November 2, 1779 - Early Morning
Before sunrise, Lillian awoke from her sleep. As though coming down with a fever, she touched her forehead with her fingertips and felt a slight pain. She exhaled a soft breath and opened her eyes, looking lost and confused for a moment, as though trying to remember who and where she was. Turning her head to her left, she found the Hessian staring down at her. It was dark inside the cave, but she could still make out the lining of his tall form.
The Hessian knelt down by her bedside, as Lillian rested her hand across her chest. "Guten Morgen, Miss Waise", he said in his native tongue, then switched over to English and asked her, "How do you feel?"
Lillian blinked and searched him with her eyes, slowly gaining back her memory. "I'm okay", she whispered. "How long have you been watching over me?"
"Not very long", the Hessian answered. "Maybe an hour, at most. Was it wicked of me?"
"No", Lillian answered, sitting up slowly. "No, not at all."
"You seemed restless. Did your dreams disturb you again?"
"Not as bad as the ones I've had before. These things happen to me often from time to time."
"Then, perhaps, it's best we get moving and send you back home."
The Hessian rose up and offered her his hand. Lillian took it, allowing him to help her stand on her feet. He grabbed his cape from the bed and fastened it around his neck, attaching it to his uniform, then turned to Lillian.
"Are you ready?"
She nodded. "I am."
"Good. Let's go."
The Hessian led her outside the cave, where Lillian discovered a midnight black stallion was waiting for them. The German mercenary went over and petted the horse's long face. The ebony beast nickered affectionately, nudging his massive head against his master's. If there was one thing the Hessian cared about more than anything in the world, it was his horse.
"What a beautiful animal you have", said Lillian. "Does he have a name?"
"Of course he does", said the Hessian. "His name is Daredevil."
Lillian remained where she was, not sure if she should approach the animal or not. She wasn't afraid of horses, but she had not ridden one for a long time. Not since she was a very small child.
The Hessian turned his head and looked at Lillian, ushering her to come forward with a gesture of his hand. "Come, Lillian. He won't hurt you."
Slowly, Lillian walked over to Daredevil, reaching her hand out and stroking the side of his neck, petting him gently. The dark horse snorted and nudged his head against hers, making her smile and laugh a little.
The Hessian showed evidence of a rare, genuine smile, admiring the horse's approval of the young woman. "He likes you", he said.
"He's a fine horse", said Lillian. She looked at the Hessian and added, "I'm sure he must be very important to you."
"He is. Daredevil has been my closest friend for many years. We've fought many battles together. Treat an animal well, and he will be faithful and loyal to you. Always. Now, then-"
The Hessian grabbed Lillian by her waist and hoisted her up onto Daredevil's back, picking her up as if she weighed no more than a child. Lillian gasped when he lifted her up onto his horse, not used to being up so high.
The Hessian mounted his horse, sitting himself behind Lillian. He wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her against his chest, and took hold of the rein with his free hand. He spoke something in his native tongue to his steed and pulled on the reins, turning his horse around. Daredevil neighed and led them down the trail heading back to Sleepy Hollow. Normally, the Hessian was a fast rider, but decided to keep the pace slow and steady.
"That's a curious language to speak to a horse", said Lillian.
"It's German", said the Hessian. "I speak five languages, including French. German is my native tongue, but my mother thought it would be a good idea for me to learn English, as well. She taught me from a very young age."
"She must be a well-educated woman to teach you so many languages. For a German, you speak very good English, Mr..." Lillian paused and turned her head to look at him. "I'm sorry, but I still don't know your name."
"I told you before you don't need to know my name", the Hessian reminded her, his cold, blue-eyed gaze piercing and intense. "Who I am is not important to an American girl like you. Do not ask me my name again."
Lillian's eyes lingered on his face for a while, then she looked away. The Hessian sensed something was wrong, seeing the ashamed look on her face when she turned her gaze from him. He felt her tremble at some point, and couldn't tell if it was because she was cold or because she was scared of being held so close to a dangerous man, one who easily swatted off three drunk men like they were flies. She told him once before she wasn't afraid of him, but the Hessian did not believe her. It didn't matter to him what others thought of his appearance, as he was used to people fearing him, but with Lillian, he knew it frightened her, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"Is something wrong?" The Hessian asked.
"Why do you ask?" Lillian questioned.
"You're so quiet."
Lillian shook her head and reassured him, "It's nothing, really. I was just thinking about this strange dream I had the other night. In the dream, I saw a deer, a white deer, galloping through the woods. It came to a dead tree, and a raven appeared to the deer and landed on a branch. Just as it started to fly away, it started bleeding."
"The deer or the raven?"
"No, the tree was bleeding. I tried to understand what was happening, but then I woke up. I think it means something, but I can't interpret what it is."
"It was just a dream", said the Hessian. "Your unfortunate predicament caused a fever on your brain, and sought to bring you nightmares of blood and death. Nothing can harm you now, Lillian. Not so long as I'm around."
Lillian turned her head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye. The Hessian's pale blue orbs met her gentle gaze.
"You've never seen a man like me before, have you?" The Hessian asked her.
"No, I haven't", Lillian answered.
"Does my face frighten you?"
Lillian went silent and looked away, avoiding his cold, hard stare. She was afraid she would hurt him if she told him the truth. He wasn't repulsive to look at, but his pale skin and razor sharp teeth were fearsome enough.
"You need say no more", the Hessian told her. "I know you're frightened of me, Lillian, but you have to understand my appearance is only for the sake of striking fear into the hearts of men."
