Little lantern

[Spoken Narration - Narrator] The climb was steep. The wind was cold. Nathaniel nearly turned back. But Lyra knew fear grows louder in silence. So she sang, not to the mountain, but to the little light still trembling inside them both. [Verse 1 - Lyra] Sleep, little lantern Rest against the cold Lean into the starlight Let your glow take hold Night is only passing Dark is not the end Even now the sky bends low Like a quiet friend [Verse 2 - Nathaniel] I have walked through winter dawns Worked by fading flame No one ever held my fear No one sang my name I was taught to stand up straight Hide what shook inside But your voice moves through the dark Like a turning tide [Verse 3 - Lyra] You do not need the ending Only one more step You do not need the answer Only what your heart has kept Let the road be rough tonight Let the branches moan Even now, beside me here You do not climb alone [Chorus - Lyra + Nathaniel] Sleep, little lantern Glow against the blue Dream until the morning Dream until it's true If the road is bitter If the climb is long Sleep inside the beating Of a faithful song [Verse 4 - Hollow Chorus] All the lost ones walk beside you All the brave ones light the hill All the names you thought were buried Wait in silence, waiting still Not the sleep of giving over Not the sleep of being done But the sleep that keeps a promise Till it wakes beside the sun [Spoken Interlude - Narrator] And slowly Nathaniel changed. Not like thunder. More like frozen water learning how to move again. [Verse 5 - Nathaniel] When I was young, the rafters sang I built worlds from wire and thread I thought a broken hour could bloom Into gold instead Then the years came down like hammers And I let the bright things fall Now your song shines through the dark Like a lamp inside a wall [Verse 6 - Lyra + Narrator] So they climbed through silver trees Under moonlit snow And the mountain, stern and still Seemed softer than below For a song can steady hands And ease a burdened heart And sometimes what looks closed in stone Is already split apart [Bridge - Lyra] If you break, then break like morning If you bend, then bend and rise If you weep, then keep on walking Do not hide your heart or eyes Fear is not your truest name Night is not your longest song You are more than what has hurt you You are more than what went wrong [Final Chorus - Full Ensemble] Sleep, little lantern Glow against the blue Dream until the morning Dream until it's true If the road is bitter If the climb is long Sleep inside the beating Of a faithful song