Tristan stared at his sister in disbelief. “You have to be kidding me... There's no way Crystal is in the dungeons. Dad wouldn't do that. He's extreme, yeah, but not that extreme.”

“I don't have time for your trust issues.”, Caroline glared at him. “God... I've started to sound like you! What's with reversed roles here?”, she muttered. “Anyway, are you going to help me or not?”

“Not this time, Caroline. I'm sorry, but you don't even have anything to back your suspicion.”, he shrugged.

His sister gave it some thought. “Actually, I do have something. A carriage with a concealed wagon or something arrived yesterday. Some guy, not our normal deliverer, was riding it. Plus, we weren't expecting anyone. It was unregistered, I checked.”, she crossed her arms, smugly.

“Maybe dad is planning a surprise event?”, Tristan shrugged.

His sister scoffed. “It's as if you're trying your best to not believe it! Is it really so hard for you to come help me check it out? You know the dungeons creep me out.”, she shivered.

“I told you, I can't. I'm sorry.”, he looked away.

“One more thing; my godmother was on that carriage too and she's always been kind of shady. I'll let that sink in.”, she tried for a final time. Violet's eyes went wide and she reached for Tristan's hand. He turned and gave her a worried glance. Caroline narrowed her eyes at them. “What are you two hiding?”

“It's nothing. I just... I remembered I got a letter this morning. I have to leave for a while. It's urgent.”, Violet said in the least suspicious way she could (which knowing her was the most suspicious-looking thing ever).

“Violet, are you hiding something?”, Caroline narrowed her eyes at the young witch, who started sweating and avoided all eye-contact.

“I- I just have to go. I'll stay for the day but after that I'm probably going to leave.”, she bit her lip.

Caroline would have said more, but Tristan stopped her. “Well, then... We should make the most of your time here.”, he smiled but looked a little heartbroken.

“Tristan, I told you I need your help!”, Caroline protested.

“And I told you that I can't help you! Not this time...”

“Violet, can I have a moment with my brother, please?”

"Yes! I mean- of course! I- I'm sorry. I'll be in my room, if you need me.", Violet rushed away awkwardly.

Caroline waited for her to leave and then turned to her brother. “What are you so afraid of?”, she crossed her arms.

Tristan sighed. “Dad sent me down there once. He locked the door and left me alone to roam the corridors overnight. He let me out the next day at noon. You were away when he did that, I don't remember the details. I had a huge fight with him. He wasn't having it.”, Tristan looked away. “I swore to never step foot in there again.”

Caroline stared at him for a few moments, dumbfounded. “Why didn't you tell me sooner?”, her voice cracked.

“You had such a good time when you were away. I didn't want to ruin it for you...”, he muttered.

She smacked him upwards in the back of the head and then pulled him into a right hug. “You're so stupid. If you'd told me I wouldn't have pushed you.”

“I told you now. Just... if you go, promise me you'll be careful.”

“I'm always careful. You're the reckless one.”

“Fair point.”, Tristan laughed.

“Spend some time with Violet. She's cool. I approve.”, his sister winked and smirked at him. He blushed.

“Good.”, he smiled and left the room.

Caroline didn't mention it to Tristan, but she was getting really tired of her father. He was too hung up on power and hate, without even having a reason to do so. He hadn't even told his own children what had happened between him and his brother. It was as much of a mystery to Caroline and Tristan (Crystal was a little new in the family) as much as it was to the rest of the people. Even servants that were present when it happened seemed to have miraculously forgotten, as if there was a period of time in their heads that had gone blank.

Andy and Margaret were two of the aforementioned servants. They'd been at Alastor and Daniel's age when they fought, and they'd been around too. As far as Caroline knew, they'd known each other for many years, so it came as a surprise to her when she asked Faith's parents and all they could say was I don't know and I can't remember.

Caroline made a note to herself to think about that after she checked the dungeons to see if Crystal was there. She left her brother's room and set out to find her sister.

