[ Purpose has always filled him with dread since his meeting with the Reverend Mother Superior. She had mentioned purpose once and that had simply helped him realize what he might once become. The concept had only magnified with his time in Arrakis — as his mind expanded thanks to the spice.
The smile once again shows to her, but perhaps forced now. He won't squander her attempts at finding the one in her dreams. Destiny, paths, fate. They must all be different per person. ]
Any aid would need to be approved by the naib. He is the leader of the sietch, not me. I simply... taught them how to fight the Harkonnens. Showed the battle tactics. [ A shake of his head. ] Although, they are skilled fighters on their own. All they needed was the information needed to give equal footing against the ones that oppress them.
[ Paul glances at her hand but says nothing of it. ] I don't speak for them, Your Majesty. They speak for themselves. Although... your delicate clothing may stand out amongst them.
[ At that, his forced smile perks into something humorous. ]
[ The wobble at her lips might indicate that she's searching for a ore of wisdom buried deep in her mind; her tells bloom more obvious the longer she spends in anyone's presence. Especially those she grows comfortable about. Soon, if she worms her way into suitable companionship, Paul might be able to read her without a word spoken on her part.
A person this unguarded shouldn't exist, by all laws of the Imperium.
Yet her she is. Here she remains.
She must've uncovered what she'd wanted, for her hands withdraw to clap together. ]
The naib...ah, that man back there, with the stern and honorable face. [ Two of her fingers tap at her chin. ] Stilgar?
[ She picked up the name of a man who'd hardly spoken. For her faults, and there are many, Serenity treasures each person she meets, a bead on a chain that forms her life.
There are other challenges this line of reasoning presents, however. ]
More than my clothes - would he speak to me? He doesn't seem as though he [ Likes. ] trusts me.
[ Were even she to flip this over in her head, she'd not be able to place blame on him.
Best to think of that, Serenity, and not notice that your hands feel the colder for removing them from Paul. ]
Stilgar. [ A nod to confirm the name is correct. ] My mother and I had to prove our worth. Anyone has to prove they can survive the desert or be of use to the tribe. Arrakis is a harsh world and the people here have grown accustomed to surviving that harshness.
[ Paul huffs a laugh. ] He's that way with everyone until you've proven you respect and honor him. Titles and position don't matter to the people or the desert. Everyone lives and dies equally here.
[ He sits up properly then. Hands still rest on the coffee cup. This time, he regards her more as something like a student than a potential suiter. Not from any fault of her own or that he believes she is lower than her. No, she simply does not know Arrakis.
Neither did he at one point. ]
Before your guard brought you to this planet. Did they tell you anything about Arrakis? What happened here?
[ More thoughts. More searching, on her side, for tidbits she’d folded away like handkerchiefs. Useful for later. Not now, in the present - except she’d forgotten her pockets.
A small grimace.
Somehow, his inquiry crosses her as a test, she never the adept student.
A knuckle slips past her lip and she chews. A habit unfit for a queen. Were Mars here, she get an earful.
Mars should be here. ]
That this is an unforgiving star that forges the most incredible warriors in the system. They fight because they must. [ Serenity sympathizes for all she doesn’t understand. ] Uranus wishes she could spar with them…
[ At once realizing what she’s laid at his feet, she blanches, waving both palms in front of her. ]
Not that she would! Uranus is the perfect gentleman, of course!
[ Star. Not planet or world. Paul's Mentat trained mind takes note of the different terminology. ]
I imagine they would enjoy a good spar. The Fremen are the natural warriors of the planet. [ An amused tone comes from him. The idea is a good one. Full of sportsmanship. Something this world seems to lack. ] I wouldn't be surprised if Gurney has already issued the challenge.
[ A glance upwards towards the entry to hisyali before he turns back to her. ] You'll need to understand how the Imperium works in order to know how to navigate it. That way you can make a truly informed decision to stay here instead of returning to your own. A decision made from careful thought, not just the heart. The politics of this kingdom do not benefit that made of only the heart.
Serenity just now figuring out a plan within a plan, so proud of her
[ Or some fret along those lines escapes her. Knight or no, Uranus yearns for battle when she has stood at ease for too long; a chance at friendly (or less so) combat would turn the key of her spirit.
Not without danger. Serenity places the two probabilities side by side. Perchance we’ll make a politician of her yet.
It’s this selfsame flame of diplomacy that propels her to bow, truly bow, her head in respect. ]
You’re right. Again. If I’m to make myself into a queen worthy of my people’s love, I must learn why the Emperor does as he does. [ So she will not be like him. Her jaw sets. ] Teach me. Please. Even if I’ve nothing to offer - as a wife, as an ally or a woman- I’ll listen to what you say. And in return, I’ll use my powers…
[ Her powers. The crystal.
You are not sent without a dowry, Princess. Hadn’t Pluto, sad-eyed and distant beyond her station, said that to her before she left? Hadn’t the guardian of the gates said goodbye?
Serenity inhales, her hands falling to the table’s surface. ]
Is she bared from combat unless active war is declared?
