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The Woken Hollow


PresidentDavid

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Two jack o'lanterns flickered the only non-natural light in the small area. The stone building behind them stood higher but not above the towering trees that creaked in the inconsistent wind. No light came from the darkened, quiet windows which highlighted the jack o'lanterns light from the front door even more. The bright orange of the pumpkins was in contrast to the creaking, dark, thick woods that were tattered with dry grass and leaves on its surface. The unnatural silence that surrounded the land was disrupted by the crunching of leaves, sticks, and grass. A man in a white hood and cloak carefully and quietly stepped toward the stone structure. He followed a stone path that became smaller and less defined as he approached the building. He noted the two lanterns beside the front door and faintly shook his head. He whispered something to the door and it cracked open. He pushed it open and it closed behind him abruptly. 

 

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After wandering aimfully, he came up to two large stone doors that were at the end of a long hallway. His steps were even and uninterrupted until he whispered something else to the massive, heavy doors before him. They cracked open and allowed him to pass into a large, underground chamber. Other hooded figures, some in white and some in black, all looked at him. "Councilman Shoemaker... No one has been late to a joint-meeting of the councils in one-hundred years. You have brought a disruption to our traditions. Explain yourself." Shoemaker, Alfred Shoemaker, lowered his hood and revealed himself to the others. They all lowered their hoods as well and identified each other once more. "The accidental disruption of this menial tradition is nothing in comparison for what is coming to this Sleepy Hollow. If you cannot see that then you are blind, councilman. I bring news from the fronts, now will I be reprimanded or allowed to sit after my long, sleepless journey?" The men and women in the chamber looked at one another in contemplation. After most of the powerful and important councilmen offered no objection, Shoemaker took his seat. 

 

"Alfred P. Shoemaker of Thunder Bay, reporting for representation... The news I bring from the fronts are not good news. Cities, towns, villages, and settlements from Sudbury to Ripple have been taken. I left on the Midnight Express from Jack Fish. It must have been minutes before the small village was claimed for the Crimson Army. I spoke with the conductor, and all train services have been suspended by Thunder Bay's city government. I don't know for sure, but my only conclusion is that they are also marching the Northern Trail and have taken the villages from Iroquois Falls to as far as Longlac." The usually emotionless members of the council gasped and many of them looked at each other with worried eyes. Lightning flashed outside and illuminated the chamber in a bright white for a moment from the windows in the chamber's roof. A rumbling, angry boom shook the stone chamber and a short shower damped the land.

 

"We must ask for more volunteers!" shouted a councilman from the far west. "How many more, one-hundred, three-hundred?" Shoemaker slammed his fist down on the wooden desk before him, "FOOLS! ARE YOU BLIND?" he growled. His deep voice echoed throughout the stone chamber and vibrated the windows high above them. "Our volunteer army is no match for the Crimson Army. They are trained, they are well armed, they are professionals. We send farmers with their own muskets - I have heard rumors of some men showing up for duty with only swords - and our enemy comes with repeating rifles and canon. We have canon, we have repeating rifles. Sleepy Hollow has had professional armies before, we have had a navy before, yet you all here go on about how we must find more volunteers to be cannon fodder because you are too afraid to spend coin? Amen, amen I say to you councils, we face doom. We face our dusk as a Hollow." Shoemaker shook his head and gripped his white hood. He squeezed it frustratingly. 

 

Our coin will be useless when there is no Council of Darkness or Council of Light to spend it. Our coin will have no value if a new government regulates where and who wealth is distributed to as the Crimson Army wants. Our coin will not be in our control, because we will be hunted down, executed, and our entrails are sure to be eaten by ravens as our mangled bodies rot in disgrace! One-hundred men will not save your coin, it will not save you, and it will not save this Sleepy Hollow! Do you understand me? To you hear me? You silent people, speak, let me hear your words!" Shoemaker had traveled for days, spoken to hundreds of people and volunteers, and seen the mangled bodies and dying patriots who wanted nothing more but to continue their ways of life. The Crimson Army, a professional band of communists who began in the east, were an enemy never seen before in Sleepy Hollow. "Men have died, fathers and brothers, some as young as fourteen. Water boys, flag-bearers, and even infantrymen who went to fight with their brothers and fathers. If you do nothing, if you allow this Hollow to be conquered, if you allow Thunder Bay to fall, then they will come here. They will show no mercy." 

