Descendants 13
Chapter 13
Episode 7
Killian's hook struck Melody. She grabbed her neck and fell back. Melody fell off of the Jolly Roger and into the ocean.
That's what Lena saw from the railing several feet away. She covered her mouth with both of her hands as tears filled her eyes.
Less than 100 yards away, the Storybrooke high school was performing their play. They were just starting Act II.
Lena went back to her room and grabbed a small glass bottle. It was labeled "Jack Daniel's" but the liquid inside was blue.
She grabbed one of Lyra's shirts, and placed it on the table. Then Lena realized Melody had worn that shirt the day they arrived in Storybrooke. Lena took a moment before pouring the small blue liquid on the shirt.
Within seconds, the shirt lifted itself up and flew across the room. Lena opened the door and followed the shirt out of the motel.
The shirt led Lena to the closed library. Lena grabbed the shirt and looked up. "Of course." She said. Lena went around the corner, out of view, even though 90% of the town was at the school, an poof-ed away.
Lyra was looking outside the clock tower with her forehead on the window when Lena poof-ed in. Lyra craned her head down.
"Please go," Lyra said. "I want to be alone."
"I want to help you." Lena said. "Operation Falcon is about more than just preventing one event. If this is what you truly want, I will help you."
Lyra slowly turned to face Lena. "It's my happy ending."
*title scene*
Flashback: Lyra ran through the trees along the creek on a sunny day, holding a ball of mud in her hand. She was chasing after a group of smaller children.
"You can't run from us Rodger," a boy called.
Rodger, a young boy, about 9 years old, was running from these kids. He made his way out of the trees area and towards a huge building.
Lyra ran faster, catching up to the children and passing them.
Rodger reached the gate of the building and turned around. He was at a dead end and the children were right behind him.
Lyra ran up to Rodger a and extended her arm before him. "You've had your fun," she said to the children, "now go on back home."
"Not until we've dealt with this one," the boy in front of the group said to Rodger.
"I didn't mean to," Rodger said.
"There. An apology." Lyra said.
"'Fraid it's gonna take more than that," the boy said.
"Oh Billy, don't you have anything better to do than beat up a kid?" Lyra asked.
"We're all kids here. Except you." A boy on the back said.
"I am too a child!" Lyra defended, "I'm just taller than you all."
"Because you're older," a girl said. There were about eight children after him, and all between the ages of six-nine. And everyone had small animals with them.
Lyra folded her arms and gave a sassy took to the girl.
Bully reached over to grab Rodger but Lyra wacked his hand away. "No," she said, "If you hurt him...you'll be cursed."
"What?" Billy asked.
"If you lay a hand on him I will curse you." Lyra said.
"How are you gonna do that?" A boy asked.
"I have magic," Lyra said.
"You do not!" The girl said.
"Do too! I am powerful and magical and I can make you sorry if you hurt Rodger." Lyra said.
"You're not powerful. You're nothing." Billy said.
In her rage, Lyra through her ball of mud she just remembered was in her other hand at him and charged for him. She knocked him over and tacked him on the floor.
"I'll show you power," she said.
"Get off!" He said.
"Fight fight fight!" The children chanted. Rodger took off running towards the back entrance
A man came running over to them along with a few other from the other side. They called for the children to stop but they didn't.
The man got Lyra off Billy, though she still tried to scratch Billy as they were being pulled away from one another.
The children had dispursed. Billy's mother scolded the two children for fighting and took Billy back to their home, leaving Lyra and the man who pulled her away. He had a tiger with him and she had a small ferret.
"Damn it Lyra, you need to control yourself! You can't do things like that." He said.
"I'm sorry Asreal," she said. "He called me nothing."
"That doesn't give you the right to hit him. You're too old for that nonsense." He said. "You're 12 years old."
Lyra looked down and picked up her ferret. She stood back up and held him close.
Asreal gave her a weird look, then faced ahead. He opened the gates to the college and they walked in together.
"Just when I thought you were growing up and could handle attending a cordigous event." He said.
