Hello to my beloved readers. I am really sorry or the waiting, but I just moved out of the country and I am settling in my new job.

I am bringing you know chapter 4th and I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review.

Thank you so much.

Chapter 4

"Today is Monday, The 27th of December, 1779. I died the 28th and I had been dead for 235 years. But now, I am back here, I am alive again."

His words were still pounding in my brain. – "1779? What does that supposed to mean?" – I was pretty sure, time travelling. But how? I was pacing around the room desperate, which step to take? Maybe am I just dreaming? I stopped and bit my hand hard. No. It hurts and I am still in here. Definitely I better go with him until I can find where he keep the book.

I undressed quickly and jumbled up my dirty clothes putting them inside his sack. When I grabbed the trousers I knew I will have problems to keep them up so I took a pin from my hair and tight the trousers as good as I could. The shirt and the cloak were too big but I was very content with the warm that they provided. I took the sack of the Hessian and still with no shoes on I got out of the room.

In front of me was a long and dark corridor and at the end of it, dimly lighted by the light of candles was a wooden stairway. While I approached it I could listened to the sound of accordion music and of various voices talking and singing. The upper floor consisted of a saloon with many tables and wide windows covered with purple and red curtains. A considerable group of men were sitting occupying most of the tables and they were talking and drinking from bottles while a dozen of young women like butterflies wrapped in colorful colonial dresses went and came among the men, fluttering from table to table singing and serving alcohol and putting their hands where they shouldn't put them. Some men grabbed them and took them to the upper floor. It didn't take me more than two seconds to realize the kind of place in where I was. It was better I left immediately.

Among the people I tried to find the Horseman but it was impossible to distinguish his tall figure from the crowd. There were so many men all wearing a red uniform and forming groups among the tables taking women and dancing with them. I tried to move among them but suddenly some huge hands grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up. Everybody started to laugh and I turned my head thinking it was the Horseman.

-"Look at this what a novelty!" –Said the man who was holding me. He was a giant, with a thick blonde moustache and a crooked smile. –"Peter, Peter! How much for this one?"

A tiny and thin man went out from behind the bar and looked at me surprisingly raising his eyebrows.

-"No!" – I screamed. –"You are wrong, I am not like them!"

The man just laugh and held me in his arms like a baby.

-"No?" –He said. – "Which kind of respectable woman could be in this place? And also wearing male clothes?!"

He turned the head to the tiny man saying: "I give you 10 coins."

-"Make it 15."

-"15? Is she a virgin?"

That was enough.

-"HELP!" I started to kick hitting the nose of the giant very hard and he dropped me to the floor. I ran pushing people around and the men were laughing even harder while they were trying to seize me. I broke some wine bottles and many cups and it seemed that the more I tried to dodge the hands of the men the happier they became. Finally a firm hand grasped me by my shirt collar and scared I turned my eyes to meet the blue ones of the Hessian.

Immediately the tavern became silent and everybody turned their heads to see the scene.

-"What the hell do you think you are doing?"-The Hessian glared furiously at me and trembling I gave a step back.

-"I will give you 20, Peter."- The giant came close to me. - "After all, I saw her first."

The Hessian face darkened with pure hate and gave the man the most evil of the stares. The giant gave a step towards me and then, fast as a lightning; the Hessian unsheathed his sword and attacked the man. I would not had panicked as much as I did if I were not standing right in the middle of the fight because the tip of the Hessian sword stopped just half an inch away from my neck.

-"Get out of here."

The Horseman kept holding the edge of the sword so close to my skin. I was petrified and I felt a cold sweat accumulating in my forehead but two women came and took me to a small room in the upper floor.

-"Are you out of your mind?- Said one of the girls. –"How dare you standing in the middle of a men fight!"

I was so shocked to give her an answer so I just tried to have a peek of the situation downstairs but the other woman closed the door fast.

-"Better don't see it."- She said looking up and down at me.- "Why are you wearing that? Who gave It to you?"

-"The Hessian."-I answered. –"He brought me here after he found me in lying on the snow. I am far away from home."

The two women gave astonished looks at each other and they murmured something.

-"Ahh, well that is really strange behavior coming from Kommander Schaffer."- Said one. –"Are you sure he is not expecting to gain some money by selling you to Peter?"

-"Selling me?" – I said with disbelief. – "No, he would never do that." –

-"Hmm…It would not be the first time…" – Said the younger woman.

I looked astonished at her. Her face was so beautiful, dark eyes as the night and black hair as coal, the skin had a soft iodine color that contrasted beautifully with her shiny red lips. She was no more than 16 I guessed.

-"What you mean would not be the first time?" – I asked trying to hide my incredulity. Deep down I didn't want to believe the Horseman was such as monster, deep down I was thankful he didn't let me to die of cold in the forest, deep down I was hoping he was… What was I hoping for?

