New chapter, yey! i finally got my computer to work. So here it is. Okay, so to set this up. This next chapter takes place about 5 years after the first few. Lanara left Arrakis and no one knows exactly why. Now she comes back and things are turned upside down. hope you like it, its shorter than i thought

I don't own Children of Dune, blah blah blah

"You're avoiding her," Ghanima chided. She and Leto were getting prepared for the welcoming ball later that night. They both looked stunning in their regal attire, as usual. But Let seemed a bit nervous, pulling at his collar as if it restricted his breathing. "Who?" he asked, his voice not betraying his emotions. Ghanima cocked an eyebrow at him, "You can't ignore each other forever."

He sighed, "I'll see her tonight. You know I've been very busy these past few hours. When would I have had a chance to catch up with an old friend when there is so much work to be done?"

"Old friend? I think not my dear brother," she put a hand on his shoulder. He leaned back a little, taking comfort in his sibling's gentle touch. There had been indeed little time to relax these past few hours. "You have to talk to her," she whispered.

"I know."

"There is much unresolved between you."

"I know"

Ghanima was beginning to tire of these emotionless answers. So she asked a question that she knew he did not so readily know the answer to. "What did you do to make her leave?"

At that Leto turned away, but stayed silent. Remembering the hurt of Lanara's final words to him was like opening an old wound; knowing that he was somehow the cause of her leaving was even more of a blow.

"You hurt her, and she hurt you. This is not that big a place, Leto. You are going to have to confront the issue sometime in the very near future if you want to live in the same palace without going for each other's throats." She knew both her brother and her friend, and she had secretly watched their last few moments together. The anger that had been there had been greater than any she had ever seen. If Lanara had stayed in that room a few minutes longer, one of them wouldn't have been alive by the end of it. When those two had a fight brewing in their blood, good things did not come. When Leto didn't respond, she realized that there was no way to get to her brother right now. It pained her that even though they were closer to each other than anyone else, he wouldn't let her see what he was thinking. He merely continued to look out the window. He didn't see Ghanima leave, or another woman enter.

"Leto," the voice was low and female, dripping with sensuality. Warm arms followed and wrapped around his waist. He felt hot breath on his ear as it was nipped playfully. Safron's scent permeated his senses and he turned into the embrace. Just because Lanara had broken his heart didn't mean that he couldn't take comfort in a lover. In fact, Safron had provided him with much enjoyment for the past few years. She had begun as a simple secretary for one of his aids. One night he had wandered into the aid's office by accident, and she had been there, alone. From then on they had a mutual appreciation for each other's company, though their relationship was far from the true love that he had felt for the woman who had left him, or so he thought.

"Are you ready for the party yet?" Her voice and breath warmed him, but even her gentle touch could not shake the fear that he felt of seeing Lanara again. Nevertheless, he put on a calm face and looked into the eyes of the redhead standing in front of him. Her hair was long and flowing, the green dress that she wore hugged her sensuous curves. She was the kind of woman that a man appreciated having at his side. Sure there was an intelligence hiding behind those soft brown eyes, but to everyone else she was just a pretty face with not much to say.

"I'm as ready as I will ever be," he said. She smiled warmly. Despite Leto's lukewarm feelings, she loved him very much, and she could hardly wait to tell him the little secret that she had been hiding for the past few days. But timing was everything, and right now he seemed a bit distressed. Faint lines had appeared around his eyes, and he always looked tired. Actually, he'd been acting this way ever since the arrival of the ship from Caladan. It was the one envoy that he had not personally seen to yet. Something was wrong, and she was interested to see what it was that was upsetting her lover. This party, she decided, would not be one to miss.

The great hall was decorated lavishly. Piles of food lined the tables on the sides of the room. Music streamed through hidden speakers, and the flag of the house Atredies hung high across the windows. Telixu dancers swayed and twirled around the room, their gold anklets lightly clanging on the smooth marble floor. Strategically placed Fedikan guards made sure that none of the guests got too rowdy. Leto silently congratulated himself on being able to pull this entire thing off. Gods below knew how much all of the officials need this night to relax before the grueling summit meetings began. Scanning the room, he saw hundreds of diplomats and ambassadors, all richly dressed and talking up a storm. Chatter ranged from the prices of Spice travel to the latest conflict on Ixia IV. A few tried to trap him into a political discussion, but, being the artful leader that he was, Leto quickly declined and moved on to the next group of people. The crowds were dense, and they all parted for their God-Emperor, but there was none of the reverent bowing and chanting as there was in the streets of Arrakeen when he decided to walk out in the open. These were politicians, and their motives lay beyond simple religious devotion.

