The next day Elishin awoke from her bed. She had stayed in the Keep and
enjoyed Leto's hospitality. Attendants came and went, always leaving her
simple reminders of her childhood. She'd stayed in the Keep thanks to Alia,
whom she'd called Aunt Alia since Leto and Ghanima had. But as she had
gotten older Alia seemed to no longer care as she fell into Abomination.
Her own mother had been killed years after she was born. Now everything,
and everyone, was changing. Then the messenger had come, telling her that
Sabiha was in labor. So it begins, or in Sabiha's case, it was the end.
Leto had arrived at Sietch Tabr hours earlier, expecting the birth before it happened. He knew Elishin would wait until Sabiha was well enough to stand, and Sabiha would push herself to stand. The pain would hurt, and Leto had memories of giving birth. Now he awaited his child's birth. Ghanima and Farad'n were here also, having arrived very early in the morning. Elishin would arrive soon as he'd told the messenger not to disturb her until later in the morning. Leto stood outside of the room Sabiha was in. The Duncan stood behind him, silent but watching him and how he was reacting to the birth. Leto showed no emotion, but inside he was slightly curious about how this child's life would be like. If the child died it would be Leto's only heir even after thousands of years.
"You are inspecting me for human emotions," Leto stated, just to break the silence.
"One must decide whether one cares about something that is important but not," Duncan said, which made Leto slightly angry.
"Do you know how great this child will be? He will be my only heir," Leto said, whirling around.
"Leto, I got here as soon as I could," Elishin said, rounding a corner and out of breath.
"Do you even care? Do you even love Sabiha or any of your people as your grandfather did?" Duncan said back, ignoring Elishin.
"Duncan, it's okay. Leto, go in and see Sabiha," Elishin told them both, walking up to them now.
As Leto left he gave Elishin a secret smile, and Elishin nodded. Elishin led Duncan off, to do as Leto had told her yesterday. When Elishin and Duncan reached a room Elishin pushed him inside, and then sealed the door shut. The woman inside would do her job. After all the woman was a Bene Gesserit. So Elishin was really disobeying the Emperor. But she would not bow down to Leto like that. So Elishin went outside onto a ledge overlooking the desert, or the green desert. Ghanima was there, and Elishin saw a tear fall from Ghani's eye.
"Ghanima, what is wrong?" Elishin asked her quietly, sitting beside her.
"I have planned something with Duncan. When you go to kill Sabiha, we will guard you and make sure none stop you," Ghanima said, her blonde hair suddenly blowing around her from a gust of wind," It will rain soon."
"Duncan told you didn't he? But that is not all that is bothering you," Elishin stated, feeling the moisture in the air.
"No it's not all that's bothering me," Ghani said, and she faced Elishin," I think I'm pregnant. It's only been a day since Farad'n and me . . .," Ghani trailed off.
"If you are then you should be happy, not sad," Elishin told her and smiled
at her.
Ghanima smiled and nodded, throwing her arms around her old friend. The time would be soon to take that step in eliminating an old enemy.
In many more hours, about nightfall, the children were born. Leto moved forward to them as if he'd known about the children being more than one child. They were a boy and a girl.
"Let's name them Vorianist and Kituna Atreides. Is Sabiha well?" Leto asked the attendant who had a round face and freckles on her nose.
"She is well. She is healthy also for just giving birth. I suspect she will recover soon, maybe the day after tomorrow," the attendant said, waving to let him know where Sabiha was.
Leto stepped out, to get Duncan and Elishin.
Elishin then walked down the hall with Ghani and Duncan. Duncan had done exactly what Elishin thought, and the woman too. She'd seduced him. Elishin entered the room, asking the attendant if she could see Sabiha. She said yes so Elishin entered the curtains. Ghani and Duncan had stayed outside, guarding the doorway. Sabiha looked over at her as she entered; her hair was greasy with sweat.
"So you've come then? I didn't think you were ever going to come and see the children," Sabiha told her, smiling slightly.
"How are you feeling?" Elishin asked her voice low as she moved forward.
