Author's Note: Okay so I'm on something of a headless horseman kick right now... and i started watching Sleepy Hollow and now I'm obsessed with the show. But uh... i may write a long, multi-chap Sleepy Hollow/Assassins Creed crossover fic once I've caught up with the show. This was simply to test out the waters I suppose. Never written a crossover before, but this was something i really really REAAALLLY want to do. Horseman in here is based off the headless horseman in Rogue, however, but with an axe.
I don't know if this will be continued or not.
Also Shay and Connor are both in here because well. they've both seen the horseman. And also I've been wanting to write an alliance fic for the two of them for some time now... enough talking. Enjoy :)
October, 1780
In the modest village of Sleepy Hollow, nobody recognized the Master Templar standing in the shadows of a general store's overhang. None recognized him, nor did they care. They were more concerned with a hasty retreat to the safety of their meager homes as the sky darkened, the whole atmosphere seeming to shift to something much more eerie. Shay Cormac took this all in silently, watching the Old Dutch Church with a keen eye for something that shouldn't even exist.
What occurred so long ago in this place was impossible. Any ordinary man would dismiss the legend of the 'Headless Horseman' as petty superstition drawn up by a child's night terrors. Until they ran into it for themselves, of course. A headless man wielding an axe would make even the sanest person question reality. Even a Master Templar.
Suspecting this to be some trick of the eye, Shay tried fighting the man, but eventually was forced to succumb to the reality; this man, if he could even be considered a man, was immortal. No blade, sword, bullet or grenade harmed him. Shay had survived their first encounter by sheer luck. Patrolling guards had come to investigate the commotion and accidentally drawn the Horseman's attention long enough for the Templar to flee, confused and somewhat humiliated in his defeat.
Shay never set out to find the headless man again. Even when Templar business had led him right back to Sleepy Hollow, Shay avoided that part of town pointedly. Until now.
The only reason for his return even now was... well... this 'Headless Horseman' was causing him and his order a considerable amount of havoc. Times were difficult enough as it were, with the order currently being crippled by that damned Mohawk Assassin. The last thing the order needed was a headless man plucking apart its remains like some phantom vulture.
Haytham had sent some recruits only a few weeks prior to investigate suspicion of Assassin activity in the area, but alas, they never returned. Fellow Templars immediately pinned the disappearances on the Assassins, as they did when anything went awry.
Shay knew better. The Colonial Assassins were still a weak and small brotherhood thanks to his own doing. Therefore, he'd traveled to Sleepy Hollow to figure this mystery out for himself.
The only explanation to their vanishing was this... this supernatural thing. He really wasn't sure what to call the horseman. It couldn't be a mere man. Men don't return from the grave to commit killing sprees let alone survive a beheading.
There had to be more to this...
Several hours passed uneventfully. Midnight was drawing close, and yet there was still no sign of this 'Headless Horseman'. Shay was almost convinced the damned guy wouldn't show up at all, perhaps just to mock him and his efforts.
Alas, instead Shay discovered the next best thing; an Assassin headed towards the church. Maybe his fellow Templars were right in their assumptions after all. Maybe the Assassins really had taken those recruits. Or... maybe the Horseman was something of the Assassin's doing... Shay had to find out.
He crept silently up the side of the building, eyes trained on the Assassin as he passed by. Shay had to fight the urge to snarl as the Assassin drew back his hood, revealing tan skin and dark, braided hair.
Connor. The Assassin behind the deaths of several of Shay's comrades, slowly tearing apart the seams of the Templar Order.
Unfortunately for Shay, the Assassin hadn't failed to notice the Templar leaping off the roof of the building, hidden blade withdrawn. Instinct and years of experience had sharpened Connor's senses for just such an ambush. He was able to grab Shay at the last moment and use the man's own momentum to throw him over his shoulder onto the ground.
Shay scowled, quickly getting to his feet and taking up a defensive stance. Hate-filled glares locked on one another, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Why are you here, Assassin? Come to torment the locals further?"
Connor scoffed, eyebrows drawn in slight confusion, "I mean to help them."
"How'd you manage it? This 'Headless Horseman' of yours... are you using a piece of Eden?"
"I have come to defeat this 'Horseman'. I am not responsible for his creation."
Their argument was interrupted then, by a terrible scream just beyond the church. Both turned towards the source, torn between fighting the other or investigating the scream. With a final glance back at the Templar, Connor decided the latter was more important, and ran for the Church, leaving Shay behind. The Templar Master gave chase only moments later.
In the cemetery behind the Old Dutch Church, a woman lay in the dirt, arm raised as if that alone would defend her against the headless man towering over her. He reached for her, ready to grab her and do what he might. Whatever that may be, he is stopped when an arrow pierces his hand.
The horseman slowly turned to Connor, grabbing the arrow and snapping it easily. Connor continued the rain of arrows nonetheless, hopping backwards as the horseman started toward him. Shay lunged to the side, taking advantage of this momentary distraction to aid the woman.
Meanwhile, the Horseman remained seemingly unaffected by Connor's onslaught of arrows, snapping each and tossing them aside like mere toys. The Assassin easily maintained the distance between himself and the enemy however, intentionally drawing the man away from his Templar partner.
Shay finally reached the woman, helping her to her feet. He checked over her quickly, pleased to find no hindering physical injury. The woman clutched his arm tightly, eyes wide and body trembling.
