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Chapter Text

     Paul Atreides' feet dangle from his bed as he rests in slumber. The blanket was on his body's top half, but he had kicked it off his bottom half. He was a restless sleeper. This was because of strange dreams he would have. They were always changing, but most made him uncomfortable. This has been going on since he was a child, yet some of his dreams still shock him.

Outside of House Atreides, the sun was beginning to rise. It had been a cool night, causing drops of dew to form on the soft grass. The ocean water can be heard roaring against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, a high tide was coming in. Luckily the cliff House Atreides sat on was the highest on Caladan. Not only was it protected from water, it's protected from any kind of threat that may arise. Paul's father, Leto Atreides, had done all he could to keep his royal family safe. However, part of him knew nothing could be protected forever. Still, it was his duty to keep his family safe. And he would.

"Paul," a small voice whispered. "Paul." He feels a warm touch on his shoulder and his eyes shoot open. Looking up, he immediately relaxes when he sees it was just his mother. Paul readjusts himself from his crooked position and sits up. "Hm?" He makes a small, sleepy sound. "You slept in again. Your father and I have been waiting at the breakfast table for you." His mother tells him, running her hand through his curls. "Oh, sorry. I was-" Paul starts but his mother interrupts. "You were up late studying Arrakis and their people again, weren't you?" She asks with a sigh. Paul simply nods, looking away. "Come now, your food is getting cold." His mother says and leads him to the dining room.

Father, mother, and son sat side by side at the table and enjoyed their breakfast. Paul's father and mother finished theirs fairly quickly, while he took a bit longer than usual. "Not hungry?" Leto asked. Paul shrugs. His father and mother exchange a glance before Leto turns his attention back to his son. "Look, Paul, I know you want to come to Arrakis with me, but it's just too dangerous. You've never experienced desert conditions. I'm not going to risk it, you are far too important." He talks firmly. Paul, being a teenager, rolls his eyes at his father.

He pushes his plate away, which had a little over half of the food left. "You just don't trust me." He says, shaking his head. "It's not that, Paul, and you know that. We simply love you too much and are trying to protect you." His mother enters the conversation. "But you get to go." Paul defies. "You know why I have to go, Paul. Don't pull that." The mom replies. Paul grunts, "mother, father. Please. You both know how much I've been studying and preparing for this. I am ready. Please believe me." Paul says, practically begging his parents. The room goes silent for a few seconds as Leto looks at his son and ponders possibilities. "There is one thing we could try in order for him to prove himself ready." He finally lets out his thought. Paul's mother was quick to share her thought. "Are you insane!? That could get him killed!" She yells. "Calm down, Jessica. I believe in him. I believe he deserves a chance." Leto replies calmly and seriously.

Paul's lips swiftly form a smile, and he jumps up from his chair in a sudden burst of excitement. He had no idea what this thing he would have to do was, but he was happy to get to try nonetheless. Jessica sighs, standing as well and readjusting the long fabric of her dress. She didn't want to disappoint her son, but she couldn't help but worry about the possibility of him failing the test. "Very well, then. I'll take Paul to her." She tells Leto, and both mother and son walk the halls of the great House Atreides. While they walk a sinking feeling forms in the pit of Jessica's stomach. She hated this idea. At the same time she knew it needed to be done. "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear.." she says to herself in her mind as they approach the door.

Lady Jessica takes a final step forward, knocking on the large metal door. "Reverend Mother?" She calls out, and the door quickly flies open. As Paul enters the room, which was mysteriously dark and empty, a shiver runs down his spine. He was starting to feel not too sure about this. "Reverend Mother, my son, Paul, is ready to be tested." His mother tells the cloaked woman with a shaky voice. "How wonderful!" The lady croaks, "you may leave, lady Jessica. Guard the door for me." Jessica nods and leaves at once, the door closing behind her with a forceful slam.

"Come closer, boy. Don't be afraid." The lady shows off some of her crooked teeth. Paul cautiously proceeds forward, but stops just a few feet from where he should be. "CLOSER!" She yells, her voice suddenly becoming deeper than even his. He feels as if someone was behind him, as he is abruptly pushed forward. "KNEEL!" She yells in the deep voice again; Paul's legs seem to give way as he falls to his knees in front of her. The Reverend Mother takes a few moments to study Paul. She reaches out a shaky hand and places it on his cheek, her hand traveling around his facial features.

Paul, thinking that this was all the test was, goes to stand. He is quickly stopped when he feels an odd sensation against his neck. The Reverend Mother smirks as she points the gom jabbar directly at the boy's neck. "By your neck I hold a poison needle, in which will cause instant death at injection. The test is simple. Put your right hand in the box and keep it in there no matter what you feel. The second you remove your hand from the box, is the second you die." She tells him, still smirking. "What's in the box?" Paul asks, lifting up his right hand and beginning to slowly direct it towards the box. "You'll find out soon enough, my boy. Go on now." The lady grows impatient and pushes the needle a few inches closer to Paul's neck, making Paul waste no more time putting his hand in the box.

