*Finn's Age: 20*

Finn's P.O.V

Just what does it mean to be a hero? That's the question I find myself asking today. You would think that the answer is pretty cut and dry, a hero clearly being someone who saves people, is kind, and does what he does for the sake of justice. But I feel that there's something much deeper to being a hero. Something more that I can't quite put my finger on that I can't get from anyone else. And I'm determined to find out what that is in order to truly understand my role in this world. After all, I've lived that life for as long as I can remember, so I should know as much as there is to know about it of I'm to excel at what I do. It's what Billy would've wanted.

"I'm telling you, you need to decrease your taxation rates!" Breakfast Princess insists with frustration.

"And I'm telling you to back off!" Slime Princess retorts.

But then again, it's a bit hard to think with all these princess arguing with each other about their princess business. I lean against the wall next to Marceline, the two of us more passive observers of this year's Princess Day than being actively involved. Well, technically, Bubblegum wanted me here because I'm her knight and the Banana Guards haven't been performing well, security-wise, lately, so she wanted me in the kingdom to make sure nothing gets out of hand. But I'm guessing this type of 'out of hand' isn't quite what she was talking about.

"Ladies, ladies! We're princesses. Let's try and act like it" Bubblegum says loudly, getting them to calm down a bit before she resumes a formal tone, "Now, let's discuss the disruption in trade markets along the eastern seaboard. Pirates are no doubt to blame, but we can't just focus on a solution that only involves them. The product shortage must be addressed as well, perhaps even simultaneously. Therefore, I open the floor up to any that have suggestions."

"We can always increase the production amount to make back what we lost. That'll save the markets from suffering a loss in business" Engagement Ring Princess proposes.

"We double, no, triple the security at these markets and anyone caught doing something suspicious will be arrested on sight!" Breakfast Princess suggests.

"Well, it's not like we can just make back what we've lost so easily. It might have to be where the shortage just affects the local economy a bit harder until we can get back to regular production" Space Angel Princess adds, "As far as the pirates go, we'll have to track them down and arrest them so that they can't keep causing trouble."

"Ugh, can you do me a favor, Hero, and put me out of my misery?" Marceline complains, talking in a low voice so that the others don't hear her, "All this pointless talking about boring stuff is making me want to choke on red and die."

"I would, but then I'd lose my best friend, which is something I'd rather not have happen" I reply, staring at all the on-going conversations taking place in front of us, "And though I'd personally rather not be here either, it'll look bad on my reputation if I leave. Tell you what, though, we can do something fun when it's over."

"I'm going to hold you to that" Marceline smiles slightly, "And also pray to Golb that this meeting ends as quickly as possible."

There's a bit of a commotion going on outside, which is more than clear by all the abnormally loud talking. Bubblegum pauses what she's saying and heads down the aisle past the other princesses, opening the castle door ajar and peeking out as I weave through the seats to reach her. Given how she easily opens it the rest of the way tells me that there's nothing dangerous inside the kingdom yet, but as I walk out with her, more than a few of the royals getting up from their seats and peeking out the door after us, I spot something explode off in the distance. I quickly advise the princesses to stay inside as PB and I rush towards the gate, running past panicking candy citizens, and climb up the ladder leading onto the ramparts. The princess then takes out a telescope and looks through it, turning it a bit each direction until she can find whatever she's looking for.

"Look there, by the hills!" She says, handing me the telescope as I look through it myself.

A fireball explodes on the hills of the Grasslands, Flame Princess and some stranger running from what appears to be a small collection of bandits. They're all heading this way and pretty fast at that, so I slide down the ladder and pull out my sword, rounding the corner and standing at the ready to fight once they get closer. Soon enough, they're bounding towards the open gate with the bandits hot on their tale, Bubblegum shouting at the guards to close it. But due to them being a bit slow and stupid, the Banana Guards are unable to shut the gate in time, Flame Princess and her escort barreling into the kingdom before skidding and spinning around to charge right back at the bandits. Of course it's then that the gate closes, but now the bandits are stuck inside the kingdom with us, which is the opposite of helpful. Nevertheless, I start attacking the invaders from behind as the fire royal and her accomplice dodge, jab, slash, roll, and twirl around the attacks sent their way. Phoebe's friend is particularly brutal, stabbing one all the way through the head with his/her sword, stabbing another up through the chin, and also tripping a bandit up before stabbing downward into its stomach. The battle ends soon from all three of our efforts and I walk over to Flame Princess to make sure she's ok.

