The Haunt of Danzig Ruin

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Violet's Daily Report to Major Gilbert Baugainvillea (year two of the war):

Ambushed Gardarik forces near the foot of the Kushikn mountains.  Pushed forces to retreat further west along the Valcalax River. Spent the day scouting area of Gardarik camp. Scheduled to scout abandoned Danzig Castle tomorrow for any deserters. End of report. Violet, Infantryman, 132nd Regiment under command of Major Baugainvillea

         "Very well done, Violet," Major Gilbert said, signing off on the daily report then carefully filing it among all the other military documents for the day.  "Your writing skills have come a long way in the past year. Keep up the good work."
His praise made 11 year-old Violet extremely proud, and she could not help but genuinely smile, something she tended not to do on a regular basis.
At dawn the next day, Major Gilbert, Violet and three other soldiers made a painstaking climb of almost two miles of thin and winding trails up to the crumbling Danzig Castle.
If there were Gardarik deserters within, there couldn't be many. Violet had been a part of a team who had watched for any activity in the distance such as lantern light, or light from a lit campfire. There had been nothing to report. But one could never be sure unless they searched the area themselves.
Most of Danzig Castle was truly anyone's definition of a decaying ruin. As they carefully scouted the grounds, however, there were still a few intact rooms, some even still had furniture, or what was left of furniture after being abandoned for over two centuries, at least.
              Their search was not in vain.  In an upper room, intact and featuring a large stone hearth and even a large throne-like chair and sofa, sat three corpses. 
               It was Violet who found them, taking the softest of steps and raising her rifle as soon she saw them, and just nearly shouted the order to 'freeze', but stopped short.  She only saw the back of their heads as they faced the burned out fire in the hearth. Their stillness was unsettling.
             Violet lowered her rifle and lightly stepped around to the hearth and faced them. The three were all dressed in Gardarik officer uniforms.  Their faces were darkened from apparent suffocation, their tongues enlarged, their eyes open and bulging.
             Violet had seen corpses look like this before, hanging from lamp posts and trees, throughout war torn cities, not casually sitting, as if in discussion.  They must have been posed after some sort of strangulation, for Violet knew of the convulsions the human body naturally displayed when oxygen is suddenly cut off.
            She made a short, shrill whistle that the Major could recognize as her, but others would hear as a random songbird.  Violet knew the Major would be there within moments, and while she waited, she slung her rifle behind her shoulder and reached for the small pad of paper and short pencil she kept in her uniform pocket.

0835 hours. Found three deceased Gardarik officers in eastern wing of Danzig Castle.  Found sitting, two on couch, one on chair. Death from suffocation. Given amount of bodily decay, deaths occurred close together, two, maybe three days prior. 

         Violet paused in her note taking and considered the timeline of her own Leidenshaftlich regiment. They had arrived just after midnight two days ago.  The retreat of the Gardarik force happened just after dawn.
          In light of the fact that the Gardarik force was, by this time, without a (according to their uniform rank badges) Sargent, Lieutenant Corporal, and Major, the force had been severely weakened.  No wonder a retreat was called so quickly with very little loss of life on either side.
Violet made note of this on a separate page as no more than an observation.
As she did so, the corpse sitting on the throne chair (the lieutenant corporal) slowly slumped toward its right side. Upon hearing the movement of the corpse, Violet froze, then immediately shifted into an attack stance.
After a few seconds, she relaxed and continued to take notes. Violet now expected the other two corpses to start shifting from their upright sitting positions as well. The telltale onset of post-death rigor mortis had began to fade, leaving Violet to believe her notation of time of death was quite correct.
Then something caught her eye. The head of the slumping lieutenant corporal now lay at an unnaturally odd, grotesque angle, revealing his neck. Violet stepped forward for a closer look.
              Around the neck was a thin thread tightly wound around it several times.  It was a sick color of brown now that it was encrusted with dried blood. It had been tightened to the point of cutting the skin.
               Violet stepped over to the other, still upright corpses.  They wore tight threads around their necks as well.  Violet quickly took note of this on her notepad.  Then she heard bootsteps and the Major walked in.
                Violet immediately stopped taking notes, stepped back and stood at attention as Major Baugainvillea looked at the corpses, the expression of horror hardening his face.  Soon after, the other soldiers followed and simply stood and stared at the scene dumbly.
              Major Baugainvillea commanded the men to continue their search beyond the room. He started when the Sargent corpse on the couch slowly slumped against the Major corpse, which set off the domino effect, so that they both slumped over to the side. 
             Violet watched the Major Gilbert's chest rise and fall in near panic. 
              "They're coming out of rigor mortis," she explained, as if to help calm him down.
                Gilbert swallowed hard and controlled his breathing.  "Yes. You're right."
               "Murdered by their own men, Major?" Violet asked.
                "Then why not just shoot them?" he countered.
                 Violet could offer no answer, but made note of it on her notepad.
                 An official report was made, other than the report written up by Violet herself, but it sited her approved notes.  Ideally, the report would then be used to launch an investigation. But at a time when the war was escalating, the report was merely filed away, and supposedly forgotten. 

               The deaths of the three Gardarik officers in the Danzig ruin remained unaccounted for, and although Violet never forgot it, the war raged on, and the mystery simply lost relevance for her.
But now she lay awake in her bed thinking about it nearly 20 years later.
              Gilbert had dozed to sleep beside her, but had roused just enough to see that she was still awake, staring up at the ceiling.
               He gathered Violet up in his arms and buried his face against her hair.
                "Should I write to Leon?" she asked in a whisper.
                "Huh?" he grunted, then after a moment adjusted himself to look down at her.  "Why, exactly?"
                Violet shrugged. "What we saw in Danzig was never made public knowledge, that we know of.  Leon could use such information.  And there's Ellenora and Petrich to consider."
                "Mmm. Yes, I know. If they are seriously considering the offer, I have no doubt they'll know the complete history of the Danzig family from start to finish by the end of the week. But we will not let them off this island until they have been told everything. Alright?"
               Violet answered with a grateful smile and a kiss. . .then continued to stare up at the ceiling until sleep finally overcame her.