~~~~~

POV: You

Part 1.

It's been a few hours since Bertholdt was taken away. I've calmed down since then, the walk and speaking to Marlowe helped me. Right now I am at the door to the dungeon of the Palace. Erwin had me come here. I had asked Erwin's opinion on the situation, his standing on all of this was a logical one, seeing this as the best option. By my side was Levi and Erwin.

"Go ahead inside, he's the only one down there. No guards or anything. Talk as much as you want" Erwin tells me as he opens the door.

"No guard? And just talk?" I question.

"Yes, Levi will be at the door being the guard. Historia will be joining you soon" Erwin says.

"No need to rush, the sun isn't going down anytime soon" Levi says to me.

I nod then head down the dungeon stairs, Erwin closes the door behind me as I descended. I get to the bottom of the stairs and see a line of cells, I walk down the line and in the middle cell I see Bertholdt, he laid on the cot staring at the ceiling.

"Is it time already?" He asks in a quiet voice.

"No, I'm just here to talk" I say to him.

"What's there to talk about?" He asks in a depressed tone.

"Anything" I say then leaned up against the stone wall facing him. I then sigh "I'm sorry this is happening"

He sits up "I am as well. Though I think should of been expected this. I guess it was naive of me to think that everyone was going to forgive me for what I did"

"I don't expect everyone to forgive you, they didn't go through the things we've been through. They don't know what it's like to be forced to be a killer" I tell him "I don't want them to know either"

"(Y/n), why are you so forgiving?" He asks me.

"Depends on the person. I look at more then the obvious. Yes you aided in killing hundreds of thousands of people, but what choice did you have. If you turned tail back to Marley instead of coming to the walls who knows what they would of done to you. They should be lucky that someone with emotions was the one who did the damage" I state to him "The whole story means everything when it comes to people and there actions"

"Would you of done the same thing if you were in my shoes?" Bertholdt asks as he gets out of the cot.

"I can't say, it's possible that I would of every choice you made if I was you" I say to him.

"Since I'm dying today, can you do something for me" Bertholdt tells me.

"Sure, anything" I answer.

He gulps "Protect Annie please" he says.

I raise a brow then sighed "You liked her didn't you" I say.

He hung his head "Yes....but she's made her choice...she seems more open with you then she was ever with me"

"Bertholdt look at me" I say as I stepped towards the cell. He looks up at me "I promise I will protect her with my entire being, and with her help, we'll one day bring Marley to its knees"

A reassuring smile appears on his face "Thank you, and when you do bring Marley to its knees. Show them the monster they created"

"Believe me, I will" I reply.

We hear the door to the dungeon followed by footsteps before the door closed. I glance towards the stair well, Bertholdt steps close to the bars of the cell to see who it is. The steps reach the bottom of the stairs and we see Historia, royal garb and all. Once seeing Historia, Bertholdt got onto one knee, I bowed a bit.

"We are behind closed doors, there's no need for any of that" Historia says. Bertholdt then stood up. Historia takes her crown off "I'm sorrry, I was ready to do everything in my power to protect you"

"You're a queen now, you need to think more about the actions you make. If you were to protect me, they would of over thrown you" Bertholdt says.

"Over throw me? Not to sound arrogant but I have the remnants of the scouts and five loyal titan shifters. What makes you think they'd let anyone near my head" Historia tells Bertholdt.

"But they'd only push back harder. No one wants to follow a leader that doesn't hear them out, your power comes from them" Bertholdt states.

"Even so. You are more valuable alive then dead" Historia says.

"They don't care" Bertholdt says "We've been trapped in a corner and this is the best outcome. I just need to die and your people will be happy"

"That doesn't mean I will be" Historia says "It disappoints me that people are willing to kill someone for what they want, even when their death won't effect them in the slightest"

"That's the world Historia, it's hell, a place where monsters roam free, everywhere we look" I say.

She looks my way "That doesn't mean we can't change that"

"We can't, a world without violence or conflict won't make a paradise, just a hell worst then the one we have" I say.

"Your not usually a pessimist about things" She states.

"Topics like this are an exception" I state while crossing my arms.

"I wish violence and conflict could end but it's human nature"

{Time Skip}

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but the three of us were having a conversation about rough plans for the future, like what my plan is once I step onto Marleyan soil again. We hear the door to the dungeon open before Levi shouts.

"It's time"

Historia places her crown on her head "I wish things didn't have to go this way"

"Me too" Bertholdt says.

Historia then starts walking away. I extend my hand out to Bertholdt through the bars "I'll see you in hell" I say to him.

