Crossing the Gap
A continuation of the romance of Lyra and Will.
Will sat in the botanical garden on Midsummer Day. Eight years ago he had promised to this to the one person he could ever love, Lyra Silvertongue. The very thought of her set his heart on fire.
He had tried a few times to start a relationship to fill the gap she had left in him, but all of them failed because he couldn't stop thinking about her. When he tried to kiss them or even hold their hand, memories of Lyra flooded into his head. He could still vividly remember the feel of her lips and the sense of wholeness he had when he was with her. His life was dull without her. He lived in a small apartment close to Mary Malones, who, for all her success from the discovery of sraf, or Dust, liked to live simply in remembrance of the Mulefa. She had offered him a job working for her many times, but Science did not suit him. Instead, he was a freelance writer, drawing inspiration from his past adventures, as well as his short time with Lyra, none of which were successful. He looked similar to they way he had that day he left Lyra's Oxford. He was taller and more mature looking, with a small beard growing, but otherwise he was the same.Suddenly, a strange feeling came over him, almost as if he could feel Lyra there with him. In fact, he thought he could almost hear her sobbing. He looked next to him and for a split second, there she was. Sitting on the bench next to him, but a world apart. She looked far more beautiful than he could remember. Then she was gone. An idea dawned on Will, so he at on that bench for another hour, testing it. He observed that the harder he concentrated on being with Lyra, the thicker the air seemed to gather around the place the window had been. Once, he was even able to make it appear again, for longer this time. It was nice seeing her again, but he had to give her some sign, tell her what he had found. So he wrote a short letter, concentrated hard and was able to make an opening just big enough to slip the letter through before it closed. It was a short letter, but it said all it needed to.
--\\\/--
Midsummer Day, the one day in Lyra's life she knew her beloved Will was as close as he could get to her Lyra had devoted this whole day to sitting on a bench in the botanical garden in her oxford. She remembered back to the first glorious day they had ceased to be children and blushed. She loved every part of that boy right down to his two missing fingers, marking him bearer of the Subtle Knife, now broken. It was stored in a box in Will's closet, but she didn't know it. She missed him just as much today as she did the day he left. Thinking of him brought her to tears today, for Pan was off somewhere and couldn't comfort her. She cried openly for two hours and then, a curious thing happened. A letter fell out of the sky, no, out of thin air. It was addressed to her and she wondered who in the world it was from. Maybe the letter held some clues so she opened it. When she finished she was short on breath. Her heart was pounding with excitement for it read:
Lyra, I've found a way through I think. Come Back Tomorrow.
Will.
Could it really be Will had found a way to break through, even without the help of angels? She could hardly contain herself. Just then her daemon, Pan the pine marten, jumped down from a tree and asked, " What's got you so exited today Lyra, finally found a way to fly like a witch.
Lyra ignored his insult; he knew she had given up on that anyway. Instead she picked him up and hugged him. "Oh Pan, it's Will. He's found a way through to us."
"That's wonderful Lyra, how is he doing?"
"I didn't actually see him, but I know I will soon.'
"When is he supposed to be here?"
"I don't know if he can yet Pan, I think he needs our help. He sent me a letter just now asking me to come back tomorrow. But Pan; if he was able to send a letter, it's only matter of time before he'll find a way through. Just think, we'd finally be able to get married. Won't it just be joyous Pan?
"Yes it would Lyra, but what if it can't happen? I think you should consult the alethiometer on this."
"Of course, but I'm only going to because you doubt Will's abilities." Lyra said denying her own doubts.
She had mastered reading the alethiometer just last year, which was amazing because it was supposed to take decades to even be able to understand it fully, to master it even was unheard of, and after only eight years was considered impossible until she did it. In fact, the reading came to her easier now than it ever had been. She hadn't asked it much lately because all it ever said about anything to do with Will was " Only time will tell." She took it out and asked, "Has Will really found a way through?" not expecting much. She was surprised when it immediately said, "Yes".
She asked another question. "Will I see him again?"
"Yes"
"Will this be permanent?"
"We shall see young one, we shall see."
The last answer mad Lyra mad. It could keep secrets but it didn't have to be so rude about it. It didn't matter though, soon she would see Will again, and then everything would all right. She was overcome with joy, so much so she literally couldn't wait for tomorrow and she rushed back to Jordan College, eager to get to sleep to quicken the coming of tomorrow.