After he tired of the mindless verbal exchange, he sought out his sister. It did not take long to find her, they had always had and intuitive sense of where the other was. She was standing in a corner by the throne speaking to another woman, though he could not see who it was as she had her back turned towards him. Ghanima gestured in his direction, "And of course I do not need to introduce you to my brother." He stopped short when the woman turned around. She was dressed in a black, off the shoulder sheath and her sleek chin length hair artfully framed her face. The Fremen blue hadn't faded from her emerald green eyes. They still looked like the twin moons when their lights shined together. Her face was a bit softer now that she had been off world for so long, but other than that she hadn't changed a bit. She was still just as breathtakingly beautiful as he remembered her to be. In fact, he did almost forget to breathe.

Lanara's smile faltered a bit when she turned around and saw Leto standing in front of her, and she quickly put on an air of calm and poise. "It has been too long," she said and took his hand in greeting. The contact of his skin against hers felt like a brand, but she took a deep breath and stayed calm. Though he'd noticed her brief moment of insecurity, Leto did not let on and smiled right back. A part of him was glad that he wasn't the only one going through turmoil. "Too long," he answered.

"Won't you introduce me to your friend?" Lanara gestured to the statuesque beauty that had just come up beside him and put and arm around his waist. She felt the grip of jealousy around her chest, but suppressed it.

Safron had watched the exchange between them. Though both had spoke and smiled warmly to each other, their eyes gave them away. Leto turned to her,

"This is Safron, she's a…close friend."

Lanara knew exactly what he meant by "close friend", she wasn't stupid, and simply nodded, trying not to let anyone know how much pain she was in.

"Pleased to meet you," she said and shook Safron's hand.

"And Safron, this is Lanara, our ambassador to Caladan," Leto introduced his lover to the woman who broke his heart. Lanara didn't have much time to think about what she felt because at that moment her little daughter decided to run up to them. "Mommy!" the little girl squealed and wrapped her arms around her mother's legs.

"What happened to Uncle Faradan?" Lanara asked.

Her daughter shrugged and turned to Safron and Leto.

"I'm Accalia," she said proudly. Leto laughed and bent down to look at the charming little girl.

"I'm Leto," he introduced himself. She had her mother's dark hair and small frame. "Well if Faradan is your uncle, then that makes me your uncle too." The girl looked up at him and smiled. Leto's heart caught in his throat and felt as if all of the wind had been knocked out of him, again. This little girl may have been a carbon copy of her mother, but when he looked into her eyes, he saw himself staring back. They were the same shape and color as his own, and the cynical yet wondrous look in them reminded him of himself. "How old are you?" he inquired. "Five," she said, once again, proudly. There was no mistaking it then. He looked up at Lanara, a puzzled and almost angry look upon his face. She gave him a look that told him that they had much to talk about, but later.

"What just happened?" Leto asked himself as he wandered throughout the Great Hall, not even paying any attention to dignitaries now. Seeing Lanara again had been just as hard as he had expected. His heart had leapt a little when he saw the emotions in her eyes. A foolish part of him had thought, 'Maybe there's still a chance…' But he was not prepared for the stabbing pain of the cold and distant look in her eyes when Safron had come to his side. And he was most definitely not prepared for discovering that he had a daughter. Of course Lanara hadn't confirmed that yet, but there was no mistaking those eyes. Accalia, she was such a striking little girl. His heart equally bloomed and shattered at the thought of having created such a wonderful being. His eyes followed her throughout the room, watching her in fascination as she interacted with the adults in the room. She was polite and shy, her mother no doubt had made sure that she was on her best behavior, but there was that hint of excitement of being at such an important event among such vivid characters. The thought that Lanara had hidden her from him for five years made him miserable. He made a promise to spend time with his daughter while she and her mother were here.

All of the people packed into the Great Hall made the room oppressively hot. Leto made his way through the crowds and stepped out to a balcony to breathe. He was surprised to find Lanara standing there, leaning on the balcony in what seemed like deep thought. At first he began to step back into the Hall as to leave her in her thoughts, but then thought better of it and continued forward. There was no one else around them to listen. It was the opportune moment to say everything that they had to say.

Lanara was indeed lost in thought, for there was a lot on her mind. She shouldn't have expected Leto to stay alone while she was gone. He was an attractive, powerful man, and women flock to that type of man. There had been others in her life as well. Five years was a long time to go without any sort of intimacy. But Safron, she gave a shiver of disgust at the name; there was something off about her. She seemed too arrogant, too…something. It was not jealousy, Lanara told herself, there just wasn't something right about that woman. It would have felt so good to just rip that smirk right off of her painted face, and after years of living and being trained the Fremen way she was very capable of doing just that. But what that horrid snake was smirking about is what bothered her most, and she was determined to find out what it was. The cool granite felt good beneath her fingers, which unconsciously traced the subtle cracks that ran up and down the railing. Desert and sand stretched out wide beyond the city walls, giving way to mountains of rock that had once held the soldiers of Maudib's armies. Tomorrow she would travel to Sietch Tabr, the place where she had spent most of her childhood. Already memories were coming back to her, both soothing and troubling. She remembered the times when she, Ghanima, and Leto hunted scorpions, and snuck out of the Sietch late at night to explore the desert. Hopefully she would find more welcoming thoughts than at the Palace, where everything reeked of politics and treachery.

