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blackypanther9 · 1 year

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Even after all these years I still love you – Father!Headless Horseman( Sleepy Hollow Movie 1999) x Son!Reader

To make it more realistic, I decided to write German…a LOT. The translations are right underneath the German text and I made them bold, so you can see it better. I tell you gladly, that the Hessian is German and from my own knowledge German people have a big difficulty to learn English properly and talk flawlessly with someone. I suspect that in the 17th century it was even worse, so yeah. ENJOY READING IT THOUGH !

WARNINGS!: Fluff, angst, fighting, use of Magic, Evil Mary Van Tassel (Like she usually is) and cursing ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !

“We should have believed him a little !”, young Masbeth said to Ichabod.

“I don’t believe that he is his Son ! And I also don’t believe what he said that it is Lady Van Tassel.”, Ichabod said stubbornly.

“Like you didn’t believe that the Horseman does exist ?”, Katrina snarled.

They arrived at the tree of the dead and Ichabod found out that the young man wasn’t lying. The tree was a gateway between two worlds and behind the entrance was the sword where the Horseman was buried.

He found the head missing and slowly he started to believe what the male said.

“His skull was taken by Lady Mary Van Tassel. She caused him to die already as she was only a child, like I was. The next ones will be a Family. The very Family that gave you Gunpowder, as your horse.”

Why was he so foolish and told the man to stay out of his case ?

But he saw him again. The headless Horseman was at the Killian’s house, but didn’t enter yet. In front of him stood M/n. M/n Schaffner. Son of the headless Horseman. He had his sword drawn and tears in his eyes.

“Zwing mich nicht gegen dich zu kämpfen, Papa. (Don’t force me to fight against you, Papa.)”, M/n begged.

The headless Horseman was frozen in place and turned to his horse, Daredevil.

“Draufgänger…Bitte… (Daredevil...please…)”

Daredevil came over to M/n and then licked his face softly. M/n hugged Daredevil’s neck and stroked his mane.

His Father just stood there frozen.

“Was ? Dachtest wohl dass ich verstorben bin, huh ? (What ? Thought that I died, eh ?)”, M/n asked.

He approached M/n carefully but after 3 steps he tried to grip where his head would be and fell to his knees in pain.

“Komm schon Dad ! Du bist stärker als diese Hexe ! Du warst schon immer viel stärker als alle anderen. Ganz egal worin sie stärker waren, du hast sie alle besiegt ! Kämpfe ! (Come on, Dad ! You are stronger than this witch ! You always were much stronger than all the others. No matter in what they were stronger, you defeated them all ! Fight !)”

Ichabod could see that the Horseman tried his best to fight back, but he didn’t seem to make it and M/n saw that too. He sobbed.

“Ich kann dich nicht noch mehr töten lassen. Es tut mir Leid. (I can’t let you kill even more. I’m sorry.)”

With that M/n gripped his sword in a tight hold and stood his ground, ready to fight his own Father. He may be controlled, but he couldn’t let him continue like this.

“You can’t win this, M/n !”, Ichabod yelled.

M/n jerked his head to his left and stared at Ichabod. He smiled a sad smile.

“It is worth trying. He’s my Dad, Ichabod. I know that he will surely even kill me under HER control, but I have to try and stop him. I know he doesn’t want this…killing these people. He isn’t like this.”

Ichabod stared at the Horseman trying to fight the control off, then at M/n. He was ready to face death by his own Father’s hands, in order to help both sides… Why did this sound so wrong ? Shouldn’t Ichabod be happy that he still tries ?

He shook his head.

“He will NEVER forgive himself if he kills you, M/n. You know that he can’t control this. Do you really want to make him cry when he has his skull back ? Do you really not want to be here when he gets it back ?”

“You didn’t even believe me when I told you about the Black Witch… Why would you now ?”, M/n asked broken.

Ichabod wanted to say something, but he couldn’t. M/n had a fair point…

“My Father taught me a lot of fighting. Even if I die…I at least tried. I know I can hold him off for a little while. Get the Killians to the church. He can’t step on sacred ground.”

Then he looked at his Father again, but Daredevil blocked M/n’s view of his Dad suddenly.

“Daredevil move damn it !”, M/n hissed at his Father’s horse.

He didn’t budge until M/n gasped and passed out.

“M/N !”, Ichabod yelled.

M/n’s Father hit the back of his head with his sword’s handle and knocked him out. Ichabod took the male and dragged him a bit away from any curious eyes and then went back, only to hear a child scream and see Brom appear.

Brom shot the Horseman, but all it did was throw him off of Daredevil. He got up again.

M/n came back running and yelled at Brom as he attacked his Father with his gun.

“Stop you fool ! Don’t you see that he is sparing you ?!”, he yelled.

His Father gave Brom a smack under his chin and then continued to walk away, only for Brom to throw a throwing knife into the headless Horseman’s side.

“You idiot ! Stop it before he changes his mind and kills you !”

M/n’s Father threw it back at Brom and into his thigh. He hissed in pain, pulled it out and then grabbed the next best weapons, which were two sickles.

M/n glared at Brom in rage and while they fought he pulled out his sword and sneaked up on Brom. He hit him hard on the head, knocking him down.

“Will you leave him alone, for Fuck’s sake ?! Do you HAVE a death wish ?! You do realize that none of your tricks killed him, yes ?! Undead, dumbass ! You can’t kill something that is dead !”

Brom glared at M/n.

“I’ll get him !”, he said determined.

“Oh you will get him, alright. You will get him pissed off and ready to change his mind and just kill you ! Stupid men like you never know when to stop, think and quit being annoying !”

“I am not stupid ! I am just not a coward, like you !”

“EXCUSE ME ?! There is a difference between being brave and utterly dumb, smartass ! He is UNDEAD he is already DEAD no MORTAL can KILL HIM ! You CAN’T kill something TWICE ! So wake up, you jealous ass wipe and FACE reality !”

“He is right, Brom. You can’t win this, no matter how many people would fight with you.”, Ichabod said.

“Cowards !”, he snarled and went at M/n’s Father again.

“THEN GET FUCKING KILLED YOU ASS WIPE !”, M/n yelled and then left, sick and tired of Brom.

“M/n !”, Ichabod called.

“No ! I ain’t dealing with this shit !”

Then he was gone. Ichabod tried to make them break up the fight, but this time the headless Horseman didn’t let Brom get away alive.

The next day…

Ichabod, young Masbeth and Katrina were in the Western Woods at the grave of the Horseman.

“I believe M/n… With Lady Van Tassel taking his head.”, Ichabod said.

“We do too.”, Katrina said.

Young Masbeth nodded.

“I found a black bag in my parents’ bedroom under their bed. His skull was in there, but I couldn’t take it away. Maybe at night we steal it when the Horseman is also awake so he can have it back.”, she said.

“Bad idea. Tonight your Father will die Katrina and your so called Stepmother will fake her death and hide away. Tomorrow night you are planned to die. She knows that you found his skull, she won’t let any of you close again. She also knows about my existence now, so we have a whole load of problems storming our way.”, M/n said.

