The Aeronaut's Daughter

Finding the Entrance

(Lyra P.O.V)

It had been a very long walk along the beach and we hadn't found any signs of life or Cittagatze. We slept on the warm sand under some palm trees and Pan snuggled next to me like a polar bear. I woke up to the first light and I felt warm air whooshing over me as I saw the sun rising across the sea. I stood up and stretched my hands before jogging over to the tide and scooping some water over my face. I then sat down and watched the sky brightening up as a new day was beginning once again.

"You okay Lyra?" Pan asked.

"I'm not Pan," I said glumly. "(Y/N) and Will probably went into Will's world looking for us and they're probably in trouble. And it's all my fault,"

"We didn't mean for this to happen," Pan consulted. 

"He's right Lyra," (M/C)'s voice made me jump. I turned around and saw him standing right over me. "Geez...what is wrong with you?!"

"Sorry. Sorry," he apologised. He sat down slowly and then moved a little to the side when he was too close. "Lyra, none of this is your fault. It's mine. I put my selfish wants before our safety and the need to get back home and I got you captured. And I'm so sorry. I cared too much about vengeance that I was willing to abandon you just to do that," he turned his head and looked into the distance, drifting off into thoughts of regret. 

I felt very sorry for him. I turned to Pan and he cocked his paw to (M/C). I knew what he was saying. You should talk to him. 

"What was her name?" I spoke up. 

(M/C) turned to me. "Who?"

"Your best friend," 

His lips formed a straight smile. "Lila. You remind me of her Lyra. She was like you. Brave, strong, determined, quite a cheeky girl,"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his compliments. "I'm so sorry you lost her. I lost my best friend too. His name was Roger,"

(M/C) turned sorrowful. "What happened to him?"

(M/C P.O.V)

I watched her face turn dark and hateful as she turned away from me. "He was killed by my father. He cut his daemon away from him to form a window to get to this world. And I miss him. I want to talk to him. I want to tell him I'm sorry because it's my fault he died," 

"It wasn't your fault," I comforted. "You're not responsible for your father's actions,"

"But I brought Roger to him," her voice broke when she looked at me again, this time tears were coming out of her eyes. Immediately I regretted having asked that question. "I thought he needed the Alethiometer but instead it was him he needed," she turned away from me again. She couldn't bear for me to see her cry. 

I sighed. I shuffled closer to her. She looked at me again. "Lyra, something things happen and there's nothing we can do about it. Roger wouldn't want you to feel guilty. He would want you to pick yourself up and finish what you started. And that's what we're going to do. We're going to get back to Cittagatze, find Will and (Y/N), get the Alethiometer back and then help Will find his father. That's what Roger would tell you to do," 

Lyra was motivated. "And we're going to help you find where you belong," 

I scoffed. "No. I don't belong anywhere but Cittagatze" 

"Don't you want to know who you are? Who your family is?"

"My family abandoned me," I said bitterly. "Why would I want to know anything about them?"

"The Alethiometer also mentioned this. It said that you were left for protection,"

I crossed my eyebrows. "From what?"