 

"You have made your point, Councilman Shoemaker. Your criticism for the councils's actions - or lack thereof - is quite clear. What do you say we do? As you said, we are outmatched and outgunned." Shoemaker looked down by his feet and picked up one of the pumpkins that were distributed throughout the chamber for decoration. He pulled a knife from his sleeve and began to carve into it. "The armories in Thunder Bay are untouched and collecting dust," Shoemaker noted as he cut and chopped. "They are filled with repeating rifles and I know many canon are quietly rusting inside. There are cannonballs, gunpowder, more muskets, and plenty of ammunition that we have yet to use because it is reserved for 'Grave Emergencies'. This local dispute, is now an insurgency. This is now a 'Grave Emergency'. We are to use these munitions and weaponry and we are to send every guard, lawman, detective, hunter, and veteran in the towns and cities we still control. We issue a call to arms and issue a mandate that churchbells are not to be rung unless enemy forces approach a village. We reestablish the Forest Guard and the Lakefront Defense and begin training those who want to help but have no skills. In the villages far out, we ensure that there are at least minutemen and they have some organization. But even that, even that maximum, expensive preparation, will not be enough." Shoemaker stopped fiddling the pumpkin and showed it to everyone else. He plucked a lit candle and set it inside the new jack o'lantern. The face on the front was a traditional, smiling face. No one wanted to admit to the symbolism so Shoemaker spoke it, "We need a Baron." 

 

The chamber grew silent. The Council of Light, the upper body of that Sleepy Hollow's legislature, and the Council of Dark (regularly called the Council of Darkness) which was the lower house of the legislature, usually executed governance of the country. But, at times, the Councils are ineffective especially when it comes to war or uniting the region. The "Baron" of Sleepy Hollow was a hereditary position that ruled irregularly. Whomever held that executive position was to no doubt clash heads with the members of the Councils who would sometimes go years without a central executive to lead. But when turmoil ruled the countryside and the municipalities were brought to their knees, a Baron was the only solution. He, or she (which would be a Baroness), was of House Dusk. The family was known for wanting to be left alone and for their cold, unforgiving shoulders that they distributed fairly. The many men who had served the country had a few traits that were consistent, one of them being was that they were protective of the country's way of life. This made them good protectors. Bringing a Dusk into power would require a two-thirds majority of a joint-session of the councils, and then his powers were close to unlimited. Sleepy Hollow was one of only two Elective Monarchies in the entire world. 

 

"We have gone years without a Baron. Twenty, to be precise," said an older councilwoman. "Baron Nicholas Dusk ruled briefly and did little, may the Lord bless his soul. What makes you think we will have another Johnathan Dusk?" Shoemaker put the flame in the jack o'lantern out with his fingers, "Then we are doomed to meet the dusk of our country." He sat down and said no more. The Council of Light's chair watched as a few members bickered back and forth and finally raised his hands to quiet them down. "I am calling for a vote on if we should call on a new Baron to rule this Sleepy Hollow. Will someone support my motion?" Shoemaker raised his hand, "I support your motion Chairman." The chairman nodded and put on his spectacles to tally, "All in favor, raise your hand, all opposed remain still." A clear majority raised their hands, but if it was two-thirds or not was uncertain. The chairmen finished his tally and folded his hands, "Who shall we send to tell the next Dusk that he is needed as Baron?" 

 

"He could possibly kill any of us if we were to go. He would know we are from the council, I know that messengers in the past were mistaken for assassins and were... never heard from again," the chairman said. "There is a member of Faraway's old royalty. She is a young lady, from what I hear, a pretty girl in her late teens or early to mid twenties. Never, ever, have I heard of a Dusk man killing a woman. Some say they are not capable of it." Several councilmen raised their voices in disgust at the idea. "Sending a foreigner for such a sacred and vital part of our government's tradition? Are you mad? What if she was killed along the way, what would the fractions in Faraway think of that? Many of them wouldn't have sympathy for us," growled a councilman. "Time is short," Shoemaker argued. "A noble such as that young royal is the most likely to succeed in the quest." The chamber grew silent as an elder of the Council of Dark stood up. "Even in times of danger, we must not abandon our traditions if they have lasted so long. If a Hollowin cannot reach the Dusk, Councilman Shoemaker, then I advise only then do we break this regular tradition." The chairman looked uncomfortable and shifted in his seat. "We will send a Hollowin first, as the elder suggests. I advise it be someone of no importance, someone we can lose if need be." 

