That morning, the sietch rose at dawn, sending off the Mi'kiyla with gifts
of food and a new stil-suit, children waved exuberantly as the sun rose,
washing the sands red with light.
To Ghanima, it was a portent. An omen of things to come, if she and her twin did not move swiftly. She had a strange fear about this girl, who claimed to be a Mi'kiyla, with fremen eyes. She was not fremen, she could not be fremen. Fremen did not challenge a princess; they did not send their beast to rip apart her arm.
On that thought, Ghani touched her forearm gingerly, and tried to pull her sleeve down farther to hide the dressings from her ever observant twin.
"What happened?" Leto questioned, he had seen the dark circles under her eyes as they woke, and he noticed she continually pulled her sleeve farther down, and this, was cause for suspicion.
"I don't know what you mean?" Ghani stated feigning innocence as Stilgar moved past them, beckoning the imperial heirs to send off the aba- clad girl. Her hair tumbled in numerous braids around her face, falling nearly to her hips outside the hood of both her stil-suit and the copper- red Aba.
Leto allowed a small, conciliatory smile to grace his lips, turning at an angle that Ghani could not see. Her jealousy and animosity to Sula, whom he felt a strange connection with, was palpable. "I suppose I must bid you farewell, Mi'kiyla Sula. Perhaps one day the winds will bring us together once more," he clasped her small hand, and brought it to his lips, just barely brushing the skin, as his eyes gazed deeply into hers. It was not even a kiss, a mere transference of tangible feeling, like butterfly wings grazing each other.
"If the great Maker allows it. Bi Li Kiafa, my Prince," She slid her hands over one another in the traditional fremen way, her heart pulling strangely, until Ghanima approached.
"May the wind speed your journey, and may the sands always carry you, so you are never buried beneath them," The tall blonde warned cryptically, a sinister smile spreading across her face. Ankhar growled low in his throat, and Ghani narrowed her eyes at him.
Ankhar stood, hackles raised, slowly moving in front of Sula, teeth barred. Stilgar imposed himself between the two, placing his hand upon Sula's shoulders, and Ankhar quieted.
"Come, now child. We must call a maker."
As they walked onto the sun bleached dunes, She turned and gazed fleetingly behind her, knowing for certain that they three were entangled in web of fate. One could not move without pulling the other out of balance.
*******************
It was midday, Leto was helping the smaller children get the afternoon meal, handing it to them with a smile and a laugh. He hadn't asked again about Ghani's arm, he hadn't wanted to know.
She watched with a certain relief, knowing he was safe from the imposter's clutches, at least until next time. She wondered silently why he hadn't guessed what she was at, why he had been so open, so, she shuddered to think, inviting. Leto had always been the one to guess the devices of others, but maybe a beautiful face had thrown him ajar. Even with prescient ability, no one was perfect.
This train of thought led her down a disturbing road, to the situation where her Aunt Alia found herself in. Abomination. The word itself made her grow cold with fear. She couldn't risk it, she wouldn't allow herself to, or Leto either.
A stillness of motion alerted her unconscious to the possibility of danger, and she shifted her eyes toward Leto, who was gazing unobtrusively over her shoulder.
"I believe we've found our traitor." He said, slowly handing another dish to a small girl, patting her on the head.
"And yet for some reason, I don't believe he's our biggest threat," Ghanima stated pointedly, as she unconsciously made a motion to stroke her forearm. Leto didn't ask, and forced himself not to guess. He wouldn't believe it.
She walked around the table and motioned for him to follow her through the labyrinth of sietch passages. "I think we need to make our escape."
"now?"
"Yes now," She answered pressingly.
"I see the point, but what is the true reason?" He asked, grabbing for her arm since she had continued down the stairs, not even answering.
She pivoted, her hair whipping around her face, settling in wild disarray, matching her frantic features. "I don't know what you mean," She said stoically.
With a burst of furious energy, Leto pulled her arm to him and pushed up her sleeve in anger. "I think you understand my meaning well enough, blood of my blood! I want the truth from you, though I can easily see it in your eyes!"
"I want you safe. Not because of her, not because of him," She pointed out through the tunnel, "But because of you! You said it yourself! Something is coming that you will not be able to control. 'The Whirlwind is coming,' you said it yourself! How many times have I heard you among the cliffs, how many times? I say it has already come! I also say that avoidance is nine tenths of safety, and to save the golden path, and to save ourselves, we must leave, now!" Ghanima shouted, almost believing it, except that deep inside the hidden parts of her mind, she could not stop seeing the boldness of those eyes as the fangs of her blood-thirsty cat sunk into her own flesh.
"Alright," Leto said, hesitantly. They made their way to the storage room, and clothed themselves in the Corrino given stil-suits.
