The Cruel

17

Mara had been distant with her biological family. She hadn't talked to her mother or brother since that dinner. She had stayed close to Irulan. Mara didn't care for the nasty rumors about her crying.

She didn't mind it. She didn't care for it as it only fueled her anger towards Fremen more.

Mara didn't understand why she hated them.

Was it because they stole her place? She believes everyone stole her place in this world. Everyone but Irulan.

Mara just stayed quiet during breakfast. Ignoring the stares given to her by everyone in the room. Irulan ate beside her.

Paul stared at Mara before looking down at his plate.

Once everyone finished eating, Paul kept staring at his sister. However Mara didn't look at him but rather looked at Irulans direction.

Paul saw how much Mara looked at Irulan for recognition and clarity. Mara stayed silent as she watched irulan continue to eat.

Once Irulan was done she looked up and smiled at Mara. Paul sighed as he looked at Chani. He looked at her swollen belly. He knew what would happen.

She would die. During her childbirth. It hurt Paul but he knew that it would have to take place in order for him to continue to get his destiny.

Paul looked up and saw it was only him, chani, his mother, irulan, Mara, and Alia in the room along with some high officials in the Fremen community.

Jessica stared at Irulan and Mara. She felt her heart be at peace knowing that Mara had caved into someone about her problems.

Jessica had Alia on her lap as Alia dreamt about something. Jessica hoped it was something good as she knows the younger girl is hated on by her brother and sister.

Paul tried to get along with Alia but Alia was still a baby. He could not find himself trying to get to know the baby as it bothered him.

While Mara hated Alia. A teenager hating an infant. Jessica found this sad but didn't say anything about it.

"Her child are false promises."

A Fremen spoke to another.

The whole room went silent as they stared at the man.

"Repeat that."

Paul said with an anger face.

Mara had went silent at she stared at the Fremen man. Her kind eyes went to dark ones. Her aura went from calm to pure anger. Irulan held her hand but Mara didn't hold hers.

After a few moments of silence, the man didn't dare to speak.

"He told you to do something. Your messiah told you to do something."

Mara's voice was full of anger and frustration.

Jessica and Paul saw it for the first time. What everyone talked about. They saw a side of Mara that they didn't want to.

They saw Mara "The Cruel."

"I said...this whores children are false promises."

Mara's eyes widened as the Fremen man grimaced as he spoke. Paul got up but Mara was quicker.

She stood behind the Fremen man. She grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the table. How each time the man would hit the table harder than the last. How he had broken half of his bones in his face. She did that 7 times. On the seventh time the man was barely recognizable. Everyone was silent.

Mara could tell that the man was on the brink of death. Yet that didn't bring her any satisfaction. That only made her angry. This man didn't deserve to die. Not yet.

"Apologize to my mother."

Mara forced the man to look her mother. Jessica looked mortified but tried to hide it as she covered Alia from seeing the gruesome scene.

The Fremen man tried to speak but his tongue was in pieces due to him biting it on accident every time he would get his face smashed into the table.

Paul had seen enough. He saw how Chani looked like she was going to puke. He stayed quiet before putting his palm up. Mara calmed down a bit as she let the man go. She walked back to Irulan, who was wiping Mara's hands with a white cloth to get the blood off.

Mara's scarred face was covered in blood on the man. She looked like she enjoyed it. She had. Everyone saw how her eyes lit up after she would smash his face in.

"That's enough."

Paul finally got up and grabbed a device that takes water out of a persons body. Paul put it in the man. The man tried to push it away but he couldn't. He let himself get killed.

Mara only watched with an unimpressed look. She would have preferred for the Fremen man to be killed.

She looked at her mother who was still looking at her. Jessica saw that even if Mara didn't say she cared or didn't show it, Mara would kill for them.

Mara looked away as she looked at Irulan. Irulan smiled at her. Irulan wasn't fazed by this. She knew that the younger girl had a temper when it came to those that she loved. She knew that she would never be put on Mara's bad side.

And that kept her at peace.

———

Word of what happened in that dining room got out. More rumors of Mara came to light. She wore her mask down a hallway. Some servants bowed to her and others were frightened to move. They all heard of it. They all understood why Mara got her name.

She was cruel.

Mara had a smiled under her mask. But no one could see it but her. She loved being feared. Especially by those who were already lower class.

Mara walked down different hallways. Until she went to a lake where no one was allowed to touch the water. It was sacred.

Mara knew that if her brother would truly want to become Emperor he would have to give up more water to the lake.

She knew that she would lead people into battle only for them to get murdered by her commands.

And she loved the idea.