 

One of the carriage drivers was selected. The drunken man was later found in Thunder Bay. He had managed to make it back there on his horse, but had gone mad. He was screaming about trees and tried drinking himself to death. Even an exorcism was attempted, but he died within days. The councils sat in contemplation the day following the return of the carriage driver. Shoemaker got his way. A messenger was instead sent to Faraway royalty in Thunder Bay. Shoemaker himself was sent, for such sensitive information and directions could only be told by a high official; especially to someone who's trustworthiness was uncertain. Her name was uncertain, but her approximate age and location was definite. After taking the secret tunnel and returning to the capital, Shoemaker rode his horse to the small residence of the royal who must have been in hiding. Sleepy Hollow's government was good at obtaining secrets, despite their deficiencies in war efforts. Shoemaker knocked on the wooden door as civilians behind him quietly went about their day.

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It was a quite measly little building at the outskirts of the town, fitting pretty neatly into the surroundings. From the looks of it, it was hardly distinguishable from the neighbouring houses along the street, sharing the typical solid masonry, the tall and slender roof, as well as the few pretty intransparent windows. Who knew how old these buildings were. But unlike the neighbouring houses, which were housing ordinary Hollowins and their families, this one seemed to have been an empty building belonging to the local authorities. At least that was how it seemed to Amel.

 

For now, it was the quarters she had received from the Hollowins, well, more like her prison. Assigned to her during her stay, until she heard back from the councils. What a bother. Maybe she should just have taken a roundabout way east. But even though the distrustful nature of the Hollowins was well-known, Amel seemingly had underestimated it. And now she was here. Stuck in Thunder Bay. Amel sighed, as she used her new-found spare time to read and study. The councils most likely had their reasons and her target wasn't going to run away. Thus, under the bit of light that entered from the dim windows, Amel silently worked her way through the written lines.

 

On this day, which had begun like any other day in this dreary place, Amel had just finished her breakfast and taken out another book she planned to start that day, when she suddenly heard someone knock at the door. Although she had been waiting for word from the councils for days now, the sudden disturbance still caused her to be slightly disgruntled and after putting aside her books again, Amel went to open the wooden door. With a creaking sound, the door moved a short distance, just enough that Shoemaker could see a pair of amber eyes mustering him. After seeing it was only one person, Amel opened the door just enough to show herself to the visitor.

 

From the looks of it, Amel wasn't much different from other young maidens in Faraway. A long dress of light grey colour, covered by a black cape, it was the sophistication one could expect from any somewhat affluent Faraway citizen, though it was simple enough to be practical as travelling clothes. Her long dark brown hair was kept in a neat braid, given the hassle of travelling through extensive woodlands and thus the most striking feature of the Faraway maiden were definitely the amber eyes, which intensely glared at Shoemaker, as she angrily asked. "Who would you be and what do you seek of me?"

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"I'm Councilman Alfred Shoemaker, from the Council of Light Your Highness," he said with a respectful but obvious bow. He looked at the meager home and cringed at the thought of how cheap the councils had been the past year. It annoyed him greatly, but he tried to keep his political feelings to himself. "There has been a historic development in a joint session of the councils," Shoemaker looked over his shoulder as a few women in red walked across the street. A woman wearing almost all red such as those women was a sign that they were harlots. Prostitution was outlawed by Baron Nicholas Dusk when he met a young woman dressed in red in the streets and found old men taunting her and other harlots her age. It disgusted him. They had no choice. When he had first came to power, Sleepy Hollow's agrarian economy was already in shambles. Orphaned young women had one trade that their brothers didn't share - their slender, young bodies. It was, at first, a service that the Baron thought was necessary to keep the hard working men of the Hollow in order. But meeting the girl changed his heart, at least in the slightest. He bought her for a night, brought her home, and kept her hands off him. He asked if she wanted to stay with him, in the Baron's residence, as a friend. And she accepted. Scarlet was like a daughter to him. Despite its outlaw, twenty years had passed since the last Baron's rule and the decrees and laws he saw passed were loosing some meaning. Being attractive, and poor, would always have its benefits to just being poor. 

