#going north

Lee stood up quietly and slowly. The clicking was coming from the main console of the balloon. He approached it carefully, a furrowed gaze focused on it. You quietly got to your feet too, though didn't dare move from your spot as you watched him go.

He tapped the console, his compass on the console spinning around and around. Clicking to his right caught his attention. He walked over quietly. The reel on the side of the balloon was turning slowly.

A snarl sounded from somewhere behind you.

You were beginning to feel a little freaked out and made your way over to Lee, grasping his hand.

"Lee?"

He gave your hand a squeeze as he looked around.

The wind seemed to be picking up quite a bit. It had been rather calm a moment ago. Something passed by the balloon. The snarling being a little louder this time around.

It was enough to rouse Lyra from her sleep.

Lee let go of your hand as he raised his gun. You remained close behind him, keeping a keen eye on your surroundings. Lee gazed down at Lyra and signalled for her to be quiet. She nodded silently.

Lee pulled back the nearest piece of tarp and held his gun out, sticking his head through to look outside. He couldn't see anything, but something was making a bit of noise. Lee came back inside the balloon and glanced at you. Whatever was out there continued to making clicking sound. They were close enough to be heard, that was for sure.

Roger was waking up. He shared a look with Lyra.

A beat of silence passes.

Something screams loudly as Iorek pokes his head and sees something fly past. They were quite big and had claw like hands. Their screeching was hard to listening to as Iorek growled out, trying to grab one as it flew past his head.

"Cliff-ghasts!" He howls.

There were many of them gathering above your heads, screeching down at you. Lee raised his gun and began to shot at them.

Lyra and Roger rolled to the side, crouching down and covering their ears. They cuddle together.

"Cliff-ghasts. I hate cliff-ghasts." Lee states. He reloads his gun. "Hold tight. Little turbulence." He pulls you down into a crouching position. "Iorek, see any more out there?"

"No. It's clear. Your shooting must have improved, Lee."

Just as Lee manages to reload his weapon, one of the cliff-ghasts pokes it head up from the board below. It screeches loudly, but luckily Lee is right there and armed. He fires his gun.

You have to cover your ears due to the amount of noise happening.

Lee closes the hatch and looks up.

There is a lot more clicking. It sounds as if they are climbing up.

You find yourself at a disadvantage, having never seen these things before. You want to be useful to Lee, but the way he reaches for your hands tells you enough.

Lee raises his gun and shoots at the one that climbed into his view.

Everything after that happens so quickly.

The balloon begins to rock violently. Lyra screams. You lose your footing and fall away from Lee. Lyra falls back, the side of the balloon falls open. You hear Roger call her name and you look up sharply. The balloon door is open and Lyra isn't in view. You fill with dread as you get your bearing and scramble over to the door.

Lyra is hanging on, just about.

"Lyra!"

"Y/N!"

"Lyra!" Lee yells. "Hold on! I'm coming to get you!"

You grab onto the side of the balloon and reach out with your other hand, ignoring Lee's shouting.

"Y/N!" Lee grabs onto the centre of the balloon, Lorek behind him. He's looking down at you, in a risky situation, trying to grab Lyra. Oliver is flying over your head, concerned about if you fall. "Grab my hand!"

You ignore him. You reach out just a little more, but from your position there is very little for you to grab onto and you end up slipping down a little more.

"Y/N!"

"I'm.... almost.... there." You keep your eyes on Lyra as you reach down as far as you could. You're barely even grasping her hand.

"Grab her Lee!" Lorek yells.

Lee has one hand extended out to you. His heart was going wild. He had never felt so scared before.

"Y/N, take my hand."

"Not without Lyra!" You yell, leaning out as far as you could.

Just as your hand touches her glove, everything seems to stop. It's like watching it in slow motion. Lyra let go of the door to reach for your hand, but in doing so lost her grip and you had to watch as she screamed and fell out of sight.

"LYRA!" You scream. You had never screamed so loudly before.

In your daze your grip loosens you begin to slide, but Lee seems find his adrenaline to grab you and pull you back.

You lose all sense of what's happening.

Lee loops his arm around your waist and pulls you as far back into the balloon as possible. He sets you down by Iorek and grabs Roger, telling him to join you, but just as he reaches for the door Iorek glares harshly out into the sky. He crouches down and looks Roger.

"Get on."

Roger does as he is told. He looks down at you who hasn't said anything. He wondered what was going on in your head.

Iorek nudges Lee aside and the aeronaut doesn't even get an explanation ns he watches the bear leap out of the balloon with Roger, the boy hanging on for dear life.

"Iorek!"

He stares down, but doesn't see anything.

