{Split POV} 

Caspian POV 

"Babes?" I called, trying, and failing miserably, to tie a tie. "Can you help mee?" 

Aeron hurried into the room, his own tie not fastened yet. His green tailcoat was flying as he ran in, a mad look in her eyes. The chain that was meant to connect the two sides of faer tailcoat was hanging loose. Still, with his messy hair and insane facial expression, he was really cute. 

"What's up?" He smiled, blushing as he scanned my outfit. The cream coloured waistcoat, dark brown jacket and trousers and even darker, almost black, shirt that highlighted the green of my eyes more than usual. The finally neatened hair that fell in curtains over my face. Her face lit up like a fire, pink dancing over her cheeks. 

"Uhh, tie." I smiled, gesturing at the length of dark brown fabric that hung, useless, around my neck. 

He smiled. "You don't know how to tie a tie?" Aeron stepped towards me, looking down as his fingers flew, wrapping around the fabric and tying it in a neat little Windsor knot. "The academy taught me when I was, like, 15." 

I paused, grabbing Aeron's hands and looking down at the green and black painted nails. "Wait, I thought you said you were a firefighter." I said, looking up into his beautiful green eyes. 

"Teach 'em you and they'll never forget, they told me." HE smiled, taking her hands back and fixing her chain. He tied her bowtie quickly, adjusting it before grabbing my hand. "I have a question." 

I nodded, suspicious, because when Aeron has a question it's either very dangerous or very funny. "Go on..." 

Then fae did something I did not see coming. 

Getting down on one knee, he looked up at me, both his hands holding mine. 

"I didn't wanna do this in front of everyone because I knew I would mess up." She chuckled. "Caspian Damaris. I've known you for over a year now, and that has been the best year of my life. Without you, I don't think I could go as far as I have. You're beautiful, inside and out, and can always briong a smile to my face. I want to have that smile on my face forever, so, Caspian Damaris..." 

I felt my heart skip a beat as they pulled out a small black box. As they opened it, they smiled. 

"...will you be my partner in crime forever?" 

I had tears in my eyes and a stupid grin on my face. He knew how to make me cry, but we're both idiots. I laughed, heart fluttering, pulling out a small, green velvet box of my own and flipping it open to reveal a golden band. "Yes, you fucking idiot!" 

He stood up, tears of laughter in their eyes as they looked at the band. Of course we had both gone and got rings for each other because we're both bloody idiots. She slipped the ring on my finger as I did on his, before picking me up and hugging me so hard I felt my head pound. 

"You're beautiful." He said, kissing my forehead. 

"No you are." I retorted. "C'mon, let's get to the dinner." 

---

Evangeline POV 

The storm clouds gathering overhead foretold a night of great joy for me. Exor walked up behind me, laying a soothingly cold hand on my shoulder. "They're scared, my child. I can taste it." 

"Let them be scared." I smiled, wrapping my hand around a red staff they had given me. "They know what to expect." 

They looked down at me, a twinkle in their eyes. "You say they will know when I myself don't." 

A smirk carved my face, eyes scanning over the great Forbidden Woods. "At first, all will seem normal, except for one thing." 

"And what is that?" 

"A game of roulette. Not obvious, to the eye of a normal person. To someone trained to see, however, there's poison in one drink. Only one. Nobody else will have poison." 

I could hear Exor smiling, a low, raspy chuckle escaping their lips. "And to those trained?" 

"Well, there's nobody trained to see it." 

Exor paused, words almost leaving their lips, but they didn't finish. "No, I don't suppose there is, then-" 

A fool proof plan, really. Poison a drink, spin the odds, and you'll never ever know. 

"Tonight will go swimmingly, my child." Exor patted my shoulder. "Now, there's some business I need to attend to, so I will have to go now, but you'll rock this evening. Paint the town red, Eva. You can do it." 

And with that, Exor vanished. I was left alone with my thoughts. I walked the bridge to my meeting hall, where the dinner would be held, to set up. 

Tonight was going to be marvellous. 

{NEW CHAPTER! NEW BOOK COVER! CHAPTER NAMES FOR ALL OF THEM! (the book cover is the image at the top of the chapter too!)}