He hadn't moved out from underneath that tree. The Priest grimaced as he looked out the window of the inn to where their leader lay, staring blankly up at the sky. He hadn't eaten in nearly three days now- if he were still a Celestrian they wouldn't of worried, but he was mortal now.

"We need to snap him out of his depression."

The thief looked up, a grim look on her face at the Priests quiet declaration. "How?" The blunt question made him flinch. "He just lost everything. What can we possibly say that'll snap him out of it?"

"I know Fleur, but we have to try…Somehow."

"Look Joseph, nothing that we're going to say is going to help!"

The two's voices rose in bickering disagreement, until at last one of them took a deep breath, pushing back from the table. "Huh? Brian? What are you doing-" The Barbarian ignored them all to go stomping out of the inn towards where Samuel lay.

Samuel stared up at the sky, eyes dark and sunken in. Clear marks of near starvation marked his face, turning it a sickly yellow. His heair was greasy, and every part of him screamed that he had given up on everything. Brian stopped only a few feet away, staring at the once mighty leader that had lead them to victory.

His eyes closed, before opening again. Fleur and Joseph ran up behind him in time to hear him say, "Samuel. You are the most selfish person I ever met."

A physical flinch shook Samuel's body, as sunken eyes turned to Brian. Brian took a deep breath, "You… You ate the fygg for no other reason then to get revenge didn't you? Revenge for Aquilla's death-"

"No…" The soft voice was nearly swallowed by Brian's, and the barbarian paused, as Samuel gathered himself together. "No! That wasn't it! That wasn't it!" Tears began to pour down his face. "My home was dieing! Everywhere I turned, my once beautiful homeland was slowly being destroyed- all of my friends were captured, and tortured! I couldn't refuse!"

Weak hands clenched into fists pounding at the ground. "They're my family! I grew up with them; I learned with them, they helped raise me! I- I didn't want anyone else to be hurt any further! So-So I ate the fruit. To fill Aquilla's wish that everyone would be freed!"

Brian hissed in surprise as a powerful hand clamped down on his arms. Samuel's head, bowed but visibly crying, shook. "Instead, I'm more separated from everyone then ever before. At least before I-I could talk with them, but now their stars! So far away that I can't even see them! I'm the only one left! I can't talk to ghosts, all of my powers have been stripped away! Even the weakest of magic affects me…"

The strong grip slacked as Samuel sank to his knees, arm covering his face, as unashamedly wept. "Even when I die now, I'll never be able to join them! Everyone… Everyone I've ever loved has left me behind."

"But… What about us?"

The question hung on the air. "We've been with you through thick and thin, haven't we? So many people have you to thank for restoring their precious lives to them, for opening up their worlds. Will you say they don't care about you either?"

The tears slowly stopped, as sunken eyes stared up in stupefaction at Brian. Brian lifted a bag that no one else had noticed, pulling out a bundle of letters. "I contacted the people we met during the journey, saying that you were depressed, and if possible, to write a little something for you. Our mailbox couldn't hold everything that was sent."

Shaking hands carefully picked up the pieces of parchment, as dull eyes cleared. An arm rubbed across eyes, and he looked at the many letters.

Swinedimples, Porth Llaffen, Iluugazar Plains- so many places had contacted him, but his eyes were immediately drawn to Angel Falls. Silently he lifted it to his nose, taking a deep whiff. Faintly, even with a mortal nose, he could smell it. That earthy, watery scent of a tiny village.

"Thank you. You're right…I've been incredibly selfish lately." Eyes looked up sadly, as he attempted to smile. "I… I should've been more considerate."

"It's fine, if you want to cry." Brian's voice was impossibly soft. "Everything feels better after a good cry. But don't cry alone, alright? There are plenty of people who will let you lean on them, plenty of people willing to help. You're mortal now, so it's time you accepted that you can't do everything."

Samuel nodded shortly, slowly clambering to his feet, the Angel Falls letter clutched to his chest. "You're right… I only have sixty or so more years. I have a lot to do in that time."

He took one step forward, stumbled, and nearly fell.

Three pairs of hands instantly caught him before he hit the ground. "Let's go back to Stornway Inn- everyone is waiting for you."