Lee has total faith in Iorek and his skills, but what was he thinking?

Oliver lands in front of him. Lee shakes his head and closes up the balloon. He turns around slowly. You're crouched down, hugging your knees to your chest, staring out at nothing.

Lee approaches.

He kneels down.

He feels his own tears spilling, but his mind can only focus on you right now. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his chest. You waste no time to break down.

Lyra had been right there.

You could have grabbed her.

Now Iorek and Roger had gone too.

You let all your tears fall. Let all your feelings out. You gripped into Lee like he was your only lifeline left. Your heart was torn in two. Never had you felt more hopeless than now.

You had a responsibility for Lyra.... and you couldn't even keep to it.

Lee pressed a kiss to your head as he let you cry into his chest.

Meanwhile, the storm raged on around you.

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Iorek let out a huff of air through his nose. Lee glanced at him to see the polar bear narrowing his eyes at him. Even Hester was looking at him with a strange look.

"Are you cold?" Lee asked, turning away  from his companions to focus his attention solely on you.

"A bit. We're quite high up."

Lee didn't give an answer as he looped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side gently, but firmly. You were a little caught off guard, but it was warm being tucked under his arm. You tried to hide your blush by burying your face into his coat, letting him hold you like that. Lee smiled softly, but you couldn't see it, too busy trying to hide your own face.

"I didn't get a chance to ask you, how was your first time in a balloon?"

"I like it. I can see why you enjoy it so much. You're a bit of a free spirit, aren't you?" You look up once you're sure your expression won't betray your feelings any more.

"I suppose. Aren't you?"

"Not really." You turn away again.

"No? You convinced me other wise." He was looking at you. You could feel his gaze on you.

"Convinced?"

"After everything I've seen from the moment we met, I would say you're one of the more free spirited people I've ever met.... and that's saying something because Lyra is right there."

You both chuckle.

"I'm glad I met you, Lee."

"I'm glad I met you, Y/N."

The moment was perfect. A little closer and he could steal a kiss.

He's not sure when such thoughts came to him. It's true that he has become very fond of you. More so than just fondness. Keeping you safe has been one of his top priorities, up with protecting Lyra. Just the thought of something happening to you was unsettling to him. He wanted to show you so much. He wanted to spend more time with you. He had begun to wonder what it would have been like if he had met you sooner. Would the pair of you be travelling around the world in his balloon? Would you be happy to do that? As far as he knew, you were an engineer from Oxford who had never travelled very far before. The fact that he could share this experience with you made him rather proud.

As he sits there gazing into your eyes, he has to wonder... When did you become so important to him? At what point did you become the most valuable person to him?

"I thought you might need a tow." A voice said, interrupting the moment.

Jumping slightly from the unexpected interruption, you sub-consciously  move yourself away from Lee, almost embarrassed to be caught in such a situation.

You didn't see the disappointment in Lee's eyes.

It was Serafina Pekkala, the witch.

Lee got up to his feet, helping you up too. He was at least happy you would take his hand and let him help you.

"Well, thank you, Miss Pekkala."

"Always good to see you in the skies, Mr Scoresby. Your daemon is examining me." She looks down at Hester.

"Well, it's been a while since we've seen you." Hester says.

"That was quite a performance earlier." Lee was referring to her attack back in Bolvangar. She had taken out many of the guards in the blink of an eye. She was gone as quickly as she had arrived.

"Thank you."

"Question - what can we expect going forward in the sense of mayhem and chaos?"

"There might be fighting, but you've fought before." She tells him.

"And gladly." Lee casts a glance toward you, but you don't really think anything of it. You just smile at him. "But as the situation grows more complicated, so OUR situation grows more complicated." He glances down at Lyra.

"The child is destined to be important - to create and resolve conflict."

"So this is about her." You state. Looking down at Lyra too.

"She matters more than she can ever know. The fate of more than this world depends on her"

"Well, I had a contract with the Gyptians over what was accomplished in Bolvangar." Lee tells her. He wasn't wrong. To be fair, you were in the same boat. You had agreed to go to the North to get the children back. There wasn't anything else after that. "This... this seems like a whole new thing, which requires, if I'm honest, new contacts and new payments..."

"She will need you, Lee. Both of you." Serafina looks at you.

"You know, a man should have a choice whether to take up arms or not."

"And you need her." Serafina smiles at him.

"That's now how I expected this conversation to go."

"Is it not?"

"No, I was hoping you would find a way of chucking me some danger money. Instead, you blindsided me with... with love." He glances down at Lyra, but oh how we wanted to show that it wasn't Lyra who held all his affection.

