''Will, wait! There is another way!'', shouted Lyra. Will was thinking the very same thing; he was happy and afraid at the same time. He shivered, but smiled at Lyra. Will never realized it before but seeing Lyra smile lit him up, from the inside and out. Perhaps it were her amber colored locks or her genuine smile that also made her eyes twinkle. Instead of one of them going to each other’s world, which would mean that one of them would die after only ten years, they both could leave to another world and live there. Lyra’s ferret daemon and Will's colorful cat daemon were stroking each other's fur. Will could shut the final window behind them, destroy The Subtle Knife and they would spend an equal life length together. Both Will and Lyra felt a passionate fire light inside of them; however, it dimmed immediately. Will still had a mother, he felt ashamed for forgetting about her. His mother was still living with Mrs. Cooper in his world. He felt bad for leaving her behind in the first place, she was sick and Mrs. Cooper wasn't getting any younger either. Lyra thought of her parents, she had not seen her mom since she escaped from her in the cave and she had not seen her father since he had killed Roger in Svalbard. She contemplated whether to feel bad about not seeing them again. Little did she know that they both had died in the fight that took place a day earlier. She never would have known how proud her parents were of her. They were proud that her daughter accomplished so much on her own, that she was so strong. Yet Lyra would only remember them for their bad deeds, which were the only things they had ever shown her. Lyra looked at Will again and saw his thick eyebrows frown, which meant he was thinking. Will felt like he was betraying his mother by never returning and it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest, but he would rather spend the next ten years with Lyra than let this be his last moment. This was the right thing to do, if there was anything more right it would be left.
Meanwhile Dr. Mary Malone was standing a few yards away from Lyra, with Attal. She knew what really happened to Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel, Lyra's parents, how they threw themselves at the right hand of the Authority, deep into the abyss. But she had not told Lyra, as the witch instructed her, unless Lyra had asked. Mary also had to make a choice. Either she could stay in this world with the Mulefa, or go back to her own (and Will's) world. She recalled how she destroyed a lab and forged an ID before stepping through a window to Citagezze that night. The police were probably looking for her; if she went back she would get arrested and thrown in jail. Out of fear she grabbed Attal's arm, Attal looked at her and gestured with her grey trunk, What is it? Why are you scared? Mary, looking at Attal, knew she would never go back to her own world. There was nothing to live for there. She responded, I am going to stay here with you and the other Mulefa. All of you have been so welcoming and I would like to spend the remaining years of my life with all of you. Attal became excited and hugged her, and she pressed her grey muscular body against Mary's, almost crushing hers.
So Will and Lyra went through a window to Citagezze and headed to the top of the mountains, they thought about going to the city and beach area, but the children in the city would kill them if they ever went back to the that part of Citagezze. The children of Citagezze were not quite over the fact that Will killed one of their brothers to get The Subtle Knife. It was a long walk, Lyra's red coat began to feel heavier and heavier which each step and she felt like collapsing. Then Will slid in and held her up straight, he put her tiny left arm around his neck and they continued. After almost a full day's walk they arrived at the top of the mountain. It was so white up there it reminded Lyra of King Iorek and the other ice bears, it felt like Svalbard all over again. Only this time, it was just the two of them. One tiny red coated figure and a slightly bigger, black haired figure. Lyra was about to say something, but Will grabbed Lyra with one hand behind her neck and one hand on her back. He kissed her all over her face, he had been waiting to do that the whole trip. First on the lips, he then kissed her on the cheek, her forehead, then her other cheek and even on her tiny, pale nose. When they were done kissing, Lyra pulled back and said ''I love you, Will'' and he smiled. Lyra liked to see Will smile, because his thick black eyebrows would become like straight sticks, which she found funny. Now they only had ten years to live, but on this white mountain top it would be better than anywhere else in any world. They would never be able to have a real marriage with their families nor have children, which did sadden them. However, one thing was for sure: they would have ten years to love and grow into one person. Will took out The Subtle Knife and destroyed it, the same way he accidentally destroyed it back in the cave with Mrs. Coulter: he thought of his mother. It stung, it hurt him to think about her, but finally The Subtle Knife broke. He turned back to Lyra and said, ''I love you too, my dear.''
Eventually the prophecy did fulfill itself, but then again it did not. Mary remained successful in playing the serpent and seducing Lyra, causing her to feel love and to put it above anything else. However, Lyra did not become selfish, she chose to close all the windows between the worlds, unlike the prophecy said. The prophecy itself is not as important as the outcome; the scholars of the Church thought there were only two outcomes. Now, Lyra had made a third, one that satisfied almost everybody. Almost.