At first, there was just tingling. Almost as if electricity was running through Paul's hand. But it didn't hurt, it was just an unusual sensation. Paul looks the Reverend Mother in the eyes with confidence of passing the test, but it doesn't take him long to regret that. There was no light, no heat, yet.. it felt as if his hand was immersed in flames. Paul takes a quick breath to try and keep himself from reacting to the burning sensation on his skin. Soon, he feels as if his skin was being ripped off and the flames were entering his open wounds, making it feel like he had stuck his hand in a river of lava. Paul bites his lip, shaking his head and groaning through his throat. He wanted to remove his hand from the box. But he couldn't.

Now, the sensation he had in his right hand was that of an axe chopping off each of his fingers one by one before completely severing his hand. All of this while still burning, as well. Paul couldn't hold back anymore. He lets out a pained yell, which echoes throughout the room. "Quiet." The lady says, still holding the needle just centimeters from his neck. Paul breathes rapidly and scrunches his face in agony. He felt like crying, screaming, and mostly he felt like removing his hand from the box. However, he knew that any of those were not an option. The pain seems to reach its maximum level, and as it does Paul closes his eyes and holds back another scream, instead letting out another groan from his throat. Everything seems to go blank. All he can feel is pain, all he sees is darkness, and all he hears is the sound of his panting. He decides to focus on his breathing and nothing else. A few failed attempts pass, but he finally manages to get his breathing under control. Paul slowly opens his eyes and locks them with the lady's once more. His face was as still as stone. There were no emotions in his expression. He looked as if he could be dead.

"Enough!" The Reverend Mother yells after exhausting herself enough. The boy had passed. Paul swipes his hand out from the box and examines it; it was perfectly fine. He sighs in relief as the pain melts away and he realizes he's still alive, meaning he had passed the test. Lady Jessica runs in and immediately checks on her son, feeling just as relived to see him alive. "You pushed it too far." She tells the Reverend Mother sternly. The lady clicks her tongue, shaking her head. "Now, now. You and I both see the potential power in this young man. He needed to be tested to the limits." The Reverend Mother speaks. "What of him now?" Paul's mother asks. "He will go with you to Arrakis. You'll leave early tomorrow morning. I feel as if he will be needed there. No matter his fate, I feel he can make a difference to that rouge planet." The older lady responds before ushering her guests out from the eerie room.

Chapter Text

Paul Atreides walks behind his mother and father, following them to the Frigate hanger. He was wearing a black cloak, black boots, and gloves. His hair was greased back, keeping his curls from getting in his face, and looking more proper. Gurney Halleck, one of the Duke Leto's most prominent officers, was the first to enter the ship. A few more troopers come in as well before the Atreides make their entrance and find their seats in the Frigate. Paul leans back, strapping himself in. He was beyond excited. He had never been on a desert planet and was curious to find out the ways of its people. He figured he knew a good bit of information about them from the film books he studied, but there was always more to learn. Just a few minutes later, they deport from the hanger of Caladan.

The Frigate's engines roar with power as they ascend into the atmosphere of Caladan. Paul's mother and father, as well as Gurney, were going over their plans for when they reached Arrakis. Paul, on the other hand, was focused on the beauty of space once they had reached orbit. He had never seen so many stars this close before. It awed him. "Paul," Lady Jessica leans into her son's shoulder to get his attention. "You'll have plenty of time to watch the stars later, but right now you need to study with us." She tells him. "Mother, I know the drill already. Gain control of desert power and spice by replacing the Harkonnens." Paul replies confidently. "It's not so simple, Paul. The Harkonnens are dangerous. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to gain any control over this planet." The Duke implies. "You act as if I haven't been studying their ways for as long as I can remember." Says Paul, annoyed. "You've been distracted recently. Putting more focus into the Freman." Lady Jessica points out. Paul sighs, he knew he shouldn't be bothered by his parents. They were letting him come despite their own wishes. "It may be of use, you never know." He says, looking back out to the black, emptiness of space.

Paul jolts awake when the Frigate rumbles loudly. He looks to his mother who points to the outside of the ship. Outside was a large, orange planet. "Is that?" He starts to ask, his eyes locked on the planet below him. "Welcome to Arrakis!" Gurney yells out. The Frigate slowly makes its descend into the atmosphere of Arrakis. All Paul could see was a cloud of orange as they entered the rough atmosphere. The ship bounced and jolted as they went through the cloud, and Paul found himself tightening his grip on his seat's armrests. The lights were flickering all the way through the cloud. Gurney noticed Paul's nervous glance and smiled, "it's perfectly normal for Arrakis to have sandstorms in its atmosphere. The power may struggle a bit, but the ship itself is built for situations just like this." He assured Paul, and soon enough they were out of the storm. The ship steadied itself; Paul leans back and breathes heavily. The ride had made him feel nauseous. "Oh, Paul-" his mother notices his pale face. Paul turns away from everyone and lets out a few rounds of vomit. "He'll get used to it." Gurney says, not phased. "Look," Duke Leto motions to the view outside.

