A/N: I do not own His Dark Materials.

Chapter 2: A Proper Funeral

For the first time since her journey to rescue the kidnapped children, Lyra slept comfortably. She awoke to find herself touching something soft and warm. She then regained her senses and discovered that she was sleeping beside Iorek. Her Iorek. The girl looked up to see her bear friend already awake and looking at her with his large eyes as he had his paws wrapped around her body, which was nearing nothing but a small bra and panties.

"Good morning, Lyra. Did you sleep well?" Iorek asked.

"Yes, thank you," the girl answered, yawning, while Pan was stretching out his legs. As she stood up, Lyra was about to reach out for her clothes and fur coat when Iorek spoke to her.

"We have hot pools here," he said. "If you want to, you can have a bath, while I go out hunting with my bears."

Lyra was reluctant to let Iorek go, but she felt the desire to have bath. "Yes, please," she answered. Picking up her clothes, she followed the Panserbjørne to a secluded chamber. Lyra immediately felt the heat coming from it, as she saw the hot pools. Carefully touching the water, Lyra relaxed as she was relieved that the water was hot enough for her. Putting aside her clothes, Lyra was about to strip off her bra and panties when she remembered that Iorek was present.

"Um… Iorek, can you please leave?" Lyra asked.

"Oh, yes, of course, Lyra." Iorek answered. Lyra watched as the massive body turned around and left, giving her privacy. Other than her was her daemon Pan. With the bear-king gone, Lyra finally had the comfort of taking off her underwear. Stripped naked, the girl slowly, but surely, merged into the pool, immediately feeling the freshness of water and the warmth. Leaning against the rocky wall, the dirty-blonde girl relaxed as she closed her eyes.

While Lyra bathed, Iorek was leading the hunting party. Some scouts have spotted a pod of seals nearby. Before they began, Iorek sent a company of bears back to the mountain where Lord Asriel attempted to open a portal between the worlds, with one of them pulling a sledge.

After a bloody and brutal hunting, Iorek and the bears began heading back to Svalbard with captured and killed seals. They had to return quick, before the seals would rot, especially the one Iorek was pulling. When Iorek hunted it down, he decided it would be for someone special.

Taking a deep breath, Lyra merged into underwater. The girl held her breath as her naked body literally lied on the pool's bed. Pan watched from above, feeling as his human counterpart was losing air. Feeling it too, the naked Lyra emerged from the water, gasping for air. Lyra felt relaxed and fresh. She never had a bath such as this. Even the warm bath at Mrs. Coulter's luxurious apartment in London was nothing compared to Svalbard. Remembering the malevolent woman that tortured children by cutting off the daemons at Bolvangar, who also happened to be her mother, Lyra shivered in terror, but was also curious of what happened to her.

From what she witnessed, Mrs. Coulter brought soldiers from the Tartars and arrested Lord Asriel. She then left after her daemon, that demonic Golden Monkey, failed to find Lyra. It may be possible she either returned to London, or headed for Geneva, where the Magisterium was. What was she doing now?

Lyra had many answers to this question. Maybe right now she was interrogating Lord Asriel, possibly even torturing him. Lyra wasn't sadistic, nor cruel, but she believed that the man who pretended to be her uncle, but in reality was her father, deserved it after what he did to Roger. Her poor Roger. Maybe right now, she was participating in the trial of Lord Asriel. Maybe she was also arrested, for failing the Magisterium and allowing the gyptians to destroy Bolvangar and free the kidnapped children. Or, maybe even worse, was trusted with another facility where the children have their daemons cut off. Another Bolvangar.

Once again sitting, Lyra absently touched her bare legs. Once she noticed this, Lyra suddenly found that she hasn't noticed how her body changed. Lyra looked at her naked body. She noticed that she began developing curves. Then, she looked at her bare breasts. They were still quite flat, but were slowly growing, she felt it. Curious, the naked Lyra began touching her breasts, gently squeezing them. She didn't know why, but she found some joy in doing so.

After she finished touching them, Lyra, naked and still curious about her body, began touching her bellybutton before she proceeded to her womanhood. The girl touched it, feeling some pleasure and the urge to stroke it. With her two fingers, the naked Lyra began stroking her pussy. At first gently, but then less gentle as she began moaning slightly.

"Lyra?"

Lyra almost gasped in shock and shame as she put her fingers away from her womanhood when she heard Iorek's voice. Looking around, she did not see him. Maybe he was hiding at the entrance.

"Yes?" the naked girl asked.

"Are you finished? I brought you breakfast." Iorek told her.

"Give me a minute, I'm almost finished." Lyra told her as she came out naked.

Once she was dressed, she came out and was greeted by Iorek, with Pan following her. Happy to see her friend back, Lyra hugged his massive head, smiling. Iorek then led her to a fireplace, where he revealed that he caught a seal for her, and is cooking for her.

"Oh, Iorek, thank you," Lyra genuinely told him.

"Lyra, while the food is cooking, there's also something I need to show you," he told her before turning to one the bears. "Is everything ready, Olaf?"

"Yes, my king." Olaf answered. Iorek called for Lyra and the two left the palace. They came to small snowy hill and Lyra gasped when she immediately saw what it was. It was a grave with a stone.

"It's your friend, Roger." Iorek answered. "I've sent Olaf and some of the bears to return to the mountain and bring him back, so he can be properly buried."

"We barely saved him." Olaf added. "A couple of vultures were already approaching his body. Thankfully, me and Helga were fast enough to scare them off before they could feast on him."

Approaching the grave, Lyra whimpered as she held Pan, who took the form of a mouse with sad eyes. Collapsing at the grave, Lyra felt her tears forming at her eyes, filled with guilt once again.

"Roger," she began. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I want to tell you this. I want you to know that I am so, so sorry. I'm so sorry for leading you to your death. I thought that Lord Asriel would be like a true father to me, that he wouldn't have to pretend to be my uncle anymore. I thought I was bringing the Alethiometer for him. I believed that he was not like my mother, or the Magisterium."

"But I was wrong," Lyra continued. "He was just like them. He and the Magisterium may have different views, but they are pretty much the same. He needed you to open that damn gate, and I brought you to him. I'll never forgive myself for this. I only hope that you and Salcilia have found peace in the afterlife."

With that, Lyra once again broke into tears. Olaf and the other bears looked at her with sympathy and sadness, while Iorek approached her. Sensing her presence, Lyra looked up at Iorek and stood silent as she allowed him to lick her tears away. Holding him, Lyra went back to Svalbard, promising to visit Roger's grave every day.