!” she shouted. Her tears could have mistaken for rain drops. “I-I should have stopped her. I should have...” She dropped to the ground in anguish. “It’s my fault. I let her take your place. I let her be in the ceremony.”

The little strength Thoma had left him, falling to the ground. Everyone was silent, trying to process all that was revealed. 

“I was supposed to be in the ceremony.” Thoma repeated, eyes shaking. “She took my place.” He let out a laugh and his masters watched him with concern. “Of course she did. She- she did this to protect me.” He closed his eyes in defeat.

You had hoped he and Ayaka would be happy together, when you knew your affections could not be returned. 

You had spent a whole day in the kitchen once, trying to recreate Mondstadt dishes he had once described to you after overhearing him being homesick. You had gifted him with a pair of stud earrings made from agnidus agate gemstone for his birthday, a rare mineral he knew you would have needed to save up money for. 

You had done all those things thinking of him. 

And now you were gone. 

“I could say the same to you, General. Are you-,” Ayato paused with a sad realization, correcting himself. “-were you not one of (Y/N)’s closest companions? You knew of her death in the ceremony and did nothing? Even if you could not have done anything, given your position, we could have with prior  knowledge.” He spoke formally and poised, but Thoma could see his lord’s hands were clenched in silent fury. 

“I didn’t know.” Sara cried out weakly. “She was only supposed to have her vision taken away. That was the plan that was approved by the Shogun. I wouldn’t have allowed her an audience with the Shogun if I knew there was going to be a duel before the throne.”

“The duel was not planned by the Kujou clan?” Thoma suddenly asked. 

Ayato’s eyes widened slightly, realizing something was amiss. He whispered to the servant beside him, who quickly nodded before leaving the scene.

“No, I was the one to approve the final details of the ceremony before informing the Shogun. Any changes would have to go through me. But, the only person who wouldn’t need my permission would be-”

Ayato cut her off quickly. “General, you must be cold from standing in the rain this long. Ayaka, would you please show the general to your room to change into dry clothes? Both of you can join me for tea afterwards.” Everyone stared at the Commissioner with confusion at the sudden change in subject. “And Thoma, lead the Kujou clan soldiers inside for a change of clothes as well. Come join us once you’re done.”

Ayaka stared at her smiling brother curious what he was planning. But she trusted her brother as did Thoma, who knew there was a reason for his master’s sudden desire for tea time. The two followed his orders, disappearing inside the building with their respective parties in tow. 

It was now only Ayato who was standing outside. He listened for a second, hearing the patter of rain falling on the roof above him. He turned around but made no move to walk forward inside. Instead, he started talking.

“Find out Kujou Takayuki’s schedule the day before the ceremony. Continue to keep an eye on the Fatui as well.”

“Yes, Commissioner.” A voice spoke from above, unseen.

And with that, Ayato proceeded inside to join the others.

___________________________________

(Somewhere in Liyue)

“Is she dead? Do you think she got hit by the lightning during that crazy storm?”

“These injuries weren’t just caused by lightning. We need to take her to Baizhu, it looks like she lost a lot of blood already.”

“But what if she’s already...you know?”

"She’s breathing so she’s not- quit poking her with a stick, Paimon!”

____________________________________

“And then? What’s next on the list for the Great Fire Demon Calcifer once he’s free?” Expecting another lengthy response, you were surprised to see the fire demon with such a pensive expression. 

“I-I never thought that far...” he replied after a pause. “...I always thought that once I leave this hellhole, I’d figure out what to do, you know?” A moment passed before he spoke again, this time with a much lighter tone. “All I know is that I’m never coming back to this castle, that’s for sure!”

A teasing smile formed on your lips at his certainty. “Are you sure? I feel like you would miss us too much to leave in the first place.”

The fire demon gasped in horror. 

“I would never! Never would I willingly come back to this place unless it was to burn down everything down in front of Howl’s eyes.”

“Mhmm,” you hummed with a knowing grin, choosing not to argue with the fire demon for now.

With the help of Calcifer’s endless jabbering, eventually the talk turned into another one of his rants about the unfair working conditions for- and in the exact words he used- a “poor fire demon” such as himself. But apart from the noisy fire demon, it seemed as the castle itself had fallen into a slumber, calm and serene with its walls bathed in a golden warmth emitting from the fireplace. 

As the night grew, the occasional noise or nod of agreement with his words became more lethargic by the hour. It wasn’t long until your drooping eyes eventually closed shut, joining the rest of the castle into a peaceful sleep. 