-"He brought me here one month ago; sold me for 200 coins."

The young woman hided her face with her hands and I rushed to hug her. She was just a teenager and I could not prevent myself to hold her and tell her everything would be fine. A was lying to her of course. How could I reassure her if possibly I was going to be in her very same situation? No! - I scream to myself - I would never allow that brat, that Headless Horseman to control my life in such a way!

-"Coast is clear!" –Said the older woman while peeking out the door.

I instantly pushed her and went down the stairs holding my breath. I was walking directly to the Horseman but then something made me stop on my tracks.

The servants were cleaning a huge red spot in the middle of the room. The mops and cloths were not enough to clean the blood mess left there by the Hessian. I swallowed hard trying to look the other way and I saw the Hessian sitting happily with two other women by his side. He was drinking from a bottle and appeared to be of a much better mood. My initial strength wore off and I looked at him stupefied. He was smiling! Even worst, he was laughing! I was about to give a step back but he caught my eye and called me with a twist of his hand.

-"Come here. See what you make me do?- The Hessian was laughing and hold my arm with his hand while with the other he dismissed the women sitting next. I sat down in her place and glare at his unnatural eyes. –" Not that I am complaining. I was missing a little blood!"

-"You are disgusting." –I whispered, not sure if he heard me.

-"Drink with me." – He said while offering me a cup of the liquor that I realize was brandy. –"Drink now, we have some work to do."

-"I don't want ." – I said pushing the cup back at him. The woman next to me opened her eyes scared and tried to prevent me with a subtle shake of the head but it was too late.

The Horseman stood up and taking the bottle he threw all its content over me. I let out a cry while the cold liquid soaked my hair and back. I heard the laugh of the soldiers and saw the grins of the women around me.

-"Once again, are you going to drink?" – The Horseman shouted at me to everyone to hear.

I nodded subtly and a new cup was in front of me.

. . .

I looked at the Horseman and his eyes where fixed on the wooden table. I was not sure how much time has passed but I was sure I was on my fifth cup of brandy already and he... I have no idea how much he had drunk but judging by his crystal eyes I could say quite a lot. He didn't talk much to me nor to the woman who stood with him all that time. Mainly he was just drinking and looking at his cup. Gulp after gulp. I was too afraid to talk to him and I was just hoping he could stand up and take me out of this place as he promised me in the morning.

Suddenly as I sipped once again from my cup, he collapsed over the table. The woman immediately took him by the arm and started to lead him to one of the rooms up the stairs. I still cannot understand why suddenly I stood up and didn't allow her to do so. I was expecting he took me closer to the book and I didn't want to be left alone among those men but it was something else, something else that cringed in my chest at the idea of leaving him alone with that woman.

She stared at me and she hissed:

-"Didn't you say you were not like us, prostitutes? Now you want him for you, aren't you?"

-"We have some business to attend first."- That was the only thing I could think about but now… how to wake up the Hessian?

While the woman left I gave him soft slaps in the face.

-"Hessian…err… Kommander? Can you hear me? We have to go."

He opened his eyes slowly and looked around.

-"Scheisse, dann ist es zu spat!" – He stood up quickly and grabbing me by the waist he kissed me. Well, not what I could call a kiss, more like he just smacked his mouth against mine and bit my lips in a savage way, leaving them red and hungry because a second later he just dropped me to the floor and left the saloon. I stared at his back while he walked out and all the voices and whistles of men were filling once again the space. I could not avoid the sudden heat in my cheeks. I sipped down the rest of my brandy and follow the Hessian. Oh boy, what a long day it will be…

. . .

At least I was able to ride the mule and was not obliged to walk like the last time.

We were going slowly through the border of a huge forest. The snow was falling softly and there was no trace of human beings. The Horseman was ahead of me and was looking attentive to the snow; this was the place we both appeared this morning. I had too many questions but thanks to the brandy those concerns were long gone. The mule totter and the silence of the place were making me sleepy.

I looked at the Hessian ahead of me, his dark disheveled hair against the white snow, his pale skin, the taste of his lips I closed my eyes dreaming about him…

-"OUCH! "

I fell head first into the snow and the mule ran away scared. The Hessian turned back at me descended from his horse examining me from toe to head. When he didn't find anything to worry about he just spat at me:

-"What's wrong with you?"

-"Nothing… just… alcohol you know…"

He smirked at me and said:

-"I was paying attention to you; I thought you were handling that bottle very well…"

-"Were you paying attention to me?"

-"Well yes, do you think I would allow you to escape from me?" – His half grin was bigger this time and he pulled me up the ground while giving a strong whistle and the mule came back to us. He helped me rode it up again.

-"Be careful." –That was all he said while he jump on to Daredevil and we started our march one more time.