Disclaimer: I do not own the His Dark Materials series.

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm SO sorry for the delay. Between my two jobs, I'm working 7 days a week now, and I've been completely drained with the 60 hour work weeks. But alas, one of my jobs requires sitting with periodic lulls of nothingness, so I've had some time to write something up!

Thank you to my update spammer for helping me get back on track :) Please read, enjoy, and let me know what you think! Thanks, everyone, for supporting this story!

Luxurious Lies

25.

Endeavors Encountered

She would never admit it, but Mrs. Coulter was scared. Standing there in the cabin with her daemon poised tensely to her left and a gun pointed firmly at Lord Asriel's head to her right, she didn't know what she was doing. But alas, Lord Asriel didn't have to know that, so in the grander scheme of things, she still possessed all the power – like always.

"Marisa." His voice was calm and clear, and his dark eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement. "I can't say that it's a pleasant surprise, but I can say that it's indeed quite the surprise. How ever did you get on board?"

That tone. Her nostrils flaring, Mrs. Coulter glared at him with all the hatred her nature could muster. After all this time, Asriel never ceased to use that tone – that controlled, striking tone. It made her feel as if she were lesser, as if she were weaker, and she evidently wasn't. Nor would she ever be. The golden monkey thrashed his tail and bared his teeth in a snarl, and Mrs. Coulter felt her nostrils start to flare.

"I have friends too, Asriel." Her blue eyes flashed. "I'm disappointed that you weren't expecting me. Did you think I would just give up?"

"Of course I didn't." His voice had grown gruff, and Stelmaria shifted a little, her tail flicking. "I just didn't think you'd be able to sneak on right under my nose."

"Evidently you were wrong."

"So I was."

"And evidently I had inside help." It was then that the pair turned to look down at Lyra, who was still sitting on her bed. Her face, expressionless and pensive as always, was shifting between her mother and her father. Pan changed into a polecat and jumped down to the ground. His yellow eyes narrowed and were following every movement of Stelmaria and the golden money. His tail twitched slightly, and he seemed to be considering them both very carefully.

"Lyra." Lord Asriel went over to the bed. "Did you help her?" After a quick glance to her mother, who held her gaze, Lyra gave a slow nod, and Lord Asriel's face flashed for a moment. Mrs. Coulter recognized that raw, unhinged anger that had threatened her for so many years. With a scrunch of her nose, Mrs. Coulter couldn't have been any more disgusted, and she wondered what she ever saw in such a raving lunatic like Lord Asriel.

"Unbelievable," he continued, his foot tapping and his daemon's tail wavering. "Absolutely unbelievable! I've done nothing but risk my life to come out here and protect you, and this is how you repay the favor? Harboring a fugitive?"

Fugitive? The golden monkey let out a screech. He's the fugitive!

"Don't you dare guilt trip her, Asriel!" Marisa took a step forward, the gun still steady. "She was only doing the right thing."

"The right thing? Letting you sneak on this ship and hide away in her bedroom is the right thing?"

"A child should be with her mother, Asriel. You've no right to take that away from her."

"And you, my dear woman, should have realized this before you abandoned her for twelve years." Marisa stopped, merely staring at him. "You forfeited your right to see her the moment you washed your hands of her and ran off. Don't you dare scold me on separating a child from her mother when her father was the only one who stayed around for her."

His hesitation, his reservations, his actions – they all made sense now. Feeling her hand start to quiver, Mrs. Coulter allowed it all to sink in. After all these years, Lord Asriel's hatred toward her wasn't because of their failed relationship – it was because of Lyra. She had indeed abandoned her child and left her upbringing to Lord Asriel, but even though she came back, it was too late. Lord Asriel would never forgive her for what she did, regardless of his attraction to her. No matter how many times she batted her eyelashes and whispered softly into his ear, he'd always hold this grudge against her, and there wasn't anything she could do to change it.

It was a lost cause, and Mrs. Coulter and the golden monkey knew that they were running out of options.

"Give me a chance, Asriel." Her voice was very quiet, and she knew he could detect the plea hiding beneath her tone. Such desperation was an emotion that Mrs. Coulter rarely showed, and as someone who had seen both the best and worst of her, Lord Asriel would know. "This is all that I want. Lyra is all that I want. Can't you see that? Can't you tell by everything I've done to get here? Can't you reach into your heart and understand?"

Before he could respond, there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Lord Asriel? Lyra? Is everything alright?"

It was a soft, high-pitched voice that reminded Marisa of the most beautiful of harp melodies, and with shock, she recognized it to be the voice of a witch. She had encountered them during her initial voyages to the North, and they were one of the only things on this earth that slightly scared her. Marisa's eyes grew round and the golden monkey started twitching his tail, and it was all she could do to throw Lord Asriel one last, desperate glance.

"We're fine." His voice was curt and tight. "Lyra's just feeling a little seasick. We'll be out once her stomach settles down."

It was common knowledge that the everyday man could never fool a witch, but Lord Asriel was no ordinary man. The witch replied with mild well wishes before leaving them be, Lyra watching the door with the most curious expression on her face.

"Here's what we're going to do." Lord Asriel walked away from the bed and directly to Mrs. Coulter, not even flinching as she waved the gun closer. "This is against my better judgment, but I'm going to wait until we dock to deal with you. For now, you can stay hidden in this bedroom like the coward that you are, but know that as soon as we dock, you will have to face the consequences of your actions."

Her eyes still glued to his, Mrs. Coulter nodded. It wasn't the most ideal outcome she could hope for, but she knew that was better than quite a few alternatives. She felt the golden monkey brush up against her, and she heard his thoughts perfectly: We can fool him later. For now, just stay undetected.

Mrs. Coulter smiled. Just as Lord Asriel was no ordinary man, she was no ordinary woman.

"Thank you, Asriel." She sensed his discomfort as she lowered her gun and took a step closer. "I appreciate your generosity. You won't be disappointed."