Sophie struggled to escape the guards who led her up a long, rounded stairwell. She pulled on the chains around her wrists and tried running back down the stairs, but one guard bucked the chains toward himself and the other pushed her forward from behind. She had no way to liberation; she was a prisoner once again.

The only thing worse than this was Suliman's heinous plan for Howl.

Sophie wasn't exactly sure what Suliman meant by Howl joining his friends, but knowing the sorceress, it must have been a treacherous place. She wondered if his friend, Kenta, was somehow trapped in this scheme of hers as well. Suliman wasn't one for treating her prisoners with much respect, if any, even if they were innocent.

At the final twist of the extensive stairwell, they approached a tall, wooden door. The guard holding her chains pushed with great force against the black, metal handle and thrust her into the room.

Sophie toppled onto the ground, her hands resting against the wooden ground. She looked up to the guards, one blocking the door and the other forcefully grabbing her wrists to release the chains. He wrapped them around his belt and turned to his fellow guard, nodding.

Sophie shuddered away from them. "What are you going to do with me?"

They both walked out of the room, neither paying mind to Sophie's question. They shut the door aggressively, so she rushed forward and pulled the handle. She could hear the keys fiddling inside as they locked her inside. The door wouldn't budge open anymore.

Sophie turned to her surroundings. The room was circular, and Suliman left her with a bed, an armoire, and a writing desk. She obviously prepared for Sophie to stay here for some time, waiting for her to agree to this absurd marriage. How Justin had become so much like her was an enigma. She always thought of him as her friend, her supporter, and hopefully the future King of Ingary.

Justin's brother had no thought of stepping down, and it seemed as though Justin had no thought of overthrowing his rule. She honestly didn't know who would be worse as King now, since both brothers were not impressing her in the slightest anymore. She would rather see a new line of royalty rule over Ingary - it couldn't be worse than the current line.

Between the bed and the desk, a large window overlooked the city. Sophie ran to the window, searching for her location in the Palace. As she went to unlock the window, opening it wide, her fingers were zapped by nothing. She cautiously moved to touch it again, feeling the zap once more - an invisible barrier. Nothing was leaving this room.

She was in the highest tower observing the ant-like people below. Far out into the depths of the Wastes, she could see the heights of scattered mountains disappearing behind the multitude of clouds passing by. Howl and Calcifer kept their castle walking around, and though Sophie felt a whole world away, she still saw the steam pumping out of the pipes and the lifelike castle traveling with a blissful ignorance.

Sophie tightened her fists. She replayed the events of the last few days and weeks in her mind, wondering how things got too far. If only she had cut Justin off from her life after his second – even his first – proposal, how she hoped things would have turned out another way. If only she had told Howl about Justin's attempts in the first place, they could have left Ingary and ignored his advances.

There were so many choices Sophie could have made to prevent the events that occurred, and yet she did nothing to stop them.

She thought things would work out somehow. Life or destiny would work its magic and return things to normal. But that didn't happen; that never happened in reality. Destiny had a set path, and nothing Sophie could have or should have done would have stopped any of this from happening. It was a hard reality to accept.

She looked down, observing the wedding gown she still wore. The intricate lace around the skirt, the mid-length sleeves with a rose pattern, and the simple train that flowed only slightly behind her – Sophie's mind only pictured Justin, and it was haunting. The wedding, the marriage, and her life almost sealed away forever if she had said 'I do.'

She could not have taken that gown off sooner. It was a cruel reminder of how she nearly submitted herself to the most hostile man she formerly called a friend. She snatched the silk sleeves and pulled with a tight grip, ripping one and completely tearing off the other. She lifted the skirt and heaved it off. With exasperated breaths, she threw the wedding gown against the armoire, forcing her slim arms to exert adrenaline. She felt more comfortable in the tiny nightgown she wore underneath. It was lighter, and contained no tainted memories.

Sophie sat at the edge of the bed, pulling the nightgown as far down her thighs as possible. She didn't want to think of what would become of her after this. Such an abrupt decision to stop the wedding may have caused even more catastrophes: Suliman held her captive once again until she agreed to continue with the wedding; Howl was imprisoned somewhere she didn't even want to imagine; and Sophie knew Markl, Calcifer, and the rest of their family were next.

Madame Suliman's power was strong, and she worried that Calcifer and Markl wouldn't be able to hold the castle on their own. If anything happened to them, she would never forgive herself.

From her seat on the edge of the bed, Sophie heard a subtle clawing outside. At first, she worried it was another part of Suliman's torture to have someone burst into her new sanctuary. She lifted her head and stared at the shadowy figure on the other side of the window. He had no trouble jumping through the zapping barrier from his end, but now they were both trapped within Suliman's prison.

