*IMPORTANT: Please read the A/N at the bottom.*

Chapter Forty: Epilogue

[6 Months Later]

Benjamin walked slowly down the New York City street, his learned quickness being disregarded. He used to hate the sluggish tourists of the city who took twice as long to get somewhere all in favor of "taking in the sights." Benjamin, at the time, couldn't understand their interest in buildings and lights that he had known all his life. Now, having been gone for most of the year, everything about Manhattan was new to him.

He could feel the pushes of the people behind him; their grunts as they passed by at the speed of light. Malinda used to be one of them; she was fast even by Benjamin's standards. Yet there she was, walking only a few steps ahead of him. Instead of looking up and around, her gaze was focused straight ahead. She was nervous, but not crippling so. Malinda was absorbing the feel of the wind that's only created between allies and skyscrapers; she was marveling at the chaotic sounds that used to soothe her.

They had been waiting for this moment: their arrival in New York. But this was only a temporary visit as opposed to the triumphant return home they had envisioned.

In the wake of King Wendell's decision to fortify the Traveling Mirror behind a heavily guarded cellar, Benjamin and Malinda had felt a certain anxiety that came with the notion of not being able to return to the place they had been raised. While they would still be able to travel to Manhattan, the frequency of the option was greatly limited. Before the mirror was put away, the siblings decided to make a visit to their former apartment.

When they arrived at the apartment building, they paused. Benjamin stood, gaping at the tall structure. He was accustomed, now, to being able to see remnants of landscape and sky when he looked up. New York blocked out the view, perpetually surrounded by buildings. He still loved that aspect of the city – the way it was a world of its own – but was now more intimidated by it.

Malinda, on the other hand, was looking through the pockets of her jeans and the small bag she brought with her. Benjamin noticed her struggle and the oddity of its context.

"What're you doing?"

"The keys," Malinda replied, her face still buried in the bag. "I know they're in here somewhere."

"Keys?" asked Benjamin, surprised at the idea. He hadn't needed keys in months; the concept was becoming foreign to him. But true to her nature, Malinda always came prepared.

As she continued her search – ignoring Benjamin's remark – the brilliance of her memory and planning dawned on him. Benjamin was accustomed to buzzing himself in; there was always someone home, usually Malinda. But in this case, they would have had to depend on Amanda Gale being inside. And given his general mistrust of her, Benjamin chided himself on not thinking to bring keys. How else would we have gotten inside?

"You're a genius," he said, wordlessly retracting the shock of his last statement. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Malinda turned her head up, picking up on the hint of sadness in his delivery. Whereas Malinda would have previously chastised him for his inadequate memory, she rejected that predilection. "It's just a habit," she downplayed. "I'm used to having my keys on me. Not a big deal." She produced a jovial gasp when her hands wrapped around the recognizable metal. She jerked the keys out of the bag, a wide smile on her face. "Found them!"

"Ladies first," Benjamin said, gesturing for Malinda to enter the complex first. Malinda bowed mockingly and proceeded to go inside.

Memories came rushing back – memories that were made only months ago – as they walked down the familiar hallway that led to the elevator. Benjamin was right behind his sister, suddenly in a hurry. His musings about the apartment reminded him of Amanda Gale's presence within it. As they got into the elevator, Malinda noticed the swiftness with which her brother pushed the buttons. Benjamin replayed past interactions with Amanda, realizing that most of them consisted of arguments and periods of silence. He wasn't sure, even after all he had seen in the 9 Kingdoms, if he would still react to Amanda in the same way.

The tapping of his foot against the elevator floor alerted Malinda to the type of apprehension he was experiencing: it was a more aggressive worry, the kind she had only seen after he and Amanda had fought. "I'll do all the talking," she reassured, placing a hand on Benjamin's folded arms. "You just get your stuff and go. The last thing we need is a big fight."

He nodded in compliance, the tapping becoming less frequent and erratic. When they reached their floor, it had completely stopped. He was relaxed, poised on not confronting Amanda. Malinda pulled out a second key to open the door to their apartment, looking back at Benjamin before pushing the door open. "Here we go."

