Softening a Heart of Iron (Reader x Bismarck)

Chapter 19: Unfolding Panic

Frederick ran down the hallway to Bismarck's room. Hood was holding her, and Frederick could see that Bismarck was not doing well.

"Oh, dear. What's the matter with her?"

"I don't know, but it's something serious. She was rambling about something about drowning... and a symphony. She went into a trance and couldn't speak."

"What a strange thing. What a strange thing indeed. Oh, dear. This isn't good."

Tirpitz awoke to see what the commotion was, when she saw both Hood and Frederick Der Große in their room.

"What's going on, Hood?"

"Bismarck's not well. She's having a mental breakdown."

"What?!"

"It seems like she's having a severe panic attack or an episode. Something like that. We have no idea what's wrong with her. We don't even know what triggered it."

"I can't believe this. She's... she's having a panic attack again?"

Hood and Frederick's eyes went wide, "Again?!"

Tirpitz nodded.

"Oh, dear. What a surprise this is."

"Bismarck had these before? This is the first time I've heard about it."

"Yes, she had one last week. I don't know why, but it has something to do with her memory. She can't remember her engagement with you, but all she remembers from that was her own sinking."

"Her own sinking?"

"Yes, the day she was sunk by the Royal Navy after sinking you. She had no memory of her life before, but it was only after the battle was over, that she remembered."

"This is... terrible. Has she seen help?"

"No, I'm afraid not, Fred. She's been like this after we recovered her."

"Yes. I remember that. You pleaded with us to have her back. I thought the procedure would have no side effects, but now I see."

"I'm sorry, Fred."

"It's not your fault, Tirpitz. It's mine. Our collaboration with the Royal Navy wasn't exactly as clear cut to save both Hood and Bismarck. Hood was the easiest since she had sank quickly and was not under the effects of the Sirens. Bismarck was different since the mental corruption by the Black Wisdom Cube had caused serious memory loss. Even the doctors and King George V said that they couldn't reverse the loss, nor remove the memory of her sinking. She was forever cursed with her damaged memory, and I could only agree to have her saved and repaired. We didn't know she'd end up like this. It was the worst mistake we had ever made, and it will haunt us for years."

"I can't believe this. She's having a panic attack, and not even the Sirens were to blame." Hood added.

"I can't believe this."

"Neither can I, Tirpitz. It's awful. Poor Bismarck."

"Oh, dear. This is the worst thing to ever happen. Poor Bismarck. What can we do, Fred?"

"I don't know, Tirpitz. The only solution will be not to mention these memories. Hood, Knowing that you are the only one to retain your memories, It would be best if you refrain from talking about her battle. At least, not for now."

"But, it's a part of her history."

"It is. But, this could be harmful for her, and we don't know what to do. It will be best if we just keep our mouths shut. This is for her sake."

"Okay, Fred. I won't say anything."

"Thank you, Hood. You have my gratitude."

The three put Bismarck on the couch to sleep. Frederick left, returning to her room, Hood and Tirpitz sat down on the other couch.

"Tirpitz..."

"Yes, Hood?"

"I don't know if this is the right time, but, would you mind explaining what happened after the battle?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just want to know... why Bismarck was so traumatized after the battle."

"Well... let's see. It was the end of the war, U-556, Bismarck's closest friend and her compatriot had found her last known position and had recovered her. She begged me to help her. And so, I forwarded it to Frederick and Graf. She had been in a coma since she recovered, and so, we got to work, working with your compatriots to recover both you and Bismarck. It was experimental to save sunk shipgirls, but they were valuable since their loss was devastating to their factions, especially us and the Royal Navy. It's when we discovered the story of her last battle and her sinking from them. The only reason we decided to save her was because the two of you had been allies, and well... it was a part of her story, and we wanted her to have a happy ending. It was a gamble, but we figured it would be okay."

"But, after all of that, it was like she was a completely different person. She had no memories of her life before, and she was so traumatized by her own sinking, that she didn't want to live anymore. Is that what happened?"

"Yes. That's what happened."

"Why didn't anyone say anything?"

"We didn't want to alarm her. We knew it was traumatic, but she would get through it. But the way she coped was to work herself like a slave every day as the commander of Iron Blood. She couldn't take breaks, or even just leave her work. She was working herself to exhaustion. She even tried to use her status as the flagship to hide her emotions and feelings. But, I knew what was happening. I could tell when I talked to her. So, I made it a point to keep her busy with a lot of work, which kept her mind occupied. She was so happy to have work, and it was like that was the only thing that kept her going. It was like a distraction, a way to cope. But, eventually, when she finally stopped because of a new job at Wolfpack, and soon, fell in love with Y/N she began to have these episodes. It's like she was trapped in her own mind. She had issues revealing her emotions at first, but she warmed up to him. But even then, she couldn't reasonably cope with this new sense of emotion, and soon, she was mentally snapping at the first signs of stress or trouble. That's what happened on Sunday. She was struggling with her emotions, and she had been feeling a lot of stress, which caused her to snap and run away. But, it was also a blessing. Her love for Y/N kept her going, and it's helping her overcome this trauma. I think soon, she will be fine."

"Wow. This is a lot to take in."

"Yes. But, it will be okay. It will be okay. I believe in her."

"Thank you, Tirpitz. I'm glad that she's found love and happiness. And... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was such an ass before."

"It's okay. Thank you, Hood."

"I just want to make things right. I want to make sure that she's happy."

"I understand."

Hood nodded, and quietly left with her things. Tirpitz sat there, monitoring her sister.

"It's going to be okay, Bismarck. It's going to be okay. You can get through this."

Tirpitz looked at her phone, and saw a message from Eugen.

"Hey, Tirpitz. I wanted to check on Bismarck. Is she okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Eugen. I don't think I can talk right now. She's not doing well."

"What's wrong, Tirpitz? What happened? Is she sick?"

"It's... It's complicated. Please, give me some time."

"Okay. I'm sorry, Tirpitz. Call me when you're ready."

Tirpitz sighed, and she was worried. She hated to see her this way. It was saddening. She wanted her to be happy. She wanted her sister to be happy. She was worried about her, and she wanted her to be okay. She wanted her to be happy again. She wanted her to be her sister again.

"I want her to be okay. I want her to be happy. I want her to be normal. Why do these things have to happen?"

Tirpitz was upset, and she had no idea what to do.