Chapter Text
Dawn spilled into Paul's bedroom in a sweeping silver, and the boy tangled in the bedsheets wished day hadn’t begun. He ached with drear, limbs heavy with missed sleep. He repressed a tired grown, instead moving to silently sit up, feet hanging off the edge of his soft bed. Looking through the window, Paul saw it was going to be another cloudy day, as always. Rain trickled from the glass pane like tears. Paul looked to the side, back at his bed, already missing the warmth that the lavish blankets offered.
Today, Paul would be given a personnal bodygaurd. An attempt on his life by the Harkonnens had happened just last week, and Leto decided to spare no expense to keep him safe. He was the only heir, afterall. And for that fact, dispite Paul's protests, he had been assigned a Jedi Knight to watch over him. Paul had argued that he could defend himself, that he had Duncan and Gurney, but it did nothing to change the stubborn man’s mind.
Paul was silent as he changed into his normal attire — a black, tailored jacket that held a high collar, paired with black slacks. When he washed his face, he was carful to apply concealer to his dark under eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well, his dreams were swallowing him up a lot lately. He hasn’t yet told his parents yet, but he felt Jessica was catching on. Of coarse she was. He tidyed up his curly hair, and stared at himeslf in the mirror. Dread overcame him, but he couldn't tell what for. It felt like he wasnt himself, like the boy in the mirror was a doppelgänger that had found itself stuck in his mirror.
Paul dragged his pale hands down his face, feeling the way his skin grew taunt under the pull, the way his eyes dropped under the pressure.
He blinked away the remaining sleep, quickly whipping away from the mirror. He slid on a pair of high heel ankle boots, ones he had favored for their added hight. He wondered how long the bodyguard would be staying her on Caladan. His father never specified, but he hoped not to long. He would feel bad if he were forcing a Jedi Knight away from more important matters.
Paul slipped out of his apartments, heels clacking as he made his way to the royal dining room. A few servants nodded to him in respect as he strode through the halls, and he happily returned them. The corridors were awfully silent, which made sense for how early it was — no more than five in the morning. It was a lot earlier then Paul normally awoke, but he had been plagued by dreams the previous night, and he wanted to be able to greet the new guest properly. He wondererd who the Jedi would be. What color lightsaber did they have? What was their rank? Paul had read somewhere that Jedis were normally all addressed as generals, but did they have ranks in the actual order? Questions continued floating through his head in an endless and hypnotizing spiel, until he reached the dining room.
With the clouds dulling the horizon, the room was dim, and lit with lamps. A variety of Caladanian breakfast foods sat on the table, beckoning for Paul to sit. As he did so, he heard another enter the dining hall. It was revelead to be his mother, Jessica, her golden hair giving her away instantly. She gave a small smile, before gracefully settling herself in as well.
"You're up early," she greeted, pouring herself a glass of tea.
Paul hummed in acknowledgement as he grabbed an orange that sat in a wooden bowl in the center. "I wanted to clean up before greeting our new guest," Paul explained.
"The Jedi Knight?" Jessica remarked, "Yes, I heard who it was to be. Some Anakin Skywalker. Apparently, he's a prodigy." She sounded wholly unbothered by it all, almost as if she saw it as trivial.
Anakin Skywalker. Paul mouthed it under his breath, and he couldn't deny it had sort of ring to it.
Who was this Anakin Skywalker, and why was he a believed prodigy? Would he be nice?
Paul was snapped out of his thoughts when his mother once again spoke. "You sould ask him about the Force, it has similar characteristics to the Voice."
Paul looked to his mother with a raised eyebrow. He had heard of the Force, and they were both quite unique, but to say they had similar characteristics was a stretch. He simply nodded in response. He felt tired, and overall just minutely annoyed. Since the assisnation attempt, he felt like everyone was treating him like glass, and he hated it. Because he was flesh, and if he layed out his dissected body next to anothers, there woulkdn't be a diffrence.
Obviosly picking up on his negitive mood, Jessica questioned, "What's wrong, Paul?"
"Nothing," Paul answared all to quickly. Jessica gave him a skeptical look. "I'm — it’s nothing. It's fine, I'm fine—
"Tell me whats wrong." Jessica said, using the Voice.
It was like a dam had broken, and suddenly a rush of words slipped out of Pauls mouth like water. He didn't even try to stop it — he knew he couldn't.
“It’s just — I don’t see why I even need a bodyguard. I’m fine by myelf, and I have Duncan and Gurney. I just — everyone keeps treating me like I’m a sort of ‘damsel in distress’.” Paul said in a rush. There was a pause in the air, stretching taunt under the stare between the two.
Jessica sighed then, looking at him sympathetically. “Paul, we have to keep you safe. This is a task only the Jedi may be able to perform.” Paul just watched her. “You know this.”
Paul nodded, because yes, he did know this. But knowing and understanding this were two different things. Despite his inner turmoil, Paul made no move to argue, instead opting to finish his breakfast.
It’s when he is finished that a servant enters, and proclaims the news that the Jedi Knight had just landed.
Anakin Skywalker, who are you?