The Aeronaut's Daughter

Exploring a Strange City in a Strange World

(Day Before) 

(Third Person P.O.V)

Lyra, (Y/N) Scoresby and their daemons Pantalaimon and Aster stalked through the dense forests of the strange world they had entered when they passed through Lord Asriel's created window. It was dark. There were leaves and bushes everywhere. It was nothing like they had ever seen before. And they had yet to find civilisation.

As they walked towards a clearing surrounded by rocks, Lyra noticed that (Y/N) had slowed down slightly. She stopped. She turned around and looked towards a towering beacon of light that shone in the great distance. Asriel's window.

Lyra could tell what her expression meant. "(Y/N)..." she approached her friend, who turned around to meet her face, "If you really want to go back to your father, I don't mind. I never wanted to drag you into this anyway,"

"But what about you Lyra?" (Y/N) asked. "You don't even know what this world is like or where your..." she paused, knowing better to change words. "Asriel is going,"

"I can't turn back. I have to find out about dust...other wise Roger..." she held back a sob and a teary expression. "...died for nothing,"

"Then I'm with you all the way," (Y/N) clasped her shoulder.

"But (Y/N)..."

"I've already come too far to turn back now. My father's too far away for me to reach and so my only course of action is stick with you. And besides...the Magisterium will have air ships everywhere. If I set foot out, they'd capture or kill me. My father would in much greater danger if he learnt of that. My path is with you now. I just hope that he knows that we're alright,"

Lyra took her hand. "I promise you (Y/N). Once we find answers about dust, I will stop at nothing to get you back to your father. I promise,"

(Y/N) smiled. She was pulled into a tight hug which she returned affectionately. Linking hands they continued walking through the strange forests of this new world. Pan and Aster trotted behind them in the forms of an arctic fox and a pine Martin. They came closer and closer to a clearing.

The daemons trotted on ahead.

"Guys look!" Aster called.

The girls rushed up to the arctic fox daemon perching on a rock overlooking a great view. In the distance lied a city almost separated from the mainland. It lied on a bed of calm but dark water that seemed to stretch far out into the unknown.

"Civilization," (Y/N) breathed.

"It's the city in the sky," Lyra said.

"What?" (Y/N) asked.

"Asriel...at Jordan College, he showed photos he took. One of them was a picture of this city in the Aurora," Lyra remembered that image like it was not too long ago.

"That must be what he was looking for Lyra," Pan said.

"Then that's where we'll go," Lyra said. "We'll rest here for the night. And we'll head there tomorrow,"

Not too long after she announced their plan, the sky rumbled and rain suddenly poured down. Quickly they found a small cave and took shelter inside. Lyra and (Y/N) rewrapped themselves in their coats. (Y/N) pulled out a flint and steel from her shoulder bag and got a fire going on some twigs that they managed to find.

As the rain pounded the forest outside their shelter, the girls huddled together with their daemons to keep warm.

"What do you suppose we'll find in this city?" (Y/N) asked.