When they entered, it was quiet. Malinda was used to that; she was typically the first person to get there. The darkness from the night concealed the floating dust particles, but they could both feel the density of it as they walked further inside. It seemed Amanda still disliked cleaning, a task usually reserved for Malinda. Not anymore, she thought.

After a few minutes of wandering in silence, the siblings went into action. Their intention was to go back to this apartment to take back some old, precious items. Benjamin walked directly into his room, fearing it had been tampered with. Malinda had the same concern, but both were surprised and relieved to find that nothing had been touched. It was an eerie sight. Benjamin's gym bag filled with clothes from his dorm room was still on the bed, his socks and sneakers scattered on the ground. Malinda's bed was still disheveled from the last time she slept there, her CDs and notebooks crowding her desk. It was like a frozen moment in time.

They were shaken out of their nostalgic trance by the sound of footsteps: the clinking of heels against the hardwood floor. Malinda immediately left her room, wanting to be the first – and only – person that Amanda Gale interacted with that evening. When they saw each other in the living room, Malinda was shocked to see a grin on Amanda's face.

"You left the door open," she scolded gently, putting her handbag and coat on the coach. "You wouldn't want someone to just come in here and steal all your stuff, would you?"

Malinda laughed nervously, relaxing her frame somewhat. Amanda appeared different, or at the very least in a better mood that she was used to. Maybe it was a good day at work. Maybe she had met someone special. She deserves to, Malinda thought. After numerous conversations with Wendell and his officials, Malinda had pieced together what had happened to Amanda and her late husband, Frederick, before they came to Manhattan. She had a renewed sympathy for Amanda.

"Where have you two been?" Amanda inquired, already knowing the answer. She could hear Benjamin rummaging through the contents of his drawers, which stopped as soon as she said "you two." She assumed that he didn't want to come out to greet her. Their relationship was always strained, and both the time and distance that had accumulated between them only made the strain worse.

"The 9 Kingdoms," she responded plainly, her arm hitting her thigh as it swung out. "I'm the queen of the 8th Kingdom now." Malinda immediately regretted both the statement and the tone in which she said it. She still had this yearning to please Amanda; to make her proud. She spoke like a child who had just aced a test or received praise from a teacher. And then it occurred to Malinda that Amanda didn't know the whole story; she didn't know the Ice Queen was dead.

"Oh? How did you manage that?"

"I killed the Ice Queen first," Malinda explained clumsily. "And it turns out I was her daughter, so… so they made me… queen." She resolved to stop speaking on the topic, bowing her head in embarrassment.

"I'm glad," Amanda said in a daze, taking time to let the information sink in. They had done a lot in the 9 Kingdoms; things Amanda didn't even think possible. She almost wanted to run across the hall and hug Malinda for destroying the woman responsible for killing her husband. But she didn't. "That's amazing."

"We just came back to pick up a few things. We might not be able to come back for a while," said Malinda as she made her way back to her room. "We'll be gone before you know it."

"That's alright," Amanda said, her voice elevated to signal to Malinda that she wanted her to stay in the living room a bit longer. "I wouldn't mind it if you stayed. Stay as long as you like." Amanda had been lonely in the recent months, like a robot going through a lonely routine. She had no children to care for; no husband to attend to. All she had were her jobs and her television shows. It was sad life in theory, but Amanda had managed to find some enjoyment in its freedom. She could just focus on herself, which was liberating. Still, she welcomed the company.

Malinda smiled and went back into her room, collecting an assortment of items. The idea of staying there was tempting. But Malinda was settled in her kingdom, despite requesting this excursion. Her family and boyfriend – or boyfriend equivalent – were in the 9 Kingdoms. She had no business in New York except to revisit places from her past. She packed some old shirts and CDs in her bag, in spite of knowing she couldn't play them in the 8th Kingdom (but she hoped that one day the technology to do so would exist). She sat down on her bed, her hand caressing the familiar fabric of the sheets, giving her room a final glance before walking back out into the hallway.

She saw Amanda sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. The television was muted, which meant Amanda wasn't fully engrossed. An idea entered Malinda's mind.

