What If? The Abyss

Am I the monster?

Marisa's heart sank and her stomach lurched all of a sudden. The guards didn't attempt to stop the mother from crawling to her lifeless child's body. With trembling hands and tears blinding her vision she began to gently shake Lyra saying softly, "Lyra, it's okay darling moth..I've got you. They're gone Lyra please wake up!" Her calm tone suddenly became overcome with worry and she appeared to be almost shouting at her daughter through loud ugly sobs:

"LYRA! Lyra please..please this isn't funny please!!!" Fearing for her daughter's life she screamed "WHERE'S HER DÆMON WHERES PAN?!" She frantically searched over Lyra's body but wasn't thorough enough to see that Pan was folded within the fabric of Lyra's shirt in the form of a mouse.She stumbled back, alarmed. She had come to the conclusion:

Lyra was dead.

Not another tear drop fell from her eye, she felt numb, like she'd been looking at it down the wrong end of a telescope, like it had happened years ago. She too had sustained a gallivespian sting but was way beyond feeling it now. A dull ache existed inside her heart and she wandered off; away from the scene as if in a trance. That's when she noticed: the window. 

At the same time she noticed the window, Will noticed Lyra so her ran off to her aid as Mrs Coulter stumbled blindly through to another world. Rolling around her head were the endless screams of her loved ones:

—————————————————————————————————————-——————-

"Proper ladies don't slack Marisa! You want to please your future husband do you not?" Her mother, madame Delamare screamed at her as Ozymandias was being held within the jaws of her mother's reptilian dæmon.

"Marisa, she is your child! Your daughter, why won't you hold her please just look at her!"

"HOW COULD YOU!! I AM YOUR HUSBAND NOT HIM NO ONE COULD LOVE YOU AS I LOVE YOU, YOU THINK HE CARES MARISA...NO HE USED YOU, YOU FOOLISH HAG!" Edward screamed at her bringing his belt down hard on her chest, completely winding her.

"I grant custody of the child in question to a nunnery. Court adjourned" The judge declared, heartlessly.

"Its what is best Marisa, you will never again be troubled by that Bastard child now you must make up for your sin...oh for the authority's sake stop crying idiot girl" her mother maliciously snarled.

"STOP! STOP THAT STOP HURTING US! YOU CAN'T TREAT ME LIKE THIS MY UNCLE WON'T LET YOU!" Lyra screamed in pain as the golden monkey bit at Pan's ears.

"I trusted you to look after her and you lost her" Said the master.

"Mother! Mother!"

"You know because you had parents just like mine of course you did.......and it won't break me and you know it won't because it wouldn't break you either."

"You drugged her!"

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

The voices swirled around Marisa's head as she stumbled aimlessly around. But the words had no effect on her. The noise of cars and people talking were drowned out in her head by the sound of screams: hers, Lyra's even Asriel's. Guilt. Guilt was the only emotion she was capable of feeling.

Meanwhile, Will rushed to Lyra's side just as she was coming to..still weak from the venom. They propped her up against a crate. King Ogunwe passed a metal flask full of sweet smelling tea. She gulped it gratefully.

"Lyra are you alright?! What happened! What did they do to you?" Will asked protectively stopping the King from feeling Lyra's temperature.

"I'm fine Will, thank you." Lyra mumbled. The  she seemed to realise where she was and backed away from the King and the gallivespians.

"Where is she?" Lyra said defensively, referring to her mother. 

"She left Lyra...she left you." The king said smirking slightly almost as an 'I told you so'.

Lyra smiled and shook her head. She stood up slowly ignoring the excruciating pain and turned to Will, who just pointed to the already cut window. Before the King could stop her she sprinted forward and they barrelled straight into the window. 

Will closed the window a millisecond before the King reached them.

It seemed they were back in the botanic gardens of Oxford...in Will's world. Lyra collapsed to the ground overcome with fatigue and lethargy. Will assisted her to the nearest bench and they rested for a while, as the sun began to set.

Mrs Coulter aimlessly wandered around the garden compelled to sniff some of the flowers. As she turned a corner she saw resting on a bench..the boy. And asleep next to him with her head resting on his chest was a girl...

Lyra.