Sitting in the desert, miles from any signs of civilization, Elizabeth looks at the horizon, dressed in her casual wear, a loose brown shirt, belt, and knee-long pants. "The mighty falls, joining the line of great kings and Dukes. And the snake usurps the throne and corruption rules once more," she said as she felt the change in the wind. Paul looks at her, and she looks back at her brother, seeing the same look in his.
Exhaling to herself, Elizabeth closes her eyes, and a tear escape and trickles down her cheek. Then Jessica groans in her sleep, trying to brush back the hands that touch her. Elizabeth looks down at her mother who slept on her lap, brushing back her hair. "Mother. Mother, wake up," she calls out to her, gripping her shoulder.
Jessica jumps awake, gripping her arm and looks up at her children before her. Exhaling with relief as Paul grips her shoulder and she looks up at him, with a breath of relief she kisses his hand. "He's dead," he tells her. Jessica immediately sits up, turns to her children, and immediately takes them into her arms, holding them tightly.
But Paul pulls back and looks at her, "Father's dead." he tells her. She looks at him, the shock reeling in. Jessica lowers her head. Covering her mouth as she weeps, Elizabeth rubs her back, comforting her mother. Paul then looks at her and shifts to sitting on his knees. "What are you doing?" Jessica questions, gripping his hands. Elizabeth immediately stood to her feet and picks up her mother's cloak. "We won't survive longer than a few hours in the open, we have to find shelter," Paul tells her as he pulls her to her feet. "But Harkonnen patrols. Worms," she warns him.
Elizabeth walks up next to them and places the cloak on her mother's shoulder. "We have to take our chances," Paul tells her, Jessica sighs as she lowers her head momentarily. Then she raises his gently stroking her son's face, then looks back at Elizabeth, brushing back her hair. And steps away. Elizabeth steps next to her brother, the sand brushes against her feet. "It will be miles before we can find any signs of shelter." she tells him, he looks at her and nods, "Maybe," he states then looks out at the horizon before him.
~8~8~8~
Walking through the desert hills, the remaining Atreides wandered aimlessly, nowhere to go, no one to trust and to help. Elizabeth brushes her feet against the sands as she steps forward. "How long before we starve to death?" she asks them. "A few days, mostly," Paul answers her.
Elizabeth chuckles to herself, "You think the Carrison eaters will find us before we do?" she asks him, Paul chuckles at her, "Not sure yet." he answers. Slowing in her steps, something was off about the wind, turning as she looks over at the dunes behind them.
She saw a shadow appear from a distant dune, "Paul." she calls out, he and Jessica stop looks at her and at the shadow she was looking at. Jessica shields her eyes and saw it was a thopter. "One of ours." she states, Paul, shook his head, "We can't take the chance. It could be Harkonnen, come to finish the job." Paul warns her, then took Elizabeth's hand as the three ran for it.
Trying to outrun the thopter, but they didn't get far, the thopter flew closer than right over them. Making the Atreides dive to the sand. The thopter then lands ahead of them. Paul raises his head as Elizabeth flicks her head up and scrambles onto her feet and hands, staying in a low squat, keeping her eyes on the thopter.
The ramp opens as Jessica raises her head, then a familiar face steps out, holding his hand out to him. "Duncan?" Elizabeth calls out to him, "Hurry, Harkonnen patrol ships are in the area. Approaching fast." he calls out to them, scrambling to their feet, they ran towards the thopter and hurried aboard. Jessica and Elizabeth were let on first, followed by Paul and Duncan.
Then Duncan took his seat, "Strap in." Kynes orders them, they did so and Paul pulls his sister onto his lap as they both looked at Dr. Kynes, surprised he was even here, let alone find them. Elizabeth exchanged a surprising look at him as the thopter raises off the sands and flew towards the mountains.
~8~8~8~
Fremen patrol just outside the base of the mountains with the thopter nearby, speaking in their native tongue.
Duncan leads the Atreides inside the mountain to reveal a make-ship cave where Fremen dwells, "What is this place?" Paul asks him "A Fremen Sietch. A small one." he answers and turns to them. "There's a storm coming. We can stay here until it passes," he assures them as Kynes walks in next to them.
"Liet, we must talk." a Fremen approaches him. The name catches the Atreides' attention "Rest here." Kynes tells them and walks off with the Fremen. Jessica was lead over to a place where she can sit "How did you know where to find us?" she asks Duncan, removing her headscarf. Paul and Elizabeth step over and look at Kynes. "Dr. Yueh sent a courier. He said you were being taken to the bled south of the mountain shield," he informs her and looks at the two young Atreides. "Milord, Milady," he calls out to them.
They pulled away and looked back at him "I'm supposedto give you these." he tells them then walks out and held out two pouches. They took them, looking down at the Atreides coat of arms. Elizabeth and Paul exchanged looks and opens them. Paper was inside them and objects. Paul reaches in as did Elizabeth and they pulled them out.
