What if Mrs. Coulter kept Lyra after the court hearing

Chapter four

Months past and Lyra moped around the flat missing her father. She would sneak into her mothers office to stare at the pictures she has on her desk. There were four photos, one of Lyra as a baby, Marisa and Lyra around her first birthday, one with Asriel, Marisa and Lyra around her first birthday and the latest one from Asriel's last visit.

In the end, because there was a lot of paperwork Marisa didn't want Lyra to see, she ended up giving one of the photograms to Lyra so she can keep it on her table in her room and she can stare at it whenever she wanted.

Marisa would send Asriel the odd photogram of Lyra to his work station up north. He was constantly moving because of the Magisterium, so in the end they stopped.

Lyra would constantly pester her mother on when her father was coming back and the answer was always the same "I don't know darling, his work is very time consuming." Marisa would always try to smile and not sound sad but she just couldn't keep up with it anymore, as she was slowly starting to miss him too.

Marisa was in her office going over paperwork and plans for the Oblation board, Lyra was playing in her room with pan. Next thing Lyra noticed a weird looking bird that was watching her through her window. She was wondering why a bird would be at her window so she ran to her mothers office. "Lyra, this better be good, you know not to come into my office while I'm working" Marisa said with an angry tone. "But I saw a bird, it scared me" Lyra explained without trying to cry.

Marisa got up in a huff and walked to Lyra's room to see this "scary" bird. There was nothing there and Marisa shut the curtain and told Lyra to stay away from the window.

Later that day Marisa got a telegram from Father MacPhail saying that she must be up at the station in Bolvanger ASAP and to bring Lyra. Knowing what happens there and not wanting her child to be anywhere near it, she needs to find a way of keeping her in London far away from Bolvanger.

Just days before she was set to leave London Asriel shows up out of the blue again. Marisa begged Asriel if he could watch Lyra while she had to travel north, she didn't tell him what part but he had an inkling. "Sure" replies Asriel "I'd be happy to look after my daughter while you are away." Lyra was super excited that her father had returned. " how long are you staying father?" Lyra asked trying not to get her hopes up. "Just until you're mother returns from the north" Lyra actually forgot her mother was going north, but she had her dad back and she gets to spend one on one time with him.

Asriel and Lyra escort Marisa to the airfield where her airship was waiting for her. Lyra sad trying not to cry, hugging her mother and kissing her goodbye. Marisa holding back tears as it's the first time since she gave Lyra up that they are going to be apart. Marisa kisses her child on the head and walked into the airship.

As soon as the airship was far up in the sky, Asriel asked his child what would she like to do. Lyra thought about it for a bit and said "the park" so off they went. Asriel and Lyra spent hours at the park that they sorta lost the track of time. It was getting close to dusk and all the families where leaving slowly. As they were walking back to the flat, Lyra noticed two men in black clothing following them. She knew they weren't Magisterium men as she's never seen that uniform before.

They kept getting closer and closer and Lyra wasn't liking this. She tugs on her fathers arm and used code words that her mother taught her and was told her dad knew them too. Next minute Asriel grades Lyra's hand and leads her down a road full off people. "Did we lose them dad?" Lyra softly asking Asriel, "I don't know but stay close to me" Lyra nodded and kept hold of her fathers hand the whole time.