[ He finds it strange not to allow warriors the chance to spar and train. Hone their skills. Keep their guard up. Or, does it come from a lack of trust? A misunderstanding of war? His family had always kept a military of both land and sea active on their homeworld. One never knew when something might happen. Preparedness. ]
The Emperor does as he does to remain in power. [ Paul shakes his head, sending his curls shifting. ] Your powers?
[ He decides to push that point at a later time. ] The Imperium is made of Great Houses. The Imperial House is House Corrino. Mine was a Great House, given feifdom over the planet Caladan. We were then granted feifdom over Arrakis and had to leave homeworld.
[ Her back touches the chair for initial contact since this conversation began. Not unlike her bodyguard, she finds immobility a prison. Against her nature - for his benefit, and hers, to indicate that she's primed to absorb what he has to say, she restrains her urges. To gesture. To jump. To twirl about every topic.
It helps immensely that the lesson at hand is one as pointed as a dagger.
(Serenity prays to the alter of pacifism unless sorely needed. No wonder she edges away from the ghost-image of Uranus fighting, making undue enemies.)
Her brows furrow. ]
Different. [ Great Houses. Were...are each their own kingdom, with guardians and a system surrounding them. Fiefdoms, too; gifts given from admiration. Or to calm dissidents? How is one given control over a stars that's not theirs by birth?
More importantly, why had the Emperor bequeathed Arrakis House Atreides only to rip it away?
She crumbles into a visible melancholy as she traces how: ]
You must miss your homeworld. [ Purposeful direction is involved to parry into the her question. ]
[ He can see the traces in her body movements. She is a person of natural animation. Move, flourish, gesture, embody all she feels and expell it with gestures. He has been taught to be the opposite. Collected, presenting nothing of the thoughts or feelings in his mind. Others will be able to read it. Truthsayers, Mentats. ]
Yes. I do. [ Paul allows the melancholy to show for a brief moment. The streams, the oceans, the water. The rain. The breeze after rainfall. ] Caladan is opposite of Arrakis. It's a lush world of oceans and water. Each of us is taught to swim in order to avoid drowning. Here, one is taught to walk without rhythm to avoid the worms.
[ How long it has been since he felt rainfall quietly grips him. ]
Very little. Your kingdom is an outlier and seemingly pacifist despite the fact the Emperor could have attacked at any moment.
[ ...worms. Uranus mentioned worms, to Serenity's dismay twinned with disgust. She'd not wanted to know then. "Stop teasing! You want me to be scared out of my wits before we get there." Chin at her shoulder, eyes drawn away, the sensation of Uranus' steady hand at her back doesn't feel ages ago.
"Only because I'll be jealous if the Duke falls for you."
At some point, she'll have to face a planet filled with giant worms. One step at a time.
This horror aside, she half-leaps at the chance to be instructor for a change. ]
You would have loved to visit our star, then. For bedtime stories, Mama told me about the beginning - how she'd shaped the lands to please the special people who chose to live there, together in peace. Refugees from so many systems came because they were drawn to the warmth [ Her thumbs link in a prayer. ] that'd be offered for nothing in return. The other planets swore their allegiance to protect what they'd found. Promised to protect my mother and her light.
[ She shrugs. ]
That's why we're not the same. It's- was [ Don't choke. ] a beautiful place with cities made of the purest white stone. The sunrise hit the palace and you'd believe anything was possible.
[ The horrors of the worms have subsided for him. Staring down the mighty Shai-hulud had been one matter. However, faced with the other horrors laid before him? He would say the Maker is the least of what frightens him. He has become accustomed to the desert. She has not. ]
Terraforming. [ Paul nods slowly. That is the dream for Arrakis. Paradise. No more harsh deserts or worms. Then the spice would be gone. ] Should we ever be able to leave Arrakis? I could at the least show you Caladan. While not reflective of light? It stuns in sheer greens and blues.
[ Her mother and her father sound similar. Garnered respect and loyalty. Allegiance. Perhaps the previous Queen had eyes of jealousy laid to her as well. ]
Arrakis was a trap--my father knew it. Our house had become too powerful. The Emperor sent his elite guard to destroy us along side Harkonnens. Our families have feuded for hundreds of years. It was a match made for both of those houses.
[ Your father didn't believe in revenge.
I do.
Paul's gaze hardens then. ]
I'm going to take Arrakis from all of them. The spice.
[ The word 'terraforming' rings no bells. On the other hand, his tragedy does fall upon a familiar chord. The song isn't one she wishes to hear.
It plays the same. ]
Your father came anyway. [ Politics? Politics. In contrast, a question she needn't ask. She manages to stay her course against the blade of his anger.
Not at her.
But she understands it, in spite of how it sits in her stomach, an ugly and hateful thing. A monster. ]
I'm not sure what my mother knew before the war came. [ Her mouth forms the word by a hair's margin. ] There was an uprising on our closest vassal world. Before we realized, the fighting spilled over. Into the city. In the castle.