They whipped their heads around and saw him leaning against the Tree of the Dead, looking at his shoes.

“Then what do we do ?”, Ichabod asked.

“We let her think she wins.”

“What ?”

“You do know that Father let you get away with a lot, Ichabod, right ?”

“What do you mean ?”

“You disturbed his grave, hurt his tree, dared to enter his territory, meddled in his affairs and now possibly have his Son in your hands. He spared you a lot until now.”

“HIS Tree ?”

“This isn’t just a grave and a gateway. Father LIVES inside that tree. Like a house. You hurt his tree, he feels it and knows of it. You enter his Woods, he feels you intruding, you dig around on his grave, he knows. Already three reasons to kill you, because that naturally means that you threaten him and challenge him to fight you, yet he spared you. Why do you think is that ?”

Ichabod was silent, in shock of what M/n told him.

“Father hears everything here. That is why he spared you. You want to help and he knows that, but Mary is getting very angry at you. The next time you better be somewhere where he isn’t, because she will command him to kill anyone in his way, then he has no control of sparing you again.”

“How are you so sure of that ?”, young Masbeth asked.

“She knows everything Ichabod found out and he continues to get too close to uncover her. So she sends Father now against everyone and anyone that dare to stand in her way. It is a tactical move of hers and very clever. Next time we face him…we are forced to fight him, no matter what. I know we all can’t kill him, but I can hold him back for some time, not much but some. You and Katrina will run and go after that Witch and get Father’s skull back and if you have to kill that Whore for it so fucking be it.”

“But my Father…”

“Has to sadly die. I don’t like it either, but only with that we get close to her and the skull later on. She will try and prove her innocence by faking her death and then kidnapping you Katrina. She will try to frame you. Then she will summon Father again to kill you. Ichabod and I will hide close to the old Mill and after she summoned Father, we will try and get the skull back, if that doesn’t work you run to Father’s resting place and we will meet there. This witch won’t leave. She will want to see how you die so I’m sure she will be there.”

“But now that your Father knows…”

“She doesn’t know. He doesn’t have to tell her anything, not that he even could, he has no mouth and he barely knew how to write and read. Ah…sorry for embarrassing you Father. But yeah ! He can’t tell her anything. All he has to do, is kill for her. He may know of the plan, but it’s not like he is willing to kill any of us. He is fighting this spell and that could buy us some more time. She doesn’t have full control of him as I read in a book that was in the cave of The Crone Witch. She was Mary’s sister and she killed her 10 minutes ago and went back to the Van Tassel estate.”

They stared at him in utter shock.

“If we get Father to stop riding Daredevil tonight I can use the knowledge I have.”

“And what is that ?”, Ichabod asked.

“She may have control of him now. But if he has an heir of his blood and they spill their blood onto him, just a drop is enough, then the heir has also control of the said relative. Not only that, it is stronger than an outsider’s Magic. If we get him to stop for at least 10 seconds, he could have partly his own control back, which means…”

“He has a better way of fighting her spells off of him.”, Katrina finished.

“Bingo.”

“So we wait…?”, young Masbeth asked.

“No. We can’t wait… We need to prepare a little trap for Daredevil and Father. She grows stronger and gets more control of him the longer he is under her spells. He is getting weaker, which is a horrible sign, because my Father is anything BUT weak. He cut down men that were twice his size and 10 times stronger than him. This little mind control trick shouldn’t be a problem to him, but she must have used more than one to make him get weaker with every attempt he tries to fight her off.”

“Then wouldn’t this be useless ?”, Ichabod asked.

“Not really. I just need some more time until tonight to see if I can find the counter spell. It is definitely a draining spell she put on him and a strong one at that. Father must have gotten stronger after his death and transportation to Hell. He shows a lot of that, but his mind is unaffected by changes ? No, no, no my dear friends. She used the most powerful spell that existed and I found it in the Crone’s spell book.”

“Can you even do Magic ?”, Katrina asked.

“Ehhh, yes. I mean Dad didn’t know until now, but I am a Necromancer. I started learning, when I was 8 years old, with The Crone. I took her under my wing, while Mary just disappeared. It surprised us both that I had such powerful and dangerous Magic. I had to walk on eggshells for a long while until I could really practice.”

“Why ?”

“Well…Necromancy is…deadly for the ones who wield it… Yes you can resurrect people and all that, but it comes with a prize. First off, you need enough death around you to do so.”

“Death ?”

“Necromancy is death magic. You get Death Magic from dead people. Graveyards are mostly the best to learn and get stronger, because you suck the death inside you. It gets transformed into pure energy and then you have Magic. The more you use them, the weaker you get, because you need to recharge the Magic, which means you need to go to graveyards and everywhere where death is. If you use too much at once…you can kill yourself. I trained so much that I know my limits and that I even stretched them out. I never used them in a fight, but I will if I have to.”

They stared at M/n in utter shock.

“Why did you never revive your Father ?”, young Masbeth asked.

“I never had enough Magic to do so. Also this can go horribly wrong… One wrong move with your fingers or a second you lose concentration and you bring back a Monster. Mostly ones that rip open the bodies of the living and eat their insides. I really wasn’t ready to revive my Father and possibly turn him into that. Eww no.”

The other three had a look of horror on their faces as they heard that.

“When I share my blood with him, we will be mixed together and have a bond that will break hers with him. But that also means he will have my Magic. I hope he won’t use it, because that could backfire badly for the both of us. While he can’t die twice by mortal weapons, Necromancy can and it definitely will kill me if he uses them without knowing what to do to control it.”

“Can you break the bond when this is all over ?”

“Yes. When he has his head back, he is complete and practically alive at night. Still a ghost and all, but he can bleed. We cut his right wrist and mine and then we lay them above each other and he has to say…’I banish the blood of my relative, for I have full control over my body, soul and mind’. Then his and my blood part ways and no one controls him anymore.”

“Sounds simple.”, Ichabod said.

“It truly isn’t going to be simple. When our blood mixes, we are cursed to feel each other’s pain and emotions, it also hurts extremely when we bond. And when we part we might pass out from all the pain we will experience. It will feel like you are being merged together by hot lava and when you part with him, it feels like someone is ripping you apart from the inside out. But I would go through it for my Father a billion times if I had to.”

“Could it cause any serious damage ?”, Katrina asked.

“Yes. I could go deaf or blind for a few weeks. I could also get paralyzed for a few months or lose my memories for a little while. I could suddenly have the mind of a child again for weeks or even turn into one for a certain amount of time. There is a lot that could harm me, but I will face it. My Father should get away without a scratch. It is only dangerous for the living relative, not the dead one.”

“Oh my…”

“I will take it.”

With that they set up a little net trap and then waited, while M/n read the big heavy book in his lap, searching for the counter spell. He found it one hour before sunset and he rehearsed it over and over in his head.

