The Cruel

22

Mara stood by Paul. They weren't on the best terms yet. Haven't said a word to each other but Mara only played nice due to Irulan being in the room. Had she not been in the room, Mara would rip his head off and wave it around like a trophy.

Mara thought about it. She could. No one would dare to try and stop her. Fear is anything she saw in a persons eyes.

She saw in her brothers, mothers, even Gurneys eyes. The fear and anger in their eyes against her. She didn't know how to react to it. Should she be mad? Should she try and make it better?

Yet she didn't think about it much. She saw how Irulan and Paul had gotten close. Even Chani and Irulan were close now. Mara thought Paul was doing this to spite her.

Yet she saw how Irulan had her hand over her stomach. Her small swollen belly that was filled with Paul's seed. How Chani held her other hand and was close. To close for Mara's liking. How her brother had looked at Irulan and Chani with warm eyes. Mara looked away as she looked at the traitor before her stand trial.

A Fremen that tried to kill Chani and Irulan. Paul was angry but Mara was more angry. Mara had caught the man in the act. Mara had beat him bloody until another Fremen soldier pulled her away. Irulan had always known Mara was violent but had never seen it in true form. She was scared of Mara for the first time.

Mara controlled her anger very slightly. It took everything in her power to not kill the traitor. But his bruised face was enough to have Mara feeling all giddy inside.

"You stand trial before The Lisan al Gaib, The Cruel, and his wives."

Paul stood tall as Mara was at his left and Irulan and Chani were on his right. Irulan glanced at Mara and saw her cold stone face looking at the traitor. She saw the anger yet it was comforting.

Irulan had drifted away from Mara and drifted more towards Paul. Why shouldn't she? He was her husband. Mara was her little sister. Why would Mara be so upset for something that was bound to happen?

Irulan was never hers. She was a child and Irulan was a woman. Paul was a man. Mara was just a girl. A killer, sure but that doesn't mean that Irulan wouldn't have left her for her brother.

"I don't regret anything. Those whores deserve it! They make our leader weak, he isn't the Lisan Al Gaib-"

The traitor was cut off by Mara sneaking around him and spilling out his guts. Irulan and Chani looked away, Paul moved so he was in front of them.

"You talk too much."

Mara said as she giggled at the man who tried to grab his own guts to try and put them back in his body. It was no use as he was already dead the moment he tried to hurt Irulan.

Mara tilted her head as she sighed. She looked disappointed. Paul had never let her go to battle anymore. Only to be around him as his body guard. As if Gurney wasn't his right hand man.

She hasn't felt this rush of excitement in a while. She craved for more but knew it would be months until she would be able to kill someone.

She huffed as she looked at Paul. She looked a bit annoyed. She rolled her eyes. Why did she always do the killing when Paul was capable of doing it.

She was silent again as she saw how Irulan held Chani's hand. How long had it been since Mara and Irulan held hands? 5 months? To Mara it felt like years. She looked away from them.

"I'll be in my room."

She uttered out as she walked over the dead corpse. The 3 lovers saw how the younger girl held herself with pride. Or she tried to but now it was just falling apart. She was slowly breaking.