[ She shivers. Both hands cup the sides of her head, fingers buried in her hair, an attempt to block out the ending that must arrive. ]
A woman envied what we had. [ Understated, understandable, she doesn't have the terms to explain. ] So she hated us. [ The monster, hate. ] And burned everything that she could.
[ Honor. Politics. Duty. They would of been humiliated if they hadn't. There was no winning in the scenario unless they had managed to defeat the Harkonnens that night. ]
She wanted to take what you had or make sure it was rubble. [ He gathers to the end quickly. ] How long ago was it for you, Your Majesty?
Five months. [ She digs the heel of her palm into the softness of her cheek, surprised to find no tear there. ] I still see it at night when I close my eyes.
[ Quiet from her side of the table, a hint that may have closed the book of conversation. It’d be only natural.
Until: ]
They’d planned to steal Mama’s power from her, only they couldn’t. Not in the end. [ Serenity levels a gaze at Paul. Taking him in.
Truly evaluating him, as best she can?
Something unspoken hangs full upon the air. ] Her guardians took her birthright weapon [ Profane.] lightyears away.
Hmm. [ Paul nods slowly. ] Nearly half a year. It feels like yesterday but almost a lifetime ago.
[ "Power" once again. Something unique to their bloodline. ]
I imagine you'd be unable to retrieve it being so far away. [ Family treasures lost. How many have the Harkonnens destroyed that once belonged to my family? ] What remains of your birthrights? Your people?
My guardians [ Yes, she stand by that phrasing, no matter how much it holds the tone of friends. ] have gone into hiding, too. They had no choice but to leave their posts.
[ Not for the first, unique time does Serenity wonder if their home palaces had been scoured, as well. There’d been no time to ask. ] It was agreed that Uranus would guide me until I became a member of a new house.
[ A hand-off.
And on that same matter, Serenity displays a surprising deftness as she gingerly steps into an uncharted territory.
Why had she been handed the responsibility of choosing how much to impart, what the hold back? She’s pitiful at it.
If she weren’t, what she’s about to say would’ve been common knowledge by now, the terrain of their back-and-forth different.
For what it’s worth, she’s unsure she’d change what’s transpired to this point.
Perhaps.
As if she’s toeing a particularly steep precipice, Serenity corrects Paul. ]
But you’re wrong that her power’s far off. It’s sitting right in front of you.
[ Her mouth dries. ]
I've found out [ 'I think' has been dismissed, displaced. ] why I was supposed to be your bride.
[ Yet one more nod of slow understanding. Serenity may have lost her mother, but it seems that she has kept much in the wake of the disaster. Her mentors, guardians all remain. He has only found Gurney to survive. He may not have seen it, but Paul knows Duncan had died on the otherside of the door. Hawat and Yueh must have died in the siege.
She has held onto much despite the tragedy. ]
Only until then? [ Paul frowns slightly. ] They should remain by you. They are loyal members of your court, aren't they? A different house shouldn't be conditional.
[ Eyebrows raise at the correction, but no offense is taken. Far more surprise that he had been incorrect in his deductions. Then again, he knows very little of her people and the way they function. Subtle surprise takes him further at her next statement. ]
My mother [ The father's memory another afterthought. Not from callousness, but from a void in his shape. ] must've wanted her legacy to live on in another world that needed it most. A place filled with people ready for change.
[ Arrakis. Her home. Sides to a coin with lovers, families, children, who thirst for happiness. Where do the differences fall?
The trust that roots in her chest for Paul Atreides seems inexplicable. She accepts it implicitly, a new gulp of oxygen in her lungs.
He is me. ]
My guardians are called to serve their own, too. I couldn't break the bonds they have with their homes. [ They'd follow her to the end of the known worlds. If they did, she would never bear it. ] You talked about paths, before. They have theirs.
[ One hand supports the other at the wrist. ]
Mama did, too, although I couldn't see it then. [ A sense of peace that beguiles in its origins fall over her. With her mother's spirit passed, Serenity can't elicit a time she felt closer to the queen.] Like her, I've got...abilities that live inside of me. Healing ones. [ So she'd said. Still, the expanse of what she'd told him hasn't been enough. ] Ones that bring creation.
[ If you hold your head at a certain angle, she may cut a passing resemblance to an icon of some celestial maiden.
The impression moves too quickly. No, there'd been no statue qualities to her; she's far too crackling with life. ]
You called it my birthright. [ Pluto's hidden strength guides her. ] And it's my dowry.
[ Paul falls quiet. He has no idea the conjecture or assumptions to make when it comes to her mother or the intentions made. He can only deduce what he does towards his own father due to knowing him and their advisors. This, however, is the first meeting with Serenity and only one of her guardians (as she calls them). He can't make a decision until he has more data. ]
These people are waiting for their mahdi. Lisan Al-Gaib. The Voice From the Outer World. They want their messiah to come and save them from oppressors. Change their world. [ That is far more than wanting a change. It is a religious experience that has been crafted by my mother's order. ] Their old traditions.
[ So, her guardians also serve as representative of their planets. Similar to when their head of house must meet at the Lansraad. He nods in understanding.
