AN: I took a day off from work for mental health reasons and realized sitting at home with nothing to focus on wasn't so good for my mental health after all. So I decided to distract myself by writing and here were are. The epilogue, much sooner than expected.

I really hope you enjoyed this story in its entirety. Thank you to those of you who have been there from the beginning, encouraging and supporting me. It means so, so much! Thank you to those of you who have come in along the way! You've helped keep me going as well!

Now, without further ado... the absolute conclusion to this story!

Ten years later...

"Where are we going, Rhys?" Rowyn questioned as he followed his brother through the dense thicket a bit further from their home than they were allowed to venture. "If Mom finds out we went this far without her permission we're going to be grounded for sure."

"Will you relax? Mom isn't going to find out if you don't tell her." Rhys assured his brother as he carried on through the thick jungle foliage. "Miguel and I found something earlier while we were out exploring. You have to come see!"

Rowyn let out a reluctant sigh and continued after his brother deeper into the jungle. He had a sneaking suspicion that his brother often disobeyed their mother's rules when off gallivanting about with their mischievous neighbor. Now having confirmation of this he was at best an unwilling co-conspirator and at worst a veritable accomplice. If their mother questioned him there would be no denying his role in the matter. "Let's just hurry. If we're late for dinner Mom will know we didn't stay in the village."

"It's just up ahead." Rhys said, motioning his brother forward. He kept on until they came to a small clearing where he and his friends from the neighborhood often spent their time. Once his brother was at his side he stepped sheepishly over to an old tree with a hollow at its base.

Rowyn watched Rhys reach into the hole and remove what at first glance appeared to just be a pile of leaves. It was only when his brother removed the top layer that he saw what was truly beneath. Covered in the leaves was the tiny body of a deceased jungle bird. "A motmot? You dragged me all the way out here to show me a dead motmot? You shouldn't even be handling a wild animal with your bare hands, Rhys. They can carry all sorts of diseases. For all you know, that's what killed it."

"No." Rhys shook his head and lowered his gaze in shame. "It didn't die from a disease."

Rowyn shifted his stance and looked at his brother skeptically at the boy's sudden change in demeanor. "So what happened then?"

Rhys slumped his shoulders and kept his gaze guiltily averted from his brother. "Miguel and I were taking turns doing target practice with his slingshot. We've both gotten pretty good, you know, so we've been challenging each other to hit harder and harder targets. The motmot flew into the clearing and it was darting all around. Miguel bet me that I couldn't hit it..."

Rowyn released a grumbling sigh and crossed his arms in irritation. "So you shot at a defenseless animal because some jerk goaded you into it?"

"I didn't think it would really hurt it." Rhys admitted sadly. "I see birds fighting and squabbling all the time over territory and stuff so I thought one little hit couldn't really do any harm. It was just a tiny rock. B-but I guess I must've hit it in just the right spot."

"So what do you want to do? Bury it?" Rowyn asked as he uncrossed his arms. "I know a spell that can move the earth and then put it back like it had never been touched."

"Actually I was hoping you would do that other thing..." Rhys replied hopefully. "You know, that thing that only you can do?"

Rowyn's eyes grew dark and he stared hard at his brother. "Rhys, you don't seriously expect me to-"

"Please, Rowyn! You have to do it!" Rhys begged. "You said it yourself; this was a poor, defenseless animal! I didn't mean to kill it and I feel terrible about it! That's why I brought you here!"

Rowyn shook his head and turned away from his brother in anger. "Rhys, you know I can't do that. I promised Mom that I would never, ever do that. If anyone ever found out-"

"Nobody is going to find out! I swear!" Rhys pleaded, rounding his brother so that they were face to face once more. "It's just you and me here, Ro. I won't tell a soul, I swear it! Please. I screwed up. I screwed up really bad and I hurt something and I can't take it back. But you... you can. Please Rowyn. Please bring it back."

Rowyn matched his brother's gaze, his younger twin looking at him with such desperation. He knew very well what he shouldn't do. He shouldn't give in to his brother's request. After all, the risks far outweighed the reward. It was just a bird and although he had been raised to value all living creatures it was inevitably still just a bird. The world would carry on just fine without it.

His brother, on the other hand...

His brother was emotionally vulnerable and often wore his heart on his sleeve. He would no doubt be laden with guilt over this occurrence, allowing it to mold and shape him in the future. Taking the life of an innocent creature would scar him at a time in his life that was a crucial point in his development into a young adult. Not to mention how thoroughly he would mope about, making him insufferable to be around for an unforeseeable amount of time.

"Fine." Rowyn ejected bitterly. "Hand it over."

"R-really!?" Rhys chimed happily. "Ro, thank you so much! You're the best brother ever! You won't regret this!"

"I regret it already." Rowyn muttered. "Just don't say anything to anyone. Ever."

"My lips are sealed!" Rhys promised, handing the rigid body of the bird carefully into his brother's hands. He then took a step back and watched in wonder and anticipation as Rowyn discarded the remaining leaves surrounding the bird and cupped it carefully within his hands. There was an eerie silence that came over the forest, the kind of hush that only grew out of dread. The light coming through the canopy overhead dimmed significantly and caused Rhys' breath to hitch in fear that maybe someone would notice and they'd both be caught doing something they ought not to. But the darkness soon passed as swiftly as it had come in leaving the twins standing in the clearing in utter silence. It was only when Rowyn opened his hands and the formerly motionless bird took flight that Rhys felt a flood of relief rush through him. "Y-you did it! That's amazing!"

