Fire and Dust | Paul Atreides

I. The Revelation

A blood and sand soaked bundle.
Specks of sand and sparkles passing by my eyes.
Tears falling from cobalt eyes.
The muffled sobs of a woman.
The silent pulse of anger from a man.
A man with dark curly hair and sharp cheekbones. Blood coating his hands, still fresh and dripping.

"Rhaenerys, get up."

Rhaenerys groaned softly as her brows furrowed, only cracking her eyes upon a bit to adjust to the flick of light. She rubbed her left eye before shuffling to sit up. "Mother? What are you doing?"

"Get up, Rhaenerys. You need to get dressed," Lucille said sternly, walking over to Rhaenery's closet and shoving things aside. Though her tone cool, the slightest hint of anxiousness could be felt through the woman who birthed her. Rhaenerys looked towards her window, pulling the curtain back to see it was still dark out. "What are you doing? Why aren't you sleeping?" She asked her mother as Lucille put a black dress down on her bed.

"Get changed, now," she commanded. "The Reverend Mother is here...she wishes to see you." A cold chill struck Rhaenerys's entire body. The Reverend Mother, the last person she would want to see after being forced awake suddenly. She quickly got out of her bed, removing her nightgown as her mother turned away to give her some decency. "Why is she here?"

"I can't tell you, just hurry. I don't want to upset her," Lucille said. Rhaenerys quickly changed into the long sleeved black dress and put her hood over her head. She walked out with her mother into the eerily quiet halls of the Donaereon estate. The halls themselves weren't inherently terrifying, it was the deafening silence of them as she walked into a potential harm. She took deep breaths, thinking in her mind.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear.

"Down this hall, my dear," Lucille said. The nickname causing a pit of fear to form in Rhaenerys's gut. The last time Lucille Edrud ever referred to Rhaenerys as "my dear" was when she had went to Wallach IX for the Gom Jabbar. It was a necessity for all sisters to partake in the test. Lucille herself knowing the searing pain of the test from her past. One of the few times her mother attempted empathy. Just by the attempt at comforting her, Rhaenerys knew this meeting wouldn't be very cordial.

I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

As her and her mother neared the end of the hall, Rhaenerys saw a group of sisters standing near the door. They saw the two and dispersed to the side as Lucille took a deep, anxious breath. Lucille approached the door first, slowly opening them. Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam sat in one of the Sandirian chairs of the room. Rhaenerys felt a small sliver of relief upon seeing no Gom Jabbar box beside the Reverend Mother.

"Rhaenerys," Reverend Mother spoke loudly and clearly, almost commanding the very air Rhaenerys breathed. "Leave us, Lucille," she said sternly to her mother.

"You must do everything the Reverend Mother tells you, Rhaenerys," Lucille said in a rushed but quiet voice before rushing out and closing the door swiftly. Rhaenerys looking over to the Reverend Mother, not speaking a word. "Come forward," she commanded but used no Voice, allowing Rhaenerys a semblance of free will. Rhaenerys took calm steps forward, trying to hide her fear. "Mother," she said calmly, bowing out of respect. "May I ask?" Rhaenerys questioned. "No," she spoke bluntly.

"Sit," the Reverend mother said. Rhaenerys's mind went blank for a moment before she regained consciousness, her butt and back placed against the soft plush of the chair across from the Mother. "Has your mother informed of the reason of this visit?"

    "No," Rhaenerys said quietly but loud enough to be heard, her eyes on the floor. "I came to examine your progress. You are still young, malleable. You need guidance. Tell me, young Rhaenerys, have you been having any dreams of note?" Gaius Helen Mohiam asked.

    Rhaenerys swallowed harshly, "...I have." The Reverend Mother nodded, a silent notion to continue. "...a boy...on Arrakis I believe. He has dark hair and his eyes are completely blue, even the sclera. He has blood on his hands?" She said in quiet confusion. The Mother said nothing, just nodded. "...that's all I remember. They go by in flashes and it's hard to understand most of the time."

    "Have you had dreams of fire? Of something burning?" She asked. Rhaenerys's brows furrowed slightly, "of burning?" The Mother nodded. Rhaenerys thought for a moment. "Not tonight...but occasionally in the past. Again, it goes by so fast it's hard to piece together..."

    "Kneel," Reverend Mother spoke, causing Rhaenerys's body to move on its own. She kneeled before the mother, her eyes widened in shock and anxiety. "Hold out your palm and remain still," she said to which Rhaenerys was forced to comply.

    Rhaenerys watched in fear as the Reverend Mother pulled out a lighter. "Mother-."
"Silence." The Mother turned on the lighter and held it to Rhaenerys's right palm. She watched in forced silence as the flame licked her skin. She felt the sizzle and ache but was unable to express her pain vocally, only able to tear up and allow it to run down her cheeks.

    After a minute, the Reverend Mother snuffed the flame after she had burned her for what seemed like hours. Rhaenerys sighed shakily as she looked down at her palm. The skin was left free from char and not even reddened. It seemed to have been untouched. Gaius Helen Mohiam said nothing, only gesturing for Rhaenerys to stand. The girl quickly shuffled to her feet, staring at her palms in shock. "Surah Liishik," the Mother said.

    "What?" Rhaenerys questioned. "Leave me girl," the Mother said with a disregarding wave of her hand. Rhaenerys quickly rushed toward the door, taking the Reverend Mother immediately up on her demand. Upon opening the doors, the Mother called out. "Lucille, come," she said loudly. Lucille briefly looked at her daughter, her eyes sympathetic before she went in and closed the doors.

    Rhaenerys let out a large exhale, bending over and bracing her hands on her knees. She pushed her hood off, the white braid that rested behind her head falling over her shoulder. She took steading breaths for a moment before checking her palms once again. Still nothing. No burns, no char, and the pain has subsided. Her brows furrowed slightly and she released another sigh and stood up straight, seeing members of the sister hood staring her way.

    Even beneath their veils, she felt their prying and calculating eyes. After a moment, the flock of sisters walked off down the hall. "...freaks," Rhaenerys huffed. She contemplated for a moment before turning back toward the doors behind her. She stepped closer, leaning her ear to the door. Their voices were barely audible, the thickness of the door preventing anything from escaping.

    "She is free from the arrangement?" She heard her mother's voice ask a little louder than her other comments. The arrangement? She pressed harder to the door, trying to hear anything else. Rhaenerys was trying to determine more words spoken between them.

    "The Atreides will take her," she heard the voice of the Mother clearly. Her booming voice unmistakable. The Atreides? What do the Atreides need from her?

    "Please, Reverend Mother-,"
    "You have another daughter, don't beg. It's pathetic and unbecoming," Helen spoke sternly, leaving no room for a retort from Rhaenerys's mother. Rhaenerys's brows furrowed for a brief moment before she heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. She quickly stepped back and ran back down the halls toward her room.

—

    Lucille crumpled in on herself as she watched the Bene Gesserit aircraft depart. A hand clasped over her mouth as she briskly walked back into the estate. Tears frozen on her waterline as she made it past the threshold and into the hall that lead to the sleeping chambers. She ignored the shared chambers she had with the Archduke and ignored the chambers of her two other children. She was dead-set on only going to Rhaenerys.

    Once she reached the door, she slowly opened it. She saw her first daughter, laying peacefully on her bed. Her exhausted emotions must've brought her swift sleep. She had changed back into her nightgown and removed her long hair from its braid. Lucille quietly walked over and kneeled beside the bed, resting her arms on the side. "Oh dear girl," she whispered softly. "...I wished this could have waited longer."