She sneaked into the basement and navigated through the wide corridor. She seemed to know exactly the way but for some reason she didn't pass by Andy's cell.

Maybe they moved him, she thought.

After about an hour of strolling in the dungeons undetected, Caroline finally managed to find Crystal. Her sister and the boy she'd dreamt of the night before, Scott Harrow, seemed to be arguing.

They didn't notice her.

“Crystal?”, she called. Crystal's head snapped towards her sister.

“Caroline?!”, she got up and rushed to the door.

“I knew it!”, Caroline exclaimed and ran to her sister.

“What the hell is going on?”, Scott furrowed his eyebrows.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”, she crossed her arms over her stomach. “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Alright! Don't kill each other. Please.”, Crystal interrupted them. “Caroline that's my friend Scott--”

“So we're friends now?”, he rolled his eyes.

Crystal ignored him. “Scott, this is my sister, Caroline.”, she introduced them.

“I don't like you.”, Caroline glared at Scott.

“I don't care.”, he shrugged.

“Guys, stop.”, Crystal stepped in.

“Anyway, enough with the introductions. I need to get you out of here.”, her sister changed the subject.

“Not that I want to argue with you on the matter, but how?”, Crystal furrowed her eyebrows.

“You're asking the wrong questions, princess.”, Scott rolled his eyes.

“What do you mean?”, she frowned.

“You should be asking about how she knew we were here in the first place.”

“I dislike you even more now.”, Caroline grumbled.

“Glad to be of service.”, he smirked.

“He does have a point, though. How did you know?”, Crystal asked her sister.

Caroline started sweating nervously. “I- I don't want to talk about it.”

“How do we know your father didn't send you? You know, just to give us hope of escaping and then lock us up again.”

Crystal kept glancing from Scott to Caroline.

“He didn't send me! You're just going to have to trust me on this.”

“If you want my trust, you're going to have to earn it.”, Scott growled.

“Scott! Caroline orchestrated the whole escape last time! She's the one that basically broke me out of here.”, Crystal tried to calm things down.

“Maybe she had a change of heart, you never know!”, Scott argued.

“I doubt it.”, Crystal said firmly. “Look, Scott, she's my sister and I trust her. Do you want to get out if here or not?”, Caroline gave him a smug smirk for a second, but then footsteps started approaching.

Scott didn't get the chance to reply. They all exchanged terrified glances.

“Go!”, Crystal mouthed at Caroline, motioning at her to leave.

“I'll be back.”, Caroline replied and ran around the corner.

Carter Harrow approached the cell, along with his new best friend; Alastor Cornel.

Caroline backed against the wall and held her breath. She was generally a logical and careful person, so even after everything that took place a few feet away from her, she didn't move.

Her father didn't stay around for long and as soon as he left, Carter (she didn't get to see him, but she somehow knew his name too) took out a knife.

Carter Harrow.

The fact that she knew stuff about people was weird and new to her. She didn't really have time to think about it but she knew she needed a second opinion in the matter. She'd talk about it with her brother later.

She tried to block the sound of Carter beating the hell out of Scott. She knew that sound a little too well from whenever Tristan and her father had a fight. Well, excluding the knife part. Alastor had never attacked Tristan with a knife, as far as she knew.

Caroline found herself sliding down the wall to the floor and plugging her eara. She could still hear her sister screaming at Carter to stop and Scott grunting in pain. She had just met him and didn't really like him, but nobody deserved this.

She wanted to help but would only make things worse if she got out of her hiding place.

So, once again, she kept quiet and remained a bystander.

*~°~*

Violet and Tristan were sitting in the windowsill in his room, talking about the dumbest decisions and worst choices they'd made through ought their lives, and laughing at each other's stupidity.

In the evening they sneaked out and got a little drunk. Again. They didn't stay out long, though, which is to be considered a good thing, considering what they did while they were drunk.

They soon returned to the palace and to Tristan's room.

