Over the next couple of days, Matilda sat stoically within the bird cage. The gold rungs imbedding themselves into her pale skin, determined to leave lasting, red marks on her skin. Arm and legs were unintelligible from each other as she became a sack of skin confined by the cruel gold. Breathing reduced to short bursts and minimal intake, too deep of breath would cause her back to further seer into torturous bars. She had been fed only a few things from Count Olaf's' cronies: small scraps of bread, a piece of apple and occasionally some water. Carefully removing the gag and meeting the thankful eyes of the worn child, before incapacitating her once again. Matilda was not sure if the Count had done this, or if his henchmen had developed an inkling of compassion for the child they watched grow up in terror. Not that they did not enjoy her pain, or ignore the bruises but would occasionally stop the Count from another strike.
The past couple of days were busy in the household, costumes and sets being built and rehearsals taking place on the ground floor. The bustling of all the people made lots of noise, from scuffing footsteps, to whirring sewing machines to struggling hammering to failing ladders, to the obnoxiously loud voices of the actors that would pass all the way to Matilda. She heard little of the children, the Baudelaire's becoming accustomed to speaking in hushed voices. However, there was one moment where the house seemed to stand still. The henchmen resting and the Count sitting still as Klaus approached him 'A Guide to Nuptial Law' grasped in his resolute hands. Matilda seized the sudden moment of quiet. Heaving her body to one side, then to the other; the cage rocking from side to side. Gritting her teeth over the gag with the brutal force on her torso as the fall of her mass and the cage echoed throughout the household. Smashing onto the wooden floors, ricocheting down the stone stairs, and dispersing across the manor. A final attempt to warn the children of Count Olaf's plan. Amid Klaus' declaration of knowledge, a sudden thudding greets his ears, causing his brow to raise in confusion before turning to the man in front of him.
"What's that noise?" he asked, taking note of the extreme weight behind the inconsistent pounding.
"Nothing." Count Olaf answered, slightly ruffled. "Some work on the roof." The final word uttered with a growl. Klaus had no choice but to continue with his revelation, knowing that the Count was not revealing the entire truth, but he needed to expose this malicious plan before it could proceed.
She heard cranking footsteps climbing the stairs and Matilda ceased her movement. Hook-Guy appeared in the doorway with Sunny and a second cage. She began to thrash again willing him not to place the infant in her position, to be imprisoned. "Shut up!" he scowled, placing Sunny in the cage before thrusting his hook onto the larger cage to silence the girl. The cold, sharp metal scraping the tender skin on her back. As the girl took in shaky breaths, frozen in fright, the baby was placed into a similar cage as her own. If that was not the worst of it, Hook-Guy hauled the cage out of the window and onto a hook extended from the eaves of the tower. Matilda tried to make as much noise as she could, screaming through the rag, eyes begging for the infant's liberation. Desperate pleas of one who knew the feeling of being on the edge of death; the swarming fear tangling breath and asphyxiating the heart into short splutters of palpitations. Sunny silenced by brutal tape across her mouth and constricting ropes around her body, obscuring the striped jumpsuit underneath.
Downstairs, Count Olaf promptly shot Klaus down, Violet and Klaus running to find Sunny and "leave this wretched place." As the two elder Baudelaire's retreated up the stairs, Count Olaf turned to The One Who Looks Like Neither a Man nor a Woman and ordering them to send a message to Hook-Guy.
A second pair of footsteps ascended the tower stairs, revealing The One Who Looks Like Neither a Man nor a Woman. In their monotone voice, "Boss says to but her on the hook as well." Hook-guy grinned manically as the other departed. This time, Matilda made no effort to move, and stared into the man's eyes defeated and emotionless. He grimaced away from the girls look and tugged her, with a grunt onto the windowsill. With a single lift, the silver hooks of the man anchored Matilda to the second hook under the eaves. She was lucky that she did not weigh much, the decaying roof, structured with rectangular black tiles that had worn in the sun, would have fractured.
The cool gust of wind caressed Matilda with a gentle motherly hold and the sun danced across her translucent skin. The almost healed cut on her cheek slightly stung in the wind. Ignoring the elements, Matilda met the eyes of Sunny Baudelaire, trying to convey a comforting look through her blue orbs, attempting a smile beneath the material stretched pitilessly across her face. Below, the other children run outside. From the high point, Matilda could not hear what Count Olaf was saying, but from the looks of horror on Klaus and Violet's face she knew it only presaged despair. Their eyes met Sunny with painful expressions, before sliding towards the torn girl. She could hardly be recognised, resembling the silhouette of a sack of potatoes, but the pale hair tumbling down her back, and escaping the cage, identified her. The soft blonde locks waltzing in the breeze, side to side with all the freedom it could wish. Matilda found relief in their stares. They had figured it out. They can figure out a way to escape. Eyes shining with hope.
Below, Count Olaf threatened the children: "Likewise, you will do what I say, to avoid the punishment of the loss of your sister. And because you want the reward of a charming husband. Come now." He droned. "Would it be so terrible to be my bride, to live in my house for the rest of your life? You're such a lovely girl, After the wedding, I wouldn't dispose of you like your brother and sister." His malicious, hopeful voice pleaded.
"If you let Sunny and Matilda go-", the words struggled to get past Violet's lips, resisting the urge to gag. "I will marry you." The theatre trope celebrated with "Mazal tov!", throwing miscellaneous confetti across the ground. A satisfied smirking pasted on his face, the Count spoke:
"I will let Sunny go after tomorrow nights performance and until then, she will remain in the tower room for safe-keeping. That is all." As he began to stride away, Klaus called out
"What about Matilda?" Turning around with a swivel on his heels, Count Olaf replied,
"Oh! She is not part of the deal." The elder Baudelaire's projected a fiery gaze unto him. "She is mine and this is her punishment for trying to aid you in your realisation of my plan." Klaus and Violet glanced at each other in surprise. A friend was few and far between in this world they had been thrust into, they were delighted to have Matildas' help, a friend who could navigate this world of misfortune. "She will remain there until I see it fit." He once again carries on his way, rolling his eyes as Klaus once again interrupts his journey.
"You're a terrible man." Peering over his shoulder snidely, the Count admits that
"I may be a terrible man, but I have concocted a foolproof way of getting your fortune." Tauntingly he adds. "What have you done?"
A/N
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MATILDA (A Series of Unfortunate Events)
FanfictionA Series of Unfortunate Events Fanfiction When the Baudelaires entered Count Olaf's house, it contained so much more than just misery and fear. It held: MATILDA. ---- --- This is based off the Netflix television series and will contain spoilers.