Soon the sun was down and lightning was seen with thunder not far away. M/n stood in front of the trap and waited for the headless Horseman to come out with Daredevil. He wasn’t kept waiting for long and out they came, landing directly in their trap, which went off instantly. The Horseman fell from Daredevil in surprise and Daredevil whinnied loudly.

“Tut mir Leid ihr zwei, aber das musste sein. Jetzt halt still, Vater. (I’m sorry you two, but this had to be. Now hold still, Father.)“

He struggled to get out, but stopped when M/n loomed over him and just sat there. M/n cut his own wrist with the very dagger his Father gifted to him once and then let his blood fall on his Father’s open neck.

“With my blood on you, Father of mine, I herby have full control over you and you shall not fight me until I know you are yourself again in every sense of the word. Fight me and it will have consequences for both of us, hurt me and you will be hurt tenfold worse, disobey me and you will face punishment. I bind ourselves to each other through my blood.”, M/n said with his most serious tone he ever had against his own Father.

In the Horseman’s mind it translated to German and he really didn’t like where this was going. He didn’t understand all of what they said but now he really starts to understand what his own child is doing to himself.

M/n started to double over in pain suddenly and he hissed. The Horseman felt a familiar sensation and it hurt even worse than when he got stabbed into his right side the very day he lost his life. He burned all over, even hotter than Hell itself.

“M/n !”, Ichabod yelled worried.

“I-Argh ! I’m fine ! It’s normal !”, M/n replied quickly.

M/n started to feel a connection with his Father and he felt that he was just as much in pain as he was himself.

“S-streichel…Draufgänger. Lenk dich ab… (P-Pet…Daredevil. Distract yourself…)”, M/n told his Father.

He always petted Daredevil when he was in pain or when he felt that his own insanity will eat him up. Daredevil distracted him and calmed him down.

The Horseman did just that, stroking Daredevil, like he always did when he really needed a distraction. M/n smiled softly.

“Du wirst dich nie ändern. Draufgänger wird immer dein Felsen in der Brandung sein. (You will never change. Daredevil will always be your rock in the surf.)“, M/n chuckled out softly, then hissed again in slight pain.

“Is it getting weaker ?”, Katrina asked.

“Yes, but I can feel HER spell. I will fucking kill her when I see her face. This little whore…”, M/n growled out.

Soon everything calmed down and M/n stood up. Ichabod helped him lift the net and Daredevil and M/n’s Father were free. The headless Horseman stood up and then petted Daredevil, while he waited.

M/n came near him again and placed his right hand on the Horseman’s chest then stared at where his head should be, determined and slightly outraged.

“I, M/n Schaffner, the blood heir to Klaus Schaffner, hereby banish your weakening spell from my Father, Mary Van Tassel and any other spells you put him under. These spells shall scar your body tenfold worse than how my Father had suffered from them. Be gone BLACK WITCH !”

The Horseman felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders and he relaxed.

“She has still control over him.”, young Masbeth said.

“Yes, but only because of his skull now. I can partly control him, in hopes I still know him best, to help him go around a few things.”

“So the plan is in action ?”, Ichabod asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you should tell him about it.”, Katrina said.

And with that they all sat down and M/n explained to his headless Father everything they planned in German. He told his Father to show a thumbs up for agreement and a thumb down for disagreement and if he didn’t understand anything he can touch M/n’s arm and he will elaborate.

He was pretty much okay with the whole plan and understood most of it. Just obey for now, don’t fight her and let his Son take the reins if it gets tricky. He hopes his plan will work, otherwise they are both doomed.

With that they all got into the act. After the deed was done for tonight they met at the Tree of the Dead, where the headless Horseman waited. They only had 30 minutes before sunrise.

“Any questions ?”, M/n asked.

“How do we get the skull if this plan fails ?”, young Masbeth asked.

“It won’t fail.”

“If you get hurt, what will happen to him ?”, Katrina asked.

“He will feel my pain but not be injured, he can only be injured too if he injures me.”

“The spells that were on your Father…”, Ichabod started.

“…Yes…?”

“Could they have controlled him even after he would have had his head back ?”

Silence…

“Yes. But not in the same way as you would imagine… He would drag her to Hell, but she would also have merged with the tree and killed it, while he still lived in it. She could have killed his hideout and made him walk in the sun until he found another dark hideout. And she could have controlled his every move. Just thinking of him, she could make him kill someone or come to her. That was the reason why I had to break her from him.”

They stared in utter horror at M/n.

“God, she even could have forced him to have THE THING with her. Which is disgusting enough…”

Ichabod and Katrina scrunched their faces up in disgust. The Horseman would have done the same if he had his head and face. How repulsing.

“NOW ! We should worry more about what other shit she can pull… I…will be present but I will warn ALL of you… I might not be safe tomorrow.”, M/n informed them.

“W-what do you mean ?”, Ichabod asked.

“I will charge myself the whole day today in the graveyard of Sleepy Hollow. I need a lot of energy against her and I drained myself immensely today by banishing her from him and making this bond. Charging over a whole day can actually lead to overcharging and with that you can slightly lose your mind. I will know who my target is, but I will act very reckless. Just be careful that you won’t touch me and watch the shadows.”

“How can you overcharge ?”, young Masbeth asked.

“I never charged a whole day, without breaks or letting some Magic loose, before. That will lead to me being overcharged because there are so many dead people and so much time to charge up. The more extra energy I get the more it gets to my head, but we will need it. I’m sure of it.”

“Okay.”, Katrina said.

“I might look different, but you shouldn’t be all too worried. Just no physical touch and don’t get too close to too dark, moving shadows.”

They all nodded, besides the Horseman he showed a thumb up instead. Then M/n went to hug his headless Father and then he vanished in the shadows, leaving them behind.

“I hope he knows what he is doing…”, Ichabod mumbled.

They said their goodbyes to the Horseman and then left, while he retreated to his tree.

M/n sat in the middle of the Graveyard and started to charge up. He refused to eat and drink, because that would only stop him from charging up.

Ichabod and the other two got prepared for tonight. Katrina all depressed and Masbeth and Ichabod already went to the old Mill, before Lady Van Tassel noticed anything.

And the Hessian was waiting for his call, prepared to act like his Son asked him to. Until then he just petted Daredevil and cared for him and maybe fell asleep from boredom.

The night started and they all played out their parts. Believing that the Witch actually died, the Horseman still under her control (seems like the curse didn’t set itself into motion for now) and so on and so forth. Right now the Hessian has fallen behind thanks to the carriage and he walked per foot.

The black witch just sat on her horse, holding the poor white witch by the hair. The Hessian winced for her, must hurt being pulled by your hair like that…

Then Hell broke loose. Quite literally. Shadows started to appear everywhere and they tackled Mary down from her horse and on the floor.

“Well, well, well~ Look who we have here~”

The trio and the Horseman looked up at the Tree of the Dead and there was a frightening person on top of it, commanding the shadows like second nature.

It wore a black mask with black, similar to the Horseman’s, armor and the face was glowing a deep red and it moved !

Then it all hit them.

This was M/n !

