Episode Twenty One - Painful Revelation (Part 1)

Chapter Song Suggestion "Metal and Dust by London Grammar"

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THE PAST | Lars

He had lost track of the days.

But one indisputable fact remained in his mind. He had failed his family, and he had failed Eira. He didn't know what to do. Everyday, he fought the soldiers who tried to take him out of his cell. He would attack, bite, and attempt to gouge out their eyes. As punishment, they would taser him until he was a drooling mess on the ground.

All the while, blue eyes continued watching him – with pity and maybe even concern.

"You should stop resisting. Fighting them will get you nowhere. If you want to leave this hellhole, you'll need to adapt and make them believe that you're one of them. Their advantage is ours." The boy, Hakon Leitis said. "It's been weeks. I thought you would have calmed down and thought this through." He hesitated. "You're not stupid, are you?"

Lars refused to answer, brooding sullenly. Like clockwork, the soldiers would lead the other boys out of their cells to go aboveground, wherever that was. They would be gone for hours, and some would return in bad shape. It made him terribly suspicious of what they were being put through.

Hakon wasn't wrong. Fighting the soldiers was only a temporary solution that failed to benefit him. He needed to think bigger. He wanted to bend their will – for his own sake. For a week, the soldiers left him alone, until one day, he had a special visitor.

His cell panel slid open, but he didn't move, guardedly waiting. And then, two booted feet appeared before him. Raising his gaze, Lars met eyes colder than the arctic storm of Belugia.

"Are you the wild boy who has been giving my men trouble?" the man spoke in fluent Belugian, his voice smoke-roughened.

Lars's gaze narrowed. The soldiers here only spoke the common tongue.

"I am Captain Mickael Strauss. And boy, you will be ready to train once I am done with you."

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PRESENT DAY

This wasn't happening.

This wasn't fucking happening.

Those were the only words reciting in Lars's head as he rushed Eira's broken body to the emergency room. When the riggings had collapsed on her, he felt the floor opening up from under him. Pain unfolded in his chest, crowding the breath from his lungs at the worst-case scenario.

Forcing himself to calm down, he quickly assisted the others to lift the rigging off Eira and nearly fell to his knees when they found her unscathed. The riggings hadn't crushed her, but she was losing too much blood – the reason why she was truly unconscious.

Something wet rolled down his cheek.

Promptly, he scooped her up, ignorant of the blood messing up his clothes. Florian and Koga met him halfway, shoving open doors and pushing people aside as they raced to the medical emergency unit.

"Doctor! We need a doctor!" Florian demanded at the reception. "There's been an accident."

The nurses acted immediately, instructing Lars to set Eira down and they wheeled her into the operating theatre. Captain Ravilov burst in next, a severely wounded Kalina in his arms. "I need a doctor!"

"What the hell is going on!" The head nurse rushed out from behind the counter. One look at Kalina's pallor and she hastened. "Hurry, we need to stop the bleeding."

Captain Ravilov left Kalina in the hands of the medics and whirled around to confront Lars. At seven feet tall, the Russian Captain had no trouble intimidating people but not Lars. "What the fuck was that Verhelst? Your unit member was going to kill mine! I know you and Kalina have been seeing each other." His voice lowered an octave. "Is there anything I should be concerned about?"

Lars remained indifferent. "I apologize for my unit member's behaviour and there is nothing more between Kalina and I. This problem doesn't concern you, Ravilov. Don't make me repeat myself."

"You do realize Kalina's dying?"

Lars's gaze was empty. "Am I supposed to feel something?"

Ravilov hauled Lars by the collar. "You fucking bastard! How can you be so heartless!"

"Kalina's an adult who knows what she's getting into," Lars responded with icy ruthlessness. "I'll make it clear to her once she's recovered. That being said, I think you're misunderstanding me. Of course, I want her recovered and alive as much as you do."

Standing in the corner, Anaelle winced at her Captain's callousness. Lars never minced words, but he also wasn't tactful. Deep down, he might care for Kalina as a human being but, Anaelle knew he only had eyes for Eira. After all, she was the only one who caught the single tear that escaped the Captain's eye when he realized Eira was alive.

Her shoulders drooped. If only the Captain would realize his own feelings. She mentally sighed. This was going to be a long night.

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Five hellish days.

That was how long it took for Eira to open her eyes, and an interminable hell for Lars who hadn't left her side.

"You should eat something, Captain." Florian dropped by at dawn. He covered Lars's shoulder, noticing the slight loss of weight. Frankly, everyone was shell-shocked by how deeply Eira's accident affected their unflappable Captain. As the Vice-Captain, Florian decided enough was enough. "I'll watch her. You need to eat and rest. You're only destroying your health and that's not helping anyone."

Lars didn't respond.

