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A Sister's Lament
Standing on her bridge wing, the spirit of the HMS Hood could only watch in abject horror as a fifteen-inch shell from Bismarck burrowed its way through the ship's armour. She couldn't be sure of the cause of the explosion that followed, only that said explosion heaved the aft of the ship out of the water, rivets shearing off and metal screaming.
As the flames reached earnestly towards the sky, a single tear ran down Hood's cheek. In the blink of an eye, she was no longer on her burning bridge wing. Instead, she was standing on her bow, wreaths of fire replaced by a light mist, the swells of the Denmark Straight replaced with the shipyard in which she was built.
Looking around, Hood reminisced on what could have been. Her little sisters, who had never had the honour of tasting salt, or the sensation of waves breaking across their bows. She hadn't even had the opportunity to meet them, as they had all been laid down in shipyards scattered across the country.
For all that she had been revered by her people, she knew deep in her heart that Anson, Howe, and Rodney should've received the same fame and recognition as she did. As the lead ship of their class, Hood could not help but feel a twinge of guilt over the fact that she had been granted the chance to serve when her little sisters had not.
Leaving the shipyard behind, Hood was brought back into reality. Secondary explosions continued, as the flames licked hungrily at ammunition lockers, whilst her guns lay silent, their crews having been incapacitated. Pausing for only a moment, she began to walk off of the bridge, her feet carrying her to her bow, where one of her anchor chains still lay present.
Running her hand over the rough metal, Hood levelled her gaze at the ship that had wrought all this chaos upon her. Even with the vast distance between them, she locked eyes with that of Bismarck. Time and space seemed to bend, as they were suddenly brought within mere feet of each other.
Slowly, Hood approached Bismarck. Holding her hand out, she waited patiently for Bismarck to take it. The other spirit hesitated, her eyes flicking from their locked gaze, down to Hood's outstretched hand, then back again. After a moment, she raised her own hand, and grasped Hood's hand.
Looking Bismarck dead in the eyes, Hood had only one thing to say.
"Cherish every moment you have with your sister. Appreciate the little things. You never know what the future may hold. My... my only wish is that I could've done the same with my sisters."
Bismarck's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before she nodded, squeezing Hood's hand gently, before letting go and turning away. Hood turned her gaze towards England, towards where she instinctively knew her sisters were waiting for her.
As a final explosion sealed the fate of HMS Hood, Hood closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she knew she would see the sisters she never met.
"It's so good to finally see you, Anson, Howe, Rodney. Let's cherish this."