When Maria opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a sky of light blue, orange and gold, with clouds tinged purple and pink. The wind was soft against the skin of her cheek, and she could feel the fringe of her hair tickle her forehead as it moved in the breeze. Her body felt a little stiff from sleeping on the ground, but that was to be expected. She rubbed her face with pressure, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. Sitting up, she arched her back and stretched, thankful she had woken up before dark. Then again, she hadn't really planned to fall asleep; the sleepless night had caught up with her. She knew it was time to go back, and was not angry about it. Her anger felt all drained out after these hours on her mountain. She had run, she had screamed, she had thrown every stone she could find in her little brook: anything to keep from crying. She did not want to cry like that yet. The time didn't feel right.

Blowing a kiss to her beloved mountain, she got up and leisurely made her way down to the Abbey. By the time she had come back, the sun had set completely. Sister Margaretta opened the gate for her. Once inside, Sister Margaretta wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"How are you feeling?" she asked Maria.

Maria gave a heavy sigh. "Drained. I believe I've spilled out every emotion in me in the last twenty-four hours." Was it really only twenty-four hours ago that she had sung on the stage at the festival in her hometown? Already, that seemed like a lifetime ago. When they reached Maria's small room, Maria pulled the sister in for a close hug. "Thank you so much for everything, sister. Please tell the Reverend Mother how grateful I am. I'll leave in the morning."

"Of course, Maria," she said. "We loved him too."

Maria nodded and put her hand on the door handle. Sister Margaretta began to walk away but suddenly turned around, remembering something.

"Oh, Maria! Some letters came for you while you were gone. I left them on your night table."

Maria's eyes widened. Mail? Where would she get mail from? Only from . . .

Suddenly feeling wide awake, she nodded. "Thank you, sister."

Sister Margaretta gave a small, warm smile and headed back down the hallway.

After closing the door behind her, Maria quickly sat down on her bed, reaching for the bundle of letters waiting on her night-table. Deciding to read them in the order they were stacked, Maria found, as she read the first seven letters, they were from each of the children, from youngest to oldest.

. . . We love you, Mother! . . .

. . . You are the nicest, prettiest, goodest mother in the world! . . .

. . . How can we ever thank you for bringing so much back into our lives?. . .

. . . Dominik was so blessed to have a friend like you, and we are so blessed to have a mother like you . . .

. . . I now know God didn't abandon us, because he sent us you to give us back all we hold dear, including our father . . .

. . . Mother, I love you very much and will do anything to make you proud . . .

. . . I once told you I didn't need a governess, and I was right: I needed a mother and a friend. And I've gained both. I don't know what any of us would do without you. We love you very much, and hope you come home soon . . .

Tears in her eyes, Maria kissed each letter after she had read them. Her head spun from the things she had read – seven different hands but all said the same thing. They had all called her "mother" in each letter . . . These were her children now, and she loved them with all her heart. Already, she longed to see them again, but she was scared, too. What if she couldn't control her emotions in front of them? The last thing she wanted to do was scare them or worry them. It's too late for them not to worry. She felt a stab of guilt for not coming immediately home . . . but she just couldn't right after . . . they didn't need to see her anger.

The next short letter came from Max, dear Max:

Dear Maria,

It is such a joy for me to see the family I have made my own go from such sadness to such joy, and you are solely to blame for that. Please remember that they will always love you and will support you through this, including myself. When I was not much younger than you, I knew a girl named Cecilia, whom the scarlet fever had weakened. She played the harp and sang like an angel, and I must admit she is the reason I grew to love music so much – I am not just a talent scout eager to make money, though that certainly does not hurt. My dear, I have known Georg since I was your age, and I've seen him through the best and worst times. He is in agony that he was not there for you last night, and he will do anything to make up for that. Know that when you come home, we will all take care of you. I know you have lost a brother today – I lost a friend – but perhaps you could consider seeing a very charming sponge as a brother, as well. I know I see a dear sister when I see you.

Max Detweiler

Oh, Max, dear, dear Max. Gladly she accepted him as a brother. He may be a sponge, but he was a good man. She placed the letter on top of the ones from the children.

There was one letter left, and she knew exactly who it would be from. Suddenly, her heart began to flutter with nervousness. Her fingers shaking, she picked up the last envelop, addressed to her in refined but masculine writing. She opened the envelop, withdrew the letter, and began to read the letter with a few teardrops on the page . . .

My beloved Maria,

There are many things that I regret doing, and you know better than most what those things are. And it breaks my heart that I have to add to that list now the fact that I chose myself over you. The only thing I can do is give you the honest truth, though in no way is it an excuse.

My love, nothing could now convince me you are not an angel, not after watching you sing. When I saw you walk onto the stage in that dress that matches your eyes, I went straight back to that night when I found you sitting under a tree in the moonlight. And your song . . . I will spend the rest of my life trying to answer the question of how I came to have your love. I don't deserve it, especially after what I did to my children since their mother died. And the way I treated you at first, and how I yelled at you that day when all along, deep inside me, I knew you were right. And yet, you came to love me.

You must forgive me, my love, for not finding any words to express my gratitude for that miracle of a song. The truth is that no words could possibly express my gratitude for it. So, I will only ask that you be patient – only until we are married will I be able to at least begin to show you my gratitude.

That was the reason I needed to take a walk after I saw you perform. It took all of my strength not to rush backstage, take you in my arms, and show you all of the love and gratitude you deserve. But I must be patient; you are worth the wait. I promised you once I would never give you cause to fear me, and I will keep that promise.

There was another reason I had to be alone to control my emotions, and that had to do with the song you sang with your brother. I have lost a best friend, too, and that happened when I lost Agathe. You two would have gotten along like sisters – when I think of it now, she was as gentle and talented as Dominik. Before she passed, she told me that the children needed a mother, and I needed someone to love me and whom I could love. She let me go the day she died, but it took me until that day, five years later, that my eyes were opened to my children, and to you. She will always be in my memories, and she watches over all of us. I didn't believe I could fall in love again so strongly, but she was right: I have, and this love I feel for you will never end.

Maria, I know only too well the pain of grief, but I will never try to pretend to know what it feels like to loose a brother so close to you. Please know that I will be here for you when you are ready to come home. I will wait for however long it takes, even if it means postponing the wedding if you need more time to heal. And when you do come home, if you want me, come to me. No matter what I am doing or what the time or place, do not be afraid to come and find me. I will drop everything and keep you safe in my arms.

You have given me so much, my love. Let me give something back to you. But I will not force you to do anything. When you are ready, I will be waiting with open arms.

One thing more, my darling: I love you. With all my heart, I will always love you.

Yours, Georg

The few teardrops that had stained the written page were soon joined by a few new ones as the young lady read the letter from her lover.

Five minutes later, Maria was practically running through the streets of Saltzburg, to the dirt country road, all the way back to where her family and love were waiting for her.

The next chapter will be their reunion, which I am greatly looking forward to writing. They've been apart long enough, don't you think?

Also, if any of you are disappointed about me not writing out all seven of the letters the children wrote, I can write them out in a separate fic if you really want them. This would have been a long chapter if I'd done it, and I don't have much time to spare – had to focus on the main point, which was Georg's letter. So please don't hate me, and I'll update as soon as I can – I want to make this next chapter the best it can be.