There were moving shadows everywhere and they all didn’t DARE to move. He slammed Mary into a random tree at his right and then threw her on the ground, making her gasp.

Another tendril grasped the bag that she had the Hessian’s skull in, but she fought with her own Magic. Fire shot out of her hand, that was blocked quickly by a shadow wall from M/n. He swung one of his tentacles towards her and hit her left side, making her fly to her right and crash into another tree.

“Scatter about. One of you must catch it ! Horseman you stay where you are !”

They all ran to a different spot, while the headless Hessian stayed where he was, just like M/n.

M/n summoned rain and let it pour down on the former Archer’s head, making her even more angry than before.

“Kill them already !”, she yelled at the Hessian.

He didn’t move an inch.

M/n laughed loudly and then swung a tendril at her right side, making her fly to her left and into another tree.

M/n scoffed.

“Pathetic.”

She pulled out her gun and gave three bullets into his direction, which he easily blocked off by another wall.

Mary’s Magic only could do so much. She never trained any arts, just spells and potions. This looked bad for her. Then she grabbed the back tightly and threatened to throw it onto the stone she stood, smashing the Horseman’s skull.

Everybody froze and she smirked as she had the upper hand. She pointed at the Horseman and commanded him again to kill them. He was about to move as tendrils wrapped themselves around him.

The next thing she didn’t see coming. M/n sneaked a tentacle behind her and it wrapped itself tightly around her, making her yelp and try to get out. Then she was slammed into the dirt three times and then released only to see a very pissed off shadow wolf.

“Hurt her.”, M/n said.

And the wolf out of shadows did. Scratching her and ripping here and there, until M/n snapped his fingers and the shadows left.

Then the former Archer had one last idea. She can control roots. She put her hands on the ground and started. M/n snarled and fought back. The Horseman saw and felt how insane M/n went, but he also felt how hurt he was from using so much magic.

He summoned black shadow flames that burned the roots to ashes, making the Black Witch hiss and let go of her control over the roots. Then the bag flew out of her hand and into Ichabod’s.

Ichabod took the skull out and threw it at the Hessian. He reached out, but a vine grabbed it and pulled it back. A black shadow tendril with spikes slapped the witch across the face, making her lose focus and he returned the skull to the Hessian. He quickly put it on and M/n trapped his Father into an enclosure of shadows so the Black Witch can’t reach him.

“NO !”, she yelled and tried to get in.

It took great effort for M/n to keep the closure up. He summoned another tendril that wrapped around her and threw her, head first, against another tree to her right. She was knocked out cold for now and M/n started to drop his Magic and with that his mask and everything else melted into shadows. All he kept up was the enclosure.

He teleported down the tree and coughed. The rest of his Necromancy, which wasn’t much anymore, already went to work on healing him as fast as possible.

“M/n ! Are you alright ?!”, Katrina asked.

“Y-yeah… Just hard to keep the barrier up and heal yourself and stay awake all at the same time.”, M/n answered.

He coughed again and fell to his knees.

“M/n !”, the three called worried and ran over quickly.

“You are bleeding !”, Ichabod yelled.

“I’ll be fine…”, M/n mumbled.

Then he dropped the enclosure and they all saw the Hessian with a head and a face. He looked at them but everything quickly fell from his mind as he saw M/n on the floor, bleeding terribly.

“M/N !”, he yelled worried sick and ran over, holding his boy close to his chest.

“Hey…Dad…”

“Was ist los ?! Was ist passiert ?! (What is going on ?! What happened ?!)”

“Nothing, just a little miscalculation… I’ll be fine. I’m already healing.”

He was too drained to talk in German to his Dad.

“Schau dich doch an ! Du siehst so aus als ob du fast tot bist ! (Look at yourself ! You look like you’re almost dead !)”

“I’ll be fine. Give me 10 minutes and I will be fine.”

And so they waited and indeed, M/n was fine after that. He sighed and stood up on shaky legs. M/n’s Father helped him to stand straight.

“I’m sleepy…”

“You can sleep later, now what of her ?”, Ichabod asked.

“Hell. To Hell with that whore…”, M/n sneered and then passed out.

He missed how his Father dragged her to Hell, how he gave her a bloody kiss, how he returned and brought him home and cared for him until he woke up.

Dexter awoke the next Morning and looked around, smelling something, he missed all too much. The best chicken in the whole world, from his Father. But…wasn’t he supposed to be going back to hell ?

No matter he ran down the stairs and caught his Father in his kitchen.

“Morgen. (Morning)”

“Hi.”

“I’m a free spirit now… We still need to undo your little spell to keep me in line.”

“That we shall do after we ate. We might pass out otherwise and burn the house down.”

The Hessian nodded.

“Ichabod und die anderen zwei haben vor nach New York zu gehen. Sie haben dir Briefe hinterlassen. (Ichabod and the other two are planning to move to New York. They left you letters.)”

“New York, eh ? And who will take care of Sleepy Hollow ? Or of your grave that something like this NEVER happens again ?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well I will write them just that then. The food ?”

“Fast fertig. (Almost done.)”

“Okay.”

After a few more minutes they ate and then undid the spell. They passed out. M/n on his Father’s chest and in his arms and the Hessian in a tight snuggle from his Son.

They will talk with these three nut heads later… Now they really need a nap.

Meanwhile the counter spell, M/n casted against Mary Archer, hit her in Hell tenfold worse, making her suffer for a long while.

END

#Sleepy Hollow 1999 #Movie #Fanfiction #Father x Son relationship #male!reader #Ichabod Crane #Katrina Van Tassel #Mary Van Tassel/Archer #Young Masbeth #Headless Horseman #Headless Hessian

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kiarpennington · 6 months

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Quick Sleepy Hollow Rant. Also, congrats to SAG-AFTRA!

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phantomstatistician · 2 years

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Fandom: Sleepy Hollow

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#ichabod crane #abbie mills #katrina crane #jenny mills #frank irving #joe corbin #luke morales #daniel reynolds #headless horseman #andy brooks #nick hawley #sleepy hollow #fanfiction #ao3 #statistics #phantom statistician #ichabbie #ichabod x abbie

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finnismyoriginalsin · 2 years

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It’s too late when she realizes she had loved the monster all along...

“Villainy wears many masks, none so dangerous as the mask of virtue.”

Sleepy Hollow 1999

Finn and Rebekah as Ichabod and Katrina

@vicioux, @katherineholmes, @make-things-make-sense, @sevensistersofsussex, @lovesomehate, @vasilisarheadragomir, @atthebloodbank, @monsieurbbh, @lilbreck, @charmed-redemption, @livlepretre

#finn mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #finnbekah #finn x rebekah #tvd #the originals #sleepy hollow #originals x sleepy hollow crossover #finn!ichabod #rebekah!katrina #myeditsTVD

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sweettee18 · 8 months

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Sleepy Hollow Imagines #1

Touched by an Angel

Hessian (With Head) x Reader

It has been a year since The Hessian returned to hell with Lady Van Tassel in tow to pay her debt to the devil, now that Ichabod Crane, Masbeth and Katrina solved the case. Not long after, a young registered nurse named Lorelei, moved to Sleepy Hollow to have a fresh start after her divorce with her abusive husband. All was well until she encountered the Hessian when she was about to be murdered. But for some reason, he didn’t kill her. Why?

