A/N ok so I know about the mistakes in the last chapter and I'm really sorry but I can't change them I really tried T-T

Due raced upstairs and found howl lent over the basin and retching painfully he had nothing left to bring up but he was making the sounds and gagging as though he believes he would

"Howl you have nothing left in side you"

Due sat down next to him wiping his brow I stroking his hair A couple of minutes passed and the attack finished

"I … know ….sorry"

"Don't be sorry for getting sick while helping out"

He lay his head on her lap. Due moved gently to get up and go.

"n-noo ….please… I d-don't want you to l-leave….me" due had never seen him this vunerable she paused and resumed the stroking of his hair

He spoke again but this time muffled because he had buried his face in the folds of her dress

"m-scared"

"howl?" the was shocked he must be terrified to admit that

"sophie…am I g-going to die"

She took a deep breathe and tried to smile

"of course not! Now try and rest" she massaged his scalp she lent back on the headboard of his bed and closed her eyes

A couple of hours later she felt the sun rays on her face howl had slipped of her lap

"at least he's asleep"

She stood up and gently pushed his hair away from his face for what felt like the one hundredth time and headed down stairs

" calcifer can you watch him I'm going out to get food and sugar and maybe a syringe if I can find one for sale"

"that's all lovely but that's expensive and after a war even more so I don't think you'll can afford that it"

"I can pawn something, can you help me with this clasp"

Calcifer reached over and started fiddling with the clasp on her necklace. It came off with a click and he handed it to her

"this was your mother's are you sure you're ok with pawning that"

She was already half way out the door

"yes I'll get it back at some point probably"

Calcifer smiled awkwardly as she left. The market Street was busy she tugged at her cloak hood at tried to look for the pawn shop.

"Um excuse me can I please have some food" a little boy was tugging at her dress

"oh um sorry but I don't have anything to give…."

There was a shout behind her

"OI GUTTERSNIPES GIVE THAT LADYS NECKLACE BACK"

A small blonde blonde tall brunet man went rushing up to her. Due frantically checked her pockets and the man gave chase

"Oh no oh no oh no"

"hey relax Rolf will get your necklace back"

"It's all I have to pawn I need that necklace …. My friend he's sick"

"Hey don't worry love I got the wee monsters"

The man rolf was back holding the boy in one hand and a girl in the other

"should we turn them in?"

"NO …. I mean no I they were probably starving" she crouched down to be face to face with them "do you know why I need this necklace?"

They both shook their heads

"My friend is very sick he got ill trying to help people clear up after the war and I don't know whether he's going to survive I need to pawn this necklace to get money to help him. I know you poor things have probably lost everything so I'll do you a deal ok? You let me keep this necklace I will go on my way and you and any of your friends won't Rob me and later you will come to wizard Perkins shop. Bring as many friends as you like I promise to give you a slice of bread each a lump of sugar each and a bronze coin each ok"

Both of the young children grinned

"really! You promise!"

"I promise cross my heart and hope to die"

They both wrapped their skinny arms around her and then raced off

"You're really going to feed scamps like them!?"

"they are starving Mr Rolf they didn't start this war but they are the ones that are suffering"

He thought about it for a moment

"You are a good woman miss…"

"Due Fitzwarren but please just call me Due and do you happen to know where the pawn shop is?"

"We can take you there can't we dear!"

"of course love oh and that's my lovely wife Lettie"

She slipped her arm into due's come on then let's go they turned of the main market square into an alleyway of fancy shops and at the end of the alleyway the stepped into a shop with good and green lettering filled to the brim with an odd assortment of things

"hello hello don't touch anything you grubby peasants just show me what you have this time"

Due felt Lettie bristle beside her and stepped in before an argument was started

"Um excuse me sir I'm here to pawn this necklace of mine"

The man stepped forward and took a good look at Due and her clothes

"Oh dear God well this is a first what would of lead an enchantress" he squinted again "no a nymph NO Both a mixture I suppose"

She felt Lettie and Rolf staring at her

"Anyways what would of forced you to come to a pawnbroker mind you I don't take spells or potions"

She took a deep breathe "sir I'm pawning this necklace nothing else and my friend is sick I need money"

Rolf snorted "cant you just magic stuff like that up?" and then winced because Lettie had just stood on his foot. Hard.

