Lilith and Bianca had been young girls collecting firewood when they met him. Their arms wrapped around bundles of sticks in the middle of the marshland, near to a place where they should not have been in the first place. It was still bright, despite the clouds covering the azure expanse of the sky at the time, keeping the sun away from the wet earth at their feet.
"Hurry up." Bianca stated, a young and fair maiden with long blonde hair.
"My feet are stuck in the mud." Lilith, her older sister, protested. Finding her brunette locks trapped in yet more branches when she tilted to an angle to try pull her feet out from the mud.
Hearing the braying of a horse both girls seemed to flinch and stiffen, their heads turning as a large figure came staggering out from between an opening in the thicket. He was at least six foot six, his shoulder length dark-brown hair tied back and knotted against his collar. This strange man then stopped moving like a statue, his breathing thick and fast as he stared down from the small mound at the young girls looking back up at him. Behind him he could hear the yelling of men, and the yelping of barking dogs.
Neither of them said anything, nor moved, until he flicked his head over his shoulder to look behind them and then jump down to trudge past them. Lilith was the first to really move, her brown eyes, flecked with green, moving to look at the trail of blood which was following behind him. She knew she should ignore it, even start yelling like a banshee for whoever was chasing him to come this way, but part of her, most likely brought on by her mother, told her to go after him and see if he was alright.
Bianca had other ideas however, and had started yelling and screaming with all her might. By that point Lilith had already gone after the estranged man, whom was adorned in leather and a long trench coat. He was clearly a man of importance, someone infamous if so many men where after him.
"Wait, you're hurt!" the brunette called out, trying to find him as she held the sticks in her arms tightly. For a short period of time she had been searching, her mind racing as she slowly came to the conclusion that he was much faster than her. His strides must have been great and powerful, as he had gotten a fair distance, through the marsh and thick mud, before he had stopped to rest by a large and gnarled tree.
Gasping and tired Lilith dragged herself up another hill, her entire body and soul falling to her feet when something sharp was swung in her direction. Trembling she turned carefully to look between two tumour infected roots to see that the strange man had hidden himself between them, his long legs stuck out at an angle with his arms. He reminded her of the small-bodied harvest moon spiders that often hid in corners of the garden back home.
"You are hurt." she stated, cautiously stepping away from the sword placed against the side of her neck.
"Leave. You will attract attention." he spoke in a deep voice, his eyes narrowing when she tried to get closer.
"Then let me in so I do not get seen." the brunette answered defiantly, managing to get about half way up his leg before his knee trapped her against the roots he was nestled between.
"I will cut your head off." he hissed, bringing the sword up towards her once more.
"I will cut your head off!" Lilith retorted, managing to squirm her way out from where she was trapped. Landing on his lap Lilith flinched when he winced and grunted, though she was quick to dodge his huge hand and press against him at an angle. He could not shift himself to grab her, and he could not afford to get up from his hiding place to remove her either, and so after a minute of grumbling he calmed down and just settled for boring death into her with a glare.
Shuffling about the brunette found use for her petticoat by tearing it at the edges, her hands pushing against the wound just underneath his ribs.
"I am not a doctor, but I think you almost got pierced through the heart." Lilith spoke, finding that there was not enough fabric to wrap around his massive torso to stop the bleeding.
"If you were a doctor you would be the demise, not the cure." he spoke in a rumbling voice, his emerald eyes shifting up when he heard a few branches snapping close by.
"Why are those men after you?" she asked, attempting to tear more of her petticoat away from underneath her dress.
"Because I am Kakuzu Kane." he replied in a dry yet proud manner.
"The Hessian Horseman?" she asked, still keeping a firm eye on where his sword was behind her.
"The one and the same." Kakuzu answered, hoping that perhaps his infamous name would rid himself of the small pest.
"Well, my name is Lilith, Lilith Deluca." the young girl greeted him, weakly shaking a tassel on his shirt for courtesies sake. "Is it true you ride into battle and cut off heads, and eat marshal and general's hearts?" the brunette asked, peering up at him for a moment. He was not as attractive as women foretold, in fact he looked as gnarled, worn down and battle scorn as the trees around them, and the clothes he was adorned in.
