Come Back To Us - 24. Chapter 24

“Together.”

“Forever.”

Those two words had been haunting him for the past few months. He hadn’t had any other new visions until that time. He had only heard voices, voices that kept echoing in his mind when he expected it the least. They were always the same and he knew whom they belonged to.

He was curious as to why he could still have the sound and not the image.

He had been already confused enough, he didn’t need that to add. He couldn’t deny anymore that all of that had been trying to make him understand something as the Lieutenant had told him so. He had replayed many times in his mind all the visions he had had as they had been shown to him.

There was a big hole in Mímir’s and Bran’s story. How could they have gone from enemies to what he supposed was more than mere friendship?

All the pieces of the puzzle had not come together yet. But maybe he just had to keep waiting.

Yet, he couldn’t help wondering that one question. Would this discovery lead anywhere at all?

Only time would tell.

The war context hadn’t changed much, at least it seemed to him that it was still the same thing repeating over and over again. The bloody game was just going on a little bit further
with each day that passed. It was just all about killing and domination. He didn’t see how it could get any worse at that point…

The most important thing was that the Hopkins family were all alive and well, and Emma too. The rest didn’t matter much.

Only the weather had been changing. The air was no longer warm, and everyone’s mood seemed to have darkened just like the skies above them. The rain was the mirror of the many unshed tears that could never be shown, because showing any weakness meant danger.

“Winter is coming,” the Lieutenant General said as they were sitting in the man’s room and it sounded so solemn that there was a scary note to it. And the look in his eyes was no better… “The war is going to get much rougher in those conditions.”

A few moments of silence passed as Karl reflected over the meaning of his words.

“Just like last year,” he broke the silence plainly.

His mind seemed to have been devoid of any smart thoughts lately.

“Yes. But the end of this year is going to be crucial. It would be a wonderful thing if the winter could be on our side.”

As if winter was going to choose one side. Winter didn’t have any preference, it was whimsical but in a different way than some humans. If it was going to happen as it should, it would spare neither of the two sides. But he decided to play dumb.

“And what if it’s not?”

War made men superstitious. The more desperate they were the less they became rational. They needed something to believe in to keep going.

“May the Heavens have mercy on all the poor souls who will be on the frontline.”

Such a nice wording for such a horrifying prospect. What else could be wrong?

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Who could it be?

“Come in.”

He soon had the answer to his question.

Paul’s friend. Their relationship hadn’t got any better with time. And it couldn’t have been worse than it already was. He hadn’t fallen asleep again when flying a plane, to his great relief. Even if he still had trouble falling asleep by that time, he bore with it.

“Group Captain Crowes, to what do I owe the honour of having you here in my personal quarters?”

His voice sounded falsely friendly. They seemed to have a different way of seeing things that didn’t make them get along quite well.Or was it since that time? He hadn’t really had the occasion of seeing them interacting beforehand.

“I’d like to talk to you. If you could be kind enough to come with me without delay.”

The two men eyed each other as if they were two lions ready to pounce on each other and fight until one of them would die.

“I am afraid I will not be able to grant your request for the time being. If you have something to say now, say it here; if not wait for a more appropriate moment.”

“Do not use that tone with me, Lieutenant. There are important matters that always need to be discussed.

“Like how your wonderful and bright strategies made us lose more of our men than I can count in not even one year of time span ?”

The tension was slowly but surely spreading throughout the room.

“We’d like to hear about your own then.”

“I’ve voiced my opinion and suggestions many times already before about the tactics that should be worked upon, but I’ve always been talked at. I doubt it would change now.”

“As the Marshal has already said it : “war-”

“Yeah, I know. “A war is a war.” There will always be many losses on both sides. Sacrifice is key to victory. I’m not deluded. But thinking back on all those times you had me join you in your meetings to discuss those strategies, I can only see how you consider all those men as your pawns. The losses could have been lessened.”

“We are all pawns in our own way in this dull world.”

By the look he was giving Paul’s friend, he could guess that the Lieutenant was wondering if the man really had a heart at all. The younger man didn’t get easily angry. He was always so composed and cold. He didn’t know whether he should pity him or hate him. He settled on pitying him because he wouldn’t like being in his shoes. But there would always be this ambiguity in him that would make him wonder whether he was good or bad. They fought for the same cause, but his motives could be questionable. He didn’t seem to care at all about everyone else who was on the same side as him. Or he hid it very well if he felt anything at all. He was sure he could never have enough of a life to wonder about him. It would always be an enigma to him.

“Life may not be a fairytale, but it is sacred.”

“This is your viewpoint.”

“That will never be taken into consideration of course. I might as well go and talk to a wall, there will be no difference.”

“You are not in Denmark here.”

“But our men have given as much as their blood, sweat and tears in this war until now as yours. Never forget that. We are your allies, not your squires.”

“Then, if you think you’ve got better strategies to offer, come on. Voice them. We shall discuss them. But seriously who do you think you are? Do you really think you will be able to turn around the next battle to our advantage. Do you think you will be smarter than every one of us?”