--\\\/--
When Will went home that night he invited Mary over for dinner, for they had remained close friends since the end of their adventure. He explained to her what had occurred that day and she was shocked yet overjoyed at this extraordinary news.
"So you were really able to open a window into Lyra's world?"
"Yes, but I could only keep it open long enough to give her a letter. I'm going back tomorrow to try again. It's funny though, the window didn't feel like the ones the subtle knife made."
A longing shone in Will's eyes, she felt so sorry for him. He turned to her, not looking really at her, and said, "She was so close today, she's so beautiful."
Mary felt bad about drawing him away from his reflections, but was pressed to ask, " Would you mind if I went with you tomorrow Will? I have some observations I want to make."
"Not at all Mary, maybe you'll even find a way to help me."
"I'll try Will. By the way, I heard about your mother Will. I'm sorry for your loss."
"All the more reason for me to be with Lyra again. Good night Mary. I'll be out there early tomorrow."
"Good night Will."
Mary exited Will's apartment and headed towards her own. She wanted to lay things out for tomorrow and to think of possibilities of how this was occurring. She looked questioningly at her Alpine Chough Daemon Monty. She no longer needed the trick Serafina taught her to see him, or any other daemons for that matter. "What do you make of this?" she asked him.
"My guess is as good as yours, but I do believe it has something to do with the movement of the sraf as I'm sure you do."
"Yes, and I'm afraid that, from what Will was saying, the window would be permanent. If it is like the others that would be a catastrophe."
"Truly it would, but I believe it is different. I'm probably just being optimistic, but I think this will turn out good."
"I sure hope so Monty. By the way, do you know where kirjava went? I haven't seen her lately."
"She went off to look for something, though I'm not sure what. It seemed important though."
When Mary arrived at her apartment room two floors above Will's, she quickly packed her things for tomorrow and went to sleep. She had worked long that day and was very tired. As she drifted off to sleep she wondered how the Mulefa were doing, especially Atal. Will on the other hand, was up all night restless with anticipation.
As it happens, the Mulefa were doing quite well. A young male from another group had married Atal and against all prior concepts, joined her tribe. Also, the Tualapi had vanished and all the seedpod trees were healthy again.
The next day will was at the bench in the botanical garden almost as early as Lyra. They concentrated hard for an hour or so before they were able to get the window to appear. It was clearer this time, but it didn't have a real opening in it. Will saw now that Lyra had changed quite a bit from the girl with the rucksack he remembered. Now she was even more beautiful than her mother had been. Her eyes still had the same look to them however. They reached their hands toward each other, but an invisible wall separated them from each other so the sat there content to just look at each other. Mary arrived shortly after and Lyra gave her a wave and a warm smile.
"Heavens, Will. You truly have found a window. I want to check something about the… Dust around the window. She had to try to keep herself from using sraf. The Field of it around you would interfere with my observation. Do you think you could make an opening in it?" Mary asked.
"Possibly. If you help me."
Mary and Will both concentrated on Lyra and a small opening appeared in the window. Mary said, "Will, can you step back for a minute?"
"Sure."
Mary pulled out her spyglass, the one the Mulefa made for her. She put it up to her eye and spent about thirty minutes observing the motions of the Dust.When she finally lowered the spyglass she sighed in relief. "As I thought, the Dust is gathering heavily around the window. It is a conscious substance thus it is reacting to your desires. Also, none of the Dust is leaving this world like with windows cut with the subtle knife. I believe that, with enough people, we could create an opening big enough to pass through. I also believe this window would be permanent."
"You mean I could visit Lyra any time I want?"
"Yes. In fact, if you took turns living in each others worlds, say a month at a time, you could live together."
"Thank you Mary. I'm going to stay here a little longer and experiment on my own."
"OK. I have some work to do, but I'll see you later. Bye bye." Mary said with a smile.
Will sat on the bench looking at Lyra through the window. The opening they had made wasn't big enough for them to pass anything through, but he had an idea. He reached toward the hole and pushed. As he thought, the area surrounding the hole was weaker and he was able to push through. He pulled his hand back and wrote a short letter asking for Lyra to get more people to come and help. He tried to talk through the hole, but Lyra didn't hear him. She tried as well but it seemed that sound couldn't go through it. He put his hand through again and Lyra took it in hers. They sat on the bench for hours hand in hand. He looked through and could see Pan curled up in a tree and wondered where Kirjava was.