"Oh come one Uncle," Lyra said, "I'll be on my best behavior. You know I never act that way around adults. It's just that Billy can be such a butt."
"That kind of talk is not helping in your case," he said.
"Just because my daemon hasn't grown doesn't mean I'm not ready for such an elegant event," Lyra curtsied.
Asreal smiled and shook his head. He looked away and said "Oh I suppose you can go."
Lyra hugged him and thanked him, then ran into the college.
"Don't run!" He called back.
"So you actually want to go to this event?" Rodger asked Lyra as they sat on the rooftops of the college, eating apples. "I mean it sounds pretty boring to me. A lot of adult talking about education and politics."
"But it's all fancy and grown up stuff. Perhaps I can learn more about magic." Lyra said.
"What are you on about?" Rodger asked.
"Magic. I saw some students here practicing it. I think it's a new course. I want to learn more." Lyra said as she took another bite out of her apple.
"You really believe magic can be wielded?" He asked.
"Why not?"
"It doesn't exist." He took a bite out of his apple.
"That's just because you need proof to believe on something. I can get it."
"You should be spending time doing other things. I heard Misses Fayne talking about turning you into a proper lady."
"No one can do that!"
Rodger laughed. "I suppose not."
"Say, what did you do to make Billy so angry?"
"I called him a toss pot."
Lyra giggled.
"The jurisdiction of the school confoundantly declares that one must abide by the declaration of Jordan College," A professor said at the dinner.
Rodger was right. Lyra placed her elbows on the table and placed her hands on her cheeks. She started down at the table.
"His actions are not quite as bad as Miss Beloaqua's," the principal said.
Lyra looked up at him. "What was that?"
"You English professor has informed me of your absence in her class. You've missed almost an entire week. I trust you have a good reason for this?" The professor asked.
Lyra looked down and thought of an answer. "I broadening my horizons."
"Puh," another professor said, "that's your excuse for all those messes you make in the science laboratory."
"So you know it's the truth then," Lyra said.
Her science professor sat up and pointed his index finger at her, "Listen Miss Belaqua-"
"Roberts that is no way to speak to a student, much less a young woman," a lady said from behind Lyra's chair. She was tell and had golden hair made up all fancy. She wore a shimmering gown and made everyone at the table speechless.
"Misses Coulter," the principal finally said, "How nice of you to join us here. Tonight."
"Yes, well I've been traveling and decided to stop here for one night," she sat down next to Lyra. Pan, Lyra's ferret looked up at her, worried, but Lyra secretly smiled.
"I always felt a woman's place was outside the classroom. Less restricting. And far more interesting, wouldn't you agree?" Mrs. Coulter asked Lyra.
She smiled, "Yes, ma'am."
"No need to say ma'am with me," Coulter assured her. She looked at Lyra and said, "I will be leaving tomorrow for a brief expedition to the North but I'm not too keen on going there alone."
"You'll have your maid, pilot, chef-" the science professor said.
"I mean a companion," Mrs. Coulter said.
"I'll go," a young apprentice said.
"I'm not too keep on adult either," Coulter said. She faced Lyra, "Would you like to come?"
"Yes!" Lyra almost jumped out of her seat.
The principal looked disappointed or perhaps dissatisfied.
The world Lyra comes from is parallel to our own. A major difference is that everyone from Lyra's world has a deamon, their soul that is seen externally, in the form of an animal.
Lyra snuck out of the college later that night to visit her friends at their usual rondevou spot. They meet passed this small tunnel only children can fit through. Lyra crawled through and walked up to their "climbing tree." She went up to the first branch and noticed they weren't there. She waited with her ferret for while.
"It's pretty exciting don't you think?" She told Pan, "we're going to leave this place. Broaden out horizons. What I've always wanted. Even if it is temporary, it's chance to see something new.
"Mrs Coulter seems really interesting. I'm glad to be going on this adventure with her. I think tomorrow is a new beginning for us."
Lyra sat and looked around. "Where is Rodger?"