"Thanks for the help" She sighs, the fire sword she's holding vanishing into thin air, "These ruffians wanted to kidnap and sell me for some unknown reason while we were on our way to the meeting, which we're apparently already late to anyway."

"And I guess it goes without saying, but they shouldn't be causing you trouble anymore" I reply, kicking one of the bodies.

"But if they do, then we'll handle it" Phoebe's friend states, his voice deep but soft at the same time.

I recognize that he's a 'he' because now that he's standing still, I can get a better look at him. He has semi long brown hair with matching brown eyes and has on jeans, a medium red shirt, a thin, black jacket, and shoes like mine, his sword having a sheath slung over and around his chest. But the weirdest thing is that his facial features are similar to mine and his skin is nearly the same as mine, being just a little bit darker. I'm about to ask him his name, when Bubblegum climbs down from the ramparts and comes over to join us, the royals coming out from the castle and walking over as well.

"Geez, you sure know how to make an entrance" Marceline remarks, looking at all the deceased bandits.

"Well, I'll have you know it isn't my first choice in regards to announcing myself" Flame Princess replies, "But I suppose the meeting is over?"

"No, no, we still have some time left if you'd like to add some things" Bubblegum answers.

"Hold on a minute" Slime Princess interjects, sitting at Phoebe's escort's feet, "Aren't you going to introduce us to this nice-looking young man that accompanied you? I don't think I've seen him before."

The stranger then kneels down so that he's closer to eye level with Slime Princess.

"You must be Slime Princess, am I right?" He asks.

"Yes, I am" She nods, smiling, "And what is your name?"

"I'm Sam, though my friends called me many different names back when they were alive" Sam says, that last bit being a bit sad to hear.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Sam" Slime Princess nods again.

"I'm also pleased to meet you" I speak up, Sam looking over at me and standing up to bump fists with me, "I'm Finn, though most everyone calls me Finn the Human."

"Is that so?" The boy smiles, "Then I guess most everyone can also call me Sam the Human too."

A collective gasp spreads among the royals, the candy people also emerging from their homes now that the danger's passed and coming forth after hearing that. I'm almost speechless, but some part of me wondered if he was given how alike we are. The only person who doesn't look shocked/surprised is Flame Princess, but that's not hard to believe since he came here with her and they fought together like they've known each other for a good long while now. But questions start filling my head like where did he come from, how long has he been in Ooo, how did he and Flame Princess meet, and why is it that none of the rest of us have seen him or heard of him before until now? I hope to get answers and maybe I'll ask Phoebe to get them, but for now, I want to see if he'd like to be friends. Because not being the only human anymore is too good a thing to pass up.

"Well, I'll be damned" Marceline smiles, floating around Sam in a complete circle, "Never thought I'd see the day when Finn wasn't the only one of his kind left."

"Where did you come from?" Engagement Ring Princess asks.

"Are you single?" Breakfast Princess also asks, walking up to him as Sam frowns.

"That's....rather forward, miss. But to answer your question, yes, I am single" My fellow human answers, a majority of the princesses getting a hungry and eager look in their eyes.

"Seems like I don't need to do much now to answer your question, Slime Princess" Flame Princess chuckles, walking over and placing a friendly hand on Sam's shoulder, "But this is my knight."

"Wait a minute, I remember you!" Bubblegum speaks up, walking closer with widened eyes, "You're the one that escaped from my lab 3 months ago!"

"And just what do you mean by that, Bonnibel?" Marceline narrows her eyes in scrutiny.