Outside was a view Paul could have never imagined, it even seemed unrealistic. It was an ocean, except it was sand. The sun was bright and he could feel its heat from inside the Frigate. Maybe wearing a black cloak was a bad idea. The desert seemed to stretch for miles and miles with nothing but its dunes and rocks. How did the Freman survive here? Paul was beginning to question if they were even real. Besides the heat and the unknown parts of the desert, Arrakis was gorgeous. Paul would have never imagined one simple color filling up an entire planet, and making it a pleasure to the eyes as well. But he knew, often the most beautiful places are the most dangerous. Yet, he wasn't afraid. He felt eager to start this journey on a new planet.

Once Paul's stomach had settled, he was the first out of his seat and was waiting anxiously for the Frigate's door to open. His mother and father stood behind him, his father's hand giving his shoulder a quick pat. The door creaked as it was opening, and even just a small crevice of Arrakis's sunlight was enough to blind Paul. He heard the door make contact with the desert ground, forming a ramp for them to walk out on. When he removes his hand from his eyes he is greeted with a gust of wind, causing his curls to break loose and flow in the air. Paul takes a small step forward, his right foot landing in the sand. The sand felt warm beneath his boot, and when he came out with his left foot he noticed himself sinking a bit. He walked forward some more, finding it takes a lot more energy to walk in sand than it did back home on the flat ground. He also realizes his steps leave an imprint in the sand, but it only lasts a short amount of time before more sand blows over it. Paul thought that was interesting.

The heat blazed against Paul's cloaks dark fabric. He had thought Caladan could get hot in the summer, but this was extreme. And this was all year around. He'd never been so hot in his life, and he was only a few minutes into being on Arrakis. It wasn't long until sweat started dripping down his forehead and soaking his body. Paul found himself stopping to catch his breath every now and then as they walked to the Grand Palace of Arrakeen. On one of his breaks he knelt down, taking off his leather gloves and shoving them in a pocket. He wanted to feel the sand on his skin. Reaching down, he picks up a handful of the warm sand. It felt coarse and rough, even a little irritating. It had a mysterious glitter to it, something he had never seen in sand before. He lets the wind grasp the sand from his hand and return it to the desert, returning to his feet and continuing the what felt like an eternal journey to the Palace.

It felt like they had been walking all day, as for the longest time all they could remember seeing were the sand dunes. The heat had also drained all of their energy in less than an hour. However, they had finally made it to the Palace. Gurney and the other officers enter the building first, and once they give the all clear Paul rushes inside. The air conditioning had to be one of the most reliving feelings Paul had ever experienced. Though, he wanted to cool down even faster. He slips off his cloak and sets it aside, leaving him in just his pants and boots. "Paul!" His mother calls his name in a firm manner. "We just got here, at least find yourself a room before throwing your clothes all over the place. And you will not be fighting with us if you're planning on doing it shirtless." She tells him. "Oh, come on Jessica, you remember your first time here. He'll get used to it as we did." Leto says while again patting his son on the shoulder. "But yes, go find your room and cool off in there." He then says after Jessica stares him down as if he had three eyes.

Paul obeys his parents, walking through the vastness of the Palace in search for a room. For a desert Palace, this place was oddly pretty. There were carvings on the walls, paintings on the ceilings, and every room had a wonderful view of the desert. The sun was starting its descent, causing the bottom of the sky to turn a reddish orange, making the sand glitter even more promptly. As much as he wanted to watch his first Arrakis sunset, the desert had got the best of him. It would take a few days for his body to adjust to the new climate. Paul finds a medium sized room with a large bed and a desk near the window. He wastes no time laying down, keeping the thick blankets off of him for now. He would most likely need them later in the night when it gets cold, but for now he was still trying to cool off. The weather here is weird, he thinks to himself before drifting off to sleep.

As he regained his energy, he had a strange dream. It was of him and his father fighting against the Harkonnens. They were so close to defeating them, so very close. In the dream Paul had somehow gained power, making the fight go down with ease. He couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. It didn't matter, though. It wouldn't happen anyway. He was just here to help, not to lead. The dream ended with them taking out a good amount of the Harkonnens, but it wasn't over yet. And he knew it wouldn't go down as swiftly as it did in the dream; his dreams often lied to him. However, the only thing different about this dream was that it was clearer to him. Not completely, but enough that he can remember the faces, even some of the emotions. Confidence was a big one. Too much confidence. It didn't make sense, he was always told overconfidence could be lethal. So why was he so confident in this dream? It seemed as if he was dreaming of a different person. It most likely never would make sense, anyway.