Serafina glanced behind him to where you were standing. There was an expression on your face that she could read so clearly. There was disappointment in yours eyes. From your perspective it was because of what he had said about his contract, that this is more than he had signed up for initially. From Serafina's perspective, it was because of what he had just said. It was as clear as day that you held affections for him too. She hoped he would come to tell you. This had deeper roots than he was letting on and it would bloom into something wonderful if he just allowed it to.

She smiled. Serafina leaned in.

"Good."

She knew what he would choose if given the opportunity.

"The polar star will guide you to Asriel." She looks over her shoulder and out into the distance. You follow her gaze. "The wind is strong. You're a capable navigator."

"So it's me. She's responsible for the fate of everything, and I'm responsible... for her?"

"The world is in your hands, Mr Scoresby... and I am delighted it is."

Serafina flies off into the night.

Lee watches her go.

You remain in the spot you had been in for this entire conversation, watching the sky, rather than Lee.

"Impressive." Hester comments.

"Yep."

"And they want you on their team?!"

"Shut up, Hester."

He turns back around slowly and sees you standing there quietly. His heart aches. That expression on your face doesn't belong there. He doesn't like it.

"What is it?" He comes closer, grasping your arms gently.

"You're not going to abandon her... right?" You ask quietly, nodding down at Lyra.

"I don't have many options." He sighs.

You cast your gaze off to the side.

"What is it?" His voice is soft. He's beginning to hate that sad look in your eyes.

"Do it because you want to. Because you care.... not because you'll get paid at the end of it." You removed your arms from his hold and stepped back, seeking a spot closer to Iorek to sit down.

Lee gazes at you.

You sounded convinced he wouldn't see this through, that he would leave the next chance he got. He had done his bit.

No. He can't have that.

"Your chances are running out." Hester hisses quietly. "Don't disappoint her. Please don't."

Lee watched as Oliver came to your side and nestled under your arm. You leaned back and closed your eyes. Your heart feeling heavy in your chest. Lee's was aching to make this right.

He almost had you.

Almost.

Disappointing you wasn't an option. He had to make things right. For Lyra.... and for you.

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"We good to go?"

"Just a few checks on the console and then we should be good to go." He smiled. He stepped onto the balloon to do those checks. You would have followed him, but saw Coram approaching. You turned to talk to him.

He gave you a small smile.

"You two will have an advantage from above when we get there." He stated, looking at the balloon. You nodded in agreement.

"We'll give you a sign." You told him.

He nodded as he looked at you.

"Lyra is counting on us." He tells you.

"As are many children. We'll get her back. She candle herself for now, I know she will, but we'll get her back." You smile at him softly.

He knows you're speaking the truth and looks up when Lee steps out from his balloon. He smiles at you and nods his head at Farder Coram.

"Ready to go?" He asks, looking at you gently.

"Yes."

"Please be careful." Farder Coram looks at you. You nod back at him and get onboard the balloon. Lee turns to other man and tips his hat to him.

"Mr Scoresby, please take care of Y/N. She is a dear friend of mine."

Lee's lips twitch up into a smile as he nods.

"On my life, I'll look after her."

Farder Coram thanks him quietly and turns around, leaving you both, to help the others. Lee follows you onto the balloon and takes a moment to look at you. If it's the last thing he ever does, he will protect you. He will get you and Lyra back home safely no matter what.

You turn and smile at him.

"Let's go. We shouldn't keep Lyra waiting."

He returns the smile and nods. He closes up the balloon and secures it before making his way over to the control panel. You stand beside him and watch as he gets to work.

Nerves settle in your stomach as the balloon begins to take off from the ground.

Lee can tell you're nervous and he offers you a comforting smile as the balloon lifts higher and higher into the air.

"Hey."

You turn to look at him. He smiles.

"You can.... hold my hand if you're nervous."

You smile softly and gaze at his hand. It was a kind offer, but not needed. You met his gaze and shook your head.

"I'm OK."

Soon enough the balloon is in the air. You leave Lee's side to peer over the side, all nervous feeling now gone. You can just about note the others making way onward. They would be following from below. Bolvangar is a dangerous place, but everyone was made prepared for what was to come.

It was those thoughts you dreaded.

You didn't know what would happen once you all got there, but your priority was finding Lyra and keeping her safe. Hopefully the rest of the children would be there too.

"We're way up in the sky now."

On his word, you looked down again, no longer able to see the ground. The balloon drifted quickly, but smoothly through the clouds. It was so much colder up in the sky. You pulled your coat around you as tight as possible and turned back to Lee. He was longer facing the console, confident in the direction you were both headed.

