rolling in the deep

04

"Shield."

Paul squeezes my hand as we stand in the ship, ready to land. We land, and the door starts to open. At the bright sun, we squint. Leto turns back to look at Paul.

"'My lungs taste the air of Time. Blown past the falling sand...'" Gurney trails off.

We start walking down the ramp and onto the desert sand. Paul lets go of my hand and walks in front of me, putting his hand out for me when I get to the end of the ramp. I take his hand and he helps me down the very small drop.

We both glance around, taking everything in.

I let go of Paul's hand as I see Thufir.

He smiles at the man and speeds up his walking. "Thufir Hawat," he says, jogging over to Thufir to give him a hug.

"Young master," Thufir says, "how does it feel to walk on a new world?"

"Exciting, to say the least," Paul says. He steps away from Thufir and grabs my hand again.

Thufir bows to Leto and says, "My lord."

"How are you, old friend?" Leto asks.

"My advance team has secured the city. We're still smoothing out a few rough spots," Thufir says. When Leto walks away, he bows to Jessica. "My lady." He turns to me and nods with a smile. "Young Idaho."

I smile at him and nod. Paul and I follow the others towards an ornithopter. On our way, the people surrounding us shout, "Lisan al-Gaib!"

"Don't be fooled by the welcome," Thufir says, "They follow their old masters' rules. Mandatory attendance. That's Harkonnen love out there."

Jessica walks into the ornithopter, and we follow after her.

"Let's get you out of the sun," Thufir says, closing the helicopter's glass walls once we are sitting. "The heat can kill in this place."

The ornithopters start up, and the blades start moving.

Paul turns to his mother. "They were pointing at us. What are they shouting?"

"Lisan al-Gaib. "Voice from the Outer World,'" Jessica says, "It's their name for messiah. It means the Bene Gesserit have been at work here."

"Planting superstitions," Paul adds.

"Preparing the way, Paul," his mother corrects. "These people have waited for centuries for the Lisan al-Gaib. They see you, they see the signs."

"They see what they've been told to see," Paul says, looking down at our intertwined hands.

"We're good to go," Thufir says, and we start lifting into the air. The ornithopters fly through Arrakis, and I take in all the views of the desert. It's so different from my home, and it's still beautiful.

"Shield wall," Thufir says after a moment. Paul and I both move our heads a little in order to see it. "Protects the city from the weather...and the worms."

"How big are they?" I ask. "The worms?"

Thufir turns slightly, "Too big. You just hope that you don't have to see one."

-

"I think this place is pretty," I say as Paul and I walk into his room. He huffs and starts messing with a few things next to his bed, shaking his head. "Can't you try to see the bright side of things for two seconds?"

He sends me a little glare. "Sorry that I'm not in the best mood right now," he snaps. "My mother keeps secrets from me and you try to pry at everything."