"Will, wake up. . ."

Someone shook him, and he shifted, groaning, trying to block out the light of day. He felt Kirjava's fur tickling his nose, and could smell Lyra as she slept next to him. And suddenly, he remembered the battle and victory of the night before, and his eyes split open.

He was looking up at Aurora's refreshed face, and the smell of cooking meat came to him. Will sat up and took a look around.

Near the stream, on which the light of day shone brightly there was Equinox in a black wolf form, grooming Solstice, who was a white wolf. When the daemon felt the boy's gaze on him, he looked up at him and bowed his head. Will smiled, and turned to Aurora.

Behind her, on a small fire, two rabbits roasted slowly.

"How are you feeling?" The girl asked kindly. Will sighed.

"I'm alright. . .it's Lyra I'm worried about. . .will she be alright?" He looked down at the sleeping girl, as she breathed in deeply. Kirjava nuzzled Pan, and the smaller daemon shifted with a sigh.

"She'll be just fine. It was an exhausting thing she did yesterday, and she'll need to rest a while before she can come around and face it. I expect she'll wake up in a few hours." Aurora sat down more comfortably at his side.

There was a moment of silence, before Will asked the question that had been burning his lips.

"What was that golden bird that Lyra became, when she defeated Aurore?" The boy questioned suddenly, turning his head to look at the raven-haired girl. But she wasn't looking at him; her gaze was directed at her daemons that were lounging near the stream. It was a moment before she answered.

"I'd rather wait till Lyra wakes up to answer, but I suppose I can tell you now. . .' She paused and looked over at him. 'That bird was the Lord of Dust. It is he who is Dust, as Dust is he. He is an ominous creature, like God, that is every single particle of Dust. I can't really explain him to you, because he is hard to understand. Even I sometimes am not sure. . . But he is the only thing that could destroy my brother, because Aurore no longer was a part of him. . .the Lord of Dust cannot harm anything that is a part of him: meaning he cannot harm anything that is covered in Dust.

My brother has long since rotten on the inside. He was nothing anymore. . .there was darkness and emptiness in him, and the Dust that flowed around him. . . it was rotting as well, although none who see Dust could see it. It wasn't a thing you saw. If you would have looked at him, you would have seen a torrent of gold around him, and would not have suspected a thing. Even I could not see it. But I felt it, deep in my heart. The Lord of Dust, if called, could destroy him by filling his emptiness, and then taking it away, with all his rotten Dust.

And Lyra was the only one that could call on him."

Will blinked, stunned.

"But. . .why Lyra?" He asked, lost for words.

Aurora sighed, looking at the girl.

"I'm not sure. . .but I think. . .yes, that must be it. . .' She turned back to the boy as if snapping out of a reverie. 'I think it is because Lyra is a part of him, more than anyone else in any of the worlds. Since the Lord is like a God, or even is THE God, if there ever was one, he can be a part of his creature.

WE are just covered in him. He is only around us. . .but as for Lyra. . .I think he is INSIDE her. She is a part of him, and yesterday, she was the very first human to have ever called him."

Will nodded, and tore his gaze from the sleeping angel.

"What will become of her when she dies?" He suddenly asked, fleeing the woman's gaze. Her brow had fallen down, as if she had understood something.

"You fear you won't be reunited with her as Dust when both of you die?"

The boy nodded shortly, and even though he didn't see it, Aurora smiled.

"I don't know, for I don't know the secrets of the Lord or of Death. But I know, Will, that there is a solution for you to see each other before you die, and be together. I know it, but you must find it, for only you can truly make it happen. I can give you a clue though: if you find the solution, and agree to it, you won't be together, but at the same time, you will. Think about it."

Leaving Will flabbergasted, she got up and went to check on the roasting rabbits, humming to herself.

(0)

All day Will sat in different spots in the clearing, sometimes looking at Lyra, sometimes lost in space, but all the time thinking.

He had passed every single idea in his head at least twice, but each solution to his and his love's problem was impossible. His mind was focused on one thing: he knew that to be together, one would have to live in the other's world, and they would get sick and die sooner. And he could not bear to leave Lyra here when he had suffered and died, or watch her die in his world.

He had slowly eaten the rabbit paw Aurora gave him, and then returned to his thinking. But to his eyes, there was no solution.

Lyra woke up a few hours after noon, and immediately, he rushed over to her, and kissed her, wondering at the same time when they would have to part.

The girl ate a bit, and then, as promised, Aurora told her everything. She told her the real story, as in how her brother's daemon had joined her, sharing the particles, and how her brother had gotten a second daemon by crossing the Desolation in this world.

At some times, Lyra stopped her, demanding fuller accounts and listening intently to everything she was being told.

"Then I wouldn't have been able to read the alethiometer, even if I had released my Dust?" She asked, frowning.

"No. As a matter of fact, if you had managed to release all your particles, not only would you have died, but the worlds would have shattered, and new windows would have been opened. The thing you worked so hard on stopping three years ago would start over." Aurora answered.

"So I'm not going to be able to read it?" Lyra looked downed.

But the woman shook her head. "I already told you: the Lord of Dust is a part of you; that's why you could read the alethiometer so well as a child. I understand it now. And he will be at your side if you need to read it. I'm not saying you'll get your gift back; only that you'll eventually learn, after much studying. You'll always be better at it than anyone else, because the Lord is in you."

