"You ready?" Tara asked.
Theon nodded but he wasn't sure. He hadn't moved from this spot since they got there. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to walk at all.
Theon held onto Tara's arms as support as his legs wobbled beneath him. Luckily, he could support his feet could still support him just not very well. Tara smiled once he was fully standing on his own.
His whole body was very sore and tender. He limped as he walked but he was able to walk out of the cave. It was early in the morning and it was still a little cold in the forest from the night before.
"Well, it's something." Theon stopped walking and looked up to Tara. Tara smiled which made him smile as well.
"We should probably stop at Hornwell and get some food." She said.
"Alright. Shall we?" Theon said. They both started to walk to Hornwell. It took them a bit but Theon didn't realize that they were a lot closer to Hornwell than he originally thought.
As they walked down to the store, Tara broke the silence, "We need a story."
"What do you mean?" Theon asked.
"Like who are we? And where are we going?" Tara said. Theon didn't say anything in response, he just thought for a moment. "Even if we never end up using the story for anything, it will still be fun to come up with."
"I don't know, I can't think of anything." Theon replied.
Tara nudged him on the shoulder, "Come on, you owe me. It's going to take us a bit to get there because of your limp."
Theon gave her a dirty look but she just smiled. He sighed, "Alright. I guess if we were traveling together you would have to be my wife and we are would be going to Pyke for a funeral." Theon smiled. He saw Tara blush slightly.
"You are missing things." Tara smiled.
"What?"
"What's our names and whose funeral is it?" Tara said.
"Hmm. I guess it's my father's funeral. But our names are..."
"Stephas and Clara." Tara finished his sentence.
"How did you come up with those so fast?"
"It's my mother's and father's names." Tara looked at her feet and then looked back up at him.
"Those are great names." Theon smiled.
They finally walked into the store with the saddle. People were walking around and a large man stood at the counter.
"I'll do this. You stay out here." Theon said.
"Are you sure?" Tara asked.
"Yes." Theon walked to the counter and traded the saddle for some money with no problems. He smiled as he walked away, pleased with the outcome. Suddenly, someone grabbed him and pulled him to the side. He looked to see Tara leading him to the back of the building.
"What's happening?" Theon asked.
"Ramsay's men are here." Tara whispered.
Theon and Tara went outside the building and hid in the alley behind the store.
They sat against the wall and didn't say a word. Theon started to get nervous. He didn't want to go back there, and he didn't want to know what they'd do to Tara especially. He reached over and grabbed Tara's hand and held onto her tight.
Theon heard slight talking. He strained to hear what they were saying. He pushed his ear against the wall but could only barely make out the words.
"Will I get a reward?" A man asked.
"Of course you will be paid generously. I'll stay here and see this man paid. You men go find them."
"What were they saying?" Tara whispered.
Theon figured it out. It was the saddle they just sold. They knew it was from Dreadfort. Just then, he heard the door open to the alleyway.
"We need to leave now." Theon said in a rushed whisper.
"Where?" Tara whispered. He saw that tears were starting to rush down her cheeks. He grabbed her hand and started to lead her away. He didn't know where to go. The men were going to come around the corner any second and they were stuck in an alleyway between buildings.
They tried to run down the alleyway, but Theon couldn't run very fast. He was putting all his weight on Tara as she tried to move as fast as possible. They heard the men getting closer behind them.
"Halt!" They yelled. Theon pushed with all his might to move as fast as possible. The men were chasing them from behind. They pushed their way into a door and ran through a building. People looked in confusion as Theon pushed chairs and tables over to slow down the guards. Soon enough they ran out of the building and across the street. Theon looked behind him to see the men struggling to make it through the store, but he saw them run out into the street.
They were moving as fast as they could into another alley and they were getting some speed, but not enough. Theon lost his footing and fell to the ground with Tara too.
"Just leave me! Run!" Theon yelled.
"No. There is no way I leave you here." Tara said as she tried to pull him up.
"You can run and escape. I can't. Please Tara. Please!" Theon begged.
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Tara yelled and tried to pull him up.
"Tara..." Theon's heart collapsed as he looked behind her. She slowly turned to an arrow aimed at her heart.
She fell to the ground and started to scoot backwards to Theon. Theon held her hand as tightly as he could. He didn't want them to take Tara away from him. He couldn't imagine the things they'd do to her.
"I'm sorry Tara." Theon whispered barely audible, but he knew she heard him.
The men grabbed Tara, pulled her away from him, and threw her to the ground. They laughed at her. Theon immediately tried to stand up and help her, but they grabbed him too.
"Get up you dumb whore." The man kicked her in the side and laughed.
Theon filled with anger. He tried to get away and help her.
Tara tried to stand, but she couldn't get up after the kick to her side.
The man reached down and pulled her up. They both were dragged across the street back to the original store. Tara was almost limp, but Theon tried to escape. He wasn't nearly strong enough but he didn't care. He wanted to get to Tara.
They pulled them into the store. Theon looked at the clerk bleeding on the ground. He was face up and his eyes stared blankly up as blood trickled from his chest. I guess thats how Ramsay's men pay rewards.
He looked up to see another man standing there. Theon wanted to collapse. He didn't want to go back. He felt the tears begin to slowly drip down his face.
The man tried to talk to Theon, most likely say nasty things to him, but he wasn't looking. He looked over at Tara and her limp body on the ground. He needed to save her but there was nothing he could do but look at her.
The man grabbed his head and turned it towards him.
"You listen to me!" He yelled mere inches from his face.
"Normally, I would kill that whore right now." He said with a grin. Theon's whole body shook as the man held his face tightly.
"But Ramsay wanted his whore alive. He must have something planned for her." He laughed still holding his head. His whore? Theon didn't understand what exactly that meant. He didn't have a chance to think about it as the man pushed him away harshly and Theon fell to the ground.
He picked himself up and when he looked up to see Tara again, she was gone.