It's another of the tried and tested "Portal between the modern world and GOT world opens up" fics. Hope you like it. Thanks to a random choice generator as I had like 8 possible start dates, like all of these, it's starting at the beginning of episode 1, canon will be a mix of show and books.
"Sir, you're going to want to see this." The young man said, looking through his binoculars from the bow of the small fishing vessel that operated just inside Icelandic waters.
"What is it, boy?" The gruff captain said, storming out of his small cabin to see what all the fuss was about, the boy wordlessly passed over his binoculars, and as the old man gazed through them, his jaw slackened and dropped, the pipe inside of it spinning to the deck below.
"What is that thing?" The old man asked, horrified.
"I have no idea. I was taking watch and it wasn't there, I moved away for a moment to light up, and I returned to see, whatever that is, suddenly before us."
"Should we radio it in?" Another man aboard the vessel asked, coming up behind them, his own eyes frightened and wide as he took in the sight before them.
"Aye, but who would believe this?" The old captain said, tearing his eyes away from the sight, reaching for a radio, he radioed out, calling for everyone, anyone, to come to his co-ordinates and examine what he had found. He only had one request.
"Whoever is coming, make sure you have guns. Lots of them."
/
Ned Stark, Lord of Winterfell, the Lord Paramount of the North, and Warden of the North, rode hard along the Kingsroad, back towards Winterfell, his sons, Robb, Jon and Bran behind him, along with many of his retainers and his ward, Theon Greyjoy. With them they carried six Direwolf pups, the symbol of his house, one for each of his children.
As they rode farther South, back towards the comforts of Winterfell, Ned pulled up on his horse, the rest of the party following suit. He didn't know what it was, but Ned could feel a cold chill run down his spine.
'I haven't felt anything like this since I faced off against Ser Arthur Dayne.' Ned thought to himself, sparing a glance towards Jon, brining only a pang of guilt that he had yet to tell the lad about where he came from and the truth of his parentage.
"What's wrong my lord?" Rodrik Cassel asked, pulling up alongside him.
"You felt it too, didn't you, father?" Robb asked, his face ashen white. "Something is wrong."
"What's wrong is we're out here when we could be warm around a nice hearth fire!" Theon jeered. "Shall we head on back, my Lord?" He asked Ned.
"Aye." Ned said after a long moment, shaking his head. Whatever it was, it was nothing, nothing that couldn't be dealt with when he was back home, he was sure.
/
"You're saying a giant, for lack of a better term, portal, has appeared, several miles off of the coast of Iceland, just inside International waters, on the other end appears to be a ruin of some kind, and we've reports of people being pulled from the sea that can have only come from the other side of said portal. Meaning that this portal probably caused that ruin and these people were living there beforehand, do I have that right?" The commander of the frigate asked as they approached where the emergency signals had come from.
"Aye, Sir." One of his subordinates replied. "Also, it appears that the land on the other side is not impacted by the sea, and the water isn't passing through the portal, it seems to be repelled from it, fortunately for now, it seems to only be impacting an immediate area, and isn't posing a threat to shipping or the coast."
"Then how do you explain the ruin? We can see traces of water on the other side yet there doesn't appear to be a natural landmark big enough to have done this?"
"I'd wager in the moments this thing appeared, it impacted both sides, causing water to rush into the gap for a moment, whilst also sending debris from the ruin into our side. We've not seen any rocks, not that they'd float, but we have found people in the water, people not dressed like anything we'd see in this climate, especially at this time of the year, most of the ones we recovered muttered about gods and demons, yet most who came this side had already frozen to death by the time we managed to get any vessels to the area. I'm sorry Sir."
"Why do you think it allowed transport for a moment but has since cut it of?"
"I've no idea Sir, and frankly, I don't think we want to be testing if people can still travel it, even if the natural elements seem unable to do so."
"Agreed. Round up any survivors we can find and take them to the nearest port. We'll then look at a blockade of the area around this portal. We'll have to be fast, this'll be worldwide news by this time tomorrow."