The blonde looked relieved, and she grinned at Will. But then, her eyes suddenly came back to the raven-haired woman, and she scowled.

"But Aurore told me you and he had to release your Dust in order to change your daemon's forms."

Aurora smiled softly. "That was a lie to get you to trust him. Neither of us knows why our daemons still change, and I doubt we will ever know. They have no real form. Equinox and Solstice are unique, and strange all the way."

Both wolf daemons looked up from their sunlight spot near the stream, and as if to confirm they were special, both morphed into graceful brown horses, kneeling on the ground.

Lyra nodded thoughtfully.

"Well that explains. . .just one thing, though. . .how come I didn't feel that Aurore was evil, and how come that at some point, I felt as if I couldn't really obey Pan's warnings? I know that I wanted to listen to him, and at times I felt suspicious, but otherwise I trusted Aurore. . . I don't understand. . ."

Aurora smiled at Will, and the boy frowned at her. But something she had told him a while back (it seemed like centuries ago to him), came back to his mind.

"Remember, Lyra: what is truly evil will always want to be more beautiful and appealing, so it is harder to resist. My brother had a. . .dare I say?. . . charm; he ensnared his preys, and if you managed to feel suspicion at times, I congratulate you: you are strong. Usually, people follow him without question, and meet their ends. If you resisted, lest it be a tiny bit, you are stronger than anyone I know."

Lyra blushed, and quickly ate a bit of rabbit to dissimulate it.

Aurora smiled and looked away, pretending she hadn't seen a thing. Will, meanwhile, was trying to catch her gaze, but failed.

"Aurora. . .' He finally risked. ' I thought all day about your solution, and. . .I can't find it. . ."

But the woman did not look at him. Her gaze was set on her two daemons.

"Solutio' to 'at?" Lyra asked through a mouthful of food, looking at both of them.

The raven-haired woman finally spoke up.

"You over-thought things, Will. The solution lies in your hand, yet you ignore it and look at the horizon. Try again. And, if in doubt, try consulting the one that never lies." She said, getting up. Before either teen could shut their mouths, she had walked away towards Equinox and Solstice, leaving them alone.

"Her and her damned riddles. . ." Will hissed.

(0)

"The one that never lies. . ." Lyra scowled, sitting in the grass, next to Will. She had been mumbling that sentence every few minutes, gazing at the swaying green blades.

The boy also frowned, occasionally glancing at the woman that sat near the steam. . .but he knew she would not help them further. They had to figure this out.

He had filled his love out on all the details of the 'solution', and both had been trying to solve their problem.

And suddenly, Lyra jumped up, giving Will, Pan and Kirjava a jump. They three gazed at her as her eyes shone and she looked at a tree in the forest.

"The one that never lies. . ." She muttered, passing a hand on a small leather pouch at her belt. Will looked at her strangely, wondering if she had lost her mind. But then, she sat back down, fumbling with the pack, and quickly took a satin-covered object out.

Carefully, she took the alethiometer out of the folds of the material.

Will's face illuminated, and he understood.

"The one that never is lies is the alethiometer. . .of course! We've been over-thinking it all this time!" He exclaimed.

None of them saw it, but Aurora was smiling softly, listing to them.

"I should have known!' Lyra murmured, passing her fingers on the golden instrument. But she hesitated, and looked up at Will. 'Do you think I can do it?" Doubt passed on her features, shining in her eyes.

The boy nodded strongly, looking at her gravely.

"I believe in you, Lyra." He said truthfully. The doubt vanished from her face, and she grinned at him. Then, as Pan jumped onto her shoulder, she looked down at the alethiometer and her face became serious.

Slowly, she moved the three arrows towards different symbols, and the biggest hand flickered slowly.

'What is the solution?' She asked. The girl knew the alethiometer knew what she was talking about, so she didn't ask anymore. Slowly, as if to make sure she was following, the big arrow started to glide from symbol to symbol. Lyra followed it gravely, a scowl growing on her face.

It did the passage several time, and cleared all her doubt away, but the scowl did not vanish.

Finally, she blinked, emerging from her trance, and looked over at the boy. She was still frowning.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, noting her expression.

Lyra looked at the alethiometer, and then at Aurora, before turning back to Will. She seemed sure of what she was going to say, but not so eager to say it all the same.

"A child."

(0)

CLIFFY! I want to leave the 'parting' for next chapter, because I think this one is long enough. I hope you all understand what I mean by 'a child'. If you don't next chapter will explain everything.

Lobsstaceyters: Thanks. I felt Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel needed to come into the story somewhere.

Unnamed: Hope you liked this one. It didn't have that much action or anything, but the next one will be better, I swear.

FoxofRoses: Thanks. Lol.

Kaiame: Metatron just kept falling. Forgot to mention it. BTW, the have this weird urge to give you chocolate. . .wonder why. . .oh well, have this Caramilk (TM) (Hands over the chocolate).

Last chapter. Neither Will nor Lyra is sure what they will do. Will they have a baby together, to keep them united and separated at the same time? Can Lyra even have a child, in her world, or will she suffer is she does? And what will Aurora do to help?

All this and more on the last chapter!