A Series of Unfortunate Events and True Love

The Marvelouse Marriage - Part 1

Early, the next morning, Count Olaf had the children chopping wood. It was a tedious and repetitive task that required little brain power and allowed the children to think. As it happens, two of the young orphans thought back to dawn, when they had been awoken by a loud rapping and unbolting on their "bedroom" door. Klaus and Allyson, who had both been in a deep sleep up until that moment, awoke suddenly and found themselves in a rather peculiar position. Klaus had had his arms wrapped around Allyson's small, delicate body and she had been laying on his chest, her arms clinging to the material of his sweater tightly. Neither had mentioned it or thought of mentioning it, for the sheer embarrassment it would cause themselves.

"Put some elbow grease into it!" Count Olaf exclaimed loudly, from his position in the doorway. Violet was chopping the wood, Klaus giving her the new pieces and Allyson picking and stacking the chopped pieces. Sunny observed the scene from her place in the wheelbarrow. Violet chopped another piece, the wood falling to the floor.

"Mr. Poe must have made a horrible mistake when he took us here." She lamented "There's no way our parents would want us in Count Olaf's care, if we can even call it that." All the orphans turned to look at their guardian, their noses wrinkling. Next to speak was Klaus, who had a terrible bruise on his cheek, from where Count Olaf struck him the night previous.

"As soon as Count Olaf's back is turned, we need to leave this house. I'd rather take my chances on the street than stay here any longer." Violet responded sternly.

"Who knows what would happen if we were on the streets. At least here we have a roof over our head." Allyson nodded in agreement.

"If we left, the authorities would find us and place us in an orphanage. I'd rather die than go back there." She shivered slightly, stacking another piece of wood. The Baudelaire's shared a look, of confusion, and turned to their new friend.

"What happened at the orphanage?" Klaus asked carefully. Allyson shock her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"Nothing happened to me then, but it would now." Anger grew inside Klaus at the hopelessness of the situation and how powerless he was in it. He could hardly protect Allyson here and he would have even less chances on the streets or in an orphanage.

"I wish our parent's money could be used now and not when you come of age." Violet sighed wistfully, swinging the axe and chopping another piece of wood. "Then we could buy a castle and live in it, with armed guards patrolling outside to keep out Count Olaf and his troupe." Violet thought about the idea.

"With a large inventing workshop." Violet mused.

"And a library." Klaus chuckled. Sunny muttered something and Allyson felt herself smile, despite herself.

"And an art studio." She added quietly, imagining it to herself. Klaus turned to question her on her art but Count Olaf interrupted his plans.

"Hurry up, orphans. There's reupholstering to be done." Violet turned to the other children, suggesting,

"Justice Strauss said her home was always open to us."

"She said her legal library was always open to us." Klaus corrected. "It's not the same thing."

"Mr. Poe did say we could contact him if we ever had any questions." Violet attempted.

"We don't really have a question." Klaus struggled, unhappily. "We have a complaint." Then, the bald man - a member of Olaf's troupe - refilled the Count's cup and mentioned bad news on a secretary. Count Olaf took him inside to speak to, leaving the children in the garden. Quickly, Violet went.

"We could leave now and go and see Mr. Poe. He'd have to find us a new guardian if Count Olaf abused you." Klaus pondered it.

"That does seem logical. In fact, I'm sure I read something about it once." Immediately, Allyson shook her head.