"I know", said Lillian. "You were hired to spill the blood of Americans. You couldn't care less about somebody like me, but you took it upon yourself to take care of me in my time of need. Despite your appearance and reputation, you have shown me that you are a gentleman and not a monster like everyone says you are. I only wish there was a way for me to repay you for your kindness."
"You must forget about that. What has happened here will be forgotten in time. Perhaps it is best we remain unaware of each other and forget we ever met."
They continued the rest of their journey through the woods in silence. When they came to a clearing, the Hessian pulled on the reins and dismounted from Daredevil, then offered his hand to Lillian and helped her down off his horse.
"This is where I leave you now. I cannot go any further than this. You think you can manage the rest of the way on your own?"
"Yes, I remember the way back now. Thank you for everything, Hessian."
"Before you go, I have something to give you." The Hessian turned and opened his saddlebag, pulling out a dagger and presenting it to Lillian. "I want you to have this. I cannot give back what has been stolen from you, but I can provide you with protection. Keep this dagger with you at all times. This way you will be protected."
The Hessian handed the dagger over to Lillian, who took it and examined it. When she looked at him again, the Hessian bowed his head and spoke to her in German, "Viel Glück in deiner Zukunft, Lillian Waise."
With that being said, the Hessian turned and mounted Daredevil, then gave a roar of triumph and kicked the side of his horse, charging forward. Lillian stepped backed as he rode away, disappearing into the mist. No sound followed their departure. Not the singing of birds or the chirping of insects. All wildlife that inhabited the Western Woods seemed to have vanished.
Before her encounter with the Hessian Horseman, Lillian thought of him as nothing more than a scary bedtime story to frighten children into listening to their parents, but now that she had seen him with her own two eyes, she believed the stories the townspeople told her, for she had gazed upon the frightening face of the Hessian himself and lived to tell the tale. It was a secret she swore to take with her to her grave.
Lillian managed to find the rest of her way back to town just before dawn. Most of the villagers were waking up about this time. She quietly made her way over to the bar and went up the exterior staircase that led up to a room above the tavern. She opened the door and closed it, then walked over and placed the dagger on her bed, and started to remove the clothes the Hessian provided for her. Out of necessity, the Hessian removed her torn-up dress to check her for injuries and likely disposed of it, but the clothes he provided were much too big and masculine for her to wear. Luckily, Lillian had some spare clothes that belonged to her late mother that would fit her.
Lillian removed the shirt, trousers and sash the Hessian had given her, and went to the foot of her bed and knelt down, opening a chest. She placed the clothes into the chest and stared at something else inside it. She picked up a ragdoll, a small smile forming on her face as she remembered the person who gave it to her. A farmer who later became a soldier, the same kind-hearted man who married her mother.
He was a rugged, handsome man, dashing, with shoulder-length brown hair and warm brown eyes. He couldn't have been no more than twenty-eight. He was a soldier, ready to leave for war. A long-forgotten memory played in Lillian's mind, as her father kissed his beautiful wife on her lips and caressed his daughter's cheek. The blue-eyed baby girl laughed, smiling with stars in her eyes. Just before he left for the war, Lillian's father gave the doll to her as a gift when she was barely a year old.
Suddenly, Lillian's smile started to vanish, a horrified look etched onto her face as the sound of gunfire and men shouting came to her ears. At the moment, she found her memory replaced by an open field surrounded by a battalion of soldiers, two armies killing each other from all sides. The battle cries of wild Indians echoed through the air, as one man in particular fired his gun at one of them, only to meet his end by the strike of an arrow to his heart.
Lillian gasped, dropping the ragdoll and closing the chest, bringing herself back to reality. Panting, she took a minute to regain herself, feeling a slight pain in her head. Occurrences such as this had been happening ever since she was a child. Lillian closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Nobody knew of her ability to predict the future or look back on the past, except for her mother. Just before she died, Lillian's mother made her promise to never reveal her secret to anyone.
Any person who possessed supernatural powers, whether they be man or woman, were often condemned to burn at the stake or hang from a strong-limbed tree. One year ago, a woman had been accused of practicing witchcraft and was sent to live in the Western Woods with her husband and two young daughters. The whole village seemed to have forgotten about them, having nothing to do with the family.
Regaining her composure, Lillian reopened the chest and picked up the ragdoll again, setting it aside for now as she started to search through her belongings for something suitable to wear. She found an old, faded dress that belonged to her mother, along with a green velvet corset. The dress was worn and tattered in some parts, but still fashionably acceptable. Nothing that a few patches wouldn't fix.
Lillian stood up and turned to a mirror in the corner and held the dress in front of her, measuring it for size. She tried the dress on, then looked through the chest again and found a pair of flat, tan-colored shoes and slipped into them easily. She also found her father's silver crucifix and fastened it around her neck. Turning to the mirror, she looked over how the dress looked on her. It was a simple gown, but seeing herself in it made her feel like a princess. If he were alive, her father would have said she looked near identical to her mother.
Lillian then turned her attention over to the dagger on her bed and went over to pick it up the weapon, looking at it again. The blade was small and simple, very easy to hide on her person in case she needed to pull it out and use it for defense. She tested the sharpness by pricking her finger with the tip, hissing in slight pain. A droplet of blood started to form. Lillian sucked the blood from her wound and hid the dagger under her pillow, hiding it now for the time being. There was only one thing left to do. Going back to work in the bar wouldn't be easy, but she needed to explain her absence to the owner.