THE NORTHERN LANDS
On the wall by Lyra's bed hung several postcards and maps. Whenever she was feeling restless or frustrated, she would stare at them with a growing excitement. They were from her uncle Asriel who was an explorer up north. Lyra would live for the day that he would unexpectedly show up at Jordan College accompanied by his daemon Stelmaria the mysterious snow leopard. She would run to him and demand answers of his latest mission, excitedly accepting whatever he gave her. She would lap up every bit of information storing it inside her mind, for the next dream she would have of being there herself. Lyra often dreamed about the north.
She imagined this huge, vast white landscape where you could see for miles and miles in every direction. She would smile as she walked amongst the armoured bears that lived there, fighting off gangs of Tartars who dared to stray into their territory. In her dreams, she was a fearless warrior, leading by example with her daemon Pantalaimon snapping at her heels. The bears would grow to respect and follow them. Lyra was always bold and brave, daring to go places where she'd never been before. She would never take a step back, as the bears followed her into the next skirmish.
She had one recurring dream of a bear who took special care of her, they protected one another from any imagined danger. If she ever strayed away from the group, in a bound he would be by her side. She dreamed that he could understand, and they would communicate daily and help each other in their endless adventures. It was strange how this dream would be so real to her, even when she was awake. A lot of her other dreams were but vague flashbacks, of incidents or sometimes during the day an odd after-thought would come back to her mind. She and Pantalaimon would then discuss it endlessly, but then real life would intrude once again, and they'd be forced back into the real world.
The Master of Jordan College had tried repeatedly to get one of the teachers to educate Lyra. But she was invariably too quick witted for most of them. They would have a torrid time trying to persuade Lyra to concentrate of any subject for long. She would sit at her desk with a wayward look on her face, dreaming of running across the snowy landscape of the north. When challenged she would smile sardonically and offer some comment, which few of them could answer with any put down.
She found lessons pointless. What was so important about some event that had happened centuries ago, when they were new worlds to discover she wondered to herself. In her mind she would picture herself discovering new horizons, new species and travelling inside new cultures. Surely what was happening now was more important?
She would often chat about her dreams to Roger, her best friend. He would sit by her side as she told him the latest adventure she'd had. She naturally would add detail to it, using her imagination to fill any gaps which suddenly gaped open. He would take it all as calmly as usual looking impressed and proud, as she'd led the bears on another successful campaign over the Tartars.
Sometimes she would involve Roger in the adventure as well, the two of them riding over the snow on a majestic sledge pulled by four fleeting huskies. She would naturally take the lead as she always did. But then, Roger was always happy to follow Lyra for as long as they'd been friends, that was nothing new. He would laugh, as Lyra explained how they'd fought off a group of fighters using nothing but pieces of wood. As she showed him the fighting manoeuvres their daemons joining in the fun and rolling about for affect, he would add his own action moves. Lyra would mostly laugh and show him how to do it even better. Lyra enjoyed being a leader, having the last say as usual. Having been born an orphan, she knew she'd had no choice. Her uncle Asriel was the only living relative she'd known. It was Asriel who had told her about her parents dying in an old airship crash. She had remembered taking it stolidly when he'd told her. Her uncle didn't like displays of emotion, but once he'd left, she remembered finding a place to hide where she could let some tears flow. It somehow made her feel better, as if by doing it she had said her goodbyes to them, even though she had no memory of them. For as long as she had remembered her family had been Roger, a faithful friend, who had never let her down. In the tougher days he had kept her going.
But it was her dreams of the northern lands which continued to fill her imagination. One day she would go there, with Roger. She would find that bear and have some adventures she told herself as she stumbled into her next unwanted lesson. Until then, she had her dreams to fill her mind and prepare her for her next stage of life.