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Revelations About the Birds and the Bees	By : 1n4ch4n Category: G through L > Howl's Moving Castle Views: 8513 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Howl's Moving Castle. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
Disclaimer: All characters in HMC belongs to Diana Wynne Jones. “And You, Helen” is a poem by Edward Thomas. And me? I’m just a (perverted) writer wannabe who wishes she can earn money through writing and not starve…
December 12, 2005
Revelations About the Birds and the Bees…

(and other things not mentioned as the aftereffects of “Happily Ever Afters”)
Chapter Six (Lemon version)

by Ina-chan
Sophie found Howl as exactly how she had left him… clutching a pillow, snoring softly and completely dead to the world. Typically, she would have stared at her husband in wonder at how he could have possibly slept through the noise and commotion downstairs. But then, there were a million and one thoughts running through her mind. The most important at the moment was to wake him and start sharing each and every single one of them with him.
“Howl,” she called out to him as she reached out and shook his shoulder
Howl tuned over on to his back with a mumbled, incoherent reply and went on with his snoring.
Like an annoyed child, Sophie climbed onto the bed, straddled his waist, and bent over him as close as she could get to his ear. “HOWL!”
Howl’s eyes snapped open at the sound and he started flailing about in confusion, almost throwing Sophie off the bed. Somehow, Sophie managed to hold on to him until recognition lined his features.
“At another time, I would be been thrilled at waking up with you on top of me like this, cariad.” Howl smiled weakly at the compromising position his wife had unwittingly put herself into. He emphasized his point by twining his fingers on the strands of long red gold locks from her now loosened chignon, which splayed like a delicate curtain over his head. “But I’m afraid I’m just too tired to do anything else other than appreciate the view.”
“I’m about to tell you something very important,” Sophie stated firmly, ignoring her husband’s sleepy protests, “and no, it can’t wait.”
“All right…” Howl mumbled in agreement, though he had already started to drift back to sleep
Sophie glowered at her husband indignantly. Whether it was intentional or not, why was it that whenever she had made up her mind about going through with this, her husband always found a way to get himself indisposed? Well, she wasn’t going to delay this any longer. At that point, with her discussion with Cacifer driving her, she didn’t care about anything else anymore except telling him how she felt.
“WAKE UP!” Sophie yelled in frustration, emphasizing her annoyance by punching her husband’s arm.
Hard.
“OW!” Howl’s eyes snapped open again, this time, pain completely driving sleep from his mind. He glared at his wife as he nursed his injured arm. “What’s gotten into you?”
Sophie ignored his whining as she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath before speaking, “I’ve decided that I was going to tell you that I love you, even though you probably don’t deserve it.”
“Well, you definitely have a funny way of showing it,” Howl complained sulkily as he continued to rub his sore arm
“And further more,” Sophie continued on, “if you have any intention of running away with your tail between your legs now that I’ve told you, you should know that it won’t do any good. You’re stuck with me, Mr. Jenkins. And you already know from experience how determined I can be. I will hun…”
Howl froze, as his wife’s words finally registered clearly in his consciousness. He grabbed Sophie’s shoulders and shook her gently, “Wait, wait… stop… HUSH!”
“The cheek!” Sophie glared at him crossly, “Don’t you hush me! I’ve been waiting all these months to speak my mind and I will do it. So don’t you interrupt!”
Howl’s hands tightened their grasp on his wife’s shoulders impatiently, ignoring her complaints, “What you just said right now… say it again.”
“I will hunt you like the dog that you are?” Sophie eyed her husband strangely, feeling a bit bewildered as to why he would want to hear her threats again
Howl shook his head, “No! BEFORE that! What did you say before that?”
Sophie frowned as she quickly tried to recall her words, which was not an easy feat when one was speaking in the heat of the moment. “You’re stuck with me?”
Howl shook his head again as leaned closer to her, forcing Sophie to look deeply in his green orbs. His voice dropped into a low tone as she felt his hands leave her shoulders to cup her face, “Before that.”
All at once Sophie immediately knew the words that he wanted to hear. Her expression softened as she reached out to caress his cheek, “I love you.”
Then there was silence.
All Sophie could hear was the loud thumping noise in her ears as her heart pounded fervently in her chest. She felt her breath hitch as she stared in to his eyes. There was an unreadable expression in them, and he stared at her as if her words had robbed him of the ability to speak. She felt his thumb graze lightly against her lower lip and it took all she had to fight the strange, sudden urge to close her eyes and take it in her mouth.
