The Story
Made popular by G.S. Anderson... It is unknown who Headless Robin exactly is... but legend has it [as clock's own mother has told me], that he was once a school-teacher, which at the time was far and few inbetween, who fell in love with the young princess of Seest. However, their love could not be kept for she was a princess, and Robin a poor peasant.
"And so she wept, as she was sent away... Robin vowed that he'd see her another day." (Fairy Tales of Hoogburg by G.S. Anderson, 1834)
Robin vowed that he would see her again, after King Alfred sent her away. However, he was poor and could not afford to travel the lands to find her. During this period of stability of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands (1815 - 1839), he saw a divide among the people. The upper class were enjoying benefits of this new nation, whilst the poor were muddled down below.
"So forth, a plan began to form within the confines of his mind. He set to divide..." (Excerpt from Fairy Tales of Hoogburg by G.S. Anderson, 1834)
Already seeing that there was a population divide through religion, and regions such as Luxembourg, Limburg, and Belgium through the United Kingdom of The Netherlands, he set forth to divide them further. Wishing to rob the rich, and aid the poor like Robin Hood of Nottingham had done, he quit as a school-teacher, to the dismay of his students, and set out across the land.
He initiated a reign of terror, and set out to cause a social divide. He took from exclusively the middle to upper class, and gave to the lower class. Taking from the Belgium French-Elite, he openly displayed that he was Robin, of Streamlined. This only helped to encourage the cessation of Belgium, Limburg, and Luxembourg. From the 1810s he spent a total of five years terrorizing the upper class, with only scholars exempt. There was now a warrant and a bounty out for his head.
It would not take until the evening of an autumn night, that he learned of something related to the princes...
He discovered that she was moved back to Seest, under suspicion that Robin would never return. Of course, through a relay of messages, he received it and set out on horse-back back to Seest.
Travelling through the mountains, he was ambushed by a squadron of Soldiers, of which all but one would fall before him. This would prove to be a fatal mistake. He arrived in Seest, under a cloak and hat, and snuck through the city center to the castle. At the dead of night, he slipped through the guards to find the young princess, Willota.
"He climbed up the walls, calling her name. 'Willota, Willota, it is I have come to claim!" However she was not there. Little did he know, she had departed some minutes earlier for Dokmuiden, to attend the harvest festival. He collapsed to the ground (falling about 1 story), hurt but still alive. Just as he fell, the soldier with some mercenaries had arrived into the castle, in an attempt to warn the Princess. What ensued, is largely debated, but the most accurate source states he tried to battle the guards, to some success however more people were coming in.
Soon, he had retreated into the darkness, to the banks of the Voorlemmer Kanaal. He swam across, and emerged on the other side, and slipped away from the armed soldiers who were out looking for him. Running to Dokmuiden, he crept through the City Walls, and lept among the townhouse roofs. He came to the center, where in the middle of the Commons, was the feast and dance. He saw the Princess, and jumped down.
With a cloak over him, and a hat covering, he reached for the Princess, but was stolen away by a series of guards. Immediately, the common erupted into chaos, as guards and noblesmen clad in armor and fine silk, went for Robin. He attempted to fight, but was already injured and bleeding.
When he cried for the Princess, he could see that she was already held by a young Prince, backing away from him in shock and terror. Immediately, his heart was broken, and he knew that hope was lost. Baron Von Lockford of Rossum swung his sword in this very mooment, and as musket-holes tore through Robin, a sword sliced his head off. He collapsed to the floor, motionless. But alas... this was not the end.
The Legend
It is said that five years later, on the eve of the anniversary of his untimely death, below the light of a moon, a horseman was seen riding throughout the countryside. His horse, a brown steed, rides silently through the night; like a knife piercing through the evening.
Atop it, sits a body, with a brown cloak strewn over it, and a white shirt in hand. With a lantern in hand, and a horse-rope in another, the figure rides through the night. Farmers reported something missing however: Something was lacking, for atop this horse rode a man, with no head with fists clenched around a lantern and horse-rope.
Recollections state that the figure was able to jump high above a wall, and was able to appear to travel on water. At Seest, the tired guards of the castle awoke to see a figure on horseback with a lantern coming towards them. Believing it to be a messenger they ordered to open the gate, for they did not want to go through the hassle of interrogation.
However, when one of the guards looked at a figure, he was startled and spooked. Suddenly, a wind rushed by them as the figure road past them solemnly. He rode into the courtyard amidst the guards. Dropping the lantern, he picked up a melon that was lying in a food basket and placed it on his head. Guards shouted for his name, and waved their rifles and bayonets around. The figure made a hand-motion, and pointed up, of which the defenders relented. Suddenly the figure opened up his cloak, which showed nothing more than a skeleton clad in leather bound with various pistols and revolvers on the inside.
He swung around, and wildly began shooting the gun at the guards. Three were hit, and two were dead as bullets pierced the figure. However, they only hindered him slightly, as he pulled out more pistols and began shooting, dropping those with no revolvers. The guards yelped, as some fled, while others went forth to attempt to stab the figure. From high, the Queen Willota looked out of the window, and saw the figure. The only thing she could say was, "He has returned...".
Only when Willota cried out for the Headless Figure, did he stop his fighting and look up. No words were uttered from him, but a bayonet pierced his body. He limped, and turned around, beating the man behind him to death. However someone [who is unknown], aimed his gun, and shot at the fruit that was his head. Immediately, the melon that represented the figure's head exploded into various pieces. The figure collapsed to the floor, as guardsmen rushed to him, but he did not stop to fight. He lept up and immediately went for his lantern, for he then rushed for his horse.
As the remaining guards attempted to pursue him, he gave three swift cracks of the horse-ropes, and the steed rode off. The Queen looked out of the window facing the outside of the gate, she could see the Headless Figure look back at her as light from the lantern seemed to come out of the lantern, and enter his body, as he turned back and rode away... silently into the night.
Publication & Speculation
Made famous by the publishing of G.S. Anderson's book, this is a famous folk legend told to the kids of the Streamlined region. It is believed the lantern is what powers the soul of his body, and each night he returns to the castle in Seest to find the Queen Winola. The Writer does not believe this is true, and is merely instead a tale meant to scare children. However, as the writer [Cambridge] jots this down on the train, he notices that on the old bridge of Dokmuiden... there rides a Headless Horseman with lantern in hand. Whether this is true is up to you...