Even I had to read back over the last few chapters to see what was going on as it's been sooo long. But here we are. The end. It's time for Jesse to go back to Terabithia.

Alex

Tristan took the lead and the three of us filed out of the back door of my house and down towards the river. I could tell Mr Aarons and Tristan were going slowly for my sake. I tried speeding up but my lungs reminded me I had some oxygen to catch up on after almost drowning. Scowling, I slowed my pace.

Mr Aarons knew where we were going. He walked beside me, in casual clothes accompanied by a casual walk, but his hands were clenched at his side. It would have been years since he visited Terabithia. I wondered if he truly remembered. Maybe it had all faded into some innocent kid's game for him. But the sparkle is his eyes I had seen yesterday had me completely convinced that the spirit of the King was not dead yet.

I'd actually not prepared myself to face the river again. The rain had stopped and the river had halved its capacity as quickly as it had doubled it. Still, in my head I could hear the thunder and the falling tree. I could feel the coldness of the water and I had to take several deep breaths to remind myself I wasn't underwater. I eyed the rope evilly. I would attack it with a saw later.

We walked down the river to the bridge. Tristan crossed and so did I. Mr Aarons didn't. He just stared at the bridge.

"I made this bridge," he said shortly.

Tristan and I had guessed as much but we'd never been sure.

"I made it after – after Leslie died. I made it for myself, and my little sister. I still crossed that bridge for four years after she died, until I was 15."

He gave a small, half-smile. "It's been twenty years."

Mr Aarons was 35, then.

"Twenty long years since I've been to Tera –"

He cut himself off. Maybe he thought we wouldn't understand, think him crazy or perhaps, just like Tristan and I, he and Leslie had sworn never to speak of the kingdom we all shared.

"Terabithia," Tristan finished.

Have you ever heard the phrase 'and then their eyes widened'? I didn't really think eyes 'widened' I believed people just stared in a rather creepy manner. But Jesse, his eyes truly did widen. Perhaps we should have given him some warning. It may have let him at least catch his breath before he went and had a heart attack.

"How?" was all he managed to get out.

I opened my mouth to answer but Jesse came to his own conclusion. "The stronghold. I mean, the, ah – cubby house."

"The stronghold," I clarified, "is still there. Come on, we'll show you."

We crossed the bridge in single file. Streams of light burst through the thick foliage and the trees swayed gently in the breeze. We reached the stronghold in no time at all. We let Jesse enter first. It was quite odd to see a grown man stoop and enter the small structure, but I caught the look on his face – it was of pure joy. We gave him a moment and then he exited and began speaking.

"My father was a man of very little feeling. When I met Leslie, I had no imagination, only a view on the world as a boring cold place, from which there was no escape. Leslie showed me what it meant to be a kid, to see things no one else could see and to be whatever I wanted to be. We hunted giants, we fought great wars and she spend hours on end telling me stories while I would draw them. Terabithia was my haven, a place that I could escape to, free from everything in my life.

"When she died – a part of me died too. She had never even turned eleven, I had known her for less than a year and yet I knew I would never find another friend like her. For another few years I kept the dream alive with my little sister, but when I turned fifteen, it dawned on me: keeping Terabithia alive wasn't ever going to bring Leslie back. She was gone, I had to move on.

"And I did. I moved to Washington for college, but I was doing a course that wasn't right for me. I failed, and returned here to Lark Creek. Kay was here too and I fell in love with her. She helped me realise I had to do something I loved, so I became an artist and then the artistic director of a large company, and that's where I am today. I finally found peace." Jesse gave small smile, and Tristan and I smiled warmly back at him.

"Well good for you!" A voice rung out from our right. Brandon burst through the undergrowth, his face stained with tears and his chest rising and falling heavily. "So you got your fairytale ending and lived happily ever after with your wife and two kids. What about me, huh? What about Mum?"

Jesse stepped towards his son, arms outstretched. "Brandon, please –"

"Stay away from me! All those years, when Mum was suffering and I needed a father! All those years!"

"Brandon," I began, but there was no stopping him.

"I HATE YOU!" Brandon stumbled back and leant up against a tree, the tears flowing freely. Jesse took the opportunity.