All there was to do was lead her to safety, but their movement caught the horseman's attentions. The undead mercenary immediately turned back to the pair, raising his axe and speeding up his pace.
Shay scowled and pushed the woman behind him, quickly withdrawing his sword and dagger.
For but a few moments, he was able to keep the horseman at bay with careful parries and well-timed dodges. However, every time he went on the offensive, the horseman just as easily blocked him, quickly following up with a counter attack that forced Shay backwards.
From afar, Connor had pulled out a pistol, sending bullet after bullet into the horseman's torso. Even these did little to affect or even slow the undead man's attacks. Connor muttered, trying to come up with another strategy quickly. There had to be some way to stop him!
Despite all his years of both Assassin and Templar training, Shay's combat skills were rendered useless in this fight. He was overpowered by the dead mercenary's weight and strength as the axe was brought down again and again with unbelievable momentum, knocking Shay's sword from his grasp.
Shay growled, grasping his small dagger with white knuckles. The Horseman quickly closed the few feet separating them and the axe rose again. Shay braced, preparing himself to lunge either way to dodge the weapon.
Instead he stilled when fresh, warm blood splattered over his face. Blood that was not his own.
A sharp, metal dart had pierced the mercenary's chest and the undead man was forced to the ground as Connor yanked back the rope dart with a grunt.
With the horseman down for the moment, Shay dared to tear his gaze from the man and look up at Connor, who nodded stiffly before stomping vigorously on the horseman's body.
Shay took the hint, grabbing the woman by the arms and pulling her away, towards town. Once a safe distance away from the church, Shay unhooked his arm from the woman and urged her onward, "Go home now, you're safe."
The woman ran without argument.
Shay remained there for a minute, inwardly debating whether to help Connor or let the horseman kill him. The latter would be the smarter solution. Connor was obviously a major threat, being the Assassin Mentor and all.
When Shay decided upon that line of action however, a strong guilty feeling bared its teeth within. Assassin or not, Connor had helped him, had saved him from the horseman. How could Shay just ignore the man now?
The Templar sighed heavily and furrowed his brows in thought. Simply returning to their battle and taking arms to the undead beast would solve nothing. Even with their combined efforts, they were doomed against the immortal. If he really wished to help Connor, he would have to find some way to distract the horseman...
It was a wonder that Connor managed to fend off the horseman for so long. He too discovered the hard way of the horseman's power, of his invulnerability to their weapons.
The Assassin swore in his native tongue as he blocked the axe once again, struggling against the horseman's brute strength. In all his years of war and violence, Connor failed to recall any other battle which left him so drained. Every muscle ached, little beads of sweat running down his neck. Thankfully, the adrenaline of the fight masked the pain of various slashes on his body attained when he hadn't quite dodged the axe in time.
The Horseman was swift and merciless. He remained untouched by exhaustion, wielding his weapon like a man forever in his prime. As much as Connor might hate to admit, he was becoming well aware of the improbably of his survival after this fight, and was forced to revert to the 'flight' response.
He jumped backward, avoiding the tip of the axe by mere centimeters as it sliced through the air. Whatever Connor intended to do, he needed to do it quickly.
Connor eyed the treeline beyond the horseman, figuring if he could reach them... he could take to the trees and lose the horseman rather easily. If only he could just get past him...
Except this moment of hesitation provided the Horseman the very opening he needed.
The Horseman grabbed Connor and slammed his head into the top of a gravestone. The world spun and Connor collapsed, groaning and reaching up to hold his aching head. Everything was but a blur.
He vaguely registered shouting as the horseman suddenly turned away sharply, like an animal whose just heard the telltale growl of its predator. Gunshots rang in Connor's ears, making the pounding in his head that much more painful as the horseman's blurry form took chase to the source of the gunshots.
Seconds later a familiar, scarred face was at the Assassin's side, wrapping an arm around him and lifting him to his feet. Slowly the world fell back into place and Connor was overcome with confusion. Why would a Templar be aiding him? Nonetheless, Connor had no choice but to allow the man to steady him.
Once Shay was certain Connor could stand without simply collapsing again, he urged the Assassin to follow him as he fled the site towards the town, far away from the undead mercenary.
"Why did you help me?" Connor panted, coming to a halt. After a considerable amount of running, they had reached the docks and all was silent, save for sharp intakes of air.
"I couldn't just leave you behind. You saved me back there, after all."
Connor glared, "I saved the girl."
Shay sighed, "Nonetheless."
Couldn't the boy just be grateful he came back at all? Even in these few minutes of working with Connor, Shay already saw his striking similarities to Haytham. Especially his face and cold, stubborn personality.
The Assassin finally caught his breath and straightened himself, "How did you know using the guards would work?"
"I encountered the horseman before, many years ago. Fighting him... it's impossible. Using a distraction was the only way to save myself."
"Then why have you returned only now?" Connor eyed the Templar master suspiciously, arms crossed.
"He's killing off recruits. I thought I might learn something by returning. I found you instead."
"He is... an issue for the brotherhood as well."
A scarred eyebrow rose as Shay contemplated what to do next. Finally, he spoke, "Maybe together... we might just be able to figure out how to end him."
Connor tensed. A Master Assassin working with a Templar Master? Could that work?
Eyebrows furrowed as images of his own father, the Templar Grand Master of all people, came to mind. Their alliance had been successful well enough, so why couldn't this one?
"What do you propose we do?"
After all, two heads were better than one. Or none, for that matter.