Game of Thrones: The Dangerous Traveler (MULTIVERSAL)

GOT: The Dangerous Traveler 17

Maggie Greene

Year 2010 – Georgia

The sun was setting, painting the sky in warm tones as Glenn and Maggie moved slowly on horseback, the sound of hooves hitting the dirt road the only thing breaking the silence. It was their first trip together, and though neither of them said it out loud, both knew there was something uncomfortable about being so close to each other, traveling without the group's company.

Glenn glanced at Maggie from time to time, noticing that she remained tense, as if measuring every one of her movements. She didn't seem too willing to start a conversation, but Glenn decided he could break the ice.

"So... have you always been on the farm?" he asked, his voice sounding more like an observation than a real question.

Maggie looked at him briefly, then turned her gaze to the horizon, as if avoiding eye contact. "Yes, since I was little." Her tone was brief, as if she didn't want to elaborate. "My father... has always been protective, maybe too much."

Glenn nodded, understanding the implication. "That must have been hard, right? I mean, there aren't many people around here, you know?"

Maggie looked at him again, this time with a more relaxed expression, though still distant. "Hard isn't the exact word. My father is... complicated," she paused. "But we get it, you know? He's kept us safe. In this world, that's all that matters."

Glenn nodded again, the feeling of discomfort between them not fading, but there was something in the way Maggie spoke that made him feel the conversation wasn't so strange. On the other hand, she wasn't sure what to think of him. Glenn seemed... different. He wasn't like the other men in the group, but that didn't mean he was more trustworthy.

"And what do you think about all this?" he asked suddenly, his voice hesitant. "Being here, and everything that's happened... how are you handling it?"

Maggie looked at him with a mix of disbelief and weariness. "I handle it as best I can. Do you think it's easy? We're in a world where there are no rules. Where the things you thought you knew don't matter anymore. I don't know how else to do it."

Glenn said nothing, realizing he had touched a sensitive topic. Maggie had made it clear without needing details. Still, there was something in her tone that suggested she might be saying more than she wanted to.

The sound of the wind moving the leaves of the trees was the only thing heard for a few moments. Then, Glenn decided to try again, this time with a less profound question.

"Do you like the countryside? Living here, I mean?"

"I do," Maggie replied, this time with a slight smile. "It's... simple. But sometimes that's okay. Life on the farm is straightforward. It doesn't have... the complications of the city, for example," she paused for a moment, looking at the vast expanse of land stretching before them. "But now everything's different, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Glenn replied, with a sad grimace on his face. "Different."

Though he didn't say it out loud, he felt the same pressure. It had been a change for everyone. The long nights on watch, the days filled with uncertainty. Nothing was the same anymore.

A few seconds of silence fell between them as the distant houses of the village began to come into view. The sunlight was fading quickly, and Glenn felt more and more uneasy. He had gone out with the others several times before, but being alone with Maggie, someone he barely knew, made him feel strange. Despite that, the mission kept them focused: the need for medical supplies for Carl and, secretly, the pregnancy test for Lori.

"How is everyone at the farm?" Glenn asked, trying to change the subject again.

Maggie glanced at him, noticing the interest in his voice, though he disguised it with an innocent question. "They're fine," she said with a slight smile. "My father's worried about everything, as usual. Hershel being Hershel."

"What do you mean by that?" Glenn couldn't help but smile at Maggie's words, though his tone was more curious than mocking.

"You know... trying to keep things normal. Doing what he can to keep everything from falling apart. We all do, don't we?"

Glenn nodded, his gaze returning to the road ahead. "Yeah. In the end, we're all just trying to keep going. Even if we don't always know how."

Both continued in silence, listening only to the soft trot of the horses on the dirt. The horizon grew darker with each step, and the tension of the journey began to settle on their shoulders again. Something in the air had changed, something Maggie couldn't quite identify. Was it the proximity to the town? The fact that they were in a place where nothing remained intact?

Soon, a two-story house appeared in the distance, isolated among the brush and the shadows beginning to spread. At first, neither of them said anything, but as they approached, both felt a growing pressure.

"Do you see that?" Maggie said, nodding toward the house. "It looks empty, but..."

Glenn quickly looked in the direction of the house, frowning. "Yeah. But why is it so quiet? There's no movement."

"Maybe... because there's no one there," Maggie suggested, though the doubt didn't leave her voice. She couldn't help but wonder what was drawing her attention to the house.

Glenn watched her, noticing that her face showed a hint of uncertainty. "Maybe we're just imagining things."