Almost as if she'd been waiting for that thought, Kirjava strolled out from behind a bush, her brilliant black coat shining in the light of the moon. "Can it be that you have found a way to Lyra?" she asked.
Will looked at her sternly and said, "you know something Kirjava something important."
"Yes I do, but it is not for you to know anytime soon. It's getting late and we should go home. I know you want to stay here with Lyra, but if you truly have found a way through, you will be with her soon enough."
"I know," Will said with a sulking tone. He let go of Lyra's hand reluctantly and began to walk away. He turned back for one last look at her that night and saw that she was… blushing? He wondered why she would do that. She got up quickly and ran off before he could get a good look at her. He fell asleep easier that night and had dreams of Lyra the whole while.
--\\\/--
Holding Will's hand gave rise to feeling in Lyra she had never had before. They confused her at first. After thinking about about it for a few minutes, she realized what they were and a blush quickly rose on her face. Pan, being an extension of her soul, knew at the same instant what Lyra had realized, and began to laugh.
Lyra spun on him with an even deeper blush. "It's not funny Pan! From what I understand it is actually a normal feeling." She looked away slightly, knowing she had just made that up, but it seemed true. Pan just laughed more. She pulled out the alethiometer and asked it. It made no response, but she could have sworn it laughed right along with Pan. Despite this, she was to happy to be angry right then. She happily skipped back to Jordan college and the work she had abandoned that day. Four years ago the Magisterium had been officially terminated and a new government had been estated, a government that didn't fear dust. Naturally, they had heard of Lyra and appointed her head of the Dust research team they had set up at her very own Jordan college. For two years things went well for Lyra, but then the Master died and she was virtually alone except for Pan. There was a young man named Thomas she had dated for a few months once, but he had tried to get to physical and she never really connected with him. She looked down at the letter Will had just written her. How could she have ever thought there could be someone other than him? The idea Will proposed in it seemed reasonable, but she really had no one she could call on. Iorek was busy being a king and a father, Serafina was perfectly indisposed, and she knew no one in Jordan who would believe this.
Then it hit her. This was the time of year that the Gyptians were in Jordan. They would help her without question. She would pay a visit to Ma Costa in the morning. Now, it was time to work. She had a stack of paper a mile tall and only a few hours to do it. Pan wasn't likely to help, so she began on her own. It went very slowly for her, Will occupied her mind more than the work.
In the morning, Lyra went out and searched for Ma Costa. After an hour or so, she found the old Gyptian on her boat. The greeted each other with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. This woman was the closest thing to a mother Lyra had ever truly had. She told Ma Costa her story.
"Of course we'll help ye, you almost Gyptian anyway. I'll ge' as many as I can for you."
Lyra left the docks with about twenty Gyptians, including Ma and Tony Costa, and headed for the Botanical Garden. It was an odd precession to see, for Gyptians normally didn't walk this far into Oxford, especially following a normal citizen, even if that was Lyra. Upon arriving, the window was already clear enough to show Will and Mary, who was looking through her spyglass.
They all gathered around the window and focused on getting to the other side. Suddenly, there was a breeze. There had been no wind that day. Lyra and will walked to the window and smiled. They kissed each other once, it felt to her so much like it had the day he left, just like it had when they the first found out there true feelings. She loved him so much.
The barrier wavered, but they didn't notice and backed away from each other to catch their breath. Will was thinking her lips still tasted like the little red fruits. Then, they realized if they could kiss, they could talk.
"Oh Will, It's been so long. I could of died had I not seen you again."
Will smiled and nodded. "I felt the same way, Lyra."
Then, in unison, they said "I love you." The window closed and the looked sadly at each other, such longing in their hearts. The window faded away and Lyra fell to her knees and cried. Pan and Ma Costa went to her side and comforted her.
"We were so close, I could almost feel it breaking. We...we have to try again." She sobbed on Ma Costa's shoulder and pan rubbed up against her.
"No Lyra. I think that should wait until tomorrow. You need time to calm down and get some rest.."
"O...okay. We...need more p-people anyway." She rose slowly, a few tears still in her eyes. Pan guided her to her bedchamber at Jordan college. She fell asleep almost instantly. Pan smiled at her. It was time to pay certain people a visit. Both visits went well and he smiled to himself. Tomorrow would be a good day.
