This is a work of fiction that follows real historical events. This does not seek to promote anything about war and is just a what if kind of scenario. Any similarity between people, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Some aspects have been changed to form a better story.

It has only been a few days since Gneisenau was blasted by the Royal Navy's bombers. Prinz Eugen and I travel across the sea towards Norway to provide support against convoys traveling to the Northern Parliament and to prevent Royal Navy ships from contesting Iron Blood while Tirpitz undergoes repairs.

We had said farewell to Gneisenau the hour after the attack. She was devastated, she spoke no words and could only stare at the sky in wait for another attack that may or may not ever come. Prinz Eugen and I have been silent the entire trip. We do not know what to say to each other after seeing Gneisenau hurt so much. Losing her sister and her ship is probably all a Kansen can lose…

"I feel bad for Gneis…"

"Me too." I respond.

"I wish I could say she didn't deserve it, but I'm certain that war does not care who deserves what…"

"No one deserves a fate like that…"

Eugen sticks close to me. "Commander… Can you promise me something?"

"Of course."

"Can you promise me… that no matter what… you'll always be by my side…"

"Eugen…"

She sighs. "We've been through so much commander. And undoubtedly we will be going through much more. I want to know if I can rely on you completely from now on so that we do not end up like Bismarck and Scharnhorst…"

She huddles close to me and leans her head on my arm. Her golden brown eyes look deep into my own and almost plead with me to say the words 'I promise.'

I wish I could say it confidently and without hesitation... But part of me knows what is to come. However, when Prinz Eugen stares at me with her pleading eyes, I know there is only one way to respond…

"I promise…"

I give her a head pat which causes her to blush. I kiss the top of her head in a moment of courage and smile at her red face. Her white hair smells amazing, as if she has just walked out of the shower. This was far more arousing than I thought it may be. Eugen doesn't seem to notice behind her blush though.

"You've gotten quite good at teasing, commander…" Prinz tries to force a smile out from behind her blush.

"I had to, I couldn't spend my entire life being picked on by you." I chuckle.

Eugen playfully nudges her elbow into my side which only makes me laugh more. Her blush is almost deeper than her red strand of hair and I am loving every second of it. I reach for her hand but decide against it. Despite how I may feel, what I am considering is illegal in both the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood.

Prinz Eugen's expression does not change, but she is obviously a little disappointed. Instead I give her one last headpat before returning to the ocean view on this February day. Even though it is still winter, signs of the globe warming up are becoming more evident each day as I no longer have to wear a thick winter coat over my uniform when I stand on the observation deck.

Prinz Eugen leans her head on my shoulder and drapes her hair over me. I grab her shoulder and pull her closer as she closes her eyes. This brief little moment is interrupted by warning sirens sounding from within Prinz Eugen's bridge. Prinz quickly wakes up and rushes into the bridge, but it is too late. A massive explosion rocks the stern of the Prinz Eugen's hull, throwing me off the observation deck. I quickly grab hold of the railing and dangle high above the wooden decks. I desperately cling on for dear life as a black plume of smoke rises from behind the Prinz Eugen.

My hand is in immense pain as I hold my entire body weight from falling to my death. I can already feel my grip slipping as I can no longer hold myself on the railing. Prinz Eugen's hull slowly comes to a stop in the water as her engines completely stall out. I am worried about the damage, but I'm more afraid of falling to my death.

"Eugen!" I shout.

Prinz Eugen busts out of the bridge and grabs my wrist.

"Hold on commander!" She shouts as I grunt in effort and pain.

Prinz Eugen easily flings me back onto the deck with her superhuman strength. Her rigging has been activated and her metallic sharks sniff around for an enemy to pin the attack on.

"Are you alright!?" She asks me as I try and catch my breath, the adrenaline quickly wearing off.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?"

"Physically I am uninjured, but I cannot say the same about my ship. My engines and my steering gear are both inoperable. We will have to make it to a dock for repairs with minimal power."

"A torpedo without anything on radar. Drop depth charges, we cannot risk being followed by a submarine."

Several splashes are heard in the water as Prinz Eugen slowly limps away from the hit. A few explosions occur underwater and rock the ship slightly thanks to our close proximity to the charges. It must have scared the submarine off because we receive no further trouble. Or the other possibility it had launched all of its torpedoes at us in a single attack.