But then, just when they thought nothing else would happen, the door of the house swung open.

Maggie and Glenn came to a complete stop, the horses still beneath them, silently observing the scene.

The door of the house swung open, interrupting the tense silence that had surrounded them. Maggie and Glenn froze on their horses, watching as two figures stepped out of the house with determined steps.

The first was a slender man with chestnut hair that fell to his shoulders, disheveled by the breeze but somehow still elegant. His face was young, around his twenties, with strikingly attractive features that immediately caught attention: deep eyes, a firm and well-defined jawline. He had the appearance of someone who had lived a life untouched by the scars of the post-apocalyptic world, a contrast to the harshness around them. Despite the dirt and crudeness of the environment, this man seemed to have maintained a natural grace in his posture, as if every movement was perfectly calculated.

"Who's that?" Maggie whispered, though her voice held nothing but curiosity.

Glenn leaned forward slightly, watching closely. "I don't know... he doesn't seem like one of ours."

The other figure who appeared beside the man was a woman who, in many ways, seemed out of place in this deteriorated world. Her silver hair, like moonlight, cascaded in waves down her back, and her skin, though somewhat dirty, seemed paler than any other survivor's. She wasn't as tall as the man, but her presence was equally striking. Her eyes, a piercing green, seemed to observe everything with a mix of caution and determination. Her features were sharp, with an expression that seemed to show wisdom beyond her years. Her attire, though worn, reflected something more polished: a mix of practical yet elegantly cut clothing, as if she came from a different world, one less affected by the collapse.

"Who... who is she?" Glenn murmured, keeping his voice low.

Maggie couldn't stop staring. The woman moved with a fluid grace, a mix of strength and skill. Despite the situation, she seemed completely in control of her surroundings. 'She doesn't seem like she's from around here,' Maggie thought. Her presence was almost unsettling, and deep down, an uncomfortable feeling began to form in her stomach.

Both watched in silence as the two stopped at the threshold of the door, as if waiting for something. Then, they began walking toward the small wooden porch, where they stood, talking to each other in low tones. The sound of their voices reached Maggie and Glenn, but the words were indistinct, too soft to be understood at that distance.

The man gestured with his hand, as if explaining something, while the woman watched him intently, listening carefully. Both seemed to have a relationship of mutual respect, maybe even trust, though Maggie couldn't understand the nature of their interaction. The fact that they were so calm, so in control, only increased the unease she felt.

"What do you think they're saying?" Glenn asked in a low voice, almost to himself, but Maggie heard him.

"I don't know," she replied, keeping her gaze fixed on them. "But I don't like us being so close. They could be... anything."

Glenn nodded slowly. "I know. We can't stay much longer. We should leave if they start coming closer."

Maggie wasn't sure what to do. Something in her gut told her they shouldn't get any closer, but there was also a part of her that felt curious to know more. The people left in this new world weren't like before. Everyone had become something different, though they still held remnants of what they once were. Appearances no longer mattered as much as what someone truly was in this new context.

She watched the woman, seeing how her eyes moved from side to side, as if assessing the surroundings without missing a detail. 'Is she someone worth trusting?' Maggie thought. 'But... who can say in this world?'

On the other hand, the man seemed relaxed, as if he wasn't too worried about what was around them. His attitude suggested he didn't fear what might come. The contrast between him and the woman was evident. While he seemed more at ease, she kept her gaze alert, as if everything was under constant observation.

Glenn, following his instinct, began to move the horse slightly backward, careful not to make noise. "We should go," he whispered, his tone worried. "We can't let them see us."

Maggie nodded slowly, her mind still turning over the strange scene they had just witnessed. Though nothing indicated the strangers were hostile, something about the situation continued to unsettle her. She knew she couldn't stay there much longer, but the feeling of uncertainty kept pulsing in her chest.

Just as they were preparing to turn the horses and discreetly move away, the chestnut-haired man made a movement toward the woman, saying something in a low voice. She nodded, and both headed back inside the house, closing the door behind them without making more noise.

"What was that?" Maggie asked, unable to help herself.

"I don't know," Glenn replied, his tone still cautious. "But I don't like them being there. We can't stay."

Maggie nodded and, with one last glance at the house, guided her horse back onto the road. As they moved forward, the feeling of distrust didn't fade, and a part of her wondered if they could ever truly understand the world they now lived in. The people they encountered, even those who seemed so alien to this new chaos, might not be as simple as they appeared.