It took Fiori a few tries to eat the apple, but when she did the reaction was almost priceless. The way she lit up when she realized what it was made Lewis’ heart do a quick flip, and her immediate desire for more was evident. However, she wasn’t quite strong enough from her neglect, and she ended up tumbling into Lewis’ lap. At first, Lewis was panicked. Did she hurt herself? Was she okay? Did she hit her head? Was she dying?

But she seemed content. The next words she spoke though, almost made Lewis melt. Fiori was already feeling at home, and even if it just ended up being the two of them, Lewis was more than content with them. They had rescued not one, but two children already, and gifted them a wonderful home.

“Here…” Lewis cut another small, bite sized piece of apple for Fiori, and handed it to her as Simone doted on her. “Eat up. We need to get you big and strong. Isn’t that right?” It was all so much, but Lewis was handling it surprisingly well. “Dala, could you ask one of the maids outside to grab some more soft food?”

Simone’s heart was won by the tiny child. Her reaction to the apple was amazing. Just like Lewis she had never had an apple before. Once Fiori called for both of them Simone’s face held an image of shock as she crawled down by her and rubbed her nose against Fiori’s. “We’re right here sweetheart. I promise Fiori we’re not going anywhere.”

It was Simone who helped her sit up just enough to eat the apple. “That’s right… Big and strong.” Gently she stroked Fiori’s hair and smiled down at her.

“Dala went to go turn in the paperwork to the orphanage. I can do it.” She kissed Fiori’s forehead and left them all alone for a few minutes before she came back. “They are going to make some applesauce and get some soft pears. Since the trees have them this time of year it’s easy enough.” Simone sat back down in front of Fiori.

She opened her arms for the little girl, “You can come over here if you want.” After a few minutes, one of the maids brought in a bowl of applesauce and a spoon giving it to Lewis. Simone was handed a towel for Fiori’s face and she put it by her side.

She figured she would let Lewis feed Fiori for now. “Small spoonfuls,” she instructed Lewis and smiled towards him. He would need to learn how to do this eventually. Grabbing the small black rabbit plush from the fair she held it out to Fiori, “Do you want this? It’s very soft.”

Fiori took the piece of apple and continued eating while look up at Lewis then watching Simone leaving the room. She continued eating the rest of the apple with Lewis' help. When her mother came back, she crawled towards the open arms and reached up to poke her mother's cheek. A maid entered the room and brought in a bowl of applesauce with a spoon. She sat down on Simone's lap and faced Lewis, opening her mouth to receive food. The applesauce was similar to the apple, only requiring less chewing and much more like a liquid.

After eating, she noticed the black rabbit plush that was being held out to her. Her gaze focused on on Simone's hands, staring at them. She cautiously began to reach up towards the rabbit then flinched and pulled back her hands. Opening her eyes, she realized that Simone hadn't moved. Still gazing at the hands, as if expecting something, she touched the toy. Once she saw that it was alright, she slammed her head into the plush rabbit. There was a big smile on her face as she rubbed her head into the soft dark fur of the plush.

Meanwhile,

Dala just returned, holding an official certificate of adoption. The orphanage was quick to get everything settled, as they had more than enough kids in there. The adoption certificate was more just a way to prove the child had been adopted from an official place, rather than stolen. She entered the castle and went straight to the nursery. Once she opened the door, she saw the happy family with Fiori. A smile formed on Dala's face as she realized she made the right decision. They were going to be great parents and Fiori would be happy here. She walked over to Simone and Lewis then handed them the certificate.

"Everythings settled. You're now the official parents of Fiori." She said.

The learning process for feeding Fiori took a little practice, but soon the little girl was getting her fill of the applesauce. Lewis was careful with her, and with Simone’s help soon the bowl was mostly empty and Fiori seemed content. Simone took one of the stuffed animals, a black rabbit, and with some patience, soon Fiori was cuddling it lovingly.

As Dala re entered the room with a smile on her face and paperwork in hand, Lewis stroked Fiori's hair, and smiled. “There we go. It’s official then. This is your new home.” His face had his usual half smile, but on the inside he was feeling ecstatic. “We’ll have to find you a room and get you some clothes.” He was realizing that they didn’t have much for Fiori.

“Oh…I don’t know anything about clothes…” He looked at Simone. “Guess I’ll need help with that too.” The realization was slowly settling in. They had two children now. Everett and Fiori were both theirs. “Dala…” He turned his attention to the girl. “Thank you…for bringing us Fiori.”