“Say it again,” Howl repeated again in a soft whisper
“I lo—fff…” Sophie began obediently, as if under a spell. But before she could even finish her sentence, his mouth was devouring hers with hunger and passion, as if he were attempting to swallow her words.
When they finally broke for air, Sophie couldn’t help gazing at her husband with an odd sense of astonishment. She thought that she was no longer a stranger to her husband’s passions… it was only until that moment that she realized, with a shock, how much he had been holding back from her.
Then for a brief moment, her mind froze with a strong sense of uncertainty. She knew all at once that after this, everything between them would change. It frightened her. It thrilled her. She wanted to stop, run away, and leave things as they were. She wanted to run forward… run to him… to explore and experience these new sensations he was making her feel. Then in the end, she decided that she didn’t know how to feel. In that brief, anxious, perplexing moment of introspection, she considered the thought that she was probably going mad.
But it was only a brief moment…
Before her mind could conjure more of her self-doubt, he sat up in one easy movement, causing her to slide comfortably on his lap as he started kissing her again on all the places he’d become quite familiar with to entice the reactions he wanted. His kisses this time were soft but electrifying butterfly-wing touches on the sensitive spots on her face and neck. In her current position, she felt her husband’s growing hardness, pressing insistently against her inner thigh through their clothes.
Despite her inexperience, Sophie was not entirely innocent. Aside from Mrs. Fairfax’ wedding night lessons, Sophie had already become familiar with the mechanisms her husband’s desire during those frustrating moments of passion that he would suddenly cease before things got more interesting. There were also the many mornings when she woke to feel him straining against her hip. There was even that one morning when she stole enough courage to touch him with curious fingers while he slept which led to a rather embarrassing situation when he was awoken by her actions.
But this time, with the knowledge that things were going to lead to a different outcome caused a strange sort of excitement within her. An ache, an itch, that strange sensation that he woke that started from the pit of her stomach and reached a point between her legs that began to throb unrelentingly. She once again met his lips hungrily as she wrapped herself around him in a passionate embrace. She rubbed that uncomfortable area against his thigh instinctively, accidentally brushing against his stiffening member, causing him to moan in her mouth.
Sophie felt her husband’s hands reach behind her head to free the rest of her hair from its bonds. He pulled just a hair’s-breadth’s away from her so that they were sitting face to face, yet at the same time close enough to feel their breaths mingle and sense each their body heat radiating against each other. Her breath hitched in anticipation as she felt him reach behind her to completely free her now unruly hair from its bounds.
He idly brushed the stray strands from her face and tucked them behind her ear before his warm hand lovingly cupped her cheek once again, “You’re so beautiful.”
Despite herself, a blush instantly crept on her face. She ducked her head and averted her eyes from his gaze, suddenly feeling shy. Instead, she turned her attention on the buttons of his shirt. It was only then that she noticed that he was still wearing the same shirt she had cried on when they were in Wales. She felt a twinge of guilt upon the awareness that her husband had actually been too exhausted to even change to proper sleeping attire.
But once again, all of those thoughts were pushed aside as her husband renewed his assault, his lips trailing down her throat until he reached the sensitive area where neck met shoulder, causing her to close her eyes and shiver in pleasure. She was barely aware of his questing fingers, fumbling across the bodice of her dress until a noise that suspiciously sounded a lot like fabric being torn apart forced her eyes to fly open in surprise. True enough, her favourite grey dress was definitely ruined beyond repair as it revealed more parts of her that seldom saw the light of day. She shot her husband an accusing glare. Howl only responded with that infuriating grin of his.
“I always hated that dress, but unlike you, I could never find the right excuse to get rid of it until now,” He murmured as he expertly slipped the sleeves off to bare more of his wife’s creamy shoulders
“You better not do the same with my underthings,” Sophie glowered as she wrapped her arms over her chemise protectively, “It’s bad enough when Fanny sticks her nose in my business on things she only assumes. I won’t hear the end of it when she gets wind of why I need to purchase a good quantity of replacements.”
Howl chuckled as he whispered huskily in her ear, “I personally think you look better without them.”

