Crag Na Dun

Crag Na Dun

Suzanne Marsh

Fiona MacLeod stood silently on the gray rocky crag, her shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders. Thunder roared in the distance as the rain began to pelt her face with a vengeance. She quickly sought refuge behind Crag Na Dun, in a small cave opening. Fiona sat in the opening with the black shawl over her head, the same black shawl she wore every day since the death of her brother Malcolm and her father, Angus. Rumors ran rampant around Dunvegan that Edward Longshanks was near. Edward I of England was Scotland’s greatest threat to its existence. Malcolm, two years older than his sister Fiona, implored her to aid him in joining forces with several other clans to free themselves from Longshanks. Fiona wanted no part of the entire plot to kill Longshanks. The Morag of Dunvegan told his son, “Malcolm, you are needed here to protect Castle Dunvegan; there are spies everywhere. Do you have any idea what Longshanks will do to you should you be betrayed?’

Malcolm stormed from Dunvegan, grabbed a horse, and rode toward his fate. Malcolm MacLeod stood over six feet, with dancing blue eyes. Most women thought him extremely handsome; he fell in love with Mary Sinclair, whom he intended to marry. He wrote a letter addressed to his father, Angus, the Morag of Dunvegan, informing him of his marriage. There was a deep-seated rivalry between the MacLeods and the Sinclairs, but Angus gave his consent. Fiona thought about these actions leading up to the death of her brother. As she huddled inside the small cave opening, there was a sudden gush of wind, and an eerie sound of chains rattling. A voice that sounded like Malcolm’s voice began:

“Fiona, I no have very much time. Mary betrayed me. I need your help, sister now…”

Fiona knew that if there were a way to communicate, Malcolm would find it. She thought she was crazy:

“Malcolm, I ken no give ya help; father is dead because of your deeds. We were there when

you were put on trial. We were there when the sentence for high treason was given. Dear

God, it was such a shock to Da.” Fiona began to weep; she could almost feel Malcolm’s hand on

her shoulder as he continued:

“Fiona, you must avenge our deaths; they can not be forgotten. I know you were the one who

found my quartered body parts, you buried them; I am under those piled up rocks that are directly in front of you.”

This was just too much for Fiona; she turned her face from the vision she was having. Malcolm, her own sweet brother. She thought of him the day of his execution. She saw him strung up and hanged by the neck, then he was disemboweled, then he was beheaded. He was cut into quarters and his head placed on a spike at London Tower, where the execution took place. She trembled as she thought about it. Her father toppled over into her arms as she cried: “Da, oh Da, please don’t die.” She returned to Dunvegan with the body of her father and brother. She buried them both; the only part of Malcolm she buried was his pinkie. She kept the signet ring, hoping to pass it on to her son if she were ever married.

The rain abated, and she crawled out of the cave, placed the heather on both graves. She returned to Dunvegan, in time to find a wee wisp of woman, a babe in her arms. Fiona sensed without asking: “You must be Mary, and who is the wee barren?” Mary was distraught as she began:

“I warned Malcolm not to join forces with William Wallace, but he did. Malcolm wished to see Scotland free; instead, he is dead. The wee barren is Angus Malcolm Sinclair MacLeod. I

no place to go. My Da warned me if I married Malcolm, I would not be allowed to return

home for any reason.”

Fiona gazed at Mary Sinclair MacLeod for several moments before she began:

“I see, I will help you, but first I must be askin a question; did you betray Malcolm?”

Mary looked as if she had just seen the ghost of Malcolm, instead of Fiona:

“No, that was Da’s doin, not mine. I had nothing to do with betraying my husband.”

It was Fiona’s turn to look astonished:

“Your wee Angus is Morag of Dunvegan; you and I will rule until he reaches eighteen.”

Mary felt a wave of relief, and Fiona studied her facial expressions; there was nothing there to convince her the woman was lying. She thought for a moment about asking her, “Why did Malcolm think you were the one who betrayed him. This makes no sense at all.” She wondered why Malcolm was haunting her unless he thought she had a way to find the person who did betray him; it could have been Ian Sinclair himself. He and Angus had been feuding for a good number of years, but would he stoop to betraying his own son-in-law?

The following morning, there was a loud bang at the front door. Fiona scanned the area; it was Longshanks himself with fifty dragoons. Fiona ran up the stone stairs to Mary’s bedroom: “Git up, swaddle the wee barren, we must get out of here now. There is a secret passage that will take us into the forest where we can hide.” Mary did as she was bidden. They hurried down the stone steps, ran into the library. Mary quickly pulled on a book, and a small portion of the bookcase opened. Mary ran down the stone steps first. Fiona quickly latched the small door as the bookcase swung shut. She went down the cold stone stairs to where Mary stood. She yanked on a chain that moved the boulder aside. They were outside in a clump of trees. Fiona led the way, praying they would not be found. She turned to Mary: “Would ye be explainin how Longshanks came to be at Dunvegan this morning?” Mary turned pale: “I never should have come here. I am the one Longshanks wants. I am the one responsible for Malcolm's betrayal. I went to my Da, after we married in a small kirk on the moor, Da was angry to say the verra least. I pleaded with Da not to turn Malcolm in to Longshanks, but he did. Da then forced me to leave and take my wee barren with me.”

Fiona gathered her thoughts, one betrayal on top of another. They hid in the forest and watched as Longshanks tore Dunvegan apart, looking for them. After sunset, as the moon rose, the two women returned. The main house was in shambles. They quickly put it in order. The following day, Fiona spoke to the serfs on the estate, explaining she was raising an army, with the intention of killing Longshanks. The serfs followed her with axes, spears, bows, and arrows. She returned just before dusk, and she went to Crag Na Dun once more. Sitting in the small cave, she waited for Malcolm. A voice began: “Fiona, Fiona, it's me, Malcolm. I don’t have much time. So it was Ian Sinclair who betrayed me, take care of Mary, and the wee barren Fiona. The haunting is coming to an end, my spirit can now rest in peace.