November 1, 1779 - Later
When Lillian opened her eyes and woke up a few hours later, the Hessian was gone. He had left his cape behind to keep her warm, but there was no sign of him anywhere in the cave. Sitting up, Lillian rubbed the sleep from her eyes and moved the Hessian's cape off her body and placed her bare feet on the dirt-covered ground. Her shoes were nowhere around for her to find them, but she guessed they must have come off when those three men tore her clothes off. Lillian closed her eyes and shuddered as the terrible images replayed in her mind. Wrapping her arms around herself, she opened her eyes again and turned her attention to something on her left.
Right next to the bed, there was a folded pair of black trousers and a sash sitting on a chair. Lillian guessed they belonged to the Hessian and that he left them for her to wear and make her feel less vulnerable. She stood up and put on the trousers and tied the sash around her waist to help secure them into place and prevent them from falling down. Once fully dressed, she decided to explore the cave and wait there until the Hessian returned.
On the other side of the cave, the fire in the hearth was going out. Lillian went over and got down on her knees and held her hands close to the dying embers, warming them up, then pressed her hands to her cheeks, feeling the radiation of heat seeping through her skin. While she sat there warming herself up, Lillian searched the interior of the cave with her eyes and made note of its meager accommodations. Aside from the bed, chair and small table, there was hardly any evidence that anybody lived there. This had to have been somebody's home at one point, but from the looks of it now, the cave looked as though it had been abandoned long ago. Years later, a witch would come to think of this place as her home and aid a New York constable into help solving a series of gruesome murders.
When she got back on her feet again, Lillian leaned herself against the wall and put a hand to her forehead, feeling as though she were about to pass out. She felt a low rumbling in her stomach and quickly realized the result of her fatigue. She had not eaten anything in the last several hours and was in need of nourishment. Luckily for her, there was a piece of bread and an apple on the table for her, no doubt another gift left behind by the Hessian.
Once she ate enough to fill her stomach, Lillian decided to return back to bed and lie down for a while. The Hessian never said she wasn't allowed to leave the cave, but if she tried to find her way back to Sleepy Hollow on her own, she would never find her way out of the Western Woods. The townspeople never ventured into this dreary place for fear of witches and ghosts that supposedly haunted the eerie, woodland dwelling. So far, the only living thing that resembled so much as a ghost was a cold-blooded mercenary who rescued her from danger, but Lillian was not aware of his true nature. For now, she had nothing to fear of him, for he was a hero in her eyes.
While she awaited the Hessian's return, Lillian fell asleep and dreamed about a white deer galloping through the woods until it came to a clearing and stared up at the sight of a dark and twisted hollow tree. The deer lowered its head as it pawed at the ground with its hoof, searching for food. Suddenly, the deer heard a twig snapping and perked its head up, listening. It sensed a danger in the forest, as though a hunter would shoot it from far away.
The cawing of a raven caused the deer to turn its head, as the great blackbird swooped over and landed on the tree. It ruffled its dark wings, its coal black eyes beaming down upon the white-furred creature. The raven started to tap on the bark of the dead tree, to which a trickle of red sap started to flow, like blood from a wound. The raven cawed again and spread its wings, taking off into the sky just as the blood-like sap fell and landed in the snow.
Opening her eyes, Lillian awoke with a gasp and sat up at once, feeling strong hands grip her by her shoulders. She almost screamed, but then realized it was the Hessian who was sitting by her side.
"Don't be afraid", the Hessian spoke softly. "It's me."
"What happened?" Lillian asked him.
"You fell asleep. Were you dreaming?"
Lillian's eyes lingered on his frightening face for a while, then she answered with a slight nod, "Yes, I was."
The Hessian moved a strand of black hair from her pale face and reassured her, "It was only a dream. You're safe now." He stood up and walked away for a moment to tend to something in the hearth. The crackling of wood indicated he built a new fire. The Hessian returned and sat down on the bed with Lillian, holding a tin cup and offering her something warm to drink. "Drink this", he instructed her. "It will make you feel better."
Lillian remained eye contact with him for a moment, then looked at the cup and took it from him. The liquid was dark in color, but the strong essence of tea helped calm her as she took a small sip. It tasted bitter, but herbal medicine was better than none. Despite his appearance, Lillian looked at the Hessian again, feeling an odd sense of comfort in knowing that he had not abandoned her. It was a mild comfort, but a comfort, nonetheless.
"I missed you", Lillian told him. "Where did you go?"
"I had an obligation to fulfill", said the Hessian. "I'm sorry for disappearing, but it was necessary for me to leave you."
"I know. You're a soldier in the British Army, aren't you?"
"How do you know that?"
"I figured it out for myself. Your uniform isn't like that of American soldiers. It's not even that of the British. Am I wrong?"
"No, you're not."
Lillian lowered her gaze, watching the vapors swirl above the cup in her hands before taking another sip.
"Do you know who I am?" The Hessian asked her.
"How can I know? You haven't even told me your name. Do you not have one?"
"Yes, I do, but it is best that you do not know it."
"Why?" Lillian questioned him.
"Because I believe it's best that you do not know."
"But...I do not know what to call you."
The Hessian rose up and walked five steps away from her, unsheathing his sword and wielding it around before looking at his reflection in the cold blade of steel. "My services were provided for the British by the princes of Germany", he said. "They offered to pay me handsomely in gold in exchange for my devotion to their cause, but I did not come all this way to seek the profit of coin. I came here to spill the blood of those who stand against the crown of England."
