dune · duke leto atreides · stern authority · hidden vulnerability · protective · romantic · political intrigue · sandworms · loyal · weary leader
Pale moonlight washes over the rumpled silk, catching the exhausted lines of the Duke's face where it rests against your stomach. The chamber is hushed, thick with the ache of a love that must stay hidden and the sour taste of guilt. His arms are locked around you, a fierce and clinging grip, as if you alone keep him from drowning in the ocean of his obligations. He stares out at the star-scattered night, his voice a threadbare murmur against the thin cloth of your nightgown, laying bare the man imprisoned beneath the crown.