The Golden Compass; My version of it
Warning: Marisa has two daughters, one to her first husband Edward and of course Lyra. Lyra is the youngest, she has just turned eleven. Marisa's older daughter, Charlotte, is a couple of days away from eighteen and she knows about Lyra and the whole back-story that follows. Oh and there isn't just one alethiometer, there are two.
Billy Costa is eleven and Roger is ten.
Tristan is eighteen, a lord and extremely wealthy.
It was a usual thing now; spending time with her future husband that is, Tristan Sterling. Soon she'd no longer be a Coulter, which was a frightening thought.
Mother approved of him, he was wealthy, had power, he had everything that I had dreamed of, it was a smart choice.
Her coat was securely on her, shielding her from the world.
"You've been quiet." Said a masculine voice
"Admiration." Said Charlotte with her velvet voice and a half raised eyebrow
"Yes," Tristan agreed, "Ballet is quite the talent, isn't it?"
"Indeed." She agreed
"Shall we make our departure?" It was said more of a statement than a question, men always believed they held the power, that they could dominate.
She nodded with a small smile, she wanted to get home and get some rest, and on another night perhaps; she would have used a different kind of persuasion.
Her daemon Kai and his daemon Aurora just stared lazily at each other; it was very rare that they had the same daemon, tigers. It was a dangerous, yet exciting match, they were both white tigers.
Kai licked Aurora's face and Tristan kissed Charlotte's cheek. He held her hand as they got into the carriage, their daemons following them.
"I thoroughly enjoyed our evening." Said Charlotte, her right hand stroking Tristan's arm softly, she looked into his wondrous green eyes, and his golden blond hair shimmered with the passing lights.
"As did I." He said thickly, his voice had gone deeper and she knew what his real inhibitions were, Aurora made that clear by the way she was with Kai, the playful behaviour.
Charlotte kissed Tristan on the mouth, keeping her own control as her hand travelled up to his neck.
"We've arrived." Said the servant driving
"Until tomorrow." Said Charlotte as she pulled away
"I shall see you at lunch." Replied Tristan as Charlotte got out of the carriage with her daemon, trailing next to her.
They watched as the carriage pulled away and into the darkness of the night.
"Finally, that's over. It was positively dreadful." Sneered Kai
"You read my thoughts exactly." Said Charlotte as she walked up to the door
It automatically opened for her; the servants must've waited up.
"How was the ballet, darling?" said a light musical voice
Charlotte looked up at the staircase; her mother was already in a night gown.
A servant took Charlotte's coat.
"The ballet was intriguing, the company however could have been better." Remarked Charlotte with a sharp tone
Kai let out a small growl of annoyance.
Her mother chuckled; Charlotte was most definitely her daughter.
"Well, you must be tired. Have a nice long hot bath and a good night's sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning." Said her mother, in a tone that she wouldn't argue with
"Of course." Said Charlotte obediently
"Good. Now, I must bid you goodnight, I am going to retire for the evening."
"Yes, mother."
They exchanged a small hug and a knowing glance before her mother retreated upstairs.
Charlotte enjoyed the bath, her mother was right; it had relaxed and calmed her foul mood.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her dark hair, her cobalt blue eyes, she was the spinning image of her father and she had some of her mother's features, like her face shape, her delicate skin, her nose, her lips, and her body shape.
The main things that she had inherited from her mother were her traits and personality.
Sometimes that was a good thing and other times; it was a curse.
She put on a night gown and turned off the bathroom lights.
She walked to her room and climbed into bed; she fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes and she dreamt.
Charlotte awoke with a start, she blinked her eyes a couple of times before she sat up in bed.
Kai climbed up onto the bed and Charlotte ran her fingers through his fur. He purred softly.
"Ready for a busy day?" Charlotte asked Kai
"Like always." Replied Kai
"Hmmm... Yes you're quite right; we are in dire need of a vacation." Charlotte thought aloud
"Business with the Magisterium is draining; I am not looking forward to dinner tonight." Kai said smoothly
"Thank-you for reminding me." Charlotte said with a sarcastic tone.
"Miss. Coulter?" asked a servant through her bedroom door
"Enter." Commanded Charlotte
"Good morning, miss." Said a woman in her late twenties, her name was Vivian, as she opened the door and swiftly closed it behind her and of course her daemon, a dog.
