Chapter 7

What courage? This reminded me of Aurelius. The ego, the confidence that he would think he could do what was in his heart without caring if there would be a repercussion for it. I thought such a character was because of Aurelius' status, but now I knew it was an inherent attitude that had passed down to Casper.

I stood there looking at him for close to a minute. He turned away from me and lay down on the bed. I couldn't say a single word, the astonishment I got from his words restricted everything I would say.

I walked out of the tent silently and gazed at the horizon. I wouldn't want to think about anything anymore. The sun was burying itself and its light turned the sky yellowish-red.

I wouldn't want Casper to risk his life trying to protect me. I should be the one doing the protecting, not the other way around.

I would soon be migrating to the Lycan region.

"Casper.." I soliloquized quietly. "His pride and anger issues will cause a lot of trouble when we arrive there."

"I don't want my son to get himself into danger. Am I doing it right? Oh... Good goddess of the moon, help my boy."

Then it got to me, he doesn't know we are planning to return to the Lycan region with the community.

I sighed and took a stroll around some area of the camp. I needed someone to talk to, not Tyrion this time. I need to speak with a woman, a mother like me. The first person that came to my mind was Ophelia.

Ophelia was once a single mother like I was. I didn't know much about her relationship life but I saw her getting married to a man in the community after having three children.

I got to her tent and saw her last child, a boy pestering his elder brother, a teenager two years older than Casper.

"Get out of my way, Finn. I am practicing with an arrow, you'll hurt yourself."

"Let me shoot, please! You promised you'd let me shoot," the young boy cried out.

"Fred!" I called out, walking up to him and he put down his arrow when he saw me. He gave a weak bow.

"Evening greetings, Princess."

"Cut that off, just call me Ryanna. And please, give him the bow and the arrow but watch him so he won't get himself hurt. But before that, is Ophelia around?"

"She is at the farm. I can go get her for you."

"Don't bother, I'll go meet her myself, just watch over

your brother. Okay?" I walked close to the little Finn and pinched his cheek softly, he smiled which made me couldn't help but smile back.

The little farm Ophelia had was behind her tent. It was just an acre where she planted some vegetables and spices.

She was plucking some leaves from the vegetable into a basket when I met her. "Ophelia.." I called.

"Ryanna. How are you doing? How's Casper?"

"I'm doing good." I let out a deep sigh, "Casper... is doing well."

"Oh. That's great to hear. I haven't seen him around for a while, he rarely comes around to see Finn like before. Don't tell me you stopped him from coming," she squinted at me wearing a sarcastic frown.

"Oh please, who in this community would stop their kids from visiting their friend, not to say your kids?"

Before she would say anything I jumped into the reason why I came. "Please, are you free for a moment? I would like to speak with you..."

"I'm done with this. I hope there's nothing wrong?"

"Not really."

We got inside and I told her what was going on with me and Casper. She let out a sigh after all my long talk.

"I heard you, it is natural for sons to be overprotective of their mother, my oldest son, Bran is like that... But out of all you've said I will pick one thing here to start with, and that's about our migration. Does he know about it?"

I paused, I wasn't expecting that to be what she would ask. "No. I haven't, but..."

"That is the first issue you have to deal with. We are speaking of leaving soon and you haven't let your son know about it."

"Even the people don't know yet."

"The people are not your son, Ryanna. You have to be able to communicate well with him. There is nothing I don't tell Bran, even now that I have a husband. Bran has been with me ever since I got divorced by my husband and banished from our pack, he has been there with me. So, it will be unwise to put him away from the things I'm doing. It's like showing you don't care."

"You can't compare Bran with Casper. Bran is more mature, and I know him as a calm young man who listens."

"Stop making excuses for yourself, Ryanna. Do you know how Bran was at Casper's age? Do you know how we were able to survive in the wilderness before we met Tyrion? Bran was a nightmare to anyone who dared to dare me or his siblings. And it took a lot before he would be calm."

"Look, Ryanna. Your boy needs to know, and he needs to know everything. When I mean everything I mean the things you wouldn't want to tell him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you should also tell him about Aurelius..."

"Hell no!" I stood up from the seat sharply and walked away to the edge of the tent turning my back on Ophelia.

"If you want him to trust you, you have to tell him the truth. Because I bet you when we get to the Lycan region there is a possibility you will see Aurelius."

Ophelia walked close to me and spoke to my back. "I know not everybody knows that Casper is his, I believe Aurelius also doesn't know. But I'll tell you the fact that hiding the truth from those who need it is dishonesty."