"Well enough to fight you. You know I realized something. Stilgar has you on a leash, and you can see nothing beyond your own collar around your neck. It is best if I call you a water stealer. You stole the blood of my people," Sabiha said, nonchalantly.
"Don't insult me Sabiha. All you're doing is trying to make me kill you quicker," Elishin said, closing her eyes against the urge to kill her here and now.
"Do it. It will save me from the misery of raising those children," Sabiha said.
Elishin drew her crysknife and then realized her mistake. A crysknife could never be sheathed without drawing blood. Sabiha smiled at it almost welcomingly. Elishin shook her head and stepped back a few paces.
"Give it to me!" Sabiha yelled, and grabbed onto Elishin's clothing and pulled her towards her. Elishin lost her balance and tripped. Sabiha wrestled the crysknife from her grasp and turned the blade toward herself. And then before Elishin's hand was halfway there Sabiha had driven the crysknife into her heart. Elishin could almost hear the last beatings of Sabiha's heart.
"Take care of them! Treat them as . . . you would treat . . . your children if you had any," Sabiha whispered, and then died.
Elishin stared at the lifeless body of the woman she'd intended to kill. But Sabiha's sudden welcome of death had changed Elishin's mind. Now Sabiha wanted her to take care of her children.
"I promise you Sabiha, my so-called enemy that I will care for your children. I'll tell them good things about you too," Elishin whispered to Sabiha.
Then Elishin turned around and looked at the children. They had a full head of hair, and their blue-within-blue eyes seemed to shine brighter than anything. Elishin stroked their cheeks. Ghanima entered then, looking at Sabiha's body and then Elishin.
"She killed herself," Elishin said to Ghanima and the now entering Duncan and Leto.
"My vision has come true. All of it. Duncan, you were to breed with Elishin. Only you weren't really. I only told Elishin that so she would do exactly the opposite," Leto said.
"You planned for me to . . . I am not your stud Leto! You cannot throw me at whomever you wish!" Duncan yelled, and he charged at Leto his rage obvious by his red face.
Instead of simply dodging Duncan, Leto dodged grabbed ahold of Duncan's head and twisted, and Duncan fell to the ground his neck broken. Elishin looked at Duncan then and a tear came forth from her eyes. A tear for the dead. A tear for the man who would live as many men. It was still the beginning, and not even to the middle. Life would go on though, and it would end as Duncan's life had just ended minutes earlier.
Leto had arrived at Sietch Tabr hours earlier, expecting the birth before it happened. He knew Elishin would wait until Sabiha was well enough to stand, and Sabiha would push herself to stand. The pain would hurt, and Leto had memories of giving birth. Now he awaited his child's birth. Ghanima and Farad'n were here also, having arrived very early in the morning. Elishin would arrive soon as he'd told the messenger not to disturb her until later in the morning. Leto stood outside of the room Sabiha was in. The Duncan stood behind him, silent but watching him and how he was reacting to the birth. Leto showed no emotion, but inside he was slightly curious about how this child's life would be like. If the child died it would be Leto's only heir even after thousands of years.
"You are inspecting me for human emotions," Leto stated, just to break the silence.
"One must decide whether one cares about something that is important but not," Duncan said, which made Leto slightly angry.
"Do you know how great this child will be? He will be my only heir," Leto said, whirling around.
"Leto, I got here as soon as I could," Elishin said, rounding a corner and out of breath.
"Do you even care? Do you even love Sabiha or any of your people as your grandfather did?" Duncan said back, ignoring Elishin.
"Duncan, it's okay. Leto, go in and see Sabiha," Elishin told them both, walking up to them now.
As Leto left he gave Elishin a secret smile, and Elishin nodded. Elishin led Duncan off, to do as Leto had told her yesterday. When Elishin and Duncan reached a room Elishin pushed him inside, and then sealed the door shut. The woman inside would do her job. After all the woman was a Bene Gesserit. So Elishin was really disobeying the Emperor. But she would not bow down to Leto like that. So Elishin went outside onto a ledge overlooking the desert, or the green desert. Ghanima was there, and Elishin saw a tear fall from Ghani's eye.
"Ghanima, what is wrong?" Elishin asked her quietly, sitting beside her.