He extends his hand ands grabs mine "Yeah...I'll see you in hell"

Part 2.

I stood behind the mob that faced the gallows, the MPs built it in the span of a few hours. It wasn't big or extravagant but it still could do the job of killing a man. I stood behind the raging mob, by my side was Annie. The others would rather not watch another comrade die, let alone by the hands of the people they protect. Liam is drinking away, for Mikasa and Ymir, I can't say why they wouldn't of come. I don't think Ymir is much of the caring type towards most people and Mikasa is similar.

"There's no well thought out plan to save him is there" Annie asks me as we stood there.

"No, there is not. Commander Erwin nor Historia is going to make some extravagant speech that will sway the people, no plan to kidnap Bertholdt. There is no plan, Just Bertholdt hanging from a noose" I tell her.

"Then why did you come here?" She questions.

"I respect Bertholdt, I sympathize with him, he wants to do this to redeem himself, someone needs to see it till the end" I state before glancing over to her "Why did you come here? You didn't need to come with me"

"If they knew I helped with the fall of wall Maria, I'd be hanging from a noose today as well" She tells me.

"If the day ever comes that an enemy knocks on the doors of the interior, they'll beg for someone to save them, and we'll be there to save them. However, they better know that we didn't save them because they begged, but because we sacrifice our hearts to something better then ourselves" I say to her and she glances at me.

"That sounds like something Erwin would say" Annie states.

"Really? I guess I have been in the presence of Erwin a lot more recently" I state.

We hear the mob of people get louder, their shouts and yells raging on. I then see why. Four MPs escorted Bertholdt towards the gallows. His hands and feet were shackled. Bertholdt look down, not daring to look up, I'm guessing he could feel the piercing eyes of the mob. Next to the gallows stood Erwin and Pyxis. As Bertholdt passed, Pyxis offered Bertholdt a drink from his flask. The MPs allow it, Bertholdt takes ahold of the flask and down the entire contents then coughing a little. The MPs then escort Bertholdt up the gallows. Bertholdt looked up, looking at the rope that hung there for him. They take him over to the noose and place it around his neck. His head dropped down as they tightened the rope.

"Here today. Under the charges of mass genocide, destruction of Wall Maria, and treason against the crown. This man, Bertholdt Hoover, will be punished and executed by hanging.

From a balcony on the palace, Historia watched over the gallows and the mob, she didn't show emotion on her face. I could only guess that she'd rather give no one the satisfaction to know how she feels about this. The crowd cheering, yelling, shouting, just waiting for the floor to drop below Bertholdt.

"Bertholdt Hoover. Do you have any last words?" The MP says.

As he looked towards the wooden floor before his feet, the same floor that was going to drop any second. He didn't look up, he simply spoke.

"I'm sorry" Bertholdt states, sorrow in his voice.

The MP looks up to Historia who then gives him a nod. The MP puts his hand on the lever and pulls it. The flloor below Bertholdt opening up and Bertholdt falls. His body jolts as the rope stops it from hitting the ground below the gallows. Bertholdt's body did not move, not even a twitch. His body hung there like it had now become an ornament of the gallows. The crowd cheered in success, like killing Bertholdt solved the problems of the world. Neither Annie or I moved any inch, our eyes staying on Bertholdt his his body hung there.

"People on a power trip always fall" Lauren says.

Time went by, it didn't feel like it though. Before  I knew it, an hour had gone by of me looking at Bertholdt's body.the entire crowd was gone. The only ones that stood there now were me and Annie. It pissed me off inside, not a single person who wanted Bertholdt dead decided to stay to see his body cut down. Why fight for something when you aren't even going to see it to the end.

"Hey" Annie says as she grabbed my hand, snapping me out of whatever daze I was in. I blinked a bit then looked towards her "Let's go"

"Not yet" I say before looking back up at at Bertholdt's hanging body "I'll be back soon"

Annie slowly removed her hand from mine "Alright, Don't linger too long" She says then turned and walked away.

I watch as the MPs finally decide to cut down Bertholdt. A doctor was there to pronounce Bertholdt dead. Once the doctor did, I decided it was my time to leave. I saw it to the end. I will uphold the promise I made to you Bertholdt. I will protect Annie, and I will do the same with Paradise, protect it with every fiber of my body.

"This world deserves to burn, to be trampled upon for all the monsters that reside in it. However, at the same time it deserves to prosper and live on for all the people who simply want to live and enjoy the lives given to them. I am not a god and will never claim to be, I do not have the right to decide who lives and who dies. Even if I was a god, would I have that right? No, because I'd only end up the same way I am now, a monster"