Healing abilities. Many would say "magic", but, he believes it to be different. Everything has science behind it when one understands. The Bene Gesserits are considered witches simply because those outside the order do not understand the way they control their bodies.
Then, his eyebrows raised. ]
Your healing capabilities are your birthright?
[ Paul feels there must be more to the plan. His father would not rely on something that seems so fantastical. There has to be more tangible. Something that would have made him believe to give his house security. ]
[ Upon the word ‘messiah,’ Serenity alerts with a start. ]
We have a prophecy that’s close to that one. [ Pads of her fingers play silent music against the table’s edge. ] Some day, they messiah will come to bring salvation to the universe. [ Her head dips. ] Or destruction. The final silence. But they have to make that choice.
[ It’s clear Serenity doesn’t desire a long reflection here; her shoulders shrink back, elbows at angles.
Besides, there’s more to discuss. He must understand what he means. ]
Not only healing. Ah, energy. It’s like that. [ A hand, flatly splayed, at her chest. ] I can’t explain it in words, but the what she used to shape our kingdom, to protect [ What is that, under her hand? Some manner of luminescence she doesn’t notice? No trick of the light this time? ] her people, transferred to me. She would’ve told your father that.
[ A far-off glaze touches her eyes. ]
She must have trusted him with our most precious secret if she wanted to unite our people. I wish that I could show you- I’m so bad at saying what I mean.
day off so apologies for boomerangs on both threads muahaha
[ "Salvation to the universe or destruction. The final silence."
Something about the statement strikes him. That feeling of purpose fills him and covers with dread. She may not mean the same haunting feeling that comes to him about his path. It could mean something else entirely. He isn't sure what is the cause of the feeling. Does he truly want to know? ]
The final silence.
[ I don't want to see what that could be--what it will be.
He notices the light but does not point it out. It could break her concentration and cause the conversation to shift. Information, data, is still needed. The light seems to react to her emotions. No doubt something else will come forward to cause the reaction. ]
A power like that must mean more than simply being for a Great House to take such a risk in a marriage. [ Blue-in-blue eyes stare down at the cup in front of him. ] Why unite your people with my house? There had been plenty of others that have male heirs.
YAY enjoy your day off! i have a tag for the other thread coming up soon.
Are there? [ Less a rhetotical question. Remember, her childhood was spent in isolation from the Imperium. She's learned relatively nothing about any of the Great Houses aside from the one she was intended to marry into. Either way, she pushes forward. ] None of them must have been from the kind of family she'd choose.
[ What follows should be qualified with a 'if you'll forgive me for speaking so plainly,' but Serenity forgets.
Unless it's simply not within her make to do so. ]
Your people loved your father. They devoted themselves to him. They [ She forces down the impulse to let the sadness flicker across her face. ] died for him. And anyone can tell that those who survived to be with you love you, too. You [ Nod. ] have the same sort of heart in you, the kind that can care for a people you weren't even born into.
[ A bloodline of honor. No. A family of good people. ]
Mama would've cared about that. She always said she was very old...older than most people thought, and she'd seen terrible things across the stars. [ Evidence by her daughter's demeanor, the older queen had never done a deeper dive on the topic. ] So she believed it's part of our duty to nuture the good out there. Like your family. It would've made her proud to see that sort of union.
None have a power such as that. What is strange is offering it to a Great House, not the Imperial House. [ Paul twists the ducal ring on his finger in thought. Could it truly have been something such as favoritism? There would have been no way for the former Queen to know who he could become. Unless she had a form of prescience. Unless she somehow knew what the Bene Gesserits were after. ] I wonder if it would have put a larger target on my father's back for the Emperor to fear if he knew.
[ Did he know?
Eyes flick downwards at the mention of those who died for his father. His house. The people of Caladan who swore loyalty. The countless ones he wonders if they can even find the names for. How their families at home must feel. How Caladan must feel, especially under control of another house now. More to consider in how he would approach. Their names will need to be noted and placed in honor.
So many moving pieces. ]
If things move down a path... it won't be love that people have for me.
[ Images flash in his mind. The worship, the followers, the praying at the shrine of his father's skull. A haunted expression covers his face. It isn't love. It's blind devotion to an idea that had been socially engineered. None of it is the same sort that his father, grandfather, or anyone in the line of the Atreides. ]
Marrying me would have also meant that you either no longer had your kingdom as a separate entity, or I was considered a Queen Consort. Your entire kingdom could have become vassals for the House Atreides. The Emperor would have been involved. [ He twists the ring more and more. ] Unless your mother hadn't intended for the kingdom to follow you.
[ Plans within plans. How many are plans and how many are ones not considered? He can't imagine a Queen not considering the political machinations around this situation. ]
Was she really willing to risk the loss of power for her kingdom to marry into a "good" family in another kingdom?
I don't know. I'm sorry. [ Apologies like ripples.
I wonder if it would have put a larger target on my father's back for the Emperor to fear if he knew.
Is he insinuating...? Luckily, Serenity isn't the sort of high-blooded woman to take offense at implication, if she reads it as such. There exists a chance that she doesn't.
