[Look. Okay, yes. She knows the feeling. The difference is that she never got mad at her father for failing to stop Zarkon and his armies, never cursed him for old friendships that may have caused him to hesitate at the wrong moment.]

[Which one is Darin, and which one is the dragon?]

What I mean is simple, Darin: You're already working yourself far past your limits as punishment, and you're already saying they should hate and condemn you... and now you're adding that they would be right to do so. You don't want them to be fair to you, because you aren't being fair to yourself.

This town was destroyed by the dragon. You didn't encourage it to take that path, nor did you assist it in the destruction, nor did you fail because of succumbing to some darker part of yourself. Your only crime was being presented with an unfair choice — and you've already told me that you still stand by your decision.

So, why don't you tell me what would be so wrong about forgiving yourself for it?