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

[ 08 ] Hide and Seeker

"Mileena was a just another carbon copy, Aitana was her own person."
- FROM "MUAD'DIB: FAMILY COMMENTARIES"
BY THE PRINCESS IRULAN

ARRAKIS WAS a slap in the face.

Mileena's boredom was never ending. After servants spent hours setting up her room and picking out outfits for grand events, her day seemed to slowly come to an end.

She missed the feeling of adrenaline Caladan gave her. On Caladan there was something new to experience everyday, on Arrakis your options were limited.

Mileena stood resting her head on the skinny rectangle window cill. The windows in the Arrakeen palace were small to keep heat and sun out, Mileena disliked that deeply. She rather die of heat exhaustion than feel like a bird in a cage.

"Damn this veil. Chasity!" Mileena called out. Chasity who would room next door rushed to the royal's aid. "I know I told you to get some rest but this veil makes the heat worse- please- just take it off." She whined.

Chasity took the clips from Mileena's head, the veil blew off in a split second. "Thank you." Mileena grabbed an elastic from her nightstand as she stormed out her room.

Paul was right, an over thirty minute walk to the other side of the castle was exhausting. But it was worth curing her boredom. If Mileena could find Yueh, she could find Paul. Last she heard he was training with the boy. "Wellington." Mileena leaned on the door frame.

"Jessica just left."

"Where's Paul?" Mileena wanted their conversation swift. Yueh was on the assassination plan by choice not order. He disgusted her. Yueh closed his book and placed it back on a shelf. "Room next door, I sedated him after the lesson."

Mileena walked out the room in silence heading next door. She cracked the room door to see Paul lying on his side, he concealed his breathing well but you could hear slight pauses in it. "Nice try." Mileena shut the room door.

Paul sat up in defeat, "I knew it'd be difficult with you."

"You left the projector on. I know for a fact you'd never miss a lesson." Mileena hopped on the opposite side of the bed.

Paul rolled his eyes, "I want to venture into the villages. I told Yueh and he handed me these." He held up a stack of tapes.

"Was that before or after the sedative? Paul, you should be resting."

"You say that as if you didn't come around here for me to entertain you." He looked over.

'Smart aleck,' Mileena thought. "If you were asleep we wouldn't be having this conversation." Mileena snatched one of the tapes from Paul, "What are we watching now?" She read the piece of paper taped to the tape. 'Usage of Spice; Everyday Life.' Mileena thought the tape she held would be most useful if they found the time to venture into villages.

They needed to watch out for spice foods, it being in the air they breathed was more than enough. The spice tampered with everyone's brain, Mileena could tell it was Paul's mostly. Dilated pupils, mood swings, he had all the symptoms.

"Organisms." He stared intensely at the project. "Who knows, a bug under our nose could be the most dangerous." He proved the usefulness of the tape.

"I doubt we'd see a Kangaroo mouse in the Palace." Mileena pointed out as one appeared on the ground. Paul whipped his head to her, "You already know what they are?"

"You might be mostly brains but I don't need to be all brawn." Mileena had also studied Arrakis days before the confirmed move. The Kangaroo Mouse interested her most as such a small animal held significance. For Bene Gesserit sakes! It was in the literal moon of Arrakis.

"Go check it out, probably the closest you'll get to one." She cocked her head. A smile met Paul's lips as he stood above the 3D projection. "Incredible, it never gets old." Mileena mumbled as she observed the animal.

The hairs on her neck suddenly stood up as hot smoke blew on it. She looked out the corner of her eyes at Paul's shield, silently she grabbed it powering it on. 'It won't be of use to him over there anyway.' She reassured herself as the feeling of guilt crept up.

"Don't move." Mileena spoke through her teeth, her voice slightly panicked. Paul slowly shifted himself behind the projection. 'Hunter-seeker.' A highly dangerous form of technology, lethal when made contact with. Something so small yet so big of a predator.

The bot changed direction sensing Paul's small movement. It drove straight to his eyes. Mileena's palms began to sweat, what could she do that wasn't an act of suicide? The door on the other side of Paul's chambers opened. The bot went straight past Paul, heading for a housekeeper.

Mileena believed the housekeeper bought her enough time to kill it but Paul was much closer and faster. He crushed the bug like gadget. Opening his hand, "It's a hunter-seeker. The operator must be near by."

Mileena rushed behind Paul gripped his shoulder. "Paul, bathroom. Bathroom!" She guided him to the sink. They plugged the drain, doused the thing in water. "Now it's dead." Water was the only weapon that'd officially short the thing.

"Housekeeper!" Mileena walked back to the door.

"I owe him my life." The woman's voice was shaken.

"We don't have time for that. I want you to find the Duke and Hawat's men!" She ordered.

stakedheart notes.
another chapter I LOVE.