The next morning Lyra closed her suitcase and put on her long coat. There was a knock a her door and she assumed it was Coulter, so she opened it. "Headmaster?"
He entered her room and said, "I must admit I was hoping you would have turned down Ms. Coulter's offer-"
"Why would I?" Lyra asked.
"Ah. Since you'll be leaving us I...I have something for you." He said.
"A goodbye present? I'll be back."
He gave her a look. "Unless Ms. Coulter offers another trip and another." He took an odd shiny device from the inner pocket of her robe and handed it to her. "It's a Golden Compass. It gives you an insights. Tells you the truth, if you can read it."
Lyra looked at this golden disk. It was a bit heavy too. "Why are you giving this to me?"
"I trust you'll know what to do with it. Keep it on you at all times."
Lyra nodded and grabbed her suitcase. "I have to be going now. She'll be waiting for me." Her ferret followed her to the door.
"One more thing," the headmaster said, "Don't let Ms. Coulter know you have that compass."
Lyra and Ms. Coulter flew in a blimp-like vehicle, with a nice view of the passing city below them. Lyra stared out the window in wonder for an hour, then sat on the sofa with Ms. Coulter, who really wanted to get to know Lyra.
The first few days of their trip was full of fun. Lyra got to go shopping and buy a whole new outfit. Ms. Coulter took her to a dress shop and picked out a few dresses for Lyra. She took Lyra to an ice cream shop, the highlight of Lyra's day. Ms. Coulter dressed up Lyra also did her make up. They went out to a fancy dinner with many adults. She didn't know what any of them were talking about so she focused on her food. All the while, she kept her Golden Compass hidden in her room, under her bed. When they got back that night, Lyra rested in her room with her ferret.
A nightmare about Rodger being tortured woke up Lyra. She got up and checked under her bed for the Golden Compass. She placed it on this shelf formed by the bed frame. The compass wasn't there!
Lyra turned on the light and checked again. Where is it!?
The headmaster's words ran through her ears. "Keep it on you at all times."
Lyra left her room and felt her way across the dark hallway. The house she and Ms. Coulter were staying in was practically a mansion. Thre were several rooms, yet the two slept in neighboring rooms, per Ms. Coulter's choice. She told Lyra that most of the rooms were off limits. Suddenly Lyra became to suspect Ms. Coulter.
Lyra entered the first "forbidden room" which was full of books. Pan accompanied her. The next room had laboratory equipment. The next room was very spacious and had a lot of files in drawers. She opened a few of them and put them back as found. She used a lamp on the table to see. The second file she picked up had a list of names and the letters GOB were at the top.
GOB. Goblers! The name sounded familiar. Lyra recalled adult at Jordan and the dinner that night talking about this group. They take children. No ones knows what happens to them.
At the bottom of the page is Ms. Coulter's signature. "Pan, it's her! She's in charge of the Goblers." Lyra's vision started to blur from the shock. She looked at the names in the list and gasped. "Billy and Rodger!" She dropped the paper.
Before Lyra had time to process this, the door swung open and Ms. Coulter's voice said "There you are. What are you doing in here?"
Lyra looked at her and her face tightened.
"You know this room is off limits. It's quite boring too. Not much on here," Coulter said.
"I must have gotten lost in dark." Lyra said coldly. Her ferret snuck out of the room. That's when Lyra noticed Coulter's deamon was gone as well.
"Come on now. Back to bed," she ushered her out of the room.
Then Lyra suddenly felt pain on her arm. "Ouch! Pan!"
Whenever a deamon gets hurt, the person gets hurt too.
She ran into Coulter's room where Pan and Coulter's deamon were physically fighting. Lyra saw her compass on the dresser. Lyra panic, knowing she need to retrieve that compass. She blink and suddenly the compass was in her hands.
Before Lyra could question it, Coulter came closer so Lyra had to act quickly. She grabbed Pan, and opened the window. Coulter's Demon reached her before Coulter so
Lyra slammed the window on the deamon's hand, stalling Coulter a few seconds.
