Duty

Chapter 62 Eye of the beholder

He had never felt so helpless. Since the moment he had arrived at the house of his sister-in-law, she had't stopped crying. It had been two days.

And it wasn't just Channah. His mother was just sitting at the window, staring into the distance. His father had visibly aged, and his younger brother Zinon didn't seem to know how to react.

In one moment his entire family was broken. This wasn't how he had wanted his next visit to go.

"Iason."

Iason looked up at the sound of his brother's voice. His hair looked disheveled and there was no trace of his usual smile. "Zinon," he nodded.

"She doesn't blame you, you know," Zinon spoke quietly, "none of us do. This isn't your fault."

Iason sighed and ran a hand across is face. "How can you not, when even I blame myself. I promised he would be safe, that I would look out for him."

A faint smile tugged at Zinon's lips. "Dimitris was the older brother, Iason." His smile disappeared again. "We are at war, brother. This is not something you could have foreseen. Dimitris knew this too. He is not the only one that lost his life."

"No," Iason confirmed, "a lot of good soldiers died. The entire fortification was wiped out." He closed his eyes in pain. He still saw the scene they had arrived to at the fort. It had been horrifying.

A hand landed on his shoulder and Zinon looked at his brother sadly. "How is Vara holding up? She faced something terrible too. Your home was attacked, Iason, and you were not there to protect her."

Iason nodded. "If anything had happened to her while I was away, I would never have been able to forgive myself." He sighed. "She wanted to come, but there are so many injured still at Boncini, and so much to rebuild."

"Go home, Iason," his brother said gently, "there is nothing left for you to do here. We buried Dimitris. You brought him home. You should go home too. Help our wife rebuild Boncini."

"I know," Iason said. What his brother said made sense. Nothing he would do could bring Dimitris back, but he didn't want to leave his family like this.

"Channah and Cassi will be looked after," Zinon assured him.

"I never doubted that," Iason answered. He sighed again. "Alright," he nodded, "I will leave in the morning." They embraced each other.

"Take care of yourself, brother," Zinon said.

"I will send money," Iason promised, "and anything else you might need. Just say the word."

Zinon gave a serious nod. "We will. He released Iason and offered him a smile. "Until next time, brother, may it be under better circumstances."

"We will visit again soon," Iason said, "once peace has been restored to Boncini." He felt divided. Part of him wanted to stay here and support his family. But he also wanted to return home where Vara was waiting.

Zinon gave a nod. "You are welcome anytime. Go say goodbye to father and mother. Don't worry too much. I will take care of them." Now that Dimitris was gone, he was suddenly the man of the family. He hoped he was up to the task. He had never had that much responsibility.

Iason gave a stiff nod. "Don't forget what I said, Zinon. Anything you need, I will be there for you."

"I know," Zinon said, "have a safe journey home."

"Take care," Iason replied. With a sigh he returned to the house to prepare for departure.

It was time to go home.