"It's going to be OK."

"I know, it's just... you can't be entirely sure of something until it's all over." You stand beside him and sigh softly. "All those children..."

Lee places an arm around you and pulls you in closer to his side. He rubs your arm gently. The comfort was greatly appreciated. You allowed yourself to lean into him. Every time your mind wandered to concerning thoughts and worries, he was always there to bring you back out.

"How far is Bolvangar?"

"Not all that far now. My balloon closes the distance quite quick. A little longer and then we'll let those on the ground catch up."

"Right. I wonder what goes on there. Is all this worth it? Do they honestly think taking children from their families is a good idea?"

"They believe what they're doing is a good idea." Lee corrected. "We won't let them carry on."

"Right."

It wasn't much longer until something caught your attention in the distance. You pointed it out and Lee began to prepare for the waiting game. The balloon descended and touched the ground lightly, but Lee kept the balloon in preparation to take off again. There was an eerie silence in the air.

"Lyra... we're coming." You whispered, looking out to where the massive base was standing.

"She knows." Lee reminded you.

When the others arrived, a quick briefing took place. The place was heavily guarded and getting in wasn't going to be easy.

As soon as the OK was given, you and Lee got back into the balloon and took to the skies once more. The night sky made the balloon less visible, so at least you had an advantage.

Things escalated very quickly.

Lee landed the balloon in clear view. The others stormed the building. Maggie and two others headed straight inside. Others began to follow. Lee  tapped your shoulder and gestured for you to follow him. Both of you were armed. Alarms were blaring, people were fighting The children must have been so scared.

You heard Maggie's voice down one hall and gestured for Lee to follow you. A man was coming up behind her to attack, but Lee took care of him easily. You could see a group of children gathered at the door opposite Ma. All of them were in their coats, prepared to leave.

You couldn't see Lyra with them.

Maggie gathered the children and helped guide them outside.

"Stay close to me" Lee said, softly. You nodded.

Any child found while running through the halls were gathered along with the rest. You kept close to Lee as you both made your way back outside. No one would be able to leave until the area was clear. You helped Lee fight off as many men as you could, catching a glimpse of Lyra running past you below. You had no time to celebrate her safety as one guard came at you, grabbing you from behind.

"Lee!"

The aeronaut turned around at the called of his name and held up his shotgun.

"Let her go."

The guard grumbled and held you tighter. You leaned against him as best you could, lifting your leg and stomping down hard on his foot. It didn't deal much pain, but it caught his attention enough for you to take a swing at him. The man toppled down into the snow below and you were quick to grab Lee's hand as he offered it to you, and pulled you off in the other direction.

"I saw Lyra." You told him, keeping up with his pace.

"Then we have no time to waste."

You both ran down to where the others had been gathered. By the time you both got down there, the fighting had stopped. You were met with a display of young boys standing by the door.

All the children had been gathered.

You see Lyra and your racing heart rests.

She spots you.

You part with Lee and hurry over to her, pulling her in close and hugging tightly.

"I was so scared we had lost you." You whisper.

Lyra hugs back and rested her head against you.

"I knew you would come find me." She looks up at you with a smile. "I knew."

You pressed a kiss to her head and look around at the boys.

"Let's get out of here."

Father Coram nods at you and Maggie helps the others gather all the children together.

Lyra turns around and waves over one of the boys. The only one wearing a coat.

"This is my best friend, Roger." She smiles at him and then at you.

"It's nice to meet you, Roger. Though I wish it were under different circumstances."

Roger smiles.

"Me too."

You chuckle and place a hand on each of their shoulders, taking them with you. Lee leads you all back to his balloon where Iorek waits. You help Lee prepare his balloon once again.

Lyra had something else that needed to be done.

The children were safe now, so she should already feel proud for coming this far, but she still had her father to think about.

He was still out there.

"Is this the balloon driver?" Roger asks, looking up at Lee. Lyra joined Roger's side, you stood beside Lee.

"I'm an aeronaut, kid, Lee Scoresby."

Iorek peeks his head around the corner.

"And this is?" Roger turns to Lyra.

"This is Iorek."

"This is Iorek? He just doesn't look as I had imagined him."

"You wanted better looking? Weren't we all?" Lee walks past them to close up his balloon. "We need to take to the skies. You alright with heights, Roger?" Lee asks the boy.

"Not really."

"You'll learn to be." Lee comes back over to you. You resisted the urge to giggle. He was a lot more friendlier about it with you than he was with Roger. "Balloon driver. Let's go!"

The children stand by the edge of the balloon and look out as you joined Lee at his side.

"Want me to do anything?" You ask him.

