The Golden Compass
Nate Garner
Stefan Sampaleanu
Mikey Joyce
Nate: Lyra
Stefan: Iofer, Roger, Guard 2.
Mike: Iorek, Pantaliamon, Guard 1, Alethiometer.
Lyra: Take me to Iofur Raknison. you’ll be in trouble if you don’t.
Guard 1 looks shocked and angry.
Lyra: it’s about Iorek Byrnison. I know something about him, and the king needs to know.
Guard 1 (now more intrigued): Tell me what it is, and I’ll pass the message on.
Lyra: That wouldn’t be right, not for someone else to know before the king does. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but you see, it’s the rule that the king has to know things first.
Short silence.
Guard 1: Very well, come with me.
Second Guard: You cannot see Iofur Raknison when you please, you have to wait till he wants to see you.
Lyra: But this is urgent, what I’ve got to tell him, it’s about Iorek Byrnison. I’m sure His Majesty would want to know it, but all the same I can’t tell it to anyone else, don’t you see? it wouldn’t be polite. he’d be ever so cross if we hadn’t been polite.
Lyra is escorted to Iofer by the bear.
Lyra (after looking around) : Our greeting to you, great King, or I mean my greetings, not his.
Iofur: Not whose?
Lyra: Iorek Byrnison’s your majesty. I’ve got something very important and secret to tell you, and I think I ought to tell you in private, really.
Iofur: something about Iorek Byrnison?
Lyra: Something about daemons.
Iofur: Well? Tell me who you are. What is this about daemons?
Lyra: I am a daemon, your majesty.
Iofur: Whose?
Lyra: Iorek Byrnison’s. Please, You Majesty, let me tell you all about it first before you harm me. I’ve come here at my own risk, as you can see, and there’s nothing I’ve got that could hurt you, that’s why I’ve come. Iorek Byrnison was the first bear to get a daemon, but it should have been you. I would much rather be your daemon than his, that’s why I came.
Iofur: How? How has a bear got a daemon? And why him? And how are you so far from him?
Lyra: That’s easy. I can go far him because I’m like a witch’s daemon. You know how they can go hundreds of miles from their humans? It’s like that. And as for how he got me, it was at Bolvangar. You’ve hear of Bolvangar, because Mrs. Coulter must have told you about it, but she probably didn’t tell you everything they were doing there.
Iofur: Cutting…
Lyra: Yes, cutting, that’s part of it, intercision. But they’re doing all kinds of other things too, like making artificial daemons. And experimenting on animals. When Iorek Byrnison hear about it he offered himself for an experiment to see if they could make a daemon for him, and they did. It was me. My name is Lyra. Just like when people have daemons, they’re animal-formed, so when a bear has a daemon, it’ll be human. And I’m his daemon. I can see into his mind and know exactly what he’s doing and where he is and-
Iofur Where is he now?
Lyra: On Svalbar. He’s coming this way as fast as he can.
Iofur: Why? What does he want? He must be mad! We’ll tear him to pieces!
Lyra: He wants me. He’s coming to get me back. But I don’t want to be his daemon, Iofur Raknison, I want to be yours. Because once they saw how powerful a bear was with a daemon, the people at Bolvangar decided not to do that experiment ever again. Iorek Byrnison was going to be the only bear who ever had a daemon. And with me helping him, he could lead all the bears against you. that’s what he’s come to Svalbard for.
Iofer roars.
Lyra: That’s why I love you best, because you’re passionate and strong as well as clever. And I just had to leave him and come and tell you, because I don’t want him ruling the bears. It ought to be you. And there is a way of taking me away from him and making me your daemon, but you wouldn’t know what it was unless it told you, and you might do the usual thing about fighting bears like him that’ve been outcast; I mean, not fight him properly, but kill him with fire hurlers or something. And if you did that I’d just go out like a light and die with him.