She longs, in fact, to comfort him when ghosts of pain cross his features.
Instead, she allows a thought to slip out. ]
I wish Pluto were here. She'd be able to answer each one of your questions. [ Another woman at the keenest position. What would the Bene Gesserit conceive of it? But Serenity registers that she's produced another mystery for him, not a hint to the puzzle.
She waves a hand. ] Out of all of the planetary guardians, she was my mother's closest companion. It's part of her job to mind secrets. [ Our. She plucks that word from a garden of intention.
Why? She couldn't say, herself.
One foot aloft in the metaphorical air, she tosses the last of pretense out with flourish. ]
[ Another pause, a look towards her. Consideration, eyebrows raised. It seems to be how he handles this conversation. Surprise at what she says and then churning the ideas around in his mind. ]
Prescience. [ The terminology is offered in way of explanation. ] The ability to see things from the future. Most humans are capable of it to different levels. Some, more than others. They say that spice can open the mind more to the ability.
[ If only I could speak to this Pluto. ]
I have dreams. [ Paul has no intention of going into further detail on them now. They're horrifying for him, let alone another person to fully know of them. ] Things can happen just as I've dreamed them. It's more frequent on Arrakis thanks to the spice.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
— @transmigrate.
[ Purpose has always filled him with dread since his meeting with the Reverend Mother Superior. She had mentioned purpose once and that had simply helped him realize what he might once become. The concept had only magnified with his time in Arrakis — as his mind expanded thanks to the spice.
The smile once again shows to her, but perhaps forced now. He won't squander her attempts at finding the one in her dreams. Destiny, paths, fate. They must all be different per person. ]
Any aid would need to be approved by the naib. He is the leader of the sietch, not me. I simply... taught them how to fight the Harkonnens. Showed the battle tactics. [ A shake of his head. ] Although, they are skilled fighters on their own. All they needed was the information needed to give equal footing against the ones that oppress them.
[ Paul glances at her hand but says nothing of it. ] I don't speak for them, Your Majesty. They speak for themselves. Although... your delicate clothing may stand out amongst them.
[ At that, his forced smile perks into something humorous. ]
no subject
A person this unguarded shouldn't exist, by all laws of the Imperium.
Yet her she is. Here she remains.
She must've uncovered what she'd wanted, for her hands withdraw to clap together. ]
The naib...ah, that man back there, with the stern and honorable face. [ Two of her fingers tap at her chin. ] Stilgar?
[ She picked up the name of a man who'd hardly spoken. For her faults, and there are many, Serenity treasures each person she meets, a bead on a chain that forms her life.
There are other challenges this line of reasoning presents, however. ]
More than my clothes - would he speak to me? He doesn't seem as though he [ Likes. ] trusts me.
[ Were even she to flip this over in her head, she'd not be able to place blame on him.
Best to think of that, Serenity, and not notice that your hands feel the colder for removing them from Paul. ]
no subject
[ Paul huffs a laugh. ] He's that way with everyone until you've proven you respect and honor him. Titles and position don't matter to the people or the desert. Everyone lives and dies equally here.
[ He sits up properly then. Hands still rest on the coffee cup. This time, he regards her more as something like a student than a potential suiter. Not from any fault of her own or that he believes she is lower than her. No, she simply does not know Arrakis.
Neither did he at one point. ]
Before your guard brought you to this planet. Did they tell you anything about Arrakis? What happened here?
no subject
A small grimace.
Somehow, his inquiry crosses her as a test, she never the adept student.
A knuckle slips past her lip and she chews. A habit unfit for a queen. Were Mars here, she get an earful.
Mars should be here. ]
That this is an unforgiving star that forges the most incredible warriors in the system. They fight because they must. [ Serenity sympathizes for all she doesn’t understand. ] Uranus wishes she could spar with them…
[ At once realizing what she’s laid at his feet, she blanches, waving both palms in front of her. ]
Not that she would! Uranus is the perfect gentleman, of course!
no subject
I imagine they would enjoy a good spar. The Fremen are the natural warriors of the planet. [ An amused tone comes from him. The idea is a good one. Full of sportsmanship. Something this world seems to lack. ] I wouldn't be surprised if Gurney has already issued the challenge.
[ A glance upwards towards the entry to hisyali before he turns back to her. ] You'll need to understand how the Imperium works in order to know how to navigate it. That way you can make a truly informed decision to stay here instead of returning to your own. A decision made from careful thought, not just the heart. The politics of this kingdom do not benefit that made of only the heart.
Serenity just now figuring out a plan within a plan, so proud of her
[ Or some fret along those lines escapes her. Knight or no, Uranus yearns for battle when she has stood at ease for too long; a chance at friendly (or less so) combat would turn the key of her spirit.
Not without danger. Serenity places the two probabilities side by side. Perchance we’ll make a politician of her yet.
It’s this selfsame flame of diplomacy that propels her to bow, truly bow, her head in respect. ]
You’re right. Again. If I’m to make myself into a queen worthy of my people’s love, I must learn why the Emperor does as he does. [ So she will not be like him. Her jaw sets. ] Teach me. Please. Even if I’ve nothing to offer - as a wife, as an ally or a woman- I’ll listen to what you say. And in return, I’ll use my powers…
[ Her powers. The crystal.
