19 Chapter 19: Trouble On The Homefront

The sun was shining bright as Nau stood before two gravestones belonging to her children.

"I know that I haven't been here in a while, but compared to your father well... In any case Hephaestus is still okay. For the most part. She lost an eye." Nau sighed and paused.

She closed her eyes when she was suddenly caught off guard by the sounds of gunfire. She turned her head in the direction of the noise and saw another family burying their child.

Nau scoffed as they handed the parents a folded flag. "The fucking nerve of those assholes."

Nau remembered when it was her in that position.

The men aimed their rifles high and pulled their triggers. Tullius was about to stand up and leave when Nau got a hold of his hand and tightened her grip.

"Don't you fucking dare." She whispered.

Tullius only sat down. The soldiers folded the first flag and offered it to her. Nau glared at the man offering the flag.

"Fuck you." She said as tears began to flow.

She let go of Tullius and Hephaestus and slapped the man. Had Tullius and Kavasir not held her down she would have done more than just slap him.

"GIVE THEM BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY BOYS!" She yelled as she fought against Kavasir and Tullius.

She remembered breaking everything in the house, and tearing the flags she was given. It was all a blur. She pinched her nose in frustration remembering those days.

"Why the fuck am I even here? Fuck! Both of you aren't even fucking buried here."

The graves were empty. Nothing but two gravestones marking where Vitus and Drake were buried. The gravestones were surrounded by hundreds more, thousands, each with the same story. Too often did people bury their loved ones in an empty grave with nothing but a gravestone to mark the site.

Nau decided to head back home before Hephaestus and Tullius showed up. As she made her way to the road she glanced back and took in the sight of the countless gravestones overtaking the hills and landscape.

"So many people." She whispered to herself.

As she reached the entrance to the cemetery she saw a woman walk in with a bouquet of flowers.

"Nau!" Said the woman.

"Avril?"

"It's been a while how's Hephaestus is she..."

"Still alive." Answered Nau.

Avril let out a sigh of relief. "These days we need all the bit of good news we can take."

"Ain't that the truth. In any case I need to hurry home Hephaestus is due to arrive today for a bit of R&R so..."

"Right of course I won't keep you. By the way did you hear about Aveline?" Asked Avril.

"What do you mean?"

"She killed herself. Grabbed a knife and slit her own throat."

Nau's eyes widened. "What!? Why!?"

"Her husband died. On top of her losing her child as well... I guess she just couldn't... Live anymore."

"Oh shit. Well... Fuck. I... Is there going to be a funeral?"

"Yeah tomorrow. She's being buried next to her husband seeing as how they won that battle and recovered the body. Unlike..." Avril trailed off.

"Yeah." The only way a body was recovered was if your side won the battle. Otherwise... There was no otherwise. The enemy would defile the corpses, burn them, load them onto catapults and shoot them at the enemy, feed them to the dogs, and many other things.

Avril smiled, patted Nau's shoulder and walked past her. Nau approached the carriage and paid the man a few silver crowns to take her back home.

"I need a fucking drink."

Hephaestus walked down the street as she neared her home. Her vision was impaired due to the fact that she lost her right eye.

"Had it not been for Onyx..." She trailed off thinking about the the Karashian Legionnaire. Her parents would kill her if they knew she had an amicable conversation with the enemy. She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on getting home.

She reached the front door and was about to knock when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her mother.

"Mom I..."

Her mother embraced her. Hephaestus stood there for a while before returning the embrace.

"It's good to have you home. Here let me get your things."

"Uh yeah..." Responded Hephaestus as her mother carried her belongings and opened the door to the house.

"Your father is still back at HQ as usual. He said he would be here later, but... Later never comes."

"I mean with the war and everything that's happened..."

Her mother raised her hand. "Enough about that. Let's keep the war out there for now. I'll prepare you something to eat."

"Right. Where are the servants?"

"Buying food. Luckily there's enough leftover to make you something."

"Great thanks. I'll uh... I'll head up to my room then and put on something comfortable."

Her mother nodded and walked to the kitchen whilst Hephaestus grabbed her bag and made her way up the stairs. As she walked down the hallway to her room she passed her brothers' bedroom. She saw the Sethos Sovereign Idol nailed to the door. She wondered if anyone had entered the room. Although all things considered that was unlikely. Hephaestus barely entered Croix, a military academy, when they received the letter from Kavasir. Hephaestus sighed and remembered what happened that day.

The three were eating and celebrating the fact that Hephaestus completed her basic training.

"So what unit are you being assigned to?" Asked her father.

"Cambrian Company." Answered Hephaestus.

"A 'C' company huh?"

"I mean it is a 'C' school dad."

"'C' for Corrax son of Gaeric." Said her mother.

"I think it would be nice if it were a 'G'." Replied her father.

Her mother scoffed. "No one is worthy of the 'G' Eomer."

Whenever Nau used Tullius' first name it was usually a sign for him to back off and let it go.

"What about Gloria? She has a 'G'?" Tullius smiled taking Nau up on her challenge.

"Our master of arms is nothing more than a..." Nau began before she was cut off by a sudden knock on the door.

Hephaestus frowned at the sudden interruption. She really wanted to see who would win that competition. The trio heard heavy footsteps as they saw Kavasir emerge from the doorway with a wrapped package.

