𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐧 ⁀➴ paul atreides

51 ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ a nightmare's metaphor

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌓 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

fifty-one

'How scary it is... to drown in a place with no water.'

─── ･ ｡ﾟ⟡ 🌓 ⟡ ˚｡ ･ ───

PAUL

Over time, everything begins to change.

(Y/N) and I become one with the Fremen. We are taken on missions, learn how to use their weapons and spyglasses, slowly taking down the Harkonnen ships and harvesters that threaten Arrakis.

Every explosion was like a small fire that burned out around the largest log in the pit. Slowly but surely, they all fell. Every night, a smile was born and came to be on my wife's face. We were succeeding. Succeeding in this marriage and our new lives as Atreides. She was perfect.

Over time, I noticed her eyes change. They became more blue. Melange-drunk blue. It accentuated her hair, her features, everything.

If I could go back in time to before our marriage and tell my younger self that she was the one. . . I would've.

Because she was.

She is.

Her form just stood there, bathed in sunlight. Everything else was drowned out and it felt like I had tunnel vision. Solely focused on the woman I loved.

Then, my view expanded. My heart suddenly stopped, but I felt like I couldn't clutch my chest. The Fremen were dying. They looked weak. Pale and sick with something, but they never mentioned disease.

I looked up, only to find the woman I was staring at was disappearing, flashing into two people, consistently contorting and morphing into someone else. I couldn't see their face. I couldn't see her face.

Something was wrong; I knew it was. Why were there bodies?

Everything felt like it was caving in on me. I felt alone. I felt like this was. . . No.

No. No, no, no...

I tried to force myself to wake up, to end this nightmare--this, this vision. The people were dying; I couldn't have that happen.

Please... don't let her be one of them.

Wake up.

Wake up.

I thought I heard a whisper, suddenly startling awake. A hand went to my shoulder, bringing me back to the present as my head whipped back. I was only met with the concerned expression of my wife.

"Hey, hey," she whispered. "It's okay. It's okay."

My hand went to her cheek, thumb stroking the soft warmth of her skin as she murmured, "I'm right here."

I let out a sigh I didn't know I was holding back, leaning down and moving closer to her, an arm draped over her body. Our foreheads pressed together as her hand cupped my face.

"It's been a while since one of us had these nightmares," she mused, concern once more etching itself into her expression.

"Mm."

"What happened?" she murmured as I sat up, vision still blurry, but I could make out her face.

"Nothing's clear, it's only fragments," I said. "I'm in the South, and I'm following someone. And it triggers a holy war. Millions and millions of people starving to death... because of me."

I took a breath, trying to clear the remaining reminders as (Y/N) frowned. "We've been exposed to spice for a long time. It can create weird dreams."

I looked back at her as she sat up, her arms wrapping around me from behind as her head rested on my shoulder. My body melted into her touch as she murmured, "It's a big day. We can ask Stilgar to call it off."

"No. I'm fine," I murmured as I shook my head.

I was. I was fine.