Sharing Stories

Mia's arms were quite tight around Lyra's waist, but she didn't care that much. She didn't care that she laid her head on her back either. As a matter of fact, she liked it. She reminded her of Roger a lot. She couldn't wait to find him and explain to him how far both she and Mia had come together.

After what felt like forever, Iorek stopped off at a nearby forest.

"I need to hunt. I will need you two to stay here,"

Mia slipped off Iorek and helped Lyra down.

"I won't be long," he said. He galloped off into the forest for food leaving the girls alone. Mia turned around and she glimpsed at the magnificent sight of the snowy wastelands all around us. The sun made the cold layers of white glittered like silver. She went to sit on a nearby rock and Lyra sat with her, glimpsing at the remarkable blue sky hanging over the endless of white.

"It's beautiful isn't it,' she said.

"It sure is,"

"I've always wanted to come here. When I was old enough, I planned on coming here...in my own balloon, with nothing but Aster and the wind blowing in my hair,"

"Yeah. I've always dreamed of going north too. I really thought for a moment I would get to go with...my father. But instead, he just hauled me off the ship the day he took off," I bowed my head down thinking about how he would react when we would see each other again after I rescued him.

"Are you going to rescue him?" Mia beside her.

Lyra wanted to say 'yes' but instead she nodded.

"If Lord Asriel is your father, then...do you know who your mother is?" Mia asked.

The mere memory of a horrible woman with a cruel golden monkey daemon emerged in Lyra's head again. Her face turned dark.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that," she apologised.

"It's okay," Lyra said. She sighed. "You know that woman Mrs. Coulter who I told you about?"

Mia leaned in closer at her, a dark look forming her eyes, as if she already knew the answer.

"She's my mother,"

"What?!" she screamed flabbergasted. "You're related to that woman who kidnapped your friend and all those children?"

"Yes. And I'm ashamed of it?"

Mia didn't know what to be. Shocked, or surprised? It was horrifying more for Lyra than it was for her. She couldn't ask her why she didn't tell me before...the answer was pail clear on her face. Ultimately another question came into her head. "Why didn't she tell you she was your mother the moment you met her?"

"I don't know. Probably because she was ashamed to have a child out of wedlock. She hadn't seen me for over twelve years. She never even thought of coming to get me. She cared more about her job than she did for me,"

"Then she's more trouble than she's worth. How exactly did you come to be in Jordan College?"

Lyra turned to her with an emotionless expression. Mia apologised but Lyra said not to, decided to answer. Seeing as how it would make her feel better, Mia stayed sat down and listened. Lyra told her about being born of an affair between Asriel and Coulter, how Coulter's husband tried to kill her, how Asriel was stripped of his wealth, how she came to be in the care of the college.

Mia felt so sorry for everything she had been though.

"I'm so sorry Lyra," she apologised. She ouldn't imagine how much of a shock it had been for her when she learnt the truth from Maggie Costa who had been her nurse.

Mia's consoling words seemed to sooth my nerves. Lyra leaned in. "I know you might not want to talk about this...but what happened to your mother?"

Mia looked at her with a sad expression. Instantly Lyra felt ashamed at first but Mia gave in and answered. Explaining her sad story to Lyra helped her just as talking to her about her sad story made Lyra feel better too.

"My mother disappeared...about four years ago. She was in a zeppelin heading North. It crashed somewhere and it was never found My dad searched everywhere north. He even journeyed north to Svalbard...but he never found her,"

"How he met Iorek?"

"They met in Trollesund and Iorek saved his life from some ruffians,"

"And Iorek ended up getting those scars on his nose,"

"Yes. Iorek assisted him in trying to help him find my mother. He even dared to venture to the borders of Svalbard but..." she drifted off. "This is all I have left of her," she lifted up her necklace. It was angelic. It was a caramel pendent with a silver figure with silver wings, almost like some sort of fairy.

"It's very beautiful,"

"Thank you," Mia felt good to share her backstory with someone.

Lyra smiled, glad I could help.

Iorek came out of the forest with a deer carcass and they went to a giant pit with a slope hidden in the snow to eat. Using her grandmother's special knife from my handbag and some sticks she picked up, Mia started a small fire for me and Lyra to warm up with. Lyra pulled out two boxes of sandwiches and eggs and handed one of them to her friend. They began munching on the delicious beverages and Mia marvelled at the delight of Maggie Costa's snack packs.

Iorek punched on his meat. For a long while we were quiet. Whilst Lyra and Mia were munching on her food, Aster and Pan were playing about together switching various forms. Seeing their daemons so happy together seemed to remind them of how important their daemons were to them.

Mia wondered how it felt for Iorek not having a daemon of his own. "Do you get lonely without a daemon?" She asked him comfortably.

"Bears are made to be solitary,"

"But wouldn't it be exceptional? Having a companion who constantly sticks by your side?"

"It is how bears are meant to be Mia,"

"What about Svalbard bears?" Lyra suddenly asked. "Aren't there thousands of them?"

Iorek growled. Mia stroked his head to calm him down.

Quickly Lyra apologised and told him that her father was imprisoned at Svalbard and therefore needed insight about that cold fortress of polar bears.

"He's imprisoned at Svalbard? I am not a Svalbard bear,"

"My father told me you were," Mia said, remembering her dad's words.

"He was right. I was a Svalbard bear of wealth and rank...a prince. But I broke the rules and I was sent away,"

Lyra stopped eating and looked at him. "What did you do?"

Mia twisted my head at her, giving off an expression to plead her to not ask Iorek such a question. But he answered anyway.

"I killed another bear,"

Mia stared at him. A bear killing another bear? "Who did you kill?"

"That is not a question I wish to answer. Bears shouldn't kill other bears. It was supposed to be a fight for a bear who I was in love with. But the bear was drunk and wouldn't back down, so I was forced to kill him. For such a crime I was rightly stripped of rank and title. I was exiled and Iofur Raknison became king. If your father is a prisoner of Svalbard Lyra, he will not escape,"

"He'll find a way out," Lyra said.

Iorek lifted up a paw, explaining how a blow could crush a seal's skull or break a man's leg. They were just as strong as they looked.

Lyra however remained hopeful. She believed that he would trick them but Iorek told her that bears see tricks as plain as arms and legs. Mia remembered her father telling her how Iorek could easily tell between someone who is threatening him and someone who acts like he isn't threatening him. But Lyra kept talking about how her father tricked her into thinking he was her uncle and lied to her since she was a baby.

"But you are not a bear," Iorek supported.

"He has a point Lyra," Mia supported. "And you're still a child, so it's easier for you to be so easily tricked by deceits you've grown up with your whole life,"

"Some part of me is definitely bear," Lyra said, a little smugly. "You'll see. And Kaisa said that my father is under house arrest is his laboratory. It's obvious he tricked the bear into letting him continue his research,"

"He's still a prisoner though," she said.

"He won't be for long,"

For some reason Mia found Lyra's hopeful gift very admirable. No matter how difficult situations can be for the future, she remains content and somewhat determined to try no matter what. They continued eating and rested for a little while long. The two girls climbed back onto Iorek and this time Lyra let Mia sit in the front. They galloped off into the blue again, desperate to get to the fishing village to find what Lyra was looking for.

Another chapter done. Enjoyed that one. I shall taken any recent ideas or future ones into account. Thank you everyone who has been very supportive.