Chapter Text

     Paul Atreides awakens just as the sun begins its ascend into the Arrakis sky. He stays beneath the blankets for a few more minutes, finding it odd that he'd be freezing at night but then would dress for the day in cool clothes. Once he felt more awake, he slips out of bed and walks to the closet where an outfit had been hung for him. It was similar to his black cloak, though it was tan and a lot more thin. A lot more suitable for the desert. Paul slides it over his body; it felt very soft, and the coolness was refreshing to his skin. He then kicks off his boots, in which he had on all night since he had fallen asleep before getting a chance to take them off; he had been too tired last night to care. Paul replaces his pair of black pants with a more baggy, as well as tan pair to match the cloak. His body was covered enough to where he wouldn't get a sunburn, while it also was keeping his body cooler than what it'd be in his black cloak. He slips his black boots back on, and now he was ready for the first full day on Arrakis.

Gurney stays in the Palace tracking the Harkonnens while Paul and his parents load up into an ornithopter. They were set to go view a few of the spice harvesters and examine how they work. Leto was the pilot, Paul sat on the passenger side, and Jessica in the back. They all strapped up and the Duke started the engine, it roaring while the wings deploy, stretching out until they're straight. The wings then start to vibrate, picking up momentum at each passing second. A loud buzzzzz fills the air as the wings reach their maximum speed for takeoff. Leto pulls up the yoke and the ornithopter ascends into the desert air, hovering over the sand and causing it to make a whirlwind around the ship until they get high enough off the ground.

Paul can't help but take in the beauty of the desert as they fly across the sky. It was so vast. So tremendous. It was hard for him to believe any human being survived solely off of the desert. He wanted to know exactly how; the film books only gave him brief descriptions. As they flew, he thought of the Fremen. He wondered how they looked and how they acted in person. He hoped he'd be lucky enough to meet one of them. Of course, he was mainly here for the Harkonnens and the spice, but something about the Fremen caught his attention. There was something special about them, he wasn't quite sure what, but he knew he wanted to learn more.

In the near distance, the first harvester can be seen. Leto brought down the ornithopter to a better viewing altitude, still staying high enough as to not disrupt the harvesting. "You can unstrap now, if you want a better look." Paul's father tells him, and he does so. Paul leans towards the glass of the cockpit, looking down and observing the large machine work. It digs deep into the sand dunes, pulling the spice out and separating it from the sand before collecting it. Paul notices a few small objects hovering in the air around them, they were almost drone like. "What are those?" He asks his parents. "Worm spotters," his mother replies, "They can detect worm sign from about 500 meters away." She explains. "What happens if they spot a worm?" Paul asks, genuinely curious. "Then they pray for their lives." His father jokes, before Jessica gives him a hard stare and he stops laughing. "A Carryall will deploy and lift it to safety. However, they do harvest up until the very last second. It's a dangerous job." The Duke says. Paul nods, continuing to watch the harvester.

"Father, have you ever seen a worm? In person, I mean?" Paul questioned. Leto chuckles in return, "only from the air, son. And that's all you'll ever want to see 'em." His father says, shooting him a quick smile and patting his shoulder. "We're safe up here." His father assured him. Not that Paul was worried about being devoured by a sand worm, he was more so curious about them. He'd seen images of them, but part of him wanted to see a real one. Up close, maybe. "Ready to head to the next one?" The Duke asks his family, and they nod in return. The ornithopter buzzed through the air as they soared. Paul had his eyes peeled for worm sign, but he wasn't too hopeful. When they approach the next harvester, the family immediately notices several other ornithopters hovering around it. "Who are they?" Paul asks, concerned. "Calm down, it's just for worm spotting." Leto says, but he wasn't completely sure. They had replaced the ships for the drones for worm spotting awhile ago, so why would there be any other ornithopters here?

Duke Leto proceeds forward, trying to get a look at who was inside those other ships. Just a second later, a warning call goes off. It was from Gurney. The Duke looks down for a split second to find out what it was about, and in that time, one of the other ornithopters turned to directly face them. Paul squints his eyes, getting a better look into the cockpit. It was a dark figure in a black suit, who also seemed to be without hair. "Harkonnens.." Paul mutters, looking to his father. "Shit." His father says upon finding out himself. "Strap in," he tells both Jessica and Paul, and once they did so, he wastes no more time and suddenly makes a swift, vigorous bank to the left. Paul holds on tightly to his straps while his head was being thrown around with a lot of force from the quick bank. Now, all the other ornithopters were facing them and were on their tail.

