Disclaimer: I don't own A Series of Unfortunate Events or anything therein. No profit was made, etc. etc. etc.
Author's Notes: This story takes place after The Penultimate Peril (book 12). It will change it's rating in later chapters and will eventually be Violaf.
Chapter One
When something is on your mind, be it an upcoming birthday party at which you know your most hated enemy will be attending, an inevitable and menacing encounter with the bloodthirsty Duke of Spain which may result in your untimely demise, or sipping tea from a teacup under which has a message possibly bearing bad news taped to the underside of your saucer, it is oftentimes difficult to think of anything else. Anyone who has read anything about the Baudelaire children's lives know that there were many things that occupied their minds and left them struggling to push these thoughts from their brains. Of course, if you have not read anything about them, then you are indeed a happy and most likely well adjusted person and at this point I would like to encourage you to put this book down and seek out other things with which to entertain yourself. This book chronicles the unfortunate events that the Baudelaire children continued to find themselves in, and I am quite sorry to say that it is as far from entertaining as the Duke of Spain showing up at your birthday party, delivering you a teacup with a terrible message taped to its underside and then challenging you to a swordfight which may leave you deceased.
Violet Baudelaire sat in the stuffy room she had once shared with her siblings, and was coincidentally now sharing again, in the house of Count Olaf. Though I wish I could write that she had an upcoming encounter with the bloodthirsty terrible news delivering duke on her mind, I cannot. She was, in fact, sitting on the old, shabby mattress pensively – a term here which means "thinking long, hard, and becoming increasingly troubled by things concerning the recent events that had developed around themselves and Count Olaf." The eldest Baudelaire frowned as she sat contemplating their situation while Klaus, the middle Baudelaire, paced the floor. From the floor, Sunny Baudelaire, the youngest, let out a long sigh.
"Maybe going with him wasn't such a good idea." Klaus appraised.
"Déjà vu!" Sunny said which meant something along the lines of "we're back in the same place we started, which is both ironic and slightly confusing."
Violet remained quiet. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what she and her siblings had said to Count Olaf before their departure from Hotel Denouement. Why should they continue to resist helping him when all the adults who had been charged with their care and welfare had failed them? The more Violet pondered this, and dreaded coming to a formal conclusion on the matter, the more she knew that there was one clear fact. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, aside from Uncle Monty, the herpetologist, Olaf had taken the best care of the three Baudelaires. Aunt Josephine had been quick to turn her back on the children in the face of danger. Sir had never been a responsible caretaker, and Charles did not seem to have the courage to disagree with him. Vice Principal Nero's only concern was mocking everyone within an earshot and proclaiming himself to be a musical genius. Esmé had, of course, joined forces with Count Olaf while Jerome stood timidly by. The village of VFD had made the Baudelaires their slaves with Hector being far too skittish to argue. Ever since then they had been on the run, having had the Daily Punctilio print story after story of their alleged treachery and wrong doings. Every good person had failed them so spectacularly that Violet could not help thinking these things, and most especially thinking that perhaps there was no need to fight it any longer. She resigned herself – a phrase which means that she "surrendered, acknowledged, and even agreed" – to all the thoughts floating around in her head.
"Maybe going with him was." Violet returned.
Klaus's brows furrowed behind his glasses as he sat, puzzled by his sister's reply. "What do you mean?" He asked.
The eldest Baudelaire sighed. "Like we told Olaf, why shouldn't we help him? Everyone else has failed us."
"I thought you were just saying that as a way to get us out of that hotel." Klaus said. "I didn't know that you actually meant what you told him."
"Scheme?" Sunny asked, meaning here, "this wasn't apart of a bigger plan to help us escape from Count Olaf's clutches once more?"
Violet shook her head. "How noble are people who don't have the courage to stand up and actually be noble and fight for what's right?" She wondered aloud. "Everyone has said they were trying to help us but how many of them actually did?"
Klaus swallowed, knowing that the answer was, of course, no one.
