She meandered through the bustling streets, navigating her way toward
the appointed meeting place, a small, ramshackle push-cart, laden with
Icons of the Holy One, Muad'dib and his sister. The owner was a portly man
wearing a Stil-suit beneath his clothes, the sign of desert Fremen. It was
hidden deftly beneath layers of woven fabric, and a large cloak.
"I see Muad'dib, and The Holiest Sister, yet of the Reverend Mother, I see no Icons." Chaysula gazed upwards through her lashes, speaking the words softly. The Fremen gave no indication that he had understood the subtle code she had spoken, save his off-hand reply.
"We do not sell Icons of her in the streets of Arrakeen, though she is much revered in the desert still. Please, follow me, and I shall show you our new merchandise." He waved his hand toward an alley lined with crates, and began to waddle over. His grin dimpled his fleshy cheeks as they both spoke low words over the boxes of Icons.
"So, you are the girl she sends us. The new Mi'kiyla. Be sure you make a song of the kindness of the Fremen. It is not our strongest trait, no, but we do treasure it."
Chaysula smiled warmly over the Icons, "It will be the first thing I do as a Mi'kiyla. You have my word on that friend."
He gave a gruff laugh, and began to explain the exit they would take from the city. "Tonight when all is quiet, we leave the city. Once we have passed the shield wall, I shall place a thumper in the ground and call a worm. A few hours walk from the sietch I will leave you, so there is no appearance of us arriving together. May Shai-Halud clear the path before you, Young one."
"You are kind to me. I will not forget it." She told him truthfully. At that moment, a small series of growls found their way into the air from the large satchel that lay at her hip. "Oh, Ankhar! I almost forgot!"
"What is this growling?" asked the man, curiously raising an eyebrow in her direction.
"My pet. An Ivaz Cougar from my home world. I have been feeding him sleeping medicines, until we leave the city, but it seems I have forgotten to feed him one." She slipped her hand into a pocket, pulling out a treat for Ankhar. A few minutes after eating it, the growls had subsided.
*************************************
"Hello grandmother," Leto intoned, stepping into her room from a small doorway, followed closely by Ghanima, who looked very closely at her grandmother.
"You thought we were them, didn't you?" She asked softly.
Lady Jessica smiled, and inclined her head, "I must say it was not an.unpleasant moment." Her eyes twinkled with joy as she gazed at her grandchildren. She admitted to herself silently that Ayaneal Utaren had not been altogether wrong in thinking of a match between Leto and Chaysula. They would hold each other in a balance, his calmness would belay her fire, and she in turn, would ignite in him a passion. "but," She thought to herself, "I could never forgive myself if I let another innocent child be used as my own son was. As I was.as I am."
Although years of practice had sculpted her facial concentration into a finely honed tool, something of this troubling thought must have shown on her face, in her expression, for Leto took a step forward, his eyes narrowed with a dark sort of curiosity, and asked, though not unpleasantly or harshly, "Grandmother? What are you thinking about?"
She lied, although the lie was a truth by rights. "I'm thinking about how much you are like your father,"
A small smile graced his face when the chamber doors were thrown wide. Alia glared at both of the disobedient twins, "I thought we agreed to give her time to rest," She told them forcefully, indicating clearly that they should leave.
As they sauntered down the hall, Leto began to tell his sister of what he had seen, and of what he suspected.
"I know she lied when she said what she was thinking. She knows, and not only that, I think she's a part of it." Leto finished, rounding a tall gleaming column.
"But why would our grandmother want to hurt us?" Ghanima questioned, flaunting an obvious point.
"There are three positions in which it could have occurred, one, she is Bene Gesserit, and they need us still. Two, she doesn't know the danger she brings, and three; it could be no danger at all. But I am not inclined to believe the last." ******************************************************
Chaysula rolled haphazardly across the sands, finally able to stand after her dismount from the worm. She raised her hand in farewell to Jalud, the desert fremen who had helped her on her journey into exile. The worm faded into the night and the distant dunes, leaving her once more to her own profound loneliness, and the undulating sands.
Sighing, she hitched her Frem-kit up a bit farther and started across the desert while the sweltering sands remained cool. She journeyed toward sietch Tabr, where Stilgar, Naib of the sietch, and her next contact, would help her disappear, from the eyes of her father, and the eyes of the universe. She was no more. She was a free agent in the universe.