Sophie’s cheeks burned once again at her husband’s remark. She lifted her chin and let out a snorted huffily. “If you can easily repair a torn sleeve with a sleight of hand, you could have taken my dress off without damaging it just as easily.”
“But what’s the fun in that?” Howell complained softly as he nuzzled her sensitive earlobe, “I like to unwrap my presents the old fashioned way.”
“So I’m a present now?” Sophie gasped, instinctively clinging on to his shoulders
Howl simply smiled as he slid the delicate straps of her chemise down her shoulders to expose the milky mounds of her breasts. Her hands went up to cover them on impulse, but her husband’s questing lips were much faster. All she could do was cling to his shoulders helplessly with a loud moan as she arched her back to give him easier access.
A moment… or an eternity later, she felt her husband gently tug at the rest of her clothing. She pushed away his hands as she stood up, the chemise and ruined dress to pooling at her feet, leaving her standing before him in only her pantalettes. Sophie instantly felt an inexplicable surge inside her as she saw the almost ravenous expression on her husband’s eyes while he admired her form. For the nth time, she felt her face flush, torn between embarrassment and anticipation. Somehow, she managed to keep her arms from covering her chest self consciously. She gave her husband an awkward attempt with at a coy smile instead. “I take that you’d like to finish unwrapping your present now?”
Howl simply grinned in amusement. He knelt before her and pulled down her last piece of clothing. Sophie lifted a foot to completely rid of the clothes on her feet, only to have it catch on the folds of the dress that pooled around her feet. She let out a loud yelp of surprise as she lost her balance and tottered dangerously off the bed. Howl grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him, causing her to fall over him.
“Sophie strikes again,” Howl chortled against her shoulder despite himself, “only you can make this a dangerous sport.”

Sophie let out a strangled noise from her throat as she started to pound his arms with the bottom of her fists. “Stop laughing at me! I’m doing my best here! It’s your husbandly duty to put your frightened innocent wife at ease before you deflower me!”
This only caused Howl to completely fall into uncontrollable mirth to the point that all he could do was put out his arms protectively over his head as Sophie grabbed a pillow and started pelting him in complete aggravation.
“Stop! Stop! Alright! I’m sorry!” Howl finally managed to gasp when he found his voice. He caught her arms and pinned her under his body.
“You’re so impossible! You… you… MAN!” Sophie cried angrily as she struggled out of his grasp. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to do this anymore!”
“I’m sorry,” Howl whispered. He did sound genuinely apologetic, despite the mischievous twinkle in his eyes and his amused chuckles. “It’s just that I’ve never heard anyone say husbandly duty, innocent, and deflower in a single breath before.”
“And what’s wrong about that?” Sophie demanded matter-of-factly. “I assumed that you already know all about that, considering your… colorful… history.”
“I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear that,” Howl quipped back, pretending to look scandalized. “I don’t doubt your innocence, but I honestly can never imagine you of being frightened of anything. Now who would put such silly ideas in your otherwise obstinate head?”
“Obstinate?” Sophie sputtered back. “Well then, I suppose Mrs. Fairfax was correct in all counts. Men do start become even more dim-witted in bed when all the blood from their heads rush to other parts of their bodies.”
Howl’s left eyebrow twitched at the comment, but the smile never left his lips. He gently cupped her face as if to make sure she was paying attention. “Before we go any further, let’s just establish one very important rule. When we are together like this, it will just be the two of us. So we are not to mention Mrs. Fairfax’s name… or refer other person for that matter. The only name I want to hear from you is my own”
Sophie raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Why Mr. Jenkins, are you so self-absorbed that you would be jealous of a sweet old lady?”

