Chapter 18: Paul's conviction.
Within the bustling city of Arrakeen, Lady Jessica and Shadout Mapes found themselves in deep conversation. Lady Jessica, a woman of grace and enigma, cradled a blade in her hands. This Cryknife, with its otherworldly luminescence and unparalleled keenness, was a secret she guarded with her life. As she concealed it within her bodice, a sudden realization struck her-she had forgotten to inform Paul about his father's request.
Lady Jessica left the room and went to Paul's room, which was below the dining hall. As she approached his room, she met Dr. Yeuh, Duke Leto's physician.
The man stood outside the young master's room. He was lost in his thoughts and had forgotten about his surroundings. All he could think about, or should we say all that haunted him, were the pleas of his Bene Gesserit wife, Wanna.
My Wanna, I will get you back from those monsters. I will do anything for you, my love. I will deliver you from those Monsters. He thought to himself. In silence, his hands tightened into a full fist, making a tight grip, and his hands turned white. This was anger.
Will I really allow myself to become a traitor? How will my wife want to see me after she learns of what I did? Dr. Yeuh thought.
A voice behind him came to his ears. " Would it disturb Paul if I looked in on him?" Lady Jessica said.
"No, not at all. I gave him a sedative. He is taking the change well, certainly better than the rest of us. I envy that about him. Dr. Yueh said. " Except for getting a bit overtired. He is excited, but what fifteen-year-old wouldn't under these circumstances?" a smile came to the Doctor's face.
Then he saw the look Lady Jessica gave her son as she looked at him sprawled there sleeping, or so she thought. Why did my Wanna never give me children? Dr. Yeuh thought. And disturbing images appeared in his mind, one that he had created himself.
" The sky is so dark, " Jessica said. " That is partly because of the lack of moisture in the air," Dr. Yeuh said. " Water, "
"Water is the issue here. Water is scarce everywhere you look, and the Harkonnens have taken most of it. Moreover, the tools required to collect water have been destroyed, along with the carriers."
Jessica noted how Dr. Yeuh said the name Harkonnen. It was with anger when he said it. " my dear Wellington, the way you say Harkonnen, it Is with a ferocity that not even my husband uses, " Jessica said.
Dr. Yueh's mind was on the verge of breaking. He knew better than to lie to a Bene Gesserit, for they were too intelligent to be deceived. They were experts in the art of conspiracy and could easily detect when someone was lying. It would be futile to attempt to deceive them.
" You don't know, my wife, my Wanna." A lump formed in his throat as tears began to appear in his eyes.
" They, " Lady Jessica interrupted him and said, " Forgive me, Wellington, for opening old wounds." he nodded at her words, seeing an opening, a way out of telling the truth.
"I am sorry, I am unable to talk about it," Dr. Yueh said. He sighed with relief. He had almost revealed to Lady Jessica the truth about the extermination of the Atreides line and that he was one of the uncaught spies working for the Harkonnens.
He wanted to tell Jessica to run away from here, but he knew this would jeopardize the chances of his Wanna, who was held prisoner by the Harkonnens.
Jessica looked at Wellington and thought, " Those animals, it is evident that his wife was a Bene Gesserit. The signs are all over him. And it is obvious the Harkonnens killed her. Here is another poor victim bound to the Atreides by a charm of hate.
Dr. Yueh's wife was killed by the Harkonnens a long time ago. He knew the Harkonnens were not people who would spare someone's life. However, his unwavering belief that she was still alive fueled his determination to bring down the shields.
In the Doctor's mind, a plan was emerging for allowing the Harkonnens to enter the shield wall, and he had come up with one, though he would need to take action for it to prove effective.
Lady Jessica walked away from the doctor and left him In his thoughts. She saw her son asleep on his bed and thought she would send for Shadout Mapes to wake the boy later.
In Paul's room, you could see him wearing a loose white shirt and loose sweatpants on his bed. This allowed a lot of air to circulate in areas that were not so touched by air and were cool.
He had one eye open as he pretended to sleep. He looked around his room, and the room carried an air of excitement, he thought to himself. It was as if the room was meant to entice me.
At times, his training kicked in, and his observation took in more than most would. He saw the things his father did not see; when his father learned of his training, he said, " A Mentat duke would be a terrifying foe to play with. "
Paul stood from his bed and looked to the Filmbook, which was showing holographs of the stillsuit of the Fremen, the language they speak, and their culture. Paul walked to the nearby bookshelf and saw the O.C. bible he was given by Dr. Yeuh before they left Caladan.
Paul was about to return to his bed with the book in hand, but he froze immobility, which saved his life. A bug-like machine was flying in front of him—a Hunter-seeker. Every child of royal blood was told what kind of weapon it was and how to fight against them.
The hunter-seeker relied on motion to see, which meant that the one operating the thing was nearby. Paul remembered that he had the Bible in his hands. He threw it quickly and ran to move in the light of the filmbook. He stood there like a frozen duck. He breathed in slowly; he remembered his mother's training. It told him not to panic.
The hunter-seeker stood before him once again, detecting the last of his movement. Paul remembered how those who died by a Hunter-Seeker were left after. The machine would burrow in your skin and come out of your back, shredding muscle and nerve tissue.
Paul was about to make his move, and he thought, "If I am fast enough, then I can grab it. " but a knock came on his door; it was Shadout Mapes, and she had come to wake Paul for his father's strategy meeting.
"Noble born, The Duke Leto is calling for you in the hall," Mapes said. But she received no answer. " Noble born," she called once again. " I am coming in," she said, pushing in the door. The hunter seeker saw motion as soon as the doors were opened. It went to attack, but Paul sprung to it and caught it in his hands, tightly gripping it. He ran to the side of his room where a bowl of water stood on a table, and he drowned the bug, and it made sparks as it died.
He stood before the blue-eyed Fremen woman, and she was surprised. "It's a Hunter-seeker. The operator must be nearby. Call for my father and the guards. Tell them to search the palace," Paul said. She ran out of the room and immediately went to the Duke and told him of what had occurred.
Paul had never been this close to death. He breathed heavily, but he remembered his mother's training. Once the Duke had received the news, Hawat and his man sprang to action, searching for the operator. It wasn't long before a wall was broken in, and the operator found, but the man had killed himself not long after failing his mission. By the looks of his clothes, he was Harkonnen.
" M'lord, we found the operator, but he was dead; he killed himself," Hawat said. And the Duke did not make a sound. He was calm as he played with his ducal signet on his finger. He thought They tried to kill my son. They tried to kill my son
A rage brimmed inside the man; he wanted to throw the table upside down and take this war to Harkonnens, but he could not. With the Operator dead, he could not get answers, and without answers, he could not go around accusing.
This reminded him of when his second son Damon went missing; he could not go around accusing others of foul play. All he did was take it in.
Thufir Hawat stood before his Duke, and he felt worthless; he had served many dukes of the Atreides line, and at this point, he felt utterly useless for not being able to catch the one responsible for almost killing the young master.
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