She didn't expect this. She would be faster if she anticipated something like this could have happened. This much hatred, the power of revenge. She arrived just in time to see the flying head of a policeman roll to her feet. She couldn't stop looking at it in shock as Pantalaimon hid into her pocket, mouse-formed. There were more screams but they seemed distant. She wasn't prepared for this, for such bloodshed. Just a few meters before her, to her left, there was a crushed skull of another policeman. And more screams. This wasn't supposed to happen. She couldn't let this go on. She had to stop it. The information wasn't important anymore. These people were. They didn't deserve this, just because few of the worse ones wronged Iorek. She darted forward, Pantalaimon changing once again into a hawk, ready to scratch the bear's eyes out if necessary.

"Iorek! Iorek Byrnison!" He was too far gone. She has seen it in his eyes. But she had to try.

"You owe me a debt, remember? I don't care about that information anymore, alright? Just stop it, please?" She was standing between a bear and another policeman, looking up fiercely. Iorek was standing on two legs, ready to strike again. The sound that came out of his mouth was nothing short of a roar. For a moment she thought this would be the end of her, but then he dropped on all fours and walked away. Nobody even tried to stop him, everyone was in a state of shock. She used the situation to her advantage, disappearing immediately. She screwed this up and now there were dead people. She couldn't believe it. She didn't even blame the bear, although now she was more aware and wary of him. But she should have anticipated this, be faster, or even better, she shouldn't have meddled with this at all. She slowly walked to the sea, watching where the bear had gone, leaving his armour behind. She was on the verge of tears again and Pantalaimon was trembling in her pocket as a mouse.

"That went well." Lyra's shoulders hunched further down, not wanting to look up at him. People were dead because of her and now they had to leave, because surely someone has seen her and if they don't run they will soon be in the hands of the police. She was the cause of unwanted attention that she and her father tried to avoid. It was all one big mess.

"Asriel!" she was surprised at the obvious anger, even fury in Stelmaria's voice. She was usually so quiet… She guessed she really messed everything up this time.

"Sorry," Asriel said. What? Lyra looked up. She didn't understand. She messed up didn't she.

"What do you mean?" Lyra asked.

"See? I told you this would happen. You're insensitive, Asriel," Stelmaria continued to growl. At this point, even Pantalaimon tentatively came out of her pocket, changing into a wildcat, but still shivering. Stelmaria huffed frustratedly and scruffed him, laying him down beside her, when she started to gently grooming him. Lord Asriel sat down beside her. He seemed to hesitate, his hand hovering above her, but then he seemed to decide as he put a hand over her shoulders, bringing her closer to him.

"I'm sorry because you shouldn't have had to see that. I'm sorry because I shouldn't have left you to do something like that, talking to panserbjørn alone. I shouldn't have left you out of your depth, I should have at least warned you. I know a thing or two about revenge and anger after all. And I'm sorry that you can't be safe in Jordan and that things will get even more complicated from now on."

"What do we do know?"

"I think now we hire a bear," answered Lord Asriel. They sat there, looking at the water. After some time, Lyra became restless.

"How much time do we have before they come looking for us?"

"They were in quite a shock. I think we have at least an hour."

Lyra nodded. She felt awful but it also felt nice to sit here with her uncle. She looked sadly at the armour near her. It was dripping with blood. She wished it wouldn't. She watched the bear as he emerged from the water, dragging dead seal behind him. He was silent as he rubbed strips of blubber all over his armour. He calmly finished his job and looked up at them.

"I understand you are after information?" asked the bear finally.

"Yes. We would like to know about Iofur Raknison. Is it true that he wants to have a daemon?" answered him Asriel.

"Iofur is vain. What he wants is to be a human, to be seen as equal in front of the church and he believes that he will manage that by obtaining daemon, so yes, there's nothing he wants more and wouldn't do to obtain it."

"How possible would it be to avoid him while working on Svalbard?"

"Impossible," answered Iorek Byrninson with a growl. "You can't avoid panserbjørn on Svalbard. It's their home, not yours."

"Their?" asked Lyra tentatively.

"I'm in an exile. I fought with another bear and lost control." Lyra pursed her lips. So it wasn't a one-time occurence. She involuntarily shivered. Would they be in danger if they hired him? Would supposed protector turn into an enemy in a fit of passion? Then again, she often seemed to be around people like that. Her uncle was definitely like that. Even she was.

"Looks like we can't avoid them, so we will have to fight. What do you say, Iorek Byrnison? You may not be one of the Svalbard bears anymore but you are still a panserbjørn. War is your life isn't it? I can offer you work." It was quite a proposition. For the first time, Lyra started thinking about how do you hire an armoured bear. What do they even value? Iorek Byrnison didn't strike her as someone who found much value in gold.

"You want me to fight against my own kind?" growled Iorek. Lyra felt that they were walking on thin ice right then.

"I don't mean to cause more casualties than I have to. Iofur is just inconvenient for me right now. Besides, by the rumors that I heard about him and by the way you talk about him, I don't think you like him either. I kind of think he is kind of a disgrace to the bears, really. Weren't you supposed to be a king? Having an heir would certainly dramatically lessen the casualties don't you think?" It was time to get the bear on his side, Asriel thought. Lyra looked at her uncle, stunned. She didn't know that. Did he plan to get the bear on his side from the start?

"I told you I'm in an exile. We don't think about these things as you humans do. I won't be that much of a help. But I owe this child a debt. She believed in me and I lost control again. People here have good reason to fear me. I want to make it up to the child. I will follow her wherever she goes."

Asriel nodded, understanding that armour meant a lot for bears. "Well, however it is, we have to keep moving. You drew attention to yourself and in turn to Lyra. And remember this, Iorek Byrnison. Whatever happens, whatever other ambitions I have and whatever you will see me do, my first priority is keeping her safe."

Lyra looked at him wide-eyed, and couldn't believe what she's just heard. Of course she knew that he cared in his own way, but he never seemed to have time for her. She always thought that if it came down to him choosing between her and his work, he would choose his work. He had done it many times in the past. Yet he stood here, saying that her safety was his first priority. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around it. Then again. Maybe her safety and her wellbeing and his attention were completely different things. But him declaring something like that was still shocking. And at that moment, she understood a little bit more about him. Suddenly she could imagine that uncle she knew in this world and the father from the other could be the same person. And the world started to make just a little bit more sense, some of its colour and wonder returned. The places that were torn were mended. Pantalaimon turned into a pine marten with red-brown fur and a patch of cream-white around his throat. It was the first time he changed color since that moment in the wardrobe.