Veils of Stardust
Prologue
Author's Note: This is the prologue of my Bridge Through The Stars fic, which is the second in the Marisa/Asriel trilogy (the first was an arctic mystery). Though seriously you can read them in any order you like coz they don't link onto each other and any type of way, it's just three random MC/LA fics that I call a trilogy because they're about the same thing. And in every fic there's a different monster for Marisa and Asriel to defeat otherwise it just ends up like a written episode of Hollyoaks, so this isn't your usual romance fanfic just to let you know.
Disclaimer: How many times to I have to say that I don't own His Dark stupid Materials. It belongs to Phillip Pullman, OK?
The Northern Lights was one of the most wonderful assets of the north. Great veils of stardust leapt through the skies, all the colours in the spectrum dancing around to make up this awesome sight. And behind it was a city, a city discovered by Lord Asriel in the sky, a city that the church were determined to close off to all humans. They said it was a city made of sin and darkness, but Lord Asriel knew better. He knew that the city was in fact a city in another world, parallel to our own.
And it was his sole purpose to break down the barrier between his world and that. The Oblation Board had unwillingly given him the means to do this, even though it would inevitably be the end of them. It was his utmost regret when he realised that for the barrier to be broken there would have to be a child sacrifice, but it was what had to be done, and there was nothing the man could do about that. Carefully, Lord Asriel connected the fuses in the Genetical Separator and turned it on. The machine whirled into life as soon as he did this, an electronic green glow illuminating his dark, powerful face. He beckoned for the child he had chosen to be sacrificed to come towards him with his daemon, and he did as he was told. The child was no more than a small, sobbing kitchen boy, and he hated himself for what he was about to do, but it was only one child. Surely the death of one child would be a pinprick compared to the impact the opening of the aurora would have.
"Please, sir let my daemon go," begged the child, clinging to Lord Asriel with all his measly strength. He plucked his cold, frail hands from his coat and flung him aside. Walking towards the Energy Converter, he seized the wire with both of his massive, strong hands and tore it apart. At that instant, the aurora flickered out like a candle, all the energy channelling down the wire and into Genetical Separator.
"Lyra! Lyra!" cried the child.
"I'm a-coming!" came a yell from a short distance away. A girl's voice. His girl's voice. At once Lord Asriel realised what he had done. The child was his daughter's friend. But he couldn't stop now.
"Lyra! Lyra!" cried the boy again.
"I'm nearly there," panted his daughter. "Nearly there, Roger." The poor girl. He should have realised. But the boy was all he had, and he couldn't give up now.
"Lyra!"
She had reached the summit, From out of the swirling ice-mists came Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon. Lord Asriel twisted together two wires connecting the Genatical Separator to the wire that had once been attached to the Energy Converter. The child was calling his daemon's name, and to Lyra but he was past hearing it. All he could hear now was the piercing voice of his daughter.
"Roger!"
He was upon Lord Asriel again, desperately tearing at his furs and begging him to stop. But all he could do was kick him aside. The child tried again. This time, Lord Asriel struck him with his arm. Not much energy was used, but it was enough to knock the boy to the ground. He could almost sense his daughter's disgust emitting from her like shockwaves, but he didn't take any notice. He couldn't.
As he connected the Energy Converter to the Genetical Separator, a great big massive spark emitted from the connection and ricocheted into the sky. At once, the Northern Lights leapt back into life, all those colours jumping around the sky once more. Had he the time, Lord Asriel would have gazed into the aurora, but he had to be quick, or his daughter would ruin everything. Again he tore the wire apart, and the sky was nothing more than glistening stars in the black, velvety sky. And from the darkness swooped Zurathu, Glajora the witch's raven daemon. He reconnected the severed wire. The Northern Lights were alive again. Lord Asriel then turned to the boy and beckoned for him to come to his ultimate death. He obeyed, sobbing, pleading, shaking his head, but reluctantly following his command.
"No! Run!" cried Lyra, tearing through the snow towards her friend. It was too late. Pantalaimon had snatched the boy's daemon from within Stelmaria's jaws, which meant he would be no longer under his control. As her and the boy's daemons fought his, Lord Asriel's dark brown eyes connected with Stelmaria's powerful green ones, and he remorsefully gave her authority to fight back. Immediately, the snow leopard roared loudly at Pantalaimon and the other daemon, her voice drowning out everything as she slashed them both with razor sharp paws. Lyra screamed, a gut wrenching yell that filled him with regret, but he had to press on. Stelmaria grasped the child's daemon again. The cliff precariously started to tumble beneath their feet, but there was nothing Lord Asriel could do. Clouds of Dust streamed past him as he flicked the final switch to activate the Genetical Separator.
"LYRA!" As the final cry was torn out of Lyra's friend, a sleek, slender figure emerged from the mist. The figure of Marisa and her golden monkey.