"Just stay close." He smiles at you. "Can't have you getting into trouble again."

"I wouldn't say I was in trouble, but you it was because you were there that I'm OK now." You smile at him.

"What would you do without me?"

"Oh, I can't even imagine." He chuckles.

The balloon rises into the air. Lyra waves at everyone being left below. The children would be taken somewhere safe and you would see to it that Lyra finds her father.

It wasn't over yet.

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You screamed.

Lee shot up quickly at the sound. Hester looked up at him with concern, noticing neither you or Lyra were with them. Lee was quick to scramble out of bed and rush outside where he found you standing. He hurries to your side and put and arm around you. He saw what you were looking at and turned you away from the sight.

At the sound of your scream, people had awoken. They were all coming out to see what the fuss was.

You cling onto Lee, still in shock.

"What happened?" You heard John Faa ask.

"Looks like the camp had been infiltrated during the night. Some of our men are dead." Lee gestured to the body lying next to your tent.

"You lot, check the camp." Faa gestured to some of the people and pointed in the other direction. People began to split up and check for any sign of who could have done this.

You pushed away from Lee gently.

"Have you seen Lyra?" You asked him.

He shook his head.

"I heard you scream and came straight to you." He look worried. "She wasn't with you?"

"She was gone when I woke up. I was on my way to find Iorek, maybe they're together." You suggested.

"Let's go take a look." He offered you his hand. You took it, still shaken up.

Iorek had made his way back to the camp after a long night. He hadn't been anywhere near by, keeping to himself. He hadn't seen what had happened until he returned. He saw you and Lee and made his way over.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Someone came into camp last night. They killed those on guard and Lyra is missing. We thought she might be with you." You said, but your voice deflated towards the end as Iorek stood before you alone.

"I have been alone all night. I have not seen Lyra at all." He told you.

Lee pulled you into his side as you began to panic again.

"We'll find her." He whispered into your ear.

"We have a responsibility, Lee. We're supposed to look after her. Keep her safe. What if that wicked woman has her?" You looked up at him. "I can't let anything happen to Lyra."

Lee took you by the shoulders and looked you in the eye.

"You can't think like that. Wherever Lyra is, she has the alethiometer with her. You know her. If she's in trouble, she'll figure something out. Lyra's clever like that." He spoke so kindly to you.

"You're right. I'm driving myself crazy." You took a deep breath. "I'll try not to lash out again."

"Hey, you can lash out if you want. You have every reason to, but keep in mind that we're not going to let anything happen to her. Lyra will by our side again before you know it." He offered you a smile.

You smiled back.

"Right."

You heard shouting from back within the camp and went with Lee and Iorek to find out what it was all about. Everyone was being gathered by Lord Faa.

"Me must move." He yelled out. "It is not safe to remain here and we must reach Bolvangar. It appears Lyra has been taken from us. That is where they will take her. Move." He gestured for everyone to disperse. Faa looked over at you and Lee. "When we get there, find her." He told you both.

You both nodded.

Lee kept an arm around you as you both returned to your tent. The body was gone now, but the snow was still stained red.

You walked away from Lee to pack your things. Lee remained quiet, watching you from the corner of his eye as he grabbed his things. He was worried about you. It was obvious Lyra had become quite important to you.

You both had everything packed in good time. Iorek remained close to the pair of you as you all began to make your move. Though he would leave your side to help pull heavy loads at some point.

You remained close to Lee and the sled. He would need help making sure his balloon made it to where they were going.

Bolvangar was still so far away, but you had your mind set on Lyra and the others.

You hoped with everything you had that Lyra was with the other children. Lee was right. She was clever, she could handle things until you all got there.

"I can hear you thinking." Lee said, looking over at you.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise. You can talk to me, you know. I'm your friend, I'll listen." He gave you a small handsome smile. You couldn't help smiling back.

"Thank you, Lee. I'm glad we met, I don't know how I'd be able to keep calm without you." You chuckled. "I knew this was going to be stressful, but I can't help worrying about Lyra."

He continued to smile at you.

"We'll find her."

You nodded.

No one stopped travelling, and as you neared the mountains, the snow was getting thicker and heavier. Unfortunately, it was getting harder to move, but you all pushed on. At one point Lee had come up right beside you and stayed close. The path was becoming more narrow the further up you went, so he eventually had to leave your side to guide the sled from the front.

There was a slight gap in the path, so some long wooden boards were put down to use as a bridge. As the sled came to a stop, Lee, who was standing on the other side of the bridge, looked up.

"Do you you think you can make it around the sled?" He asked you.