When Lyra woke, Pan was curled up at her feet, sound asleep. With a nudge of her foot, she woke him up. They smiled at each other and headed for the Botanical Garden. When they arrived, it was empty. Suddenly, a gust blew her hair. She looked up, and there on her oak branch...was Serafina Pekkala. "H-how did you...Pan!"
"Guilty," the pine marten said with a chuckle. She was one of the people he had visited last night.
The witch smiled at them. "When Pan explained your situation to me, I just couldn't do nothing. I'm not alone either. Don't blame Pan for this one though, it was my own addition." She winked at them.
Lyra was confused. She couldn't see anyone else there. Something was odd with this. She was trying to puzzle it out when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. Turning around, she found herself face-to-face with a gigantic bear in heavy armor. Lyra's face instantly spread in a wide smile and she bubbled up with joy. She cried out and glee and slung her arms around the bears neck tightly.
"Hello to you too Lyra Silvertounge. You should have known I would find a way to help you if you were in trouble, no matter how far away I am."
"Iorek!" She was so happy she could think of nothing else to stay. She buried her face in his thick, warm fur just as the Gyptians walked into the Garden, this time forty strong. The concentrated and the window opened, larger than ever this time. Lyra rushed to Will and found they were able to hug this time. They embraced each other and kissed fiercely. Dust gathered around them in untold amounts, as if making up for the years they had missed together. The Barrier shattered with a crack and Will held on to Lyra tightly as they continued to kiss.
The feeling rose in her again. She whispered a question to Will and he turned deep red. "Um...well...Yes!"
Lyra nodded, just as red as him. The smiled at each other. The agreed to spend the night at his house tonight. A small snake was coiled around a light post in Lyra's side, unseen by ll, it crawled away hurriedly.
--\\\/--
Later that night, Mary was out making observations on the gap that had appeared. The sraf around it was undisturbed, it was safe. She was absorbed in thought when she heard footsteps. She looked over her shoulder and saw one of the Gyptian men walking toward her. "Oh, hello. I'm Mary, Mary Malone."
He smiled at her. "I am Tony Costa. I notice you looking through an odd telescope earlier. I was wondering why?" He seemed very interested.
"Oh this?" She held up the spyglass. "It is a device for monitoring sra...Dust. I was recording it's activity around the gap."
He nodded. "Do you...mind if I take a look?" He looked away slightly embarrassed.
"Sure," She replied with a smile and handed it to him. Their hands me in the process and they both blushed a bit, but did not move their hands. The drew their hands back after a moment and chuckled shyly.
Tony looked at her. "Um...would you...meet me here tomorrow...to talk about Dust?"
She nodded quickly. "Sure." She could feel her face warm. She smiled at him and they both turned to go home. As she was walking she felt a gust of wind and Serafina landed softly in front of her.
"Hello my sister," the witch said with a smile.
"Serafina! I can honestly say I thought I'd ever see you again. I'd hoped of course, but still. Oh, I perfected that trick for seeing daemons. I don't even have to try now to see them. Mine is named Monty by the way."
The Alpine Chough fluttered on her shoulder and gave a slight bow. "pleasure to meet you."
Serafina smiled happily. "It's nice to see you again Mary. I think it's time I taught you some more Witch lore." They talked late into the night within Mary's apartment.
John Parry laughed to himself. Now he had seen his son happy. Now he could finally rest. Being a strong spirit, he had forced himself to stay as long as it took, though it had been very taxing. He breathed in deep and released hold on his form and became nothing more than particles. He floated to the heavens to join Lee Scoresby and his beloved wife.
Four months passed, Lyra and Will had gotten married soon after they been reunited and were happy. They had devised a system for living which would allow both of them time in their home world. Each month they would change sides, taking what work they could with them. This month, they were in Will's world. They were preparing to go to dinner with Mary and her new boyfriend, Tony, and Will needed to get another shirt. Will rummaging through his closet, Will accidentally knocked over the box containing the shards of the subtle knife. It popped open, but nothing was inside. Will froze in horror. He frantically searched all the shelves, but they were nowhere to be found. It was hopeless, the subtle knife...was gone. Part of a snakes shed skin was on the floor, but Will didn't notice it. He walked out to Lyra and hugged her tightly. He knew that their life was about to get complicated.
End
Author: Whew, I am finally finished with the first fic I made. It has taken a while. But as you can tell from the ending, it isn't over just yetwink. Hope you enjoyed it, I know I did.