Sophie had never been happier and more frightened at the same time to see her wizard.

"Howl..." Sophie whispered. She wanted to stand and hold him close, but she didn't believe it was her place to do so. Not yet, at least. She wanted to ask how he escaped, what Suliman did to him, but she didn't care. All that mattered was his presence.

Howl stood up and brushed the dust off of his black pants. He pushed his dark hair to the side, uncovering a pair of cold, dead eyes. He glared at Sophie with a multitude of emotions running wild inside. She gulped and fiddled with her fingers.

Sophie turned her head to the side, unable to look at his disappointment. She sniffed and closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. She was strong; she knew that. But something about the way Howl stared at her could not shake the feeling that this was all her fault.

"Howl, I–"

"No." Howl held his index finger up and Sophie closed her mouth immediately. Her lips quivered in uncertain fear of the future, as well as of her past decisions. He looked away, trying to find the right words. He bit his lip and lightly pounded a fist in the air, making very subtle movements.

Howl slowly returned his gaze to her, his eyebrows creased downward. "Justin."

"I'm so sorry, Howl." Sophie stood up and walked toward him, but he backed away. She stood anchored to the floor, pressing her arms at her side. "I never wanted to marry him, I swear."

"But you were just about to." Howl belted out, gesturing toward the chapel below. His voice increased with every word he said. "I saw you; I saw you wearing a wedding gown and walking down the aisle to an altar where he stood. I heard your vows and his. I saw him place that ring on your finger. I saw you, Sophie."

Sophie widened her eyes. "You were there from the beginning?"

Howl breathed heavily, clenching his fists at his side as he lowered his gaze. "I wanted to hear you say 'I do' before I let you get away."

"But I didn't." Sophie pleaded. "I didn't say that. I told him no."

"Yes, but that's not why I'm angry." Howl said, his fingernails digging into his palm. "You hid this from me for months. Lettie's engagement was a fraud, and you knew it."

"Not at first."

"Even still!" Howl shouted, startling Sophie. "You lied to me, pretending to be at places you weren't and hiding the fact that Justin has been asking for your hand for months." Howl was inches from her face, watching as she sniffed and bowed her head, unable to show him her guilt. "This is the lowest thing you have ever done, Sophie."

She looked up, the tears staining her reddened face. This time, she didn't look guilty as much as she was irritated. "I was protecting you. Suliman was going to kill you for crimes you didn't commit!"

Howl breathed a laugh and gestured around the room. "Well, look where we are now. In a prison cell or trapped in a tower or hell on Earth. Whatever the crime was she wanted to blame me for this time, I could have handled it!"

"You don't understand, Howl."

"You know I can get out of most anything, so why go back on me for this?"

"She was going to kill you for murdering my sister!" Sophie shouted at him, shoving his chest with a heavy slam. While he was a strong and powerful wizard indeed, there was no way he was aware of this.

He backed up and stared at the distraught Sophie. She wept for Lettie now, reliving the last time she saw her before Suliman morphed back into her original self. The pain she felt when Suliman casually acknowledged her death was unbearable, and Howl finally witnessed her pain.

"Le-Lettie?"

Sophie held her stomach and let the tears flow. She fell to her knees and cried painfully, her moans stabbing Howl. Through all the lies, through all the deceit and manipulation they encountered, he never expected this. Howl knew Suliman was cruel, but this was truly an act of pure immorality.

He knelt beside the fallen woman and held her close, letting her cry into his chest. Sophie felt so comfortable with him, no matter their pain and anger with each other.

"I should have seen it." Sophie said through the tears. "Lettie wasn't acting like herself. She's been dead for months and Suliman fooled me into thinking she was still here."

"I'm so sorry, Sophie. I had no idea." Howl wrapped his arms tighter around her, trying to heal her from this devastating tragedy. Though Howl had never met Lettie, he knew the bond that the sisters shared was closer than any he had had with anyone, not even his own sister. He could only imagine the agony she felt inside.

"I just wanted to save you, to at least save someone." Sophie whispered. Howl released Sophie, helping her stand on her feet. "I didn't want anyone else to get killed or thrown or jail or worse. That woman is a menace."

"Sophie, you didn't have to marry him to keep me alive." Howl said, cringing at his words. "God, Sophie, you were going to marry him... how could you agree to marry Justin, of all people?"

"I was scared; I didn't know what else to do."

Howl shook his head. "All this time I thought you were mad at me when you were the one sneaking around."

