Three months have passed since both Lyra, Marisa and their daemons arrived in Geneva. In those three months Lyra mainly stayed in her room since the Magisterium believed she should be seen and not heard at specific times and those times were all the time. Marisa noticed how sad Lyra was getting and she didn't like it.
"Pan, can you see if it's clear so I can run to the kitchen to get a drink"
Pan turns into a little brown moth. He flew as far as he could without pushing the boundary that humans have with their daemon.
"It's clear"
Lyra slowly opens her door to double check. As she walked through her doorway she heard a voice, a voice she knew oh to well.
"Should you be out of your room child?"
"I would really like to get a drink father MacPhail. I am really thirsty"
"It's cardinal now child and that is how you are to address me"
Lyra just rolls her eyes at the man and walks back into her room and shuts her door.
"What are we going to do Pan? It's really hot in here. I hope they leave soon so we can get out of this hot room"
It's almost dark and the Magisterium is still around. Usually in the afternoons it cools down but this day it stayed hot.
A knock on the door startled the girl and her daemon. Lyra walked slowly to her door to see who it is. As she went to take a second step, everything went black.
On the other side was the golden monkey with a glass of water for Lyra, he grew concerned when he heard a thud. He ran back to Marisa.
"Gentlemen, it's getting late, so I think it's time for you all to leave"
"Oh yes suppose we should" one man said
"Oh, dear I didn't realise it was that late" another said
Marisa could sense her daemon wanted to tell her something but had ignored it till she was alone.
"What do you want now?" she looked at him with both hands holding her head
"It's the girl, I think something is wrong"
Marisa ran to Lyra's room to find the door locked. She quickly ran back to her office to grab her keys then ran back to Lyra's room.
"Lyra.... Darling. Answer me. Are you ok?"
The girl didn't respond. Finally, Marisa found the right key, she flings open the door to find Lyra on the ground. The room was so hot, it felt like an oven. Of all days there was no breeze. Marisa attempts to wake her child, the daemon tries to do everything he could with Pan, sadly he stayed limp.
The golden monkey was ordered to grab wash cloths to attempt to cool Lyra down. Marisa covered Lyra head to foot in cool cloths to help bring her body temp down.
"NO, you can't leave me" tears start forming in Marisa's eyes "I only just got you back"
With Marisa's attempts at cooling her child down, it was clear what Marisa had to do. It wasn't fair to her or Lyra.
It was the weekly meeting for Marisa and the Magisterium. Lyra stayed home with one of the servants as she was still recovering from heatstroke. A car came to pick the woman up, but since it was a nice day, she decided to walk. Walking through town, Marisa was admiring all the old buildings then she saw possibly the biggest building in all of Geneva. Guards and their daemons on all corners on the outside and would be the same on the inside.
Marisa had to make the biggest decision today. She stood Infront of Cardinal MacPhail and several other Magisterium men.
"Gentleman, as you can see, I am not needed here anymore. I have met all your demands with my research and with that Lyra and I will leave on the next zeppelin back to London"
Marisa taps the pile of papers she had in her hand, nodded to the men and started walking off.
"Hold on a second Mrs. Coulter" MacPhail raises his hand and points to a piece of paper in front of him. "It says here you are to keep working on this project and with us till we say you can leave, not when YOU want to"
"And they are one of the reasons you couldn't see the child" the monkey said to his human
Marisa looked at her daemon, it was one of those rare moments where she agreed with him. "No Hugh, ill leave when I want to. I will not let men rule my life anymore. IM DONE!"
With that Marisa Coulter chose someone other than herself. She rushed out of the building and rushed home to tell Lyra the news.
Back at the house Marisa found Lyra on the couch curled up with Pan laying on top of the couch as a little brown cat. Marisa didn't want to wake Lyra, but she knew she didn't have much time before the Magisterium would be banging at the door.
"Lyra... Darling... You need to wake up my love" Lyra lets out a few grunts as she slowly wakes up "What? What's wrong?" Marisa brushes some hair out of Lyra's face "Don't be alarmed, but we need to leave now... before the Magisterium take me away"
Lyra still a little groggy got half of what her mother said and went straight to her room. "PACK LIGHT, ILL REPLACE EVERYTHING WHEN WE ARE BACK IN LONDON" Marisa yelled from her room.
Marisa knew a zeppelin left Geneva twice daily and the second one would be coming up soon, so she rushed and only packed things that were most important to her i.e., photograms of her and Lyra and some other relatives that meant a lot to her.
The staff caught wind of what was happening and notified the Magisterium. Lyra walks up to her mother's room bags in hand "I'm ready" she says with a slight smile as she was still very much sleepy.
"Good girl" Marisa says with a smile. "Now quick go outside and I'll be with you in a second"
Next thing this blood curdling scream was heard, Marisa dropped her bags and ran to the front door as she knew it was Lyra.
"What is it? What is it?" before Marisa could even get to her child, a tall Magisterium man got in the way
"Mrs. Coulter, by order of the Magisterium and your duty to this organisation you are to stay in Geneva till the cardinal says so or your duties are done. Since both haven't happened, I have orders to bring you and the child back"
Marisa looks at Lyra worried and scared, the only thing she could say was "RUN LYRA!" without thinking Lyra ran. It took the Magisterium men a few seconds to respond to the child running. Three men quickly ran after the child while their leader dealt with Marisa.
"Get your hands off me! I'll have your heads for this" no matter how hard Marisa fought them, they grabbed her harder.