"What she means, miss vampire lady, is that she found me when she was digging underneath her kingdom and revived me after seeing that I was human. But, instead of letting me leave, she kept me there in a glass cylinder like some fucking vegetable. I only managed to escape thanks to the one that people call 'Cinnamon Bun', who open my container and let me out the door" Sam recounts, glaring at Bubblegum as the other royals look at her with narrowed-eyed expressions, "It was then that I found Flame Princess here and she took care of me, letting me become her knight."

"So, let me get this straight, Bubblegum" Breakfast Princess claps her hands together, looking mad but speaking with an eerily calm voice, "You found a human, another human besides Finn, and you didn't tell any of us?!"

"As if I'd simply just let him run around free right off the bat" Bubblegum retorts, crossing her arms indignantly, "He could've been violent, he could've been carrying some ancient disease that could've killed us all, he could've been a lot of things. You just don't know and when you have uncertainties like that, you need to study and find answers, which is why I kept him. Besides, I knew how the rest of you would react if I told you I'd found another living human, which is exactly how you're acting at this very moment."

Sam lightly throws up his and walks a short distance away, shaking his head and crossing his arms. 

"Well, he's clearly not dangerous, otherwise Phoebe here would've been in for a lot of trouble when she found, so he's clearly fine to go" Breakfast Princess waves her off, walking over to Sam and lightly touching, "Wanna go on a date?

"You're clearly persistent" Sam chuckles, "But why so soon?"

"I'm interested in you and you're both effective with a sword and have the kind of voice that leaves me whimpering" She replies without thinking, "So, what do say?"

"Sure, it'll be fun" The boy shrugs.

"Great! You should come too, Ellie!" Breakfast Princess grins, going over and dragging Engagement Ring Princess back with her, "We can have a double date. Besides, I know you're interested too."

"O-Ok" ERP nods, blushing as she looks at Sam.

"Uh, excuse me, we haven't concluded the meeting yet" Princess Bubblegum points out in annoyance.

"Well, we're both done with it anyway" Breakfast Princess replies sassily, tugging on Sam's arm, "Let's go, Sam."

"We were essentially done anyway" Elbow Princess remarks, her and the other ladies walking away towards the front gate.

"Hey, Finn, want to go do that fun thing?" Marceline asks, reminding me that I had totally forgotten about that.

"Yeah, you bet" I nod, "Lead the way."