Lyra climes down the mansion quickly, hands full, barefoot, and fled the property.
Lyra ran off the main roads and didn't stop until she stepped on a sharp object. She tumbled over and but her arm. She took out the price of glass and whipped off a price from her nightgown to tie around her foot. She got up and kept walking, as fast as she could.
Lyra ran swiftly through area trying to stay out of sight from anyone who could be nearby.
She hid behind a garbage pail, and looked forward. The only way to move on is to run across the street, out in the open.
She counted to three and started across the street. She walked quickly and kept her eyes on the other side. When she was half way across the street, she smiled believing she could make it.
When she was just a few feet away, a large net fell on top of her. "Agh!" She fell to the floor.
As she tried to get of this trap, several people gathered around her. There were about a dozen of them, all in uniform. Goblers. When one got close to her, Lyra hissed at him. Then he wacked her.
Lyra's heart raced. I have to get out of this. I can't let them take me. They'll find the compass! The compass! No, they'll take it. The headmaster of Jordan trusted me with it. Whatever this is, it is important. I have to hide it.
Lyra clutched her compass and kept thinking, "They can't find it. They can't!" And then the compass vanished.
Lyra looked around, while the net was being lifted off her. The Goblers surrounded Lyra, but she wasn't think if about that. Where did the compass go?
A Gobler walked up to her and punched her across the face, knocking her out.
Lyra woke up with a headache. She rubber her face and sat up. Pan was lying on her. They were on a metal table in a white painted room. A woman dressed as a nurse with a bonnet addressed Lyra, "Ah, good. You have finally woken up. I imagine you must have a lot of questions. I am Ms. Adle and I am here to help you. You are in a children's facility. Loads of children are here. The facility is mean to help children grow up. Congratulations on being chosen."
Lyra's thoughts soared. This lady's words were all a blur to her. "What?"
"Oh they must have hit you really hard," Ms. Adle touched her forehead.
"Where am I?" Lyra asked.
"I'll show you around, if you can stand," she said kindly. "What is your name?"
"...Lizzie. Brooks." Lyra thought up
Ms. Adle showed Lyra out of the room and held the door opens for her. She escorted her around the room, without showing her inside most of the rooms. "This is the library," Ms. Adle pointed to a closed door and walked passed. "Here is the movie theatre." She said for another. The "tour" ended with Ms. Adle opening a door to a room filled with children. "Lastly, this is the cafeteria."
Lyra walking inside and looked around. Dozens and dozens of children and their deamons giggling and playing. "Something is not right here."
She walked around and stopped on her tracks when she saw someone she knew. "Rodger!"
He looked up and smiled. He stood up from his chair and the two ran up to each other.
"I was so worried," Lyra said.
Rodger's deamon changed from a car to a bird. "I missed you."
There were several nurses in the room. A few smiled at the reunion.
Lyra sat down and said, "I have so much to tell you."
Rodger sat down too, "As do I."
"I left Jordan." Lyra started.
"You ran away?"
"No! I was invited to go with this Ms. Coulter who turned out to be in charge of the Goblers," she whispered.
"Is she the one with the golden monkey?" He asked. Lyra nodded. "Oh, she's scary."
"There's more. Have you ever heard of the Golden Compass?"
"The what?"
"It's this large compass that is supposed tell you the truth I guess. I can't understand it but it's important. It was in my possession but it-"
"Children," a nurse said, "time to clean up. Come on. It's about time for your naps."
The children all cluttered around. Lyra was the tallest of them. She knelt down and whispered, "Rodger-"
"Have you seen Billy, by chance?" He asked. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. The nurses said he was ill. But I'm not sure."
Lyra looked ahead. "We have to get out of here."
Lyra snuck out of the nap room and walked about this facility. She heard people coming so she hid inside the nearest room. Inside was a table and several chairs. The people came closer. They were coming on the room!
Lyra hid in the wardrobe against the wall, and locked herself inside. There was a small peep hole for her to look out off. Pan was in her shoulder.
