(Third Person Point of View)

Iera had been waiting patiently for Lee Scoresby and Hester. They hadn't returned for hours. It was getting dark. She became worried. A strange humming noise rang across the wind as she lay in the balloon thinking about Iorek. Looking up, she saw a giant Magisterium airship descending to the town. Soldiers were arriving at the landing bay. She growled. This was not good news. 

Lee sat in his cell, bruised and chained. Hester lay her head against him. 

"I'm scared, Lee. What if we never escape and find Grumman? How will we help (Y/N) and Lyra?"

"Don't worry Hester. Iera will come for us," Lee prayed. His left eye was black and his vision was slightly broken. "Ane when we do, we're going to find Grumman and that item and find them,"

"How can you have so much hope?" Hester asked.

"It's mainly the Lyra. Lyra gave my child hope. And in doing so gave me hope. She's been there so much for my darling girl. I hope they're both safe wherever they are," Lee was strong in spirit despite his injuries. 

The clanking of locks echoed from the locked door. Turning his head, Lee saw a beautiful woman in her thirties enter the room. She had long dark hair, dark eyes with a wicked face and a golden monkey. Lee knew exactly who she was but he hid the hatred that was boiling in his eyes.   How he wished he could have his revolver so that he could shoot her in the face. But they were too vulnerable in captivity to take any risks. 

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded.

"Is that you greet visitors?" the woman greeted casually. 

"Did you bring food?"

"No,"

"Then who are you and what do you want?"

"You are not endearing to yourself sir," 

"Look madam whatever you think I've done, I killed a man out of self-defence because he accused me of being an enemy to the Magisterium. In reality, I think the Magisterium is one of the finest organisations around,"

The woman wasn't at all phased. "I don't think you do at all," she sat down on a stool. 

Lee kept quiet. 

"What does the name Lyra Belaqua mean to you?"

"Let me think," Lee did his best to feign deception. "I don't know. What does it mean to you?"

The woman gave off a wicked cackle. "This is serious. Your life depends on it," 

"Is she by any chance related to Asriel Belaqua? Cause I've always been a big fan of his. I always wondered if one day I would meet that man,"

"Cut the deception. Mr Scoresby. You know exactly who I am. And I know who you are," 

Lee was shocked his con had been uncovered but he remained strong. "Very well Mrs Coulter..." he knew exactly who this woman was and what she had tried to do to his child. "What do you want?"

"Where...is Lyra?"

"Can't help you there I'm afraid,"

"That's interesting," Mrs Coulter stood up. "Because the last time I saw her, she was flying off from my station in your baloon," 

"I'm never going to tell her where to find that little girl," Lee refused. 

"You do misunderstand me, Mr Scoresby. I'm her mother,"

Lee wasn't swayed. "So?"

"So she needs me," Coulter's answer was a shake of the head. 

"No, she doesn't," 

"There are things that she just doesn't understand..."

"I think there are things you don't understand. The worth of life would be,"

"Did you shoot a man dead?"

"Out of self-defence," 

"I know you have a daughter Mr Scoresby so you must know how it feels like. I need to find her," 

"You love her?" Lee felt his question was necessary. 

She looked at me as if I was an idiot. "Of course I do," she frowned. Her face was dark. 

"It's not enough though I'm afraid. Love," Lee shook his head. "Doesn't mean you won't hurt her. It doesn't mean she's safe with you. It doesn't work that way," 

She marched upon me. "Just tell me where she is," she demanded.

"Never," Lee said. "I won't because I love that little girl too. And I swore I would keep both her and my child safe. Even from you,"

"She's safe with me," Coulter sounded arrogant. 

"The woman who takes children and turns them  into ghosts?" Lee scoffed. "I don't think so,"

She sniffed. Her daemon swiped Hester in the face; Lee cringed in pain. 

Coulter remained standing where she was. Lee prepared himself for more pain. 

"I believe you are familiar with the name Sysselman,"

The aeronaut frowned at her. 

"Thanks to him, both you and your daughter are now under a warrant for arrest. And the Magisterium now know that your daughter is a child who cannot have her daemon cut away from her. They'll want to apprehend her. And possibly...kill her,"

Lee glared even harder at her. How dare she threaten his child like that. 

"But I would like to make a deal with you. In exchange for you telling me where to find Lyra, I will ensure that you are released and that your daughter is protected and under no threat from the Magisterium," Mrs Coulter bent down in front of Lee. "You can save your daughter Mr Scoresby. Just tell me...where my daughter is,"

At that moment Lee felt incredibly torn apart. Lee couldn't allow the Magisterium to torture (Y/N). Most certainly kill her. But he couldn't betray Lyra. Not after everything she had done for him and his child. Not after how she saved her. 

"Let me ask you something," Lee spoke up with courage. "How would you like to have your child taken from you when you're asleep, unable to do anything to protect her? You took my daughter from me. You tried to cut her. Then you tried to kill her. So what makes you think...that you're worthy of being a mother?"

"You'd condemn your child to this fate?"

"I wouldn't betray Lyra to you because it would mean betraying a member of my family. My darling (Y/N) loves her like a sister. And I love her like another daughter. And I don't betray the people I love to people like you," 

Mrs Coulter frowned and she slapped him in the face knocking him over. 

"Go ahead. I'm good with pain. This one time, my father hit me so hard with his shoe that my leg swelled up. I couldn't sit. I couldn't stand it. I couldn't do anything. He would say, 'Don't you even think about running away!' Runaway? I couldn't even reach down to put on my shoes. He would humiliate me till I said enough sorries to make up for what he decided that day would justify his temper. My mother eventually took me away from his abusive behaviour, his abusive attitude to his son,"

Coulter stood up, unmoved by his abusive childhood. 

"I would never treat my child that way. Since her mother passed, I was always scared that I couldn't be a good father to her. But because of Lyra, she's become stronger," Lee noticed a change of mood in Coulter's face. "You had a father just like me,"

Coulter glared at him. "You know nothing about me," she hissed.  

"I know what it's like to feel hurt like you. But right now I feel more alive than I have in years because of Lyra...she's given me hope. And something I couldn't give my own. Confidence. Courage. And strength," 

Mrs Coulter bent down and grabbed Lee's throat. Her monkey did the same to Hester. "I will rip out every nail and I will break every bone," she threatened. 

"And you won't break me and you know it won't. Because it wouldn't break you either. You can threaten me. Torture me all you want...but I will never tell you where Lyra is. Because she is part of my family and family never give each other away,"

Mrs Coulter let go and she marched off with the monkey daemon. The door opened and then closed. Lee moved off the step and he panted, almost beginning to cry. Hester came near him. "It's been a long time since you've talked about him," she comforted.

"I know," he whimpered.  

"You did good," Hester placed her head against his as he closed his eyes. 

"Oh, Hester what have I done? I feel like I've sentenced (Y/N) to death," 

"(Y/N) would be so proud of you if she was here. And they don't know where she is. She's safe with Lyra and that woman will never find either of them," 

"I hope so,"  Lee shed a tear. He loved his daughter more than anything and there was no other girl than Lyra who he could call a sister to his child. 

Another chapter is done. What did you all think of the extra dialogue Lee added in? Please send reviews and let me know what you all think. Thank you so much everyone for your support.