"Not another word about it." Rowyn cautioned. "I mean it."

Rhys nodded eagerly and threw his arms around his twin in appreciation. "You're seriously the best!"

Rowyn rolled his eyes at his brother's praise and pushed half-heartedly to get the other boy off of him. "Alright, alright. Enough. We have to hurry up and get home before dinner or Mom will know we both disobeyed her."

"Oh yeah, dinner!" Rhys cheered excitedly, his mind at ease now that the weight of his terrible mistake had been lifted from his shoulders. "What do you think she's making? I hope she's making Abuelita Izquierdo's famous fideo!"

"She's making menudo." Rowyn replied, already anticipating the groan that his brother was going to let out before it could audibly leave his lips. "It's market day. Mom always makes menudo on market day. You know this, Rhys."

"I know." Rhys whined. "But I just really love fideo!"

Rowyn stifled a chuckle at his brother's lament and shook his head as he started his feet into motion back toward their home. As they walked along he listened to his twin's excited chatter about everything he had seen and done earlier in the day while he was out in the jungle. He listened with mild interest as they continued through the village until they reached their home as the sun just started to slip below the horizon. Their mother was waiting for them in the doorway with hands on her hips and an expectant expression on her face which caused Rowyn's heart to drop into his stomach.

"Cutting it awfully close, aren't you boys?" Sofia pried as her sons looked up at her with wide, petrified stares. She cocked an eyebrow at them but they were now both avoiding her gaze like their lives depended on it. "Boys?"

"Look, Mama! Their hands are all dirty!" The twins' sister called out from where she stood clutching their mother's skirt. "They were probably in the jungle again!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Tildy!" Rhys countered at the brazen little four year old who was now sticking her tongue at him in a taunt, a gesture he was all too quick to return.

Sofia cleared her throat and stepped between her children before their squabble could escalate. "Well then, if you weren't in the jungle, Rhys, where were you two?"

"We were at Miguel's. We were just playing and lost track of time, Mom. Honest!" Rhys lied through a smile, hoping their mother would take his word without questioning Rowyn. His brother was a terrible liar.

Sofia turned her skeptical gaze from her youngest son to her eldest, eyeing him as he kept his gaze averted. "Is that true, Rowyn? If I walk all the way down to the Castillo's house and interrupt their dinner to ask if you boys were just there, what is Señora Castillo going to tell me?"

"She..." Rowyn clenched his fists at his sides and bit his lip nervously. He didn't dare look up at his mother. He knew if he looked at her it would be all over. She'd know without him having to speak a word. "I-I guess she would say-"

"Oh Sofia, go easy on them. They're home on time." Cedric insisted gently as he approached his wife from behind to place a kiss upon her cheek. He then turned his gaze to his sons and cast them a knowing smile. "You boys go wash up and set the table. Dinner is almost ready."

Sofia watched the boys scurry past her without so much as another word before turning her attention to her husband. "You know Rowyn was about to confess. Why did you interrupt?"

"Because it really doesn't matter where they've been all day. What matters is that they're home." Cedric answered. "Besides, the more we question them the harder they're going to try to keep things hidden from us."

"I just worry, Cedric. There are dangerous things out in this world. I just want them to be close to home where it's safer." Sofia reasoned with a sigh.

"I understand, my love, but we can't baby them forever. They're getting older now and they're becoming quite capable little gentlemen in their own right." Cedric assured his wife, taking her hand in his own to gift it with a delicate peck. "I know it's scary but we have to let them grow up sometime. I mean, by the time you were their age-"

"That's not a good example." Sofia interjected with a shake of her head. "And I don't need you telling them about any of that. It will only encourage them."

Cedric chuckled and pulled his wife close against him as they turned to watch their three children set the dinner table hurriedly, bickering all the while. "Yes, but even still... it all turned out alright in spite of everything, didn't it?"

Sofia turned her gaze from her children to her husband and back again. She placed a hand upon her recently growing belly and nodded her head with a wide smile. "Yeah. It really did."

AN #2: A couple things I forgot to mention in my haste to post this...

For those wondering where Grimtrix is, shortly after the events of the final chapter Sofia and Cedric explained what had happened to Elena and Mateo. Naturally, the Queen and King couldn't allow for such a dangerous villain to go free in their country so they sent several guards to keep watch over him and apprehend him once he relinquished his bond with the entity/demon that was tying him to his spot. He's currently in a very high security cell with no access to magic and absolutely no possibility of escape.

Also, I hope it was obvious but in case it wasn't, Rowyn is able to resurrect people/animals because Arawn is imprisoned inside of him. He can tap into the death god's powers which is how he was able to bring the bird, and more importantly, his father back to life. He did it on instinct as a baby but as he grew older he learned to harness it by bringing back little bugs and stuff. When Sofia first caught him doing this she understandably panicked, explained that he could unwittingly be allowing dark entities/demons into their plane of existence and that he must promise to never do it again. Not to mention that if word got around about a boy who could bring things back from the dead... well, that's just a big target on the little guy. Rowyn promised her he would never use his powers again but that obviously didn't hold up.

Tildy is of course short for Matilda, named after Aunt Tilly. She has black hair and green eyes (a recessive trait from both her parents) and she is a constant nuisance to her older brothers, but only because they won't let her play with them.

I hope that answers any questions anyone may have had but if not, feel free to PM me here or hit me up on Tumblr. I'll be more than happy to explain anything else that might not have been clear. Thank you again for reading! I hope you all enjoyed!