The boy was dead in Lyra's arms. Blinding white light started to tear the aurora apart, but all Lord Asriel could do was gaze at his former lover. In almost slow motion, that abominable monkey dived off of Marisa's shoulder and into Stelmaria. She winced as he dug his claws into her fur, but the only pain Lord Asriel felt was heartache. Heartache for the angry woman marching towards him. Only a few seconds later, she was upon him, her tiny, elegant hand soaring through the air and towards his cheek. But before it struck him, Lord Asriel grabbed it and yanked it towards him, pulling Marisa into a passionate embrace.
"Asriel," she murmured helplessly, unable to resist him, unable to resist his embrace. For once in his life, Lord Asriel was desperate for her. He pined for her, but she was standing right in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to be with this woman. How did she feel? Was she the same way about him.
"What have you done?" she said, trying so desperately to sound harsh, but she didn't.
"Take a look for yourself, Marisa," he said, his hand caressing her cheek. Her gaze flickered towards the severed Northern Lights, then back at him. She didn't try to hypnotise him. She knew it didn't work.
"They'll never allow it-" she said.
"Allow it? We've gone beyond being allowed, as if we were children. I've made it possible for anyone to cross it they wish."
"They'll forbid it! They'll seal it off and excommunicate anyone who tries!"
"Too many people will want to. They won't be able to prevent them," he said, trying extremely hard not to chuckle. "This will mean the end of the Church, Marisa, the end of the Magisterium, the end of all those centuries of darkness! Look at that light up there: that's the sun of another world. Feel the warmth of it on your skin, now!"
"They are stronger than anyone, Asriel! You don't know-"
"I don't know? I? No one in the world knows better than I how strong the Church is! But it isn't strong enough for this. The Dust will change everything, anyway. There's no stopping it now."
Is that what you wanted? To choke us and kill us all with sin and darkness?" she said, anger starting to creep into her voice.
"I wanted to break out, Marisa! And I have done. Look, look at the palm trees waving on the shore! Can you feel that wind? A wind from another world! Feel it on your hair, on your face…"
Lord Asriel pushed back her hood to reveal her wavy blonde hair blowing in the wind. He placed a hand on her cheek and turned it towards the sky. Marisa gazed longingly at the other world. He stroked her soft hair. Her feet started to give way underneath her body, and she clung to him for support before shaking her head in distress.
"No-no-they're coming, Asriel-they know where I've gone-"
"Then come away with me, and out of this world!"
"I daren't-"
"You? Dare not? Your child would come. Your child would dare anything, and shame her mother."
"Then take her and welcome. She's more yours than mine, Asriel."
But he didn't want Lyra. He wanted Marisa.
"Not so. You took her in; you tried to mother her. You wanted her then."
"She was too coarse, too stubborn. I'd left it too late… But where is she now? I followed her footsteps up…"
"You want her, still? Twice you've tried to hold her, and twice she's got away. If I were her I'd run, and keep on running sooner than give you a third chance."
Marisa still didn't look convinced, so it was time to wipe the king off her chess board. His hands tensed on her head, and he pulled it in towards his. Before she could say anything else, she was locked in a powerful kiss. He felt her succumbing to him, melting into his kiss. But before she was fully his, she yanked her head away and said "No, Asriel-my place is in this world, not that-"
"Come with me! Come and work with me!" Lord Asriel said. He was so desperate for her now.
"We couldn't work together, you and I."
"No? You and I could take the universe to pieces and put it together again, Marisa! We could find the source of Dust and stifle it forever!" he lied. "And you'd like to be part of that great work; don't lie to me about it. Lie about everything else, lie about the Oblation board, lie about your lovers-yes I know about Boreal, and I care nothing-lie about the Church, lie about the child, even, but don't lie about what you truly want." As soon as he said this, he smashed his mouth against hers, as if by instinct. He drank in the sweet nectar of love from her mouth, his hand stroking her hair as he did this. Her hands started to travel towards his coat buttons, but he pushed them away as if to remind her that they were in the freezing cold arctic. Marisa broke away.
"If I don't come, you'll try and destroy me," she whispered. Lord Asriel laughed.
"Why should I want to destroy you? Come with me, work with me, and I'll care whether you live or die. Stay here, and you lose my interest at once. Don't flatter yourself that I'd give you a second's thought. Now stay and work your mischief in this world, or come with me." Marisa gently closed her eyelids, and seemed to sway as if she were about to faint. The seconds felt like hours for Lord Asriel. He needed her dreadfully. Suddenly, she opened her eyes after what seemed like an age.
"Yes," she said softly. "I'll go with you."
TBC
So that's all that boring cheese outta the way guys. In the next chapter I'm unleashing the monsters, so be prepared for a bit of a gruesome ride. By the way, I almost forgot, An Arctic Mystery has been updated again. It's more storyline and less blood, blood, blood this time, so be wary of that. And can you please leave a review on the way out, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.