I then follow her as the two of us leave Bubblegum completely perplexed at the fact that everyone just up and left without a care in the world. But I keep my focus ahead, watching Sam with Engagement Ring Princess and Breakfast Princess. I really hope we can be friends, because now I finally have someone who understands what it's like being a human besides me.

~~~~Three Weeks Later~~~~

"Ah, c'mon, tell me more!" I protest, interested to hear what he has to say.

"Well, ok, then" Sam chuckles, the two of us sitting at my kitchen table in the treehouse, "The three of us went to a restaurant and had some nice conversations while we ate. But I could tell they were horny since ERP sat really close to me and BP kept grazing her leg with mine. So, after we had some drinks and Breakfast Princess brought me back to her kingdom, I was not at all surprised when she took us to her bedroom. I was down for it and since they both wanted to do it as well, admitting as much after the door was locked and they stripped, we all went at it."

"Wow" I raise my eyebrows, "Two in one night? That's crazy!"

"You're telling me, man" Sam smiles, folding his arms over each other.

Seems like Sam is fitting in pretty well for being a human that's out of time, since he told me that the last year he remembers being in is 2023, which is definitely over a couple thousand years ago. But, in these last three weeks, he's already made quite a name for himself, both as a hero and as a hit with the ladies. I'd almost say I'm a bit jealous because of the latter, but I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship on something that petty, so I just let it go. He's shadowed me on a number of princess rescues, done some solo adventuring and heroic acts too, and also taught me a few things that Flame Princess had trained him to do. Though I have heard that whenever he visits the Cloud Kingdom, the Breakfast Kingdom, and Engagement Ring Princess's Kingdom, there are plenty of girls and young women that fawn over him. But what I'm most happy about is the fact that we're close to becoming really good friends. I was a bit worried at first that I would come off as too desperate or needy, but Sam was easy to get along with and I found that we actually enjoy quite a few similar things, a few of them being swords and treasure hunting. Some people even think we're quite the duo, the 'New Heroes of Ooo' ever since Jake retired from all that due to old age.

"You know, Finn, at first it was very weird waking up and seeing this place for what is was" Sam admits, leaning back in his chair in thought, "This land was like something straight out of a fantasy novel, which I used to love reading back in high school. But even though it's only been about four months since I got here, I'm already in love with this place and the people in it, especially all the nice females. I only wish my buddies Joey, Marcus, and Brandon were here. They'd be amazed by Ooo too and we'd make quite a team."

"I take it you guys were best friends?" I ask, even though I tell myself not to intrude on his private business.

"Oh, yeah, they were the absolute best friends a guy like me could ask for. I only hope that wherever they are now, they're happy and at peace" Sam nods, a bit of sadness welling up in his eyes at that last bit, "If you don't mind, though, Finn, I gotta bounce. I'm tracking those pirates that those princesses were worried about."

"Ok, then. Thanks for coming and good luck on your adventure" I say, smiling, him smiling back as he heads down the ladder and out of the treehouse.

Once he's gone, I pick up our drink cups and head to the kitchen sink to wash them out, making short work of it before putting them away. I'm still smiling at the thought of my new good friend, finding that we have so much fun together that I don't want it to ever end.

"Finn, I need to share something with you" Marceline then says, appearing out of nowhere and startling me.

"Glob! Don't scare me like that, Marceline" I remark, calming myself down.

"Listen, I have to tell you about Sam" The vampire persists.

"What? Have you developed a crush on him too?" I ask.

"Huh? No. No, it's something else" She frowns in confusion before shaking her head, "You do know that he's been hunting the pirates that are being a bother to Bonnie and the other uptight royals, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I tilt my head curiously.

"I've been following him and watching him ever since I invited him over for a jam session and his behavior seemed a bit off when I spoke with him. That and I've been here a while already" Marceline admits.

"Aw, c'mon, Marceline, do you really have to invade his privacy like that?" I asks, folding my arms over each other, "And do you not trust him or something just because he acted a little differently than normal?"

"No...it's just that a long, long, long time ago, I developed a distrusting attitude toward humans in general because they were so easily scared of me and sometimes hated me" She confesses, "And, admittedly, I haven't fully gotten past that, even though we're best friends."

"So, what's your point here, Marceline?" I ask, getting a bit impatient.

"My point is that he hasn't just left to track them down. He's found where they're hiding and plans to kill them, Finn" Marceline reveals.

"Are you completely sure of this?" I question, not quite buying it.

"Yes, of course, I'm sure" The vampire says confidently.