"Ah Kavasir what brings you here?" Smiled Tullius. "Grab a seat and we'll serve you."

Kavasir raised his hand. "I won't be long."

"Is something the matter?" Asked Nau.

Kavasir struggled to let the words out. Kavasir placed the package on the table and unwrapped it revealing a scorched and torn battalion flag.

"Is that..." Tullius began.

"We sent some advanced scouts into Tofar to assess the situation. They followed the trail a bit towards Kuzani. This is all they could recover."

Nau grabbed the flag and clung to it. "Kavasir the next words out of your mouth better be..."

"They're dead Nau." Replied Kavasir in a matter-of-fact tone.

Tears began to roll down Hephaestus' cheeks. She grabbed onto her knees as she tried to hold back the tears.

Hephaestus finished changing and walked downstairs to meet her mother still finishing with the cooking. She also noticed a large bottle of wine in the kitchen counter with a full glass right next to it. She noticed her mother take a sip when she noticed her.

"It'll still be a while."

"It's fine... So how are Vitus and Drake? You only drink when you go see them?"

"Dead." Answered her mother flatly. "You ever find out who killed them?"

"No. I mean I heard rumors about the Heroes of Tofar, but nothing more." Answered Hephaestus uncomfortably.

"Pity. Were you raped?" Asked her mother.

"No!" Answered Hephaestus almost shocked.

"Just checking. Make any friends while you were out there? It can get very lonely and a girl your age surrounded by men her age..."

"Mom!"

"Just saying. It's how I met your father."

"I mean the unit is... well was alright. Koto told me a lot of them died in the siege of Karana. There's barely any of us left so I'll probably be transferred somewhere else."

"One can only hope." Muttered Nau under her breath. "In any case your father should be joining us tonight."

"Well that's good. Anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"Aveline committed suicide. Her funeral's tomorrow."

Hephaestus was taken by surprise. "Um... I..."

"Don't worry about it." Sighed Nau.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." Sighed Nau almost exhausted.

"I could go with you I mean it's not like..."

"It's fine you need to rest and given that wound of yours... Have you gotten used to it?"

Hephaestus put her fingers over the eye patch. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Back in my traveling days as a Gaericist I met a guy who makes glass eyes I should probably order a few made."

"It's fine I..."

"What? You don't seriously expect me to have you waltzing around with an eyepatch all day do you?"

"Dad wouldn't mind."

Nau drank from the glass of wine. "Well your father's not here right now so I'm all you've got."

"Is he..." Hephaestus began, but was interrupted by knocking on the door.

"That should be him."

Nau walked towards the door with her daughter in tow. She opened the door and saw Tullius with Kavasir behind him.

"Dad."

"Hi." Tullius let out a weak smile and embraced his daughter.

"What? No love for your uncle?"

Hephaestus then hugged Kavasir and was almost crushed while doing so.

"Uncle can't... breathe."

"My bad."

"Aren't the two of you supposed to be at work?" Asked Nau.

"Technically but uh... well I'll tell you later. Right now though I thought I might as well take it easy with Hephaestus being back and all."

"Hmph very well then c'mon I'll pull out more dishes."

"I'll help." Added Tullius.

The four of them sat around the table as Nau and Tullius set the dishes and served the meals.

"So Hephaestus how's the old bastard?" Asked Kavasir.

"Koto's fine. Still alive and as carefree as ever."

"That bastard's only ever been carefree when he cut my horn."

"That was your own fault." Added Tullius.

"And whose bright idea was it to..."

"Send more people to die." Nau interrupted the conversation with a smile. "That's your whole job isn't it?"

Hephaestus focused on her plate and avoided any eye contact.

"Nau you know that's not..." Tullius began.

"Save it. I'm not an idiot it's you and fatass over here that make up the orders that get people killed. That destroy families, and for what? Huh? Answer me!" Nau was beginning to raise her voice.

"Not a day goes by that I do not wish it wasn't me in their fucking graves. That it were me instead of them!"

"I wish it was so that I wouldn't have to see the face of the man that helped kill my children. I believe your exact words were, 'I put my faith in Adulin completely he'll bring them back.' Fuck Tullius he couldn't even bring back the bodies."

Hephaestus looked at Kavasir who smiled. "At least in that regard you and Gaeric are alike. She also buried some of her children."

Nau grabbed the knife and threw it at Kavasir lodging it in his shoulder.

"Agh fuck that stings."

"Nau what have you..."

Nau grabbed one of the forks and was about to gouge out one of Tullius' eyes. Hephaestus grabbed the large bottle of wine and hit the back of her mother's head with it. Nau was knocked unconscious. Tullius pushed her to the side and caressed her cheek.

"Dad I..." Hephaestus began.

"It's alright Hephaestus. I'm sorry Nau. Kavasir how's the wound?"

"It's fine. I was asking for it anyways."

"Uncle are you..."

"It's fine not the first time she's thrown crap at me. I'll take my leave and I'll meet you at HQ tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"Dad what is happening to us?"

Tulluis looked at the spilled wine and grabbed one of the larger shards of glass. "Problem is we're running out of the good wine."

"Dad!"

"What we have Hephaestus... it's a lot harder to fix. Just give your mother time."

"She almost killed Uncle Kavasir and she..."

"She could have killed him, but she didn't. At just six feet away and your mother hits his shoulder? And besides she's not the only one this way."