Lillian felt her blood turn cold at the mention of that, quickly realizing that she was in the clutches of the soldier everybody feared most. Surely, he would keep her prisoner now and make her suffer a greater torment worse than death.
"So it's true...", Lillian said to herself, then she asked him, "You are the Hessian Horseman the people of Sleepy Hollow have spoken of?"
The Hessian turned his head and locked eyes with her, a certain emotion glimmering inside them she could not read. Maybe it was fear or anger? It could have even been a mixture of both. Would he kill her now that she had discovered his identity?
Lillian's eyes widened, knowing right away that she had spoken too boldly for her own good yet again. "Please forgive me", she begged him. "I meant no disrespect. It's just that-"
"That I am the enemy?" The Hessian questioned, turning around to face her, still holding his sword, but lowering it down to his side. "I have no doubt your people have heard tales about a German mercenary who decapitates Americans. I am a soldier who kills for the lust of war, but that does not mean I will harm you. I give you my word as a man of honor and integrity. My word as a soldier is probably useless and means nothing to you, so I will leave it at that. I have been taking care of you while you are healing, and that is all you need to know. I've done terrible things, the likes of which you cannot possibly imagine. I am a dangerous man, but when I heard you screaming, I knew an innocent woman was in need of rescuing. I could have left you to suffer at the hands of your defilers and leave you to die, but in my heart, I knew the right thing to do was for me to answer your cry for help. Once I killed those men, I wrapped you in my cape and brought you to this place to take care of you. Think of me what you will, but I was only doing what I thought was necessary. You should be grateful to me."
"And indeed I am", said Lillian. "I have no doubt your heart was in the right place, and I wish I could thank you for all that you've done for me, but alas, I have nothing I can give to you to express my gratitude."
"You're wrong", said the Hessian. "There is but one thing you can give me. If I ask you for it, can I trust you to give it to me?"
"What is it you want?" Lillian asked him, not sure if she liked where this was leading to.
"My desire is simple. I want you never to reveal that it was I who saved you. If anyone should ask you about your adduction, tell them it was not I who came to your aid. Tell them it was a hermit who cared for you, or even a Patriot, but you must never let anyone know that you have seen me. Can I trust you to give me your word, Miss Waise?"
Lillian lowered her head and vowed to him, "I swear by my heart, I will not reveal your identity to anyone. And if I should break my vow, you may cut out my heart and carry it around inside a glass box."
The Hessian acknowledged the sincerity of her words, knowing she meant it. With that being said, he placed his sword back into its sheath and walked back over to Lillian, placing his fingertips underneath her chin and tilting her head up show she could look into the cold, illuminated gaze of his bright blue eyes.
"Do you fear me, Lillian?" The Hessian asked softly.
Lillian's eyes scanned him up and down, as though she were searching for a way to answer him without insulting him or risk losing her head. Finally, she told him, "I shudder to imagine your rage, but thus far, you have shown me no reason that I should be afraid of you. You have been kind and generous to me, and I respect you enough not to cross you."
"A wise decision", the Hessian agreed. "Just remember to hold your tongue if anyone should ask you about me. Alter the explanation of your disappearance, but you must never reveal my identity to anyone. Do you understand?"
Lillian nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Good." The Hessian caressed her cheek and said, "Now, get some rest. Tomorrow, I will take you to the edge of the forest and help you find your way back to Sleepy Hollow. You have a home, you should return to it."
"I have no home", said Lillian. "I live in a room above the bar where I work." She paused for a moment, lowering her gaze into the tin cup again, then added in quietly, "The bar where I serve alcohol to villains and lesser men." She swallowed another sip of tea.
"You have no family?" The Hessian asked her, slightly confused.
"No. My father was killed during the French and Indian War", said Lillian, her face solemn. "I lost my mother to the scarlet fever when I was a little girl. That was twelve years ago. Just before she died, my mother placed me into the care of a friend of my father's. The man who raised me is a widower who has a daughter about my age. I have no other family. I've been on my own for as long as I can remember."
"No husband?"
Lillian looked at him, all light gone from her sad blue eyes. "No. I'm not against the idea, but it would take a respectable gentleman to make me want to even consider it, especially after..." Lillian paused, unable to form the rest of the sentence.
The Hessian took the tin cup away away from Lillian, setting it aside. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to upset you", he said.
"I'm not upset, I just don't understand why this happened to me", Lillian explained gently. "There are plenty of women and whores over in the next town, why they-"
Her sentence was cut short, as the Hessian placed his fingers over her pale lips. His gloved hand moved to caress her cheek again, wiping away a fallen tear that leaked out of the corner of her eye.
"Because they were villains of a drunken nature and deserved the punishment I delivered onto them", said the Hessian. "I may have been sent over to deal with your people in a similar fashion, but that does not mean I do not believe in justice."
Lillian could not think of anything more to say, but nodded her head in agreement. The Hessian might have been the enemy to everyone else, but to her, he was a honorable man who saved her life.
"Now, get some sleep", said the Hessian. "By morning, you should be well enough to ride."
"Where will you sleep?" Lillian asked him.
"You need not worry about me. I will be fine. Sleep well, Lillian."
Lillian did as she was told and lied back down. The minute she closed her eyes, she fell into another dream. She saw the bleeding tree again, but this time, there was no sign of the raven or the deer.