"Returning to Lark Creek made me feel depressed and alone. But I will never, ever regret returning, because otherwise I would have never met Kay. She was a beautiful light in my darkness and I loved her more than words could ever express. She knew how what an impact Lark Creek had on me though. And for some reason, she thought I would always think of her as part of a bad memory. I left, but I intended to return." Jesse was crying now too. I didn't think I'd ever seen a grown man cry. "Then she rang me and told me not to return. She said she had found someone else. I refused to believe this, so I returned here, again. She was gone."

Jesse took another few hesitant steps towards Brandon. He reached out his hand, but Brandon flinched away.

"I never married Brandon. I never loved another. Finding out about you, only yesterday, it lit up my world. At first there were so many regrets, so many years I'd missed. Kay told me she had all the same regrets. But what was done is done, I cannot change the past. But I swear to you now, I will be exactly what you want me to be. If you want me to leave and never come back, I will accept that. If you want me to be a friend and a mentor, I will do that. And, in time, if you need a father, I promise you I will be the best father I know how to be."

There was a long silence as we all waited to hear Brandon's decision. Finally, he spoke.

"What do you call this place, again?"

"Terabithia," Tristan, Jesse and I answered in unison.

"And you were – King, weren't you? I figured that part out. You drew all the drawings."

"Yes," Jesse replied.

Brandon looked unsure of what to say next. "I draw too," he offered up.

"Somehow I knew you would."

"And you made the memorial? To Leslie?"

Jesse looked beyond Brandon, towards the trees where the clearing lay beyond. "It's still there?"

"Yes. I'll show you – Dad."

Brandon took the lead this time, followed by a beaming Mr Aarons. I was about to set off, when Tristan reached out and grabbed my hand.

"What?" I said.

"Nothing," he replied, but he didn't let go. Instead, he wove his fingers around mine and gave my hand a small squeeze. I could feel heat rising on my face, so I quickly turned away and started for the clearing. But I didn't let go.

We found Jesse kneeling at the memorial. He wasn't crying or looking sad, instead he looked peaceful.

"I still think about her. I often think she's watching me every day."

"Do you think she's behind it all?" Tristan asked. "Do you think she guided Alex, Brandon and I together, here?"

"Maybe she did." Jesse got to his knees and gave Brandon a hug. Brandon looked surprised at first, but soon hugged his father back. "Now if you three would oblige me, I think I'm not yet too old to share in your game of Terabithia."

"Game?" I said, with an mock air of wounded pride. "You of all people should know that Terabithia is a real kingdom, my king. It is no game."

Jesse smiled and looked at Brandon. "Can you hear them?"

"Who?"

"The Terabithians. There's a rumour going around that the long lost prince has returned, ready to be King."

Brandon looked warily at Tristan. "I don't know. I think Tristan might be King."

"By discovery and conquest, yes," said Tristan. "But you, you are King by blood. So, I think it's fitting we share the title."

Brandon grinned. "Let's hunt some giants."

And the four of us set off into Terabithia. I remembered back to when I had first arrived here, already hating the place before I had even gotten to know it. I remembered meeting Tristan for the first time, and how cold and mean he had been to me before the magic of Terabithia brought us together. I recalled how Brandon had first acted, the arrogant bully through and through. And I reflected on all Jesse had been through.

Terabithia had brought us all together and changed us. Maybe Leslie really was watching over us, guiding fate. Magic or no magic, without Terabithia things could have taken a turn for the worse. I may not have even lived, for if Tristan and I had never been friends he would have never saved my life.

Terabithia had already lasted a quarter of a century and I wondered how long it would continue to last. Would another generation of kids after us find it and still want to believe? I hoped so.

"Alex?" Tristan called back to me. "You are the slowest Queen I have ever known!"

"You've only ever known one Queen!"

"Details, now would you please help me with this giant?"

I took a moment to look upward to the sky and think one quick though.

Thanks, Leslie.

No, there won't be a sequel. I'm scrapping my old Narnia story and writing a new one. Then, maybe I'll return to Terbithia. Thanks for sticking by me, Alex, Tristan and the rest. I hoped you enjoyed the journey and discovered the Terabithian inside all of us.

Much love, Princess Alethea.