It didn't take long for the churls to make a bonfire on the outside of the castle. Æthelric tried to say more, but he was quickly gagged. Apparently, he believed in a different god, called Jesus. He actually kneeled and prayed that Jesus would come for him even if he was sacrificed to another god. Audrey thought she had heard that name before but couldn't remember where. It didn't matter. She wasn't especially interested in religion anyway.
The other escapees were forced to watch, as their leader was placed in the middle of the stack of wood, and they poured some liquid on him. Then Arthur performed some ritual, which ended with him throwing a torch into the stack of wood. At first, Æthelric tried to remain still, to refuse the onlookers the show they were waiting for. But towards the end, he wasn't able to prevent the moans of pain. The gag had never been removed, so he wasn't able to scream loudly anyway. He was also blindfolded. Arthur explained that watching the eyes of a man that was about to die was to invite evil. So, every sacrifice was blindfolded to avoid the evil spreading from the sacrifice to the onlookers.
The rest of the escapees were then taken to the cells, where they would spend the night, as Arthur decided what their punishment would be. Kaneez had tried to throw herself at the fire, but a churl had held her back. It seemed this failed escape attempt had been the last straw. She was hysterical, begging them to kill her, to let her escape this madness. It took two churls to restrain her and take her back to the castle. Audrey wondered why they insisted on keeping her alive. She wasn't useful, in her current state, why did they go through so much effort to keep her alive?
Arthur decided to punish the other theows one by one. Depending on exactly how involved they had been in tying up the churls and the planning, they got whipped according to their crime. A few of the leaders, those who had been the main instigators apart from Æthelric, were dangling naked from the gallows by their arms as they were flogged. If any of them passed out, they threw water at them, or slapped their face to get them up again. After their flogging was done, they were left there, to watch the next group be flogged. All in all, it took a week before Arthur was finished, with the two other leaders being flogged every day, the others one of the days. The first theows, those whom he had decided was the least involved, were ordered back to work, though with leg irons to prevent further escape attempts.
Audrey fought with herself, debating whether she should speak up about her knowledge of the case. After the worst anger had retreated, she decided to speak up. She would feel guilty forever if she did not.
Trembling, she walked over to Arthur and asked to speak with him. Arthur smiled and agreed.
"What's on your mind Audrey? I know you just lost your helper; I have prayed that the Lady has found an adequate substitute on her travels."
"Yes, I have asked Frigg about that too. It is about the escape attempt. I didn't know the plan, or when it was to take place, but the man you sacrificed had tried for a while to get me to run away with him. I didn't take him seriously and I thought I had convinced him it was a bad idea, which is why I didn't say anything to you about it, but now I'm wondering if I should have said something. I…" Audrey didn't get the chance to say anything else as Arthur interrupted her.
"There is no need for you to feel guilty, Audrey. You are not the only one he tried to convince. We already knew something was about to happen, it was our own fault for not being vigilant when they decided to strike. I am pleased to hear that you tried to convince him that his plan was foolish. I seem to recall that you've told Kaneez much the same?"
"Yes. I don't understand why anyone would want to leave. What is it in the world outside that is better than what we have here?"
"Some people always believe that there is something better somewhere else. That everything will be better if they just get there. Those of us who have lived longer know that that is not always the case. Life is hard, wherever you go. The challenges are just different. We must all just try to do the best with what we have."
Audrey nodded. What Arthur said made sense. The theows didn't like their life here and thought they could find something better somewhere else.
"Was that all, Audrey?" Audrey drew a breath before she asked the other questions she had wondered about.
"Why do you insist on keeping Kaneez alive? She has tried to kill herself many times, why don't you let her?"
"Life is precious. I don't like to throw them away. Kaneez is sick, but I still have hopes that she will come around eventually. I hope you can find it in you to forgive her for what she did to you, when that time comes."
"I already have. I don't think she meant to hurt me; I was just the one who let down my guard."
"Good, that is good. Don't be scared to come and talk to me, Audrey. I am not like the Lady. I want to have a good relationship with all my subjects. You are an example to them."
"Thank you, thegn. I try my best."
"You do a good job. Let me know if there is anything you need."
Audrey curtsied and left. She had the answers to some questions, but there were some she didn't dare to ask. Arthur was a big supporter of Woden, and the scop had told the story of the different gods. But the scop had never mentioned someone named Jesus. Thinking about that name made her head feel strange again, like it was something she used to know. Maybe she would remember it later.
When the Lady returned a few months later, she did bring someone else who knew their way around animals. And she was a lot more obedient and meeker than Æthelric. Audrey found that she got along with Eadgifu better than Æthelric from the start. Together, they were able to guide the churls through the lambing season.
Before she knew it, harvest season had come again. It was hard to believe that it had been a whole year since she had come here again.
Life was an endless cycle of changing seasons. Time passed, but Audrey didn't reflect upon it further. New theows came, and some lasted for longer, many died within a year. Not everyone was cut out for this life. Audrey didn't think about her status much, she liked the continuity of life.
Then one year, around the time for the Lady to head out on tour, she approached Audrey as she was about to lock up the hens for the night.
"Audrey, I have good news." Audrey curtsied deeply as she moved over to where the Lady stood.
"You will get to come with me on the tour this season," the Lady said with a smile. "You have been a great resource ever since you've come here and now that we have Eadgifu, I can afford to take one of you with me. Eadgifu can keep control of the animals here, and we can once again bring a wider variety of animals to show visitors in our burh."
"I would be honoured, my Lady," Audrey replied. She hadn't been on a tour in years. "Which animals should we bring?"
"Not the chickens. They only cause trouble. Other than that, I was hoping for your suggestions about that. If you were to teach people about husbandry, which animals would you bring?"
"Well, the pigs are easy, and possibly a few of the goats. Let me think about that, my Lady."
"Yes, you don't need to decide right now. We leave in three days."
Three days. Three days to prepare for another adventure. What would this tour bring? She could barely remember the details of her previous ones, as it had ended with her being knocked on her head.