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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For the first time after enduring a hellish nightmare, Seraphina Sylvane finally felt at home. His arms wrapped around her so tightly that her injuries faded into insignificance. His warmth and trembling body against hers confirmed his presence, alive and breathing. The facade she had maintained to survive crumbled as she let herself go, silently crying against his shoulder. The weight of her recent traumas, the horrors she had witnessed and the losses she had endured, fell over her once more, but this time Paul was there. She shamelessly leaned into the comfort that only he could provide.
Paul Atreides couldn't believe it either. He felt her trembling as she fought back sobs. Seeing her, a wave of relief washed over him, but the sight of her, bloodied and injured, tore at him. He had always dreamt of this moment, of holding her close. Now she was here, alive and breathing. His Seraphina.
"You're okay," Paul murmured, his voice trembling more on reassuring himself. His hands moved frantically over her back, her arms, anywhere, just to assure himself she was real, that this wasn't a dream. "Stars, you're okay."
He pulled back to see her face, worn and tired. Releasing a shaky breath, he began to give frantic and desperate kisses on her face, her forehead, her brows furrowed in pain, her nose, her cheeks. Each kiss was an apology—for his failure, for the agony she had endured alone.
Seraphina held his face, her eyes searching his as if unable to believe he was truly there. "I-I thought you were s-still lost. You and Lady Jessica..." She sniffled, managing a shaky smile. "T-They s-said..."
"Duncan found me. Mom's okay too," Paul reassured her, pressing his forehead against hers and shaking his head.
Seraphina released a long sigh, then Paul noticed she was alone. "Your mother...?" he asked, almost regretting it when he saw her composure shatter after that question. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. She tried to speak but her voice doesn't seem to come out. Paul felt his heart shatter at the sight. "Baby... I'm so sorry."
Paul could see she was barely holding on, her lips quivering on the brink of a breakdown. It was a sight he knew well for Seraphina wasn't the one who holds back her emotions. He had always been the one to comfort her, back when she was a crybaby when they were children and he was the level-headed one, there to console her after she tripped and fell face first during their childhood games.
Noticing the eyes around them, Paul swiftly lifted Seraphina's trembling body. She felt so light, a stark reminder of how much weight she had lost, making Paul's jaw clench with anger and sorrow. The Fremen around them stared, especially a man who had accompanied her earlier. Paul shot him a cold piercing glare, a warning to stay back. The man, however, merely snorted, raising a brow and lifting his hands in mock surrender.
Paul carried Seraphina into the research station. Dr. Kynes who looked shocked finally snapped out her reverie as she nodded and lead Paul back inside.