"Hmm...I should go follow him and see if he does what you say he's going to do or not. And if he does, I'll need to report it since it's a clear violation of the Hero Code of Conduct to aimlessly use violence" I decide, going over and picking up my sword from the couch before sliding down the ladder and exiting the treehouse.

"I'll come with you, since I know where he's going" Marceline insists, picking me up and flying me east of the Candy Kingdom.

Marcy drops me off at a cave entrance at the eastern shore of Ooo, tall palm trees, sandy beaches, and a large body of water making up the terrain. But there's a fire going on inside the cave, creating enough light for me to peak in from the side and see what's happening. I get my phone out and start recording, since that's the best proof of evidence there is, and watch Sam. He's already inside and speaking with the pirates, telling them to stop what they're doing. More than a few get up from their sitting positions around the fire and approach him threateningly. They ask what he thinks he's going to do about it and Sam cuts his head off with his machete before stabbing the other through the mouth. The recording still rolls as Sam stabs another through the chest, another through the side of the head after cutting off both his arms, and breaking the last one's neck. I feel my heart thud in my chest, now realizing that this is the real Sam.

I end the recording and Marceline floats down to pick me back up. I quickly and quietly tell her to head to the Candy Kingdom so that I can inform Bubblegum. She nods and, without question, flies us back in that direction, the surrounding landscape zipping by at how fast she goes. And once the kingdom gets closer and closer, before we make it to the front steps of the castle, Marcy drops me off again and gives me a thumbs up. I return the gesture and run inside, speeding past servants before asking Peppermint Butler where Princess Bubblegum was. Since he could see the urgency in my expression, he tells me she's in her meeting room and tells where it is, which I make sure to give him my thanks for before I resume my running. I head down a flight of stairs and go down two connecting hallways before I reach the room, skidding to a halt and calmly entering. Inside is a dark area illuminated by many screen connected together in a large semicircle pattern, all of them filled with the live video of a princess while PB stands in the middle of the room engaged in a heated discussion with them.

"I'm telling you, we need to handle this now!" PB is stating insistently, "If we don't do something soon, trouble will more likely strike again!"

"It will not!" Flame Princess disagrees, "And I know this because my knight is hard at work tracking these scumbags down."

"Princess?" I announce myself, PB turning to see me as the royals on the screens notice me too.

"Finn, can it wait? I'm kind of in the middle of something here" Bubblegum says, showing her impatience.

"No, it can't" I shake my head, walking up to her, "It's about this."

I show her the video and she plays it, her eyes widening at the violence though the other princesses can't see it since the phone is facing away from them.

"I knew it" She sighs unhappily, looking up at Flame Princess, "Your knight has found the pirates alright. But he's also brutally killed each and every one of them."

There's a bustle of commotion among the royals as shock ripples through each of them, Bubblegum taking the moment to turn away from them and talk to me for a brief second.

"You know what you have to do, right, Finn?" She asks as I nod in response, "He has to be put on trial, so go find him and bring him back here. Use force if you have to, but be careful."

"I will, Princess" I nod, leaving her to address the princesses as I exit the room in a hurry.

I, at first, struggle to think about where he might be at this time. But then I remember that there was this particular hill that he liked to sit on and watch the sunrise, which I know because I was there with him a couple of times. I run out of the Candy Kingdom and head right there, not letting any passing citizens stop me with their questions or requests for help. I spring through the Grasslands and towards the Ice Kingdom, coming to a halt as I reach the spot I have committed to memory.

I see him standing there on the very hilltop, the sun just rising over the horizon. He has his machete out, but pointed at the ground, his back turned towards me. I clench my sword tighter and cautiously, but confidently walk towards him. I notice his ear twitch slightly at my feet crunching against the grass, making him slowly turn around and see me. But Sam only smiles and doesn't raise his weapon, waiting for me to come right up on top of the hill with him before he speaks.

"I was wondering when you'd find me, Finn" The human says, speaking in a way that feels so different from how he usually talks, "But is the sword really necessary?"

"It's completely necessary" I frown angrily, pointing it at him, "I've been ordered to take you in by force so that you can be on trial for what you did and be put in the dungeons after you're found guilty."

"Heh, doesn't sound like a trial's even needed since these princesses of yours already seemed fit to name themselves judge and jury while having you be the executioner" Sam replies, his smile dropping sadly, "And what have I even done to deserve such harsh regard from you and them?"

"You know what you did! You killed those people!" I snap at him.