Part One

Lorelei took a deep breath as she was inhaling the autumn air and looked around her backyard for the last time. It was her last day at the house she was living in before moving to Sleepy Hollow. It was hard for her to make the decision, but she had to move on and leave the unwanted memories behind.

“Miss Brimstone, everything is ready.” Lorelei turned around to the voice that called out to her that belonged to one of the movers. She nodded and said, “I’ll be right there.” She turned back around and looked one last time before leaving the porch of her backyard to head to a new location. It took her two hours to get to her destination, and most of the time, she slept in the carriage.

A knock on the window jolted her awake and she turned to the direction where the knocking came from. It was one of the footman to inform her that they arrived to her destination. “Forgive me Miss Brimstone, but we have arrived.” Lorelei looked out her window and saw in front of her was a beautiful Villa that her late grandfather left her in his will. She can remember the times that she had spent there when she was just a little girl.

Her grandfather would tell her the best times of his life while growing up. Of how he met her grandmother, having no more than five children, one of them which happened to be her mother among them, to the day he would to give her away to her father on the wedding day. It was very sad that he was no longer living as she matured. She stepped out of the carriage with the help of the foot men in approached the Villa. She walked inside and can tell that the place had already been cleaned and kept up-to-date.

As she explored the place, one of the movers, Marcus, came up to her and asked, “Where do you want these Madame?” She turned the mover, and said, “You could take those upstairs to the master bedroom.“ The mover nodded, and headed upstairs to the master bedroom to place her luggage in. Lorelei walked into the ballroom, and began to uncover the piano that her and her grandfather would play on from time to time whenever she visited him. She was told by everyone in the family, that she had a beautiful voice, as if she were gifted from the Angels themselves.

She sat down on the bench, opened the piano to reveal the ivory keys, and began to play her favorite song of all time (Favorite Song Of Choice). As she played, she began to hum at the song she was playing. Her song echoed throughout the whole music room, and out the doorways of the villa. It was so beautiful that even the movers stopped what they were doing and listened. After she was done, she got up, tucked in the bench and closed the piano. As Lorelei walked out, she looked over and saw the two movers, who were still holding her luggage, staring at her.

She asked, “Are you two all right?” the movers looked at her, still in shock. Finally after 10 seconds of silence, Henry, the other mover asked, “Was that just you in the music room singing?” “Yes, that was me.” she replied. They looked at each other and looked back at her. Marcus said, “Excuse us for staring so awkwardly, but you have a lovely voice. At first, we thought there was a ghost in here.” He laughed nervously. Lorelei chuckled as she said, “Thank you very much. You could take those luggage is upstairs.”

The movers nodded and continued to do their job. Lorelei went out to the backyard and walked around the area. So far everything seem to be in place until she came across a path that she was still not sure where it led. She remembered her grandfather telling her that she can go anywhere she pleased in the backyard, except for the path that led into the woods. Before she could take one step onto the path, a hand grabbed her, and it scared her out of her wits. It was Marcus who wanted to let her know that they were finished moving her possessions in.

“So sorry, madam, but we wanted to let you know that all your stuff has been moved in.“ Lorelei let out a sigh of relief as she clutched her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating fast. “I’m so sorry, but you guys scared me.” She said that she was catching her breath. “My apologies, Madame.” Henry apologized. She nodded as she headed back inside the Villa. After paying the movers before they left, Marcus walked up to her and asked, “May I talk to you real quick?” “Yes.”, she replied as he took her to his side in the hallway.

“You know I have been close to your grandfather while growing up. And he instructed me to make sure you do not go down the path in the backyard at the Villa. It is very dangerous and I’m pretty sure that he would never forgive me if something would happen to you if you did. And that his spirit will haunt me to the end of my days.” Lorelei chuckled at what he said, and she replied, “Don’t worry, Marcus. Nothing will happen to me. Besides, I just moved here for a fresh start. But I do want to know what is down that path that my grandfather was afraid of?”

Marcus looked at her in the eyes and said, “Something you do not want to get yourself into. Just remember to not go down that path. Lastly, if you were to hear hoofbeats, and a man yelling out, do not go outside. Stay in your house and lock all the doors and windows. Make sure you write to your parents and your siblings that you have settled in safely.” “I will.” She said as Marcus and Henry got on the back of the carriage and road away.

Later….

Lorelei walked into her room with a book and a cup of hot tea, since it was the autumn, she had to keep herself warm. She placed the book and her tea on her nightstand as she walked towards the fireplace to start the fire with a flint, that was given to her by her brother before she left.

As soon as she got the firewood burning, with the help of some bellows, she heard hoofbeats outside the villa. She walked toward the window and was about to open the curtains, but then she stopped, remembering Marcus’ warning. Her heart began to beat very fast as thunder was heard outside. But before she could walk away from the window, a blast of wind blew right through the chimney, putting out the fire that she just lit.

Lorelei spun around and looked at the fireplace in fear. At first she thought, “So, what now? Santa Claus coming down the chimney?”She wished she could laugh to herself, but right now, she was too scared to even let out a small chuckle. Within 15 seconds of pure silence in the room, there was a sound of heavy footsteps on the roof right above her, and they sounded as if they were heading toward the chimney. Lorelei ran out of the room and shut the door behind her, for she did not wish to find out who was coming to visit at this time of the night. She went into a secret passageway that led to a spare room for protection if they were to be any danger that lurked nearby.

She locked the door behind her as she waited it out for the intruder to leave her home. She didn’t have anything valuable, but her life that is. It was pure silence as she placed herself in the corner of the secret room, until a loud noise was heard from the next room that she was just in, indicating that the intruder had entered the Villa. Immediately, she covered her mouth with her hands, doing her best not to make a sound. She could hear her heart beating against her rib cage, and she did her best not to make a noise as she waited for the intruder to leave. She could hear the footsteps in her room, and then the sound of the door opening send her off the edge.

As this was happening, she was praying that whoever it was in the Villa, would not find her. And then, a voice called out to her saying, “Lorelei, I know you’re in here. Come on out!“ She couldn’t believe her ears, but she recognized the voice from anywhere. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Lorelei thought as she got up from the corner, grabbed a sword that she has stashed away, along with a musket that she had recently loaded just in case for this type of occasion, and walked out of the secret room. She walked out into the living room and confronted the man who was supposed to be her husband ,now her ex, Craig. “You’ve got some nerve to show your face here.…” Lorelei said, with a hint of anger in her throat as she raised her musket in his direction.

