If the book had been about a prince, Armin thinks, that prince could have easily looked like Marco.

Warm hands cup his own, and Armin can't help but smile again. He listens to Marco talk, his voice as soft and easy as its ever been. A wave of grief threatens to wash over Armin, but he weathers through it. Marco is here, and he's squeezing Armin's hands, and everything is alright for now.

"You know, Marco..." He starts. "I'm not sure that I really believe in "bad" or "good" people. We're all just human, like you said, but...

"You're pretty good at finding the beauty in things. Always have been. And you've always been a good friend to me. Thanks for that."