Authors Note: Yay! Here's everyone's favorite Hessian!!!!!
Almost one whole year had passed since the day his head had been restored to him and he had brought that damned witch down to hell. Now the former Hessian mercenary slept, for the most part, soundly in his grave.
Despite the witch now being in hell and the fact that his head was returned the horseman still kept his consciousness... something he hadn't fully had when the witch had controlled him. So his body now lay complete beneath the soil that surrounded the tree of the dead but his consciousness itself as well as that of Daredevil, his faithful mount, floated endlessly in the supernatural husk that made up the cursed tree that housed his gateway between worlds.
Though one who knew the legends of him would suspect him to be the vengeful, murderous specter that the black witch had used him as, he was not at all what one might expect. In death he'd had the time to think clearly. He was never as entirely ruthless as his stories told, but he had been a killer who'd enjoyed his work.
He loved carnage and blood, in life as well as in death, but he was not so inhuman that he would continue to ride forth and destroy innocent lives of his own free will. Even as a mercenary he never enjoyed killing innocents. There was no satisfaction in seeing a woman or child die. The murders the witch had his body commit haunted him even now because of it.
He could still remember the helpless feeling his small amount of consciousness had as his body went hacking into the floor boards, searching for the hiding boy in the home of the brave blacksmith.
He was a Hessian mercenary, highly respected and feared. He loved blood and death... he loved to kill. The most satisfying thing to him had always been to ride his fearless steed into battle, sword drawn as he expertly beheaded his enemies.
Now that he was dead and in a state of suspended consciousness in the tree of the dead, the 'headless horseman' was glad to finally be able to rest. He felt a connection with the ground he was buried in and it had become like a home to his tortured soul. He was not confined to hell he was tied to this plane; able to watch over his grave with Daredevil at his side for all eternity. The only part of this that was a punishment was that he was trapped on this side of the gate.
The drifting awareness of the horseman was currently pondering a situation at hand that he did not understand. He could feel through his connection with the land that the boy who had restored to him his skull had returned to Sleepy Hollow along with the offspring of one of the men the witch had him kill.
This was not the only presence that could be sensed however. Not long ago the horseman had felt several supernatural forces enter his woods. He could not feel them long enough to discover what they were however although he was well aware of the fact that they remained in the trees, hidden from him.
A short time after the supernatural forces had entered his domain the killings had started to occur. First came the victim maimed and torn apart near the remains of the old windmill where his headless corpse had chased the girl called Katrina. Then the one found nearly beheaded in the forest, and finally the one whose head had been torn clear from it's body, found two days later in the roots of a tree near the church.
Oh but it did not stop there. There were two others; two that were not killed but whom he knew should have been. These two he found to be most puzzling. He believed he knew what it was that had attacked those two... although at the same time he knew that explanation made no sense. If it was indeed what he thought it was then the two victims should have been dead.
These cases intrigued him more and more as he thought about them. The possibility of what the attacker might be presented him with his own possibility. He could very well regain the freedom of riding Daredevil at night once more. Though he would still be dead the freedom to ride where he pleased was a tempting thought.
With this in mind the Hessian concentrated on watching the youth who had returned to Sleepy Hollow. There was something different about the youth; something darker that was not there before. Regardless of that though the horseman knew it was the same young man, and he knew what he was here for.
If all went well the investigator would be the key component to regaining his freedom... because through the investigator he could see what was happening. Whatever he found out the horseman would know and once he knew what he was looking for it was simply a matter of time.
Almost one whole year had passed since the day his head had been restored to him and he had brought that damned witch down to hell. Now the former Hessian mercenary slept, for the most part, soundly in his grave.
Despite the witch now being in hell and the fact that his head was returned the horseman still kept his consciousness... something he hadn't fully had when the witch had controlled him. So his body now lay complete beneath the soil that surrounded the tree of the dead but his consciousness itself as well as that of Daredevil, his faithful mount, floated endlessly in the supernatural husk that made up the cursed tree that housed his gateway between worlds.
Though one who knew the legends of him would suspect him to be the vengeful, murderous specter that the black witch had used him as, he was not at all what one might expect. In death he'd had the time to think clearly. He was never as entirely ruthless as his stories told, but he had been a killer who'd enjoyed his work.
He loved carnage and blood, in life as well as in death, but he was not so inhuman that he would continue to ride forth and destroy innocent lives of his own free will. Even as a mercenary he never enjoyed killing innocents. There was no satisfaction in seeing a woman or child die. The murders the witch had his body commit haunted him even now because of it.
He could still remember the helpless feeling his small amount of consciousness had as his body went hacking into the floor boards, searching for the hiding boy in the home of the brave blacksmith.
He was a Hessian mercenary, highly respected and feared. He loved blood and death... he loved to kill. The most satisfying thing to him had always been to ride his fearless steed into battle, sword drawn as he expertly beheaded his enemies.
Now that he was dead and in a state of suspended consciousness in the tree of the dead, the 'headless horseman' was glad to finally be able to rest. He felt a connection with the ground he was buried in and it had become like a home to his tortured soul. He was not confined to hell he was tied to this plane; able to watch over his grave with Daredevil at his side for all eternity. The only part of this that was a punishment was that he was trapped on this side of the gate.
The drifting awareness of the horseman was currently pondering a situation at hand that he did not understand. He could feel through his connection with the land that the boy who had restored to him his skull had returned to Sleepy Hollow along with the offspring of one of the men the witch had him kill.
This was not the only presence that could be sensed however. Not long ago the horseman had felt several supernatural forces enter his woods. He could not feel them long enough to discover what they were however although he was well aware of the fact that they remained in the trees, hidden from him.
A short time after the supernatural forces had entered his domain the killings had started to occur. First came the victim maimed and torn apart near the remains of the old windmill where his headless corpse had chased the girl called Katrina. Then the one found nearly beheaded in the forest, and finally the one whose head had been torn clear from it's body, found two days later in the roots of a tree near the church.
Oh but it did not stop there. There were two others; two that were not killed but whom he knew should have been. These two he found to be most puzzling. He believed he knew what it was that had attacked those two... although at the same time he knew that explanation made no sense. If it was indeed what he thought it was then the two victims should have been dead.
These cases intrigued him more and more as he thought about them. The possibility of what the attacker might be presented him with his own possibility. He could very well regain the freedom of riding Daredevil at night once more. Though he would still be dead the freedom to ride where he pleased was a tempting thought.
With this in mind the Hessian concentrated on watching the youth who had returned to Sleepy Hollow. There was something different about the youth; something darker that was not there before. Regardless of that though the horseman knew it was the same young man, and he knew what he was here for.
If all went well the investigator would be the key component to regaining his freedom... because through the investigator he could see what was happening. Whatever he found out the horseman would know and once he knew what he was looking for it was simply a matter of time.