 

Unlike the rest of Sleepy Hollow, most everyone dressed their best to impress. Thunder Bay was the city of lawyers, merchants, and aristocrats, but there was still plenty of laborers to spare. Most of the men had on dark clothing with capes varying in shades of black and gray - however the more... prominent members of the society ,or the young men who were hoping to "pop" out, would have on bright or dark red capes. While not all were elaborate, the most of the men did have some type of hat to protect themselves from the chilly weather which was now sifting over the country. Women, however, were not left out of the unique attire either. They too wielded capes on their backs however nearly all of the women wore hoods or at least had them behind their necks instead of wearing hats - some men did have hoods however most of them were monks or in the church and humbly walked the streets to on missions or simply to clear their minds; their heads bowed in reverence. The harlots in bright red strolled by Shoemaker and Amel; and giggled softly as they noted the white hood of the councilman. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned his face back to Amel's. 

 

He lowered his voice and spoke softer. "The Councils have voted to bring forth a new Baron to lead Sleepy Hollow in our hour of darkness. They couldn't see through years of false-security but I finally explained to them the spread of the Crimson Army across the North East... I am getting ahead of myself, my Lady. Please, let me inside so I can explain these things to you." If she let him in, he'd take off his over coat and lower his hood to reveal all of his face. "We sent a messenger to inform the heir to the throne, the next Dusk in line. But he was found here in the city, he had gone mad on the way there and we believe he managed to come back here before totally breaking down. I told them to send you instead, but they didn't listen." He pulled out a map from one of his pockets and handed it to her. "These are directions to what we believe is the Dusk family's current estate. It's north of here, in the Wilderness, and outside of this Sleepy Hollow's proper borders. I know that as Royalty of Faraway this may seem to be a very odd and unwarranted request, but I assure you it is a great honor. You will be the first foreigner in history to bring forth a Baron." He could sense her feelings by the looks in her eyes. He didn't think she was totally convinced or amused. 

 

"I am certain that you'll be safe once you reach the Dusk family's estate. The Dusk's have not ever killed a woman from my knowledge. Even if you are mistaken for a trespasser or assassin, I'm certain they will hear you out before doing anything harsh. I have a horse for you waiting outside. We cannot waste any time, my lady, tens of thousands of lives and our way of life depends on there being a new Baron. He is our last hope. I can offer you a better home, I can offer you an audience with the Baron whenever you choose, I am sure he would be willing to help you contact any 'friends' you have left in Faraway... I could even get you access to the Baron's Library here in Thunder Bay..." The Baron's residence in Thunder Bay was unused unless a Baron sat on the throne. The library that the Dusk family had in Thunder Bay was rumored to be the biggest in Sleepy Hollow. Books that were only published in Sleepy Hollow, some whose only copies rested in the Baron's library, were among the most valuable in the land. Many described the obscured past history of Sleepy Hollow while others even detailed past events in neighboring Faraway. It was a wealth of knowledge. Shoemaker was sincere, and for a councilman that was difficult. Their emotionless faces and monotone voices usually made it hard to trust them, but his empathy for his country made it clear that this was no trick. "We need your help, my Lady." 

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Although Amel was considering for a moment to just leave the councilman standing on the street outside, it was also in her interest to have some privacy. To talk with this man where they weren't listened in on by every passing youngster and whore. Reluctantly she opened the door, though she immediatly shut it again, once Shoemaker had entered. But even before she could turn around again to face the actually not too welcome guest, he already had started talking and Amel regretted the decision. She should have just shut the door and left the man rot outside.

 

These her feelings she also hardly hid, as she looked at Shoemaker with an annoyed if not angered glare, even worse than when she had first opened the door. Busting in here with all his baggage, not only disturbing her studies, but just throwing his own issues at her. Amel could feel her anger build up slowly, but she kept calm. Nothing good came from rage. Rather, she waited, wondering when it was that he finally stopped to actually await an answer. And she waited for a good minute longer, before the moment came, that Shoemaker had finished his request, though, her answer had not changed from what she wanted to say already before she had left her books.

