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

[ 13 ] Chasity's Charity Case ( re-written )

      "The Fremen saw her as a jewel in the beginning, that was until the ancestors saw the greed behind her eyes."
  — FROM "COMING OF AITANA"
                     BY THE PRINCESS IRULAN

         THE FIGHTING had went on all day.

          Mileena sat on the ledge of a rock admiring the black smoke coming from the Arrakeen Palace. "M'lady!" Chasity walked out of the landed thropter. Mileena whipped her head around, stood up brushing her gloves off.

          "Elisabeth refuses to get up. She needs to put the stillsuit on now! Temperature will rise quick after a fight like this!" Chasity insisted. Mileena rushed inside the thropter. Emelina squated above a crying Elisabeth, her attempts to shush the fussy child failed repeatedly.

         "You should go let Chasity adjust your stillsuit, I got this." Mileena shooed her mother away. Without resistance Emelina went outside. Despite concealing it well the Duchess was just as exhausted as her two daughters.

         Mileena laid down on her side beside Elisabeth on the uncomfortable metal ground. "I want father!" The three year old rubbed her eyes full of salt. "I do too." Mileena forced Elisabeth's hands from her eyes wanting to look the girl in the face.

         "I want father but I have you, everytime I look at you I see him." It was true, Elisabeth was her father born again. From his personality to looks, it seems Emelina wasn't in the child making process. "But I won't be able to look at you much longer unless you put that on." Elisabeth stretched her neck towards where her sister pointed.

          "The journey we're about to take will be a rough one. But it's going to be worth it in the end. You know that Paradise I told you about, Edel?" Elisabeth nodded. "After gathering men we're going back there. And you'll be able to drink all the water and eat all the sweets you want." Mileena poked the middle of Elisabeth's chest.

          Elisabeth scrunched her body up with a giggle. "I'll put it on, just for you." Elisabeth sat up, traveled to the back of the ship. As her sister got dressed Mileena left, if she looked at Elisabeth much longer she'd cry.

          "Chasity! Go help her." Mileena looked down, eyes shut tightly not wanting to waste water.

           "How is he?" Mileena approached her mother who was standing looking at the view of still burning buildings.

          "He's dehydrated. He inhaled a lot of smoke." Emelina closed her eyes feelings the emotion and pain of her lover. "He thinks it's his last days, Mileena. We need to move fast."

          "I agree but Rome wasn't built in a day."

          "It fell in one." 'Classic negativity,' Mileena thought.

          "The Atreides fell, the Gentrys didn't. We're alive and breathing. My father is alive and breathing. Besides the Baron promised me."

           "Promise?"

           "It wasn't a promise- but if he says we're valuable he means it. He doesn't want to risk killing us now."

           "Now. What about then!" Emelina's voice could break through a bolder in that moment. Mileena was taken back.

           "We must go, your highnesses." Chasity urged, Elisabeth in her arms.

          "Let me carry her, you know the desert better than us." Mileena recommended. She didn't want to risk Chasity becoming exhausted in the slightest. Mileena stormed off from Emelina.

           The trio would travel for hours. When in desperate need of food or water they'd drink their sweat and put a mouse on a stick above a camp fire. Mileena thought the sand would never end. She thought her body wouldn't adapt to its unusual lack of water. But after a while you block out the thirst realizing that it was worth the survival.

           After a while Elisabeth couldn't take anymore. So she rested in the soft sand, probably inhaling more spice than she should've. "Can we drink now?" Emelina complained for the millionth time.

         "Oh please, drink your spit." Mileena snapped tired of the whining of her two family members which had went on for miles ago. A argument began to form between the two, interrupted by Chasity flicking her cheek making a water droplet like sound. Then there was a bird call in response.

          Mileena whipped her head around to Chasity, shoved her nails into the girl's arm dragging her back. "What do you think you're doing!" Mileena pulled at the collar of Chasity's stillsuit bringing the girl close to her face.

           Chasity trembled, "What you asked." She croaked looking to her right. Mileena followed Chasity's head and noticed an oval rock door being rolled open. 'How did she miss the engraving on the rock? How did she not notice how coincidentally big this rock was? Why didn't she knock to check if the rock was hollow?' Those things should've been pure sense since Chasity told her what to watch out for.

          "Sardaukar owner." One man popped up out nowhere accusing Mileena.

           "She's royal blood?" A intrigued woman popped up. They just kept coming and coming, surrounding the Gentrys. Eventually an elder came out of the sand, walking up to Mileena specifically and cupping her face. "Samae Wahid." Mileena heard the same nickname two nights ago.

           Mileena thought the face cupping was a touch of affection but the woman planted a harsh slap on her face in the speed of light. Mileena fell to the ground, already weak she struggled to get up. The Fremen began to corner the royals, forcing them to cramp through the door. Elisabeth dug her head into her mother's neck in fear.

            "False prophet!" The insults started; already waiting for the arrival of the Gentrys were thousands of Fremen. Old women, a reverend mother, children, men, soldiers; all swore at the family.

            "Gentry whore!"

            "Witch!" Their aggressiveness grew. They went so far as to wasting water, spitting in the faces of them.

             Before you knew it Emelina was to her knees. Mileena was surprised that Fremen could force such a woman like her to the ground. Mileena turned around, pushing through the expanding crowd of Fremen. She knelt beside Emelina, reluctantly pressing her head against hers. The two pressed their heads into each other, both trying to scooting away from the Fremen making them feel claustrophobic.

            "Mileena." Emelina's voice was hushed. Hiccups and soft sobs left her mouth. Mileena shushed her mother, she couldn't risk losing focus of her surroundings.

            "We're not out of the woods yet."

stakedheart notes.
cliffhanger 😉😉!
• re-written chapter as i couldn't stand
the "Elias is dead!"
• the slap on Mileena's face was meant
to parallel Paul's vision of Chani
stabbing him in the film 😉.

SPOILER ⬇️

• this re-written
chapter will tie into
the second book revealing
Elias's cause of death