“You -hic!- know, speaking of bad decisions, do you want to make the worst you've -hic!- ever made?”, Violet laughed.

“I'm -hic!- listening...”, Tristan replied.

Violet tried to look serious, but failed hilariously. “Alright. There's this -hic!- this spell thing.”, she started.

“What spell thing?”, he asked eagerly.

“Shhh... Let me finish.”, she clumsily put her finger on his lips. “As I was -hic!- saying, there's this spell thing that -hic- makes two people feel each other's -hic!- feelings, pain and all that stuff. Since -hic!-I'm leaving in the -hic!- morning, we could give it a try.”, she wiggled her eyebrows.

“This -hic!- is the best -hic!- idea I've ever heard!”, he laughed.

“I -hic!- haven't even told you the best -hic!- part yet”, she added.

“There's a best part?!”, Tristan's eyes widened.

“Uh huh! It's bloody -hic!- irreversible!”, she giggled.

“That's it! You can -hic!- stop trying to -hic!- convince me! We're -hic!- doing it!”, he he said, determined and ready for everything.

Violet giggled some more and then they went to the kitchen to get the ingredients and stuff.

The young witch prepared everything chanted the spell and they both sealed it with a kiss because there a pair of cheesy cuties.

There was only one problem; they were drunk when they did that, which meant they had one hell of a hangover the following morning.

Violet shot up in horror when she woke up.

“What the hell did I do?”, her eyes widened. She'd spent the night at Tristan's room again, and he was still sleeping.

Not for long, though, because his eyes shot open and he clutched his heart. “What the hell is going on?”, he asked her.

“Don't you remember? The spell!”, she ran her hand through her hair.

“How nervous are you? This can't be humanly possible!”, Tristan held his beating heart tightly.

“Oh my God, I can't fix this... How drunk were we?”, she clutched her forehead.

“Calm down, I think you're going to give me a heart attack.”, he panted. Her head snapped towards him. “I said calm down, not get even more stressed!”, he exclaimed.

“Sorry!”, she bit her lip. “And the worst part is that this whole thing is permanent.”, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Why could we possibly think this was a good idea?”, Tristan dell back down on his pillow. He accidentally hit his head on the wall behind him.

“Ouch!”, they said at the same time and rubbed the back of their heads.

“Okay, can we agree that this is by far the biggest mistake ever made in history?”, Violet furrowed her eyebrows.

“I would never argue with that.”, Tristan sighed. “We need to tell Caroline.”, he added.

Violet nodded and they got up. They rushed to Caroline's room, where they frantically knocked on the door.

She barely opened the door and tried to keep it as closed as possible. She barely had space to look out in the hallway.

“Oh. It's you two. Come in.”, she said suspiciously and opened the door just enough for then to get in the room.

“What did you--”, Tristan froze. “Crystal?!”, he exclaimed and rushed to hug his sister, who was at the other side of the room.

“Good too see you too!”, she laughed faintly, hugging him back. “Ouch...”, she pulled away, clutching her arm.

Tristan frowned. “What's wrong?”

“Don't worry about it... It'll heal, eventually.”, she sighed, but didn't let him see it.

“What is it?”, he reached to see, but she pulled away. He gave her a pleading look, and she eventually gave in, extending her forearm.

Tristan's eyes widened and then he furrowed his eyebrows.

“Did dad do this?”, he asked his sister. She gulped and nodded hesitantly.

Thats when Tristan noticed Scott, unconcious and bleeding out on Caroline's bed.

“Who's he? What happened to him?”

“That's Scott. He's a friend of mine. He...”, she trailed off. “His father sneaked in a knife this time.”,  she muttered.

“I was about to come get you... Violet can you heal him?”, Caroline asked.

Violet frowned but nodded. “I think so, yeah.”

“You're a witch?!”, Crystal asked hopefully.

“Why are you asking?”, Violet eyed her suspiciously.

Crystal glanced around in the room anxiously. “N- nothing. Nevermind.”, she bit her lip.

