Hymn From the High Seas (Azur Lane x Commander Male Reader)

Father

"My planes would've easily dealt with them," Enty huffs.

"All's well that ends well," Sirius says.

Monarch appears frustrated, "I hate to say this... but I feel that I would be useless in such a situation."

"I'm sure New Jersey and Vanguard felt the same way, Monarch. It was our work as a team that got us through. By calling for fire, Kronshtadt could focus on evasive maneuvers. Even if Vanguard and New Jersey were blind to the presence of the destroyers, I gave them their sight. Where did I leave off?"

I continue through the story: the arrival of the Northern Parliament as they saved our lives with their formations of planes like a thunderhead, their battleship salvoes like the strike of Hephaestus's hammer, and their cruisers like shadowy sea monsters on the hunt.

I remember the harsh wind that welcomed us when we landed and the crude barracks in which we slept. Sirius shows an interest in the Northern Parliament food I bring up. Monarch smiles at the antics of the Northern Parliament kansen. When I get into the battle, everyone watches me intensely.

Little E's feet begin to kick as I smile at the memory of shouting for everyone to sail forward. I end up talking to her more than the rest of the table. Up to the moment we shouted our battlecries of victory, Little E quietly bounces in her chair. I bring up the picture of us all grouped together and show the photo to Little E, naming everyone for her. She shows the most interest in New Jersey and Volga.

"And after that, we went to the town to toast our triumph," I say, leaving out the... unimportant details.

I don't mention Soyuz's confession of being my summoner either. It's best that my alien existence in this world gets buried in memory and lost to time and forgetfulness. What would talking about it do, anyway? No one questions my behavior anymore, and everyone's moved on at this point.

It's about time I do so as well.

Sirius giggles after seeing Enty rest her chin on her hands, "See? There was nothing to worry about."

"I guess not," she huffs, "It's clear you've grown."

Monarch sighs while watching me, "That is a shame; unfortunately for you, Commander, I will likely continue worrying for your safety."

Little E stands up in her chair, "Papa, I want to grow up and be as cool as you and Mama. T-Take me with you on your next adventure!"

"That's no good, Little E," Enty disappoints her, "You're not old enough."

Pouting at her mother, Little E sits back down in her chair before I rub her back, "That doesn't mean you can't train while you wait. I'm sure you'll be as strong as your mother by the time you set sail."

"Really?" she looks up at me hopefully.

"Really. You just have to keep at it every day, okay?" I tell her, "If you don't have the discipline to train, you'll never be able to fight."

She turns to her mother, "Then I wanna start tomorrow!"

Enty laughs, "Alright, alright, but finish your food, please."

Without another word, Little E starts digging into her dinner. I watch her sadly. She's so eager to fight at such a young age. I understand that she's a kansen and it's in her nature but... I want to be able to tell her there's no need to fight, that she doesn't have to see anyone she loves get hurt.

In these past sorties, I've been lucky. Siren patrols are something we can shrug off with a single fleet, but things don't always go as well as I hope. Two destroyers in an ice field had Kronshtadt and I on the back foot. If it weren't for Rossiya's fleet, we would've died at sea. How am I going to react when things eventually go wrong?