"Thank you for saving me." I say to the heavy cruiser he boasts her chest proudly.

"It was nothing. Lifting a shell takes more strength than pulling up a human."

"What would I do without you?" I say with a smirk.

"You would die~" She puts a finger between my chest muscles.

"It's going to be hard getting back without being able to turn."

"We just need to get close to shore so that a tug boat can escort us to a dock."

"I guess all we can do is pray that we are not followed by anyone else."

"True indeed."

Eugen continually checks her radar and hydrophones for any activity the rest of the way, leaving me to wayfind and try to pinpoint the exact location we will be coming into contact with the shore. We remain silent during this period of pensiveness and reflection. We let our own vulnerabilities get the best of us in a moment of weakness that the enemy took advantage of. It could be luck, it could be intentional. Either way, the result is the same.

Prinz Eugen limps slowly across the North Sea trying desperately to make it to shore so that a tug boat can transport her to a real dock. Prinz looks up from her radar screen and rubs her eyes clear from the drowsiness which was now taking hold as we have been awake for almost three days straight as we cross the North Sea into Norway.

I yawn as I stand next to her, ready to catch her should she fall unconscious. She tries to blink a few times to focus her lenses and slowly turns her head to look at me.

"Commander… I'm so tired…"

"You should go sleep, I can stay-" I yawn. "I can stay and keep the helm."

"Commander… You're tired too… You should join me." She yawns. I cannot tell if she is being serious or not with her tired complexion.

"As much as I would love to, someone needs to keep watch. We cannot risk another hit."

Prinz Eugen's eyes droop and she falls into my arms which are ready to catch her. I carry her bridal style as she tosses and turns in my arms, trying to find a comfortable position.

"This is my first time being hit by an enemy… I can't say I enjoy it." She yawns the last part.

"What does it feel like? Having a hole torn into your hull."

Prinz Eugen thinks for a little bit. "It's not like I can feel the pain of such a blast, but I can feel that my stern has been hit. It's just a feeling, I'm not sure how to explain it to someone who can't experience it."

Prinz Eugen finds a comfortable place to rest her head right on my chest as she breathes in and out slowly. Her nose moves up and down as she sniffs me, a small smile comes to her face as she likes what she smells.

I take her down her superstructure, her large breasts brushing against me with every step. She moans every once in a while, though I feel it is more of a pained one as her body aches after being awake for so long. I too find myself slowly losing consciousness as my eyes grow heavier and heavier. I open the door to the lower decks and begin marching my way around the maze of a ship. The ceilings are large but it still feels cramped with all of the advanced technology running through her.

Eventually, I reach her room and open her door. I have never seen the inside of her room before. It is small with only a night desk, a bed, a mirror, and a mirror. The floor has a cute rug, Eugen's attempt at making the room feel more homey. Atop her nightstand is a lamp and a picture that I cannot see in the light or lack thereof.

I lay the sleeping Prinz Eugen on her small bed. She seems to voice her disapproval by squirming on the bed but I only watch as she soon relaxes into her pillow and stops writhing. I turn on her lamp which illuminates the picture. It is in black and white, as most pictures were. I blush when I realize who it is of. I grab the picture and hold it closer so that I can verify its contents and make sure it's not just an illusion created by my dreariness.

It's a still picture of a scene I had taken of myself and Eugen during our run out to the Atlantic. I have no idea how she got it unless she took the film out of the camera and made it larger somehow. I guess it's not too far-fetched, but I find it far more effective at getting my heart racing with butterflies than it had at the time. Eugen is giving the camera a peace sign while I stand next to her professionally. The irony is felt even from here. I smile as I look at the picture and then to the sleeping Prinz Eugen. I brush her bangs away from her face and sit down next to her. The feeling of her warm and soft bed begging me to partake in it as the exhaustion begins to get to me as well. I feel her red stripe of hair between my fingers.