"Yes. And I do not stop at men, I kill children, animals and women alike." he answered in a deep and dark voice, but still she did not move or even flinch an inch.
The most he got from her was a pang of fear, which only swept itself from her features to turn into concern when she found more blood was coming out of him than she was keeping in.
"There must be someone you do not kill. I was told you were married to someone named 'Iomproir Bais', is she from a distant land?" Lilith asked, glancing past his tattered coat to examine something around his waist.
"Are you educated properly in this small town? That is Gaelic for 'Death Bringer'." Kakuzu murmured, his body tensing when she started pulling at his coat to try rip bits of fabric off of that instead.
"Gaelic is not a language I can learn freely." Lilith replied, pushing against his wound on purpose to make him wince.
For a moment Lilith stayed quiet but soon her eyes drifted down to his hands, she was not comfortable looking up at his face. "Are you from a far off land? You have tanned skin like me." Lilith asked, comparing their skin tone.
"I am what my name foretells, I am German." he simply stated, keeping his head up so he could hear if anyone was coming.
"I am from Italy, or at least, my mother is. So I was born like this, but my sister has white skin." the brunette explained, but he did not seem all that interested in her life story. "Perhaps your mother or father were from Italy before going to Germany?" Lilith added, before she let out a choked noise when he clamped his large palm over her face.
Pushing himself against the tree roots Kakuzu had began to shift his eyes and head slowly, he knew they were close now, but he could not get up to see where they would come from without losing the element of surprise. Holding onto his wrist Lilith had began to whimper when his nails dug into her skin, her heart jumping in her chest when a sword came down near her head. A furious clash of metal rung in her ears at that point, as Kakuzu pushed himself up to knock the soldier off of the tree and slice his head off on the way down. Gasping Lilith let out a cry of pain when he tossed her back down the gap at the bottom of the tree, her face furrowed together as she tried to pull herself back together.
Above her she could hear yelling, barking, braying and the bitter clash of weapons coming together. Struggling to get up she found herself pinned to the tree when a sword came hurtling down towards her and went through the bottom of her dress. For several minutes there was nothing but violent yelling, until eventually there seemed to be a shout of victory, followed by a sickening crack. What Lilith could not remember was what happened next, everything seemed to go black when the head of the Hessian Horseman bounced down the hole onto her lap. The emerald eyes of Kakuzu cocked at two different angles, while blood began to pool on her legs. She could remember screaming, screaming with all her might until a soldier came to help her, having heard the outburst during their celebration of finally killing the mass murderer, Kane.
Kakuzu Kane had been buried where he was killed after that day, and Lilith dared not go anywhere near the forest without someone escorting her. Even by the ripe age of thirty-one she did not venture into the marsh alone, her mind still filled with the terrors of that fateful day, which haunted her from time to time. It did not help her anxiety either when rumours began to spread of a Headless Horseman riding through the forest, beheading anyone who was in his way every Halloween. These rumours had began to spread when a new headmaster had came to teach the children of the village.
His name was Tobi Crane, and from what she had heard he was a man who was not only good with the children, but had gained the respect of the men, and more over the women, of the town. The town itself was a peaceful place, despite its foreboding history, dually brought on by the Hessian Horseman's grave being there, among other things.
Tobi Crane was apparently an unusual man, who was thin enough to be mistaken for a scarecrow when he past through the fields of the local farmlands, due to him being tall and exceedingly lank. He was not a man of looks, many had described him to be carrying a small head with a sniped nose, leading Lilith to believe he was no man, but some kind of herring. This strange figure had first approached the town of Sleep Hollow on a quiet, warm afternoon.
The first to see him was Kisame Van Brunt, who had been at the bar drinking with his men at the time. He was a strong man who was known to cause trouble, but he did not do anything with malice intent. He was more of a town hero, or class clown than someone foreboding and mean spirited. When he saw Tobi he was shocked by what he saw, he could not tell if this odd new figure was walking on shovels, or if they were in fact his feet. He had never seen anyone quite like him. He was thin, nothing more than skin and bone, his face stuffed in a book that did not allow him to see where he was going. Despite this he still managed to dodge barrels, stray cats and ladders however, and even take a moment to examine the young baker's daughter before sampling a piece of pie that she was carrying.