“What are you doing in my house?” Craig looked at her and chuckled as he said, “You’re not going to shoot me, you don’t have the guts. You know what happened the last time.” She looked at Craig and replied, “We’ll see about that.” She stood firm, cocked the musket, and was just about to pull the trigger, until her front door was violently kicked in. They both turned to the front door and saw a dark figure coming toward them. While Lorelei was distracted, Craig took the opportunity to grab the musket from her, tossed it to the floor and put a knife to her throat.

“I told you I was never going to let you go. The only way you’re going to leave me is in a casket.” He said as he pressed the knife towards her neck, drawing a little blood. Before he could slice her throat open, the dark figure approached both Craig and Lorelei. It threw off its hood to reveal that the figure was no other than the legendary hessian, this time, no longer headless. He still wore all black clothing with his cape, which had blood red color on the inside. But it looked as if he upgraded from his old armor than the one he wore when lady Van Tassel controlled him to do her bidding. His electric blue eyes looked at the both of them and saw the situation he walked into. As he walked toward them, Craig threw Lorelei to the side, causing her to hit her head hard on the floor, knocking her out.

Craig picked up her musket and pulled the trigger on the hessian, but he did not go down. Craig immediately picked up the sword and tried to put up a fight, only for him to lose his head with one swipe of the Hessians’ axe. Before Lorelei lost conscious, she saw the Hessian pick up her ex-husband’s head, placed it on the floor, and saw light coming from where he placed it. Unfortunately, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. As she blacked out, the Hessian approached her.

The next morning, Lorelei slowly open her eyes. She sat up on her elbows and looked around to see that she was back in her bedroom. Not only everything was cleaned up, but the fireplace looked as if had just been lit once more. She placed her hand on her head, where she hurt herself when Craig threw her and noticed that it had been bandaged. She took some time to recollect herself of what she witnessed last evening, when the horseman came into her villa.

“Whatever did he do to Craig?” She thought as she sprung herself out of bed, walked out of her room and went into the living room, only to find that the place was clean as well of Any evidence that the horseman have been there.. “That’s so strange. They do some kind of ritual after he decapitated him?” She thought again as she looked at the spot where Craig was decapitated. Instead of a pool of blood, stain or body, she found a blue rose in its place. She picked it up and examined it. She looked back at the front door and was surprised that it was back in place as if it was never kicked in. “Was I dreaming, or did this really happen? Why did he spare me?.” She thought and she looked back at the blue rose which sparkled. with morning dew in the sun like tiny diamond studded on the petals.

Stay tuned for part two😊

#SleepyHollow #hessian X reader #Ichabod Crane x Katrina

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bookloover35 · 5 months

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Ichabod Crane x fem reader-Enchanted.

Ichabods POV

Ichabod:Please Miss Von Tassel listen to me you should not be out here all by yourself.

Katrina:Please call me Katrina.

Ichabod: Huh Miss Katrina you should go home.It's getting late and it's not safe out here.The headless horseman can strike at any time.

She looked at me and sighed. I really do not think she should be out here in the open. She told me.

Katrina:You do not have to worry Mr Crane. I'm safe here if you come and check the soot here in the old fireplace.

I went to the old fireplace in the ruined old house. When I arrived, I bent down and saw in the soot that someone had drawn a protection symbol. But it must mean only one thing, a witch must live here or have done so.

I looked up at Katrina.

Ichabod: A witch has lived here or already lives here.

??: Who are you?

I heard a voice behind me. I got up quickly and turned around to see where the voice was coming from, and when I saw where the voice was coming from, I first thought I was dreaming. Because there was probably the most beautiful girl I have ever seen with far (y.h.c) and the world's most beautiful eyes that were (y.e.c).

she's even prettier than Katrina but I'm not saying that out loud). My thoughts were interrupted by Katrina shouting the mysterious girl's name and running up to the girl and hugging her.

Katrina: YN!!!

So her name is YN. She seems to be a few years older than Katrina but a few years younger than me. YN hugged back but she did not look so happy, she looked at me then she looked at Katrina and said with a very disappointed tone.

YN: Katrina are you completely crazy or. You know what I've told you about bringing people here. You know what happens if people find out I live here.

Katrina: YN take it easy it's okay we can trust him. Mr Crane is here to solve the case of the headless horseman.

She looked at me and asked.

YN: You seem to know a lot about witches Mr Crane I may ask how do you know that a witch lives here or has lived here.

Ichabod: Um The symbol in the ashes of the fireplace. I recognize it because my mother was a daughter by nature.

YNs POV:

hum wonders if I can trust his words. Has he figured out that I'm a witch or has Katrina told him I'm a witch. Or should I tell him. No, wait a minute now, I can not do that, all men are equal and if someone else finds out that I am a witch, I will be burned at the stake.

But my magic tells me I can trust him and he seems to be different and he is very handsome.

(No stop YN you just met him and you do not know if you can trust him.)

I was going to say something but he said something first that I wish he had not said.

Ichabod:You're a witch.

Oh no though I'm not surprised he figured out what I am. Should I tell him I can trust him. But I can not lie he is smart he is not like the others in this area. Okay it's best to tell the truth and hope for the best. This could be the day I die. I nodded to him and whispered yes, I saw that he got a little worried and started backing away. But I held up my hand and told him to stay then I told him.

YN:You do not have to be afraid Mr Crane. I will not bewitch you and no I will not dance naked around the fire in the moonlight and worship the devil, and no I will not sacrifice children.

I worship nature and I believe in love. I also believe that there is a balance between evil and goodness, and my magic does not work in that way I can not use it for evil.

He looked at me very strangely and walked closer to me.

Ichabod:What do you mean, miss?

YN:My magic only works to do good if I do something bad with it then this happens.

Ichabods POV:

She held up her hand to a flower and said something. After that the flower started to burn, then I heard her scream a little quietly. I turned to her and saw that she was holding her hand to her heart, and then I began to understand what she meant. She is harmed if she uses it for evil. I saw how she had difficulty breathing then I saw that she raised her hand again towards the burning flower and drew a sign in the air and said something again. Then she looked at me and told me to look at the flower again and when I did I was shocked. The flower was alive and it was healthy and beautiful. I turned to the two girls again.

Katrina:YN are you okay?

Asked Katrina who was holding her friend and at the same time trying to stay calm. I went to YN and put my hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes with concern.

Ichabod:Do you need to sit down for a while?

She smiled at me. Wow she's even more beautiful when she smiles. (Ichabod what are you doing you just met her.)

Yn: That's okay Mr Crane. I'm so used to it and it only hurts for a short while. It may feel like someone is chopping one. But I survive.

Wow he cares he may not be like everyone else he does not seem to be afraid of me. He removed his hand from my shoulder and then smiled at me. He is really very handsome. But still now that I've shown him how my magic works I wonder if I can trust him.

Yn: So Mr Crane, what are you going to do now that you know I'm a witch. Are you going to tell the whole Sleppy Hollow?

Ichabods POV:

I should tell that she's a witch. But she has shown that if she uses her magic for evil she can die, and I do not know why but I do not want anything to happen to her I want to get to know her more who knows maybe there can be something more between us. I'm going to keep her secret. My thoughts were interrupted by Katrina putting her hand on my shoulder and saying with tears in her eyes.

