Rosewood and the legend of the Unicorn

Chapter 23 - The Purple dress

"Falcon what is it?" Asks a curious Bexley as Falcon leans down to pick up a strange silky fabric.
"It's a dress... a purple dress." Falcon cautiously stands up quivering at the sight of the tear straight down the middle. "It was my wife's."
"Well What's it doing out here?" Asks Mady, who decided to tag along with Falcon, Nixon and Bexley in the search for Ariana and Ashton.
"My daughter, my sweet Ariana was wearing it when she left the house last night. I told her how beautiful she looked. Then she went off with Ashton for their date."
"Their date?" Nixon steps infront of Falcon in confusion. "Ashton wasn't taking Ariana on a date last night? Was he Bexley?"
"Well no... he told me he was going to pay her a visit because he was worried about a chat they had earlier that day." Says Bexley even more puzzled than before.
"What kind of chat?" Asks Falcon.
"I don't know he didn't say, but he did seem rather concerned about her. Did Ariana not say anything to you?" Bexley asks Falcon delicately.
"No. no she didn't... I had no idea there was anything going on with-"
"There might not have been Falcon. I'm sure they just decided to go for a walk and ended up getting lost or something." Says Nixon reassuringly.
"Then why have I found a torn up dress at the edge  of the forest that heads towards Ridges castle?" Falcon replies unconvinced by Nixon's story.
"I don't know Falcon. But maybe that's where we should go look next."
"Where?"
He doesn't reply, but instead Nixon just gives him a nod and points his eyes in the direction through the forest.
"No Nixon. Why on earth would they have gone there?"
" I don't know but they must have been through the forest at some point, otherwise why would her dress be here?"

Litttle do they know, that one of the missing children is overhearing their whole conversation. Ashton stands around 20 metres away from the crowd of people looking as concerned as can be.
He quickly stops in his tracks, and decides not to engage.
He doesn't know how he's going to tell them that Ariana has had to run away and never come back, or if he's even going to tell them at all.
Should he lie?
Say that she died in the forest, or got ill, or ran away back to London because she missed it so much?
None of them seem convincing enough.
So instead he decides to walk around the edge of the forest avoiding as many noisy sticks and twigs as possible, and back towards the town.

He escapes just in time, as soon enough they are all sprinting through the forest, making their way to the Mayors residence.

As they see the daylight peaking through the final set of trees, they pick up their speed, but Falcon has to stop before he collapses. He hyperventilates like he's just ran a marathon, and clenches hold of his back, gritting his teeth in agony.
"Come on Falcon, I've got you mate." Says Nixon as he rushes back over to Falcon and lifts him up with his shoulders, dragging him the rest of the way.

But Mady and Bexley have already made it so that they're facing the castle with a clear view.

"Er... guys. I think you better hurry and come have a look at this."

Nixon speeds up so he makes it out of the forest as quick as he can. He lets go of Falcon, and he looks straight ahead at the castle that is missing rather a lot of bricks.

The right side of the castle has been obliterated and small particles of dust from leftover bricks have been scattered for miles around the edge of the castle.
Ridge is standing outside, with his neck extended upwards, and jaw wide open, as he glares at the monstrous hole in his home.

Nixon, without consulting with everyone else, begins rushing towards Ridge.
"NIXON WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Shouts Bexley.
They all look at eachother and mentally agree it's probably best to follow him.

"Mayor! What happened here?" Speaks Nixon as he stumbles through all the diminished rubble.
"I most certainly do not know Nixon. But what I do know is that you weren't here to stop whoever it was, or whatever it was. You are my head guard, and it seems as if I can no longer rely on your Nixon."
"It was my day off Ridge, I wasn't supposed to be here, but I can assure you that if I was I would have most certainly caught them."
Ridge doesn't reply. He instead turns his back to Nixon and begins walking towards two other men; the Amorylliss's.
"You two have to get out of sight, there are too many people around us currently-"
"But Ridge we-"
"Just do what I say" mumbles Ridge.