“There’s nothing sweet about her putting all these silly ideas in your head,” Howl retorted.
“Well that’s uncalled for!” Sophie protested, now in genuine annoyance as she poked his chest to emphasize her defiance, “MRS. FAIRFAX was just looking out for my well-being by educating me in these matters so I won’t be so ignorant. It’s not fair being at a disadvantage to you as it is.”
“Sophie…” Howl stared at his wife with an expression on his face that indicated that he was completely lost in the conversation.
“Oh for goodness sake! Fine!” Sophie huffed in frustration, closed her eyes and laid her arms passively on her sides. “I’ll stay still so you can do what you will and get it all done and over with.”
She stiffened instinctively as she felt her husband shift beside her. But he didn’t do anything else other nestle the crown of her head underneath his chin, and coax the tense muscles of her arms to relaxation. Sophie sighed, feeling a bit shamed by her actions. She knew now that, despite his history of constantly slithering out, he was really being extremely patient with her. As much as she wanted to do this, she just couldn’t shake her inexplicable feelings of anxiety.
“I have a confession to make,” Howl suddenly whispered over her head. “I’m actually quite nervous right now.”
Sophie’s eyes popped open in astonishment at her husband’s sudden lapse of honesty, “You?”
Howl frowned, offended by her tone. “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re the one who steals and eats young girl’s hearts and…” Sophie began
“I’ve never been with you,” Howl interrupted before his wife could rant on. Then continued without bothering to mask uneasiness in his voice, “and I’ve never been with someone who’s a… I’ve never done it with a… a… deflowering.”
“You’ve never?” Sophie exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock as she rose on her elbows to face him fully.
“Well, I’m sure the process is entirely the same,” Howl continued on self consciously. “I’m just a little nervous about hurting you…”
Sophie looked at her husband in a new light. Was that the reason why he had been postponing this for so long? She couldn’t believe at how silly her husband could be with some things. But at the same time, she couldn’t help feeling touched by his silly sentiments.
Just then, the other meaning of her husband’s most recent comment registered in her head. She knew now for certain that her husband’s reputation in Ingary portrayed him in an inaccurate light. That any innocent maiden he may have chased in the past was left behind… well… innocent. But even though that closed one door, it only opened another door with more questions. Her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her. “So you’re saying that the other women you’ve been with---”
“When we’re together like this, it’ll be just the two of us,” Howl interrupted again, emphasizing his point by putting a finger over her lips.
Sophie was about to argue in protest when her husband’s logic hit her. Despite her nosy nature, she didn’t really want to hear the details about her husband’s past with other women. At least not at that moment, that is… Though she figured that there was no harm in teasing him about it! After all, he did hand the ammunition over to her on a silver platter. Sophie let out a mischievous grin before speaking. “Well then, Mr. Jenkins, now I know for sure that I don’t want to do this with you anymore. With this being my first time, I’d prefer to do it with someone who knows what he’s doing.”
“Now you’ve done it,” Howl growled in mock indignation as he suddenly rose and pounced on her, causing Sophie to yelp and giggle in protest as he attacked the ticklish areas on her sides.
Moments later, Sophie lost her voice once again to loud moans and pants as she writhed helplessly under her husband’s renewed sweet torturous assaults on her body. She couldn’t exactly remember when, but somewhere along the way they managed to shed his clothes along with her own discarded garments. For some time, Sophie reveled at her husband’s reactions as he gave her a turn to survey her “present”.
As she her lips trailed down his chest and her fingers traced the outline of his back, Sophie was reminded once again that beneath the folds of his usual tall, slender, and foolishly overdressed gallantry were the firm and well-defined muscles of an athlete. She reveled at how gentle he had been with her, despite the obvious strength that his body possessed.
“Stop,” Howl suddenly hissed, grabbing her by the wrist when her curious fingers started their trek lower.
“What?” Sophie asked in alarm. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” Howl replied, his voice sounding oddly strained, “I just rather you not touch me there right now.”
Sophie gave her husband a puzzled look. “Why not? You didn’t mind before…”
“I just don’t feel like reliving an embarrassing boyhood memory at a critical moment like this,” Howl answered sheepishly
“Embarrassing?” Sophie echoed, her mind’s eye going back to that particular morning when she decided to educate herself on her husband’s anatomy while he slept. She admitted that she was initially surprised, but she didn’t see any reason why it could be embarrassing. It was a natural human function, after all… as Mrs. Fairfax would say.
It was then that she remembered a bit of gossip she overheard one of the girls was giggling about back in the hat shop. She had been completely innocent back then, and thus didn’t understand what they were laughing about. But knowing what she knew now, she could see how it could be traumatically humiliating for a boy. She gave her husband the most innocent look she could muster, which was not an easy feat when one was trying to hold back her complete mirth. “Howl… Megan didn’t walk in your room while you were playing with yourself, did she?”
Howl stared at his wife in complete disbelief and mortification, causing Sophie to release the hysterical bout of laughter she had been holding back. She didn’t even have the strength to fight back as her husband rolled back atop her and pinned her wrists above her head.
“You naughty little wench! The ideas that form that your head of yours…” Howl managed to sputter as he recovered from his own round of laughter. “I have half a mind to give your bottom a good spanking just to teach you a lesson.”
“Yak yak yak yak… all talk and no act---aaaah…” Sophie began to counter only to have her sentence suddenly cut short by the jolt of pleasure that shot through her as she felt her husband’s fingers skillfully graze within the sensitive folds of her nether regions.
“You were saying?” Howl whispered roughly with a sly grin
Sophie simply clutched onto his arm with her free hand and instinctively opened her legs wider to give him better access. He then completely released her restrained hands as he shifted downwards and concentrated on the center of her pleasure. She closed her eyes, raked her fingers through his hair, and threw her head back as she felt his fingers gently sliding, probing and exploring her on the right places with just the right pressure. His movements urged her forward to some place that she didn’t know so intensely, that it started to frighten her.
When she felt his warm breath brush softly against her femininity, Sophie’s eyes shot wide open and she instantly pushed him away with an alarmed cry. Mrs. Fairfax hadn’t mentioned that he was going to do that! In turn, Howl maneuvered to hold her, whispering soothing apologies to calm her.
“I’m sorry,” Sophie murmured in complete mortification as she covered her face, feeling a bit foolish.
“Don’t,” Howl replied patiently as he pulled her hands away so that she could look at him. He gave her a reassuring smile. “It was my fault. I should have realized you weren’t ready for that yet.”
Sophie simply gave him an uncertain look, still very much embarrassed by her reaction. She never felt so small and insignificant in her entire life. Her thoughts unconsciously went back to the more experienced women her husband must have been with in his past. He must think she was being a silly little girl compared to them. She bit back a sob and tried to blink back the tears of shame burning behind her eyes.
She felt him cup her face once again in his hands, and this time Sophie saw the now quickly becoming familiar panicked expression on his face when she found herself in the verge of tears before him. “We’re both learning each other so we’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll lead you, so trust me. Alright?”

