The Forest of Ascetir. That was the location Merlin had revealed to Morgana and Arwen. Something the two women had spent hours searching for and trying to guess. Knowing they could go to them now, find them and ask for their help gave Morgana and Arwen a new sense of energy as they developed a plan.
Merlin had left shortly after delivering the information, knowing he couldn't go with them. He did, however, promise to take the books Morgana and Arwen had been reading back to the library. Morgana had even tried to convince Arwen to stay back and let her go alone, but of course, the redhead would hear none of it. And so the two women got ready together to head away from the castle in the middle of the night.
Arwen reached for her cloak on the table, Morgana on the other side of the room standing by her closet as she fastened her own. However, before Arwen could even properly unfold the piece of clothing, the Lady's voice interrupted her movements and made Arwen look up towards her.
"Here, take this one. It should be warmer." Morgana said, her hand holding out a cloak from her own closet towards Arwen.
"Mine is perfectly alright, Morgana-" Arwen tried to protest, not wanting to impose or overstep her bounds. She's had her own cloak for years and, while yes, it wasn't lined with warm cloth and material, it had done its job for all this time.
"Please. If you insist on coming with me, the least I can do is make sure you're warm along the way." It was quickly becoming clear that Morgana wasn't about to relent in her offer.
And so, as to not waste any further time on the discussion, Arwen accepted the cloak from Morgana's hands. "Thank you." She sent the woman a grateful smile, setting her own cloak back on the table as she wrapped Morgana's around her shoulders just as the sound of the midnight bell echoed through the air to signal the time.
"We have to go. Guards will pass through the halls soon; we don't want to get caught." Morgana said, already headed for the door of her chambers so she could glance out into the halls to ensure they were empty.
Arwen made quick work of tightening the knot of the cloak before she spoke. "I'm ready." The announcement was paired with the quick actions of grabbing both her sword and bag from the table before she followed Morgana out of the room. They were as ready as they could be for their secret journey, and Arwen spared a single thought to hoping it would be enough.
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It was in the early morning hours that the warning bells first sounded, echoing against the stone walls of the city and castle alike and signalling the disappearance of the Lady Morgana who was nowhere to be found. He'd spoken to whoever he could, including each and every guard that had been patrolling the castle, and none had seen Morgana since the night before. Because she couldn't be found either.
But when ask who they'd last seen her with, the answer was always the same. And the information did nothing to temper Arthur's worry as he made his way back into the chambers where his father waited. "The guards have completed search of the castle. There's no trace of her." He announced quickly, wanting to get back out to search further as soon as he could.