Leto pushes the throttle to its max capacity, the Harkonnens were right behind them. They soar through the desert air at a fast pace, the wings were working at full power and the buzzing sound rumbled throughout the entire ship. Jessica looks behind her after they had been flying for awhile, and she couldn't see any of the other ships anymore. "I think we lost them," she sighs, putting a hand to her stomach. Just as the family takes a breath of relief, multiple bright lights flash behind them. The Harkonnens had fired three missiles. The ornithopter's alarm system beeped constantly, warning them of the upcoming missiles that were locked on their ship. Leto works tirelessly to dodge each missiles attempt to make contact with their ship. He flips the ornithopter, turns it sharply, and continues flying as fast as possible. Jessica and Paul's heads are still being whipped around violently, giving them headaches. Leto was used to it. Although, he never had time to strap himself in, so he was being thrown around a lot more than the others. He didn't have time to care about any potential injures, though. He had to keep flying.

Two of the missiles collide when the Duke confuses them by letting them get close, before closing the wings and nose diving downward. As they fell, the last missile followed closely behind. It was gliding fast, and their ships' engine was about ready to give out at this point. Leto re-opens the wings, making them come out from the dive and ascend quickly, but the missile did the same. Their speed was decreasing as the engine was dying. "I need you two to brace and stay in that position until we're on the ground." He tells his family through gritted teeth. "Why? What are you.." Paul starts to ask, but his father flicks his head toward him, sweat dripping down his forehead. "BRACE!" Leto yells, just as all power shuts off. The Duke knew he could try one last thing to protect his family, so he stops the ornithopter mid-air and turns it so the pilot's side faces the missile. He quickly glances at Paul, who wasn't leaning down yet so he pushes his head down with his sweaty hand and keeps it there, forcing Paul to brace. A split second before the missile makes impact, Leto lifts the ship up a bit to make it where the missile hits the bottom of the pilot's side, causing the majority of the impact to fall upon him.

A loud crash falls upon Paul's ears as the missile hits their ship. His father's hand was still holding his head down, so he couldn't see what was happening. A few seconds after that crash, he feels his father's hand loosen its grip on his cranium. And soon, he no longer felt it at all. He looks up, his eyes going wide as he spots a sight of pure horror and panic. The entire pilot's side of the ship was missing, along with his father. The large hole in the ornithopter caused gusts of wind to throw the ship around like a rag doll. They were going down, fast. Paul looks around frantically for his father, but he is nowhere to be seen. "FATHER!" He yells hopelessly. "PAUL, BRACE!" His mother screams at him, sounding just as distraught. Paul buries his head in his arms, closing his eyes and letting fate decide what will happen to him.

The ornithopter spirals downward until finally colliding with the sand below them. The impact causes an eruption of sand to fall over them. The glass of the cockpit shatters and flies through the air, striking Paul and cutting him in a few places. Being strapped in most likely saved both Paul's and Jessica's lives, however the collision into the desert's sand was so powerful both mother and son had blacked out upon hitting the ground; their brains had been rattled around so much, it was likely they had a concussion. Nevertheless, they were alive. The Duke, however, his fate was yet to be determined.

Chapter Text

     Lady Jessica slowly returns to consciousness, her eyes fluttering. As they open, all she can see is smoke; smoke and sand. They had crashed in the desert and were in the middle of a sand dune. The ornithopter wouldn't be going anywhere. Jessica had a pounding headache, but that was the least of her concerns. She rubs her stomach gently before she unstraps herself and carefully moves forward, attending to her unconscious son. "Paul?" She says, tapping his cheek. A few drops of blood were running down his chin, presumably from him hardly biting his lip upon impact. His mother wipes the blood off of his mouth and chin with her sleeve, not caring about it staining her tan cloak red. Paul still did not move. He was breathing, however Jessica couldn't tell if he had any internal injuries. "Paul?" She tries again, lightly shaking him this time. Still nothing.

Paul Atreides may not be seeing what's real in this moment, but he was seeing.. something. His eyes may have been closed, yet he was seeing. In his mind, he saw a similar scene he had dreamed of before. Him battling against the Harkonnens, however, his father wasn't there this time. He had an entire army of people, but, not his father. Where did he get an army? And where was his father? In this vision, he was leading, he had control. But he wasn't ready for that, and hundreds of his men were being slaughtered because he couldn't protect them. That scared Paul. He knew he needed to find his father so this "dream" wouldn't end up happening. His father was the Duke, not him.

"Paul!" He finally hears a familiar voice saying, bringing him back to the present moment. Paul's eyes shoot open, and he inhales sharply out of pain and fear. He ends up inhaling more smoke and sand than actual air, making him cough. Jessica sighs in relief upon seeing her son awake, unstrapping him carefully and pulling him in for a light embrace and burying her left hand in his hair. "Are you okay?" She asks after he had stopped coughing. Paul doesn't respond, instead he smacks his lips together as if tasting something, his brows furrowing. "What's wrong?" His mother looks at him, concerned. "It's.. sweet; the sand. Like, cinnamon?" Paul tells his mother. Jessica smiles, "it's spice." She says and slowly goes to stand, exiting the ravaged ship. Paul follows, feeling a little lightheaded when he stood, but he wasn't too bothered by it. He was really only worried about one thing in this moment: his father.

