.

.

17. Kisses

Hearts can always change.

That's the something you can count on.

Sophie cradles Turnip Head's broken pole in her arms, devastated. "Howl, what do we do?" she whispers.

Howl stirs awake, grimacing in pain. A heart… there's a living and beating heart inside him. Weighing him down like a boulder.

"What do you mean?"

"Turnip Head's been cursed—don't you see!" Sophie insists, her brown eyes filling with tears.

"I do," Howl says gently, clasping her shoulder with a hand and kneeling down with her. "Please don't cry, Sophie. It will be alright." This poor prince has been cursed more than once, Howl observes. Or rather, he has tendency for it. Rotten luck.

Sophie lets out another soft, ragged breath, leaning in to kiss Turnip Head's cheek.

Nothing.

Howl furrows his brows.

Shouldn't an expression of Sophie's love lift this curse? A pure and truthful love?

He gazes into the beady, black eyes of Turnip-Head, scrutinising his expression beneath the layers of magic. Reading into his thoughts. "Ah… of course, yes," Howl concludes after a long moment of silence. "Sophie… would you allow me?"

She stares at Howl in outright confusion. Her silvery, short hair whips around her.

Howl leans over, pressing his own lips against Turnip Head's cheek. Right where Sophie kissed.

Turnip Head bounces out of their hands immediately, morphing and elongating. A buttery yellow riding jacket. A dress shirt and a rose-colored waistcoat. A dark pink bow-tie. Buttery yellow curls. Prince Justin gasps for air, his light grey eyes widening.

"Take it easy, fellow," Howl says, getting up and steadying the other man. One of Howl's arms clings to him.

"I-I," Prince Justin mumbles, gawking into Howl's smiling face. "T-Thank you. I didn't know if I…"

Sophie gleefully rises to her feet.

"Howl! You did it!"

"Of course," Howl agrees, unfazed. "Kissing him did nothing when you had done it, Sophie. Because you weren't a man."

"Ooh!" Sophie exclaims, grinning bashfully.

Prince Justin's cheeks flame.

Hearts always love.

And that's the one thing Howl knows never changes.

dfdf

.

.