"People that you would refer to as 'evil' and would do quite a lot more evil if they were left to do whatever they wanted? How is it bad, then, that I solved those situations when you would've still done something about it too? You see, you and your royals want to label me as a villain simply because I do what you and them refuse to do to combat evil. And please don't pretend that you're one to talk about killing when Flame Princess told me about all the evil people you've wiped out over the years" The human tilts his head, clasping his hands together.

"That was a different time and a younger me. I don't do that anymore. I let them live so that they might learn from their mistakes and become better people" I argue, keeping my sword trained on him, "That's what heroes do. And I thought you were one too! We were the Heroes of Ooo!"

"Well, contrary to what you may believe, Finn, I never had any intention of being viewed as a hero. Because if being a hero is what you describe it to be, I'm perfectly fine with being what's known as an 'antihero' here. To put it in the simplest of terms, you hit them and they get back up, I hit them and they stay down. Besides, you say that these criminals 'might' learn from their mistakes, not that they 'will' learn from them. You give them too many chances and that lets them know that they can get away with whatever they want without facing harsher punishment. And your acts of mercy are quite frankly foolish, because the people that choose to do these evil things do it because they chose to and you can't simply just change their minds if they've been made up already.  You create many more potential future problems by letting clearly guilty criminals go, which is no wonder why evil never seems to go away in Ooo. If anything, you should've kept that younger part of you that dealt the necessary punishments with you. But, since you didn't, at least I'm here" Sam explains, detailing it from his perspective.

"...I can see your point, Sam, but we have to draw the line somewhere. We need to have morals" I sigh.

"And you think I don't? Were you taught to think that from those princesses you answer to? Because acting with such moral high ground condescension does fit their MO's. But need I remind you that it's only the certifiably bad ones that end up paying the price, not any random person that crosses my path. That's already drawing the line and having morals at the same time. So, I'd kindly ask you to re-evaluate what you consider 'morally just' because I think your sense of it is completely out of wack" The boy keeps going, his words surprisingly harsh towards the princesses since I thought he liked a few of them.

"Look, I can't just ignore an order from Princess Bubblegum" I tell him, "And what happened to you liking Breakfast Princess and Engagement Ring Princess?"

"Maybe so, but why do you insist on carrying out everything they tell you to? Do you not ever stop and think that there are times when they're asking you to do something that's unreasonable or something that you're not comfortable with?" Sam asks, folding his arms over one another as some annoyance begins to show in his tone, "And I did like them for a while, at least until their true personalities started to show through."

"I do what she and the others ask out of loyalty" I state confidently.

"Please. Loyalty is just a word used to keep people believing that they're not being used when they're really getting taken advantage of in every single way possible. And monarchs like those princesses are only ever interested in expanding their own power and keeping whatever they gain, even if it means doing things against whatever 'moral code' they'd have you believe and using you until they can squeeze every last bit of worth out of you until they toss you aside since there's nothing to gain anymore. They're like a bunch of gold digger, abusive girlfriends, only with more wealth and status" He huffs slightly, taking a step back from me.

"Sam, we can keep this up all day, but the fact of the matter is that it is what it is and that I couldn't change it even if I did believe in what you're saying" I say sympathetically.

"Then do you not merely want to admit that you're internally agreeing with what I'm saying or have you just been raised to be like a soldier, who takes orders without question and is so close-minded to other viewpoints that anyone who expresses something different ends up on the end of your sword like this?" Sam questions, shaking his head, "Either way, I'm not going back in that lab and I'm not spending the rest of my days in a dungeon, even if it means I have to fight you."

"But I don't want to have to fight you" I insists, meaning what I'm saying.

"Yet you have your sword drawn and pointed at me anyway" The human frowns, his lips going in a tight line as he stares me down, "So if you intend to either get me surrender by disarming me or using more brutal force, I won't hesitate to defend myself."