"no no no sir she is an enchantress they specialize in one subject of magic and I believe hers is not domestic life she may know a couple of spells but not many"

He slipped the necklace out of her hands and then gasped slightly

"Good Lord this is magnificent beautiful the work on this! And are those blood moon stones those are so rare! You say it was your mother's? She had good taste young lady"

Due skilled awkwardly

"I can give you seventeen packets of gold for this"

"SEVENTEEN! Are you sure that's a lot but Lord knows I need it"

He nodded vigorously

"I'm just exited to of had something of such beauty in my possession even for a short while"

"thank you so much …. Thank you"

"my pleasure"

He held the door open for them and they all stepped out due fiddled with he small side bag and put the money inside. She noticed her new friends staring

"extension enchantment it's bigger on the inside"

"That's nice sweetie now can you manage by your self in the market me and Rolf have to go"

She nodded

"Good nice meeting you we can stop by wizard Perkins later and wish him well"

"Thank you"

They stepped out and vanished into the crowd. The shopping was done in about an hour or so with a lot of direction asking

Calcifer heard the Kingston street door clang as Due stepped in side

"How much did you get for it"

"Seventeen packets"

"SEVENTEEN!"

"Its wonderful calcifer we won't have to worry about money for a long time and calcifer….?"

"Yeah?"

"I mean if you wouldn't mind could you possibly heat so water so that I could make some sugar water and ginger tea for howl"

"of course that's the most polite way someone's ever asked"

Due began unpacking as a the bell went again

"Due there are a couple of guttersnipes outside they say you invited them"

"I did calcifer could you possibly let them in"

Calcifer raised his eyebrows but compiled. A litter of eleven kids flowed inside

"Oh you poor things now I suppose you want some food"

They nodded and Due began dishing out the food

"Now is that all of you?"

"yes ma'am"

"now I would like to ask you something. Would you like it if I gave you work and paid you a bronze coin for every task you complete"

There was collective cheering, she went and switched the door and calcifer scoffed

"Ok so I switched the door wich now leads to the Moore could you please gather firewood so I can burn the dirty sheets?"

They cheered again and race for the door

"the waters done"

Due took the kettle off of calcifer and began pouring it into two cups

"ya know he's only gona drink the water with sugar in he won't even taste the ginger tea"

She giggled slightly

"I know but I can at least try and get him to drink some"

"its your funeral kid"

Howl felt the right side of the bed sink as someone sat down. Sophie was back. Thank God.

"Hey howl how are you doing"

Or"mm"

"I brought some sugar water I know you love that and ginger tea"

Sugar water. His favorite drink as I kid. How did Sophie know that? Did he tell her?

"i-isnt … sugar …expensive"

"don't worry about it ok? I just got some for you and if you want some sugar water which I know you do lookthen first your gona have to have three spoonful's of ginger tea then you can have spoon full of sugar water"

Howl groaned

"So do we have a deal?"

"b-but I'm sickk…can't…I…just…have…the…water"

"the ginger tea has more nutrients and you're still delirious it will help trust me"

"Sooo….meann"

"I know now open up"

Slowly but surely howl finished the ginger tea and made it half way down the cup of sugar water. suddenly, he pushed her hand away so briskly that the spoon spilled its contents on the blankets. Due hardly had the time to put the cup down and grab the basin before he was vomiting again. The attack didn't ease until he was all empty

"howl…I'm sorry I shouldn't of made you if you didn't feel like you were ready to drink"

"i-its… ok… I ..was..kinda..thirsty"

Due sat with him until he fell asleep and then made her way down stairs.

"Ginger"

"yes calcifer?"

"you aren't well either are you"

She picked up the sheets she wanted to burn and began folding them

"Calcifer whatever do you mean"

"Due don't mess with me I know dark magic when I see it"

" I never use dark magic"

"I didn't say you used it…. It was used on you"

"calcifer this is not funny"

"I'm not laughing"

…..

"its terminal isn't it"

….

