back to you | paul atreides

fifteen

"You don't have to do this, Ophelia." Duke Leto said.

Lady Jessica nodded in agreement. "Marriage won't matter to the Harkonnens. Please, save your dignity darling."

She was right in saying I'd be losing my dignity by marrying Feyd-Rautha, but it had to be done. I knew it. He told me about their affairs with the Bene Gesserit and the influence they held. This was something. I knew my actions had to mean something in the politics of it all.

My dad watched me with sad eyes, his arms crossed. "I don't want you to go."

I looked over at him. From the moment I told him I was leaving he was persistent on either going with me or containing me in Arrakis. Ultimately, I was my own person and he was no longer able to make those choices to me, but it broke my heart to see my father in so much pain. I knew I was hurting him by leaving him, his only family.

"You can always visit. I can always visit." I told him and opened my arms to hug him. He held me tightly.

"I wish I didn't have to visit." He grumbled, but I was glad to know he had started to accept my decision.

"You can't wait another week?" Lady Jessica asked me with a frown. I smiled sadly.

"No, I'm sorry My Lady." I told her as I accepted her embrace. I snuggled against her, enjoying the scent of her perfume. "The arrangements have been set for today."

I pulled away and turned my attention to the Duke who opened his arms to me as well. "I trust you know what's best for yourself, young lady."

I accepted his hug with a smile. Obviously no one was please with my decision to leave and marry a Harkonnen, but they had come to the realization that they can't stop me anymore, they can only say goodbye.

My eyes quickly scanned the room. Paul wasn't here to see me off. I didn't expect him to be, and I could never ask that of him after everything that happened between us yesterday. Still, his absence pulled at my heart strings.

Noticing my expression, Lady Jessica rubbed my shoulder gently. "He'll miss you. You know that."

Would he, though? Could he miss me when I've hurt him so badly?

"I'll be right back." I told them. "I forgot something in my room." 

I excused myself from their presence, but I hadn't forgotten anything. I could feel the tears tempting to let loose and I wasn't going to cry in front of them. I wasn't going to let them now his absence hurt me. I didn't deserve his presence.

I turned the corner of the corridor and jumped in surprise as I almost walked right into Paul. I stumbled back a bit, recovering from the impact before I realized who it was.

"I'm still mad at you." Was the first thing he said as a forewarning. "But I had to see you off."

I stared at him for a moment before instinctively I jumping into his arms and hugging him tight. Once I realized I had possibly invaded his personal space I quickly backed away.

"Sorry," I told him as I watched his awkward expression.

"It's fine." He answered curtly. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "Take this with you."

I accepted the gift into my palm. It was a small but very cute bracelet. It was two strings of thin black rope that wrapped around a singular grey rock which was held together at the centre of the bracelet.

"I love it." I told him as I slipped it on to my wrist.

"I have the same one." He raised his hand to show me. "Whenever one of us touches it, both of the pendents will light up. That's how you'll know whenever I'm thinking of you."

My eyes moved between the bracelet and his eyes. His face was void of emotion, or at least it was meant to be. Beneath his empty expression I could see the emotion.

Screw it, I thought to myself and I pulled him into a hug. Paul stiffened at first, but after a few moments he relented as he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly. My chest warmed.

"I'm going to miss you so much." I told him. I could feel the the tears pooling at the corner of my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

I pulled back to look at him. "You'll always be my number one, okay? Even if you don't believe me. I just wanted to you to know that."

He nodded, understanding. His tough exterior had started to crack and I could see his eyes were glassy. He didn't try to hide it anymore.

His expression darkened in pain. "I don't know who I am without you." He said in a low voice full of hurt. "And I don't want to be someone without you."

I sniffled and carefully wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. "You are someone without me." I laughed. "God, you don't need me. You're Paul Atreides. Your future has already been decided for you."

He looked down at me sadly. "You're part of my future, Lia. I don't see myself without you."

I frowned. "We have different destinies, Paul."

He shook his head. "Bullshit. We choose our own destinies, and I choose you. Over and over again. Always."

His words moved me. I had never been spoken to like that before, and I never knew I was deserving of that kind of devotion. I probably wasn't deserving of it. Not from Paul. Not after how I hurt him.

I met his eyes and moved forward into his arms slowly. He accepted me willingly, holding me tight.

"Come back to me." He whispered into my hair. "Please, I hope you come back to me."

I nodded against his shoulder. "I'll always make it back to you."

***

if you imagined ophelia to look like someone, who would it be? i'm not going to officially assign a cast or anything because i'm a firm believer in imagination but, but i have no idea who i would cast if i did. in my mind shes a small, powerful blur with brown hair lol. what do you guys think!

as always, i'd love to have some more people submit their covers! the ones i've received so far are beautiful so thank you to who have submitted already!! i think i am going to make the last day to submit the end of this monday (nov 15/21) do you guys think that's enough time for you?

as always lmk your thoughts!

with love,
via <3333