Solace {A Game of Thrones Fanfiction}

Chapter 45

Tara couldn't believe she was back in King's Landing.

It all felt so foreign but so familiar at the same time. As she made her way down the twists and turns of fleabottom it was slowly coming back to her in fragments of memory. She wasn't quite sure if she was going the right way, she only had a gut feeling to guide her.

There was so many people around her. They were carrying things, in and out of buildings, talking to each other. It was nostalgic to her but also nerve wracking. She hadn't been to a city such as this since she was young.

Tara turned another corner following her instinct. She continued down the narrow streets. She had to navigate through all the people. Something inside of her said she had to be getting closer.

"Always be careful, Meya." Tara said to her younger sister. They were sitting across the street from the cart of fruit. The man at the cart was a young man. He must of been newer because any fruit grocer with any sense would stay out of this area of flea bottom. He definitely looked confused. 

Tara and her sister knew this was an opportune moment. A juicy red apple would be taste better than anything. It would be pure candy to their tongues. 

Meya almost rolled her eyes at Tara, "I'm got to grab as many as I can right now."

"No we have to wait." Tara exercised caution, "Wait until the other cart moves, that way we can run away."

"I'm hungry Tara." Meya was growing impatient. 

"I know, me too."

However, it wasn't long until the other cart blocking the street that led to their house moved out of the way. Meya eyes lit up with excitement. It was any moment now. 

"Ready?" Tara turned to her little sister. Meya nodded excitedly. "Run fast." Tara added. 

They stood up out of their hiding spot in the filth. It was a few bounds and they were right in front of the cart. They shoved all the fruits into any place they could hold them. It was a second before the young man even realized he was being robbed. 

"Hey!" He yelled angrily, but it was too late. Meya and Tara were already running down the street. They giggled happily as they carried their fruits. 

They turned down the even smaller alleyway leading to their home and had disappeared inside. The young man would never be able to find them, not with how fast they had gone. 

Tara and Meya got to sit on the floor in their home, eating fruit. They giggled as they finally found some solace from the extreme poverty they were living in. Afterwards, their stomachs hurt in the best way. 

Tara smiled sadly from the memory. She was looking down the same street that they had ran down. It didn't look quite the same as she remembered, but she knew it had to be it. 

She followed in the footsteps of her younger self. She swore she had a faint taste of fruit in her mouth. 

She knew then it would be the turn into the alleyway now. She was afraid it might be gone but nonetheless there it was. She only had to walk 10 feet now to get to her old home, however, she hadn't moved yet. 

This was the moment. The moment she had thought about countless times before. When she was scared and abused and alone, she had thought about standing looking down this alleyway - about to go back home. 

Tara took a deep breath before she continued. She just hoped someone she knew would be at the other side of that door. 

It looked almost exactly the same. It gave Tara some hope. Even the door still had the awful peeled green color on it. Not as green as it used to be, Tara thought.