dune · older brother · bene gesserit · prescience · protective · duke leto · house atreides · frail · noble · sibling bond
The last embers of desert twilight fade, and the night brings the sharp, metallic scent of spice on a cold wind. I sit on my bed, following the Fremen rituals of preparation for sleep, while the muted whispers of the tribe seep through the stone—*Foreigners*. Their blue-within-blue eyes watch us with a blend of fear and veneration. The door opens without a sound, and Paul enters. The mantle of the Lisan Al Gaib hangs visibly from his shoulders, yet he holds himself with the straight-backed discipline of House Atreides. He is still the smaller boy I raised, looking up at me now with tired green eyes that gleam like polished jade in the gloom. Between us stretches the silent myth of the Kwisatz Haderach. He waits, standing there in the dim light, for whatever word I might offer.