VI
Pain
Santiago had a big headache, not just in his head, but also in front of him, the exploration team he authorized had captured a lady and her retinue, and even so, capture was a big word, they had abducted the group, he thanked god nobody cared about the anomaly, else he would be screwed.
"Are any of them injured?" he inquired to the head doctor.
"Their injuries are minor, except for the lady, her horse fell on her leg and broke it."
"I see" he observed the unconscious group "Keep me updated, and when they wake up, call me."
"Yes sir" the doctor saluted.
He turned on his heels and moved quickly into his office, the leader of the reconnaissance team was already waiting for him, the young man looked nervous, even though he tried his best not to show it, and Santiago was furious, even though he tried not to show it.
"Sir!" the man saluted him.
"Sit, Daniel, is it?" the man nodded, and he took a breath "You knew the orders Daniel."
"I know sir; however they looked like they were about to cross the anomaly."
"If they were to do so, the perimeter team would have captured them, your orders were to stay concealed, observe the area around the anomaly, and report." He fixed his hair "Not abduct a lady along with her retinue just for the sake it."
"I know sir, I made a bad call."
"At least you shoot them with tranquilizers, if I had twenty bags I swear to god you would be in Leticia guarding the border already" he scratched his temple "You knew the ROE for fucks sake!"
"Me and the team will accept any disciplinary measure you consider sir" Daniel said.
"You won't be disciplined, but don't expect a fucking commendation for that" he took a deep breath "Dismissed."
Daniel saluted and left, sergeant Santiago just sat there, if his superiors were to get wind of this or if the UN finally decided to pay a visit, he was fucked. He toyed with a pen while his mind went into overdrive, he just needed to enforce absolute discipline and loyalty, then he could start playing correctly, he was his fathers son after all and hell be dammed if he left his surname in the dust.
Hope
The weather was hot and humid, unlike anything UN deputy Henry Gagnon had experienced before, he was Canadian, and now he was in the tropic in Colombia as part of the UN mission to investigate this "anomaly." They had landed at midday in a USAF cargo plane loaded among equipment the UN saw necessary to bring, he had to admit, they had brought a lot of machinery, but not a lot of men, his team consisted of twenty people, good workers all of them, but he feared not enough.
"Deputy Gagnon!" a fat man in civilian clothes called for him while approaching the plane "Im Enrique Altamira, civilian liaison from the Colombian government" he spoke english well enough, but with a thick accent that wouldn't fool anyone.
"A pleasure" he shook his hand "Whats the situation?"
"Honestly, best if you look at it yourself" he handed him a tablet.
In the image was clear as that day, a circle of black outline, ten to twenty meters high and ten meters wide, he knew it was in the middle of a national park so no surprise to the surroundings on their side, but on the other one, it was pitch black, he guessed middle on the night, so, time difference, that much was clear, but were did that thing lead into?
"What do you know?"
"Honestly not much" Enrique took a moment to continue "It leads to another world" he said with a muffled voice.
"What?" he shook his head "Another world?" he investigated Enriques face for something, but he saw honesty in his eyes.
"We confirmed that on the beginning, we have humans from the other world in a hospital near here, nine of them, one died."
He heard some voices scream in spanish, and the roar of incoming car engines, a convoy escorted by the police and the military, their transports.
"We need to move, some of your team can stop at the hospital, but the rest is going to the anomaly" Enrique lead him into a white SUV, with the letters "UN" along the doors, he went inside, while the rest of his team went into other vehicles, after some minutes of waiting Enrique went inside the vehicle and the convoy started to move.
"The equipment you brought will be moved with next convoy" Enrique said.
"Whos in charge of the area?" he asked.
"Some sergeant Santiago Rodriguez, they said he´s tough as they come."
"A military brat then?"
"Wouldn't be so sure, his surname matters to people in Bogota" Enrique said.
He wanted to ask more, but Enrique handed him a tablet, the readings they had some the other side, and the anomaly itself, the scientists on his team were going to have a field day with that thing. he cleared the sweat on his forehead and was thankful for the AC on the car.
Were to?
Ambition
Alaynne woke up to unfamiliar voices, sounds, and light. She was in a tent, in a bed, with strange cables and things attached to her skin, there was also a weird sensation on her face, it felt like air was being pumped into her nose, and it felt wet. She tried to move, but her arms and legs were firmly strapped in the bed she was in, she tried to speak, but her throat was dry, and no meaningful words came out. She turned her head and saw a person clothed in strange patterns she didn't recognize until she did.
By the seven. She thought.
"Hey lady?" a young woman in a thick accent said, "I need you to relax, else well need to sedate you again" the woman threw a sad smile "Please, I promise youll be alright, just… relax, ok?"
The strangers spoke common, at least, some of them did, others spoke in a tongue she didn't understand. The woman offered water, and she gulped the cup, even if the water spilled and went all around her face, it wasn't ladylike, but not like she cared now.
"Can you tell me your name please?" the woman flashed a smile "Mines María."
"Alaynne" she squealed weakly.
"And who are you to the world Alaynne?" Maria asked.
"Im a lady of house Mooton" she said proudly "I was to take my castle by orders of king Bran before those bandits attacked" she shallowed hard "In fact, I think… they look a lot like you now. Where am I?"
"You are in camp Tayrona, under protection of the Colombian government" Maria pointed out.
"I haven't heard of such name, are you bandits? I swear to the Seven his grace will deliver justice if you are" she raised her voice "For my kidnapping, and my retinue, where are they? What have you done with them!?"
"They are in the other tent, where are no bandits, but we haven't heard of such king Bran" Maria paused "Mind filling me in?"
"How come youve never heard of king Bran the Broken, he was crowned just three moon ago" Maria looked confused at her answer "Don't jest with me, even in Essos people know the news, are you even from Westeros? Never heard your accent before."
"Westeros, Essos? Never heard of those places" Maria paused "Perhaps, you can fill me in their history?"
Alaynne was about to answer, when a man entered the room, he was tall, had short hair, and walked proudly, he also had an ugly scar in his neck and was clothed in the same patterns, the rest of the people in the tent stopped their doings and saluted him from the looks of it, even Maria did so.
"Whats you name lady?" the man asked with a broad smile.
"Lady Alaynne, of house Mooton, and lady of the Maidenpool" she said proudly.
"And whos your liege?" the smile still in the mans face
"King Bran the broken"
"The broken huh?" the man snorted "Not much respect for your liege lord?"
"Hes a good king my lord, but hes incapable" she panicked.
"Incapable?" he laughed "Guess you choose badly for your new king, but tell me, whats the state of the realm this Bran rules?"
"It's weakened my lord, years of war have devastated the realm, and few representatives of the great houses of old remain, even the small ones found themselves on the back foot." She spat rapidly.
"I see" the smile had disappeared "You are about to become very important Alaynne" his voice cold as winter.
"If Im not in Westeros my lord" she took a moment "Where am I?"
"In Colombia, and also, not a lord just sergeant Santiago" Santiago turned sharply and left the room.
"Hes right, you are about to become very famous" Maria said and left her alone.
She didn't understand what happened, she had spilled everything as soon as that man started asking, there was something in his eyes that she knew well, lifelessness, tiredness, but also something she saw on his fathers eyes years ago, ambition.
Father would know what to do. Her mind said.