"We have to find father." Paul says determinedly. While he had no idea where to begin looking as he didn't even know where they were, he needed to find him, and he would. "Paul.." his mother starts, she already knew Leto's outcome. "No! Let's go, now." Paul turns and begins to walk down the dune. "PAUL! STOP!" Jessica yells. "We don't know where we are! We could be in worm territory! You can't just walk blindly into the desert!" She tells him sternly. "It doesn't matter! Father is out there, he could be alive! We can find him! I know he's-" Paul stops when his mother gives him a sad look. "Paul.. he could have been thrown miles away. We don't have the time nor the supplies to search the entire desert. Even if he did somehow survive the fall, he wouldn't last long with Shai-Hulud out there." Jessica tells him the hard truth. Paul shakes his head in refusal to believe his mother, sitting down in the sand and burying his face in his hands.

Paul, angry, digs his fingers into the sand and grabs a handful of it; or rather, of the spice. He crushes it in his hand before attempting to throw it, the wind blowing it back in his face. He goes to rub it out of his eyes when his eye vision starts to change into something rather than darkness. Beneath his eyes, he sees people; people he didn't know, yet seemed familiar. People in the desert, surrounded by nothing but it, as he and his mother were right now. He saw himself. They were staring at him with their sharp blue eyes, simply observing him as he stood in front of them. They also had a plug in their nostrils, and they wore these odd looking suits. Paul sits deeper into the sand and falls more into this vision, trying to put the pieces together. He's seen this stuff before, not in person, but yet he knew what it was. Maybe it was all the film books he studied. These people he was seeing, matched the description of what Fremen did in his books. They were Fremen, he knew it. But something was off. Why was he with them? Why weren't they killing him? And why were some.. bowing down to him?

That's when it hit him. He was never supposed to come to this planet for the Harkonnens, or even for his father, he's here for the Fremen. He needed to accept that his father was gone, and he was the new Duke. But he wasn't the Duke of Caladan, that didn't seem right. No, he was the Duke of Arrakis. He was here for the Fremen, to fight with them, to learn their ways, to protect them, and maybe even to become one himself. This is what his studies were for all along. They had been important, as he had predicted. There was an unclear part of this vision, though. There were only fragments, but he could somewhat see a girl. A Fremen girl. She was beautiful. And something about her was different than the others. He wanted to find out more, he needed to find the Fremen.

Paul's eyes open and his vision returns to reality. The first thing he sees is his mother kneeled down in front of him. "Paul, are you okay? You were out of it for a few seconds. You weren't even responding to me. Is it the spice?" Jessica asks with her worried motherly tone. "No, I'm fine." Paul responds, standing. "I know where we need to go." He said. "We can't go anywhere, Paul. We'll just have to wait for Gurney to rescue us." Jessica tries to tell her son, but he shakes his head. "We'll be eaten alive by then. We have to find the Fremen, they're our only chance at survival. Not only that, but I think we were always meant to find them." Paul says, looking into the setting sun. "You can't know that- plus we have nowhere to begin looking. It could take us days, and we'll be dead from dehydration by then." His mother tries to reason with him. Paul, being stubborn, rolls his eyes and says, "just believe me, please. I have an idea on where they are. I know how to sand walk, I'll teach you that as well." He wasn't changing his mind. "You're going to get us both killed, Paul." Jessica tries one last time, but she knew she should trust him, even if it went against her own wishes. They didn't have much to lose at the moment, after all. Maybe the Fremen could help them until they can get back to the Palace, she hoped. "Follow me," Paul said and began to lead his mother to the Fremen.

Quickly showing his mother how he believed sand walking was done, Paul and Jessica slide their way through the desert. The sun was getting low, so they had to be extra cautious on where they stepped foot as it was getting darker. Soon enough, they had been sand walking a long way and the sun was completely gone, blackness filled the desert. "Should we make camp?" Jessica asks, grabbing the tent from the emergency bag that was kept in the ornithopter. Paul looks around until he spots a place by some rocks that they would be somewhat sheltered in. Mother and son sand walk to the rocks and set up the tent, sitting inside it with their legs crossed. Jessica lets out a small grunt, placing a hand on her abdomen. "What's wrong?" Paul asks, noticing the discomfort in his mother's face. "Just hungry," she replies, which was true. Neither Paul or Jessica had eaten or drank anything since the early morning, and they had had a rough day to say the least. Paul's throat and lips were dry from dehydration, and that didn't help his headache either, but he knew he'd have to force his body to go without food or water just a little longer. For now, he just wanted to sleep.