Her reverie was broken by a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a bit, and then turned around to see who it was and what they wanted. The last person that she expected to see was Leto, but she guessed that she should have. The look in his eyes when he saw his daughter told her that he had questions, and he wanted them answered. That was probably what he wanted now.

"We need to talk." She was right.

"About what?"

"You know perfectly well what." Unable to look him in the eye, she kept her gaze upon the desert. It was now dotted with small patches of green, she noticed. It sent an uneasy feeling through her stomach. The desert was slowly disappearing; she could sense its turmoil. Maybe there was a reason that she had come back…

"There are a lot of things that need to be said," she whispered.

Leto realized that this was not going to be easy at all. Exasperated, he leaned on the railing beside her, head hung low. "She is mine, isn't she?" he asked. There was a long pause.

"Yes."

"Did you know when you left?"

Another long pause.

"Yes."

"Then gods below why didn't you tell me?"

"Why should I have?" Now she turned and looked him straight in the eye. She would stand up for what she did till the day that she died.

"Because she's my child! My flesh and blood! I had every right to know that I had helped create something so beautiful."

At any other time, his sweet words regarding her child would have melted her heart instantly, but the red hot fury coursing through her veins now kept Lanara from giving in to any of his words.

"Maybe you need to refresh your memory, because if I remember correctly we did not part on the most amicable of circumstances," she spat out bitterly. They stood close now, toe to toe, chin to nose. Leto could feel her furious breaths on his skin.

"That means nothing," his hand swept through the air dismissing her words.

"You would have kept me from leaving if you'd had known."

He began to protest, but knew that it was useless lying to her and himself. He knew that he never would have let her go if he had known she was carrying his child. Maybe if he had known, they could have worked things out, come to a compromise. Then he could have had a family right now, and none of the pain or suffering would have happened. "Would that really have been so bad?" his voice softened. The anger in them was slowly fading, leaving their sore hearts bear and open. Lanara turned away again, averting her eyes from his for fear of him seeing into her soul.

"Why did you leave?" he whispered, as much to himself as to her. It was a question that had floated through his mind every single day of the five years that they had been apart. He knew that he had hurt her, that he had betrayed her trust. But there had to be more to it than that, he knew that there was more to it than that. Her mind was open and vulnerable, so he took a chance and tried to probe the outer edges of her thoughts, searching for an answer. He should have known better. She sensed him the very second he entered her mind and immediately, and a bit forcefully, shut him out. The anger was back.

"How dare you! I would have thought that even after five years you would have retained your respectability and remembered that we promised not to read each other's thoughts," she faced him again and gave him a little shove, "You don't probe my thoughts, I don't probe yours."

He grabbed her hand to keep her from striking him. "How else am I going to get a straight answer? Anything that comes through your mouth has been twisted and manipulated so that it is what you want the person to hear." His words stung like acid on a wound.

"And I'm the only one that sugarcoats their words?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Enough was enough, she wasn't going to dodge his questions any longer, and five years was long enough to wait for an answer. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a shake.

"Why did you leave?" he demanded.

She took a deep breath.

"Because you betrayed me," she said through her teeth, "You betrayed my trust and since my job here was done I had no reason to stay." Her hands pushed his off her shoulders. "And don't you ever touch me again." Her answer had stung, even though a part of him knew that it was true. He had chosen politics over their love. He thought she would have understood what he had to do, but obviously she didn't see it the way that he did. There was a deep seated hurt behind the anger in her eyes, and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her there until her pain was eased.

"Lanara," he said her name for the first time in five years. It felt so right upon his lips, so sweet in his voice. She turned, a part of her desperately hoping that things would go back to the way they were. But then a female voice called out.

"Leto? Leto where are you my love?"

Safron, he thought, she always knew how to ruin a moment. When he looked at Lanara he saw that her defenses were back up, and the bitter cold was once again in her eyes. "Your lover calls," she said, her words were like honey laced in arsenic, mockingly sweet. And with that, she walked back into the Great Hall and he did not see her for the rest of the night.

Safron came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, as she had done so many times before. But this time it just didn't seem right. All of his feelings for Lanara had come back upon him full force. He shrugged Safron off of him. "Not now," he said and walked to a different part of the balcony, into the darkness. Safron stood and stared at his retreating back. She had heard the argument between the two former lovers, and now she understood Leto's discomfort for the past few days. Their discussion made her feel uneasy. She couldn't have an old lover getting between her and her future. The only way that she would secure her place in the upper echelons of the Palace would be through Leto. Everyone else thought her a whore, but as long as she was at the Emperor's side, no one could touch her. She would have to make sure that Lanara did not disrupt her plans for power.