Four nurses, three men, two Goblers, and Ms. Coulter entered the room.
The my talked about the children in thief facility and their plans. "Three children escaped last week. I have to wonder how effective these nurses are at keeping a hold on these children," a man said. He was in a business suit.
"We found two of the three children since then." A nurse said.
"Alive?" Ms. Coulter asked.
"No," the nurse looked down.
"Moving on," A Gobler said. "What of the boy's recovery?"
"Billy Costa?" The Nurse said, "Yes, he will reunited with his mother by the end of the week."
"Or when he is able to walk again," another nurse said.
"This surgery has never been as problematic as this one," a third nurse said. "Most children come out needing only a day's recovery."
"Another reason for concern," the man said. "I am doubting your methods."
"Our methods work," Ms. Coulter said. "We are protecting the children, for our future."
"I fund this facility and I say there should be guards from within and any one who tries to escape should be shot," he said.
Lyra gasped and covered her mouth. She looked back out the peep hole and saw a man looking at her, or the peep hole.
"Oh no!" A nurse said.
"It's more humane than letting them freeze to death in the snow." Another businessman said. "If you can't catch them, shot them. They don't want our help. They don't deserve to be saved."
"That's murder," Ms. Coulter said.
"It's for the good of our future! And you had no problem sending your men after Lord Asreal to execute him!"
"Excuse me," Ms. Coulter left the room. Two nurses followed her. Lyra covered her mouth and panted. Uncle Asreal. Coulter is going to kill him!
The first man said. "Skorsby, can you do what needs to be done?" He asked a Gobler.
He nodded. It was the man who was looking at the wardrobe. "In fact," he stood up and walked around the table, "I can take care of one such child..." Lyra couldn't see him. "right now!" He opened the wardrobe doors. Lyra stood there, unmoving. Mr. Skorsby pulled her out and the remaining nurses grabbed her and the Goblers.
The Goblers and Nurses to Lyra to a small lab where there was a big cage in the center. Lyra tried to fight their grip to no avail. One nurse held Pan, and made him pass out. Lyra still kicked and moved around. The nurses were puzzled.
They tossed her in the cage with Pan and locked them in. "Pan?" Lyra picked him up. She hands started glowing.
"What is happening?" A Gobler asked.
Ms. Adle shook her head and pulled a lever. A large electrical surge surrounded the cage and started to move downward. Lyra hugged Pan as the electrical surge came down.
When the surge was about halfway down, Ms. Coulter enters the room and gasped. She shouted "Stop! Turn it off now!"
Lyra grew drowsy and passed out from the surge.
Lyra woke up in on a fancy bed and smiled when she saw Pan. He hugged him and heard a voice says, "Thank goodness you're alright."
Ms. Coulter stoop up from her chair beside the bed.
Lyra sat and and backed away. "Stay back."
"Lyra it's okay. I won't hurt you. I saved you from that machine."
"Why? What are you doing to the children here?" Lyra asked.
"It's all very complicated."
"Try me."
Coulter sat down at the foot of the bed and began, "There is this substance in the world. Your uncle discovered it. It harbors in teenagers. It causes them to act out. To rebel. To commit awful crimes. We call is Dust.
"Naturally we want to protect our children from this danger. We did research and found that Dust is channeled to children through their deamon. So we take children, before Dusk had effected them, and cut their deamons way."
"Oh my God," Lyra looked away. "That's what you did to Billy!"
"Lyra, it was for his own good."
"Why did you stop them from doing it to me?"
Coulter sighed happily and explained, "Have you not guessed? You're not just any child, Lyra Belaqua. You're my daughter."
"No." Lyra said, getting out of the bed. "You can't be my mother. I don't have a mother."
"You do. You're mine," she smiled. "I wanted to keep you, but with all these rules, I couldn't. Until finally, the rules changed and I came to Jordan college and could invite you to join me in my travels. We could bond." She beamed.
"All the while you were kidnapping children and torturing them!"
