The Double Bladed Sword

Scherzo Of Blood and Iron

Prinz Eugen grunted in Pain as another vicious volley of 14-inch shells slammed against his shield, beside him laid the floating Quantum Cubes of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Kansen themselves were smears of blook on his rapier, not before alerting the main fleet.

"Bring it on you Traitors!" Eugen yelled. His reply was a lighter but more numerous salvos. Damnation to whoever controlled the weather! He was forced to use his radar and hydrophones to locate and direct fire onto the enemy, rendering his superior gunnery useless compared to Royalists' massed gunfire and blinding star-shells.

Shells fell short of him, drenching him in water. Eugen's own battery flashed and there was the noise of crumpling steel. The Ironblood allowed himself a quiet smile, but it was a mistake. Swordfish that had been circling dived low, skimming the waves as Victorious lined up a Torpedo attack.

The first thing Eugen noted was the hum of engines, the second was the rapidly increasing pace of pings from his radar. He switched his shield arm to face cover himself from the Royal Navy Surface forces and directed his 10.5cm AA to pound the flimsy biplanes while Autocannons chugged a stream of fused high explosive shrapnel. There was thunder and Eugen could feel a single 15" AP round strike his deformed Iron Cross. It was one shock too many for the shield and it shattered, leaving him vulnerable.

"Mein go- "A torpedo detonated against Prinz Eugen's port. Oily Sea water gushed through the breach as he directed his repair party to seal doors and pump out the isolated areas. Turret "Anton" Sparked as its motors overloaded due to corrosive salts. 25% of his total firepower was wasted, he noted with concern. Throwing away the fragments of his shield, the Royal Navy instinctively closed on the heavy cruiser. Occasionally, a destroyer could be seen, and he would take a snapshot with his 10.5cm secondaries resulting in a cry of pain. Even if he wanted to, he could not escape. There was just too much damage.

Eugen tore off his helmet and snarled. Dirty Platinum hair dried and clumped untidily unlike his crimson eyes, aflame with pure vengeance. He would face his death with dignity.

A war-horn's bellowing cry made him to twist around to meet the new threat. It was Ramillies, a Revenge-class dreadnought, Prinz Eugen tried to fire off torpedoes but found his launchers unresponsive, their mangled remains blackened by a heavy-calibre-shell. He directed his autocannons and secondaries directly onto the Dreadnought, causing negligible damage to the Royalist's rigging.

Ramillies raised his curved Scimitar, it came down with the force of an anvil. Prinz Eugen deflected the blow away and tried to retaliate but earned a salvo of secondary guns for his trouble. Staggering back, Eugen fired his main guns. Ramillies flinched as a torrent of shrapnel engulfed him, buying time for the Ironblood to pivot and slam his blade against Ramillies' bow, raking a large gorge that would take weeks to repair in ship-form.

Eugen tried to follow it with a deathblow, but his hydrophones blared in his ear of incoming torpedoes and he was forced to pull away sharply.

There was a sharp rumble of thunder before the whistling came. Eugen's armour was never designed to deal with guns twice as big as his own, especially in his battered form.

Some say that before death, a person will view their life flash before their eyes. Eugen didn't have that luxury. True, he had contemplated what his death would feel like, anger at the foe that slayed him? Hatred towards himself for his failure?

He certainly did not imagine the simple sense of relief and a small sliver of regret for leaving his siblings behind in the cruel world.

Unmoving, Eugen watched the bright, orange tracer lit its trajectory towards him. It would not be a dishonourable way to die, he reflected. After all, it was a glorious last stand and it had taken one of the Big Seven to kill him.
Raising his blade, he awaited the nine-hundred and twenty-nine kilogram shells to end his life.

He did not see the shadow that shoved him aside.

XXXX

He scowled. Eugen's habit of putting honour before reason was irritating at time. Fanatical in his belief that overrode logic.

Bismarck activated the hard-light shield as he pushed Eugen aside. Rodney's Plasma shells detonated against the shield, shattering it beyond usage. It would take a few hours for it to fully cooldown

Prinz Eugen picked up the cubes of the Fallen Royalists before limping over to Bismarck with his head lowered in shame while his riggings burnt. He tried to talk in a pained voice, "Lord Bismarck, I-"

"Enough Eugen," interrupted Bismarck. "You have given your dedication to this battle; you have completed your duty. You will leave and return to Kiel to tell of your glory." The battleship moved his sword to his other hand, resting the banner on his shoulder and laid his right hand firmly on the Heavy Cruiser's shoulder. Prinz Eugen gasped as he felt the welcoming warmth of a cosy home, a fireplace burning merrily, the faint scent of fresh bread and vintage wines. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to believe he was at peace as his wounds glowed and sealed themselves. Every scrape and hole that the Royal Navy had inflicted had been reversed in warm light. Once the repairs were complete, Bismarck removed his hand which Eugen looked longingly at.

"Finished yet?" Sneered King George haughtily, "Both of you cannot stand against the immeasurable might of the Royal Navy. A brave, but ultimately foolish endeavour."

"Agreed," Bismarck turned to the Royal Navy, sword in hand. Prinz Eugen attached his helmet, air hissing as it was sealed, and attempted to stand beside Bismarck but a blade blocked him. "Eugen, out of respect for your bravery, I will not make it an order unless you force me to. Depart at once and return to your base. I will be your rear-guard as you escape. The legend of Prinz Eugen shall continue as Bismarck's reaches its grand finale. Please, as a Knight of the Order and as a comrade, grant me my last wish."

The cruiser nodded mutely as he handed over the two Quantum Cubes to his confused superior. "My lord," Eugen hesitated with uncertainty, "Take these. I will see you in Valhalla. Make sure this act is an interesting one worthy of tale."

The somewhat grim humour, a poor parody of pre-schism Eugen, made Bismarck crack a smile under his helm. A normally dedicated and prideful Ironblood saluted smartly before sailing away into the fog to prevent his sniffling sobs break the tension. The last of Prinz Eugen that the battleship saw was his hunched figure drifting away and the sorrowful, bright lenses casted back as the knight disappeared.

"Oh, are you that confident that you can beat us by yourself?" jeered Prince of Wales. So far, only Hood stared at him wordless, Bismarck ignored them as he placed the Cubes in a sachet attached to the riggings. There was a silent sigh, he twirled his sword experimentally while the memory of his previous conversation rose to his mind.

"Well then, there shall be nothing for you to return to life." Chuckled Bismarck darkly as he glared at the Royal Navy defiantly.

"I have a bad feeling about this," commented one of the escorting destroyers. Bismarck recognised the protruding wings of a Polish Hussar. He had no idea how right he was.

"Wait."

Hood uttered a single command that dominated everyone's attention, even the victim of this execution. Bismarck ironically tilted his head and allowed the Battlecruiser his speech.

"I shall finish off Bismark."