I soon find watching her sleeping face quite soothing as I too lay down next to her, our bodies almost falling out of the bed. I try to get as close as I can to her so I don't fall over. My eyes grow heavier until I'm eventually asleep. Something I probably shouldn't have done…

…

There is a loud bang early in the morning. The sound of metal grinding against something other than the sea wakes both I and Eugen up. The two of us shoot out of the bed, not acknowledging what is on both of our minds as we break through onto deck. The ship had run aground on land, the bow of the ship trying to dig itself deeper into the mud. Eugen shuts off her engines and breathes a sigh of relief. While this is still bad, it's much better than a hit by a torpedo.

"Well, at least we've made it to land…" I state, trying to lighten the mood.

"Should we radio for help?"

"We should be safe here. Hand me the communicator."

Eugen grabs the radio and hands it to me, giving me a wink. She obviously is going to tease me for sleeping with her later. I pause for a moment as I try to keep the red coming to my face down. I push down on the communicator and broadcast over all frequencies.

"Mayday. Mayday. Mayday. This is the KMS Prinz Eugen seeking emergency assistance. Our coordinates are 60.413852 longitude and 4.463427 degrees latitude. We have been struck by a torpedo and been lodged into mud. Mayday. Mayday. Mayday."

I wait for a moment before a response to our distress call is finally heard over the radio.

"KMS Prinz Eugen. This is the KMS Tirpitz. Remain at your position, we shall escort you to the nearest port."

"Tirpitz?! I thought she was undergoing repairs?" Eugen says surprised.

I shrug.

"Thank you for the assist, Tirpitz. I doubt we will be moving anywhere while we are stuck in the mud."

There is no further response from the Lonely Queen of the North. I sigh.

"First Bismarck and now her sister… I guess we should give her our condolences." I say to Eugen.

"I'm sure she's received more condolences than we could possibly make up for."

"But not from us…"

"Let's just focus on trying to get unstuck."

"Without an engine, there is not much we can do without serious risk to already damaged components."

I sigh. "Alright, I guess we'll just have to wait…"

Prinz Eugen smirks. "Would you like to go back to bed with me~"

I blush deeply as she giggles beneath her breath.

…

A massive silhouette comes out of the fog as a Bismarck class battleship slowly comes to a stop just before us. She blows her horn multiple times to alert us to her already obvious presence. Her starboard anchor falls from its resting position and falls swiftly into the water while she is still moving, probably in an attempt to slow herself down. Her bow is covered in a thick layer of ice and icicles hang on every single space possible from the very top of her superstructure down to her glazed 15in turrets.

Both of us watch as Bismarck's sister slowly makes her way to the bow of her ship. Her outfit is laced with warm fur and wrapped in several layers to keep the warmth inside. Her short white hair is almost a complete opposite to her sister's long blonde hair. Everything about this sister seems to point to her stereotype of being the lonely queen of the North. Something I sure she is sensitive about. I do not see a commander with her as she jumps from her bow and lands on Prinz Eugen's stern, causing her to bob up and down in the water. We meet at Prinz Eugen's last turret where she salutes halfheartedly.

"KMS Tirpitz, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, commander."

"The pleasure is mine Tirpitz. I am sorry about Bismarck. I'm sure it must have been hard for you."

"My big sister... Now that you mention it, I think I might actually have one... Ah... I've already started to forget."

I kind of feel sorry for the lonely queen. She probably never even got to meet her sister before she died. Tirpitz has lived a life of solitude. For the entire war, she has been stationed here in Norway and the Baltic sea all by herself. And based on the fact there was no commander in sight, she was entirely alone.

"Do you think you can help us out of here?"

"Yes, but I must warn you, I'm being tracked constantly by Royal Navy patrols and bombers. It's safe to say you're never safe with me."

"Yet despite that, you're the only one who came to help us."

Tirpitz is taken aback by my small praise. "I just happened to be in the area…"

Tirpitz is almost the exact same height as her sister, which is much larger than Eugen will ever be. We meet eye to eye as we stand silently. It is much colder up in the North even as winter enters its last months. Prinz Eugen shivers.

"You should move indoors. I will take care of everything." Tirpitz says.

"Eugen, you go inside and warm something up. I'll be with you in just a moment…"

Eugen looks at me and then at Tirpitz, she frowns but does as she's told. She salutes to her commander and the battleship before returning inside.

"I can't imagine how lonely it's been for you up here…"

"You get used to the waiting…" She pauses. "Though I've forgotten what I've been waiting for."