Katrina: Please Mr Crane. Please do not tell anyone that YN is a witch. She's my best friend and you saw her.

I interrupted her and removed her hand from my shoulder then held it in mine.

Ichabod:Miss Katrina, please take it easy and try to breathe.

She started breathing normally and stopped crying then I let go of her hand and went towards YN and took her hand in mine.

Ichabod:I'm going to keep your secret Miss YN.

YNs POV:

I looked down at our hands and smiled then I looked at him and said.

Yn: I really appreciate that Mr Crane. People here in the area already believe that I have some connection to the murders. If I were to kill someone, I would do it myself without magic and without any help from the headless horseman.

He looked at me very anxiously. But I was very quick to say as I let go of his hand.

Yn:You do not need to worry. It will never happen.

Ichabod:Um Miss YN, can i ask how old you are.

I giggled a little at his question and started walking away from them and stood by the fireplace then I turned around and said jokingly.

Yn: Huh Mr Crane you never ask about a girl's age. But if you really want to know, I'm 20.

Ichabods POV:

What shes 20.

I thought she was older because she's a witch. Because it is said that witches do not age.

Yn: What is it Mr Crane you see that you've seen a ghost. You thought I was over a thousand years old.

Before I could say anything back, Katrina said something I had actually forgotten she was here.

Katrina:I have to start going home now Dad is waiting, we have dinner guests.

Yn: Katrina Wait, I do not want you to go home all by yourself. Mr Crane, can you be so kind as to go home with her. I really do not want her to go alone.

Ichabod: Yes, of course I can do it. Come Katrina and we'll go before it's getting dark outside.

I went to YN and held out my hand.

Ichabod:I hope to see you again Miss YN.

She took her hand in mine and said.

Yn:I hope so too Mr Crane.

I raised her hand to my lips and kissed it. She started to blush and I smiled back at her. We said goodbye to each other and started walking away. When we had walked a bit, I could not help but look back at the beautiful girl and smile. You Miss YN have enchanted me.

The end.

#wattpad #wattpadstories #wattpad story #my own words #johnny depp #johnny depp characters #ichabod crane #ichabod crane x reader #Ichabod crane x fem reader #sleppy hollow

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rainypixarcinemahorse · 11 days

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Fairy tail couples as Tim burton couples (my version)

Natsu x Lucy - Beetlejuice x Lydia deetz

Gray x Juvia - Edward scissorhands x Kim boggs

Jellal x Erza - Jack skellington x Sally

Gajeel and Levy - Ichabod x katrina

Sting x Yukino - Barnabas Collins x Victoria winters

Romeo x Wendy - Victor frankenstein x Elsa van helsing

Erik x Kinana - Victor van dort x Victoria everglot

Laxus x Mirajane - The Mad hatter x Alice

Note : Before you may ask why I choose Beetlejuice x Lydia deetz for Natsu and Lucy . Well I choose this because I like their relationship more in the tv series where their relationship depicted them as best friends than in the original film and I thought Beetlejuice and Lydia's relationship from the tv series fits Natsu and Lucy's relationship

#fairy tail #crossover #natsu dragneel #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #gray x juvia #lucy heartfilia #wendy marvell #tim burton

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lulu-cat-princess · 2 months

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BBC Ghosts x Sleepy Hollow FOX crossover where the Kitty and Ichabod are friends cos they fathers were.

Kitty develops a crush on him and she is sad when he joins the army to fight in the American Revolutionary War.

Ichabod can sense that Eleanor hates Kitty which is possibly cos he’s the first witness.

Ichabod keeps writing letters to Kitty about his time in the 13 colonies including when he defected to the other side, his marriage to Katrina, him witnessing Abraham’s death and his army days.

In 21st century, Ichabod goes back to England and reunites with Kitty. He can see ghosts cos he died in 1781 and came back to life in the 21st century. Ichabod entertains Kitty with his tales of fighting monsters and demons in Sleepy Hollow as well as how he managed to come back to life after being cut with the horseman’s axe. Both of them admit that they sort of miss the 1700s.

#bbc ghosts #sleepy hollow #kitty higham #ichabod crane

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twistedtummies2 · 2 years

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Top 7 Portrayals of Ichabod Crane

Recently, I made a list of my Top 5 Favorite Versions of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” I’m still on a Sleepy Hollow kick, so I decided it was time to revisit the story again by looking at a couple of its classic characters. We’ll start by looking at the main character: Ichabod Crane.

In the book, Ichabod is an…unconventional protagonist, to say the least. The interesting thing about Irving’s original story is that nobody in the story is really a fully, purely good person: all of them have flaws, faults, and vices. Brom Bones is a trickster and a bit of a bully; Katrina Van Tassel can politely be termed a coquette; Ichabod himself is arguably the worst of the bunch. He’s a glutton, he’s greedy, he only wants Katrina for her money and her looks, and he’s way too full of himself. He has his good sides to keep him likeable, but at the end of the day, he’s a bit of a jerk.

As we shall see here, many versions of Ichabod tend to soften up his rough edges, to make him a more sympathetic and pleasant character. A select few versions actually vilify him completely, making him even more nasty. Only a few really stick to the source and depict the human Ichabod Crane that is presented in the story. Which of these portrayals do I enjoy most? Read on to find out. These are My Top 7 Portrayals of Ichabod Crane! Why Top 7? Well, why not? Let’s go!

7. Rene Auberjonois, from Once Upon a Midnight Scary.

“Once Upon a Midnight Scary” was a TV special from 1979, hosted by the inimitable Vincent Price. The special featured an anthology of short adaptations of classic horror tales, among them “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The Sleepy Hollow segment only covers the latter part of the tale, starting immediately at the Halloween Party at the Van Tassel Manor, so there isn’t much time for Ichabod or the other characters to really develop to their fullest potential. However, the segment benefits greatly from its casting of Rene Auberjonois - best known for his work on Star Trek - as Ichabod. Auberjonois is one of the best casting choices for Crane in live-action I’ve ever seen, in terms of adapting the original character from the book. However, because the segment is so criminally short, I don’t think he’s deserving of a spot in the Top 5.

6. Roger L. Jackson, from The Wolf Among Us.

“The Wolf Among Us” - based on the comic series “Fables” - is a combo of fantasy and film noir. The game focuses on Sheriff Bigby Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf himself, as he tries to solve a series of baffling beheadings. His investigation ultimately uncovers a vast conspiracy at work in the city he protects. (I get the feeling this basic concept is a recurring thing for anything even peripherally related to Sleepy Hollow…huh.) Ichabod appears in this story as the acting mayor of the area. He’s depicted true to the source: Ichabod is not a truly good person, and as the story goes on his many darker qualities come more and more to the surface. However, he’s got some good sides to him, too, although none of them excuse his less savory elements. What I find most interesting about this version of Ichabod (aside from the fact he’s voiced by flipping Ghostface, how ironic is THAT casting?) is that it’s a version of Crane totally removed from the original story. He never faces the Headless Horseman, Brom Bones and Katrina are never brought up, etc. As a result, he stands up all the more as his own unique character, and fits surprisingly well with the role he plays in this twisted mystery of madness.

