A Unwelcoming Host:

Roger took the first bath whilst Mia still sat in the lobby with Aster near the fire. She wrote in her journal about being rescuing from Bolvanger, being separated from her father again and coming here with Lyra and Roger. So much had happened in so little time.

She paused writing when her thoughts drifted to her dad.

"I miss him too," Aster nuzzled her fingers. "But we'll see him again. Now tell me...what are you thinking about?"

"About Lyra's father. I often wonder how a man like him fell for a woman as cruel as Mrs. Coulter,"

"Definitely don't mention that in front of him. Or Lyra. She's the only good thing that came out of them,"

"I agree,"

Things were silent for a while when the two heard the pounding of steps. Mia turned and saw an upset Lyra stalking down the metal stairs with the Alethiometer. She didn't stop to come and see us. She disappeared into the corridors. Mia knew why she was upset. She grew angry. She glared up at Asriel standing atop the top level at his workspace.

"Don't do what I think you're going to do," Aster hissed.

But once again Mia didn't listen. She marched out of the lobby, up the steps and up to Lord Asriel.

"You had no right her turning away like that," she scolded.

He turned to her, a cold glare emitting from his face.

"She came all this way just to save you...to give you the Alethiometer and you repay her by pushing her away? Neglecting her?"

Asriel would not answer. He just turned his back.

"Some father you are," she growled and turned her back on him.

"You don't anything of how she came to be Miss Scoresby," he spoke up from behind.

Mia turned back to him. He was facing her again. "Actually I do. She told me everything she learned. About you. About Mrs. Coulter," Mia would not quiver from his threatening gaze. "Since I met Lyra...my life changed. She is strong and brave and cares about other people. She is more special than you think she is. And a much, much better person...compared to you,"

For a moment he seemed like he was going shout back at him or order his daemon to hurt Aster. But she remained strong. He did nothing. She turned her back around.

"Where did you get that necklace?" he suddenly asked.

Once again she huffed. Seriously?

She turned back around to him. Right in his full view, she tucked her mother's necklace behind her vest. "That's none of your business,"

Once again she turned around and marched off.

Once she was washed and cleaned and dressed, Lyra headed out to look for Mia whilst Roger went to check on the food. She came to a room and knocked.

"Who's there?" Mia's voice rung.

"It's just me,"

"Come in,"

Lyra entered and saw Mia was sitting down with a wet cloth in one hand. She reached over her shoulder to dab her back. Aster was circled on a stool in the form of a fox. She was dressed in a tank top with her trousers and boots strapped on. Lyra blinked when she eyed two red marks stretching just above the rim of her tank top.

"Are you okay?" Lyra's sad words left my mouth.

"I'm fine," she kept downplaying the pain that Lyra could sense in her eyes. She was about to dap her wound with a wet cloth when Lyra spoke up again. "Let me," she offered.

At first Mia was reluctant but lyra insisted with my warm soft eyes. She handed her the wet tissue and she circled around her. When Lyra saw her back, she was met with a shocking sight. There were two scars that looked like slashes. They were horrifying to look at. They burned bright red. She carefully dapped it on her back. Mia cringed a little. Lyra quickly apologised but she assured her it was fine. Lyra carefully kept doing it.

What happened to her at Bolvanger had constantly been on Lyra's mind. It was very strange. The Magisterium would surely do something to her if this were to spread. "What exactly happened back there?" Lyra gave out my question without thinking. She noticed the pained look in Mia's eyes and felt regretful for asking that question. "I know you didn't want to talk about it before...but I just want to know so that I can help you,"

Mia showed no sign of backing out of the question. She gave in. "They tried to cut me from Aster again and again and again with that machine and... but it didn't work. It didn't cut us apart. It only sent singes of pain through the two of us. It was like being tortured without being touched. The blade... it gave me four scars, two on my back, and two on my chest. They still burn so much,"

"I'm so sorry. So sorry," Lyra's voice shattered with tears. I wished I had never dragged her into this at all. She wished so many things right now.

"Don't be," Mia said. She refused to allow Lyra to feel so guilty.

"If I had just got there quicker..."

"You got there," Mia interrupted abruptly. "And you saved me. That is a debt I shall never ever forget,"

Lyra still felt her heart hammering inside her chest, but Mia's kind assuring voice settled her nerves. "I heard what you said to him," she said next.

Mia stared at her. Was she eavesdropping on my confrontation with Asriel from below his workspace?

"Did you really mean all those things?" in Lyra's eyes, Mia sensed a sort of love. A sisterly affection perhaps.

"Yes. I'm really glad that I met you. You are possibly the bravest, most determined girl I have ever met. I feel like you changed my life. I can't help but feel that you made me braver. I never would have the courage to save Roger or risk my life at Bolvanger if you hadn't of inspired me to be stronger,"

Lyra smiled after that and so did Mia. Their moment was cut short when they heard footsteps outside. They twisted twisted heads towards the door and heard them retreat away. Once Lyra was finished tending to Mia's scars, they walked to join Roger in the lobby for some time together with some food.

As they dined on sandwiches, Mia fished out my journal from her satchel again.

"Whatcha you doing?" Roger asked.

"Just finished writing about our adventure. All I need to draw the three of us reading Iorek. You two wanna join in?" she offered.

The pair nodded and together the Trio made a lovely work of pencil art on Mia's pages. Lyra's drawing of Iorek was very cute and Mia loved how all our daemons made a few little paw prints with ink.

"Splendid," she complimented.

"Can we see read your journal?" Roger asked.

"Of course," Mia opened up to the very first page and she allowed her new friends to flip through the pages of her 'treasure' of adventure. There were maps and pictures, and very intriguing details regarding the excitement of all those breath-taking places she visited.

