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31_days2005-08-13 10:50 pm
of-carabas.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2005-08-13 10:50 pm
[August 13] [Howl's Moving Castle] What Could Be Better?
Title: What Could Be Better?
Day/Theme: August 13th/I am already king
Series: Howl's Moving Castle (movie version)
Character: Howl
Rating: G
Howl scowled down at the latest letter from the palace, this one addressed to Pendragon. It was rather a good scowl. Pity no one was around to appreciate it. Well, Calcifer. But he didn't count.
"Here, dinner," he sighed distractedly as he tossed the offending paper Calcifer's way. Which prompted the demon to complain about something or other, and Howl was sure he would sympathize, he really would, if he bothered to listen, which he didn't; he was out the door and gone before the demon could really settle into a good rant. He had more pressing matters to think about. Namely, that letter. Contents thereof.
It wasn't a summoning to the palace. Not yet. No, this was quite casual for Suliman, a friendly invitation, one heartless wretch to another. At least in Howl's case the heartlessness was literal; what was her excuse?
As usual, she seemed quite civil. Downright altruistic, really, such a sweet woman, trying to help out a fellow magician, recognizing his talent and offering him a place of honor in the palace, so kind of her, really. It wasn't the first time she'd offered. He hoped it'd be the last. An utterly futile hope, of course, and he expected it'd stop being an offer and start being a demand as soon as this little war took another turn for the worse. Still, no harm in wishing.
Even before the war, the offer had been there, and he suspected that Suliman honestly had no idea why he kept turning her down, even without the risk to life and limb and stunning good looks. Because of course power of the political variety was oh-so-very important, wasn't it? He could work for a king! What could be better?
"Evening, Mr. Jenkins!" the guard at the gate called out. Howl waved in response, taking a nice deep breath of clean air as he headed out into the fields around the city. Such a clear view of the stars out here.
Yes, whatever could be better than being stuck in someone else's palace, waiting on the whim of some idiot whose main job, as far as Howl could tell, was to screw things up for his people by playing war games without any idea of the consequences? Being unable to walk down the streets without being recognized, not as that nice wizard down the street whose potion had fixed up grandma's arthritis so very well, but as the Great Wizard Howl - or Pendragon, probably; he supposed it was a bit late to fix Howl's reputation even with royal help - aide to the king, lording it over the masses and no doubt leading the troops into battle to get themselves killed or worse. No, thank you. He rather liked the masses. Many of them were female. And what he liked even better than the female masses - although it was a close call - was this. An empty road, miles of scenery, a clear sky overhead, and absolutely no one around asking him to do anything.
Howl took orders from exactly one person: Howl. As far as he could tell, taking orders from anyone else, even a king - especially a king - would be a step down.
Day/Theme: August 13th/I am already king
Series: Howl's Moving Castle (movie version)
Character: Howl
Rating: G
Howl scowled down at the latest letter from the palace, this one addressed to Pendragon. It was rather a good scowl. Pity no one was around to appreciate it. Well, Calcifer. But he didn't count.
"Here, dinner," he sighed distractedly as he tossed the offending paper Calcifer's way. Which prompted the demon to complain about something or other, and Howl was sure he would sympathize, he really would, if he bothered to listen, which he didn't; he was out the door and gone before the demon could really settle into a good rant. He had more pressing matters to think about. Namely, that letter. Contents thereof.
It wasn't a summoning to the palace. Not yet. No, this was quite casual for Suliman, a friendly invitation, one heartless wretch to another. At least in Howl's case the heartlessness was literal; what was her excuse?
As usual, she seemed quite civil. Downright altruistic, really, such a sweet woman, trying to help out a fellow magician, recognizing his talent and offering him a place of honor in the palace, so kind of her, really. It wasn't the first time she'd offered. He hoped it'd be the last. An utterly futile hope, of course, and he expected it'd stop being an offer and start being a demand as soon as this little war took another turn for the worse. Still, no harm in wishing.
Even before the war, the offer had been there, and he suspected that Suliman honestly had no idea why he kept turning her down, even without the risk to life and limb and stunning good looks. Because of course power of the political variety was oh-so-very important, wasn't it? He could work for a king! What could be better?
"Evening, Mr. Jenkins!" the guard at the gate called out. Howl waved in response, taking a nice deep breath of clean air as he headed out into the fields around the city. Such a clear view of the stars out here.
Yes, whatever could be better than being stuck in someone else's palace, waiting on the whim of some idiot whose main job, as far as Howl could tell, was to screw things up for his people by playing war games without any idea of the consequences? Being unable to walk down the streets without being recognized, not as that nice wizard down the street whose potion had fixed up grandma's arthritis so very well, but as the Great Wizard Howl - or Pendragon, probably; he supposed it was a bit late to fix Howl's reputation even with royal help - aide to the king, lording it over the masses and no doubt leading the troops into battle to get themselves killed or worse. No, thank you. He rather liked the masses. Many of them were female. And what he liked even better than the female masses - although it was a close call - was this. An empty road, miles of scenery, a clear sky overhead, and absolutely no one around asking him to do anything.
Howl took orders from exactly one person: Howl. As far as he could tell, taking orders from anyone else, even a king - especially a king - would be a step down.