Off on a bear ride

For the remainder of the journey, Mia kept spending as much time as she could with Lyra and Tony. Lyra was such an interesting girl to talk to. As was Tony. Mia even started interacting with his mother Maggie a bit. She was a lovely lady. It was heart-breaking to learn that her youngest son Billy was one of the few children taken by the child snatchers which Lyra named the Gobblers.

The word 'Gobblers' made her laugh so much the moment she mentioned it.

"What's so funny?" Tony asked.

"It makes it sound like they're people who gobble up things," she sniggered so hard that she like she was laughing my head off.

Aster gave out squeaky giggles. Mia paused when she noticed Lyra giving her a look. Quickly she apologised. Lyra was an easy person to apologise to.

As the day turned to dark and the aurora replaced the clouds in the sky, they set up camp near some mountain cliffs. Their guide, the daemon who happened to belong to the witch queen Serafina Pekala, swooped down to see council with Lyra.

Sitting nearby, Mia was tantalised to hear that although imprisoned, Lyra's father Asriel was still allowed to continue his experiments. Kaisa then took off into the dark of the night. Mia pulled out her journal from her leather shoulder bag and she began writing in it.

She talked about meeting Lyra again, meeting Iorek for the first time, meeting a band of Gyptians banding together to fight the Magisterium to rescue children. The feeling of being on an actual adventure was thrilling.

For a long time she always dreamed of going on a real adventure. And here I am in the company of Gyptians preparing to fight to rescue their children and aiding a special girl, who was already become a fast friend. Lyra was something special. Sometimes I wished I could be just like here. But I just wasn't that kind of girl.

"Lyra sure is something..." Aster whispered in her ear.

"She sure is" she agreed. "Sometimes I wish I could be just like her,"

"Do you think your mum would have liked her?"

She looked at him. "I think she would,"

Just when they were both beginning to have just a moment to their selves...it got interrupted by her dad's constant calls. Mia huffed. Why does he have to keep a constant watch over me?

Lyra laid down on my stomach quietly as Lyra watched Farder Coram walking up onto the cliff. She wondered how he would feel meeting Serafina Pekala again...after forty years. She wished she could go up there and meet her too...but they needed to be alone.

Her focus was switched to Mia as she watched her walking away to her dad. She was beginning to find Lee Scoresby's voice annoying as well. Every time his daughter walked away for just even a moment, he always had to call out for her to not leave his sight. Why could he not see that she was capable? He was in some ways like her dad, but nowhere near as unloving as him. He was more the father material than mine would ever be.

"I'm goanna go and talk with Mia," she said to Ma Costa.

"Okay. I'll start cooking dinner," she said. Lyra stood up. And with Pan trotting beside her in the form a pine-martin they made our way through the camp to follow Mia,"

"Lyra...how do we convince John Faa to let us go? Even if Mia does convince Iorek to take you, we still have to get him John Faa's position,"

"We're figure it out Pan. Maybe he might have thought about what I said and changed his mind,"

"Dad...why do you always have to make a fuss about what I do?!" Mia's voice rung in Lyra's ears. This did not sound good. She looked past a tent and saw Mia in yet another brutal argument with her dad.

"Why do you have to keep calling out for me like I'm in trouble when I'm not?!" she oaned.

"I have told you countless times not to leave my sight!"

"Ugh...we're in the camp for goodness sake!" she growled. "I'm not some helpless creature!"

"Then how come I have to always come to your aid? How come you get into trouble occasionally?"

Mia's face turned red. She wanted to shout out. "Oh forget it! All that stuff you said about me being special. I guess it was just talk," She stalked away, leaving a crestfallen Lee.

Lyra could never imagine myself having an sort of argument like that with her father. She doubted they'd have that anyway, what with all the moves he makes when he pushes her away.

She watched with a sad look as Mia stalked away out of sight, leaving her protective dad to slump down and scrunch his hands into his eyes. He looked really regretful. His daemon seemed to give him some sort of disappointed look. He scowled back at her resulting in a bitter argument between the two.

Lyra often wondered how those two got along. She remembered Mia telling her that they have disagreements then and now, particularly about Lee's level of overprotectiveness. Nonetheless they had a strong bond, from a childhood which she dared not to gossip.

Iorek had just arrived back from hunting in the forest for some deer. He began chewing on the delicate meet when he saw his old friend approaching. His daughter was not with him.

"You look sad Lee. I believe you are in need of guidance,"

"Yes Iorek. I am," he sat down in front of the bear and his banquet.

"I don't know what to do anymore Iorek. It's getting really hard to handle her now,"

"I can tell. I hear you screaming out her name constantly,"

"I wish she wouldn't leave my sight,"

"She's old enough to take care of herself,"

"No Iorek! She is not! You should have seen how close Mr. Syssellman back in Trollesund was to taking out his gun and killing her! She's reckless! She's constantly in trouble! And every time I talk to her, she's like a stranger,"

"More like you're like a stranger to her," Hester said next to him.

"Shut up Hester," he hissed.

His daemon glared back at him.

For a long moment he was quiet, lost in thought. Iorek remembered seeing that same look he had all those months ago when they first met. "You have to tell her the truth," he simply said.

Lee stared at the bear as if he had just been told something shocking. "I can't Iorek! You know perfectly well I can't!"

"She's grown up to know about her mother and who she really is,"

"She'll be grown up in my book when she's learns to take care of herself,"

"She'll only know how to do that if you stop being so protective of her,"

Once again, his old friend remained lost for words.

"You should listen to him lee," Hester implored.