"I can't speak for anyone but I believe that they have you up here for a reason. They would not have such a great asset and only leave it to rust in the arctic waters."

"Iron Blood has been too scared to use any of its capital fleet since Bismarck sank. Each ship is too precious, including myself."

"It seems like you don't like the sound of such an honor."

Tirpitz pauses. "Can you comprehend how it feels to watch the battlefield from afar, unable to do anything but lament the cruelty of war?"

"I cannot, but witnessing it from the front is not any better. You don't hear the screams, just the tales from the homefront…"

"You and I are complete opposites. You have an extensive service history in such a short time and I have nothing but the Ice on my bow. Your experience is something highly valuable among Iron Blood. It is a shame you are stuck on a cruiser."

"I would not change ships for the sake of all of Iron Blood."

"Eventually, you may not have a choice. You are nice to talk to, commander. Or… it could just be you're the first person I've talked to in almost a year."

"I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for. It is not your fault. If anything, I blame my sister."

"You shouldn't do that, she fought valiantly to the very end."

"And that got her a nice resting position at the bottom of the ocean. I know of the history the two of you share. I'm sorry if I cannot say I feel the same towards my blonde sister."

I nod in understanding. Not only is she living in seclusion, but she's also living in the shadow of her sister that she can never hope to grow out of. She jumps back to her ship and ties the stern of the Prinz Eugen to her bow. I return to Prinz Eugen's bridge and find her Kansen looking at me with a jealous smile.

"What did you talk about?"

"How lonely being the queen of the North is…"

Prinz sighs. "I can't imagine being in her position. I'd go crazy."

"I'd say the old you could handle it pretty well, you had a cold complexion just as she did."

"Did I really use to talk like that? I guess I can see that."

Prinz Eugen leans her head on my shoulder. "It's thanks to you that I can enjoy this moment."

I pet her hair as Tirpitz slowly pulls the Prinz Eugen out of the mud. Prinz Eugen coos at the sensation and tilts her head, begging for more. I oblidge and stroke my hands through her white hair, sending shocks of electricity down through her scalp and down her spine. Eventually, she is pulled free from her prison and drifts slowly back out into open waters.

"Thank you, Tirpitz. Can you get us to the nearest port as well?"

"Of course, it will only be a moment."

And with that, we sail away towards the nearest harbor. Hopefully from there we can repair the engines so we can make it back to Kiel for real repairs. Tirpitz gets us there in under an hour, lightning fast speed for a battleship her size. However, before we can get to harbor, Tirpitz detaches.

"I'm sorry commander, but from here on you will have to get there under your own power. Royal Navy pilots will be trying to pinpoint my location, I cannot risk you and Prinz Eugen while you undergo repairs. I will see you again someday, I am sure of it."

"Thank you Tirpitz. I hope I can repay the favour someday."

"You already have, commander… Goodbye."

Tirpitz cuts off communications and quickly sails away from our position, heading North. I sigh as she crosses over the horizon and disappears into the thick fog surrounding the entrance of the port. Prinz Eugen, without the aid of her rudder, slowly pulls into harbor. There is no city here, or at least not a real one. The harbor we are pulling into has only the bare necessities that a harbor needs. A single repair ship, only 1 fuel station, and hardly any ships present except for captured vessels and a dozen or so U-boats.

Prinz blows her horn loudly to alert everyone at the port to our arrival and that we desperately need aid. Immediately, two tugboats arrive to our side and grab hold of Prinz Eugen's bow. They drag her slowly into the dock where we immediately disembark. We are greeted by some very low ranking dockmasters.

"Evening commander, how can we be of assistance?" They salute. I salute back.

"My ship is in dire need of repairs. She has sustained heavy and serious damage to her stern, her rudder is jammed and her engines are almost completely useless. We just need the rudder and a couple of boilers working again so we can make it back to Kiel for some real repairs."

"Aye, we will do what we can. It's an honor to have you here sir."

"Glad to be here in one piece." I chuckle.

The dockmasters immediately begin to assemble a force to take care of the ship. They are currently working out of a small fishing shack that has literally only a desk and a refrigerator inside of it. There is not going to be much to do while we wait here.

The skyline is dominated by a tall mountain that I cannot see the top of because of the thick fog which has settled down over the port. It works for us because it not only conceals our presence but the presence of Tirpitz too. I hope she will be alright…

We have spent far more time here than I would have liked.