"And to you." Charlotte replied
"Breakfast has been prepared, Lord Sterling is downstairs waiting in the living area, and your mother is in her study, she has asked not to be disturbed." Vivian informed Charlotte
"Tristan's downstairs?" she inquired, trying to keep her tone mutual
"Yes, Miss." Vivian clarified
"Thank-you for the warning, if you could oversee something else right now..." said Charlotte, trailing off, hopefully Vivian would catch on.
"Of course, Miss." Said Vivian as she exited the room
Charlotte glanced at her daemon, before getting up and out of bed.
She splashed some water on her face and brushed her teeth.
She put on a black silk shirt with sleeves that end on her wrists and flowed down to her hips and she wore a black pencil skirt to match it as well as knee high black boots, with a heel of course.
She had her waist length hair down in its natural wavy style; she applied minimal make-up, mascara and lip gloss.
She put on her engagement ring and her watch before exited the room with Kai and going downstairs to the living area.
Aurora was at Kai's side in an instant and Tristan was sitting on the couch, waiting for her.
He watched her as she walked over to him, inspecting every detail.
She sat down next to him, "Tristan, what a surprise, I wasn't expecting you." She greeted him
He kissed her cheek, "Yes, it was a last minute decision." he explained
Charlotte smiled, "We are still going to the Royal Arctic Institute for lunch." Charlotte stated the velvet and seductive tone obvious in her voice.
She was going to get what she wanted, one way or another.
"Yes, of course, Charlotte, I just forgot to give you something last night." He said as he pulled out a black box lined with gold.
He gave it to her and she opened it and smiled at what was inside.
A diamond necklace.
"It's gorgeous." She commented
"As are you." He replied and caught her lips in a kiss
Someone clearing their throat brought Charlotte back to reality and she pulled away from the kiss.
"Ah, Lord Sterling, what a pleasure to see you again." Said Marisa
"You too, Mrs. Coulter." He said with the utmost respect
"Would you mind if I steal Charlotte until lunch? I must speak with her." Explained Marisa, she left no room for argument.
"Of course, I was leaving regardless. I shall see you both at lunch." Said Tristan as he got up and left, but not without kissing his fiancée's hand
As soon as he had left, Marisa explained that she had made plans for them to travel to Jordan College in Oxford, Brytain.
Charlotte was surprised at first but understood her reasoning, Lyra would be becoming of age in a few years, perhaps even less. It was obvious that her mother wanted to mould her sister, like she had done with herself and protect her youngest daughter from the infamous Gobblers, also known as the General Oblation Board that she ran.
Little did her mother know that she consulted with the Gyptians and Lord Asriel quite often considering the circumstances, although she didn't say anything about the General Oblation Board.
There were some secrets that were best kept hidden.
"We leave in a week." Stated her mother
"And after we get back?" asked Charlotte
"Of course we'll stay in London for a few months and then we shall all travel to the north." Marisa decided
"You wish to take her to Bolvangar?" Charlotte asked in shock
"Eventually, she won't be experimented on, just like you never were. I plan to teach her about particle metaphysics, navigation and geology. Along with mathematics and then she will be ready." Marisa assured her eldest daughter
"Mother, may I be bold and ask a question?" asked Charlotte, she knew of her mother's temper, she had inherited some of it along with her father's.
"What is it, darling?" asked Marisa
"Why? Why are you going to go to all of this trouble for her?" she asked, her voice staying stable
Her mother sighed before answering, "Charlotte, she is your sister and we are going to protect her. She will be safe and who knows what Asriel has let the scholars do to her and treat her, her education must be a mess. I've heard dreadful stories about her from scholars, she is impossible for them to educate. So her knowledge must be like a map with giant hole in it, gaps of such. You were never in such a poor situation; you have always had the best." Said Marisa
Charlotte nodded.
Kai was sitting next to Charlotte; she ran her fingers through his fur.
Her mother's daemon, a golden monkey, she never spoke of his name, was perched on her shoulder.
"Breakfast?" her mother asked, in the light musical tone that she often used
"Yes." Charlotte answered
That's it for the prologue; let me know what you thought and if you have any suggestions, please share them.
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