Paul Atreides X Reader (Dune)

Part 2: The Beginning Of Arrakis

Paul Atreides walks behind his mother and father, following them to the Frigate hanger. He was wearing a black cloak, black boots, and gloves. His hair was greased back, keeping his curls from getting in his face, and looking more proper. Gurney Halleck, one of the Duke Leto's most prominent officers, was the first to enter the ship. A few more troopers come in as well before the Atreides make their entrance and find their seats in the Frigate. Paul leans back, strapping himself in. He was beyond excited. He had never been on a desert planet and was curious to find out the ways of its people. He figured he knew a good bit of information about them from the film books he studied, but there was always more to learn. Just a few minutes later, they deport from the hanger of Caladan.

The Frigate's engines roar with power as they ascend into the atmosphere of Caladan. Paul's mother and father, as well as Gurney, were going over their plans for when they reached Arrakis. Paul, on the other hand, was focused on the beauty of space once they had reached orbit. He had never seen so many stars this close before. It awed him. "Paul," Lady Jessica leans into her son's shoulder to get his attention. "You'll have plenty of time to watch the stars later, but right now you need to study with us." She tells him. "Mother, I know the drill already. Gain control of desert power and spice by replacing the Harkonnens." Paul replies confidently. "It's not so simple, Paul. The Harkonnens are dangerous. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to gain any control over this planet." The Duke implies. "You act as if I haven't been studying their ways for as long as I can remember." Says Paul, annoyed. "You've been distracted recently. Putting more focus into the Freman." Lady Jessica points out. Paul sighs, he knew he shouldn't be bothered by his parents. They were letting him come despite their own wishes. "It may be of use, you never know." He says, looking back out to the black, emptiness of space.

     Paul jolts awake when the Frigate rumbles loudly. He looks to his mother who points to the outside of the ship. Outside was a large, orange planet. "Is that?" He starts to ask, his eyes locked on the planet below him. "Welcome to Arrakis!" Gurney yells out. The Frigate slowly makes its descend into the atmosphere of Arrakis. All Paul could see was a cloud of orange as they entered the rough atmosphere. The ship bounced and jolted as they went through the cloud, and Paul found himself tightening his grip on his seat's armrests. The lights were flickering all the way through the cloud. Gurney noticed Paul's nervous glance and smiled, "it's perfectly normal for Arrakis to have sandstorms in its atmosphere. The power may struggle a bit, but the ship itself is built for situations just like this." He assured Paul, and soon enough they were out of the storm. The ship steadied itself; Paul leans back and breathes heavily. The ride had made him feel nauseous. "Oh, Paul-" his mother notices his pale face. Paul turns away from everyone and lets out a few rounds of vomit. "He'll get used to it." Gurney says, not phased. "Look," Duke Leto motions to the view outside.

     Outside was a view Paul could have never imagined, it even seemed unrealistic. It was an ocean, except it was sand. The sun was bright and he could feel its heat from inside the Frigate. Maybe wearing a black cloak was a bad idea. The desert seemed to stretch for miles and miles with nothing but its dunes and rocks. How did the Freman survive here? Paul was beginning to question if they were even real. Besides the heat and the unknown parts of the desert, Arrakis was gorgeous. Paul would have never imagined one simple color filling up an entire planet, and making it a pleasure to the eyes as well. But he knew, often the most beautiful places are the most dangerous. Yet, he wasn't afraid. He felt eager to start this journey on a new planet.

Once Paul's stomach had settled, he was the first out of his seat and was waiting anxiously for the Frigate's door to open. His mother and father stood behind him, his father's hand giving his shoulder a quick pat. The door creaked as it was opening, and even just a small crevice of Arrakis's sunlight was enough to blind Paul. He heard the door make contact with the desert ground, forming a ramp for them to walk out on. When he removes his hand from his eyes he is greeted with a gust of wind, causing his curls to break loose and flow in the air. Paul takes a small step forward, his right foot landing in the sand. The sand felt warm beneath his boot, and when he came out with his left foot he noticed himself sinking a bit. He walked forward some more, finding it takes a lot more energy to walk in sand than it did back home on the flat ground. He also realizes his steps leave an imprint in the sand, but it only lasts a short amount of time before more sand blows over it. Paul thought that was interesting.

The heat blazed against Paul's cloaks dark fabric. He had thought Caladan could get hot in the summer, but this was extreme. And this was all year around. He'd never been so hot in his life, and he was only a few minutes into being on Arrakis. It wasn't long until sweat started dripping down his forehead and soaking his body. Paul found himself stopping to catch his breath every now and then as they walked to the Grand Palace of Arrakeen. On one of his breaks he knelt down, taking off his leather gloves and shoving them in a pocket. He wanted to feel the sand on his skin. Reaching down, he picks up a handful of the warm sand. It felt coarse and rough, even a little irritating. It had a mysterious glitter to it, something he had never seen in sand before. He lets the wind grasp the sand from his hand and return it to the desert, returning to his feet and continuing the what felt like an eternal journey to the Palace.

It felt like they had been walking all day, as for the longest time all they could remember seeing were the sand dunes. The heat had also drained all of their energy in less than an hour. However, they had finally made it to the Palace. Gurney and the other officers enter the building first, and once they give the all clear Paul rushes inside. The air conditioning had to be one of the most reliving feelings Paul had ever experienced. Though, he wanted to cool down even faster. He slips off his cloak and sets it aside, leaving him in just his pants and boots. "Paul!" His mother calls his name in a firm manner. "We just got here, at least find yourself a room before throwing your clothes all over the place. And you will not be fighting with us if you're planning on doing it shirtless." She tells him. "Oh, come on Jessica, you remember your first time here. He'll get used to it as we did." Leto says while again patting his son on the shoulder. "But yes, go find your room and cool off in there." He then says after Jessica stares him down as if he had three eyes.

Paul obeys his parents, walking through the vastness of the Palace in search for a room. For a desert Palace, this place was oddly pretty. There were carvings on the walls, paintings on the ceilings, and every room had a wonderful view of the desert. The sun was starting its descent, causing the bottom of the sky to turn a reddish orange, making the sand glitter even more promptly. As much as he wanted to watch his first Arrakis sunset, the desert had got the best of him. It would take a few days for his body to adjust to the new climate. Paul finds a medium sized room with a large bed and a desk near the window. He wastes no time laying down, keeping the thick blankets off of him for now. He would most likely need them later in the night when it gets cold, but for now he was still trying to cool off. The weather here is weird, he thinks to himself before drifting off to sleep.

As he regained his energy, he had a strange dream. It was of him and his father fighting against the Harkonnens. They were so close to defeating them, so very close. In the dream Paul had somehow gained power, making the fight go down with ease. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. It didn't matter, though. It wouldn't happen anyway. He was just here to help, not to lead. The dream ended with them taking out a good amount of the Harkonnens, but it wasn't over yet. And he knew it wouldn't go down as swiftly as it did in the dream; his dreams often lied to him. However, the only thing different about this dream was that it was clearer to him. Not completely, but enough that he can remember the faces, even some of the emotions. Confidence was a big one. Too much confidence. It didn't make sense, he was always told overconfidence could be lethal. So why was he so confident in this dream? It seemed as if he was dreaming of a different person. It most likely never would make sense, anyway.