_________________________

The whirl of the door dial broke the stillness of the castle, the entrance opening for the master of the castle himself. 

His feet trudged to the front of the fire place, feathers covered in the debris from the aftermath of bombs dropped on civilian homes. He immediately dropped down into the nearby chair in exhaustion. A small groan was heard as feet were propped up onto the edge of the fireplace.

“You okay? You smell terrible.” Calcifer grimaced, worried about the state of the wizard. A strong smell of ash and soot wafted into the room, growing stronger within the confined castle walls. “You shouldn’t keep flying around like that- soon you won’t be able to turn back into a human.”

The wizard could only groan. Feathered wings seemingly disappeared back into his grand coat, sharp claws back into shoes that had now lost their shine. His transformation ended with a heavy sigh, sinking further down into his chair. A brief conversation of the ongoing war was made before the castle returned back to silence.

The figure beside him went unnoticed- whether due to his current state or because he hadn’t sensed any threat- until a soft breathing was heard through the quietness. Head lazily turned to the right, his tired eyes landed on the source of the noise.

You were curled up in the wooden chair, head in a position that would most likely result in stiffness in your neck the following morning. 

His gaze lingered on you for some time, before noticing the plate of food on the fireplace in the corner of his eye. With the realization that the plate was meant for him, his attention returned to you once more. Calcifer observed the two of you in front of him while munching on his log, before looking away disinterestedly. 

Soft light now streamed through the windows as dawn approached, birds soon to chirp to the early morning.

His eyes glazed over trying to recognize the familiarity he felt in the moment, but the memory refused to come within grasp. He searched through the dark expanse of his mind, only to draw a blank. 

“I’m tired. Make some hot water for my bath.”

“Again?” Calcifer whined, waving what was left of his half-eaten log around in the air in annoyance.

The visibly displeased fire demon was ignored as Howl stood up, bringing his arms out of his coat to carry you. With a flick of his finger, the chair you had been sleeping in now was transformed into a well-sized cot. And with another, you were wrapped cozily in a blanket that had appeared out of nowhere and then tucked into the cot. 

Satisfied with his work before him, the wizard disappeared up the stairs- a warm plate in his hands.

______________________

*(A/N): I’m back. hehe. 

Seeing him still in his disheveled state from earlier, you raised a brow. “Weren’t you going to take a bath?” you asked, instead of ignoring him and continuing towards the door.

You missed the brief glint of mischievousness in his eyes. “There’s something I forgot to bring with me upstairs.” he responded nonchalantly, pushing himself off the railing.

“I see, well I’m off then-!!”  Your sentence was cut short in surprise, finding yourself suddenly being lifted off your feet. Your hands quickly clasped each other around the back of Howl’s neck in fear of being accidentally dropped. “Howl, put me dow-“

“It’d be best for my beautiful assistant to be off her feet in the interest of her ankle.”

With his smug face so close to yours, you were so very tempted to push it away if your hands weren't already occupied with holding onto each other for dear life.

You rolled your eyes with a retort. “Unless you plan to carry me around everywhere I go, I suggest you put me down.”

“That’s good to hear then,” he laughed whilst turning around back in the direction of the stairs.

“Wait,” you tried to argue, your feet lightly kicking in the air, “I wasn’t being serious!” Spotting Sophie walking back into the kitchen, you cried to your dear friend for help. “Sophie! Help me!”

The girl just waved you off, not even bothering to give you a glance; currently being too occupied with creating somewhat of a dust storm in the kitchen area.

“Stop Howl, I want to go out not up!”

______________

Plopping you down onto a massive bed, Howl only gave you the words, “I’ll be back”, and disappeared behind the door leading back to the hallway.

Looking around the somehow familiar room, you soon realized the wizard had left you in his own bedroom.

The walls were cluttered with a variety of magical items and papers, extending to the surrounding floor. Toys and trinkets of various sizes were scattered throughout the room, giving the room a child-like touch. The only places that weren’t as cluttered were the bed and small area on the floor leading from the door to the bed.

Though the reasonable choice was to get off his bed and sneak back downstairs while the wizard was gone, your body decided to forego the logic and instead burrow under what was his soft, plush comforter.

You had to wonder if the mattress was laced with magic as well, like the rest of the castle was. It had to be by far the most comfiest, soft, plush bed you had ever laid on top of.

Maybe you could take a quick power nap and leave before he gets back.

But you had soon lost track of time, already slowly drifting off to sleep when Howl walked back into the room- who was looking highly amused upon seeing only your head poking out from under his covers.

