Chapter 70

Audrey listened as the others told their version of what had happened. Only three of them had decided to leave with their family straight away, two of which were Mona and Lars, as they had expected. Audrey would miss them, but they promised to keep in touch. The others who had recognized their families would probably leave within the week. Audrey knew that would probably happen, but it didn't make it any easier. And she couldn't be sad about it. Of course, they would leave with their families! That was the goal all along! Nora seemed to understand what she was feeling, and sat down next to her, holding her hand. Like a reminder that she wasn't going anywhere. But was that true? Nora hadn't said anything when Audrey voiced her idea of returning to the castle. Would Nora go with her there? She didn't have a job anymore, but would she be okay with living like that? Nora wasn't nearly as invested in history as Audrey was, though she did like to listen when Audrey talked about it.

That was a problem for later. For now, she figured they might as well start with dinner.

The same pattern continued for over a week. Every day, some new people came, some having been told that their long-lost relative had been found, others recognizing the pattern and coming anyway. In the end, only ten of them hadn't had at least one possible relative or friend coming to see them, two of them being Leann and Audrey. Audrey already knew this and tried not to let it get to her. She knew no one was waiting for her, since Nora was already here. It was great that so many people finally got the answers they were looking for. And some got the answer they were dreading. She saw Hild leave with her family, she was among those who had been missed, to the degree that there had been search parties. Hild had shared her story with them, but she had been one the most focused on being reunited with her family. She knew she had one. Audrey focused on comforting the ones that tried to keep up hope day after day, but so far no one had come. She was glad it wasn't her job to tell a hopeful relative that their loved one was among the dead. 

That was, until one day someone asked to speak with her directly. It was the family of Harding, the landowner family that Æthelric had been part of. Apparently, they had heard that Audrey was the one working closest with him and wanted to speak with her. Audrey didn't want to. She would bring them nothing but bad news. The agent had already told them what had happened, why did they want to hear it from her as well? But when they came back a second time, she wasn't able to deny them. If it was so important that they stayed even after getting their news, she felt obligated to at least meet them. Nora came with her. Apparently, she had met them once already, when she was trying to find information about the location of the burh.

Audrey felt awkward. How did you even speak to normal people? She was so out of practice; she hadn't introduced herself to others outside of roleplay for years!

"Are they all called Harding?" she whispered to Nora as they approached the room.

"Yes. And they are all devout Christians. That's about all I remember, sorry."

"How do I even introduce myself to people? I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Just hold out your hand, say hi and your name. They already know that, but it is polite."

They entered the room. Audrey had expected two, maybe three people. The file had said that Carl Harding had three children, two sons and a daughter. They were all there. And they brought their spouses. And what appeared to be their children again. 8 people in total. At least they were all adults. She would have refused to talk about this in front of kids. She didn't really want to talk about it at all, but children shouldn't hear about how their grandfather had been burned alive!

"H… Hello. I'm Audrey. I heard you wanted to meet me?" She really was bad at this. They were all staring at her, like she was a strange specimen. She inched closer to Nora without even realizing it.

"And I'm Nora Brock," Nora said, holding out her hand. "I believe I met some of you a few years ago?"

"That was me. You came and asked what we knew about my grandfather's disappearance. Did you already suspect what had happened to him?"

"Vaguely. I didn't know what happened to them there, but I was looking for my friend Audrey here and I was tracing the people who had set up on the outskirts of your land. I didn't know your grandfather was missing until you mentioned it, but it fit the pattern I was searching for."

"You're the one who tipped off the FBI then?"

"One of them, yes. I met another person who had lost someone to the group and together we were able to find them."

Audrey was glad that Nora spoke up, giving her a moment to recover. She hadn't been in a room with this many strangers for years. What did these people want to know? Now they all turned to her again.

"The FBI has told us what happened to our father," one of the older people there said. "But I wonder if you could fill in some details. They said that you were among the ones who knew him best."

"I worked with him, yes, but I'm not sure I can say I knew him. I also wasn't there when he was taken, I was only introduced to him when they came back to the castle."

"I see. But still, maybe you can tell us some things. Like how he behaved. We were told he died horribly, but what else happened to him?"

Died horribly? Was that all they had been told? Audrey really didn't want to be the one to tell them that he had been burned alive as a pagan sacrifice.

"How many details did they give you? I am not entirely certain of how much to say…"

"We know the cause of death, if that's what you're worried about. And why they killed him. I want to hear how he conducted himself before that." one of the women said. Probably the daughter.

"Are you sure you want to hear all the details? It's not pretty." Audrey wondered what they were expecting to hear from her. She hadn't worked with him long; he had been killed far too soon for her to claim that.

"Yes, if you bear to talk about it. We understand that it is hard for you to talk about that time, but we would be grateful for anything you might remember."

"I'll tell you. But please, don't be angry at me for it. I didn't know better at the time. You should also probably sit down."