The court was stunningly beautiful, and little Lyra, wide eyed at all the splendour simply could not stop staring around and gazing at the ladies dresses. Many of the nobles eyed her distastefully, and mistrusting, narrowed eyes lingered on her boy’s clothes; breeches and a loose shirt, and bare feet.

Stumbling forward as the soldier behind her shoved her shoulder forward, she knelt before the queen, holding out a package with trembling hands.

“Package for you, majesty,” she whispered barely audibly. The queen accepted it gracefully and Lyra scuttled backwards nervously, running into the guard’s legs as she did so.

“And who, may I enquire is this from?” Lyra could barely bring herself to look at the beautiful woman in the face, but finally managed.

“From the book keeper ma’am. Highness, I mean,” she hastily corrected her mistake. The queen looked eager to see the contents but instead, regretfully handed it to one of her ladies in waiting, who stowed it behind the throne.

“Thank you – what’s your name?”

“Lyra, Miss.”

“Thank you Lyra. Here, buy yourself some food.” She handed Lyra two silver pieces and the girl’s eyes turned wide as saucers as she saw the amount she had been given. “Actually, on second thoughts,” she clicked her fingers, startling the girl who was stowing away the precious coins in her pouch which hung around her neck and contained all of her worldly goods; a small silver charm which she had found lying in the street once, a miniature brass bell and a shiny rock thing which looked pretty but didn’t do much else. “Harry,” she commanded the guard who Lyra had run into earlier,” take her to the kitchens and feed her something.

Lyra found herself being led away by the hand, and almost stumbled on the cold stone floor as she attempted to walk forwards while looking over her shoulder. When they reached the kitchen, she had the largest meal that she had ever consumed in her life; a large chunk of bread, some of which she tucked into her breeches for later, thick and warming soup and a little sweetmeat which the cook, upon feeling sorry for the girl had pinched off one of the trays which was going out to the hall for the Queen and her guests and presented her with.

Lyra had not said a word to anybody else apart from the Queen up until then. As she was leaving, she turned to Harry, who had stood behind her throughout the whole process and piped up, “thank you!”

“You are most welcome, little missus.”

”Lyra, my name’s Lyra. Harry, you have the most wonderful job.” The guard chuckled and smiled wryly.

“That I do. Maybe one day you can be a guard here too,” he joked and she nodded with a serious frown on her face.

“May-hap I will. I’d like that lots and lots.” He just laughed at her, and ruffled her boyishly short hair.

“Then you would truly be a she-he.” She nodded in agreement with this, but only because she didn’t really know what Harry meant.