"If someone can lift me over, I could climb over to you, but shouldn't we make sure the balloon makes it first?"

"I would feel a lot more comfortable knowing you were safe on this side, first." He held a hand out to you.

"We can't stay here." Faa yelled from further along the path.

You looked at the man next to you who understood what you were silently asking. He helped you climb over the sled. You were careful of the equipment under the tarp as you took careful and slow steps across the sled. Hester was near you feet, guiding you to the safest spots to stand on. When you made it to the front of the sled, you took Lee's hand and let him help you down and across the bridge. He made sure you and Hester were behind him as he guided the sled across, slowly.

There was a moment that the bridge wobbled and the sled looked like it was going to fall over the edge, but you grabbed onto the rope that was tied to the front and helped Lee, with the help of those pushing from the back, steady it.

Luckily the sled made it safely to the other side and, along with Mr Scoresby, you helped guide it from the front, the path still too narrow to go back to pushing.

"That was horrible." You muttered.

"I'm glad you made it across safely." He looked at you. "At least I can keep to my word."

"Your word?"

"Remember? I promised you a ride in my balloon. Both my balloon and you made it across safely, so I can keep to my word." He grinned at you.

You chuckled softly.

Lee remained by your side the rest of the way. Despite the situation, the group came to a stop when they reached safer ground. The stop wasn't going to be long one, considering no one knew where Lyra was or what was happening at her end.

"How much further until Bolvangar?" You asked Farder Coram, who had just left Lord Faa's side.

"We're much closer now. They are discussing our infiltration tactics now. You should rest up while you can." He looked at you kindly, then his gaze flickered up behind you. You turned around to see Lee and Iorek coming over.

"Right." You muttered, leaving his side and walking over to other two.

"Are you alright?" Lee asked.

"Yes. Really, I'm fine. We're preparing to infiltrate Bolvangar. Apparently we're really close now."

Iorek looked up at Lee. "Perhaps this is the time to set up your balloon?"

Hester looked up at him too. "I agree."

Lee looked at them both and then nodded. "I'll just check with others, but I think you might be right." He offered you a smile and walked past you. Hester looked up at you as she hopped after him. Iorek stayed with you, even allowing Oliver to land on his back.

"Is he OK?" You asked, looking after Lee as he walked away.

"He was worried about you." Iorek replied. "That was a dangerous trail we walked across."

"Yes, it was."

Neither one of you said anything more. You waited where you were until Lee came back. He had a little grin on his face.

"Want to help me set up my balloon?" He asked you, a twinkle in his eye.

You grinned back at him.

"Really?"

"Come on." He took your hand and walked towards the sled. You were a little surprised by his sudden action, but you didn't say anything. You followed him happily over to his sled and helped him remove the tarp.

"Does this mean I get my ride?" You asked smugly.

"I guess it does." He winked at you.

Your heart seemed to race in your chest. Lee was so good to you. You tried not to think too much about it, however, as you had a balloon to put together.

Now more focused on helping him build his balloon, you missed the way he was looking at you.

Lee was going to do whatever it took to get Lyra back. As long as the both of you were safe, he was happy.

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You sighed as you pushed away from the desk and got up. Your boots began to click on the wooden floor as you made your way over to the fridge. You grabbed what you needed to make a sandwich. You placed everything onto the counter and grabbed what was left of your bread loaf. Oliver flew from your desk to a perch that you had built for him near the kitchen.

Most days were quiet. Your shop was small, only those who knew where to look could find it. Most of your customers were regulars because they knew where to look. You were always happy to provide for them and make their wishes come true in the form of wind up toys and cool gadgets. You made just enough to get by.

You were happy. Just lonely. Your only companion was your daemon, Oliver.

You gazed out the window and looked up to the blue sky. The weather was nice, perhaps you should get out of your workshop and go for a walk. Oliver will thank you for it, probably. Your adventurous side was eager to go out and explore. As much as you loved your little shop, you also enjoyed being outside.

You finished your sandwich and put it on a plate, taking it back towards your desk.

"I'll eat this and then we'll go out. Maybe we could make the journey to the Gyptians? I have a few things they might like." You looked over to a box full of trinkets you had put together. Every so often you would go down there and gift them with things you made. You considered them friends of yours, accepting no payment from any of them. Sometimes you would show the children how to take things a part and put them back together again. It was fun.

"I'm sure they would like that." Oliver cooed.

Before you were able to take a bite out of your sandwich, a firm knock sounded at the door. You lowered the yummy food back onto the plate and turned to the door.

