"We come with good news," the agents said. "We've contacted the families of those of you who have them. As you can imagine, they were overjoyed. We've also got the results back on some of the DNA tests, so we have been able to confirm a few more identities. Those of you who have verifiable identities and a place to go can leave tomorrow. The rest of you will have to wait a little longer. There are a fair few family members that will come in the morning to see if we can get a DNA match from relatives."
There were quiet murmurs as the agent said that. Audrey wondered if any of the others felt like she did. That it would be strange when they weren't all together anymore.
"We also have news," Leann said. "We've all worked on the files you gave us, and these are the people we are quite certain were there at some point. We've included a note about the details, when we remembered them. And here we have the few that are actually here. I'm sure they can give you their own details. This pile here is the people we are quite certain are not involved in this, and this largest pile is the uncertain ones, where we think we may know them, but we can't be certain. There is usually at least one note with each of them too."
"Wow, you've gone through all of them that quickly? Did you divide them?"
"Not really. I mean, we all looked at pretty much all of them, but not all at the same time."
"That is great, we didn't expect you to get so many so quickly. More work for us, but it can also mean a lot of closure for family members."
"Yes, and about that, here is a list of others we remember that we didn't find in a file. Obviously, we don't know the names, but a description, and when they were taken in relation to one of the people in the files. If you find the places the burh has been, you should do a search for bodies. We buried those as they were, we only brought a few back to the castle."
"That's good to know. We have found several of the locations the burh has been in, so we will make sure to go over the ground there thoroughly. That will take quite some time though."
"Is there any news about the leaders?" Audrey wanted to know. "When will the trial be?"
"The trials are set to begin within the year, but we want to identify as many of the bodies as possible before then."
"When will we get to know if we need to testify?" one of the former churls, wanted to know.
"In ample time before any trial, do not worry."
Audrey had another question, though she wondered if she dared to ask it in front of everyone. On the other hand, when else would she have the chance to pitch her idea?
"Can you tell us what will happen to the castle? And the animals? I presume someone technically owns it."
"The animals have all been taken care of by new owners or the animal rescue group, so you don't have to worry about them. The land the castle is built on is public property. The castle itself isn't registered anywhere, as can be expected. We haven't decided what to do with it yet, but chances are that it will be demolished once we are sure to collect all the evidence."
"Demolished? Do you have to do that?"
"Like I said, it isn't decided, but it is a likely outcome, since it is an unregistered building. Why is that important?"
"Well, I haven't thought about all the details yet, but I have been thinking about the future. You say that those of us who have family waiting for us can leave to be with them. But what about those who do not? That is still quite a lot of us. We can't stay in this house forever. I was thinking we could take back the castle and live there the way it was supposed to be, with no chains or whippings. But if you have to demolish what took many years to create, then we will need to find another solution."
No one said anything for a while after that. Then one of the former churls spoke up.
"You want to return? To the place of nightmares?"
"It won't be a nightmare if we're not theows," Audrey countered. "I don't know about you, but I would want to work in that sort of environment if it wasn't for the abuse. And the rest of the world doesn't appeal to me much. There was a reason I signed up to do the recreation. I'm not saying anyone need to come with me. I just want to know if it is an option."
The agents hadn't anticipated that request.
"Well, as I said, nothing is decided. I will note your request, and we will see what we can do. As for the animals, they are being placed in various farms that take in rescue animals. You might be able to get some of them back, if you want to."
"Let me get back to you on that," Audrey said. She had a feeling some of the others would want to discuss her idea without the agents present. The agents took the hint and left.
"Are you serious?" one of the others said. "Do you really want to go back?"
"Yes. The more I've thought about it, the more sense it makes. I think the idea of the original founders was a good one, but that with time it became completely derailed. I don't think we should be completely isolated, obviously, but living in a place where we can offer a sanctuary for those who love history and seek a fellowship."
"You almost sound like the scop."
Audrey wasn't sure if that was meant as a compliment, but she smiled anyway.
"The scop's stories were obviously a simplification and glossed over several important details. But the idea behind it was still good. I'm not asking for volunteers right now. I mainly wanted to know if it was an option. Just… think about it. I'm not going to make a decision for all of us. But I also know that I don't have anywhere else to be. Sure, I can go and find a job on some farm, but that won't help me get some fulfilment in my life. Despite having never actually been there before, I felt at home when I first saw the castle. Maybe it was because the scop tricked me into thinking I had been there before, but the feeling lingered even after I recovered my memories. I was reminded that life there wasn't good or normal every time they whipped someone or hurt us. But the times when Philip was out of sight and we could just live, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be."
"If you truly feel that way, why did you work with the FBI to get it shut down?"
Audrey looked at the former churl like she was an idiot.
"Because it wasn't a good place to be. Not the way the woman and Philip ran it, by taking people by force and using chains and physical torture. In the last weeks, when I was forced to use foot chains again, I was constantly reminded of all that was wrong. And being on tour, seeing everything that I had forgotten, also made me remember the downsides. The tours were the worst part of it, for me. But if I hadn't been on the last one, I wouldn't have met Nora again, and I wouldn't have had the chance, or the will, to help her get the evidence she needed to go to the FBI. At first, I didn't want to. But I also knew that if I didn't do it, I would never be able to live with myself. I didn't do it for myself. I knew I was able to adapt and survive. I did it for you, and any future victims."
"I think we all need to stop and think about this," Leann said. "We've just talked about the fates of so many people and gone through things we'd rather forget. Let's all go to bed for the night and see who gets lucky tomorrow and have family waiting for them."
Audrey nodded gratefully. Maybe she shouldn't have voiced that idea quite yet. Like Leann said, they had literally just finished talking about all the people who had died. But maybe it would also show a little ray of hope for those who didn't have family waiting for them tomorrow.