Sophie nodded and with a sheepish hiccup. She then felt his lips meet hers in tender encouragement, re-igniting the fire doused by their mishap. Sophie willed herself to push all her self-doubt to the darkest corners of her mind as she submitted herself to her husband’s tender ministrations. She let herself be lost to the sensations until she felt him gently nudge her thighs apart to settle into a more comfortable position on top of her. Sophie felt her anxiety welling up again as she tensed unconsciously, upon feeling his stiff member against her entrance. He gently cupped her face and looked deeply in her eyes.
That was when she saw that strange unreadable expression in his eyes once again. The one that made him look as if he couldn’t decide what emotion to express. All at once, Sophie realized that he was probably feeling the exact same thing as she was. Anxious… nervous… terrified, despite their feelings of anticipation as they stood at the threshold to the next level of their relationship. It was comforting in a strange way. Sophie, then, felt all her doubts and anxieties melt away to be replaced by the inexplicable urge to hold him close. She gave him a reassuring smile as she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him closer.
“Rwy'n dy garu di,” Howl whispered as he melted into her embrace
“What does it mean?” Sophie whispered back, though something in the way he said those words had already given her a good idea what it meant without any translation
“It means I need to teach you Welsh as well,” Howl replied cryptically as he nuzzled her earlobe
“Roo wind garoo dee,” Sophie mimicked as best she could
“Close enough,” Howl chuckled in amusement.
“But what does it mean,” Sophie replied insistently, not willing to let it go
Howl smiled, his expression softening, as he stroked his wife’s cheek. “I love you.”
Sophie felt her already hammering heart skip upon hearing his response. She was about to answer when a sharp stinging sensation between her legs caused her to gasp, preventing her words from leaving her throat. She stared at her husband’s face in shock at the realization that he had eased himself halfway inside her. Sophie had expected this. Mrs. Fairfax mentioned in her lecture, after all… that there may be some pain and a good deal of discomfort on the first time. But it still felt unreal when it actually happened. It didn’t make it less excruciating either.
She writhed and bucked her hips instinctively to dislodge him, but only succeeded in driving him deeper inside her. Her husband groaned in response to her movements. He buried his face on the crook of her neck, continuing to whisper his soothing reassurances, holding her tighter in his arms. She blinked back the tears that were pooling at the corners of her eyes as she focused on her pain. The sting has subsided to a dull ache as her protesting inner muscles continued to spasm against her husband’s intrusion. He kissed the corners of her eyes apologetically and stayed still as he held her. Sophie could feel him throbbing deep inside her, and the heat from his body was making her comfortably warm. Setting the soreness aside, being together with him like that did feel pleasant.
“Sophie,” Howl whispered desperately, as if her was in a great deal of pain.
Sophie looked up at him with unspoken concern. She had been so focused with her own worries that she had been oblivious to her husband’s needs. He really has been very patient with her. All at once, she allowed the tears she had been holding back to flow freely.
Another alarmed expression flashed across her husband’s face as he wiped her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “What’s wrong? Does it still hurt?”
“Nothing,” Sophie replied with a shake of her head. “I just feel very happy.”
She saw his expression soften, before he rested his forehead over hers and finally openly expressed what he thought about her erratic display of random emotions. “You’re so weird.”
Sophie laughed at that, causing her husband to moan in pleasure as he felt her laughter vibrate against him. She caressed his cheek and spurred him on with a small smile when he had recovered. His lips briefly claimed her own once again before his body slowly started to move against hers. Sophie winced and bit back her whimpers of pain, still unused to the burning raw ache created by their friction that even the slickness of their bodies could not relieve. She could feel him moving so deeply inside her, as if he was pushing her vital organs aside as he made his way up her belly, against her lungs and up her throat. It was making it more and more difficult to breathe.
Through the haze forming in her head, she studied his face in silent fascination. He was also watching her, possibly reflecting the expression on her face. A sheen of sweat had formed over his skin, plastering strands of hair on his face. She reached out to brush a wet strand from his eyes and caressed his cheek. He closed his eyes to her touch and she felt his hands ease down to hold her hips. He gently shifted her, changing the angle of his entry. He rubbed against something inside her that caused Sophie to let out a loud gasp as a new wave of pleasure coursed through her body.
Her legs instinctively went around his hips as she started to move against him, spurring him to move faster still. The force of his movements grew stronger with each thrust. The only thing she could do was cling to him and move with him as best she could, as he urged her on to catch up with his pace, pulling her along to wherever it was he was going. She felt his breath murmuring softly against her ear as his passion took him.