Iofur: But you – how can –
Lyra: I can become your daemon, but only if you defeat Iorek Byrnison in single combat. Then his strength will flow into you, and my mind will flow into yours, and we’ll be like one person, thinking each other’s thoughts; and you can send me miles away to spy for you, or keep me here by your side, whichever you like. And I’d help you lead the bears to capture Bolvangar, if you like, and make them create more daemons for your favorite bears; or if you’d rather be the only bear with a daemon, we could destroy Bolvangar forever. We could do anything, Iofer Raknison, you and me together!
Iofer paces.
Iofer: Single combat? Me? I must fight Iorek Byrnison? Impossible! He is outcast! How can that be? How can I fight him? Is that the only way?
Lyra: It’s the only way.
Iofer suddenly turns toward Lyra.
Iofer: Prove it! Prove that you are a daemon!
Lyra: Alright. I can do that, easy. I can find out anything that you know and no one else does, something that only a daemon would be able to find out.
Iofer: Then tell me what was the first creature I killed.
Lyra: I’ll have to go into a room by myself to do this. When I’m your daemon, you’ll be able to see how I do it, but until then it’s got to be private.
Iofer: There is an anteroom behind this one. Go into that, and come out when you know the answer.
Lyra goes through the door, and pulls out the alethiometer.
Lyra: Where is Iorek now?
Alethiometer: Four hours away, and hurrying even faster.
Lyra: How can I tell him what I’ve done?
Alethiometer: You must trust him.
Lyra: What was the first creature Iofer killed?
Alethiometer: His father.
Lyra puts the alethiometer away.
Pantalaimon: Flatter him! That’s all he wants!
Lyra walks back through the door.
Iofer: Well?
Lyra kneels.
Lyra: I beg your pardon, Iofer Raknison! I didn’t know you were so strong and great!
Iofer: What’s this? Answer my question!
Lyra: The first creature you killed was your own father. I think you’re a new god, Iofer Raknison. That’s what you must be. Only a god would have the strength to do that.
Iofer: You know! You can see!
Lyra: Yes, because I am a daemon, like I said.
Iofer: Tell me one thing more. What did the Lady Coulter promise me when she was here?
Lyra leaves the room and pulls out the alethiometer. Lyra comes back.
Lyra: She promised you that she’d get the Magisterium in Geneva to agree that you could be baptized as a Christian, even though you hadn’t got a daemon then. Well, I’m afraid that she hasn’t done that, Iofer Raknison, and quite honestly I don’t think they’d ever agree to that if you didn’t have a daemon. I think she knew that, and she wasn’t telling you the truth. But in any case when you’ve got me as your daemon, you could be baptized if you wanted to, because no one could argue then. You could demand it and they would be able to turn you down.
Iofer: Yes… True. That’s what she said. True, every word. And she has deceived me? I trusted her, and she deceived me?
Lyra: Yes, she did. But she doesn’t matter anymore. Excuse me, Iofer Raknison, I hope you won’t mind me telling you, but Iorek Byrnison’s only four hours away now, and maybe you better tell your guard bears not to attack him as they normally would. If you’re going to fight him for me, he’ll have to be allowed to come to the palace.
Iofer: Yes…
Lyra: And maybe when he comes I better pretend I still belong to him, and say I got lost or something. He won’t know. I’ll pretend. Are you going to tell the other bears about me being Iorek’s daemon and then belonging to you when you beat him?
Iofer: I don’t know… What should I do?
Lyra: I don’t think you better mention it yet. Once we’re together, you and me, we can think what’s best to do and decide then. What you need to do now is explain to all the other bears why you’re going to let Iorek fight you like a proper bear, even though he’s an outcast. Because they won’t understand, and we got to find a reason for that. I mean, they’ll do what you tell them anyway, but if they see the reason for it, they’ll admire you even more.
Iofer: Yes. What should we tell them then?
Lyra: Tell them… Tell them that to make your kingdom completely secure, you’ve called Iorek Byrnison