On whole he raised mixed emotions amongst the villagers, but they all seemed to agree that they had never seen anyone like Tobi Crane. The classroom was where he seemed to rule, and his way with the children was almost impressive. He taught with dignity, and had absolute sway over his pupils in any given argument, something their last teacher could not accomplish without force. Not once, or so Lilith had been told, had Tobi needed to use his cane to discipline a pupil. He was a social man, who was well known for going to pupil's houses for dinner to have one-to-ones with their mothers, something seldom preformed by any teachers Lilith had ever been in contact with. He was an impressive, conscience man it seemed.
It did not surprise Lilith, like Tobi, then that Kisame would begin to ridicule him for his abilities with not only the children, but with the women. Anything was fair sport for him, even if it was seemingly petty at times, or unnecessary. It did not bother Tobi however, as his reputation did not shudder even slightly in Kisame's wake. Lilith herself did not meet Tobi Crane until a week before a yearly family party at the estate, as she had come to the city with her several escorts and Bianca to buy supplies.
They had been introduced to him by their father, the richest farmer in the county, at the time and Lilith had to say, the rumours about him were not exaggerate. He really did have an air about him that made him debonair as he walked with an atmosphere that was most obviously 'devil-may-care'.
"It is nice to finally meet the two lovely ladies of the Deluca family." Tobi spoke politely, his hat coming off as he bowed before them, his thin hand taking Bianca's hand to kiss her knuckle. To which a powder-pink blush brushed over her rosy cheeks, her baby blue eyes turning away shyly. He really did have a way with women.
"And you, Mr Crane." the blonde spoke, rolling her umbrella across her shoulder.
"My, it is true what they say about you, Bianca. 'Once you've seen Bianca, you've lost your heart'." he spoke, admiring her plump, hourglass figure and petal pink dress.
"Oh, why thank you." she giggled, turning to introduce Lilith.
The brunette had already left at this point, her figure disappearing with a few servants behind a building to head towards the farmer's stock exchange. On the way Lilith came across Kisame, who was clearly infuriated about something, as he was stomping his heel and scaring off a few chickens.
"Kisame Van Brunt." Lilith calmly spoke, holding her green parasol gently.
"Miss Deluca." he replied, jumping to attention as he tried to grab for a hat he did not possess on top of his dark, almost blue, hair.
"Are you feeling well?" she asked, examining him as he twitched his head to the side to look at Tobi and Bianca walking together. "Ah, Bianca is only performing what she does best. She'll simply kiss and run, just as she does with everyone." Lilith spoke, sticking her finger into a chicken pen to play with a large rooster's waddle playfully.
"I do not care for that attitude." Kisame replied delicately, Lilith was still a daughter of the richest farmer in the county, it would not do well to upset either of them.
"I apologise, I was just trying to put your mind at ease." the brunette spoke, motioning for one of the servants to buy the rooster she had been examining.
"I will not have my mind at ease until I have Bianca away from Tobi." he uttered, pulling his horse by its reins to lead it away.
"You would not have your mind at ease unless every man was shipped to Italy, and away from Bianca." Lilith retorted quietly to herself, sometimes her sister's ways and beauty were too much trouble.
With only a few days left before the banquet Lilith had noticed a rise in guests coming to and from the estate, namely Kisame and Tobi. Both contesting for Bianca's hand in marriage, which only seemed to entertain Bianca more than it did woo her. It became distinctly clear to Lilith that Bianca was playing as many games with them as they were with her. Occasionally one of them would get a tissue thrown their way, and on more than one occasion she would kiss one of their cheeks to rile up the other. Kisame seemed to have a true emotional interest in Bianca, though Lilith was not sure about Tobi. He seemed to spend more time looking at their house, and its riches, than the diamond of the family itself, Bianca.