“This has never been my intention. But at least I will try. A change has never hurt anybody.”

“Be careful with the words you pronounce. The strategies we often think to be the best turn out to be a disaster most of the time. You wouldn’t like to lose more of your men because of a decision you’ve made, would you?”

Even if they didn’t raise their voices, Karl had a feeling this should stop. He was ready to open his mouth to try to ease the tension but decided against it after looking for the right words to speak. He could only stare at them with worried eyes.

The Lieutenant was speechless for a while. He looked hurt.

“This is disgusting of you to manipulate people with such ways of thinking.”

Karl’s body stiffened. The Lieutenant was starting to raise his voice.

“I am only speaking the truth. You think you are a know-it-all, but you know nothing about war. I can see it in your eyes. I may be much younger than you are, but the voice of reason came to find me much sooner than I could ever have expected. You are still too idealistic despite being aware that a war requires sacrifices, and this is maybe worse than delusion.”

“I’ve got no lessons to receive from you,” he raised his voice again, and Karl couldn’t stand it any longer. Though he wasn’t sure why…

“Lieutenant…”

“I’ve already told you to call me Kristian!” He snapped back and Karl unconsciously moved away from him.

“A man who loses his temper so easily is not worth of being listened to.”

The sound of silence echoed through the room. Karl observed the Lieutenant carefully. He was staring at Paul’s friend as if he could see through him.

“Tell me, Group Captain. Who deceived you into thinking they loved you in a way no one ever had before?”

His face remained impassive but it seemed that the older man’s words stil triggered some kind of emotions in him that he couldn’t control. Their eyes could have been weapons at that moment.

All of a sudden, the door burst open, which caused Karl to start.

Edgar rushed into the room as he was looking completely panicked.

“Sir!”

The two men turned their attention to him.

“What is it, Huntington?”

“This was so unexpected! The news has just come on the radio…”

“Yes?”

“The bombs…the destruction…the anger….and then they said it would be war…!”

“Has one of our bases been attacked?” The Lieutenant asked him earnestly, though worry was discernible in his voice.

“No! The Prime Minister and the President have both spoken. From now onwards we’ve got a new ally in this war!”

“A new ally?”

“Yes. Japan attacked the US base of Pearl Harbor, and the US have just officially entered the war.”

This piece of news was enough to make them all speechless for a while.

“Finally. It was about time,” Paul’s friend spoke.

“I wouldn’t rejoice too soon if I were you. These Americans are not trustworthy. They only decided to join the war because the Japanese attacked one of their bases. Hadn’t they attacked it, they would have never been willing to help us. They don’t care about us. They only care about their own interests.”

“Because you think you are one to talk? You are not any better. Hadn’t the Nazis invaded your country, you would have never come to England to join the RAF to help us. Am I wrong?”

“This is not true-”

“Is it? Then where were you during the Great War? What were you doing when our men were dying on the battlefield because of something that had nothing to do with them in the first place?”

No one spoke afterwards. The silence that enveloped the room was icy. Karl wanted to sigh, but he didn’t dare. Even the mere thought of breathing too loudly was making him anxious.

Of course, he didn’t like the way Paul’s friend talked to the Danish man and the way he talked about their people. But if he understood everything really well, then his words could never be questioned or labeled as false. He bit the inside of his lower lip as his stomach was getting overwhelmed by knots.

“Well, the Americans’ help can only be a relief for all of us. Similarly to 1917 when everything seemed to be so desperate for the Triple Entente. Whether they care about Europe and its people at all or not shouldn’t matter much.”

Karl found Edgar to be really brave for breaking that icy silence in such a way. But it went on for another while despite his intervention.

“Come on, Edgar, we have to meet with the Marshall about it.”

He ignored both Karl and the Lieutenant as he made his way towards the door as if they had already left the room before they could.
Edgar shot one last glance at Karl and the man before he followed after Paul’s friend. Once the door was closed, Karl’s eyes shifted back to the Lieutenant. He could see culpability in them.

“Even if Denmark had helped into the Great War, we would probably not have been on the right side anyway,” he spoke in a low voice after a short while.

Karl didn’t know if he kept speaking English as a reflex or if it was intended. And he didn’t ask about it.

There were some more moments of silence until Karl decided to speak. In Danish.

“Is this really good news?” His tone was flat even if he questioned it. “This can only mean many more men will die.”

Their eyes met and they observed each other’s faces for a while.

“I don’t know. Only time will tell.”

*

That night, his mind was haunted by a new vision. The landscape was plain but the sight of it was eerie enough to have his skin covered with goosebumps. A beach with a dark clouded sky and a rough sea. And an old man dressed in black from head to toe whose face he couldn’t see as if it had been erased by whatever trick could make that possible. But this was not the worst thing about him. The words he pronounced on that beach would be etched in his mind until he died.

“People will die and bodies will rot, but true love never dies.”

Hello my dear readers!
I hope you're all doing well as usual Oh my God, it's so hot here... The changes in temperature are so brutal...
Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!
Take care and have a good day/evening/night ❤️