Updated: 04/09/2019*

"Sophie and Charlie."

It was a child… with the Major's eyes.

"Oh wow! Auto Memories Doll!" His childlike fascination overwhelmed her as she passed the cabin's threshold and into the living space. "That's so cool!"

"Yes." Violet couldn't think of much else but the color of his eyes.

"Alright." He shut the door behind her, bowing his head in encouragement for her to step closer to the sofa seats. "Nice to meet you Violet." He was such a polite child, so full of life, it left her feeling dizzy just looking at a painful replica of the Major. Younger, way younger than the Major, young enough that even she could bend her head down to meet his angelic gaze. Dietfried and the Major's mother's had photos of when they had been younger, a certain black and white photo flashed across her eyes, that was the Major's face, there was no way... and yet the child was real, so real.

"Is the Major Alive?" She had once asked Claudia. "Don't worry Violet, he asked me to come here."

Had that not been the only lie Violet had been told? Could the Major be alive? Was this his family home? Was this boy...

The boy waved her to sit. "Please sit down on the chair while I get Sophie." He said leading her hand to the loveseat, same black hair as the Major, yet two inches shorter in height than Violet, but twice as excited to see her, as if he had been expecting her this whole time. "Don't move, I'll be right back!"

As for Violet, she just couldn't seem to catch her breath as she looked at the heavenly child.

She could let alone let go of the flutter in her chest as she sat in the offered loveseat and watched the miniature version of Gilbert Bougainvillea run into another room, shutting the door behind him, and telling this Sophie that she had arrived. His excitement was a frantic one, and her heart mirrored it, galloping like a war horse. Surely her heart had leapt out her mouth as she began to gap, and it reminded her back to the time when she had no words to say.

When she was a child, she had been a shy girl to a cruel world, but once she had been excited beyond belief, believed in the good... in presence of The Major.

"Violet. That is your name now, Violet."

The way the Major had once said her name, breathing life into it when she knew little of it's meaning, and not once had she had ever expected he already had history with naming other children.

Especially, his own child, her mind shrieked in alarm and delight at the prospect.

She had just seen a little boy with his eyes!

The day seemed brighter now as Violet imagined a room filled with the Major's children. Even a house filled with his progeny, all with his eyes, such a beautiful color, and perhaps that meant anything that wonderful was a possibility now. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, perhaps she could still keep some living and breathing part of him, Violet dared to hope.

She whispered to the room, not able to keep it in any longer. "The Major? Did you have a son? Did anyone know?"

Violet's hopeful spirit raced against her rational mind.

The scariest theory was that she had perhaps died before getting to the cabin, and was just now only to be greeted by Gilbert's younger self.

No, no, no, that was too far-fetched, especially for someone as rational as Violet. Perhaps, the first then, perhaps she was looking at the Major's son? A part of her did the calculation in her mind, six years ago, the boy seemed to be around six to eight years old. That would have put the Major at seventeen when he fathered him. She had never heard mention of the Major getting married, let alone having a child out of wedlock. Still, "The Major's son."

There was no denying it.

The door opened, and the Major's son and his Sophie greeted her.

"Welcome Violet Evergarden." Sophie bowed lowly. "I am Sophie Kenway."

The Major's son immediately copied the young woman, his smile so bright it melted her heart, and his cheeks a gorgeous cherry red. A child's glee. Violet was sure that an explosion would have went off and she still couldn't seem to stop staring at the boy.

"Miss Evergarden?"

"Yes." Violet stood to repeat the same curtsy to Sophie and the Auto Memories Doll's declaration that seemed to spread the same joy to woman dressed in a Maid's outfit.

"Well, I guess it's true. You Dolls really look like dolls." She joked, patting her white bonnet. "Who would have guessed it?"

Violet set down her typewriter on the low-lying table, setting the writing mood. "Did you send for me? Are you the war veteran sending a love letter?"

"I would hardly call myself a war veteran." Sophie rubbed the back of her bonnet again tucking wayward pieces of dark hair back in place. "I haven't been in a battle for… well I would say six years." She revealed, patting down her Maid's outfit, bright blue dress, white apron, and white bonnet. "I wouldn't know the first thing of what they boys in green are doing these days. Well," she blinked, pausing. "Have I offended you? Sorry, sometimes I get ahead of myself."

"No, it's just you reminded me of someone." If it wasn't for the limp in her step Violet would have mistaken this new face for a raven-haired and blue-eyed version of Erica Brown. A book lover with big eyes hid behind bigger glasses.