"I don't have a final say on how they are treated."
"That's no excuse."
"Lyra, please."
Lyra folded her arms and fought back tears. She looked at Coulter and asked, "Uncle Asreal. He's my father isn't he?"
Coulter said nothing, then nodded.
Lyra thought of her Uncle. All this time, he was her father. Why didn't he ever tell her? Why lie about it?
"Lyra I know this isn't what you expected. Things got a little out of hand but I want us to happy. And together."
Lyra glared a her.
"Tell me what I can do. Do you want to continue traveling? We could go-"
"I want you to free the children."
"They'll die out there."
"So give them a lift home."
"I don't have to the authority."
"You don't need to, just unlock the front door and have your aircraft there."
"Is there anything smaller I could do?"
"No! You took my friends. You took Rodger. You destroyed Billy. You're a monster."
"Lyra please. You have to understand. This plan will work."
"If your plans are so great, why do you have to kidnap children? Why can't the parents just go with them? Because this is wrong!"
"I'll quit, if that will make you happy."
"That won't fix this. You need to stop this."
Coulter sighed, "I need to ask you something. The master of Jordan gave you something, didn't he?" Lyra's face tightened. "Do you know how to read it?"
"Read it? No." Lyra said.
"Oh. May I see it then?"
"Please just let me go."
"Lyra, I imagine you grew up wanting a family. Wanting a mother. Someone to be there for you. To give you advice and ease your mind. Someone to love you. I love you Lyra. I can be all those things for you, if you let me."
"I'm not that desperate for affection."
Coulter looked down, hurt. "You can go, if you want."
"Really?" Lyra went to the door.
"I'm letting you go."
Lyra left the room and discovered she wasn't in the facility. She was in another mansion. Passed the front doors was a car and a diver standing outside. Lyra looked worried.
"I'm Jackle, your driver. Ms. Coulter gave me permission to take you anywhere you please."
Lyra looked at him. "Take me to Lord Asreal."
"Alright," he opened the door for her.
"Rodger is to be released on a technicality. Effective immediately."
Ms. Coulter sent the paper work for Lyra's friend's release. He left the facility, confused, and was escorted into a car back home. He hugged his parents when he was reunited with them.
The next day, Lyra arrived at Asreal's cabin. While in the car, she healed her foot. She stepped out of the vehicle and the driver left. Lyra looked at Pan, who was on her shoulder, and went up to the door. She knocked but her did not answer. "It's Lyra," she said.
He opened door. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were at Jordan?" She asked him.
"I was- I- Why are you here? How did you get here?"
"How I got here isn't important. I met Ms. Coulter." She said.
"And how is she?" He asked.
"She's in charge of the Goblers. They took my friends. Did you know they're cutting children's deamons away?"
Asreal turned around and went back to working on this large machine. "I'm a bit busy at the moment. You're timing I'm afraid is inconvenient."
"Asreal, did you hear what I said?"
"Yes. Ms. Coulter. Terrible woman. Your friend's taken."
"Don't you care?"
"Yes, I'm just preoccupied at the moment." He leaned across the device to fix a nail.
His cabin was small. There was the main room, then two doors. One was a bathroom and the other was a bedroom. In the mainroom was a sink, cooler, stove, fireplace, and sofa. The device took up a quarter of the space in the room. On a small desk, she saw something golden. She walked up to it. The compass!
Lyra grabbed the compass and smiled. I sent it here. To Asreal.
She looked at him and asked, "What are you making?"
"It's a device that will, well, it's an important machine." He said.
"Asreal, please look at me." She said. He listened to her. "Are you my father?" There was a pause. "I just want to hear you say it. And to know why you told me you were my uncle. My entire life you lied to me. Was it so you could feel less responsibility for me or less pressure? You let me believe I was an orphan all these years. Were you ever planning on telling me you're my father?"
While she rambled, he got off the machine and stood in front of her.
"No." He rephrased, "I mean I'm not your father."
Lyra looked at him. "Yes you are."
