At last, the visitors were gone, and it was time for the next step. Audrey couldn't deny that she was curious as to how this part would go. She hadn't seen this part since it happened to her. She pretended to rub down the sow, but in reality, she was focused on the scene in front of her. The wall was taken away. The Lady came in and they all rose to watch. Audrey was relieved that she wasn't the only one who wanted to watch this part.
"I can usually tell," the Lady said, "when someone is going to be staying behind. And you looked like the perfect candidate. You were fascinated by everything you saw and seemed genuinely delighted. And then the Norns made you end up in the stretch-neck. It seems this was meant to be."
"I don't know what game you're playing," the man interrupted. "But I'm not interested. Get me out of this thing or I'll…"
"Or you'll what? You are not in a position to make threats. You are in my power now. And I will grant you your wish. You will get to see, truly see, what life was like for people in this time period."
"I can? You mean you'll let me stay?" it seemed the man's earlier anger had completely vanished in a moment.
"Yes but let me finish. You will stay, but you will be at the bottom. Here, everyone starts as a theow. You will get to see what life was like for the ones at the bottom, not just the fluffy exterior at the top."
"That's awesome!" the man exclaimed. "I was planning to ask what it would take for me to get a job here anyway and now you're just letting me in, just like that?"
The Lady seemed a bit taken aback. No one had reacted with this enthusiasm to being named a theow before, it seemed. A churl hurried up and fastened the collar around his neck.
"Wow, that's heavy. How long do I need to have that on?"
"Until I deem you ready to move upwards."
"And what will that take?"
The Lady didn't answer that. Audrey had wondered a little about that herself.
"You're not going to tell me. Okay. I've always enjoyed a challenge." As soon as the stretch-neck was opened and he realized what the churls wanted him to do, he knelt on his own accord and touched the hem of the Lady's garment.
"Please let me show my loyalty to you my Lady," he said in a dramatic voice. The Lady yanked her dress away from him.
"You have sullied my clothes quite enough for one day. Take him back to the stretch-neck."
"No, wait, that's not necessary…" the man didn't get a chance to say anything else as the churl gagged him again. He tried to resist being placed in the stretch-neck, but it was no use.
Soon, everyone went back to what they had been doing before the Lady had come. Some theows threw the water from the dishes out of the window again. It was definitely no coincidence that the stretch-neck was placed right there.
The man seemed slightly less enthusiastic about his prospects as he was led away to the jougs the next day. Audrey did notice though, that he hadn't received a whipping. That would probably come eventually, the man would probably make a mistake at some point.
It came two days later. The man protested against having to be restrained in the jougs once again.
"What more do I need to do to make you understand that I'm not going to run away? Where would I even go?" Once again, the churl just tried to push him towards the jougs, but the man stubbornly refused, planting his feet in the ground.
"If you don't do as you're told," a voice said from behind them. "You'll get a taste of what life was really like, for theows." It was Morcefres, the executioner. He had probably wanted to whip this new theow for days. The whip lay ready near the post.
"You claim I haven't already seen that? I've done everything you've asked of me so far, why do I need to be humiliated this way?"
"Are you still refusing?"
The man seemed confused, for the first time since he was originally caught.
"Very well then." Morcefres grabbed the man by his collar and started dragging him towards the whipping post instead. Since the man had been resisting against being pulled in the other direction, this sudden change took him off guard. Morcefres had him chained to the post in a matter of seconds. He took the whip from the stand where the man could see it.
"Hey, wait, what are you… Ahh!" The man seemed shocked as the first lash of the whip hit his back. He seemed even more shocked that no one else reacted. He shouted that he hadn't done anything to deserve this, that they were all insane. All the things new theows usually said while they were still in the stretch-neck. His new reality had just set in. The man was much more compliant after that, but also less enthusiastic. Audrey hoped he would come around eventually. He had seemed eager for a fellowship when he first arrived.
The thief died that night. That wasn't surprising, as he had constantly fought against any attempt at making life easier for him. They buried him without a lot of ceremony, in a grave almost like Karen, just low enough to fully cover the body, and with no markings. His head, however, joined the others on the wall. To Audrey, it was a constant reminder of what her freedom had cost.