"We have a visitor, lunch will have to wait." You gave a big sigh and got up, making your way to the door. You pulled it open ready to give your usual greeting to customers. You were stopped short when you saw who was at your door. "Farder Coram, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

You let the man in and closed the door behind him and his daemon. He didn't often come up to your shop, so it must be important. The only times he ever came near your shop was to request you to visit. You got the feeling, judging by his expression, that it wasn't the case this time.

"We have a problem. We need all the help we can get." He looked at you, his gaze serious and unwavering. You knew something was wrong.

"What is it? What happened?" Your voice was laced with worry.

"One of our own has been taken. He's been missing since last night."

"Oh my goodness! Who is it?" You knew many of the children over there, you couldn't imagine the worry going through their families minds.

"Billy Costa."

You felt your heart plummet. You had made him a little wind up car for his birthday last year. He adored it so much he carried it around with him for ages. His mother told you he loved it. She must be going out of her mind right now. You would never be able to sleep at night if you didn't do anything.

"What are we waiting for?"

The Gobblers. believed to be a myth by most, would appear to actually be real. The Gyptians certainly thought so, and so did you after so many children were disappearing. The belief in a myth was better than having no answer at all to what was happening.

You grabbed your coat and hat and locked up the shop behind you all. You let Coram lead the way.

Your shop wasn't close to the Gyptians current location, so it meant a lot that he came all this way. He could have sent a letter or anything, but he came to you in person to ask for your help. It felt good to know they relied on you in dark time such as this. You would do everything you could to help them out.

When you arrived everyone was rushing about. There were people grouped up around tables, looking at maps. Some were grabbing gear, preparing to search in small parties around the area. Though you would be shocked if they found so close by.

Lord Faa was waiting for you both as you drew nearer. You bowed your head in respect, as many did while he led you the rest of the way.

It appeared no one had found anything as of yet, which only made you all the more worried.

"Where is Ma Costa?" John Faa asked, shaking hands with a young man.

"We told her to wait on her boat in case Billy returns there." He explained.

"And the rest of our people?"

The young man gestured to everyone else in the room. "State Police have shown no interest."

"Hmm. No surprises there." Faa said.

"So we're organising teams of our own. We've got a group that went North from Magdalen Bridge up the Cherwell. Nothing. We divided Jericho, we staked out the Airship Station."

"John, the Gobblers will have got him out of Oxford by now." Coram said. You could only nod. You feared that to be the truth.

"You think it's the Gobblers?" Tony, Billy's older brother, asked. He came over and stood on the other side of Coram. "The Gobblers haven't took my brother. That's just a children's story."

"No. The Gobblers are real. John Faa and I have visited six different Gyptian communities all having children taken, all the same way." Coram said, looking very serious.

"Yeah, but why? What can they want with them?" Tony asked, shifting his gaze to John and back.

"That we don't know. We don't know what they do, but we will find out." Coram replied. "We have word they are taking the children to London. Maybe it's the best way to hide them, but we must go and try!"

"Wait, leave here?" Tony asked. "No, no. Ma would never agree to that! Billy's lost, he's not been taken."

"Continue the search." John said. "Cover as much of this area as we can today. And if we do not find him here, we'll go to London and find him there."

The group parted. You gazed at Tony with a sorrowful gaze. You didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything you could say.

By morning there was no sign of Billy or any of the missing children reported. Any sightings of the Gobblers were either well hidden, or they were no longer here. You were there when Billy's mother needed to cry. Tony could only watch as her heart broke. Her son was missing and no one could find him.

This only left London. If rumours were true, then the chance of finding him there were much greater.

The discussion of London hadn't really been had. It was kept between yourself, Farder Coram, Lord Faa and a few others. Discussing this with Billy's mother would be a difficult task on the fact she probably wouldn't want to go. She believed Billy to still be near home.

The search for Billy continued continued.

The boats were brought to a stop while you discussed among yourselves on your next move.

Maggie, Billy's mother, climbed off her boat to see what was happening.

"Readying the boats?" She came over to you all. "Are you thinking of leaving, Farder Coram? My son's still out there."

"Farder Coram has done nothing." Lord Faa said from beside her. "I am halting the search."

Maggie gestured for him to come over to the other side of the boat so they could talk privately. You watched with baited breath as they talked quietly. You couldn't imagine how she much be feeling. Her world be feel like it's falling apart knowing her boy is out there somewhere, but you had good faith that the elders of the Gyptians knew what they were doing. The best chance of finding her boy was to listen to them. You wouldn't have agreed to help if you thought otherwise.

Lord Faa was telling her it was the Gobblers, but she didn't think there was any evidence to suggest Billy was with them. Unfortunately, that's the whole point. That's why they were mostly rumour. There was never any evidence to suggest they even existed.