“Sophie fach… angel… cariad… rwy'n dy garu di…”
She couldn’t understand the disjointed words he murmured in her ear, but her heart understood enough from the passion in his voice the meaning behind them. She knew that they could only be a resonance and reflection of what she had been feeling. Thus, Sophie simply let the sensations their song and dance was creating wash over her with pain, pleasure, uncertainty, comfort and unmistakable joy.
It came to the point where it started to feel overwhelming. The sensations were pulling at her from many directions at once. It was pushing her towards something unknown, against her will. For a moment or an eternity, she felt like she was going to drown or be pushed off a high cliff and fall, or both. She quickly realized that not even the power of words could save her. This feeling had even robbed her of the ability to form words in her mind. All she could do was cry out her husband’s name, as she clung to him tightly, desperately hoping that he would somehow understand how frightened she was of what was happening. But not even his whispered murmurs of reassurance pacified her terror of the unknown.
“I… I… Howl!... falling…” She managed to cry out to him frantically, trying to make him understand
“Then fall,” he whispered into her ear breathlessly. “I’ll catch you.”
Before she could protest, not that she could… or even wanted to… Her feelings pushed her to a place where light, sound, and sensation merged to magnitude proportions. It was beyond what her senses could handle. It seemed for one brief moment… or eternity… it felt as if the world stopped and she was going to step towards the verge of death… had it not for the comforting warmth that seemed to envelope her and pull her gently back to the ground.
It took a significant amount of time later, within a tangle of clothes, linen and sweaty limbs that the world started to move again. The haze misting Sophie’s reasoning finally cleared enough for her to be able to form coherent thought. She turned to face the body still holding onto her with a sense of awe.
Howl smiled in reply and ran his fingers through her hair, “Are you all right?”
“I thought I died,” Sophie replied in a tone as if she couldn’t believe that she was still very much alive
“Well, that’s one way of putting it!” Howl laughed. “Then I would assume that Mrs. Jenkins is quite satisfied?”
Sophie grinned impishly as she rolled on top of him and folded her arms on his chest so that they were looking at each other face to face. She put on a thoughtful expression as she traced small circles on his shoulder with her forefinger. “Well, I admit that the finale was quite spectacular. But there were sections near the beginning and the middle that were a little awkward.”
“Is that so?” Howl replied in the same tone, one eyebrow arching in amusement, “And what does Mrs. Jenkins recommend to resolve that?”
Sophie snuggled against him until she found a comfortable position, resting her head underneath his chin before replying, “Practice, Mr. Jenkins. And lots and lots of it.”
“Oh, woe… I think I’ve awakened a monster,” Howl moaned theatrically as his fingers continued to play with his wife’s long tresses, which spread about them like a blanket
“You’ve only got yourself to blame for it,” Sophie retorted sulkily, “We would have had a head start months ago if it weren’t for your delays.”
“Blame me for thinking about you…” Howl replied huffily, “Not that it matters now. But I simply made a promise to myself to postpone this until I’d given you a proper wedding.”
Sophie raised her head and gave him a funny look, “A wedding? But we already had one.”
“No offense, cariad. But that ritual was imposed on us by a group of Mad Hatters, who don’t know when not to keep their long noses out of other people’s business. I only went along with it because it seemed to be the only way for me to keep you,” Howl explained with dramatic flourish, “I wanted to give you a real wedding. The stuff in traditional fairy tales that every woman dreams of at the conclusion of every story … you know… with the poofy dress, the bridesmaids, the flowers and the cake…”