It was the royal ring of the Atreides Duke and a golden chain necklace with a red diamond heart and a golden diamond with the design of a rose with small red diamonds inside. Jessica gasps in horror at the objects in their hands, they looked at her as she turns away, weeping at the wound that was still fresh. Duncan steps towards her and places his hand on her shoulder.
Paul looks down at the ring as Elizabeth's eyes the necklace as it reflects the sun to her eyes. Then Kynes walks upright towards them as they place the objects away, "Harkonnen patrols are in the area." he said, stepping next to Elizabeth, who immediately steps away and next to her brother, who wraps his arm tightly around her waist. "They tracked our thopter." he warns them, "They called you Liet." Paul states and Kynes looks right at him "You're the one, aren't you? The one who's never seen, who may not exist at all. Their leader." Paul tells him.
Kynes just looks at Jessica as she was weeping heartbreak, "Kynes is your last name." Elizabeth states and he looks back at her, "Liet Kynes, that's your name." she states, he bows his eyes to her, "I prefer the term guide to leader." he informs them. "Guiding them?" Paul questions. "Until Mahdi and Armeria pesudarmeria comes," he tells them.
Elizabeth stiffens as the names were all she hears since the arrival onto Arrakis, then the alarms went off, getting their attention "Harkonnen's thopters approaching." a Fremen warns them, "Milord, Milady." Duncan calls out they looked at him and he escorts them to the door, but Elizabeth stops, gripping her brother's hand and makes him stop as well. "Come with us." she tells him, "No." he tells her, the two stop and looked at him, "They'll kill you." Paul warns him, "Me? I'm Dr. Kynes. I work for the Emperor, you remember? I'll just say I was your hostage." he said them with a smile.
But Elizabeth saw a flash in her head, Kynes in the desert, weak, dry and exhausted, cracks and blisters on his face. "Milord, please." Duncan calls out, Paul shot a look at him "But..." Elizabeth states and Paul pulls her along.
They ran for the Thopter, Jessica boards quickly, followed by Elizabeth. Paul went to board as well, but he stops and looks at Duncan, seeing that he wasn't going with them. "I must remain with the Fremen Milord, as I promised your father," he tells him. Sadden by his words, Paul pulls him in and hugs him one last time, then hurries onto the thopter. Duncan steps away with his gun ready.
Jessica straps herself into one of the back seats, Elizabeth starts the Thopter as Paul took a seat next to her, strapping himself in, "Do you even know how to fly this thing?" he asks her. "No, but first time for everything," she answers, toggling the switches, the ramp closes behind them.
The engines charge up and Elizabeth raises the thopter from the ground, she and Paul took one last look at Duncan, their old friend. Then looks away.
As Elizabeth raises the thopter into the air, the Harkonnen patrols found them and opened fire onto the Sietch, and the last thing Duncan saw was a missile flying right towards him.
Elizabeth flew over the mountain and went full speed, the Harkonnen patrol ship right on her tail. She flew low, looking for a way to lose them then saw a dive ahead of them. "You might want to hold onto something," she tells them, charging forward and dives into the gasp in front of them.
The Harkonnen patrol chases, then aim their missiles, "We can't lose them." Jessica said to her, "Don't worry, we will." she assures her, Paul looks at his sister as she toggles the switches.
The missiles were fired, but Elizabeth makes a sharp left turn, the missiles then hit the mountain she turned sharply on. But they continue in their pursuit. Flying through the mountain passage like a raging current. Elizabeth did her best to keep the missiles off them. Jessica held on for dear life of her daughter's rough flying.
Flying out of the passage the sandstorm was right in front of them, "Elizabeth, the storm. We can't go through it." Jessica tells her, but she kept straight "Oh we will and we are." she states and flew straight for it "You're going to lose them in the storm." Paul states, Elizabeth grins as she flew right towards it, the Harkonnen men just behind her. "Nothing survives those storms," Jessica tells her.
Elizabeth toggles the switches "Unless they want to die they won't follow us in, will they?" Paul tells her. "And I have a nasty habit of proving people wrong." Elizabeth reminds her. The Harkonnen patrol verses off from the storm, getting away.
The thopter shook as they were getting closer towards the storm, Jessica braces herself, gripping her seat tightly. Elizabeth reached out and Paul took her hand and they web their fingers together.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
I will face my fear, I will let it pass through me.
When the fear is gone, there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
They both prayed aloud, looking the storm dead ahead, no fear in their eyes as they braced themselves. Flying right into the storm as the screeching howls echo through the storm.
Lost with the storm.
There was a legend that night House Atreides lost Arrakis, a star exploded in the skies above their homeworld on Caladan.
But the Saga of Dune was far from over...