You are not sent without a dowry, Princess. Hadn’t Pluto, sad-eyed and distant beyond her station, said that to her before she left? Hadn’t the guardian of the gates said goodbye?
Serenity inhales, her hands falling to the table’s surface. ]
he's already rubbing off on her :')
[ He finds it strange not to allow warriors the chance to spar and train. Hone their skills. Keep their guard up. Or, does it come from a lack of trust? A misunderstanding of war? His family had always kept a military of both land and sea active on their homeworld. One never knew when something might happen. Preparedness. ]
The Emperor does as he does to remain in power. [ Paul shakes his head, sending his curls shifting. ] Your powers?
[ He decides to push that point at a later time. ] The Imperium is made of Great Houses. The Imperial House is House Corrino. Mine was a Great House, given feifdom over the planet Caladan. We were then granted feifdom over Arrakis and had to leave homeworld.
no subject
It helps immensely that the lesson at hand is one as pointed as a dagger.
(Serenity prays to the alter of pacifism unless sorely needed. No wonder she edges away from the ghost-image of Uranus fighting, making undue enemies.)
Her brows furrow. ]
Different. [ Great Houses. Were...are each their own kingdom, with guardians and a system surrounding them. Fiefdoms, too; gifts given from admiration. Or to calm dissidents? How is one given control over a stars that's not theirs by birth?
More importantly, why had the Emperor bequeathed Arrakis House Atreides only to rip it away?
She crumbles into a visible melancholy as she traces how: ]
You must miss your homeworld. [ Purposeful direction is involved to parry into the her question. ]
What have you been told about us?
no subject
Yes. I do. [ Paul allows the melancholy to show for a brief moment. The streams, the oceans, the water. The rain. The breeze after rainfall. ] Caladan is opposite of Arrakis. It's a lush world of oceans and water. Each of us is taught to swim in order to avoid drowning. Here, one is taught to walk without rhythm to avoid the worms.
[ How long it has been since he felt rainfall quietly grips him. ]
Very little. Your kingdom is an outlier and seemingly pacifist despite the fact the Emperor could have attacked at any moment.
no subject
"Only because I'll be jealous if the Duke falls for you."
At some point, she'll have to face a planet filled with giant worms. One step at a time.
This horror aside, she half-leaps at the chance to be instructor for a change. ]
You would have loved to visit our star, then. For bedtime stories, Mama told me about the beginning - how she'd shaped the lands to please the special people who chose to live there, together in peace. Refugees from so many systems came because they were drawn to the warmth [ Her thumbs link in a prayer. ] that'd be offered for nothing in return. The other planets swore their allegiance to protect what they'd found. Promised to protect my mother and her light.
[ She shrugs. ]
That's why we're not the same. It's- was [ Don't choke. ] a beautiful place with cities made of the purest white stone. The sunrise hit the palace and you'd believe anything was possible.
I wish we would've met there.
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Terraforming. [ Paul nods slowly. That is the dream for Arrakis. Paradise. No more harsh deserts or worms. Then the spice would be gone. ] Should we ever be able to leave Arrakis? I could at the least show you Caladan. While not reflective of light? It stuns in sheer greens and blues.
[ Her mother and her father sound similar. Garnered respect and loyalty. Allegiance. Perhaps the previous Queen had eyes of jealousy laid to her as well. ]
Arrakis was a trap--my father knew it. Our house had become too powerful. The Emperor sent his elite guard to destroy us along side Harkonnens. Our families have feuded for hundreds of years. It was a match made for both of those houses.
[ Your father didn't believe in revenge.
I do.
Paul's gaze hardens then. ]
I'm going to take Arrakis from all of them. The spice.
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It plays the same. ]
Your father came anyway. [ Politics? Politics. In contrast, a question she needn't ask. She manages to stay her course against the blade of his anger.
Not at her.
But she understands it, in spite of how it sits in her stomach, an ugly and hateful thing. A monster. ]
I'm not sure what my mother knew before the war came. [ Her mouth forms the word by a hair's margin. ] There was an uprising on our closest vassal world. Before we realized, the fighting spilled over. Into the city. In the castle.
[ She shivers. Both hands cup the sides of her head, fingers buried in her hair, an attempt to block out the ending that must arrive. ]
A woman envied what we had. [ Understated, understandable, she doesn't have the terms to explain. ] So she hated us. [ The monster, hate. ] And burned everything that she could.
[ Forelorn: ]
I can't show you my home in exchange. I'm sorry.
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[ Honor. Politics. Duty. They would of been humiliated if they hadn't. There was no winning in the scenario unless they had managed to defeat the Harkonnens that night. ]
She wanted to take what you had or make sure it was rubble. [ He gathers to the end quickly. ] How long ago was it for you, Your Majesty?
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Five months. [ She digs the heel of her palm into the softness of her cheek, surprised to find no tear there. ] I still see it at night when I close my eyes.