Lilith was not an unattractive girl, however her backseat position to Bianca's gorgeous face, and voluptuous body, made her the second option to gaining a chance of becoming a successor to the Deluca's fortune. Speaking of such things, Lilith had raised her head from her book to the sound of hooves clattering off of the cobbles outside. Her body rising from the window seat to look outside at Kisame escorting Bianca to the door, only to find Tobi was already there to greet her, and then take her to lunch.
"This is getting ridiculous." Lilith sighed, her head turning when the door rattled open behind her and her mother came in. "Mother, you should not be out of bed." the brunette spoke, standing to see her mother was perched quite happily in her wheel chair with quilts and cushions surrounding her. It was not the most comfortable of contraptions, and so Lilith had been trying to make her a better one, but her mother insisted on getting into her momentary wheelchair anyway.
"Nonsense, dear daughter. I am perfectly capable, it is those stairs that confine me to my room." her mother replied, while her hand moved to push her long waved ebony hair off of her breast.
"I am still looking into a way of allowing you to move up and down the stairs without the aid of a servant." Lilith sighed, her hands shutting the book lightly before she slid it back onto one of the shelves close by.
Looking out of the window Lilith's mother glanced at Kisame attempting to punch Tobi, but he merely missed, when Bianca distracted him, and punched a tree.
"Who do you think will claim Bianca's heart?" her mother enquired, laughing gently at the tomfoolery going on outside.
"I do not think she is truly interested in either of them, or perhaps she is just trying to make Kisame jealous by strumming Tobi along in her little mind games." she answered, shaking her head slightly as she sighed.
"At the banquet we shall see who dances with Bianca best. And do try to join in this time, Lilith, you are not marriage plates that are brought out on special occasions merely to look at." her mother stated, proceeding to leave the room once more. It seemed Tobi was a force to be reckoned with, but Lilith knew Kisame was not going to give up, and this party was not going to be a neutral zone for any standing party. Of course it did not help that Bianca decided to smoulder the ashes of rivalry further by sending Tobi a personal summoning, which requested that he come to the party by offer of Bianca herself.
On the evening of the party Lilith was stood amongst the happy guests, her hair tied up into a bun that tumbled her brunette locks down the back of her neck elegantly. She was no match for Bianca, but she still stood out in her evergreen coloured dress that was ruffled at the back. Across the hall her mother and father sat talking to the earls and noblemen of the countryside, while Bianca herself was dancing feverishly with Tobi, who was proud of his abilities in dancing. To a corner of the room Kisame was sat quietly watching, bested yet again by the thin man.
Murmuring to herself the brunette decided to wander out to powder her nose, however she soon found herself out on the porch looking at the forest. It was quiet at the time, the wind had been brushing against the trees occasionally while the river close by trickled gently against the rocks. It was always this calm before midnight, but she would never dare leave the house after the wind began to become erratic. She was not superstitious, but the marsh was a dangerous place. If an animal did not attack you on the way through then the chances of you sinking into the marsh would be your downfall.
Leaning against the fence Lilith murmured to herself, her ears pricking to the distinct clatter of horse shoes coming over the hill. Widening her eyes the brunette watched it closely, her hand blindly swinging behind her for the front door as she continued to observe the entrance to the forest. She practically jumped out of her skin when someone came frantically riding up over the curve of the hill and into the courtyard thereafter.
"Miss Deluca! Miss Deluca, get your father!" screamed the man, who took no time grinding his horse to a halt to jump off and pursue with great speed for the estate door she had just went through. At the time Kisame had been reciting the ghost story of the headless horsemen, which had Tobi trembling in his fine leather boots, when they both burst in.
"And the name of this apparition is…" Kisame uttered, his arms up to spook anyone close by.
"There has been a murder!" the noblemen screamed, his chest heaving as he came to an abrupt halt. "I and my men were coming through the forest when we were attacked by a dark figure on a black horse. He came at us like a bat out of hell. He took off their heads as we rode here trying to escape, and he disappeared back into the marsh!" he gasped, while the constable and several other men grabbed for torches and weapons.
"Go, search the forest for this man, take the horses. The rest of you, go with Hardenbrook to check on the bodies." Lilith's father demanded, getting to his feet to try calm the women down.