"I have planned something with Duncan. When you go to kill Sabiha, we will guard you and make sure none stop you," Ghanima said, her blonde hair suddenly blowing around her from a gust of wind," It will rain soon."
"Duncan told you didn't he? But that is not all that is bothering you," Elishin stated, feeling the moisture in the air.
"No it's not all that's bothering me," Ghani said, and she faced Elishin," I think I'm pregnant. It's only been a day since Farad'n and me . . .," Ghani trailed off.
"If you are then you should be happy, not sad," Elishin told her and smiled
at her.
Ghanima smiled and nodded, throwing her arms around her old friend. The time would be soon to take that step in eliminating an old enemy.
In many more hours, about nightfall, the children were born. Leto moved forward to them as if he'd known about the children being more than one child. They were a boy and a girl.
"Let's name them Vorianist and Kituna Atreides. Is Sabiha well?" Leto asked the attendant who had a round face and freckles on her nose.
"She is well. She is healthy also for just giving birth. I suspect she will recover soon, maybe the day after tomorrow," the attendant said, waving to let him know where Sabiha was.
Leto stepped out, to get Duncan and Elishin.
Elishin then walked down the hall with Ghani and Duncan. Duncan had done exactly what Elishin thought, and the woman too. She'd seduced him. Elishin entered the room, asking the attendant if she could see Sabiha. She said yes so Elishin entered the curtains. Ghani and Duncan had stayed outside, guarding the doorway. Sabiha looked over at her as she entered; her hair was greasy with sweat.
"So you've come then? I didn't think you were ever going to come and see the children," Sabiha told her, smiling slightly.
"How are you feeling?" Elishin asked her voice low as she moved forward.
"Well enough to fight you. You know I realized something. Stilgar has you on a leash, and you can see nothing beyond your own collar around your neck. It is best if I call you a water stealer. You stole the blood of my people," Sabiha said, nonchalantly.
"Don't insult me Sabiha. All you're doing is trying to make me kill you quicker," Elishin said, closing her eyes against the urge to kill her here and now.
"Do it. It will save me from the misery of raising those children," Sabiha said.
Elishin drew her crysknife and then realized her mistake. A crysknife could never be sheathed without drawing blood. Sabiha smiled at it almost welcomingly. Elishin shook her head and stepped back a few paces.
"Give it to me!" Sabiha yelled, and grabbed onto Elishin's clothing and pulled her towards her. Elishin lost her balance and tripped. Sabiha wrestled the crysknife from her grasp and turned the blade toward herself. And then before Elishin's hand was halfway there Sabiha had driven the crysknife into her heart. Elishin could almost hear the last beatings of Sabiha's heart.
"Take care of them! Treat them as . . . you would treat . . . your children if you had any," Sabiha whispered, and then died.
Elishin stared at the lifeless body of the woman she'd intended to kill. But Sabiha's sudden welcome of death had changed Elishin's mind. Now Sabiha wanted her to take care of her children.
"I promise you Sabiha, my so-called enemy that I will care for your children. I'll tell them good things about you too," Elishin whispered to Sabiha.
Then Elishin turned around and looked at the children. They had a full head of hair, and their blue-within-blue eyes seemed to shine brighter than anything. Elishin stroked their cheeks. Ghanima entered then, looking at Sabiha's body and then Elishin.
"She killed herself," Elishin said to Ghanima and the now entering Duncan and Leto.
"My vision has come true. All of it. Duncan, you were to breed with Elishin. Only you weren't really. I only told Elishin that so she would do exactly the opposite," Leto said.
"You planned for me to . . . I am not your stud Leto! You cannot throw me at whomever you wish!" Duncan yelled, and he charged at Leto his rage obvious by his red face.
Instead of simply dodging Duncan, Leto dodged grabbed ahold of Duncan's head and twisted, and Duncan fell to the ground his neck broken. Elishin looked at Duncan then and a tear came forth from her eyes. A tear for the dead. A tear for the man who would live as many men. It was still the beginning, and not even to the middle. Life would go on though, and it would end as Duncan's life had just ended minutes earlier.