5. Tom Mison, from the FOX TV Series.

FOX’s “Sleepy Hollow” TV show was a supernatural crime/mystery series, similar to things like “The X Files” or “Lucifer.” In this version, Ichabod is depicted not as a selfish schoolteacher, but a dashing Revolutionary War hero, who worked personally with George Washington to try and take down a dangerous force that threatened not only the American Colonies, but the entire world. After being wounded on the battle fighting a monstrous foe (three guesses who), Katrina - Ichabod’s wife, and a witch, in this version - casts a spell on him, placing him in a state of suspended animation. He wakes up two-and-a-half centuries later in modern day Sleepy Hollow, joins forces with the local police department, and helps them with solving various baffling crimes. Throughout the show, he combats demons, witches, figures of myth…and, of course, his old arch-nemesis, the Headless Horseman. While Mison’s actual character owes almost nothing to the one from the original story, I think the actor, himself, manages to bring a feeling to the role that recalls the classic character to mind. Mison’s tall, sharp, dashing countenance mixes the attractive aspects we would expect a heroic figure of his caliber to have, while still lending itself to the rakish description Irving gives. He also conveys a sort of nervous, eccentric energy, which fits well with the quirks of the typical Ichabod Crane. They even make reference to his schoolmaster roots, as Ichabod actually was a professor at Oxford in his past life before the war. He uses that same identity as a cover story in the modern day. While incredibly changed from the source, the DNA of Ichabod Crane is still somewhere in there, and it makes the character all the more admirable.

4. Andy Mientus, from Tarrytown.

Andy Mientus is likely known to most people unfamiliar with the musical theatre scene as the Pied Piper from The Flash (pictured above). While Mientus has not (to my knowledge) actively played the role onstage yet (which he should, for the record), I still feel that his performance in the official Cast Recording for this musical warrants him high marks. “Tarrytown,” for those who don’t know, is a modern reimagining of the original story, with the big twist (aside from the present-day setting) being that Ichabod is depicted as a homosexual, who longs for Brom instead of Katrina. Aside from this, though, he’s basically still Ichabod Crane. The character is depicted as a bit more sympathetic than the Irving version, but ONLY a BIT more. He’s still got vices and faults: instead of being a glutton for food, he is a recovering drug addict who is easily swayed back into the habit. While he claims to be friends with Katrina, he shows some signs of that friendship being false, such as calling her a “babbling hyena” while fantasizing under the influence. (It should be added that he then catches himself and adds, “I exaggerate.”) It’s also hard to tell how much of his attraction to Brom is real, genuine love, and how much of it is simply lust. Nevertheless, the character is depicted as more of a victim than a villain: much more lonely and naive than the character from the story, and also much more kindhearted. There’s a sweetness and a sadness to this Ichabod that makes him infinitely more tragic than the character in the original book, while still keeping the heart of the source intact.

3. Johnny Depp, from Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.

Much like Tom Mison, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Ichabod is a very different character from the original legend. In Tim Burton’s chilling, Gothic reimagining, Ichabod is depicted as a detective, who comes to Sleepy Hollow to solve a mysterious series of slayings. He believes, at first, that they are the work of a mortal man who is emulating the legendary Horseman. It turns out Ichabod is only half-right: the Horseman, he learns, is indeed real, but the murdering ghost is being controlled by a mortal monster. Ichabod soon uncovers a vast conspiracy at work in the town of Sleepy Hollow, and works quickly to uncover its tangled ends, all while dealing with his budding romantic interest in the wealthy Katrina Van Tassel. While both the character and the story of the film take MASSIVE liberties with the source, when I recently revisited the picture, I was surprised at how much of the original tale actually still remained intact. Depp’s Ichabod is no exception: while Depp is by no means the definitive actor to play Ichabod, on face value, both his costume and his overall demeanor keep the ideals of Washington Irving in mind. Ichabod is much more virtuous and less superstitious than the Crane from the original story, but he’s still a quirky, panicky coward who is easily spooked, and a great deal of the humor in the film comes from Monk-like portrayal of the character. Ichabod is somehow both a complete pansy and a daring hero at the same time; a Cowardly Lion, who is scared to death of all the horror around him, but perseveres nonetheless. It’s an interesting reinterpretation, and a performance of Depp’s I’ve come to appreciate more and more over time. Depp - and I’m paraphrasing slightly, I must confess - described his Ichabod as what you would get if Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock Holmes was played by Roddy McDowall. If that’s not a great couple of inspirations, I don’t know what could be better.

2. The Disney Version.

Originally appearing in the Sleepy Hollow segment of the film “The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad,” Disney’s Crane is interesting to me because, unlike all the other versions I’ve talked about here so far, he’s actually NOT that drastically changed from the original story. His appearance is a perfect caricature based on Irving’s illustrative, exaggerative descriptions in the book, and his personality is perfectly in line with that character. Disney’s Ichabod is toonishly humorous and a little eccentric, but he’s also got all of the issues the one from the story has. In fact, the Disney version sticks REMARKABLY close to the source material. It doesn’t water down anything, and in some places expands on elements to make the characters and story come to life more than ever before. While Ichabod never really speaks in this version, so much is garnered from the animation that he still has a decided personality and character all his own. Unlike some other short versions of Sleepy Hollow that came since, which were really just tellings of the story with animation over them, so to speak, this one really works hard to bring the tale to a new level. The best example I can give is something like Tom & Jerry: the characters are silent, but they are still true, full, believable characters. The Disney take on the story is my favorite, so it stands to reason their magnificently animated Ichabod ranks highly…but he’s only second place on my list. So…who could top Disney?

1. Brent Carver, from the 1999 Hallmark Film.

While this TV Movie version of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” certainly has its flaws - the pacing being a bit slow is probably its most noteworthy issue - it still has, in my opinion, the single greatest Ichabod Crane of any adaptation of the book. While the Disney version is absolutely marvelous, it’s still a pantomime performance from an animated character. Carver, however, truly feels like Ichabod Crane in the flesh: everything about him is EXACTLY what I would imagine Ichabod Crane to be like. His voice, his personality, and even his appearance! If one were to meet Ichabod Crane in real life, and he DIDN’T look like Carver’s version, I would be shocked. Carver almost single-handedly makes this version work; the main draw to this film really is his performance as Ichabod, who is once again depicted true to the story. He’s got likeable qualities, but he’s also hypocritical and arrogant. These elements make him in equal parts humorous and deserving of the fate he faces at the end of the story. There’s really not much to say: Carver just IS Ichabod Crane, plain and simple. When I think of the story of Sleepy Hollow, I typically think of the Disney version…but when I think of Ichabod Crane, specifically, as a character, this is who I think of. There is no doubt that Brent Carver is My Favorite Ichabod Crane.

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