There was a lot of sound from outside when she woke up again, this time alone. She quickly got to her feet and looked out the opening. Were they moving again already? Hadn't they only just got here? Or had she been out longer than she expected?
The Lady came personally into the infirmary and Audrey hastened to curtsey.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," the Lady said. "You probably shouldn't be standing just yet. The scop says you should be in bed for at least another three days."
"I feel fine, my Lady. But please, my Lady, are we moving on already?"
"Yes. I've heard rumours of a nearby Viking raid, we cannot stay here any longer. Luckily, we found a train to take us back home. We will all be safe there."
Home? The scop had mentioned a castle, but Audrey couldn't remember it. But it sounded wonderful.
"I can help with the animals, my Lady…"
"No, you need to stay here. The scop was very insistent. No moving around for you for another three days."
"But how am I to get to the train, if I cannot walk?"
"The slave-girl, Kaneez, will drag you. We have made a pallet. It might not be the most comfortable ride, but it is better than you having to walk, and potentially hurt your head even more. The scop agrees, though she wishes we could have stayed for one more day. Sadly, we can almost see the cloud of dust in the distance, we need to leave now."
Audrey wanted to protest further, but the Lady had already made up her mind. She knew better than to argue against her, and if the scop had dared to insist, it was probably the right decision. The Lady followed her down to the courtyard, or what was left of it. On the way, they passed the wizard's working area, where faint voices could be heard. "… the search for the couple that went missing in the Beaver Dam area is ongoing, yet so far nothing has been found." Audrey didn't hear anything else as they rounded the corner.
Down near the ground, the other theows had already been prepared and were ready to go. Kaneez was connected to a pallet on the ground with a halter around her neck, plus poles through her hands. Audrey felt a little silly as she sat down on the pallet, they didn't even tie her hands or feet. The theows started walking, and a snap from the whip got Kaneez started as well. It went slowly, and there were many places where the ground was uneven and Audrey had to hold on to the sides to not fall off, but it probably was better than walking. Kaneez had at first been gagged, but as she started to get tired, that had to be removed so she could breathe. She was too exhausted to say anything though.
Audrey did feel a little woozy as they finally made it to the train. She watched the theows being led into their train car and wondered if she was supposed to join them. But the scop came over and said that she had made a bed for her in her own part of the train, so she could be sure that she didn't get any worse during the long ride ahead of them. None of them spared a glance at Kaneez, who lay exhausted on the ground still tied to the pallet. One of the churls eventually untied her from it, and led her to the Lady's train car, where her punishment would continue.
Audrey spent the next two days on the train, mostly sleeping, but also talking with the scop. Audrey mentioned her fascination with the scop's stories, and that seemed to please her. She offered to tell Audrey her favourite one of how Earl John saved all the people who were headed to a cruel master. Audrey wished she could have met the late earl. He sounded like a wonderful man. No wonder the Lady had loved him. It sounded like most of the people who met him did.
At last, on the third day, when the scop was finally convinced that Audrey had recovered from her injuries, and she managed to walk along the corridor without becoming dizzy, they arrived at their destination. Home. Bamburgh castle.