He's not going to cry. He's not. He's not ten, or a woman, or congested three ways past Sunday, or any of the reasons that justify crying. He is not going to cry.

He reaches for Julia's hand.

Julia is there. And solid and completely in awe. Looking around everything and her heart is beating fast and this is actually happening. She takes Quentin's hand and squeezes it tight. Painfully so.

"Q. This is Fillory. Actual Fillory. What the fuck."

"It's real, Jules. It's actually- god, I can't wait to tell people. Do you think it's all true? If I'd known the books were a- tourist's guide- I would have spent less time on theories and more time memorizing geography. The air is better here, can you feel it?"

"Of course it's better than Brooklyn. It's a literal magic world that isn't filled with crap and pollution - do you still have your copies on you? I have them on my phone, but physical copies don't need to be charged."

"Shit."

He turns around, but instead of a secret door to Fillory, all he sees is Fillory.

"Um, no, this is still good. I haven't memorized everything, but I've read the books more than you, and I memorized the big stuff. I can probably figure out stuff that we can't check...we should copy down keywords from your copies that can help jog my memory. Oh, and we should try to find the Questing Beasts, that would give us some leeway to do everything else. No, first is Whitespire, because we're children of Earth...I need to take notes."

Julia reaches into her bag and pulls out a spiral notebook and pen and hands it to him.

"Always prepared. We need to figure out the bullshit from the truth. Then we can become royalty."

"Okay. So, let's see, big stuff: Ember and Umber and the quests they send the kids on, the changes Charles made to Fillorian dueling culture which might come up if we're trying to take the throne...we could try helping out with the Eternal Hive like Fiona did, I think since we're adults instead of kids we can handle being patient enough to earn the reward. We'll want to talk to everyone, really, the dryads, the centaurs, and definitely the talking bats."

"We need to get a map of the area. Figure out where everything is. I know the White Lady is in the Darkling Woods. Should be near the Flying Forest... hm. The White Lady grants wishes, which we definitely want. Though we should figure out what we want to ask beforehand so we don't waste it. And she can get us started on a quest. All the best kings and queens of Fillory start with a quest. If we do that we can solidify our claim to the throne quickly."

"Okay, yeah. Let's see if we can find someone to give us a map."

He starts making his way through the woods, making notes about some of the notable landmarks. He's not going to be able to pick out specific trees by their whorls, but he can trust his memory with this view of Whitespire- he adds some notes and they're off.

"There's usually rules on wishes, so even though the books didn't mention any, we should have backups. Should we try bootstrapping to get to the other Questing Beasts, or is that a waste?"

"Depends on how hard they are to find. Or how shitty we are at being adventurers. Let's try to find some before we go wasting a wish on it. Plus, they're Questing Beasts. They're meant to be found."

"Fair enough."

Walking, walking, walking...taking notes...marvelling in the beauty of Fillory, actual real, in-the-flesh Fillory!

"We should try to wish something for back home. There's no magic on Earth, but maybe we can bring some there with the right wish. Imagine doing magic in New York, Jules."

She hums in thought. "Diggory's clock was in New York and the clock is magic... what other magical items were there?"

"The clock is supposed to be made from Fillorian wood, right? That's why it's special."

He thinks it over, though. He watches the sky's color shift ever so slightly, more impressionistic than natural. Fillory is beautiful in ways he didn't know the world could be beautiful. He blinks back tears, again, like a complete basket case.

"Jane had a doll, it was- it worked with Fillory's magic, but I don't think it was magical itself. You remember, when she got sick, the- when she was attacked by that Lorian assassin. The rose vines almost strangled her to death from the inside, but the doll protected her because it looked like her."

"We should find someone to give us Magic 101. Which we can make happen because we're royalty."

They should do that! This will require finding some actual people, which takes some walking. Eventually, they come upon a hut of sorts. Quentin thinks it looks like an obvious trap.

"It's literally made of candy. I think we can skip this one."

"What, you don't want to be chopped up and put into a stew?" But she agrees and shuffles them onwards, hopefully not attracting any attention.

If any anthropophages take an interest, they don't play their hand. The two of them walk on.

Until eventually, before they've entirely cleared the forest, they hear a rustling in the woods.

Quentin makes some attempt to stand in front of Julia protectively-

A tall handsome teenager steps into view and takes them in. His clothes are a little dated, but very obviously Earth fashion. Mid-twentieth century.

Julia grabs a hold of Quentin, ready for anything.

"Hello, it's an honor to meet you."

His voice is trembling and his accent is the stupid fake British one they used to use when they played Fillory. He's probably embarrassing himself in front of a king of Fillory- or something way more dangerous in disguise. Still. He'll play ambassador; Jules isn't the type.

"Is it just. Children of Earth, I suppose? It has been a very long time. How did you manage that, exactly?" His accent is English, though not the pitiful imitation Quentin is trying at.

"We were just- there was an interview- could I have your name?"

Because he's pretty sure giving his name would be a mistake, but asking can't hurt.

"You don't recognize me? I thought I was famous."

Julia pulls Quentin back a step. "Q..."