Prinz Eugen had her entire stern replaced and her rudders were removed and also replaced with a temporary fix. They would have to be steered manually, greatly decreasing Prinz Eugen's maneuverability and her own ability to control her ship. Her wheel, which for the entire time I've been in command of the stunning ship has just been a pretty object, is now the only way to steer the ship.

Prinz doesn't seem to mind, I can almost say she enjoys the fact.

We haven't been able to do anything for almost three months now as the weather finally begins to warm up and the snow has melted away. Somehow, it still holds the same beauty without the ice and the snow. Prinz Eugen is surrounded by a torpedo net in the dock as we sit on top of a large rock which we had found a month ago by accident. Prinz Eugen lays on her back, dangling her feet off the side of the rock as I write a letter to my friend, Adol.

"Commander, come join me~"

"Just a second, I'm almost done."

I finish sincerely and close the envelope. I would have to get it stamped once we made it back down. I lay down next to Prinz Eugen and look up at the sky filled with clouds. The sun is just bright enough to send its light through the clouds, but it is not high enough into the sky to hurt our eyes. Prinz Eugen snuggles up next to me and closes her eyes. Part of me wants to do the same, but I find myself captivated in her beauty as her chest lowers and rises with each sleepy breath. Her beautiful figure begs me to look at her more as her face comfortably contorts with each shift I make.

I look at the red stripe in her hair, something she thinks looks ridiculous. Then down to the birthmark on her breast. Each little imperfection only makes her more irresistible to me, even if she doesn't think that way. Eugen opens her eyes and smirks at my stare.

"Hey commander~" She licks her lips then places a finger on my lips, casually making her way down to my chest and finally ending at my crotch.

"Ich Liebe Dich~ Is this a truth or a lie~"

I try to contain my blush. She is obviously teasing me.

"You decide~" She teases further.

"I think either way I'm getting teased."

"Oh come on commander, I'm being serious!" She pouts.

I chuckle a little. "Fine, fine. If I had to guess, just like everything else you say, there is a truth within the lie."

"Wrong answer~"

"Well then what's the right answer?" I say with a smile.

Prinz Eugen kisses her finger and then places her finger on my lips. A slight blush crosses my face and hers.

"I guess you'll have to find out~"

"What if I don't want to wait..."

"Then. You can always try now…"

Our lips near each other as we lay down on the rock. Prinz Eugen closes her eyes in preparation as I use my hand to caress her cheek. Our lips are only a few millimeters away when a loud cough acts behind us.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the two of you…" The familiar voice sounds. "But I believe there is something, or rather someone, important you need to attend to."

Both Eugen and I sit up rapidly to see a white, almost purple haired sister standing just behind us. Though I am relieved it is not an officer, I am overcome with the urge to get up and hug the ship.

"Scharnhorst!" We both shout and run up to hug her.

Scharnhorst, not used to the shows of affection, reacts accordingly by trying to wiggle her way out of the bear hug. Prinz Eugen doesn't allow her, however.

"We thought you were dead!" I shout.

"I only went to a different port, closer to where I had lost mobility. I can probably thank you for giving me enough time to repair my engines."

"Have you seen your sister? She needs support right now."

"Just after you left, I arrived. She was ecstatic." She chuckles to herself. "Now she has a scar that even rivals mine. I regret to inform you that she may never sail again…"

I let go of Scharnhorst and look down to the ground. "I guess it's for the best. At least this way she is at less of a risk."

"She sends her best regards, and says that if you're ever in need of a secretary, she'll be the first one in line… though, based on what I caught you two in the middle of…" She smirks.

Both Eugen and I blush and look away from each other. Scharnhorst only laughs.

"S-so what are you doing here then?" I ask her.

"I came to see you of course. I heard my favorite heavy cruiser got a nice scar of her own."

Prinz Eugen nods with a giggle. "You got that right, got my stern real good."

"It builds character, though I can already tell you've started to develop quite a nice one on your own."

"Your flattery is nice, but it seems like a long trip just for a visit. You should have known we would be returning to Kiel eventually."

Scharnhorst shrugs. "It's not like I took my ship up here."

