I unfolded the note once more and read it over again, the writing smudged and creased and nearly illegible from the number of times I'd folded and unfolded it since I had received it in the mail some weeks ago. I checked the address at the bottom once more, which was accompanied by a description of the house before looking up to make sure we were in the right place.

The house was a pale pink color with a blue roof and yellow flowers in the window boxes. All of the houses on the island seemed to be brightly colored, which contrasted greatly with the plain brown and gray houses of Belhaven.

There was a light tug on my gown and I looked down to find my five-year-old son, Isaac, reaching up to grasp my hand in his smaller one. The small gesture of reassurance was enough to make my heart melt. He was such a sweet boy.

I looked behind me, where William stood, holding our three-year-old, Charlotte. He offered me an encouraging smile and I turned back to the door.

With a trembling hand, I reached up, picked up the knocker, and dropped it. The ensuing clash of brass-on-brass was far louder than I expected.

There was a short beat of silence and then muffled footsteps. The door opened and I faltered, surprised. I stared down at a little boy who seemed to be about Isaac's age, with a missing tooth and tousled brown hair. He blinked up at me before offering me a timid smile.

"Erm, I'm sorry," I said slowly. "I was looking for Alice Thorel—"

"Antony, who's at the door?" A familiar voice called from somewhere inside the house.

My breath left me in a rush as Alice appeared in the doorway. She looked exactly as I remembered her, with bright, pale eyes, and delicate features. She wore a pale lavender gown and her blond hair was tied back in a loose knot.

"Oh, dear," she said, looking troubled. "You weren't supposed to arrive for days yet. I haven't finished cleaning."

I threw my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, tears already spilling down my cheeks. "Oh, Alice," I said on a breath. "It's been so long."

She hugged me just as tightly, pressing her head against my shoulder. "Far too long."

We stood like that for several minutes before we pulled away. I smiled, wiping at my eyes. Alice's eyes slid past me to land on Isaac who stood just behind me and then up to Charlotte who was struggling in William's arms, eager to get down and explore. I introduced my two children to Alice and Charlotte hurried forward on chubby legs to offer her a clumsy curtsy, though Isaac stayed half-hidden behind my skirts, far less eager to meet new people than his sister. He always preferred his own company and a book to being around people—a sentiment that I could appreciate.

Another three children, two boys and a girl ran down the hall, interrupting our tearful hello before disappearing out the front door.

I stared after them, surprised, before turning back to Alice. "Alice, what—"

She smiled wryly. "I probably should have mentioned it in the letter I sent you, but this is an orphanage. Poppy and I are the caretakers of thirteen children right now."

"Thirteen?" William said, voicing the question before I had the chance to.

She nodded, grinning. "It is quite a full house at the moment. Though, do not worry, there is still room for the four of you." She stepped back, allowing us in, and shut the door behind us. "I shall go get Poppy and then we have much catching up to do."

We followed Alice through the house to a sitting room with large windows that looked out over the ocean. It was quite lovely. I walked over and looked out the window to the beach, where several children were kicking a ball around in the sand.

"Erika, William!" Poppy said, appearing in the doorway at Alice's behest. "It is so good to see you!"

Poppy looked just as I remembered, as well, though instead of wearing the palace guard uniform that she always used to wear, she wore a dark green gown, her brown hair spilling around her shoulders in wild curls, falling nearly to her waist. She hurried over and hugged the two of us before leading us to our seats.

Alice and Poppy sat across from us in a set of well-worn leather chairs. It looked almost ridiculous to me. Alice never seemed the type to enjoy a humble life such as this one, but she seemed so happy. My heart warmed at the thought. After a beat of silence, I spoke. "Well?" I said expectantly. "Tell us about your travels! Where do you go? What did you do?"

William leaned forward, looking curious. "And why did you settle here? And how on earth did you end up running an orphanage?"