"And I'm beginning to think that both sides of this schism are just as wrong as the other." Violet explained further. "Olaf and his associates burning things down, Kit Snicket and our parents with poison darts, Gregor Anwhistle and the Medusoid Mycelium," she listed. "Not to mention everything we did."
"Accidents," Sunny reminded.
"Yes." Violet agreed softly. "But it just seems that no one is right here. And it makes me wonder just what reasons Olaf has for doing what he does. It almost seemed as if he had no other choice. Remember what he said about not having a choice?"
Klaus blanched. "Since when have we listened to Olaf?"
"Maybe we should start." Violet returned. "No, listen," she insisted, seeing her brother's eyes grow dark as he stared at her in shock and incomprehension. "No one has given us any answers yet. We've just been presented with mystery after mystery. Perhaps we should really listen and try to understand. Maybe there's more to his prerogative than we thought."
"Or maybe he's just a drunk, greedy murderer." Klaus returned with a slight scowl. His face softened after a moment. "Violet, I'm sorry. I want to believe you. But I can't get past everything that Olaf has tried to do to us. He's tried to steal our money, marry you, kidnap us, and—"
Violet nodded, cutting him off. "I know, Klaus. But maybe we've got to try. Maybe that's the only way we'll solve any of this and be able to finally live in peace and quiet."
"The world is quiet here." Sunny quoted thoughtfully, causing her other two siblings to solemnly fall into silence – a phrase here which means "all three children did not speak any more about VFD mysteries or Olaf and instead sat and pondered quietly all which was on their minds." It would please me to write that all three children were able to think of far more pleasant things such as ponies or candies or bloodthirsty terrible news delivering dukes, but I cannot. The Baudelaire children spent the rest of the afternoon pensive and silent, thinking and watching the sky melt from blue to orange and red through the grimy windows of their room until a loud bellowing issued from downstairs.
"Orphans!"
Violet jumped at the sound of Count Olaf's voice summoning them downstairs. Sunny gulped and anxiously took hold of Klaus's hand. They descended the stairs together, grateful that they had only a short distance to go rather than endless flights like they endured at 667 Dark Avenue. The children found Olaf at the kitchen table, pouring himself some wine as the glass rested on the wood surface without a coaster. As they approached him, he gestured grandly at the empty chairs, motioning for them to sit while he stood. Taking a drink, Olaf smirked.
"Celebratory drink, anyone?" He asked with a wheezy chuckle. When no one answered him, as well they should not have being underage, Olaf smirk deepened. "Just me, then," said the count aloud.
"What are we celebrating?" Violet asked, casting a glance towards Klaus who had a skeptical look on his face – a term which means "looking as if he did not believe his sister about Olaf's reasons for being such a treacherous villain at all."
"Why, your return, of course." Olaf returned with a long, toothy smile. "And why not celebrate the downfall of many of my opponents at the same time? To us," He exclaimed, raising his glass in the air, as his shiny, shiny eyes shone brightly.
The phrase "kill two birds with one stone" does not actually mean murdering two birds with a small rock which is, for the most part, physically impossible unless the weather is good, the trajectory is excellent, and the sun is not in a person's eyes. It in fact means fulfilling two purposes with one act and it is used here to describe the count's toast.
Each Baudelaire exchanged miserable looks with one another as they remembered how they had willingly helped set fire to the Hotel Denouement. They were not likely to know just who they had and had not managed to save until the Daily Punctilio was released early the next morning. However, even then the children were not sure of the paper's accuracy or even that they would be anywhere near a copy.
"It's about time for dinner, don't you think?" Olaf asked as he finished his wine and placed the empty glass on the table. "I'm sure I don't have to remind you about your chores."
Klaus's face was as dark as it had been upstairs when Violet had spoken to him about the questions she had regarding Count Olaf. The middle Baudelaire rose and took Sunny's hand in his silently making his way towards the kitchen. As Violet sighed, she joined her siblings and felt her stomach twist inside her. Maybe Klaus had been right after all. Violet dreaded that she would not be any closer to an answer than she had been earlier, as lately seemed to be the case, and would undoubtedly spend the entire night sleepless and pondering the things that were on her mind.