“Whatever gave you the idea that’s what every woman dreams of?” This time, it was Sophie who fell into a peal of amused giggles as she stared at her husband in disbelief. “I don’t want any of that. Everything I could ever want is right here.” She emphasized her point by giving her husband an affectionate peck on his lips before continuing with a warm smile. “Besides, I think our story has already broken every fairy tale tradition. What’s the problem with breaking one more?”
Howl smiled back as he reached out to capture her lips for another kiss. Sophie felt her pulse immediately quicken, feeling the electricity from his fingers as they released the nape of her neck to run along the contours of her shoulders and down the small of her back. Then he pulled away as if a thought suddenly occurred to him. Sophie couldn’t help letting out a sigh of annoyance as he moved. She disentangled herself from his arms, but was determined not to let him slither out again and made her point by straddling his lap.
Howl didn’t seem to disapprove or even notice her intentions. He closed one hand into a loose fist between them, then looked up at her, as if to make sure she was watching, “Before anything else, there’s one tradition that I’m afraid that we can’t skip.”
“All right…” Sophie gave in. She looked down at his hand curiously, her nosiness getting the better of her.
Howl opened his fist to reveal a ring in his palm. Sophie gasped upon seeing it. It was an intricately carved silver band. It looked very old, though it didn’t look particularly valuable. But there was a particular aura around it that even a person who wasn’t gifted with magical talents could tell that it held a history that even all the currencies in the King of Ingary’s treasury could never match.
“It was my great-grandmother’s,” Howl stated, as if to confirm Sophie’s thoughts, “My great-grandfather made it and gave it to her as a promise ring. Then he answered the call of king and country during the First Great War. My great-grandmother gave it back to him as a talisman so that he would return safely. Family legend has it that he accidentally dropped it one fateful day and got shot in the arse. Well, at least it got him shipped home.”
If Sophie wasn’t on the verge of bursting into tears, she probably would have laughed. But knowing how her tears upset her husband, she simply nodded and concentrated on holding back the dam threatening to burst from her eyes.
“Since then my great-grandmother gave this ring to my grandfather for him to give to his bride, and my grandmother to my father to give to my mother…” Howl paused as an unreadable expression crossed his face, before continuing. “Before my mother died, she sent it to my grandmother for safekeeping… so that I could give this to you.”
Sophie could only swallow the painful lump in her throat as she looked back at her husband’s gaze.
He lowered his eyes, looking a bit embarrassed, “This wasn’t exactly how I was planning on giving this to you. There was just never a good opportunity and I kept messing up that poem…”
“Poem?” Sophie asked hoarsely
“One of my mother’s favourite poems, my father read it to her when he proposed,” Howl explained, looking a little sheepish, “I have to change it a bit to fit…”
“Let’s hear it,” Sophie whispered
Howl gave her nervous smile as he took her right hand with his free hand. He kissed it before slipping the ring on her finger, “And you, Sophie…

…what should I give you?

