The Cruel

19

Mara got ready in her room. She didn't wait for anyone to help her. She didn't want it. She wanted to get her home world back. Caladan.

The home where she grew up. How she could recall every memory that held in that castle. How she would play by the sand with Paul. How they learned to swim in the water, but Mara remembered it differently this time. Some parts were blurry.

She knew that she was slowly forgetting her memories on Caladan. She tried to remember her father's face but instead she would be met with a corpse. She had seen her father's corpse once.

The Emperor claimed it would give her closure. She thought it would too. But now she knows that the Emperor did that so Mara could be more reliant on them. More obedient. How dumb she was.

Mara shook her head she didn't have time to dwell on her past. She needed to go get her home back. If she had to slice some man's head off then so be it.

She got up and grabbed her mask. A mask that made men tremble in fear if they saw it on the battlefield. To see that mask was symbol that they already lost.

———

She was the airship. She didn't say goodbye to anyone. Not even Irulan. She stayed silent the entire trip to Caladan. Gurney was beside her. He's seen her on the battlefield and knew that she didn't like to be disturbed before battle. He had seen her tendencies to fight if disturbed.

He stayed silent. He could feel her aura getting stronger each time he saw her. He hated to look at her when she had her mask on. It made him feel ill. To know that the little girl he used to take care of was gone, replaced with a murder with a noticeable face scar.

The ship had stopped. It landed on Caladan. She stood up and look towards the door. She felt her anger built up. She took in deep and heavy breaths. She smiled underneath her mask.

Once the doors had opened she was met with a few hundred soldiers who were standing apposed to her army. She knew that they would be defeated. Her enemies knew it too.

She saw some of them debate whether or not to run but she would track them down like an animal.

She was silent as she walked on the terrain. It was the same. She saw the castle she grew up in not far from where she was standing. She saw the garden that she had built with her brother as a gift to their mother. But only Paul got praised for it.

Mara walked towards her enemies with a sword in hand. She felt herself clench to the sword as she sliced men in half. She let all her anger out in the field. It was a massacre. Some Fremen lives were lost but that didn't bother her. Why should it? She didn't know them.

"My lady, we've found the Lord that had been taking over this."

Gurney spoke with carefulness. He saw her eyes get darker even if that was possible. She was angry.

"Leave him to me."

Gurney nodded as he told Fremen orders. Mara sat on a rock not far by. She took her mask off slightly. She saw all of the bodies being burned. She noticed that some Fremen were astonished at the amount of water on this planet.

She felt bad for some of them. For others she couldn't care less.

———

She sat before the man that took her planet over. She felt angry as she scoffed at him. He was pathetic. Begging for his life and forgiveness.

"You can be forgiven."

Mara said in a sincere tone. The man smiled at her with gratitude.

"If you kill your wife."

Mara looked at his wife. A Bene Gesserit. The man without thinking pulled out his blade to try and harm his wife. She stayed calm. Fear was the mind killer.

Mara put her hand up as some Fremen pulled him back. Mara look disappointed in him.

"Wrong choice. Now for this I will make an example out of you."

Mara said softly as she made sure that all of those Fremen could see.

She stabbed his neck multiple times. To the point where his wife looked away. She only stopped when she heard a soft child cries. She turned to the child. Had the child watched? That made Mara have a grin on her face.

Everyone saw how Mara truly had lost it.

Mara giggled as she wiped the blood away from her hands.

"Tell my brother that i've claimed what's rightfully ours."

She told Gurney as he nodded. She took a stroll around the castle without care.

———

She smiled as she looked at all of the hallways. She saw a painting of her father was still up. It was nailed all the way into it. She looked at his portrait. For the first time in a while she had remembered his face. She looked at it for what felt like hours.

That was until she felt someone next to her. She looked down and saw it was her mother. Paul was a bit behind.

They stared at Mara but Mara looked away from them as she stared more at the portrait.

"I forgot what he looked like. I could only remember his corpse."

Mara spoke tentatively. Paul eyebrows quirked.

"You saw his corpse?"

"Yes I did. The Emperor showed me it. He said for closure yet now I believe it was for me to be more obedient."

Mara mumbled as she stared at the portrait still. Her eyes fixated on it. Jessica felt her heart break slightly. She didn't know that her first daughter had seen her father's corpse.

"Where was he buried."

Jessica asked with hesitation. She didn't want to know yet she had to know where her lover was buried.

"He wasn't."

"What do you speak of?"

"They burned him. I saw it with my own eyes. There was nothing left to bury."

Mara said as she looked angry.

Jessica turned away as she looked somewhere else. Paul felt his heart beating faster. He knew that was a possibility. He felt his eyes get narrow as he twitched his finger.

I'll kill them all for you father.

Mara and Paul thought. Paul stared at his mother who looked crushed. Mara stared at her father's portrait.