"I'm not. And Ms. Coulter isn't your mother."
"Why are you lying?" She cried.
"It's the truth. Ms. Coulter only told you that to earn your love. She can't have children, thank God." He got back to his device/project.
"No. This can't be true. I'm not an orphan. I have magic. I am not meant for this-"
"Well then go!" Asreal said. "But there is nothing for you out there. You're miles away from Jordan. You're upset. You were lied to. And it's time you face reality. You do not have magic. You're ordinary."
Lyra stomped her foot. "Then who are my parents? Why would Ms. Coulter say I'm her daughter?"
Then the Golden Compass opened up and showed Lyra her answer. It was hazy but Lyra could see Ms. Coulter about 13 years earlier in a cave with another blonde woman. Ms. Coulter was taking care of her. She made her tea and fed her. The woman didn't move very quickly and she sat down a lot. Then Lyra saw her belly. She's pregnant!
Ms. Coulter took care of Lyra's birth mom? Why? Lyra watched as Ms. Coulter shooed away visitors. Lyra also noticed this woman didn't have a deamon.
Ms. Coulter delivered her baby and her birthmom didn't know what to name her.
"How about Lyra?" Ms. Coulter asked.
Her birthmom agreed.
The two woman took care of the baby for months until one day, her birthmom was in a daze. Ms. Coulter asked "what's wrong" but she didn't answer. She got up and walked out of the cave. "No, it's not safe!" Ms. Coulter warned. She kept walking and soon Lyra could see what she was heading for. A large portal. Her mother, her real mother, went into the portal, and was never seen in this world again.
Ms. Coulter still took care of Lyra until she was about a year old, and the ministry found her and took them both away, separating them.
Lyra was now back the present, in Asreal's cabin. He was looking a her, "are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine." She sat on the couch and looked at the compass. The compass works. Her mother loved her. She wanted her. But she left her...According to the compass,
she was under a spell.
Lyra went into the bathroom and asked the compass some more questions. These answers were simpler. "Is my mother alive?" She asked. Yes.
"Does she have magic?" Yes.
"Where is she?" A land without magic.
"Is she from this world?" No.
Lyra smiled. I knew I was meant for greater things. There are other worlds out there.
Then Lyra made the sad realization. "Pan," she looked at him. "There's a reason you can't transform. You're not a real deamon." Lyra cried.
Lyra and Asreal ate turkey and tea that evening. Lyra slept on the couch that night, next to Pan. She tucked the compass under her.
When Lyra woke up, she knew something was off. The room was bright, Pan wasn't beside her, and the machine was gone. Outside in the field, the machine made a lot of loud noises. "How did I sleep through all this?"
Suddenly, the compass showed her something. Asreal put a sleeping tonic in her tea cup.
Lyra got up and ran outside. Asreal held her ferret close to the machine.
"Asreal, stop! What are you doing?"
"There is price for traveling realms. In order to open this, I need to sacrifice the thing I love most. I tried to fix that. But then you came. So I can make this sacrifice."
"But it's my sacrifice. You can't do this to Pan."
"He's not your soul. You'll live," he placed Pan on the device."
"No!" She screamed.
The device blew them both back and started to turn on. Electricity filled it with power.
Asreal and Lyra raced to the device, but her got their first and pulled the lever, opening the portal.
Asreal looked back at Lyra, "I hope you can understand one day. I've opened a portal to all worlds. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
Lyra's eyes were red and puffy. Tears fell down her face.
"You can hate me or you can go on an adventure. You'll never get another chance like this." He turned ahead and crossed through.
Lyra cried more and fell to her knees. She held the compass in her hand and asked "Should I go through the portal?" Yes.
Lyra stood up and walked through the portal, thinking of her mother.
Lyra landed in another world a few minutes later. She opened her compass and asked, "Is this the land without magic?" Yes.
Lyra smiled and started to walk around this new world. Them she went aside and asked the compass a question she's surprised she didn't as sooner. "What is my mother's name?" Emma Swan.