So many things I would give you

Had I an infinite great store

Offered me and stood before

To choose. I would give you youth

All kinds of loveliness and truth,

A clear eye as good as mine,

Lands, waters, flowers, wine,

As many children as your heart

Might wish for, a far better art

Than mine can be, all you have lost

Upon the traveling waters tossed,

Or given to me. If I could choose

Freely in that great treasure-house

Anything from any shelf,

I would give you back yourself,

And power to discriminate

What you want and want it not too late,

Many fair days free from care

And heart to enjoy both foul and fair,

And myself, too, if I could find

Where it lay hidden and it proved kind.”
Sophie sat there and stared back into the deep green pool of his eyes as if he held her in a trance. Howl’s words echoed in her head against the loud hammering in her chest. A number of visions ran through her mind’s eye… All the trials they’d endured together, their arguments, and their endearing moments. Visions of their children yet to be born with the two of them together watching them grow up. The two of them watching each other grow old…
Her husband’s finger brushing against her cheek brought her thoughts back to reality, and it was only then that she realized with great embarrassment that once again, she wasn’t able to stop herself from crying. Though this time around, he didn’t seem to be overly upset to see her tears. “I know it’s a bit silly asking this now. But will you have me, Sophie?”
He was looking at her, expecting to hear her answer. But Sophie found that her throat had closed up painfully and refused to release her voice. So she answered the only way she could at the given situation… She wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him with such passion that he had to take her by the shoulders to gently push her away so that he could come up for breath.
“I would take that as a ‘yes’,” Howl gasped
“Yes,” Sophie replied, finally finding her voice, “yes forever and ever and ever and ever!”
Howl smiled again and bent down, proceeding to a shower a downward trail of kisses on her jaw to her neck.

“I think I like your father, he had a very good taste in poems,” Sophie commented idly as she closed her eyes at the sensations her husband was creating. “I would have liked to have met him.”
“You probably will, eventually.” Howl stopped and snorted, not hiding his annoyance, “Megan receives the odd postcard from him now and then. But no one’s really seen the old coot since he retired and set off to travel and find himself… whatever that means.”
Sophie blinked in surprise. From the way Howl spoke about him earlier, she had assumed that her father-in-law had gone the same way as Howl’s mother. It was only then that she remembered what Calcifer said about her husband still having a number of unresolved issues. She couldn’t help feeling a bit intrigued. Her husband’s family situation was making Fanny’s nosiness a rose in a field. “You have a very odd family.”
“And I don’t feel like thinking about them when there are other things that I’d rather be doing right now,” Howl whispered lewdly as he gently nudged her legs to wrap them around his hips
Sophie flushed in embarrassment, but she managed to flash him a mischievous smile, “Does Mr. Jenkins wish to go over and practice the awkward sections?”
“Practice is the only way to master it, cariad. I’m a perfectionist, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to subject you to lots of it,” Howl sighed mournfully, as he rolled over her. She complied with a lot of self-conscious giggling as he bent over her lovingly. “Lots and lots of it.”
The End! Really!

(^_^. Yay!)
****
Author’s squawk:
I have finally gotten around to finishing the lemon version of this chapter (which is probably not much different from the tame version… not very much) ! ^_^. Anywayz… I hate “first time” lemon fics. I don’t want to write a typical “first time” lemon fic so I came up with this one. It’s actually tougher than I thought to try to stay true to the romantic aspect of the story and keep it as real as possible. *evil grin* I was tempted to dwell a bit on the blood and gore, but it just broke the rhythm of the story, so I kinda chucked that scene out.
Quick reference… the poem Howl played around the words with is originally titled, “And You, Helen” by Edward Thomas. It was stolen from “The Oxford Book of Welsh Verse in English” (1977).
If ya like this fic, please feel free to review by clicking the review link! ^_^.
Ja!
Ina-chan
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