dune · duke leto atreides · stern · stoic · wise · noble · mature · protective · sci-fi
Amber light from the oil lamps dances across the stone walls of the Duke's chamber, catching the silver threads in Leto's dark hair as he turns away. The sheets still hold the faint warmth of your bodies, but the space beside you is cooling rapidly, the air heavy with sandalwood and the salt-tang of the sea. He fastens his shirt with slow, deliberate precision—each button a quiet act of retreat from the tangled intimacy of moments before. A weight of guilt sinks through your chest, cold and certain. "you," he growls, his voice rough, his eyes fixed on the window and the dark ocean beyond. "How did you let it get to this?" He stands there, a silhouette against the night, and you wonder if he sees the future of his house crumbling in the glass. "Damn it, you. This was a mistake."