Both Prinz and I look at each other as if she had said something crazy.

"You skated all the way here?!"

"We have them for a reason." She is obviously proud of her achievement.

"If you ran into a Kansen with her ship, she could have blown you out of the water!"

"Not this Kansen. After all we've been through, I thought you might have had a bit more faith in me, commander."

"Well I didn't know you were even alive until a minute ago."

We all laugh heartily.

"So what have you two been doing here, other than… You know…" She smirks, causing both of us to flush again.

"Not really anything except climbing mountains and working out. There's not anything else to do around here."

"Perfect, perhaps you will allow me to accompany you until we head back to Kiel." Scharnhorst says.

"We'd love to have you!" I say without much thought you Prinz Eugen's thoughts on the subject.

"Of course." Eugen begrudgingly agrees. She loves Scharnhorst, but having her around was only going to be taking my attention from her and putting it on the battleship. I give her a reassuring head pat.

"We were just enjoying the sky, would you like to join us?"

"Oh is that what you were doing?" She teases. "I would love to."

The three of us lay down on the rock and look up to the beautiful blue sky, watching the white and fluffy clouds pass overhead. Feeling the sun heat up our skin on a cool spring day is almost heaven as we leave the war behind and enjoy ourselves in this brief moment of fleeting happiness.

Prinz, Scharnhorst, and I sail at a moderate speed across the North Sea. Another month has passed before the conditions are set so that we can finally sail again. It has been silent and uneventful for the past three months as the winds of war start to change against us. With the Introduction of the Eagle Union into the war, the amount of supply ships arriving for the Royal Navy increased more than 40 fold. Things in the Sakura Empire seem to be progressing at a much better pace as they conquer island after island in their conquests.

The potential of aircraft carriers are being demonstrated with each and every day as the Sakura Empire obtains victory after victory using their aviation to take control of the Pacific. Adol had written to me that he was ecstatic about it. However, that seems like a world away on the bridge of the Prinz Eugen where Prinz and Scharnhorst are arguing over who's cooking is better.

"It's mine!"

"Yours?! All you can do is make chocolate!"

"It's better than whatever that is!" Prinz points to the explosion of food behind her.

"Girls! Stop arguing!" I shout at them.

"Commander! Try this!" Scharnhorst demands. Before I can mark my protest, Scharnhorst fills my mouth with a spoonful of burnt eggs. It takes everything I have not to spit it out, but the way Scharnhorst is looking at me makes me feel bad about doing something like that. I swallow, trying to get the food down my throat. I smile at her when I'm done.

"Alright commander, now try mine!" Both of them are terrible cooks, but Prinz Eugen's looks presentable at least. I take her food and swallow it, it's not as bad as it looks. It is far better than Scharnhorst's at least. But I did not want to hurt her feelings…

"So, whose is better?" They shout in sync.

I take my time chewing as if to try and get them to change the subject, but they are adamant. I open my mouth to speak but the sound of bombs falling cut me off. A tallboy bomb lands right next to Prinz Eugen's hull and sends splinters onto her deck. The three of us all forget what we are arguing about and look up to the sky as 2 entire flights of bombers fly above us, dropping their payloads.

"Evasive maneuvers! Get your Anti-Aircraft up, now!"

Both Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen light up the sky with their Anti-Aircraft. Large flak clouds prevent the second wave of bombers from attempting their run but instead they dive down low. They drop torpedoes into the water. I grab hold of Prinz Eugen's wheel and listen for their callouts.

"Torpedo, Hard port rudder!"

I spin the wheel hard, causing her metal to creak. I pray that the temporary fix can handle this stress.

"Torpedo, Hard Starboard rudder!"

I spin the wheel the opposite direction, causing the metal to make a bone rattling sound.

"Please hold together." I pray.

More torpedoes hit the water but dive in opposite directions. Another one hits the water and blows up on contact.

"Royal Navy, they still haven't learned." Scharnhorst comments.

The waves of planes stop and the flak clouds eventually disappear. She has received no damage and continues at her slower speeds.

"Nicely done, you two."

"You did well too, commander. I never knew you were that good at maneuvering a ship."

"You learn a bit of everything at the academy."

"They know we're here now." Scharnhorst comments.

"We're almost there. We should be able to make it…"

Should be, I pray.