Once more, the weight in her hip-satchel began to stir, but this time, she unclasped the hook and drew Ankhar from his captivity, setting him on the sands beside her, where he trotted along, happily unaware of any of the despair his mistress was feeling, which, oddly enough, drew her from her sadness, forcing her to concentrate on the task at hand. Reaching Sietch Tabr.
"I see Muad'dib, and The Holiest Sister, yet of the Reverend Mother, I see no Icons." Chaysula gazed upwards through her lashes, speaking the words softly. The Fremen gave no indication that he had understood the subtle code she had spoken, save his off-hand reply.
"We do not sell Icons of her in the streets of Arrakeen, though she is much revered in the desert still. Please, follow me, and I shall show you our new merchandise." He waved his hand toward an alley lined with crates, and began to waddle over. His grin dimpled his fleshy cheeks as they both spoke low words over the boxes of Icons.
"So, you are the girl she sends us. The new Mi'kiyla. Be sure you make a song of the kindness of the Fremen. It is not our strongest trait, no, but we do treasure it."
Chaysula smiled warmly over the Icons, "It will be the first thing I do as a Mi'kiyla. You have my word on that friend."
He gave a gruff laugh, and began to explain the exit they would take from the city. "Tonight when all is quiet, we leave the city. Once we have passed the shield wall, I shall place a thumper in the ground and call a worm. A few hours walk from the sietch I will leave you, so there is no appearance of us arriving together. May Shai-Halud clear the path before you, Young one."
"You are kind to me. I will not forget it." She told him truthfully. At that moment, a small series of growls found their way into the air from the large satchel that lay at her hip. "Oh, Ankhar! I almost forgot!"
"What is this growling?" asked the man, curiously raising an eyebrow in her direction.
"My pet. An Ivaz Cougar from my home world. I have been feeding him sleeping medicines, until we leave the city, but it seems I have forgotten to feed him one." She slipped her hand into a pocket, pulling out a treat for Ankhar. A few minutes after eating it, the growls had subsided.
*************************************
"Hello grandmother," Leto intoned, stepping into her room from a small doorway, followed closely by Ghanima, who looked very closely at her grandmother.
"You thought we were them, didn't you?" She asked softly.
Lady Jessica smiled, and inclined her head, "I must say it was not an.unpleasant moment." Her eyes twinkled with joy as she gazed at her grandchildren. She admitted to herself silently that Ayaneal Utaren had not been altogether wrong in thinking of a match between Leto and Chaysula. They would hold each other in a balance, his calmness would belay her fire, and she in turn, would ignite in him a passion. "but," She thought to herself, "I could never forgive myself if I let another innocent child be used as my own son was. As I was.as I am."
Although years of practice had sculpted her facial concentration into a finely honed tool, something of this troubling thought must have shown on her face, in her expression, for Leto took a step forward, his eyes narrowed with a dark sort of curiosity, and asked, though not unpleasantly or harshly, "Grandmother? What are you thinking about?"
She lied, although the lie was a truth by rights. "I'm thinking about how much you are like your father,"
A small smile graced his face when the chamber doors were thrown wide. Alia glared at both of the disobedient twins, "I thought we agreed to give her time to rest," She told them forcefully, indicating clearly that they should leave.
As they sauntered down the hall, Leto began to tell his sister of what he had seen, and of what he suspected.
"I know she lied when she said what she was thinking. She knows, and not only that, I think she's a part of it." Leto finished, rounding a tall gleaming column.
"But why would our grandmother want to hurt us?" Ghanima questioned, flaunting an obvious point.
"There are three positions in which it could have occurred, one, she is Bene Gesserit, and they need us still. Two, she doesn't know the danger she brings, and three; it could be no danger at all. But I am not inclined to believe the last." ******************************************************
Chaysula rolled haphazardly across the sands, finally able to stand after her dismount from the worm. She raised her hand in farewell to Jalud, the desert fremen who had helped her on her journey into exile. The worm faded into the night and the distant dunes, leaving her once more to her own profound loneliness, and the undulating sands.
Sighing, she hitched her Frem-kit up a bit farther and started across the desert while the sweltering sands remained cool. She journeyed toward sietch Tabr, where Stilgar, Naib of the sietch, and her next contact, would help her disappear, from the eyes of her father, and the eyes of the universe. She was no more. She was a free agent in the universe.
Once more, the weight in her hip-satchel began to stir, but this time, she unclasped the hook and drew Ankhar from his captivity, setting him on the sands beside her, where he trotted along, happily unaware of any of the despair his mistress was feeling, which, oddly enough, drew her from her sadness, forcing her to concentrate on the task at hand. Reaching Sietch Tabr.