As Long As I Breathe || Paul Atreides

Worm Ride

It had been three months since that night.

Arm was fully healed, though it was humiliating to ask for help. What was even more humiliating was that everyone was seated on this dune and I was the only one who had sand blowing in their face. I put on my mask to prevent the sand from instilling a coughing fit upon me.

Paul was about to ride a sandworm, and he'd been giving me lessons on it. Secretly, of course. He was right next to a sand hill, waiting for Stilgar to meet with him and give him his blessing before the trial.

Stilgar walked beside me and leaned down to whisper something, putting his hand on my shoulder. "He best not embarrass me," he mumbled.

I rolled my eyes responding, "He won't."

Stilgar continued walking towards Paul. "I can't hear you over that mask!"

As much as I wanted to shout back that it wouldn't be taken off, he wouldn't have heard it anyway. It was better than sand in my face, though.

He guided Paul up the dune, careful with every step to not summon the sandworm prematurely. They engaged in a conversation shortly after, probably consisting of him telling the younger boy that, though joked about, looking cool doesn't matter. The emphasis of this exercise was to make sure he survived.

Of course, Stilgar's efforts were proven futile when Shishakli shouted out, taunting Paul with Don't embarrass us, call a big one!

My gaze moved over to her, seated next to Chani. And Chani, despite original interpretations, may not be the worst person in the world. She cares, and she has a weird way of showing it, but we can get along now. I smiled at her. She didn't smile back because my mask hid the smile, but she definitely would've if she had seen it.

Stilhar left Paul standing at the dune, rushing down so he could call a sandworm.

A pit reopened in my stomach, begging to be fed by anything. Any drop of blood, mine or others, would be better than experiencing this miserable anxiety as he walks back and forth on the dune, hooks in his hand to tame the sandworm.

I closed my eyes, trying to channel any ability the Water of Life gave me. Any ability I had left. It'd been wavering every day, leaving me a little more empty as the sun rises and falls. My attempts, just like Stilgar's, were proven futile when I was instead met with a stabbing headache.

No matter what I did, I lost the little ability I had left to see into the future as the fear settled in: without the ability to see into the future, I had no control over it.

Nor did I have any control over whether or not Paul survived this riding attempt.

The worm broke through the dune, sand crashing down as he fell on top of it. His screaming was left unheard over the crumbling of the sand. The hooks he was holding faded out of existence as the sand swallowed him whole.

I couldn't look.

I buried my face in my knees, hugging them as if it would ease the pounding in my heart. "Please don't be dead," I whispered to myself as if he could hear it. "Please.."

It felt nice there. Sounds were somewhat muffled and nobody bothered me. I could recollect myself, take the deep breaths that drew the line between exhaustion and exhilaration.

Until someone nudged me.

"Look, Elaine," Chani calls me, pointing at the trail the sandworm was leaving.

I opened my eyes and saw the sandworm slowly rise with a figure on it that looked small compared to the size of Shai-Hulud.

It was him.