"As for my letter, I wouldn't call it so much a love letter…" Sophie pushed her glasses further up her nose, "more like a letter of appreciation from one comrade to another if you would permit."

"Right. Let's get started," Violet unfolded the case around the typewriter, the movement fluid. "Would this living area be preferred for the writing space-"

"Oh no don't bother!" Sophie waved her hands, clearly frazzled. "But please make yourself comfortable- my letter can wait, you just got her after all, there is no need for a rush," she chuckled, embarrassed, handing Violet a letter with her name on it. "This is for you." Now it was Violet's turn to be frazzled. "It's from the President of the CH postal company, your boss, Mr. Claudia Hodgins is that right?"

"Oh." Violet opened it, reading it quietly and quickly.

A little hand came into Violet's vision. "What does it say? Do you have to go back? Are you leaving us?" The boy was so close now. Peppermint, smell of fresh clean clothes, and with sweaty little boy hands. She could make out the flecks of mud on his rather pale neck and chin. Something in her wanted to reach out and wipe it off.

"Give her some space Charlie, we already talked about this, don't get fussy over her." Violet had forgotten he was even in the room and had failed to notice that he had just tried to climb over her shoulder to try to get us a better look at her letter. She watched him sulk as he was sent off. Now he was occupying himself with a game, a pout she would have killed to see on the Major's face again.

"Violet?"

"Yes-" she responded a bit too quickly.

"Oh I'm sorry." Sophie touched her face in embarrassment, her eyes closing while she smiled. "I'll get us some tea while you get through reading that." Said Sophie. She whom stiffly stood and went into the kitchen, getting a kettle and warming water for them both. "Does Lemon Tea sound alright to you? It's all we have here."

"Yes, please." Violet's eyes were busy following Claudia's instructions, and occasionally stealing glances at the Major's son whom was playing a snapping game on the table before her.

Sophie came back with two cups of hot tea, setting one before Violet, and the other for her. She sipped it slowly, a quiet soul, but that growing smile was entirely new for most war veterans Violet had the pleasure of writing letters for. Her jittery legs… one was made of wood.

"You caught this old thing." Sophie tapped the leg made of wood playfully. "This happened ages ago, I got it shot off during the war, was there just minding my own business, when BAM! I was thrown fifty feet in the air, had to be hospitalized for three months. I think you can agree with me that is the worse part, and then having to do therapy when all you are itching to do is get back on the field and do some real work."

Violet gave her a sympathetic smile, and Sophie caught something in that smile. "Oh, I get it, I get it. They say we have to give the rookies a shot too, but try telling it to someone that only knows trenches and staking out the lay of the land, oh listen to me, I do just go on." Sophie offered kindly. "You can get me to stop anytime if I get too chatty." When she caught Violet still looking at her leg, she hiked it higher to show that the crude looking prosthetic went all the way to her knee. "It really isn't that bad. It makes hiking a downright horror, but I get around just like any one else. I'll show you when the sun gets lower."

"She can run fast too. Really fast." Charlie whispered getting his toy that had fell under the table. "She's not supposed to, but she wins all the races." Unable to sit still for their small talk."Just wait, she can even beat you any day, just remember, I told you." He winked with charm, and then suddenly took some of Sophie's tea and in the process burning his lips and tongue."Gah! hot hot!"

Sophie took it carefully from his hands, placing it far enough away. "Charles! What did I tell you about slowing down?!"

He hissed at the pain on his tongue, racking his fingers across it. "I'm sorry Sophie, I forgot."

"Try to behave." Sophie scolded him, but Violet could tell her heart was not really into it. "You don't want to give Miss Evergarden a reason to go back, home, do you? Give her stories about how you don't behave in front of guests?"

That made Charlie behave in an instant.

They chatted a bit about the hour it had taken Violet to hike to the cabin.

"It is really no problem at all, I like hiking, I would go plenty on missions I would take." Violet was terrible at making Sophie believe her, she seemed to have it in her mind that she had worn herself out from the brisk hike up the hill.

"Oh you finish your letter, before I interrupt again." Sophie brushed her assurances off. "Then you can finally rest. You can take a nap in one of the room if you like? You don't have to bother about saying no I already prepared one."

"It is really no problem at all." Violet jumped into the letter, determined to see what the fuss was about.

After she had finished reading Claudia's three-page letter, Violet drank a sip of the hot tea, and she was sure she looked like an emotionless ghost compared to this exceptionally joyful young lady that sat before her, waiting for her reply.

