DUNE-A False Haderach (OC X Shishakli) (OC x Alia)

Part 7

Chapter 4b

~Start of DUNE~

PAUL ATREIDES

Paul's mind had been a whirl of thought and worry as he stood on the shores of Caldan, the land he had always known and called home. The land which twenty-six generations of Atreides had called home, including him.

Yet that was set to change.

It had already entered its final stages, and the ships had begun to leave with their belongings. The Emperor's herald had arrived a day ago with the call, and House Atreides had answered as they were sworn to. And they had done so without question.

His dreams had been more and more erratic, shifting, changing until nothing made sense. He saw people, he had never seen, men and women in the desert, men and women he knew not of, at least not yet.

It was not only his dreams that were erratic life itself, and the people around him had changed as well.

The Reverend Mother had come with the Emperor's herald, and his mother had left him with her as she had tested him. For what? He understood not, yet the whole event had his mother nervous, as the final mutterings between the old woman and his mother continued to reverberate in his head.

'Kwisatz Haderach.'

'Trap.' 'Death'

Paul was not blind to what was happening in the castle. He could sense the tension and worry that gripped his mother and father even as others rejoiced as the Duke was blessed with this new, richer fief. Arrakis was the land that produced the mysterious spice, an extremely expensive and valuable commodity, one which they would mine and sell to the spicing guild and earn exuberant profits.

The Duchy had come with a directorship in CHOAM as well, ensuring for their House a greater share of the profits and a greater voice in the Landsraad. Yet the tension in his father and mother told a different tale.

There was something more to it, something more sinister, more dangerous that only fee knew.

"You seem in rather deep thought; the words broke him out of his trance as Paul's head snapped back, and he found his father standing behind him. They had seen little of each other these days since he would often remain bust throughout the day.

"Father," he greeted as he stood up, and cleaned his hand, the man smiled as he slapped his back.

"You have grown taller, Gurney was praising you earlier," he added, and it was nice to know that despite his schedule, he at least thought of him.

"Those were not his words to me," he added, recalling how the man had chewed him out earlier in training.

"He has to be hard on you as a teacher, but behind your back, he calls you his finest student," his father added. He knew the man was not lying, so the words filled him with pride.

A gust of wind blew, wafting the air with the thick oceanic smell so home to Caldan as Duke Leto took a deep breath as if savouring the smell, as his expression shifted. It was for a second, as longing came over that face, yet it was not lost to him because of his Bene Gesserit training.

"I shall miss this smell," he added, and the Duke nodded.

"Me too, but soon Arrakis shall be our home. Our Legionnaires have already secured the palace there, and tomorrow, we shall depart for our new home as well," his father said with some tightness.

"You have been distracted lately, may I know why?" his father questioned, and Paul looked down, recalling the words of the Reverend Mother, the tensions he had observed as he weighed just how much he could say, how was he to say.