Tara left the rope in the broken tower. She had to find Theon and Sansa. The candle in the tower had to be the handy work of Sansa, and it couldn't have been lit too long ago.

Tara ran down the stairs of the broken tower as fast as she could. She tried to stay as calm as she could, but it had been too long and panic was starting to set in.

Then she heard the horn for the gates. Now she couldn't help but panic. Ramsay was back and all his men. They were supposed to have left a while ago. Tara started to rush through the yard. She had to find them, but so many doubts were rushing through her head. What if they had been captured? What was she supposed to do then?

She stopped in her tracks once she saw a body on the ground. She looked both ways and then slowly approached the body. Anxiety was building up inside of her. She couldn't tell who it was and she just prayed it wasn't Sansa or Theon. She only made out the face until she got closer.

It was Myranda. Tara looked up to see Ramsay's men walking over this way. Tara didn't hesitate, she started to sprint back to the tower. Ramsays men started to yell and run after her. Tara ran as fast as she could. She slammed the door of the broken tower behind her and ran up the stairs two steps at a time.

She threw the random assorted furniture at the stairs and by the door to slow down the men and then threw the rope she had ready out the window of the broken tower. She stopped for a moment at the candle in the window to see it all burnt out.

-

Tara's legs were screaming at her. She had ran nonstop all the way into the woods. Her calf was covered with blood. Someone had managed to shoot her with an arrow while she was running away from Winterfell, but she had so much adrenaline coursing through that she couldn't feel the pain yet. She could hear the dogs and men near her. She needed to move fast, and she needed to think fast. The dogs would find her scent and then she would have no escape. It probably didn't help that she was dripping blood everywhere she went.

Every step she took she felt like it was getting more and more hopeless. The dogs barks were getting closer and she was starting to tire. Despite her body yelling at her to stop running, she didn't. She jumped over trunks and pushed her way through frosted branches.

At some point, she started to feel more hopeful. The hounds barking was slowly getting farther away until at one point she stopped hearing the barks distinctly, but only heard their distant echoes bouncing through the forest. Tara finally slowed for a moment.

It's like the dogs are going after something else now, Tara thought.

She stopped moving altogether. It was Theon and Sansa. Tara hadn't been able to think clearly until just then. It made the most sense. They were ones who killed Myranda, and they were the reasons that the hounds hadn't found her yet.

Tara stopped for a moment and looked down at her calf. Blood was completely covering her leg. The arrow was still jammed into her leg. She hadn't felt much, but now she was really starting to feel it hitting her. Tara didn't stop yet though. She couldn't just run away knowing that the dogs were probably going to find Theon and Sansa. Tara could help. She turned in the direction of the barking and started to run again despite the throbbing pain in her leg.

Horrible thoughts started to rush through Tara's head as she ran towards the barks. The barks were getting louder as she got closer. She wanted so badly to collapse from the cold and the bleeding, but she didn't let herself. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if Theon needed her help right now and she wasn't there to give it.

But then the barks stopped. Tara kept running but her terrible thoughts turned horrific when she heard the screams and yelling. When she got even closer she heard the whinnying of horses and the clanging of swords. Tara ran even faster.

But then, Tara heard no sounds at all. Tears started to stream down her face. How would she be able to find Theon if there was nothing to be heard? Her running slowed and her tears ran faster down her face. She didn't want him to be dead. She wouldn't be able to live on without him.

Tara stopped running. The adrenaline rush had passed and she was really starting to feel the pain in her legs. Tara slowed to a stumble, but she still walked in the direction of the previous sounds.

She could feel herself getting slower every step. Each time more pain accumulated in her leg. She would soon enough need to pull it out, but she couldn't do that yet otherwise she would bleed too much.

Tara started to shiver in the wind and snow. It was freezing and her feet were numb, but it would be way too dangerous to light any sort of fire. Despite her tears, shivering, and excruciating pain, Tara still continued to walk. She knew she was going very slow.

Finally, Tara reached a clearing in the woods. Dead men and horses were scattered everywhere. She was relieved to finally find something, but she was petrified of seeing Theon's face on any of the dead men. She started to walk through the dead, checking every single one of their faces just to be sure. Everytime she had to flip over a body, dread filled her stomach.

She looked at the last body, and it wasn't Theon.

Tears of relief ran down her face, but she wasn't done. She had to figure out where they went. She would call his name, but she was too scared to do so.

She looked around on the ground. The snow made it easier to see footsteps. Lots of indents of feet and horseshoes were everywhere around the dead, but she walked around on the outside of the dead to look for exiting footsteps. She found them.

Snow was still falling, and it made Tara extremely nervous. She didn't know how long it would be before the tracks would be covered by fresh snow and it didn't help that Tara's pace was extremely slowed due to her leg. She dragged herself along the steps in the snow barely able feel anything besides the stinging pain in her leg. She was walking so slow that it was killing her. If she wasn't able to find Theon before nightfall, she would die. Not only from loss of blood or the cold, but also from a complete loss of faith.

Tara pleaded to any gods that would listen that she would find Theon. She didn't think she would find any purpose of living on in a world without him. The pure thought that he might be out of her reach would automatically cause tears to roll down her cheeks. After all that she had been through, Theon's death would be her cracking point. At this point, she didn't only keep going for Theon but also for herself.

Tara looked up from her stumbled walk to see figures in the woods. She stopped and stared. She couldn't tell if it was actually trees or if they were good or bad people. Her mind was so foggy and disoriented. She strained to see and to think. She stood staring for a while. The black figures were definitely not trees, but she couldn't tell if it was Ramsay's men or if it was Theon.

Tara walked even slower to the people and hid behind trees. They didn't notice her, but she wasn't close enough to make out who they were. She continued to slip as smoothly as possible from tree to tree.

She finally got close enough and made out a face.

Tara suddenly forgot about her leg completely and started to run towards him. "Theon!" She called as her voice cracked.

He turned to look at her and immediately ran to her side. She felt as though this was a dream until she finally met his arms. He was there, he was actually there.

She immediately collapsed in his arms. All her strength was gone. Tears ran down her face out of joy.

Theon couldn't believe it either. He hadn't been able to rest even a tiny bit not knowing where she was. He was going to leave to find her, but he was so relieved that she found him.

They both squeezed each other tighter.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Theon said.

"I was so scared. I missed you. I missed you." Tara and Theon were both talking over each other.

Theon pulled away to look at her face, almost to check that this was real. So many awful and terrible things had happened to him, having something like this happen was an absolute miracle.

"I love you. I love you more than anything." Theon held her face in his hands.

"I love you so much." Tara responded. They wrapped up together again for the longest time. The only reason they stopped is when Theon noticed the arrow sticking out of her leg.

"What happened to you?" Theon said concerned.

"I climbed out of the broken tower and someone saw me. They shot me as I was escaping." Tara said.

Theon immediately took all her weight and brought her to sit down. It wasn't until then did Tara realize that there were other people with Theon. She smiled when she saw Sansa was okay.

The smile decipated when she realized she would have to pull an arrow out of her leg.

Brienne and Pod ran up to help Theon. They seemed to know more about what to do than Theon did.

"The arrow isn't that far into her leg." Brienne said. "She will be okay, but it won't be pain free."

"We're going to have to pull it out."

~~~

Thank you so much for reading! I'm so happy I finally got to write this and now it won't have to be so sad lol