Walking On Quicksand

Prologue

I OWN NOTHING!!!! The original characters are mine but that's it. I got inspired by this movie and I just wanted to write something fun.
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Entry from Lady Minerva's private journal

I often thought fate was unkind.

I once knew freedom in the deserts of Arrakis. While the desert isn't kind to the weak, I relished the vastness of it and the danger that dwelled beneath. It was a true wonder seeing Shai-Hulud rise from the dunes. However, the Outworlders were always nearby to ravage our lands and kill our people. The spice that is so sacred to us is seen as some object to sell and they will let nothing and no one stand in the way of that wealth.

I remember the Harkonnon coming from the sky and cutting down my Fremen brothers and sisters. It mattered not if they held a blade or a babe in their hands. The Harkonnon bought their blades down on them regardless. In the midst of the chaos, I remember feeling my brother's hand slip from mine as we ran to find safety. I only pray he was spared the Harkonnon blades or worse the chains of bondage like I did.

Some Harkonnon soldier thought I might be worth something and ripped me from my paradise and dragged me into the stars. I moved from planet to planet and given to many hands. But my final destination was unexpected. A Bene Gesserit witch saw me in the house of a minor lord she was visiting. I guess she saw some potential in me. Next I knew, I was at the school being trained in The Way.

Once I saw the power these women held at the mere command of their voices I knew I found the weapon to my revenge. I swore then I would master these witches' secrets and find my way back to my desert. With this power I would make the Harkonnon pay for the decades of misery brought on my people.

As time passed and my mastery of The Voice grew, I held hope I would be sent to Arrakis as a missionary but fate intervened again. The other students and I heard whispers of a scandal. The Reverend Mother gave specific orders to one of our sisters to bear only daughters for House Atreides. Instead a son was born. The Order was shocked and outraged to say the least. Alas where one sister failed, the Order was convinced another would succeed.

That someone turned out to be me.

At first I was devastated. My dream of seeing my desert and my people dimmed evermore. But I refused to succumb to my melancholy. Atreides was an enemy of Harkonnon. As they say, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". I accepted my orders graciously and left for the lush green planet.

The Duke wasn't what I thought he would be. He wasn't cruel or indifferent. On the contrary, he was honorable, kind, and charming. He did his best to make me feel welcome and comfortable in my new home. He introduced me to his most trusted advisors, gave me a personal tour of his ancestral home, shared private dinners with me to learn more about me, and introduced me to his son. Such warmth was more than I expected from this match. I knew that, while his heart belonged to Lady Jessica, I found a caring companion. When we discovered my daughter was growing inside me, he laughed with joy. Even Jessica celebrated the latest addition to the Atreides line. And little Paul, a toddler, clapped his hands in elation at the prospect of being an older brother.

When presented to the public. Leto proudly declared to all of Caladan in a great ceremony that a beautiful daughter was born to House Atreides and would be known to all as Lady Selene Atreides. A beautiful name to be sure. But I kept my Fremen heritage a secret even from the Bene Gesserit and I wanted to honor my people. So I quietly gave her a Fremen name. Something special to connect her to my desert and to keep close to her heart always.

As I watch her sleep even now in her cradle, I vowed to teach her everything I know. I will teach her The Way of the Bene Gesserit and the way of The Fremen. The Order wants to use her as some ransom for peace between Harkonnon and Atreides and that is something I won't allow. I will not surrender her to my enemies. I realize now the best way to protect this precious creature is to teach her how to protect herself. If she does that then maybe she'll see the great Shai-Hulud for herself.