She heard him before she saw him. As a young eleven year old just beginning to bloom into a warrior his uncles and father saw in him, Dion was still half a child sometimes - and in a way, Evras wished her son would never lose that childlike wonder in him even as he grew up. Of course, to hope that wish could come true was a fallacy, for she also had accepted the fact that his training in the mines was due in a year or so, and that would be a lesson in growing up so fast, Evras didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad one.

But Zanon insisted it would do him good, and Evras also knew that as an heir of the Kotas family, it would be difficult for Dion to escape a military fate. So instead, she encouraged him in his ventures and training, hoping now instead that he would learn the skills necessary to protect himself when the time came.

Turning as she heard the thump, her first reaction had been worry when she saw the young mop-haired lad on the ground bottom first, but was quick to reason to herself that if he wanted to face sharpened swords and heavy axes, a fall should be the least of her worries. So instead of running to him, instead Evras paused to watch him, and found a tendril of pride when he neither cried out or whimpered, but instead merely looked up to call at her when he saw her.

Noting the excitement in her voice, the dark haired female picked up the ends of her chiton and paced herself to him, squatting down once she got to a position next to him. "Were you so tired you couldn't walk the last few steps to me, Dion?" she teased lightly, extending a hand. Helping him to his feet, the woman dusted him off, as she asked, her sharp blue-green eyes peering at her offspring "How was your training with your father? Have you learned anything new?"

Her boy had grown up attached to family - in a way, taking after his mother, she supposed. Evras had been the youngest for a couple of years before Dysius came along, and in the years following as the youngest girl, she had grown attached and to a certain extent, reliant on her sisters and family. While Mihail acted actively as the baby of the family, it was Evras who may not act as a baby, but required their attention on certain occasions. As she grew up, she had grown out of going back to her sisters and father for every little thing, but it was a habit she found hard pressed to get rid of.

So it really wasn't a surprise that Dion too, was attached to all his numerous uncles and aunts - and the boy had plenty of them. While she had spent the past three years bringing him back to the Thanasi manor on a weekly basis, Zanon had insisted that Dion now spent time with the paternal side of the family, and in their efforts to now have harmony in the family, Evras had given in. Still to hear Dion mention Mihail and keep his youngest uncle in his thoughts as he trained brought a smile to the woman's lips, and she smiled as she assisted Dion to his feet. "That is a good skill to have, is it not? Perhaps then, you can follow Aunt Asia out for a hunt sometime when she comes back. She should have plenty to tell you from her trip back. Do you know she is going to Taengea to meet the famed Lady Dorothea? She is said to be blessed by Artemis herself."

Evras wore a soft look, she always did when in conversation with her son, aware that Dion was more sensitive then most. To a certain extent, she figured Zanon would've preferred his son to be hardier, tougher... but he cannot change the nature that his son was born with, and Evras had no wish for that now. In time and as he aged, she figured it would come, so she would enjoy his gentle nature for now.

"I can bring you to see Grandpa soon, if your father allows." Albeit, with Dionysius's deteriorating mind, she was hesitant at most. "But Uncle Vangelis will not be home so soon." she paused, and then asked. "Or would you like to send him a missive? I could help you write it. I'm sure he and Aunt Asia would love to hear from you."

He was an emotive boy, expressing his feelings with movements rather then words, especially when he was comfortable with someone. Perhaps to a certain extent, Zanon was not happy with the fact that Dion was not at all as rambunctious and loud as he and his brother's likely were, but Evras was happy to work with her gentle son. There would come a day where Dion would need to step in the same shoes his father and uncle had once did, toughen up, and the day was not far away... but for now, he was still her young boy.

Evras laughed when he misunderstood, and gently shook her head as she motioned at him to follow her, and began leading him up a flight of stairs that would lead them to the family's private quarters. "Not entirely, no. Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt, said to never miss with a bow." she murmured in patient explanation as they ascended the stairwell. "Yes, girls can hunt too, but I do not." she paused, and gave her son a wink over her shoulder. "I'll end up injuring a servant instead. I'm much better off in the gardens." the woman finished with a gentle chuckle.

Occasionally glancing back, the woman made a note to bring the boy to temples more, and tell the stories behind each of the pantheon Gods of their culture. "Would you like to know more? Perhaps you could come with me to the temple of the Goddess one day." Upon reaching the landing of the second level, Evras took a corner and led Dion into a small library, where she was quick to fetch a parchment and a pot of ink with a quill, motioning at her son to come over. "And yes, my little prince, of course we can. Here."

Patting the stool which was positioned right in front of the table, Evras waited till Dion was properly seated, before she handed him the quill and pushed the seat in nearer so he could reach the parchment well enough. The chair was built for the men of larger built within the family, and Dion was yet to hit his growth spurt to fit that height and size, but Evras was certain he'd hit it soon. "Now what would you like to tell your uncle and aunt?"

She doubted her brother would be pleased to hear Dion exclaim so happily that a woman would be able to best him in a test of archery skills, but in truth, Evras had a feeling her son was not too far wrong. Dorothea of Dimitrou was famed across the three kingdoms for her skill with the bow and arrow, a skill many touted to be blessed by the Goddess of the Hunt herself, and as such, Evras did not deny her son. Instead, she merely chuckled and pulled up a smaller chair to take a seat next to the young boy as he got overexcited over a visit to the temples.

"Of course, my little prince. Perhaps not all the temples, but we shall go whenever I have needs to be there, alright? I visit a few times a week to pray for the safety and happiness of us all." she reminded, which simply meant that Dion did not have to wait overly long for a trip to the temples. Evras had just returned from a visit to the temple of Hera a few days prior, which meant that while she would not be returning to the temples within the next immediate day, she'd likely bring her son to visit the temples of Ares and Zeus, and even Hephaestus whenever she did return.

Returning her focus to the parchment and quill she had passed on to Dion as he spoke of what he would like to inform Vangelis and Athanasia all the way in Taengea, she nodded in agreement to his wishes, and picked up his hand to curl it around the quill, before releasing it. "Watch your handwriting. We do not want them to have to squint through your scribbles, young man." she teased a little, ruffling his hair before leaning back to allow him to form his own words on the parchment.

"Tell them about your lessons with Papa and Uncle Silas first, I'm sure Aunt Athanasia would be proud." And likely also wish to take over young Dion's archery lessons the moment she came back. Her sister in law was always of the opinion that she'd best Zanon in archery, and it was an argument that Evras gladly stayed out of, knowing full well the degree of sibling rivalry that went on with her in-laws. It was quite foreign to her, for aside from Mihail and Dysius, there was never much rivalry between the sisters of the Thanasi house. But over the years, Evras had gotten used, and even slightly amused at how the siblings of the royal family bickered with each other.

Watching as her son wrote, she waited till he finished, assisting him whenever he was at loss for words or struggled in finding the proper way to structure his sentences. Only when they were done, did she ensure he signed off his name properly, before picking up the parchment and lightly blowing on it to dry the ink. "We'll have this sent out on the first ship to Taengea, shall we? Hopefully, we'll get a return from your uncle and aunt soon, for I remember them bringing some pigeons with them as they left." Rolling the parchment up, she bound it with a strand of twine, and then stood up and offered a hand to her son. "Now, off to the baths with you if you want some food. You're filthy, and Grandma won't share a table with someone who hasn't bathed, now would she?"