"is that why you came to see howl… to say goodbye?"

"no I came to ask for his help with other matters"

"what..?"

"calcifer this is not a subject I want to discuss"

"you always talk formally when your upset"

"cacifer!"

"Due"

She rolled her eyes and finished folding just as the group of children came rushing back inside

"we finished!"

"oh really?"

"yes miss the bonfires outside a little away from the house thing"

"well then" she said fumbling in her purse "that's one bronze coin each"

After she had given them each a coin the went rushing out the Kingston door back onto the market they came from she then scooped the possibly contamination clothes into her arms

"can you watch him again for a bit"

"of course"

She stepped out into the howling wind of the Moore and felt the cold hit her face. It was beautiful out here the stars were making their first appearances and the moon was leaking out from the clouds the most had risen and the air was moist drizzle was coming and I was not at all unlike one of her favorite memories with howl. She could see the pile of wood in the distance and all though the wood was damp there was still a roaring flame on it she floated the clothes over the top of it with a simple weightlessness spell and dropped them on the very top. Normally she would of stayed there next to the fire maybe of even spent the night there under the beautiful sky like she used to. But she knew that calcifer was expecting her back. It was such a shame to miss such a beautiful night.

Walked back slowly breathing in the night and stepped back in the house. Lord it was so claustrophobic in there and stuffy she opened a window

"Due"

"yes calcifer"

"um I think howl is going to be sick again he's been wriggling for the past ten minutes almost as soon as you stepped out the door"

"ok I'll go check on him"

She stepped into his room gently pushing the door open and trying not to disturb him

"Ngh"

"howl"

"ssffie"

Why wouldn't this stupid delirium just go away

"howl what's wrong"

"i…I need the loo"

She felt the blood rush to her face again and howl represented a tomato

"O-ok…. Can you stand if I let you lean on me?"

He nodded slowly

"probably"

She slowly sat him up and lent him against her side. Even this small moment seemed to totally drain him. Due waited a minute or so until he had his energy back. They steadily made their way down the hall to the bathroom. After about twenty minutes or so of blushing and awkward moments howl was back in his room curled up under the duvet trying to sleep.

The door went again and the strange woman and man from the market stepped in

"hey sweetie how's your friend"

"a bit better the regular retching turned into more of occasional retching"

"the young uns you said you'd help stop by"

"yes they were here earlier"

"nice of you to help them the wee monsters"

She smiled awkwardly

"would you like anything to drink?"

"no we're ok we were just at one of my performances and there is always some kind of after party after one of my performances"

"that's nice you are an actress then I suppose"

Lettie giggled

"you are the first person I've met that can say that sentence and make it not sound disapproving but like you're actually interested"

Due smiled awkwardly

"So how did you meet this friend of yours"

"we were both quite young and I had just moved into the area with my parents and sisters and I was exploring the nearby forest and I sort of ran into him and calcifer"

"calcifer?"

"the frustrating fire demon and I met howl in the forest he was playing an abandoned piano and I sorta just jumped in"

"can you still play?"

Lettie glanced at the old piano in the corner

"Yes"

"then" Rolf said raising an imaginary glass and an eyebrow "encore"

Due stood up it had been a little while since she had played. She sat down and put her hands on the keys and tried to remember a song.

"could you play the one you played with your friend?'

"l'm sorry but that need two people"

Calcifer butted in "I remember it"

He sat down on the other side of the stool

(The song - /UwxatzcYf9Q)

A set of miniature instruments floated out Due's purse and backed the piano. After they had finished there was a stunned silence that echoed through the house.

"that was beautiful what song was that?"

"well we made it up but I like to call it the story of howls moving castle"

"That's lovely"

Due was grinning by now

"You know when you smile when you're not thinking about how people will judge you, you look like the start night sky love"

Due grinned again and after move polite conversation the couple left. She headed upstairs to check on howl and was surprised to find him sat up looking at the photos of him and her

"Where did you learn to play that"

"a friend taught me a long time ago" she looked at him again "they say music is great medicine – you look better"

"fevers almost gone I'm just sleepy and a bit thirsty"

"I'll bring up somewater"