Charlie was leaning towards her too, reminding her so much of Miss Ann, and she would bet the boy was about to ask what happened to tea she drank if she was a doll. Where does it all go? Miss Ann's curious voice leaked into her memories.

"Charlie!" Sophie caught on to his lack of personal space, and Violet's strong reaction to it. "Why don't you get your mother to come down from the Big House? She should be finished with her duties for today." Sophie offered, and Violet almost chocked on the hot tea burning her throat.

His mother? She was alive? She lived here? Did she know what happened to the Major? Did the Major live at this Big House? Where was the Big House? Was it close?

"She's busy Sophie." Charlie brushed her off. "Besides." He said so maturely for a child. "She would only put me to do something. I already finished my chores, and it's a Sunday, can't you do it?" Violet was beginning to believe he had a bossy streak perhaps even a bratty streak to him too.

"She wants to be here Charles." Sophie left nothing for him to work with, a glint flashing against her glasses and her rather icy eyes when she wasn't smiling. "The Headmistress should know where she is. Tell her that our guest from the CH Company has arrived, and she is ready for introductions to be made." Sophie gave Charlie the first angered look of the day. "Or else you can tell your mother that you misbehaved..."

"Alright, alright, I'll be right back." Charlie sighed, giving a friendly wave to Violet, that returned it without a second thought as she saw him leave through the door that had changed her life.

"Charlie is better behaved on most days." Sophie muttered. "But he seems to like you very much. Are you good with children Miss Evergarden?"

"I don't have much experience." Violet was honest.

"You'll get your fill of them here, you'll be an expert by the time you leave." Sophie said kindly, as if she expected her to stay here long enough to meet the many children she hinted of. "It's just you've been the talk of Seagrave Orphanage for the past week, and I guess the kids got Charlie rallied up to be the first person to welcome you here. It's not every day we get a Doll, let alone a famous one."

That caught Violet's attention. "Orphans? There's more children here?" She closed Claudia's letter containing the information of the same place, of her real client's intent of sending for her.

Sophie bent her head to Claudia's letter. "Didn't you read your boss' letter?"

Violet theorized the only option to be. "He did inform me I would have to go there after I finished your letter. So, The Seagrave Orphanage is here? I thought I would have to journey there after finishing with your letter"-

"Oh no, didn't the letter say that you would be staying here? With us?" She seemed to sigh as if Claudia did a bore job of informing her. "I already prepared your room, you will be staying here while you write, if that was no too forward-" Violet had read the letter. Claudia requested that she would be writing letters on behalf of the Seagrave Orphanage for the orphans themselves, but she assumed it would be back in Leiden, not here, and she had not spotted an Orphanage from the path coming up here.

She asked of the Maid, her prestigious outfit suddenly inappropriate for a cottage. "I didn't see an Orphanage, is that where you came from-"

"It's on the other side of the hill." She nodded over her shoulder. "A thirty-minute walk from here. Charlie will run in fifteen minutes to get there, the Big House is right next door to it, you be surprised how close all buildings are, you could hear the races Charlie was talking about even from here." Sophie rolled her eyes as if this was a daily occurrence, tapping her wooden leg to the floor. "So, in the hour we will get a visit from Charlie's mother, the- well I will let her introduce herself. Is the tea to your liking Miss Evergarden? I tried to make it piping hot, but sometimes I get so impatient with my chatting, and it gets cold..."

"Oh yes Miss Kenway, it is perfect." Violet took another warm sip and then opened the case of the typewriter. "Would you like to get started now on the letter? We should have enough time to write a rough draft."

"Oh please, if you must. Don't let my chit-chat stop you."

Violet began taking off her brown suede gloves, revealing her mechanical arms that Sophie only grinned at as if she already expected them. "Who is the letter going to be for Miss Kenway?"

Sophie rubbed the back of her head, looking far more embarrassed than before. "Well, this might come as a surprise for you, but it's for a very good friend of mine."

"Yes." Violet turned the knob at the base of elbows for writing, her metallic gears shifting, and making Sophie stop speaking. "Go on Miss Kenway, I can keep up, let's start off with the name the letter is intended for." She was reminded of Leon, and how capable she had become in writing letters proficiently and timely when made to do so. She felt prepared for anything veteran Sophie might ask of her, even if she did talk more than most, but she was accustomed to the workload of the chattier ones.

Sophie released the air in her lungs. "Alright, you asked for it." She gave in, starting off. "The letter is for Gilbert Bougainvillea."

Violet's fingers froze on the keys.