[ Quiet from her side of the table, a hint that may have closed the book of conversation. It’d be only natural.
Until: ]
They’d planned to steal Mama’s power from her, only they couldn’t. Not in the end. [ Serenity levels a gaze at Paul. Taking him in.
Truly evaluating him, as best she can?
Something unspoken hangs full upon the air. ] Her guardians took her birthright weapon [ Profane.] lightyears away.
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[ "Power" once again. Something unique to their bloodline. ]
I imagine you'd be unable to retrieve it being so far away. [ Family treasures lost. How many have the Harkonnens destroyed that once belonged to my family? ] What remains of your birthrights? Your people?
kickin' feets at big reveals
[ Not for the first, unique time does Serenity wonder if their home palaces had been scoured, as well. There’d been no time to ask. ] It was agreed that Uranus would guide me until I became a member of a new house.
[ A hand-off.
And on that same matter, Serenity displays a surprising deftness as she gingerly steps into an uncharted territory.
Why had she been handed the responsibility of choosing how much to impart, what the hold back? She’s pitiful at it.
If she weren’t, what she’s about to say would’ve been common knowledge by now, the terrain of their back-and-forth different.
For what it’s worth, she’s unsure she’d change what’s transpired to this point.
Perhaps.
As if she’s toeing a particularly steep precipice, Serenity corrects Paul. ]
But you’re wrong that her power’s far off. It’s sitting right in front of you.
[ Her mouth dries. ]
I've found out [ 'I think' has been dismissed, displaced. ] why I was supposed to be your bride.
let's goooo
She has held onto much despite the tragedy. ]
Only until then? [ Paul frowns slightly. ] They should remain by you. They are loyal members of your court, aren't they? A different house shouldn't be conditional.
[ Eyebrows raise at the correction, but no offense is taken. Far more surprise that he had been incorrect in his deductions. Then again, he knows very little of her people and the way they function. Subtle surprise takes him further at her next statement. ]
Why do you think your parents negotiated it?
SCREAMS
[ Arrakis. Her home. Sides to a coin with lovers, families, children, who thirst for happiness. Where do the differences fall?
The trust that roots in her chest for Paul Atreides seems inexplicable. She accepts it implicitly, a new gulp of oxygen in her lungs.
He is me. ]
My guardians are called to serve their own, too. I couldn't break the bonds they have with their homes. [ They'd follow her to the end of the known worlds. If they did, she would never bear it. ] You talked about paths, before. They have theirs.
[ One hand supports the other at the wrist. ]
Mama did, too, although I couldn't see it then. [ A sense of peace that beguiles in its origins fall over her. With her mother's spirit passed, Serenity can't elicit a time she felt closer to the queen.] Like her, I've got...abilities that live inside of me. Healing ones. [ So she'd said. Still, the expanse of what she'd told him hasn't been enough. ] Ones that bring creation.
[ If you hold your head at a certain angle, she may cut a passing resemblance to an icon of some celestial maiden.
The impression moves too quickly. No, there'd been no statue qualities to her; she's far too crackling with life. ]
You called it my birthright. [ Pluto's hidden strength guides her. ] And it's my dowry.
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These people are waiting for their mahdi. Lisan Al-Gaib. The Voice From the Outer World. They want their messiah to come and save them from oppressors. Change their world. [ That is far more than wanting a change. It is a religious experience that has been crafted by my mother's order. ] Their old traditions.
[ So, her guardians also serve as representative of their planets. Similar to when their head of house must meet at the Lansraad. He nods in understanding.
Healing abilities. Many would say "magic", but, he believes it to be different. Everything has science behind it when one understands. The Bene Gesserits are considered witches simply because those outside the order do not understand the way they control their bodies.
Then, his eyebrows raised. ]
Your healing capabilities are your birthright?
[ Paul feels there must be more to the plan. His father would not rely on something that seems so fantastical. There has to be more tangible. Something that would have made him believe to give his house security. ]
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We have a prophecy that’s close to that one. [ Pads of her fingers play silent music against the table’s edge. ] Some day, they messiah will come to bring salvation to the universe. [ Her head dips. ] Or destruction. The final silence. But they have to make that choice.
[ It’s clear Serenity doesn’t desire a long reflection here; her shoulders shrink back, elbows at angles.
Besides, there’s more to discuss. He must understand what he means. ]
Not only healing. Ah, energy. It’s like that. [ A hand, flatly splayed, at her chest. ] I can’t explain it in words, but the what she used to shape our kingdom, to protect [ What is that, under her hand? Some manner of luminescence she doesn’t notice? No trick of the light this time? ] her people, transferred to me. She would’ve told your father that.
[ A far-off glaze touches her eyes. ]
She must have trusted him with our most precious secret if she wanted to unite our people. I wish that I could show you- I’m so bad at saying what I mean.
day off so apologies for boomerangs on both threads muahaha
Something about the statement strikes him. That feeling of purpose fills him and covers with dread. She may not mean the same haunting feeling that comes to him about his path. It could mean something else entirely. He isn't sure what is the cause of the feeling. Does he truly want to know? ]
The final silence.