/
Ned Stark rode on down the Kingsroad, unable to shake a sense of unease that had come over him. Looking over, he saw Robb, Jon and Bran, alongside some of their other men, displaying that same sense of unease. What could possibly be the matter? Was this feeling sent by the Old Gods? If so, why? What was it warning them of?
Ned could hear a crow in the distance, its cawing was mocking, it sounded as it if was saying "Danger. Danger." Ned shook his head. This sense of unease had him on edge. Why imagine that birds are speaking?
They rode on a bit more, knowing Winterfell was over the next hill, when Ned's horse whined and pulled back, Ned struggled to keep the reins steady as the rest of the party came to a stop, the other horses also in a panic.
"What has gotten into them?" Rodrik asked.
"I've no idea." Ned muttered darkly. "It worries me. Perhaps we had best dismount the rest of the way?"
"A good idea, My Lord!" Theon Greyjoy told him with a grin. Ned gave the boy a small smile, sometimes the lad tried too hard to please Ned, when Ned was proud of him as he was, a better man than he would have been with his own father Balon Greyjoy.
The party dismounted, grabbing their stead's by the reins and gently coaxing them to walk down the path, towards where the turn was for Winterfell, as they reached the turn, Ned turned to look upon his ancestral seat, his home, and dropped to his knees.
"My Lord!" Several men shouted, rushing to help Ned to his feet, meanwhile Ned could only stare ahead in horror, as others looked towards the ancient seat of House Stark, they too dropped their jaws in horror, some falling to their knees.
"Where? WHERE IS WINTERFELL?!" Ned managed to roar out, seeing nothing ahead on the path but a field, covered in rubble and water. Where had the capital of the North gone?
"ARYA!" Jon yelled out, where were his sisters? Where was Rickon and Lady Catelyn?"
"MOTHER! SANSA!" Robb screamed, trying to run towards the scene of the devastation, only stopped by Rodrik Cassel grabbing him. He could see Theon looking horrified, but holding Bran back as well, as Bran screamed for his mother and for Rickon, his wild young brother.
"What is that?" One of the men asked, pointing to whatever the thing was atop the ruins, a large circular hole had appeared in the sky.
"Godless monsters." Another said, looking in horror at the sight. "An attack by the darkest of darkness."
"What could have done such things?" Jon asked, hoping that whatever it was, it had protected his family.
The party got up and headed to the distortion, travelling slowly, all of their faces showing their anger, grief and hatred. Whatever this was, it had destroyed Winterfell, ruined their home, and their people were nowhere to be seen. Whatever had happened, this thing needed to be stopped, by whatever means they had at their disposal. Reaching it, Ned raised Ice high into the air, striking at its side, hearing a clang, as Ice bounced from it.
"Impossible." Ned breathed, as they came around to face the front of the thing, stopping at the sight.
"The Drowned God takes us!" Theon whispered, reverently, seeing a mass ahead of them, through the portal. A mass of water.
/
"Sir, we've searched for hours, I'm sorry, but I think this may just be it. We can't get too close to the portal to look for anyone else, we can't risk something happening to the ship, or falling through it to god only knows where!" The man yelled to be heard over the roaring waves.
"Alright, turn her around!" The captain ordered. "We've rescued about ten people all in all, it's probably not alot, but it's more than nothing." The captain reasoned to himself. "Alright, let's get back before the Yanks end up taking over the site. They'll definitely have NATO locking down the area, if not the UN, within an hour or two. Nothing for it, best to go."
"Sir, there's more, we've had reports of two young women washing up on a beach not too far on the Icelandic coast. They were demanding to see their father, claiming we had kidnapped them from their home. I'm thinking they may be able to tell us more about this ruin, what it was, what happened, anything."
"Alright, when we make it ashore, take me to them. I'm assuming it's a hospital? If people object, tell them it's a military matter now." The captain told his underling. Whatever had happened, whatever this thing was, it was going to be an unnecessary amount of paperwork.