Author's Note: As the prologue was so short, I decided I would put this chapter in as well. Enjoy! And look for updates every few days!

Chapter 1

Many things happened in the month that he was gone. Extremely shortly after he departed, the entire Imperium was shocked by the news that his eminence, the Emperor Leto Atreides, had married his holy twin sister, Ghanima. While some may have debated it in the sanctuary of their homes, none dared disparage the act in public, having already witnessed or heard rumors of the Emperor's ruthlessness. To official ears, everyone stated that their ruler had a reason for doing everything, and they would trust his decisions.

Her royal highness, the Empress, spent the month being fitted for new dresses, meditating with her Bene Gesserit advisor, the Lady Irulan, attending court with her brother/husband, and holding audiences of her own. A pattern developed in which Ghani would rule whenever her brother was away in the wilderness, communing with nature.

What few knew, including, hopefully, the Emperor himself, was that Ghani also spent a good amount of time training and practicing her fighting techniques. The whole situation she found herself in made her uneasy. As she had no idea from where attacks might come, she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

Leto had been gone twice during that month. For the first time in their lives, Ghani had no clue what thoughts were swirling around in her brother's head. It frightened her; HE frightened her. She felt very alone and, strangely, was looking forward to Farad'n's return.

At dawn, he walked into the palace in Arakeen, without pomp, without notice. He listened to the echoes of his footsteps as he made his way down the hall towards what had originally been assigned to him as his rooms. Farad'n only hoped that his belongings would still be there when he arrived.

He felt out of place. Where did he belong? Should he return to Salusa Secondus, to listen to his mother's never-ending plotting? Should he travel to Kaitan and try to form a counter-Imperial government? Or should he stay on Arrakis?

And staying on Dune yielded only more questions…

The boy that had been groomed to be Emperor was gone. Now only Farad'n/Harq Al-Ada remained. Trouble was, he didn't know that person. The retreat in the desert had done him some good. He felt more self-sure and prouder than he ever had before.

But now his desert life was gone.

He was back in his uncertain place in the palace; back with Leto and Ghani. Bittersweet memories filled him as he thought of the time when he had wished to know them, to discuss life under a regent with them. But the Leto and Ghani he now knew were vastly different creatures.

Leto was dangerous. Farad'n would have to protect himself as he never had before, and it made his stomach ache. He couldn't forget the ambiguous warning that Leto had given him. "…when you look at my sister, your back is exposed…."

Ghani was another mystery. Beautiful, of course, but deep. Her marriage to her brother had taken place. Leto had told Farad'n that himself when he traveled to Seitch Tabr. The nuptials were one of the reasons Farad'n had been so eager to leave. The possessive part of him still bristled at the fact that Ghanima should have been his, and yet she had been given to another.

He wished he had someone to talk to. He hoped that Jessica was still in the fortress. He would welcome her counsel.

As he pushed the cloth hangings out of his way in the doorway, he was shocked at what he beheld. Ghani lay on his bed, fast asleep. Perhaps he was in the wrong room? No, all of his things were still strewn about.

He sat on the edge of the bed as softly as he could. He made sure to place one hand on the hilt of his knife as he reached over to wake her.

"Ghanima, wake up." He felt her start, but she didn't open her eyes. He realized she was trying to place the voice. "Ghani, it's Farad'n."

Now she did open her eyes, slowly. She rolled onto her back and stretched, then sat up to face him.

"Why are you sleeping in my bed?" he asked now that she was awake.

"Because it's the last place anyone would look for me."

"What…"

"Don't worry about it now," she interrupted. "I'll explain later." She looked around. "Well, you're back. I'll have to find somewhere else to sleep." She slid off the bed and walked away without another word.