The two rise as soon as the sun peaks just above the horizon. They wanted to sleep longer, and they definitely could've as both were still exhausted. However, they couldn't stay here in the middle of the deserts' heat without proper wear or supplies. They packed up and kept moving. About an hour of continuing to sand walk passes before Paul suddenly stops in his tracks. "What is it?" His mother asks, stopping behind him. The sand beneath them started to vibrate, and Paul could hear sand breaking in the distance; it sounded as if a tsunami was coming, instead it was sand. But it wasn't just sand. Sand doesn't make a tsunami on its own. "Did you break your rhythm?" He asks his mother through gritted teeth. "I.. don't think so?" Jessica replies, equally as alarmed. "Well.. if we weren't in worm territory earlier, we are now." Paul said, looking behind him. A large sand worm was in direct pursuit of them.

Chapter Text

     The sand beneath Paul and Jessica sinks and shivers, indicating the worm getting closer. "Run." Paul says, taking off with his mother. It was almost impossible to run in the sand even before the worm disrupted it, so the two didn't get very far before tripping and being knocked over. They seemed to be trapped in the sinking sand. Paul, using what little energy he had left, manages to crawl out. However, his mother didn't have that strength. "Shit!" Paul yells, seeing that his mother was still in the sinking sand hole. He tries to think of something, anything to do in order to help her. He desperately looks around, hoping he'd find a rope, but he doesn't. There was only one option. Paul jogs back into the hole, immediately being knocked over. He grabs his mother and drags her through the sand, basically swimming in it. Once he reached the edge of the hole, he gives his mother one final push to lift her into the stable sand. "Go!"
He says through gritted teeth as he tries to lift himself out, but he had no strength left.

Sand gets everywhere as it begins to cover Paul's face, his body falling deeper into the pit. He can feel something beneath him; the sand worm was starting to open its mouth. Paul takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, preparing for what's about to happen. The sand below him collapses and he starts to slide down, hearing a yell before he suddenly stops. He can feel himself dangling above the air from the large worm before being pulled onto the stable sand. Opening his eyes, he sees that someone was holding him by his arm. His mother was right next to this person, helping them pull him out. A thumping sound can be heard in the distance, drawing the sand worm away from them and leaving them laying in the sand, breathing heavily and trying to comprehend what had just happened. Paul wipes some sand from his face and looks to the person that had saved him. It was.. a girl. She had bright blue eyes, and- wait a minute, he knew this girl. It was the same girl from his vision.

Paul fumbles around a bit but eventually finds his balance and gets back on his feet. His hands were shaking from adrenaline, his heart pounding and he was still panting from the incident. "Are you okay?" His mother asks, wiping a few grimes of sand from his cheek. He looks to her with soft eyes, nodding. "Who.." he starts to ask, still catching his breath as he motions to the girl. "Oh, I'm Y/N." The girl says, "saw you two struggling with Shai-Hulud and thought you needed some help. It's not everyday we see other people that aren't one of us out in the deep desert. I'm interested. What brings you here?" She asks. "Our ship crashed, we've been trying to find the Fr-" Jessica begins, but Paul was insistent on finishing. "The Fremen," he says. "You're Fremen, aren't you?" He questions Y/N, but he knew the answer. Y/N nods, grinning. "I'd say we found you instead of you finding us, but that doesn't matter. Why did you want to find us? Usually when people try to find us, it's so they can kill us." She tells them, giving Paul a bit of a side eye. "You were our best bet at survival, as my father was killed. We have the same enemies: the Harkonnens. We're willing to help you, if you'd be so kind and help us." Paul said. "There's a few things we'd have to go over before that can happen, but tell you what. I'll bring you back to our camp and ask Stilgar his opinion, and we will go from there. Come on." Says Y/N, and she leads Paul and Jessica to the other Fremen.

"By the way, your sand walking was terrible." Y/N says as they approach the Fremen's camp. "Not only that, but the majority of the time you weren't even in worm territory." She chuckles. "How long were you watching us..?" Jessica asks. Y/N simply grins, shrugging. "Could you teach us how to sand walk properly?" Asks Paul, not being able to take his eyes off of this girl. He wanted to know everything about her and the Fremen. "Depends," she says, calling over her leader. "Stilgar! We have some guests!" Stilgar was in the midst of a conversation with his lead warrior, Jamarcus, when Y/N calls him over. "Y/N, what did I tell you about bringing in foreigners?" Stilgar complains. "These two say they're willing to help us get rid of the Harkonnens, they want to learn our ways." Y/N said, and Stilgar immediately shook his head. "You're almost worse than your sister." He sighs. "Chani?" Y/N laughs, "at least I brought in someone who actually has a chance." She motions to Paul, "he's young." She then looks to Jessica, "oh, no offense.." she mumbles. "None taken," Jessica sighs, "what exactly does he have to do?"