He's right on the fact that I do intend to disarm him and he knows that I'll make the first strike, which is why he easily bats away my sword with his machete. I go to quickly follow it with a leg sweep, but he anticipates this as well and back-steps to avoid it. I attack him up higher and he blocks it, but then he attacks back, pushing me back and slicing directly down at me. I have to hold my sword with both hands, one carefully folding over the blade as the other still grips the handle, to prevent his strike from landing. Sam pushes down harder and I can feel my swordblade digging into my palm, meaning that I'll need to get out of this situation fast before his machete finds a home in my noggin. So, I relax and side-step to avoid the hit, then trying to attack him while I'm not in his direct line of sight. But he spins around and swipes at me, which makes me alter my plan and duck under his attack. However, he knew I would do that and kicks me backward, causing me somersault down the hill and land in a dizzy haze at the bottom. I'm a bit out of it and his machete lands near my face, grazing my cheek from being thrown at me. I try my best to collect myself and throw it back at him, but he catches it with his arm and grabs it again. He's too skilled for me to beat easily, so I'll have to try something he'll never think I'd do. Shaking the dizziness out of my head, I pick my sword back up and charge up the hill at him as fast as I can, Sam preparing to dodge whatever I throw at him. I go to stab him, expecting that he'll block it and give me a chance to strike again, but I thrust forward with such speed and aggression that his blade doesn't even have a chance to block it before it plunges into his chest.

I freeze, horrifying shock running through me since that wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't want to actually stab him around where his heart is!! But my sword has landed there and Sam lets out a pained gasp, making me quickly pull my sword and stab it into the ground so I don't accidentally do anything else rash with it. Sam falls down backwards, his hand instinctively going to his chest wound before it goes to his side and he sits up. He doesn't meet my gaze at first, even though I've kneeled down in front of him, but eventually he does after a few minutes of watching his own blood spill out onto the grass.

"Look at what they've done to us, Finn" Sam sighs weakly, his life slowly draining away, "Pit the last two humans in existence against each other and let one destroy the other after he strays too far from their own preferred expectations. Guess you'll go back to being the last human all over again."

"I don't want you to die, Sam" I admit, it hurting to see him losing his life when I still want a human friend.

"A little too late for that now" He sighs, turning his head and looking at me, "Just please think about what I told said, Finn, and don't let yourself be a victim of this corrupted system."

Sam then looks down and dies a handful of seconds later, his body slumped forward but not falling over. But what kills me inside is that the expression on his face isn't one of anger or hatred, but of sadness. It tears at me and I feel myself begin to cry, even though I didn't think I would. Then I hear somebody coming and I swallow down more tears and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Damn. I didn't think he'd end up dead" Marceline admits solemnly, hovering a few feet away as I briefly glance at her before I look back to Sam.

"It was more of an accident than on purpose. I got a bit too overzealous when fighting" I reply, not able to make my voice appear any happier than what I'm feeling inside.

"I'm sorry, Hero" The vampire sighs, not moving from her spot, "I know you and him were on the way to be the best of friends."

I nod, only partially listening since my thoughts are stuck mulling over his words and how this entire situation ended much worse than I wanted it to. But when Marceline calls me by that nickname, some of these thoughts start connecting and I come to some realizations.

"You know, Marceline, I think I finally understand something" I tell her.

"Oh really? And what's that?" She asks curiously.

"I was wondering for some time what the deeper meaning behind being a hero was, since I felt as if what I already knew was only surface-level. And the more I think about what Sam told me before he died, the more I've come to realize what this deeper meaning actually is. A hero is somebody who sticks up for others and does more good than bad, but he must know who is worth sticking up and what really defines good from bad, since one person could say that something needs to be done for the greater good, when it's actually bad and only good in their own twisted frame of mind. So, going forward, I need to know what battles are worth fighting and be able to discern the true intentions of whatever might be asked of me" I explain, still looking at Sam. 

Marceline nods, probably not sure what to say after everything I just said. I don't want Sam to be left here, though, so I pick him up and carrying him with me down the hill. Marcy follows me as I head back toward the Candy Kingdom. However, I don't go into the kingdom, instead going around and stopping at the graveyard that lies on the western edge of the territory. I felt that he should be buried, not left to rot like some criminal, so I set him down and begin digging a hole. Part way through, the princesses show up, Bubblegum and Flame Princess unhappy to see that he's dead, but Phoebe and a lot of the others also look sad to see him like that. Marceline offers to help, but I calmly turn her down and dig the rest on my own. Once it's fully dug, I place his body inside and get to covering it back up, tired but determined to give my human friend a proper burial by my own terms. By the time I'm done, Marceline's gone and gotten a headstone for him which I take and carve his name into before sticking it in the ground above where his head would be. I then just stand there and stare at it, Marceline hovering next to me with a kind and gentle hand on my shoulder, the princesses gathering around both sides of the grave except for Bubblegum, who turns and leaves to go back to her kingdom. And as I stand there thinking about him, I wonder what else he would've done had I not killed him.

Rest in peace, my friend. And I'm sorry that you're no longer here.