บท 56: CHapter 47-The Preacher!
Chapter 47
LADY MARGOT FENRING
Arrakis had changed greatly, with the planet obtaining its freedom and enormous wealth flowing into the planet, the city of Arrakeen was bustling with activity. People of all races from all parts of the galaxy thronged to the proverbial capital of the city, hoping to take part in its prosperity.
However, her own purpose for moving around the streets was different. The Emperor had only granted her a week, one week to locate and make terms with this so-called 'Preacher.' She had scoured through the texts and legends, as mentioned by Lady Jessica, and had an inkling about which tale she was talking about in her cryptic message.
It was the tale of Jacurutu, a folktale from ancient times in which a Fremen tribe slaughtered another tribe for their water, committing what was considered in Fremen tradition the greatest crime.
And so, the legends told that all of the Fremen tribe gathered and slaughtered the criminal tribe, and Jacurutu was the name of the sietch of that tribe, a thing often mentioned these days to scare young children to sleep.
Three days had passed already, and she had yet to gain a flicker of information about Jacurutu. Still, in her search, she had gained a rather curious piece of information about a man who scoured the streets of Arrakeen late into the night, preaching or rather taunting those in the city as vile and ignorant curs for giving up on the true 'Messiah'.
He spoke against the Emperor. He spoke of Freedom, of lush green fields, and of the promised Jihaad, calling the Emperor a false Prophet. And yet none paid him any heed, the Emperor too beloved on Arrakis, and this recreant preacher was met only with disdain and disinterest.
And so, as the skis darkened, and the black cloak of darkness shrouded the city, she left the castle, taking to the streets herself as she tried to make contact with this man, believing him to be the person Lady Jessica had spoken of.
And as she moved through the streets, she heard it first.
"You have been misled. The promised one still awaits, waiting for you to reignite your belief," the voice said into the street as her steps hastened. She turned towards the street from where the voice was coming from.
"And he shall grant you lush green fields overflowing with fruits, and seeds, vegetables and flowers thought impossible to bloom in this sand," the voice continued cracking, as she saw a hunched figure traversing through the streets, his hunched figure covered by a decrepit cloak, rusted by sand and time.
"He shall not give you this water to drink but shall give you rivers and streams, of the sweetest waters and wines, and beautiful virgin wives to satiate your hunger. But you must rise up against this false pretender and return to the ways of the true savior," he added even, as none paid him any heed, their eyes moving past him as if he did not even exist. Yet, his voice continued to spread all around, making many scrunch up their noses at his words.
He called the Emperor a pretender and incited the people to rise up against him for the promise of a greater reward. Speaking of how their struggle will be supported by the 'true savior.'
And yet the guards were helpless against him, she had seen them miss him, walk past him even as they tried to contain him, and yet their eyes would refuse to see him, even as he walked right past them.
She watched him traverse the streets all night, following him even as none in the city paid him any heed. As he approached the city gates, she knew that this was her moment. And as she stepped forward, and opened her mouth, she was interrupted beforehand.
"I know why you have come to me, child of the 'Pillars,'" and she stilled at that title, which surprised her as a shiver ran down her spine.
"Are you the one they call the Preacher," she asked as the man turned to face her; his face remained obscured by the cloak, as a decrepit hand, one with thin, baggy skin and slight tremor, held a wooden stick.
"They call me many things. I care little for titles. I speak but the truth and care not for the pains and titles it brings me. Tell me, child, what do your 'pillars' want from a rambling old man," he asked, and she stepped forward.
"We need your aid, your help," she added, feeling that there was no sense in lying. That all her lies will be seen through and cut apart by the old man infront of her.
"I have no armies to offer you. No weapons to bring you your salvation, for I am but a messenger. An old soul speaking the truth," he began, and she sensed denial in his words, and as hope began to fade, he continued.
