𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒, dune [1] ( BEING RE-WRITTEN.. )

[ 03 ] The Origin of a Lost Soul

"My cousin, Mileena Gentry, had the mind of an old woman."
- FROM "GENTRY GLORY"
BY THE PRINCESS IRUL AN

MILEENA CONCEALED her breathing so well you'd think she was dead.

Just an hour or two ago Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam landed on Caladan along with her sisters. Foolishly curious, Mileena traveled outside her dormitory to observe. She thought Mohiam was filling in for Mileena's reverence and giving her the green light to depart from Caladan.

Instead she was met with old news. The Gom Jabbar. Mileena Gentry was aware of who Paul was-a potential Kwisatz Haderach. But with an assassination planned on the Atreides she expected Paul to off the Bene Gesserit map. Her expectations were held too high, she guessed.

Reverend Mother Mohiam noticed the eavesdropping girl. Swiftly Mileena hid in her dormitory. She hoped Mohiam would walk right past her chambers thinking it was empty. She could say her plan was a semi-success with the help of Emelina Wei.

Mileena laid on her side with widened eyes. She exhaled loudly out of breath. "You got lucky, get up!" Emelina's voice was laced with venom as she rummaged through her daughter's closet. Mileena sat up and stretched her neck backwards.

"What's going on? Why should Paul be tested with the Gom Jabbar? Answer me!" Mileena whined like a child. Emelina pulled out a Bene Gesserit uniform. She threw it on the bed in silence.

"Take that off." She stared at the silver house ring her daughter wore. Mileena twisted the ring three times before planting it on her nightstand. "You have five minutes." Which meant she had four. Two to get dressed, two to meet with Paul.

Mileena rushed to put on her dress. It was a long black turtleneck with longsleeves. She wore lace black veil; on top of that was the hood attached to her dress.

Paul already was headed to the library Mohiam commanded him to meet her at. Mileena harshly pulled his shoulder back. Paul whipped around with a crazed look. Seeing her was something he didn't expect. The two teens had been distant from each other since the ceremony.

Paul took note of her dilated pupils. All ill feelings they held towards each other were gone and replaced with worried. "Millie?" Calmness washed over Mileena hearing the sweet nickname. Mileena let out a shaky breath, she placed a hand on his chest. "Paul-" She began. She was interrupted by the lady Jessica. Five minutes. Her time was up.

Paul looked back and forth; Mileena reluctantly sent him off disregarding what she had to say. She placed both of her hands on the back of her neck, recited the Bene Gesserit litany. 'I must not fear.'

Bene Gesserit bumped her shoulders as they passed, helping Jessica guard the door. The Bene Gesserit's respect had to be earned, even by someone of the Corrino bloodline. So Mileena was given no special privileges. 'Fear is the mindkiller.'

Paul entered the library. In that moment all of Mileena's training went to waste. Tears flooded her eyes and sobs sore her throat. The girl couldn't bear to look up, hearing a shivering Jessica. 'Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.'

Memories of Paul haunted Mileena; training rooms, his chambers, the duke's office, and the living room fireplace. All places where she shared great memories with the boy.

The training rooms, they competed with eachother. His chambers, they studied Arrakis. The duke's office they shared a good laugh over 'dad' jokes. The living room, they sat on the ground near the fireplace teaching eachother different languages. Those times could become a memory quickly if the boy didn't pass the Gom Jabbar test.

Mileena remembered her limited time on Wallach IX like it was yesterday. Especially the Gom Jabbar. It starts off with a prickly feeling in your hand, almost like frostbite. But then it gradually gets worse. It burns, like hell, like you're drowning in a pit of fire. It was cruel, sifting humans seemed wrong, but you had no choice if you were cursed with the genetics of a Bene Gesserit.

Why couldn't Mileena move? She should be guarding her lover's door as the other bene gesserit did. Mileena imagined the Caladan sea. All the times she went swimming, all the times she dipped her feet, anything to calm herself. 'I will face my fear.'

The creak of a door awoke her senses. Her forbidden connection she once felt with Paul was gone. She thought the worse as she hid her face in her palms. 'I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn my inner eye to see its path.'

She couldn't feel him the old him. As the door once again open Paul Atreides came out. His aura different from the last time he went in. Paul met eyes with Mileena, his eyes had grown cold. Colder than the first time they met, something was off, different.

Paul couldn't believe what just happened. Let alone the fact every living Bene Gesserit had to go through that. He saw everything different after that small encounter. Mileena pushed past the other Bene Gesserit as they followed behind Mohiam. She held both her hands out grabbing Paul's. In truth she was proud of the boy, "Perhaps you are the Kwisatz Haderach." She let her thoughts come out aloud.

"An animal? Is that how saw me all this time?" Paul erupted the quiet place with a yell. If this test proved he was human, how did Mileena view him before this?

"Anything but, Paul!" Her voice sounded desperate. "You are human." She reassured. Paul pressed his tongue against his lower cheek. He harshly threw Mileena's hands aside and brushed past her shoulder.

'Only I will remain.'

stakedheart notes.
I promise my writing
gets better during the
move to Arrakis!
• I hate proof reading,
i'll do it later