What If Bertholdt had Survived

Released and Reunited

Bertholdt slumped against a wall, exhausted, covered in blood.

He watched as the remaining military personnel began collecting the dead.

Bertholdt put his head in his hands. "Eren you b*stard. You just used me" he mumbled.

He thought back as Eren had called all Eldians into Paths announcing his plan to eliminate all of humanity for the sake of Eldians.

He thought about the innocent people in Libero, the Eldians who were only towing the line to keep their families safe.

"There he is!"

Bertholdt looked up to see Connie and Sasha making their way towards him.

Sasha knelt beside him checking for injuries. "Are you ok...ouch!" She jerked her hand back.

"Is your family ok Sasha your sister?"

"Sprained ankle but she'll be ok, they are making there way back to Dauper, luckily the Rumbling is heading towards the sea"

"Gabi and Falco?"

"I left them with my family"

Bertholdt looked past Sasha. "You sure about that?"

Connie and Sasha turned to see Gabi and Falco running towards them.

"I told you two to go with my family. You'll be safer there" Sasha said.

"Eren is going after my home, or what's left of if, and I'm going to defend it" Gabi said defiantly. "And you guys will need the Jaw Titan".

Falco still looked shocked and exhausted.

Connie extended his hand to Bertholdt pulling him to his feet.

"I wouldn't even know where to start" Bertholdt said. He was relived that he had his father smuggled here a few years early.

"Maybe we shouldn't" Connie said flatly.

The rest of the group looked at him in shock.

"We can't let Eren destroy the world" Sasha said.

"Why not? It's better than being unable to have kids, we could finally live in peace" Connie said.

"At what cost though? Do you know how many people, innocent people, will die?" Bertholdt asked.

"And how many innocent people have died here for hundreds of years for no good reason! Thanks to Marley my family is gone, my mom is a Titan, and I almost lost Sasha"

Gabi looked at her feet.

"Connie I know..."

"Do you Bertholdt? because I pretty sure Reiner and you were responsible for a lot of those deaths, and Annie f*ck look what they did here" he gestured to the destruction around him.

Bertholdt felt a jolt on hearing Annie's name.

Sasha placed a hand on Connie's shoulder. "Connie...I...I know you're angry, but killing most of humanity will only just keep this vicious cycle going. While there are things that I believe Marley is guilty of, punishing every single person...it's inhumane. I can't sit by letting innocent people get killed, and I know you can't either. If Armin and Mikasa still think they can talk to Eren somehow, we have to put some faith in that."

"I know I deserve...some sort of punishment but my mother and father haven't done anything wrong" Gabi pleaded.

Connie went silent, grabbing Sasha's hand.

"Bertholdt we need to head back towards the square and find the others." Sasha said.

But Bertholdt only had one thing on his mind.