Lee didn't say shut up to her nor anything else to me. "Thank you for your consul Iorek," he simply said. "I'll leave you to your meal,"

He stood up and waddled away. Before pouncing after him, Hester gave one last look back at the bear with a hopeful expression. Was he going to heed your words? it said. She waddled away after her daemon.

Iorek went back to munching on his meal...when once again he was disturbed by a wave of steps. This time it was Mia. Aster was in the form of an arctic fox.

She said in front of him. "I saw you talking with my dad. Was he seeking consul?"

"He was. The year your father met me, he went through such a state of depression,"

"He still goes through it after three years," she sighed. Before Iorek could say anything else, she interjected. "Iorek...there's something I need to ask you on Lyra's behalf,"

"What is that?"

"She's needs you to take her somewhere that the Alethiometer told her about,'

Lyra wanted to go and talk to Mia, help her understand her father's actions and words...but it would only make her all the more irrational.

"Lyra, maybe you could talk to Lee," Pan whispered.

"I can't,"

"He could use some company. Mia's already giving him the cold shoulder,"

Lyra twisted her head and saw that Lee was still by himself near his tent. Hester nuzzled his fingers, but he made no response. Lyra decided to walk over and have a word.

First thing Mia did that morning was jolt out of the tent before her dad could wake up. She wanted to spend as much free time as she could without his eyes constantly glued to her. It was bright and early, and she could Kaisa had perched on a tent pole on the far side of the camp.

Maggie invited her over to have breakfast with her, Tony and Lyra; she happily accepted. Her cooking was so delicious and warm that Mia felt her belly warming up along with other insides. She complimented her cooking earning a bright smile as she felt satisfied. Although her primary emotion was fear for her beloved Billy, Mia sensed a somewhat sort of hope in her eyes.

Let's hope it will be enough.

An hour passed and Mia walked with Lyra to Iorek. Luckily, she had been allowed by John Faa to go to this fishing settlement to find what she was looking for. She decided she would see her off. Lyra was packed and ready to go.

"I wasn't going to miss out Iorek's first right,"

"I'm not heavy," she said.

"I'm not a horse," the bear growled.

"You could come along too," Lyra offered kindly.

"I'd love that but Dad's constantly watching me and before we'd even make it out of the camp, he'd shriek out my name like a crazy man,"

"You're right I would," his voice echoed in her ears, giving her ear drums another tingle. "That was if you were going out without letting me know. But now that I do..." he drifted off.

His daughter twisted her head to face him. "You're letting me go?" That was unexpected. This wasn't like him at all.

"Wasn't goanna let you miss out the chance to have a ride on our friend here?"

Mia didn't know what to say. "Thanks," she said simply. "I won't be too heavy for you as well as Lyra, will I Iorek?"

"I've carried and pulled heavier things," he answered. "Just as long as your daemon takes a smaller form,"

"I think I'll fly alongside him," Aster said, taking the form of a snowy owl.

"You sure you won't tag behind us?" his daemon asked.

"I'm up for the challenge," he declared.

"Now Lyra, please promise me that this alethimomr thingy isn't lying to you," Lee implored.

"It doesn't lie," she acclaimed. "I don't think it could,"

"You sure it's a sensible thing to look for ghosts?"

"I've never heard Lee Scoresby talk about sensible before," Iorek said.

Imia sniggered. So did Lyra.

"Ha ha," Lee faked a laugh back.

"I will bring them back," he vowed. He kneeled down. "Hold tight. I won't be gentle,"

Lyra was the first to get on. Then she pulled Mia up behind her. "Hold tight,"

The passenger behind her swung her arms around her waist and shuffled closer.

She twisted her head. "Not that tight,"

Mia loosened my grip.

"Be good to each other," Lee said.

Mia gave him a thankful look. At least he wasn't letting me out of his sight, for now.

She could see that his face was somewhat shaking not from the cold, but from something much more vital.

Her heart started tying itself into a tight knot of guilt.

I needed to make things better with him. The last thing I ever wanted to say to him was I was wish he wasn't my father. I loved him so much. And I know everything he has done has been done out of love. Mia thought to herself. She was not one to start arguments but yesterday was just one of those rare moments.

Keeping my arms wrapped tight, but not too tight, around Lyra's waist, Mia began to have the ride of a lifetime. Iorek began charging like a horse across the snow plains with the two girls on his back. It was magnificent. Mia never thought she'd see the day when Iorek would be carrying a passing, let alone two on his back.

What felt more incredible was that Iorek was so fast. He was racing like the wind. She felt the air blowing in my hair. The cold breezes flying up her nostrils like gusts. She laughed with glee. Lyra in the front was laughing in delight as well.

"You see Mia. I have dealt with much heavier things before," Iorek said. "And it's actually nice to have you along with us,"

Really?

"We wouldn't want you to miss out the fun would we Pan," Lyra said.

"That's right we wouldn't," he muffled from inside his pocket.

"Thanks guys," she thanked. She focused back to having the time of her life as Iorek carried them far and wide across the snow. He may not be a horse as he claimed but he most certainly had the makings of one. Even Lyra could see things through the same perspective.

Up above Aster was flying like the wind, flying with the pace of an armoured bear on land. He was incredible. Mia wondered if a snowy owl was what he would settle as. There was so much in her spirit other than a free-spirited lass who loved to roam free like the form her daemon was currently taking. She felt her true character was rather a mystery. It would only be solved when Aster was settled into the form that reflected her true self.

Another chapter done. I thought I might add in some more viewpoints. What did you all think? Please let me know what you all think and send over any ideas for future chapters or potential improvements.