"And yet for the true believers, I offer a sanctuary, a safe haven for them to gather, one where the eyes of the pretender cannot see, his ears cannot hear, and his armies cannot come. That is what this old man can do, for know this child," he began, and suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he was right there, infront of her, touching her face with those decrepit hands of his as her body refused to move.
"In a world filled with lies, the truth is the greatest shelter."
And then he was gone, and as she was able to move away, she felt only a whisper.
"You will find me there, the place of tragedy so forgotten in reality, and yet so well known in the tales of children...."
And as if in a trance, she finished the whisper alongside him.
"...in the caves of Jacurutu..."
"...in the caves of Jacurutu"
0000
ALIA ATREIDES
Alia found herself sitting in the Emepror's solar once more face to face with Inzal, who sat there with his eyes closed, and yet even then she knew that the man infront of her saw more than anyone else in the entire galaxy.
"I ought to demand reparations from you for all the work you have made me do," she complained as the Emperor simply shrugged
"One would think that supporting you as the Duchess of Caladan payment enough," and she clicked her tongue.
"You are just like my parents, dumping all your responsibility on my poor young shoulders," she exaggerated, making herself small as Inzal chuckled.
"You and I, we aren't so young now, are we?" he added as he finally opened his eyes and leaned forward, the blue in his eyes glistening like a jewel, hiding in its depth the secrets of their whole world.
"That we are not," she acquitted, for only they and perhaps few others understood the burden of the thousand lives and the genetic memories. And even then, they had borne this burden ever since they were in the wombs, never able to really live and enjoy as a child would.
"I do really pity the girl," she spoke softly, looking out the window, scarcely aware of the game Inzal was playing and how he had spun his web so meticulously over the years, and now all his enemies had little choice but to get entangled into it.
"To be subjected to your schemes and plots, it is a fate I do not envy, especially for your enemies," she finished, and wasn't that the truth? Inzal Kazab Corrino came off as a genuine leader, a hero, and a great warrior who had won the throne through his martial prowess.
And while all that was not a lie, the true nature of Inzal Kazab Corrino was that of a scheme, a patient and elaborate schemer who was happy enough to wait for years, if not centuries, to shift the outcome of the battle by a few percentage points.
His campaign against the Ixians, the Bene Tleilaxu, and their allies was the second example of this. He had meticulously used propaganda to turn them into villains, cutting off their support and isolating them. And now, as they all lay completely helpless, he would spring a trap he had laid a decade ago and decimate them all with one final sweep.
"Has she made contact with him?" she asked. It was taboo to even mention him like this, and the thinning of his lips was the only indication of his displeasure at the mention of that person.
"She has," and yet he answered her.
"Will she take the bait?" she asked, and he shrugged.
"If they wish to survive, they have no choice but to take the offer," he said and wasn't that the irony? Inzal's trap lay hidden in the very hope of salvation, the last straw for their survival.
"Soon, this all will come to an end," she said, and finally, the war that had enveloped the Imperium for a decade would end, completing Inzal's hold over the Empire.
"Yes. Soon it will end, and then you can easily publicize your scandalous affair with Duncan Idaho," and she should have expected that. She should have, as she slowly looked at his smirking face as she deflated.
"You know?" she asked, and he shrugged.
"I do," he replied with a smirk.
"And do you think it right of me to love him?" she asked, for he was the only one she could seek advice from. The only one who could understand her. And he smiled softly.
"You should do whatever you feel like doing and love whomever you feel like loving. All I can tell you is that no matter what happens, I will always have your back. " She smiled as she looked down.
"Thank you for this and for everything," for she knew that without him, her life would be much harder.
And yet, with him here, it was as if she had someone she could confide in without the fear of being judged.
'Perhaps this was what having a brother felt like.'
0000
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I just watched the new trailer for Dune Prophecy, and let's say I am hyped for the show. HBO is maxing out, putting out one banger after another. First, the Penguin—man, I love that show. It's superb and awesome, and then the next Dune series looks just as good.Quote
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