*******************
A silhouette among the shadows flung a hood over his face, and made way to the Corrino relay point.
To Ghanima, it was a portent. An omen of things to come, if she and her twin did not move swiftly. She had a strange fear about this girl, who claimed to be a Mi'kiyla, with fremen eyes. She was not fremen, she could not be fremen. Fremen did not challenge a princess; they did not send their beast to rip apart her arm.
On that thought, Ghani touched her forearm gingerly, and tried to pull her sleeve down farther to hide the dressings from her ever observant twin.
"What happened?" Leto questioned, he had seen the dark circles under her eyes as they woke, and he noticed she continually pulled her sleeve farther down, and this, was cause for suspicion.
"I don't know what you mean?" Ghani stated feigning innocence as Stilgar moved past them, beckoning the imperial heirs to send off the aba- clad girl. Her hair tumbled in numerous braids around her face, falling nearly to her hips outside the hood of both her stil-suit and the copper- red Aba.
Leto allowed a small, conciliatory smile to grace his lips, turning at an angle that Ghani could not see. Her jealousy and animosity to Sula, whom he felt a strange connection with, was palpable. "I suppose I must bid you farewell, Mi'kiyla Sula. Perhaps one day the winds will bring us together once more," he clasped her small hand, and brought it to his lips, just barely brushing the skin, as his eyes gazed deeply into hers. It was not even a kiss, a mere transference of tangible feeling, like butterfly wings grazing each other.
"If the great Maker allows it. Bi Li Kiafa, my Prince," She slid her hands over one another in the traditional fremen way, her heart pulling strangely, until Ghanima approached.
"May the wind speed your journey, and may the sands always carry you, so you are never buried beneath them," The tall blonde warned cryptically, a sinister smile spreading across her face. Ankhar growled low in his throat, and Ghani narrowed her eyes at him.
Ankhar stood, hackles raised, slowly moving in front of Sula, teeth barred. Stilgar imposed himself between the two, placing his hand upon Sula's shoulders, and Ankhar quieted.
"Come, now child. We must call a maker."
As they walked onto the sun bleached dunes, She turned and gazed fleetingly behind her, knowing for certain that they three were entangled in web of fate. One could not move without pulling the other out of balance.
*******************
It was midday, Leto was helping the smaller children get the afternoon meal, handing it to them with a smile and a laugh. He hadn't asked again about Ghani's arm, he hadn't wanted to know.
She watched with a certain relief, knowing he was safe from the imposter's clutches, at least until next time. She wondered silently why he hadn't guessed what she was at, why he had been so open, so, she shuddered to think, inviting. Leto had always been the one to guess the devices of others, but maybe a beautiful face had thrown him ajar. Even with prescient ability, no one was perfect.
This train of thought led her down a disturbing road, to the situation where her Aunt Alia found herself in. Abomination. The word itself made her grow cold with fear. She couldn't risk it, she wouldn't allow herself to, or Leto either.
A stillness of motion alerted her unconscious to the possibility of danger, and she shifted her eyes toward Leto, who was gazing unobtrusively over her shoulder.
"I believe we've found our traitor." He said, slowly handing another dish to a small girl, patting her on the head.
"And yet for some reason, I don't believe he's our biggest threat," Ghanima stated pointedly, as she unconsciously made a motion to stroke her forearm. Leto didn't ask, and forced himself not to guess. He wouldn't believe it.
She walked around the table and motioned for him to follow her through the labyrinth of sietch passages. "I think we need to make our escape."
"now?"
"Yes now," She answered pressingly.
"I see the point, but what is the true reason?" He asked, grabbing for her arm since she had continued down the stairs, not even answering.
She pivoted, her hair whipping around her face, settling in wild disarray, matching her frantic features. "I don't know what you mean," She said stoically.
With a burst of furious energy, Leto pulled her arm to him and pushed up her sleeve in anger. "I think you understand my meaning well enough, blood of my blood! I want the truth from you, though I can easily see it in your eyes!"
"I want you safe. Not because of her, not because of him," She pointed out through the tunnel, "But because of you! You said it yourself! Something is coming that you will not be able to control. 'The Whirlwind is coming,' you said it yourself! How many times have I heard you among the cliffs, how many times? I say it has already come! I also say that avoidance is nine tenths of safety, and to save the golden path, and to save ourselves, we must leave, now!" Ghanima shouted, almost believing it, except that deep inside the hidden parts of her mind, she could not stop seeing the boldness of those eyes as the fangs of her blood-thirsty cat sunk into her own flesh.
"Alright," Leto said, hesitantly. They made their way to the storage room, and clothed themselves in the Corrino given stil-suits.
*******************
A silhouette among the shadows flung a hood over his face, and made way to the Corrino relay point.