Alice's eyes went wide and she shook her head back and forth quickly. "My goodness, calm down, both of you. We will start at the beginning. After Poppy and I left Belhaven, we spent quite a lot of time traveling. On the boat out, we made a comprehensive list of all the places we wanted to visit in our travels. Of course, we did not have a plan or an order to the list, so it was rather spontaneous. We would reach a place, spend a day or two exploring, return to the harbor and take the next ship out, no matter where it went to. We went to Oprya and spent time traveling the countryside, then left for Vanmere. After Vanmere, we sailed to Lilmanora, and then to Wayholt, then to Connel, then Nova Aeria. We rented out cottages in the woods and little cabins near the sea, we made friends along the way and followed them through cities. We got to see everything. It was spectacular. Though, when we finally wound up here, on Leira, we fell in love instantly. We had been traveling for nearly four years when we stopped on this island for a short visit. Initially, we did spend only a couple weeks here and then we left to go on more adventures. We traveled for another year after that, going to different cities in different countries and exploring all we could. Though, we really had enjoyed our short time on Leira. So, we came back. And we have not left since." Alice said with a smile.

"That sounds like the best adventure. I am so happy for you."

"Thank you," Alice said, her smile widening.

William looked between us, still looking a bit bewildered. "But how do you now run an orphanage?"

"This island is very small," replied Poppy. "And there was not an orphanage when we arrived. But there were many orphans. We did not really intend to open an orphanage, in truth, but we wanted to be a part of the community here. We did not know where we could fit in, since it is a rather close community. That is when we decided to open an orphanage."

"It isn't like we will ever have biological children or anything of the sort, so we were more than happy to take in children who need it," Alice chimed in.

William looked between them, a thoughtful look on his face. "And you're happy?"

Alice's smile widened, her eyes shining in the afternoon light. It was all the answer I needed. "Happier than we ever thought we could be."

We passed the rest of the afternoon chatting and catching up. They went into greater detail about all of the places they'd visited, all of the things they'd done. They'd done so much since we'd seen them last over six years ago. Six years. I still could not believe it had been so long.

The sun had sunk low, nearly meeting the horizon, when we were called to the table for dinner. It was a simpler meal than I had expected from Alice and I was hit with a sudden realization that, perhaps, the Alice I had known all my life did not really exist anymore. She had changed so much, it seemed, and I could not compare her to who she used to be. They were not the same anymore.

Over dinner, William and I got to meet all of the children. They ranged in ages from three to fourteen and they were all so lovely. Isaac seemed to have attached himself to a seven-year-old girl named Rosa and the older children all loved playing with Charlotte. It was so nice to see.

After dinner, everyone dispersed, off to enjoy the last of the daylight before night set in and it was time for bed. William, Alice, Poppy, and I retired to the sitting area for coffee and cake, still having so much to catch up on despite the hours we'd already spent doing so. And, yet, I felt it would never be enough.

#

Later that evening, all of the children were put to bed. I was surprised by the whirlwind of activity that occurred at bedtime. Alice and Poppy running back and forth across the house, putting children in their pajamas, helping them scrub their faces and hands, getting glasses of water. It seemed very chaotic, indeed.

But, once it was all over, all the children were in bed, ours included, the house was blessedly quiet. Peaceful, even.

Once it was just so, I went in search of Alice. I found her sitting on the back porch, looking out at the ocean as the dark water danced in the moonlight.

"There you are," I said, taking the seat beside her. "Do you come sit out here every night?"

"Most nights," she replied. "As I'm sure you noticed, bedtime around here is . . . chaotic . . . to say the least, so I usually find myself in need of a small respite afterward."

I smiled wryly, glancing over at her. "Of course. This seems like the perfect place for that."

Alice turned to me, her smile a bright slash of white in the relative darkness. "Isn't it just? We love it here."

"I'm so glad, Alice," I said, hoping she could feel just how deeply I meant the words. "You deserve every happiness in the world."

