Sophie moved past me slightly to peek over the stairway into the castle. I moved up the steps and looked around and smiled slightly. This place was a mess! The fire was burning brightly in his hearth with a chair in front of him and a couch slightly behind that under the stairs. Sophie moved ahead of me to sit in the chair while she looked around. I grabbed a couple of the logs and tossed it on the fire gently for him before sitting with my back on the cold stone hearth.

"What a dump," Sophie commented and I chuckled. "When I think castle this is not what I picture."

"Makes a great hiding spot though," I offhandedly mentioned stretching my back and she just gave me a look.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." We glanced at the shelves in their muck and overcrowdedness. Books were lying open on the table with notes and items next to it to chart the stars. Something made my heart tighten at that and I placed a hand on my chest in confusion. I knew the secret behind Howl and Calcifer, is that why my chest hurt? "Well, one nice thing about getting old is nothing frightens you." Sophie smiled and rubbed her hands together.

"I don't think that's exactly true," I pointed out as she slowly closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

"I don't envy you lady," a voice said from behind me and I quickly sat up on my knees and turned to see Calcifer staring at us from his spot between the logs. "That is one bad curse. Curses are tough. You're going to have a very hard time getting rid of that one."

"The fire spoke."

"Of all the things that's happened, that's what surprises you the most?" I asked her with a small laugh.

"Let me guess the curse won't allow you to talk about it, right?" he scoffed.

"Are you Howl?" Sophie asked innocently.

"No, I'm an extremely powerful fire demon named Calcifer!" Calcifer blew fire from his mouth to the sides so it didn't burn us. "I just like to do that once in a while."

"Well it was very impressive," I told him and he gave me a good look before his eyes widened.

"A fire demon? Well then, you should be able to break my curse!"

"Maybe. Maybe not," he shrugged at her. "Listen, if you can find a way to break the spell that's on me, then I'll break the spell that's on you. You got it?"

"If you're a demon how do I know I can trust you?" Sophie asked him. "You promise to help me if I help you?"

"Meh, I don't know lady. Demon's don't make promises," he told her.

"Then go find someone else," she stated and I started laughing trying to keep quiet so I wouldn't wake Markel upstairs.

"Come on! You should feel sorry for me! That spell keeps me stuck in this castle and Howl treats me like I'm a slave! It burns me up!" Calcifer explained to us. "You gotta keep the water hot, the rooms warm, the castle moving, come on!"

"Oh, that's rough," Sophie said sleepily and I looked to see her slowly drifting off to sleep and fighting it slightly.

"You ever try to move a castle?" Calcifer continued. "If you can figure out how to break this thing on me with Howl, then you can break my spell. After that, I can easily break the spell that's on you."

"Alright, it's a deal," Sophie told him before sleep finally claimed her.

"Hey. Lady!" Calcifer called to her.

"No such luck," I told him. "Once she's out she's out. I'm Emilia by the way. That's Sophie."

"Nice to meet ya," he nodded his head at me and turned back to Sophie. "Some big help she's going to be."

"Don't count her out just yet," I told him. "She's more determined and tougher than she looks."

"You really have that much faith in her?" he asked me and I nodded.

"I've only known her for three years, but I've never had a better friend." Calcifer was quiet for a moment.

"You better get some sleep," he told me motioning to the couch. "I'm sure that will be more comfortable than the floor."

"Is anything going to crawl out and bite me?" I slightly joked and he just gave me a look. I cleared off the couch and laid down on it. I must not have realized how tired I was, because once I was comfortable I was out.


"Are you happy with your wish?" I looked around the darkness to see a figure glowing in front of me. I covered my eyes because of the brightness and squinted to try and get a better look at them.

"Who are you?"

"You're mother, little Emilia."

"I 100% certain my mother doesn't glow," I corrected it. Her.

"You must be wary of those you trust, dear one," she told me.

"What do you mean?" I asked. The figure moved closer to me and the brightness faded to reveal a woman with golden hair and bright red eyes.

"Trust your heart, my daughter. It shall guide you home." My eyes widened at that.

"Back home? To my parents?" I asked her and she just smiled.

"If that is home, then yes."

"What do you mean if that's home?" She kissed my forehead and I started to get dizzy.

"If you wish upon a star
You'll discover who you are.
Be careful of your wish,
For you are surely to be missed."


I jumped when the knocking on the door started. What the hell was that dream? Sophie was still snoring on the chair as the pounding came again. She tried to sit up and ended up cracking her back as she did so. The person knocked a third time and a fourth before we heard footsteps from upstairs. Sophie immediately pretended to still be sleeping while I just relaxed on the couch.

"Hey, who's this lade?" Markel asked getting a good look at Sophie as the knocking continued.

"Port Haven door," Calcifer told him and Markel moved towards the table.

"How'd she'd get in here?" Markel pulled his blue cloak from the table, knocking things over in the process, and donned his old man disguise. "Standby." He changed the color on the dial from green to blue and we watched as he opened the door to two gentlemen. "Mr. Mayor, good day."

"Good afternoon, sir. Would the great wizard Jenkins be at home?"

"I'm afraid that my master is out at the moment," Markel told him. I got up from my seat to glance out the windows and smiled at the ocean view. "I speak for him in his absence."

"An invitation from his majesty, the king." I glared at the message in the mayor's hand as Markel took it from him. "The time for war is upon us. His majesty requires that every witch and wizard aide our homeland. Wizard Jenkins must report to the palace immediately. That's all." Markel closed the door and I turned to see Sophie adding wood to Calcifer.

"I can't believe its come to this," She mumbled as Markel walked up the steps.

"That's the nature of things," I sighed drawing Markel's gaze. "One side thinks one thing so they must take it by force. No matter who gets hurt in the process."

"And who do you two think you're doing here?" Markel asked still sounding like an old man.

"Calcifer said that we could come in," Sophie told him and Calcifer rose to be deny it.

"I did not! They just wandered in here from the wastes."

"They're from the wastes?" Markel asked finally removing his beard from his face. "How do we know they aren't witches?"

"Do you really think I'd let witches in here?" Calcifer asked him as Sophie laughed. A chiming had us looking at the door again.

"Port Haven door again," Calcifer told us. Markel, who was in the process of putting the letter away in a book looked at the door.

"Must be a customer." He made his disguise appear before going to the door.