The Mistress of Caladan

Part 4

Leto had never truly contemplated what happiness meant to him in life before Genna. He had fond memories of his childhood, and some memories not so fond. He felt sadness when he thought about the family he had lost, especially his father, and he felt proud when he thought of all that he had done to continue his family's legacy -- but he had never spent much time actively pursuing 'happiness' or whatever it meant until that night he stumbled upon Genna alone in the emperor's library. For several months now though, he often found himself up late at night watching her and their infant son sleeping soundly between them, and he began to understand the sensation. 

His heart constricted at the sight of them, his hands ached to reach out and stroke their faces but resisted lest he wake them. He smiled as he watched the slow rise and fall of their chests, Demetri's now chubby arms outstretched towards Leto as though inviting him to join his wife and son, but for now he was content to watch them by moonlight.

At last, he reached out his arm to stroke his son's cheek, then Genna's as well. Demetri didn't stir, but Genna's eyes fluttered open, her mouth curving into a sleepy smile as she extended a hand to him, their son asleep between them, and he took her hand and squeezed, kissing the back of it as he had so many times before, and closed his eyes before he drifted off, completely at peace in that moment.

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Time passed and Demetri grew. His small, frail limbs plumped up more every week as his appetite increased. Genna nursed him herself, allowing the female servants to take turns watching him while she slept after particularly long nights. His dark hair grew quickly too, beginning to curl even before the spring. Leto took an active role with him, carrying his infant cradled in his arms down to morning drills and letting the men see whom they were fighting for. An heir had been produced, the line would continue, and the Atreides dynasty would increase.

For his part, Demetri enjoyed every moment spent with Leto. In the mornings he would wake first, batting at his father's face from his place in Genna's arms until Leto woke with a smile, extricating his son carefully from Genna so she could sleep a bit longer. It seemed like in the blink of an eye he went from rolling to crawling, crawling to standing, standing to walking, and from walking, a very quick transition to running.

The castle delighted in Demetri almost as much as his parents. Every servant doted on him with their attention and anything else he could wish for. Once the babe could walk, Duncan gave him a stick to practice sword fighting with him on the mornings Leto brought him down. Thufir would set the lad on his knee and feed him sweets which he never seemed to run in short supply of. Even Gurney found himself under the youngster's thrall. Demetri would sometimes see the warmaster while being carried by Leto and lunge for Gurney's familiar face, his palm touching the cheek with the scar with a curious expression until he tired of staring and batted at Gurney's face playfully. Then they would both laugh while Gurney took over from Leto, carrying the boy on his shoulders as they walked on.

At night Genna would nurse him before bed and fall asleep with his hand curled around hers. When Leto was home she would wait until Demetri was asleep before summoning one of the female servants to take him temporarily, allowing her and Leto their time alone together.

It was the day before Genna's 20th birthday, one night in late summer, when, after Leto's return from a weeklong training mission with his men on the Eastern continent, they retired to bed alone. Genna always welcomed him home enthusiastically, and tonight was no different. Leto had missed her and Demetri terribly, and the company of hundreds of soldiers was no substitute for the sweetness of her arms and the pleasure of her body. It was soon after they peeled their sticky skin apart to snuggle in the cool sheets that Genna told him she had missed her cycle again.