Evan

"He does not regret his choice,” Far Dorcha said softly. “He would rather you do not either."

Evan is a Rowen Men of unknown origins. He is the bodyguard to the Winter Court, he having changed fealty when Donia became the Winter Queen. He was murdered by Bananach.

Biography

Early Life

There is not much information available regarding Evan. The only known fact is that he is a seemingly ancient faerie from the Summer Court who has been acting as a guard for Donia under the orders of the Summer King, Keenan, since she took the mantle of Winter Girl. He remained at his post for many years despite the seemingly endless rotation of other guards.

Wicked Lovely

Main Article: Wicked Lovely

In Wicked Lovely, Even is present when the Winter Queen, Beira, kills Agatha in front of Donia as a warning of failure. He watches as Donia sits stunned on her porch for several hours, he only approaching to ensure she is safe. Once he has established that Donia is unharmed, Evan offers to take away the body and act as a personal guard for the evening, but Donia only allows the former before returning to safety of her home. It is assumed that Evan remained at his post for the remainder of the evening.

Once Beira had been defeated and Donia took the mantle of Winter Queen, Evan changed fealty to the Winter Court so he could remain at her side. He was given the title of Head of the Winter Guard and took the position naturally.

Fragile Eternity

Main Article: Fragile Eternity

In Fragile Eternity, Evan greets the regents of the Summer Court when they visit the Winter Queen, Donia. He is reluctant to leave her side and, upon asking, is granted permission to remain in the garden when they discuss private matters. Evan retains a protective stance around Donia throughout the conversation.

Darkest Mercy

Main Article: Darkest Mercy

In Darkest Mercy, Evan is seen falling into stride when Donia returns from her wanderings. He remarks that she should not leave the court without her guard, but Donia reassures Evan that she can care for herself. Evan acknowledges her statements before informing Donia that the Dark Court was attacked by Bananach, this resulting in the death of Tish, the child of Gabriel. This news shocks Evan and, wanting to know more, she asks him to seek out more information. He does without further prompting, leaving her under the protection of a series of winter fae.

As expected of him, Evan remains at Donia's side when she chooses to visit the Realm of Faerie, he dutifully following her to the veil. It is upon their arrival that they discover the veil has been closed. This worries Evan as no fae has ever heard of the connection between the realms being sealed and, while musing about the possibility of the veil having simply been moved, they are interrupted by Far Dorcha who states that it is indexed closed. As if acting on instinct, Evan places himself between Far Dorcha and the Winter Queen, the former questioning if Evan would truly sacrifice his life for hers. Evan responds that he would do anything for Donia and, amused as this supposed confession, Far Dorcha taunts Evan with the knowledge that he has killed for less, thus implying that Donia was worth little when she was only one of the Winter Girls. This angers Evan, but he does not act on his emotions.

Evan is present when Donia is attacked by Bananach, he and several other winter fae rushing to protect the Winter Queen against her attack. He attempts to coordinate attacks with the Winter Guard, but is ultimately captured and killed by Bananach herself. Donia is forced to watch as his throat is slit with little regard. At the conclusion of the scuffle, Donia refuses to allow the Death Faerie, Ankou, take Evan away as if he were a common fae. Evan is, instead, given a burial within the garden of the Winter Court with Donia leading the procession. It is commented by Far Dorcha that Evan did not regret a single moment of his life, let alone his death and decision to sacrifice himself. This is confirmed by the image of his shade touching two fingers to his lips and then lowering them as if directing a kiss toward Donia before departing with the Death Faeries.

Physical Appearance

Evan was described as being extremely tall for being one of the Rowen Men, he possessing lanky limbs. He had dark green leafy hair with bright berry red eyes and a grey-brown skin composed entirely of bark from the trees. Donia states that his movements sounded "faintly sounds like the rustle of leaves", something that did not change with his fealty. His allegiance to the Winter Court gave him brittle tips at the ends of his hair from the snow, but his overall appearance changed very little.

Personality

Evan is extremely kind and loyal to a fault, both traits of which gain him favor with his aligned court. In Wicked Lovely, Evan chose to remain by Donia's side even when she was a mere pawn in a larger game, he believing that she deserved some stability in her life. He continuously guarded her even when under the threat of Beira's wrath. While usually soft spoken, Evan was not afraid to assert himself when he saw fit, he offering unsolicited advice to Donia once she was elevated to the status of Winter Queen.

Abilities

Evan possesses the strengths and weaknesses that are seen in the species of the fae. He has increases agility, endurance, healing, senses, speed, and strength which makes him a threat to mortals. In addition to this, Evan is invisible to mortals unless he dons a glamor, an image which makes him appear "normal" to humans.

Relationships

Donia

The relationship between Donia and Evan is extremely unique and one that has been evolving for many years. During her time as one of the Winter Girls, he watched over her when the other Summer Guards chose to move onto different tasks. This made him a fixture in Donia's life and, as time passed, he chose to stay by her side, even going as far as to change his fealty. Evan remarks that Donia is one of the strongest faeries he has ever met, he believing her stronger than the former Winter Queen, Beira, ever was. An outsider may see their relationship as having a romantic undertone, but both faeries understood that they had a strictly platonic relationship. They respected each other and understood their places in society. Upon the death of Evan, Far Dorcha stated that Evan regretted nothing in his life, not even sacrificing his for Donia - a testament to their relationship.

Etymology

The name Evan is of Welsh origin and means "the Lord is gracious." A version of the English name John, and the Spanish name Juan, Evan has Hebrew origins. The word evan, itself, means "rock" in Hebrew. Evan is also the shortened version of the Greek names Evangelos, meaning "good messenger" and Evander, meaning "good man."

Appearances

Trivia

The exact age of Evan is unknown, but the following is established:
- In Darkest Mercy, Donia states that Evan is several times her age and one of the oldest faeries she knows - one who is ancient in comparison to her. This would make him one of the eldest faeries in the series, though he is not mentioned outside of the core novels.
In Darkest Mercy, Far Dorcha comments that Evan has change fealty at least one other time, thereby implying that he was not always a summer fae.
In the Wicked Lovely Series, there are only seven faeries which had been murdered: Miach, Agatha, Beira, Guin, Tish, Evan, and Bananach (ordered by death). This makes Evan the sixth faerie to be killed, though his death is the third to appear onscreen.