Holding back the urge to sigh, Florian regarded his Captain's neglected appearance. "You know, I assumed you didn't care about Eira. Everyone knows she's crazy about you but, all you've done is ignored and hurt her." His mouth settled into a firm line. "Why do you deny your feelings for her? By now, everyone knows the truth and even you cannot ignore what's in your heart."

"It's not that simple." Lars's response was guttural and scratchy.

A surge of anger lit Florian's temper, his stance turning aggressive. "That's bullshit! Caring and loving for someone is as natural as breathing when you meet the right person. No matter how much you fight it, the repercussions are going to hit you back tenfold. I don't care what shared history you have with Eira, but she doesn't deserve a man who is afraid of his own feelings. If you don't want to be with her, then I'll gladly take her off your hands. If she can't let you go, then you have to be the one to let go."

Lars shot to his feet, deeply triggered. "Don't you think I haven't tried! You're right, I am a coward and I hate myself for it." Pain swam in eyes, his hands balled at his sides. "This was my fault."

"It wasn't your fault." Florian responded grimly, annoyance and anger warring. He took no pleasure in browbeating a man who was drowning in his own regrets. He was no bully. "The riggings were deliberately cut."

Amber eyes sharpened and Lars's jaws locked. "Who was it?"

Florian shook his head despondently. "We couldn't catch the culprit and there were no cameras nearby. Everyone was engrossed with the fight, no one even saw what was happening."

Before Lars could question him further, Eira started to moan. "Uhmmmm…,"

"Get the doctor!" Lars barked softly, leaning over to check Eira's condition. He grabbed her hand. "Eira, can you hear me?"

Bleary green eyes clasped with his. It was an effort not to crush her into his arms and weep with relief. The doctor arrived to check on his patient while Lars and Florian observed in the corner.

Eira felt sluggish and tired, but it was no wonder after the doctor explained what had happened to her. As she listened to the older man's lecture, her gaze drifted over his shoulder to see Florian and an intimidating man she didn't recognize.

But he was…familiar.

A bolt of pain splintered her mind and she cried out, hunching over with both hands cradling her head. Lars stepped forward, his body reacting on cue.

"What's wrong, Ms. Ulva? Where do you feel pain?" the doctor gently inquired.

"I…I can't remember," she stuttered, forcing her gaze back to Lars only to feel the same excruciating pain. Her teeth sank into her lips, drawing blood.

The doctor frowned, following her line of sight to see the two gentleman – her unit's Captain and Vice-Captain. "What can't you remember?"

"I remember Florian." Her voice regained its strength, confusion creeping into her next words. Bewildered eyes landed on Lars. "But I don't remember him."

The blood in Lars's veins chilled, the hairs on his nape raising when Eira locked eyes with him and she demanded. "Who are you?"

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He deserved it.

Those were the only words of consolation he could afford, otherwise he would succumb to the angry denial and hurt of being forgotten by a woman who claimed to love him – and he in return.

Yes. Lars could admit it now.

He loved her.

It was true that when a person loses what was important to them, they would regret it. Deeply and painfully. Lars wasn't certain if she would ever remember him. After the doctor announced Eira was suffering from selective memory loss – which he couldn't assess was temporary or permanent – Lars walked away.

He couldn't accept it. How could she have forgotten about him?

How could you forget someone you loved?

He was an idiot.

"There you are." The comfort of Anaelle's compassion greeted him. She made a disapproving sound and waved off the smoke from his cigarettes. "You're going to lose a lung if you don't quit smoking." Anaelle observed her Captain's rumpled clothes and haggard, unshaved face. Had there always been lines at the corner of his eyes? "You look terrible. When was the last time you took a shower? Or maybe even ate? You're disrespecting the efforts of my work by refusing the food I put on the table."

"What are you doing here, Anaelle?" he asked testily.

"To check up on you. I'm worried, Lars." Anaelle rarely used his name but she needed to get through to him. "It's been a week. Are you going to stop moping like a child?"

"Did Florian send you here?" Came his gruff response.

"No, I volunteered," she replied stiffly, unfolding her arms. "Now come on. You've been neglecting your duties, and this isn't like you. I know it's a big blow for Eira to have forgotten you but it's not the end of the world."

Lars fought the urge to smile. Trust Anaelle to verbally whip him into shape. Taking another deep puff, he flicked the cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out. "I apologize." His countenance was regretful but also renewed. "I must have let everyone down with my erratic behaviour." He rubbed circles over his heart, as if it would somehow chase away the pain. "It's been a long time since I've been this upset. I forgot how...distressing it is."

"You were completely out of it." She agreed, refusing to baby him.

He cleared his throat. "How is she?"

"She's fine," Anaelle assuaged, a hint of mischief on her lips. "In fact, Eira's been asking for you. That's the real reason why I'm here. Although," — her eyes trailed over him — "You might want to get cleaned up before you visit her. Eira's getting discharged today, and I think there's no one better than the Captain to bring her home."