Lyra thought she got away from the men till Pan spoke up in his sparrow form "Lyra behind you" the girl screamed as two men surrounded her and the third snatches her.
Back at the Magisterium building Cardinal Hugh had Marisa sat a desk. The woman refused to look at the man "So are you going to keep me hostage? What are your plans? Just so you know I'm not scared of you"
Minutes later Lyra was thrown into the same room as her mother. Marisa wanted to comfort her child; Hugh stopped her by slapping a cane against the table. The loud bang scared both the mother and daughter. Marisa gives Hugh her famous death stare "DON'T YOU HURT HER" she said through gritted teeth. Still a little scared of the woman as he knows what she is capable of "Or what Mrs. Coulter? I'm in charge now"
A big smile grew on Marisa's face "Oh Hugh, don't you realise I know all your secrets" Hugh lets out a nervous chuckle "Oh really? Do tell then" Marisa smiles and shakes her head "And take all the fun away. I don't think so"
Lyra caught her mother's attention and for once in Marisa's life she knew how to help her daughter. "Well gentleman this was fun. Now I will take my daughter and leave this horrendous place once and for all"
Hugh snapped his fingers, and a guard quickly grabs Pan around the neck. Hearing Lyra gasp for air was Marisa's breaking point.
"So, Hugh how does it feel being Cardinal after I killed Cardinal Sturrock just so you could take his place? We all know it was a role you've wanted for a long time, and you had enough of waiting. If that witch didn't harm him in the first place, you'd still be grovelling at his feet. Need I go on?"
The guards started to talk amongst themselves, Hugh started to be worried about his reputation, a man who feared the old Cardinal but one the young new recruits feared.
"Pfft, who are you going to believe? This woman lies all the time, I know for a fact she is lying now"
The men knew not to second guess the Cardinal as he was second highest person in charge.
Cardinal Hugh orders his men to leave the room and he follows behind. Before he shuts the door, he looks down at Marisa who was clutching her child "When I get out of this place I will come after you" He could pretend all he wants to be stronger than Marisa Coulter but deep down he is a scared little boy.
Being kept under protest Marisa now knows how Lyra felt when she did it to her child. Observing her child and staring out the window at the dark night sky, a bright light caught Marisa's attention. This light looked like it was floating in thin air, at this point she thought she was dead.
"What is that?" she said to herself. This light got bigger and bigger, then a creature came out. At first, she couldn't work out what it was till the light lit up the whole frame.
Marisa let out a soft gasp "it's.. It's Stelmaria"
Seconds later Asriel came through the slit of light, then quickly closed it.
Marisa tries to get Asriel's attention by tapping on the window, the man didn't hear her attempts then the door opens, its Father Gomez.
"What are you doing woman?"
Marisa quickly turns around; she tries to form a sentence but instead she stutters "N..n..n..nothing"
Father Gomez shuts the door and walks away. Moments later Marisa could hear a commotion on the other side of the door, fearing for her and Lyra's life she clutches her child in hopes if they die, she will be with her daughter for the rest of time.
The door bursts open, the sound of gunshots sung in the halls. Marisa wasn't game to look up from Lyra just in case she was shot too.
"Marisa?"
"I know that voice anywhere, but it can't be.......... Asriel?"
The woman looks up to see the man she only saw moments ago. "Quick, come with me I'll keep you safe" Asriel puts his hand out. "Please take Lyra, I'll be fine" As Marisa hands the child over.
Asriel pulls out this shiny knife, Marisa swears she's seen this knife before but can't remember where. "I'll use this knife to cut open a window for you and the child can go through. I'll be back in a moment"
When Marisa and Lyra walked through the slit in the sky it was bright but snowy, Marisa didn't know this place "Where did he send us?" Marisa was starting to get mad then Asriel appears beside her.
"This way quickly now" Asriel ushers his former lover and their child into this hut. "We will be safe here" Asriel said while out of breath from fighting
"Where are we Asriel?"
"Oh this? I came across it a few years back on my travels. It belonged to the Samoyed people. Quick bring the child in out of the cold"
"NO, I mean where are we Asriel"
"OH. Two days southwest of Bolvanger"
"So, you're telling me you just rescued us from the Magisterium, to bring us a two-day hike from the station that nearly took our child's life"
Asriel looks down at his daemon twisting his foot into the shag rug "Um.. Yes. BUT its only temporary"
This didn't make Marisa feel at ease with that reply. "For your sake, I hope they don't find us"
Hours later a unexpected snow storm came through"What's happening? How did we get here?" Lyra finally awoke from her encounter with the magisterium guard. Marisa ran to her child and grips her tight "Your father found and saved us from those men. We are safe"
"Here Lyra eat this" Asriel hands Lyra some seal meat that he had saved "It will give you some strength" Lyra pulled a face but didn't want to argue with her parents.
Once it was nighttime and safe to move without being spotted, Asriel pulled out the knife again and cut another window, this place was sunny and hot. "Oh i hope there's a beach here Lyra thought to herself"
This place was like a dream vacation destination. It had a beach, loads of shops and other children for Lyra to play with. Marisa let's out a sigh of relief "This place is perfect"
This little family finally found peace and love in their new home and they were far away from the Magisterium.
Lyra's attitude towards her parents went away and both Asriel and Marisa made more time for their child. The family Lyra dreamt of all her childhood she finally got and she didn't care it took this long to come together.
She was finally happy..... they all were