[ I don't want to see what that could be--what it will be.
He notices the light but does not point it out. It could break her concentration and cause the conversation to shift. Information, data, is still needed. The light seems to react to her emotions. No doubt something else will come forward to cause the reaction. ]
A power like that must mean more than simply being for a Great House to take such a risk in a marriage. [ Blue-in-blue eyes stare down at the cup in front of him. ] Why unite your people with my house? There had been plenty of others that have male heirs.
YAY enjoy your day off! i have a tag for the other thread coming up soon.
[ What follows should be qualified with a 'if you'll forgive me for speaking so plainly,' but Serenity forgets.
Unless it's simply not within her make to do so. ]
Your people loved your father. They devoted themselves to him. They [ She forces down the impulse to let the sadness flicker across her face. ] died for him. And anyone can tell that those who survived to be with you love you, too. You [ Nod. ] have the same sort of heart in you, the kind that can care for a people you weren't even born into.
[ A bloodline of honor. No. A family of good people. ]
Mama would've cared about that. She always said she was very old...older than most people thought, and she'd seen terrible things across the stars. [ Evidence by her daughter's demeanor, the older queen had never done a deeper dive on the topic. ] So she believed it's part of our duty to nuture the good out there. Like your family. It would've made her proud to see that sort of union.
soon a three day weekend....
[ Did he know?
Eyes flick downwards at the mention of those who died for his father. His house. The people of Caladan who swore loyalty. The countless ones he wonders if they can even find the names for. How their families at home must feel. How Caladan must feel, especially under control of another house now. More to consider in how he would approach. Their names will need to be noted and placed in honor.
So many moving pieces. ]
If things move down a path... it won't be love that people have for me.
[ Images flash in his mind. The worship, the followers, the praying at the shrine of his father's skull. A haunted expression covers his face. It isn't love. It's blind devotion to an idea that had been socially engineered. None of it is the same sort that his father, grandfather, or anyone in the line of the Atreides. ]
Marrying me would have also meant that you either no longer had your kingdom as a separate entity, or I was considered a Queen Consort. Your entire kingdom could have become vassals for the House Atreides. The Emperor would have been involved. [ He twists the ring more and more. ] Unless your mother hadn't intended for the kingdom to follow you.
[ Plans within plans. How many are plans and how many are ones not considered? He can't imagine a Queen not considering the political machinations around this situation. ]
Was she really willing to risk the loss of power for her kingdom to marry into a "good" family in another kingdom?
I'm getting time off soon too, YES GOD
I wonder if it would have put a larger target on my father's back for the Emperor to fear if he knew.
Is he insinuating...? Luckily, Serenity isn't the sort of high-blooded woman to take offense at implication, if she reads it as such. There exists a chance that she doesn't.
She longs, in fact, to comfort him when ghosts of pain cross his features.
Instead, she allows a thought to slip out. ]
I wish Pluto were here. She'd be able to answer each one of your questions. [ Another woman at the keenest position. What would the Bene Gesserit conceive of it? But Serenity registers that she's produced another mystery for him, not a hint to the puzzle.
She waves a hand. ] Out of all of the planetary guardians, she was my mother's closest companion. It's part of her job to mind secrets. [ Our. She plucks that word from a garden of intention.
Why? She couldn't say, herself.
One foot aloft in the metaphorical air, she tosses the last of pretense out with flourish. ]
She glimpses the future, like my mother could.
\o/ PRAISE BE
Prescience. [ The terminology is offered in way of explanation. ] The ability to see things from the future. Most humans are capable of it to different levels. Some, more than others. They say that spice can open the mind more to the ability.
[ If only I could speak to this Pluto. ]
I have dreams. [ Paul has no intention of going into further detail on them now. They're horrifying for him, let alone another person to fully know of them. ] Things can happen just as I've dreamed them. It's more frequent on Arrakis thanks to the spice.
Bless the maker, etc (also Setsuna come collect your princess)
Pluto she needs help stop googoo eying her hubby!
stop worrying about your own weird potential love triangle, get over here and help with HERS
guess she'd get endymion to herself in this verse :|b
rare but deserved Pluto W, imo. (also not my dumb ass getting sucked down a rabbit hole*)
girl need better smh (watch this rabbit hole additon)
love at first sight, but not with him.
honestly, probably best for her 😔
welp, I was SAYING. spoke to soon I guess. (good thing she's not going to figure it out so easily)
:') just wait till he flips it and does the moon reference as the kw, maybe more love or turning sou
just have to wait and see, but it'll be devastating in the best way.
THANKFULLY.... he would explain things
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look, okay, i realize that 'starseed' sounds sketch as hell in this context but it's a canon term :|
putting a new spin on kralizec with the Cauldron 😭😭😭
either way, it's depressing!
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PAUL i'm crying, i just want him to be happy.
:') :') :') i can't wait for them to adapt CoD and everyone cry
i'm already weeping (at least he gets to do somewhat normal teen stuff in this thread)
blind timothee is gonna SEND ME TO A GRAVE
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