“Alright then...”, Violet said, clearly not convinced. She could sense something weird in Crystal's aura, something that blocked her magic a bit. It made her feel weak. Her eyes widened in recognition of what had happened. “Crystal, right?”, she asked. Before the princess got that chance to reply, Violet grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her further in the room. “We need to talk.”

She stopped at a secluded corner far away from the bed, where the others were.

“You're a witch too, aren't you?”, Violet scanned her from head to toe.

Crystal gulped. “I- I don't know. I'm not sure. Weird things have happened.”, she bit her lip.

“You must be. They've doused you with that dust thing. I can feel it from here. It weakens me.”

“I- can we talk about this later? Scott is dying.”, Crystal avoided looking her in the eye.

“Fine. Just stay as far away as possible, it will be easier to cast the healing spell.”, Violet sighed and rushed away. Crystal did as she was told.

Violet touched Scott's forearm and closed her eyes. Wounds treated closing, bruises disappeared and his swollen eye healed as golden energy spread from her hand. Some cuts didn't heal completely, though, and most scars remained.

She pulled away.

“I think hell be fine.”, she but her lip. She caught Crystal's gaze and motioned at her to come close.

“So... What happened? Not that I'm complaining, but why are you back? Is everything okay?”, Tristan asked.

“Well... It's kind of a long story, but we didn't mean to end up here.”, Crystal sighed. “When you dropped me off, I stayed at a village for a while. I didn't stay for long, because dad had people all over the place. That's where I met Scott. If it wasn't for him, I would have returned a lot sooner.”, she continued. “Anyway, I wanted to go back home to get Benny. Scott warned me that it was a bad idea, but I didn't listen. The village-”, she gulped. “The village was in ruins. It had been burnt to the ground and Benny was nowhere to be found.”, she blinked back a few tears.

“Wait, did you say burnt to the ground?”, Caroline paled.

“Yeah... We were ambushed by the guy who did it. He and his sister, some witch named Lux, brought us here.”, her sister added. Tristan and Caroline turned to look at Violet, whose eyes were wide in horror.

“She has a brother?!”, Violet panicked even more.

“Step-brother, actually. His name is Erebos.”, Crystal bit her lip.

“This is bad... It's worse than bad! It- It's the worst!”, Violet rubbed her forehead and laced around the room.

Tristan started fidgeting with a bracelet of his sister, which he found on the bedtable. “Violet, please calm down....”, he gave her a meaningful look.

“I'm so sorry! I- I'm trying to, I can't...”, she panted. Tristan put his hand on his heart and gulped.

“What's going on?”, Caroline eyed them suspiciously.

“It's the reason we came here in the first place. We were drunk last night. We cast a spell thing. Worst choice we've ever made.”, Tristan rushed.

“What spell thing?”, Caroline's eyes widened.

“What did you do?”, Crystal asked them.

“It was a binding spell! Irreversible. We feel each other's feelings now.”, Violet broke.

“Are you out of your minds?! You two just met!”, Caroline snapped.

“I know! It's not like we were sober when we decided to do it...”, Tristan protested. Caroline smacked him lightly in the back of the head.

“Ouch!”, he and Violet both said at the same time.

Crystal facepalmed. Caroline's eye started twitching.

“I can't believe this.”, she shook her head and started pacing. “What were you thinking?”, she yelled at them.

“We weren't!”, Tristan yelled back. Violet was on the verge of tears.

“Enough!”, Crystal snapped. They all turned to look at her. She had kneeled by the bed, where Scott was trying to sit up. “Tristan, you made a bad choice. You're going to live with the consequences now. Some for you, Violet. Caroline, don't guilt them even more. What's done is done and they obviously regret it. Now can we all just calm down and figure out what the hell we're going to do next?”, she glared at them all, holding Scott's hand in her palms.

“Alright... Let's see how we're going to get the two of you out of here...”, Caroline sighed.