"Hey," she spoke softly. It instantly caught Amanda's attention. Malinda went to the coach, taking a distant seat next to her. "Do you… do you wanna come back with us?" Amanda was taken aback the by suggestion. The concept of going back to her native 9 Kingdoms was appealing, she could admit, but Amanda felt she wasn't ready to return.

"No," she shook her head zealously. "No, I don't. But thank you."

"But… why?" she asked, confused by Amanda's absolute answer.

"Because," Amanda stopped, searching for the words. "That place isn't any more my home and this place is yours."

Malinda stared at Amanda's face, the blue and white light emanating from the television screen painting her body. Malinda knew that look, that feeling. Amanda couldn't let go of the bitterness she had for the 4th Kingdom; for any part of the life that existed beyond the Traveling Mirror. It was akin to the kind of resentment Malinda held toward her parents and general situation; but she had overcome that. Malinda didn't blame her, but rather felt sorry for her. Amanda needed an adventure of her own to come to terms with her past tragedy.

However, Malinda didn't press the issue. She simply stood from the couch, weakly smirking. Benjamin exited his room, his gym bag crossed over his torso, meeting Malinda at the front door. He looked over at Amanda and for a moment the two locked eyes. Their expressions were blank; they acknowledged each other, at peace with the silence.

"Bye," Malinda said, almost whispering, heading out of the apartment and closing the door on her way out. Amanda raised the volume on the television set, letting out the pent up air in her lungs. She could finally let them go.

x

As they reached the park, Benjamin was starting to lag behind. Malinda observed the heavy appearance his bag, and ceased walking. Benjamin stopped as well, grateful for the few minutes' rest. Malinda began unzipping his bag from behind, drawing noises of protest from her brother. She looked inside, seeing an array of sports equipment and team jerseys. Of all the things he could have taken with him…

"What?"

"You couldn't have packed a little lighter?"

"Let me deal with this," Benjamin replied, readjusting his bag and shaking his body so as to distance his sister. She didn't start walking and made her way to his front side. "Look, while you were chatting with Amanda, I just kept seeing things in my room that I wanted to have."

"It's not like we're never coming back, or like Amanda would throw anything away. You saw how our rooms were." Benjamin gave a look of agreement, but Malinda understood the hoarder-esque mentality. And they lived in castles now; surely there was enough space for all these objects.

They continued walking until they saw the watery illusion in the middle of the path. Benjamin sighed heavily, and Malinda's heart was racing; it was a combination of not knowing when they'd return – or if they even wanted to – and a fear of going through the violent rollercoaster that was the Traveling Mirror. They joined hands, facing one another.

"1… 2… 3," they mouthed in unison as they jumped through, not looking back at their former home. Within a few minutes, the translucent rectangle disappeared, sealing off the portal indefinitely.

.

A/N: THANK YOU so much to everyone who read my story during its long completion. I can't say how much I appreciate it. So, in order to help you better understand the story, I've made some guides.

#1: 10th Kingdom Map – Character Paths
In the beginning of the story, Gabriel, Malinda and Benjamin take complicated routes to Pine Town, the 1st Kingdom village, and the 4th Kingdom castle. To help illustrate the roads they took, and how they met, I've made this map with a key.

Here's the link to the image [remove the spaces]:
http:/ i234. photobucket. com/ albums/ ee265/ rubyblue42 /10thKingdomMapREVISED. jpg

#2: Story Timeline
This basically just outlines the series of events leading up to the beginning of the story. It mentions the Ice War, Queen's Cecile's death, Benjamin & Malinda's departure as infants, etc. It's more a frame of reference so avoid confusion over details that may not have been explicitly mentioned in the story but still had an effect.

Here's the link to the timeline [remove the spaces]:
http:/ i234. photobucket. com/ albums/ ee265/ rubyblue42/ t10kff-TimelineREVISED. jpg

Again, THANK YOU so much for reading and reviewing my story. Your support really means a lot to me. I might be starting a new story about Queen Cecile and how she meets Wendell and everyone else from the miniseries. I still have to flesh out the idea, but I'd love feedback about how the story should go and if I should even write it.