"In order to become Fremen, you must trade a life for a life. In other words, defeat one of our warriors in battle." Stilgar tells both Paul and Jessica. "That could be a possibility for the young man here, however, I fear the woman is too old to learn our ways." He said. "My mother could be of a useful asset. She's pregnant." Paul says, and his mother quickly goes wide eyed, turning all her attention to him. "How..?" She fumbles for words. "Just a feeling I've had for awhile," Paul admits, "a baby girl?" He felt confident that the dreams he's had on having a baby sister were true. "Yes.." Jessica whispers, still shocked. She had barely known herself that she was pregnant, yet alone that it was a girl. She didn't know whether to be frightened or to admire her son's ability to find that out on his own. Stilgar huffs, thinking. "Let's see if the boy can win a fight before we decide on anything." He decided on that option, calling Jamarcus over to the group of the two Fremen and two foreigners.

"What is he to do? Kill this man?" Asks Jessica, looking at the heavily built man called Jamarcus. "Yes, kill him or he kills you." Stilgar says, patting Paul's shoulder. "Take this blade," he hands Paul a newly forged crysknife. "You will die in honor with this blade in your hand." He grins. "Go on now." Jamarcus whips out his own blade from its sheath and stands in a ready position. Paul looks down at the blade in his hand, gulps, then turns to where his mother and Y/N were standing. His mother looked worried, and Y/N, well.. she looked like she believed in him. So he believed in himself as well. He had never killed a man, but he had been trained to. Gurney had taught him well, and Paul was confident those trainings would pay off now. However, part of him was still scared. He knew how good Fremen warriors were, and Jamarcus no doubt fit the definition of a good Fedaykin warrior, and he seemed confident as well. In fact, he saw no fear in Jamarcus's face.

The Fremen gather around in a circle, Paul and Jamarcus standing in the middle with their blades at the ready. Paul takes a deep breath just before Jamarcus lunges at him. Paul swiftly dodges the blow, lifting his own blade and directing it toward Jamarcus's chest, in which it is easily blocked. Their blades interlock, along with their eyes. Paul grunts, keeping the other blade from slipping before he takes a few steps backwards. Jamarcus lunges again, moving quickly and this time landing a blow of his fist into Paul's face. Paul stumbles, but remains standing. He shakes off the pain and thrusts his body forward, putting all of his weight into the opposing man, knocking him over. Jamarcus hoists his blade up, pointing it at Paul's throat. Paul is quick to grip onto Jamarcus's wrist, using both his hands to keep the knife from puncturing his throat. His hands shake as he holds the weapon in place; Jamarcus was strong but he wasn't giving up so easily.

Paul was so focused on his opponents right hand, he had forgotten about the left. Jamarcus propels his left fist into Paul's face again, causing Paul to fall backward and take his hands off of his right wrist, freeing the blade. Paul gets an unusual metallic taste in his mouth, and can feel the red substance flowing down from his nose. But he wastes no more time, rapidly regaining his balance before making another attack. Jamarcus had been ready, though, ducking beneath the soaring blade and simply lifting his leg to deliver a powerful kick to Paul's chest. Paul grunts at the impact and, again, is forced backwards and loses his footing, hitting the ground with a deep thump that everyone around could feel below them. Paul gasps for air as the wind had been knocked out of him, staying down on the ground and feeling too weak to get back up. Jamarcus stands over him, knife raised and aimed at his neck. The audience gasps. Paul's eyes glance at the blade above him, then travel to his mother, who wasn't even watching anymore, then to Y/N, whom was completely locked in on him, her blue eyes meeting his darker eyes for a quick moment.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Paul got a sudden burst of energy, and a determination to live. He glances at Y/N one more time, a tiny smile forming on his bloody lips, one so small he didn't even realize he had done it. He did notice the feeling, though. He wanted to live. No, he had to live. There were things he needed to know still, so much to learn. But most of all, in this moment, he just wanted to talk to Y/N again. Paul, with no more hesitation, turns all of his attention and his energy back into the current duel. Just as Jamarcus was about to make the final blow, Paul uplifts his leg, striking the hand the knife of his opponent was in, knocking it from his grasp. He sits up, snatches the other weapon from the sand, and plunges both blades into Jamarcus's chest, twisting them until they went in as deep as they could possibly go. Blood flows from the man's mouth and wounds as his body begins to shut down. It was a quick death for the Fremen warrior, as Paul had hit his major organs as he had been trained to do. The Boy from the Outer World heaves the crysknives out from the limp body, it falling into the sand. The blades were stained red with blood, and as Paul slowly stands, he drops both of the weapons and lets them fall in the sand besides the Fremen body.

He stands still in the middle of the circle, breathing heavily and wiping his bloody nose. He hears a small round of applause, soon finding out that Y/N was the one clapping for him. Was she proud? He had just killed one of her own. Paul finds himself being surrounded by a booming round of applause from the entire group of Fremen. Was he one of them now? Why did everyone, especially Stilgar, look so shocked? Was Y/N the only one that had believed in him? He wanted to know the answer to those questions, and he hoped since he had prevailed in battle, that he would soon find out.