"Seems like you've travelled everywhere," Roger said in admiration. "You're a natural explorer,"

"There's still so much out there that I wish I could see for real. When I'm older, I'm going to build my own balloon and I'm going to go to all those places I've never been too before,"

Lyra flipped over a page and paused. "What's this?" she lifted up an old picture.

"Just some picture," Mia answered, gently taking it from her.

"It's definitely not of you and your dad. Who is this woman and her baby?"

"Dunno,"

"How'd you get the photo?"

"Bit of a long story. It definitely does not belong to my family,"

The more information Mia gave, the more interested they became. "You guys want to know don't you," she guessed correctly.

"Yep!" they answered together.

"Very well," Mia sighed. "It's goanna be sad...but it does feel good to share it with some other people,"

And so she began her story.

When her father had set out in his balloon searching for her disappeared mother and she was staying with Grandmother Lia Scoresby, she encountered a strange man in her hometown who saved her and grandmother from some mean men. He got quite bruised, so they took him back to their house for treatment and they offered to let him stay. He was very kind to them and developed a soft side for Mia. But then that one night, their village was attacked by something...unnatural. The village was destroyed. Numbers of people were killed including Lia and whoever the man was, he had saved Mia during the destruction but soon they were separated from each other. All she was able to find of him was that photo which she had carried with her every day ever since. Lee was devastated to learn of his mother's death, but he was overjoyed that his daughter was alive and safe. He had returned that very same day and after what had happened, he swore he would never let Mia out of his sight again. They then travelled round from place from place...residing in no permanent home ever again.

Mia's sad story made Lyra feel so sorry for her. Such a painful loss. Not just for her but for Lee too.

"Whoever that man was saved you...he must have been really brave," Roger said in wonder.

Mia giggled a little. "I wish I remembered who he was Roger,"

"Is that a question you definitely want me to ask?" Lyra offered.

"I think I'd rather leave it for the adventure after this," Mia gently refused. "It sounds crazy but...for a long time I've always wanted to go searching for him. Ask him who he really was, what he was doing in Texas and to repay him for saving me from whatever it was that attacked my home. Judging from what I remember what he looked like, I think he was a shaman. And I think his daemon...was a bird,"

"I've always wanted to meet a shaman," Roger was filled with fascination. "I once heard from a scholar that they can summon flocks of birds. Or lightning,"

"Now that's something!" Lyra replied back bemused. "Well then...seems like you've got your own life planned ahead of you Mia,"

"Maybe you could come along," Mia offered. "And you too Roger,"

"I'm not sure it's that simple. We've spent our whole lives living at Jordan College. It's the only home we've ever known,"

"You know Lyra...my mum once said that home isn't just the place you're born or raised in. It's the place where you feel the happiest,"

Lyra actually loved that dictum. Whoever Mia's mother was, she sounded like a wise person who always tried to be optimistic about everything and who loved her family so much.

"My dad's taken quite a likely to you Lyra. And quite a quick one to you Roger. Who would have thought that meeting you two was the beginning of something so extraordinary? I feel like this adventure has been life changing. It is certainly one I shall not forget. And certainly one he wouldn't forget either. I don't think he'd mind if you two came with us,"

"We couldn't do that," Roger gently refused.

"You never know," she shrugged. "Maybe you might change your minds,"

For the next hour, the Trio built a tent together made out of blankets and pillows. They laughed. They shared some more stories. They laughed some more. Mia loved hearing the tales of the jungles of the Jordan College roofs that Lyra and Roger endeavoured back in Oxford. Sometimes she wished she could do that. But she was more accustomed to flying.

Roger remained quite nervous about Asriel. Mia did too. Lyra thought she might ask her Alethiometer. When Roger questioned her about its capabilities, she assumed that it only told her what she needed to know, so he told it was fine. Mia thanked them for letting her join in with their fun, confessing no one invited her to be part of a friendship group at all.

That led to another story. She told them her unhappy story of having no friends back when she was living in Texas. It made them sad. They only had each other in Oxford, other than poor Billy who had passed, and this Gyptians who they randomly saw. Mia couldn't help but feel they had a more lucky compared to hers. She told them how there were kids who made fun of her dad for being a troublemaker and her mummy for abandoning her family, when it wasn't true. Real parents never leave you as long as they truly love you. Asriel was nothing like that. He loved his work more than his own child.

They shared a toast to celebrate their friendship and their victory in getting all back together. Soon they all dozed off with her daemons napping near their heads.

(Extra Dialogue that mentions Mia:

During the confrontation between Lyra and Asriel:

"I brought you this and I saved Roger and now I have to help Mia find her father," Lyra turned around and attempted to walk away.

"It's the middle of the night," Asriel interjected.

Lyra spun around. "I'm not keeping Mia waiting any longer to be in her father's arms, not that you know anything about love," she added a hint of disgust on her face.

"You'll stand a much better chance of finding her father when it's lighter,"

Lyra huffed. "Fine. I'll leave in the morning then. But don't think for a moment I'll say goodbye to you,"

...

"...Hired an aeronaut and his daughter who I risked my life to save,"

During the talk between Lyra and Asriel about Dust:

"Did you know how cruel she was?" She questioned her father.

He turned to her and saw a dark look on her face. "Who?"

"My mother. You should have seen the way she damaged all those kids by cutting away their daemons, how she attempted to cut Roger, how she attempted to cut Mia...and then tried to kill her," her voice broke.

Another chapter done. Please tell me what you all thought. Can anyone make assumptions as to who rescued Mia when she was a kid? This will contribute significantly to Season 2. And what did you all think of her backstory? And Mia's strong growing affection for Lyra as a surrogate sister?