"We are going to London, fighting those Gobblers, and getting our children back." He stated firmly, turning around and coming back to you all.

You didn't move your gaze from Ma Costa. You knew she knew he was right, but of course she needed to think.

If Billy was able, he would have come back. He has been taken. You know in her heart she knows that. Like any mother, she doesn't want to believe it.

You got to her side and take her hand.

"Come on." You don't look at her with pity. She doesn't want that. You take her, and Tony who had come to check on her, back to their boat, staying with them for a while. You make her sit down and put the kettle on. You can't soothe her mind, but you could distract her for a little bit. You wanted to ease her a little bit. At the moment that was the most you could do.

London.

A great city with many places. It's vast, therefore there's a lot of ground to cover. Luckily, rather than going in blindly and searching the city from top to bottom, you have a lead.

"A van has been seen leaving and entering here. We've not confirmed children on board."

"We've not confirmed? We need to be confirmed."

"The Gobblers are efficient, well-protected and well-funded."

"So good that people think they're a myth." You stated, looking up at the group. "It's how they operate. No one believes they exist."

"So you're saying we know enough?" Lord Faa asked.

"I'd state good odds that the van is Gobbler and it's being used to transport them." The young man said, confidence laced in his voice. Someone must have had a reason to believe as such. "We've been searching for days. This is the best lead we've got."

"So tomorrow we attack. In the morning we gather our best men. Go in fast through the front door. Take on whatever lies on the other side." Farder Coram said.

"Prepare the men. We strike with force." John Faa added. He grabbed his hat and got up, leaving.

You looked at the map in thought.

Within the next hour you all grabbed what you may need and headed out. You followed Lord Faa to the building where the Gobblers were supposedly hiding out. There wasn't any sign of life.

"Stop at nothing. We will rescue these children." Faa said.

Everyone headed in. You stayed with Faa as he asked you to remain by his side, his reasoning unclear, but you were not going to argue with him. When the others had managed to break in you followed him inside, keeping an ear out for anything. Oliver flew above your heads. You followed him all the way to the top, Coram staying close behind you.

You couldn't hear any other sound other than the Gyptians who had gone on ahead.

Faa opened the door at the top of the stairs, everyone lifted their weapons and prepared for a fight, but you peered in and gave a sigh. The room was empty. Not a soul in sight.

But someone had been here.

Bunks beds were lined up on the other side of the room. To the right was a long messy table. The children had most defiantly been here, and too long ago either if you had to guess. The Gobblers had moved them quickly. A gut feeling told you they would have been here yesterday, even this morning.

You could have missed them by hours.

You looked at Coram. His silence was enough of a message for you. You both followed Faa into the room and looked around.

The windows were boarded up, the place was mucky and disgusting. To even think they were staying here was enough to break your heart further.

"That's Billy's." Coram said, picking up a vest from the floor.

"Oh God no." You muttered. This would break his mother's heart. Knowing her son was here, but you all missed him.

"This proves they were here." Farder Coram stated. You nodded softly. You had all been on the right track. There was still hope.

"The Gobblers must have known we were coming and moved them." Faa said, walking past Coram. If they did know, that explained the state of the room and why it looked like they were in a rush to leave.

"What do they want the children for?" You asked. They wouldn't take so many without a reason.

No one said any more and with a silent look from Faa, you all headed back. There was nothing else here to look at. The journey back to the boats was made.

It was important to tell Ma Costa about your findings, but you didn't want to be the one to tell her. You weren't sure what she would do. As you climbed into her boat, the others following behind you, you interrupted her yelling with Tony. You looked at them both, trying not to show your worry. She turned her back on you all and faced her kitchen counter.

She knew you hadn't found him because he wasn't here.

"Can I help?" Faa asked her.

"You can find my son." She stated bitterly.

"We were so close, though, Maggie. If you would have seen..." One of the others said.

"We never should have left Oxford." She said. "He's probably still there, lost, looking for his ma."

"He's not in Oxford. He's in London." You told her, though warily. "The Gobblers took him and we'll find him."

"And if you're all wrong?"

"We are not wrong." Coram said, pulling the vest from his pocket. He handed it over.

Maggie took it from him gently, as if not believing what she was seeing. She began to sob, holding it up to her nose and embraced this little bit of Billy she had with her now. No one said anything as she walked past them, crying her heart out into the knitted vest. She needed time to gather her thoughts and come to terms with that billy was right there for just a moment.

Lord Faa stopped Tony from going after her and followed Maggie. You excused yourself from the scene, not wanting to overbear her emotions.

You wait and see what the plan is from here.

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