The Taking of the Moon Maiden

The rain beat down on the three females standing by the small grave, one old, one young, and a newborn. "Will you take the wee one back to your fathers?"

The old one, Hilda a stout woman with fading brown hair asked the young girl.

"Why would I go back? He cast my sister out when she was with child. Father would not listen to her innocence then, and he would not listen to mine now."

A rage filled the young girl's small frame.

"I will not let him mourn her death. He is no father to deserve such relief. Let him sit in his precious keep, with his precious name. He did not protect Matilda and he would not protect her bairn, Moira. To hell with him!"

They turned to leave, "We will find protection with Mother Superior." The young girl, Lady Emmaline looked at Hilda with a steady gaze.

"SThe good nun will help, if to only to make amends for her betrayal."

The three females left the hill and slipped into obscurity.

"We can survive without him." Emmaline had said, and they did. Emmaline had always been an excellent artist and knew many languages so she earned their living by translating transcripts and doing artwork for the local nunnery.

Emmaline would go home tired and sore from bent over writing, but it was honest work and because she worked for the nuns, she was protected from any unwanted attentions three females on their own would normally face.

Emmaline had brought some transcripts home to work upon after Moira had been put to bed. So engrossed in her work and her thoughts she did not notice the worried expression on Hilda's face.

Hilda was wracked with worry, how was Emmaline going to react when she read the letter Hilda grasped in her hand? Hilda turned to the fire and quietly stoked the flames as memories of the past embraced her mind, just as the heat from the flames embraced her skin.

***The Beginning***

Nurse Hilda had first gone to the keep recently widowed. She had been sent for at the birth of the Lairds youngest child Lady Emmaline. The child's mother, Lady Moira had not survived the birth.

Laird James had been married before and had two children from that union. Their mother had died from a fever when they were still young and the only mother they had known was the Lady Moira. Now with her passing there were three motherless children to raise. Hilda had been called because she new many of the old ways including Gaelic.

It was true that Laird James was more English than Scot, but the Lady Moira had been a true Scots woman and had wanted her children schooled in the traditional ways. There was eight year old Duncan; four year Lady Matilda; and now the newborn babe Lady Emmaline.

It had not taken Hilda long to realize that there was something terribly wrong with Duncan. He took great pleasure in hurting his sisters. Hilda spent most her time trying to protect them from his cruelties.

She had thought she had been successful until a then eighteen year old Matilda had told Hilda of her secret.

Matilda had just turned fifteen when Duncan had started raping her. It had started when Matilda walked in on Duncan forcing their eleven year old sister Emmaline, to let Duncan bath her.

When Matilda had confronted Duncan about such vile behavior, he had told Matilda that he had needs that only the beautiful little Emmaline could satisfy.

Emmaline was growing into one of the most beautiful maids Matilda had ever seen and even at this tender age Matilda had notice the men around the keep eyeing the young girl.

Matilda new her father would either say Matilda was lying, or worse, blame Emmaline for Duncan's depravity. Matilda in her youth and innocence with nowhere to turn had offered herself in Emmaline's place to protect the child.

It had worked for a while. Duncan still watched Emmaline with an unholy fever but he would use Matilda's body to quench his thirst. In Matilda's inexperience she had though she had saved Emmaline and had not considered the consequences of her actions to herself.

Matilda had went to Hilda because she had found out she was with child. She knew her father would send her away and that would leave Emmaline at the mercy of Duncan. They had to think of a way to protect Emmaline.

Together, they had gone to Mother Superior and there on her knees in the dark, filled with horror and self-loathing Matilda had whispered every nightmare she had endured from Duncan.

Mother Superior had first not wanted to believe Matilda and assumed that Matilda had made up these atrocities to hide the identity of the child's real father. Mother Superior had taken Matilda to her father Laird James Earl de la Humes to confess she was with child.

Just as they had all expected the Laird flew into a rage and banned Matilda from the keep. When Mother Superior had looked to Duncan to see his reaction cold fear had gripped her heart. It was there in eyes as he stared across the room at Emmaline.

His lust was so strong he could hardly wait to have Matilda thrown from the keep so he could have Emmaline to himself to slake his sinful needs upon her young body.

Mother Superior not being slow to react, quickly explained to Laird James that because Matilda had succumb to the sins of the flesh at such a young age it would be better for Emmaline if she were sent to live in the convent until she reached a marriageable age.

Mother Superior would never know if the reason the Laird agreed so quickly was because he believed her, or if because the reaction from Duncan was as revealing to him as it was to everyone else.

Duncan had screamed and grabbed Emmaline and threatened to kill her if they took her. She must stay there with him at the keep. The Laird had yelled at Duncan and demanded he behaved himself and had Duncan removed and locked in his room and had sent Emmaline with the Mother Superior that night.

Later when Matilda had been expelled from the keep, the Mother Superior had arranged for Matilda to take up residence at a little cottage not far from the nunnery.

She had did the child an injustice for not believing her, so now Mother Superior had explained to Hilda that she would spend her lifetime trying to protect these frail girls.

That had been six years ago. Little Moira was five and the image of her mother with chestnut hair and hazel eyes.

Emmaline was now eighteen and more beautiful than ever. Sometimes Hilda had felt the evil presence of Duncan watching them, waiting for a moment to strike. But, as he had never appeared she hoped it was just an old woman's worry.