Sophie dropped her jaw. "I was mad at you. I still am! You were off on mission after mission while I waited at home. I worried every single night that Justin or Suliman might have done something horrible to you or to our family."

Howl seethed through his teeth. "You should have let me handle it."

"Oh, because you were so easy to find." Sophie said, anger building in her tone.

"I had a duty to uphold."

"I had one person to talk to about my fears." Sophie said, her voice low. "To somehow get through the anxieties. I made Calcifer promise not to say anything because I knew your dark side would reappear had you known the truth. Especially with your heart back, I didn't know what you would have become."

Howl widened his eyes, watching as Sophie turned away and sat on the edge of the bed. She held her arms and shivered, most likely at the thought of Howl releasing the monster inside. He knew she hated that part of him as much as he did, but he hadn't taken into consideration her perspective.

Howl stood still. "Sophie, how could you think I would become that person again?"

Sophie turned to him, tears streaming like a river. "You were finally starting to love me, Howl. I didn't want to lose that. I wanted you to embrace your feelings, not run away from them. Every time you left, I would lie awake in bed wondering if you would come back to me because I didn't know if you would revert back to your old ways. All I needed was to know you were committed to us and that you wouldn't lust over beautiful girls."

Howl knelt beside her, wiping the tears from her face. He gently grasped her hands in his. She held them tightly, never wanting to let go. He tilted her chin so her eyes looked into his. "I will never do anything to hurt you. Ever."

Sophie inhaled a sharp breath. "How do you know that?"

"I love you, Sophie. I love you more than anything or anyone. I know I don't say it often, but I think I just took advantage of having you all to myself. Seeing you up there in that wedding gown about to..." Howl cringed at the thought, but then continued. "I realized I could have truly lost you to him. I didn't even get the chance to propose, since Justin obviously had everything figured out."

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "You were... what?"

Howl laughed softly at his thoughts, but he nodded to her. "I always thought of marriage as a simple written contract, but I see now it is so much more than that. It's dedication to another person on a whole new level. You made me feel things I thought I lost years ago and made me realize there's room in my heart for someone else." He held Sophie's chin softly, smiling at her. "For you."

Howl leaned in and they kissed for the first time in a long time, reminiscing on the love they shared. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, taking in the euphoric sensation. She missed this; she missed him. And she loved him more than anything in the world.

She loved him more than she feared Suliman.

Sophie broke away for a second, the two of them breathing heavily. Howl rested his forehead against hers, running his hands up and down her bare arms, sending shivers through her body. Sophie touched his cheek and he kissed her palm softly, forcing a light smile to appear on her face. She was so in love with Howl Pendragon.

Sophie dropped her hands to Howl's shirt, unbuttoning the first three before Howl grasped her hands. He looked up to her. "Sophie, don't."

She smiled. "I love you, Howl." She continued unbuttoning until his shirt spread open to his sides, revealing his bare, bulky chest. She pushed the sleeves off his shoulders until the shirt fell to the ground, leaving his skin exposed with chilling goosebumps.

As she went to lift her nightgown, Howl stopped her again. "Sophie... are you sure? Don't do this because I want to. I respect your decision to wait."

Sophie couldn't contain her smile as she kissed him once more, leaving all of her worries behind. "Who knows what tomorrow will bring? We're already trapped inside, there's no way back out of this room. Suliman could kill us or keep us locked away forever. We may never get this chance again. I don't want to waste another moment I could have with you."

Howl stood up, Sophie following him and embracing him in another warm kiss. She bit his lip, his mind running wild with all the tempting things he had wanted to do with her for a very long time. This was what he wanted; he wanted to be with her this way.

He pulled away for a moment, Sophie bobbing her head forward. He held her close, his lips brushing her ear. "But what about marriage? I thought you wanted to wait until–"

"It wasn't only about being married, Howl." Sophie said, her rough hands pushing his back until his chest pressed tightly against hers. "I needed to know you were committed to me, that you weren't going to lust and ignore actual love. I needed you to be absolutely sure you loved me."

Howl smiled, cupping her cheeks. "You know I would wait a thousand years just to hold you in my arms."

He kissed her vigorously and held her close, never wanting to let go. She gave him full control, submitting to his every move. Sophie remembered all the times she had said no because she was scared. None of those moments seemed to matter anymore. All of her fears suddenly melted away from his seductive kiss, from his sensual touch. She was no longer scared - not of Suliman, not of Justin, and certainly not of Howl.

As they both lay in the bed, kissing and laughing and whispering words of affection, they expressed their shared love in the most intimate way. All their temptations and all their desires were finally met as the sun vanished into darkness and the moon shone bright into the night's sky.