 

"No, I refuse.", Amel stated coldly. Even if the Councilman looked sincere and troubled, this still seemed a bit much. "I got no interest in your Baron, nor in your books. I'm a humble traveller, who's tried to pass through your lands and I'm already wasting my time here, instead of returning to my homeland. I got no intention of being the messenger of your council. If you just need a woman, I am sure you could pay one of those ladies in red out there." She gestured towards the window. But before she went on to tell him to leave, there was something that had bothered her for some time now. With a few steps she closed in on Shoemaker, narrowed her eyes and as if worried that anyone could still hear them, despite the closed quarters, Amel whispered. "Also, I have no idea why you and your council deem me royalty. But I'd welcome it if you would not give me more trouble than necessary by spreading weird rumours. The road is dangerous enough as is." She then turned around and stepped away to her books again. Searching for the passage she had left at, she threw Shoemaker a cold "I am sure many lives depend on this. But I value my own a bit more. So, if that was all..."

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Shoemaker's face went from worried back to a more dull, semi-scowl as he looked down at her. His hands clinched into fists until he relaxed them back by his sides. "You can die here, my Lady, and condemn thousands of others to death and servitude, or you can save your own life and this entire Sleepy Hollow." His hand was still on his sword, paranoid of others outside, but he kept his eyes fixed on her's. He spoke before she could ask the obvious question. "No, I wont kill you. No one in the militia or the army will kill you. No Hollowin will kill you. We are not ones to commit regicide." He pointed south and shook his head. "With half of the country under siege and the Midnight Express mothballed, the only way out of this realm is south down the established paths. If you refuse to be a heroine, then you will die a coward by the hands of the Crimson Army. One of our governors in the far east was gutted torn apart by horses. What do you think these cowards would do to young nobility like you? Rip you apart, sell you to the highest bidder, give you to an unfriendly bannerman in your homeland that wants legitimacy? I say again, my Lady, you can be a heroine or you can be a slaughtered coward - or perhaps even worse you will be some pawn a fat old man keeps on a leash to look legitimate." 

 

He forced the map into her hands and looked around her humble home. "Despite this meager state of living, we have protected you. We could have sold you or exiled you. You are a risk that we have taken. In our greatest hour of need, in a time where we are acting in the national interest, in a time where you can only do good, we need you to step up and act. The fate of Sleepy Hollow, and your own self-preservation, rest in your hands. My Lady, we need your help..." He said again, this time more stern. "We can escort you to the edge of Sleepy Hollow proper. But once you come to the wilderness, you must travel on your own. The Forest Guard is aware of who you are, so you wont be able to flea once your escort is gone. We will be watching..." He checked his pocket watch and ran his fingers through his white beard.
 

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For a moment, Amel staid silent, considering her options. Her opponent seemed quite stubborn. Most likely he had to be, given the situation his country was in. But was that her problem? He surely made it out to be hers as well. "As brutal as the Crimson Army may be, they'd not commit wholesale genocide on the entire Sleepy Hollow. Especially not as long as they still have a war to fight and can't commit ressources on slaughtering civilians. And as a humble traveller, I think I don't need to fear any persecution or to be sold to some ambitious retainer." The thought of any Faraway lady attempting to actually gain a hold on her was amusing for various reasons, but Amel felt it not necessary to explain Shoemaker the misconception he seemed to have. Rather, she wondered about the obvious fault in this scheme, something that would surely also occur to the Hollowins. If the council spread word of Amel being royalty, regardless of what proof they could come up with, slipping away would be far harder. Fair trials weren't something common these days. When you wanted someone executed, it required nothing more than the order, once you had them in your custody.

 

But there was still some reason to cooperate. As long as Amel sat here, she'd be maybe not killed, but surely kept under arrest, just as it was the case at the moment. Shoemaker had emphasised that they'd even watch her later, though Amel wondered how far they could watch her, if she was to enter a forest where noone dared to enter. If the Forest Guard could keep tabs on her till the Baron's residence, they could as well go themselves. But they didn't. And even if she did not try to escape, meeting the Baron would at least be one step forward. It couldn't get that much worse from being holed up in this house. Reluctantly, Amel took the map and put it into her bag. "I'll with you and talk to your prospective Baron. However, once my part of this deal has been completed, I'm free to go my own way. I doubt you have much use for a humble traveller besides this mission anyway. After all, why should I care for the sake of the Sleepy Hollow, when all I experienced of it is to spend my days under house arrest?" As she finished her speech, Amel already started to pack up her things. Even if she made demands, she was quite confident that Shoemaker and his darn council wouldn't accept this offer. After all, if they could've afforded to do so and pursue another option, she'd not be stuck in this situation in the first place. "The sooner I get out of here, the better..."

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