“I would tell you to make yourself at home, but it seems like there’s no need to.” he chuckled as he watched you only snuggle deeper under the covers as a response.

Fighting the drowsiness off your drooping eyes, you properly looked at him and noticed his clean state. His clothes were no longer crinkled, hair styled to perfection and without a single strand out of place. There was no trace of fatigue or dark circles found on his face, only immaculate smooth skin glowing back at you. You wondered how all of it was possible, when you knew what his bathroom looked like before Sophie was to clean it.

Which reminded you to tell Sophie to avoid cleaning Howl’s bathroom when you went back downstairs. You heavily doubted that foregoing the experience of mopey, green goop Howl would prevent Sophie and Howl from falling in love, and it was frankly something you could go without ever seeing as well.

“Leaving again already?” you guessed by the look of his attire. “You really should rest for a bit, Howl.” you muttered sleepily.

“Is that an invitation to join you in bed?” he asked with a waggle of his brow, walking closer to your side of the bed. Despite your sleepy state, you managed to gather enough energy to throw a pointed look up at him, garnering a laugh from him. “As tempted as I am to take the offer,” you rolled your eyes at his suggestive words, “I do have to leave.”

“That’s too bad.” you replied, sarcastically. And using what little energy you had before succumbing to sleep completely, you nodded and bid him goodbye with a slight wave of your hand from under the blanket. “You should head downstairs anyways, Calcifer should be whining about being smothered to death by Sophie right about now.”

Once Howl realized you had actually fallen asleep after a few moments of silence- not caring to explain what you had meant- his eyes took the opportunity to carefully trace your features. In your sleep, a small frown formed on your lips as if you were aware he was staring at you. He reached out to push back the few strands of hair covering your face and placed a gentle kiss on your forehead, noting with a grin how your frown disappeared soon after the action.

___________

When you woke up again, you realized you had somehow slept until noon. Just in time to help out with lunch. You would’ve helped with putting up the laundry too, if you hadn’t been scolded for hobbling around with your sprained ankle. One of Sophie’s narrowed gazes was all it took for you to give up and got sit down next to Calcifer.

Thankfully Calcifer didn’t put up much of fight like in the morning, instead bragging about how Sophie called him a “first-class fire demon” and how she liked his spark. You made a mental note to remember that he responded well to praise the next time he was being fussy. But then again, when was he ever not?

With the leftover bread and bacon from earlier, you decided on making sandwiches. Cutting the bacon into thinly sliced pieces, they crisped up nicely on the frying pan, and the sliced pieces of bread were briefly toasted until they turned a warm golden color on both sides. With the kitchen clean and spotless, you were able to find tomatoes to slice and add in as well. You also made sure to throw the occasional praise to the resident fire demon every so often to keep him in his good mood. You didn't want to chance him purposely burning the bacon or curse it.

You were happy to see Prince Justin again outside, relieved he was able to find his way to the castle alright. He seemed to return the sentiment too, immediately jumping up and down on his pole when you greeted him with his name.

“Justin?” Markl asked, munching on his sandwich next to you. “I thought his name was Turniphead?”

You gave Sophie a look, to which she feigned ignorance and commented on how delicious the sandwich you had made was. Justin could be seen behind her, holding up one end of the drying clothesline.

Poor Prince Justin. It wasn't his fault his head looked like a turnip.

“Do you think he’s some kind of demon?" Markl asked again, finishing the last bite of his food. "Calcifer doesn’t seem to mind him at all.”

“That or he could be the lost prince of a neighboring kingdom that was cursed, and can only return back to human with a kiss from his true love.” you suggested, watching as the child frowned at the realization he already ate everything. Markl turned to look at you strangely, which you shrugged off while handing off the untouched half of your sandwich to him.

You watched with a smile as the boy happily took a bite out of his new sandwich- a slight pang when you realized he probably couldn't eat like this when his master was gone. Maybe you would teach Howl the wonders of meal prep when he came back, just for Markl.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Sophie suddenly sighed from beside, turning your attention to the view of the lake. “I never imagined seeing this kind of thing back home, you know?”

You nodded, humming in agreement.

It was beautiful. The mountains in the far back connecting to the lake and the endless green fields. The gentle sound of the waves and the breeze creating a peaceful harmony in the air. It really was a sight to behold, giving you a chance to breathe from the worries of how the original storyline was being changed because of your interference and everything else.

You really would’ve been at complete peace if not for Sophie’s next words.

“And I feel like the waves are washing away all the stress from having cleaned Howl’s bathroom.”

_______________