She nudged me. "As do you, Erika."

A lump formed in my throat and I found myself blinking back tears. "I am so happy for both of you," I said. "You got what you wanted. You got to explore, see the world, and experience it."

Alice's own eyes seemed to shine with tears, though she would never admit to it, of course. "I never imagined I would be able to experience it. This life. For so long, it was only a dream. And that is all I ever thought it could be. I never expected that I might have this sort of life for myself."

I took Alice's hand in my own and squeezed it tightly, amazed at how far we'd both come, where we'd both ended up. It was a moment we could bond over, the idea of the life we wanted being but a dream, and a distant one at that.

Before I could reply, Alice spoke again. "I am sorry it took so long to reach out to you."

I took a trembling breath and shook my head. I had long ago made peace with Alice wanting her space. We did not talk very often while she was traveling, partly because she did not have a set address that I could send letters to, but mostly because she was busy. She was trying to find herself after an entire lifetime of being told who she was. She needed time away from me too. Though, at first, I had been hurt. I had wondered why she did not write me very much or why she did not visit. But I had gotten over that hurt years ago. I didn't know how to tell her all of this though, how to explain it without crying, or even what I might say. "It's all right," I said finally, hoping it might convey all the other thoughts I had on the matter. She seemed to understand. We stayed like that for some time, watching the moonlight shimmer over the dark shores as the water lapped at the sand, content with where we were and were we had been.

#

When I returned to the house, it was completely silent, the kids having been asleep for some time. It felt like the house itself was sleeping, the way the soft candlelight flickered along the walls, as though they were breathing. I went upstairs to the bedroom William and I would be sharing, but he wasn't there. Instead, I found him in the room the children were sharing, where they were nestled in their beds, fast asleep.

"William?" I said softly upon entering.

He startled when I spoke and glanced over, smiling, before returning to look down at the children.

"What is it?" I asked as I went and stood beside him.

"I was just thinking," he said.

"About what?"

"Our children. We did not have parents who loved and supported us the way they do. I hope they feel that they can be whoever they want when they are older."

My heart ached at the wanting in his voice, the tenderness there. "We will always love and support them, no matter what. I am sure they will know that. We will help them know it."

He nodded and glanced over at me then, head tilted. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, quite fine. It is just that being here, seeing her again after so many years apart, has made me a bit reflective, nostalgic. Much like you, I think. I remember when we were younger, I never knew where I would be by now, but I never expected that I would be here, with you, my first and only love, friends with my sister." I swallowed against the sudden tightness in my throat. "There is a longing in my heart, though, that I cannot explain. I think, perhaps, I wish we could have had more time with this peace and this love in our lives. That my sister and I would have always been friends, not just in the last several years."

William's eyes crinkled at the corners, though it was not quite a smile. "I understand completely. You would have loved to have a friend in your sister growing up, when you felt alone."

The ache in my heart intensified. He was right. That was what it was.

He leaned in and brushed a kiss against my temple, causing my heart to flutter, even after so many years together. "But, you know, would things have turned out the way they did if that was the case? Would we be here together now? Would you and your sister love each other as fiercely if you had always done so?"

He made a good point. How would things have turned out differently if we had had different childhoods? We were happy where we were now and that was all that mattered.

"I had not thought of it that way," I said, looking back down at Isaac and Charlotte sleeping peacefully in their beds. "Thank you, William."

He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me tightly against him. Neither of us spoke for several moments after that, content with the peace and quiet of the slumbering house.

William broke the silence, his voice soft in the relative darkness. "I am happy that you are my future, Erika. I could not imagine living this life with anyone else."

My eyes burned and I blinked several times. "Nor could I," I replied. "I love you, William."

His eyes met mine and he smiled. I looked up at his face, the face I'd come to know so well and love so much. It was amazing to me. So many years together and I still felt this way. Despite the years already behind us, I was so excited for the all the years we had ahead.