A/N: Very sadly, I do not own His Dark Materials. Or else WILL AND LYRA... *sobs hysterically*. Well, anyway, hope you like the story! And I do appreciate reviews and suggestions ;)
The Midsummer Day
It was the Midsummer Day. And Lyra was sitting on her bench in the Botanical Garden as she had promised she would. She often sat on this bench even when it wasn't the Midsummer Day, but today it meant something special to her.
It was a day when she remembered Will. When she reminisced all the time they had spent together. All the adventures they had had. And of course, the sweetest and most painful of them all, all the sweet moments they had spent together after finally understanding that what they felt for each other was love. All the tender kisses he had peppered her face with and all the times they had held each other under the tree in the world of Mulefas.
It was not like she had forgotten it, because not a day passed when she didn't remember Will. But today, sitting on the bench, she recalled everything. It made her ache for him. It made her want to cut an opening in the worlds and reach for him, but of course she couldn't. So, she contented herself on shedding silent tears when the memories became too much. But she never tried to stop them anyway.
Today was another Midsummer Day. She was almost twenty now. She was learning at Sophia's College. She was studying the alethiometer. But she was tired. She felt too exhausted to go on. She ached for Will to be by her side. She longed to hold him in her arms, while being wrapped around in his. She craved to be as close to him as was humanly possible. A lone tear escaped her eyes at these thoughts. She made no effort to wipe it off.
She felt Pan settle on her lap and wipe her tear tenderly. "I miss him, Pan", she admitted with a strained voice, for she was on the verge of sobbing. Pan nuzzled his head on her chest, and then….. Then Lyra finally broke down. She sobbed silently, but fiercely. Tears were streaming down her face as memories went through her mind.
There he was, fighting her, scolding her for losing the alethiometer, saving her life, fighting by her side, holding her after she had fallen in the chasm in the underworld, kissing her face tenderly, holding her hand, holding her in his strong arms the day when they had to part. She did not have any photogram, but all those memories were clear as if they had happened yesterday. And it made Lyra sob harder. She needed him by her side.
Will had escaped from the grounds of his college to go to the Botanical Garden. It was the Midsummer Day. And though Lyra had asked for him to only spend an hour or so, he always ended up spending the whole day on the bench that she had shown him. He did not have any photograph of her, but he remembered her as if he was with her.
He could recall the tenderness he had felt, seeing her look so small and vulnerable in Mrs. Coulter's cave, how he had been frightened to death when she had fallen in the chasm in the underworld, how sweet she had felt when they had kissed, how vulnerable and sorrowful she had looked when they had parted. He remembered everything. But it wasn't enough, it never was.
He wished for her to be by his side. He wanted to hold her in his arms and feel her arms circling his waist. He wanted to kiss her tender lips. He needed to see that beautiful and carefree smile of hers. He needed to see her bearing herself with that unconscious grace. What wouldn't he do to have just a glimpse of her lovely visage!
But all he could do was sit on the bench imagining her to be sitting beside him. The memories brought tears in his eyes. And he made no effort to hide them or wipe them off, because that would've been an insult to her. His heart ached for her. He held Kirjava close to his heart as tears poured liberally onto his cheeks.
The Dust had accumulated around Will and Lyra. It could feel their agony, just as powerfully as it had felt their love all those years ago in the world of the Mulefas. It remembered how mesmerised it had been, by the strength and depth of their love. Their love had attracted it to them. It had finally found a power that could stop it, that could make it halt with wonder. Dust remembered that, that was what had stopped it from total annihilation. That had saved it from becoming extinct. It remembered that the bond of their love was so strong that it had shattered that abominable subtle knife.
And now, the Dust ached with their pain and wished it could do something for them. And in that moment, the Dust realised something about itself. It realised that it could bring them together, if only for some time.
The Dust was going to gift Will and Lyra something that it was sure they would appreciate.
Will was sitting on the bench blankly. He was wondering what his life would've been had he taken up Lyra's offer to live with him in his world. Of course, that would've cost her many years from her life and that had been the only reason why he had refused. But today, he wanted to see her so badly. The thought of mending the Subtle Knife to enter her world had already crossed his mind once. He had suppressed it with difficulty. Lyra wouldn't have appreciated it. And he couldn't give birth to a new sceptre just because he had to see Lyra. Too much was at stake. Also, the risk for Dust would be an added disadvantage. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so bloody responsible and sensible.
Just then he felt a light nudge in his side. He ignored it. But then he felt someone leaning into him. He looked beside him. And lo and behold….. His wildest dream had come true. Lyra was sitting beside him. He wondered whether he was hallucinating. He gingerly put his arm around her to make sure that she was real.
He felt his heart soar with joy. Then a look at Lyra's face broke the ascent. She was sobbing silently. A desolate look on her face. He kissed her hair and whispered, "Oh, Lyra!" He took her in his arms for that was the only comfort he could think of. Words failed him.
Lyra looked up, because she felt as if Will had whispered something to her and taken her in his arms. And she gaped….. For there was her Will. He really had taken her into his arms. She could care less how this had happened. Because all she could think of was that here she was with Will, beyond her wildest hopes. And now she sobbed, but with joy.
Will could only hold her in his arms. He gathered that she had realised he was with her from the happy look on her face. She lifted her lips to his and kissed him, as she had all those years ago under that tree in the land of Mulefas.
They were reunited, and words failed them. Will looked at Lyra and felt a protective surge towards the petite figure in his arms. Lyra looked at Will with such fierce love that any onlooker wouldn't dare to harm him for fear of wrath of the bundle of fierceness that was Lyra.
In that moment, both of them knew that they were never going to marry someone else in their life. They were meant for each other. And no one could ever understand them like the other. They knew that they would live their lives reminiscing each other, and would welcome death when it came, for it would mean their final reunion.
They knew that even if this reunion was short-lived, they would remember it for all their lives. They revelled in the silence and each other's company. Finally, Lyra broke the silence, "I love you, Will. And I miss you so much. I don't know how I'm going to get on after being with you."
Will answered with a thick voice, "I know, Lyra. It's hard. But you know that we have to. And we will meet in death, won't we?"
"Of course. Just promise me that you won't mend the subtle knife even if the temptation gets too much. You won't, right Will?"
"No, I won't. I promise." And he kissed her with all the passion and gentleness he could muster.
They lay together and talked for a long time. As the midnight drew, a foreboding rose in their mind, for their intuition told them that this would part them. They knew that their time together was drawing to an end. And lying in each other's arms, both of them were steeling themselves for the separation and the pain that that was going to cause them.
Meanwhile...
Dust was a tad bit happier at having given them some time together that they deserved. And wished it could've done more….. So much more…..
A/N: So... What do you think? Like it, hate it? I appreciate constructive criticism.