They say where one goes, the other follows.
In the sprawling expanse of the cosmos, Paul Atreides and Seraphina Sylvane are bound together by an unbreakable tether. Despite the light years and planetary divides throughout the Known Universe, their...
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"You almost died out there!"
Seraphina Sylvane's fingers absently tinkered with the paracompass that Dr. Kynes had given her. Her mind replayed the harrowing events over and over, images flashing before her eyes like a cruel slideshow. She had been mere seconds away from death, the terrifying sight of the colossal Shai Hulud rising from the sands and almost consuming her whole sending shivers down her spine. Her silver-blonde hair fell in loose waves around her face as she hugged her knees closer to her chest, the paracompass lying forgotten on her bed. Her fingers drummed a restless rhythm on its metal surface, the only sound her mind took in.
"Stepping out of the thopter like that!"
Seraphina's eyes flicked towards the connecting door of her chamber. On the other side, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, were likely deep in conversation. Seraphina longed to be with Paul, to feel his comforting presence. Instead, she had been whisked away by her own mother, Lysandra, whose fury had known no bounds upon hearing what had transpired. Their hands had been torn apart in the chaos, Lysandra's iron grip pulling her daughter away from the brink of what could have been a comforting embrace with Paul.
"What were you thinking?!"
Lysandra's furious voice finally penetrated the fog of Seraphina's mind. Her tired, forest-green eyes lifted to meet her mother's blazing orbs. The sharpness in Lysandra's tone cut through the air, making Seraphina wince with a mix of guilt and embarrassment. She was painfully aware that Paul's room was just on the other side of the thin wall, and anyone within could easily hear Lysandra's scolding.
"Seraphina, are you listening to me?!"
"I'm sorry," Seraphina murmured, her gaze dropping back to the paracompass. She felt small and vulnerable, her usual confidence shattered by the close brush with death and her mother's relentless anger. The tension in the room was palpable, an oppressive weight that seemed to crush the air from her lungs.
"Sorry isn't good enough!" Lysandra snapped, pacing the room with a ferocity that matched the storm in her eyes. "You could have been killed! Do you have any idea what that would mean? To me? To our house?"
Seraphina's mind was a whirl of conflicting emotions. She understood her mother's fear and anger, but the overwhelming terror she had felt in the sands still gripped her heart. She tried to push the images away-the gaping maw of the sandworm, the roar of the shifting dunes, and the overwhelming power she felt as she was one second away from throwing away her humanity-but they lingered, haunting her.
"I didn't mean to," Seraphina whispered, her voice trembling. "I just... I wanted to help. Everything just happened so fast a-and I can't leave someone behind."
"Help?" Lysandra's voice softened slightly, but her anger was still evident. "Help by throwing your life away? You have a responsibility, Seraphina. To me, to our family, to Verdantia. You can't afford to be reckless. Have you forgotten your promise to your father? Don't you want to come back to him?!"
