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The Divine - Dune

Summary:

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬."

Seraphina Atreides, the burning one; known for her intense passion and love. A love and passion that is so powerful, yet so dangerous. A girl born in grief, helpless to defy what lies ahead of her.

Not an Atreides by blood, but she's an Atreides nonetheless.

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬.

(This is also cross-posted).

Notes:

Please let me know if you like this - I'm trying to migrate from Wattpad to here, I think my writing will improve more on here.

So if you guys have any tips or suggestions on how I can improve please feel free to comment them :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: In the Beginning

Notes:

Okay, so I also have this story posted onto wattpad, but I really want to improve my writing and I'm hoping that this is the place to do so :)

Feel free to tell me anything on what I can change or what might I be able to do to improve, I'm always open to taking constructive criticism.

Now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story, because I know I'm really enjoying writing it!

Chapter Text

 

 

 

 

 

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”

- Joseph Conrad

 

Seraphina was awoken by the feeling of someone shaking her. The young teenager groaned and looked over to see her adoptive older brother, Paul looking down at her. The sleepy girl growled in annoyance, throwing a pillow at him and covering herself with the sheets, her blonde hair was all messy, indicating a long night for beauty sleep. And Seraphina was not a morning person.

“Fuck off, Paul. Five more minutes,” the younger girl grumbled and Paul simply chuckled, pulling the sheets off of his little sister.

“C’mon, Sera,” he said to her, “Mother said that you need to get up. Breakfast is ready.” Seraphina groaned, sitting up, she wasn’t happy about being woken up. The only reason she even left her bed in the mornings was because she was promised food.

Seraphina wasn’t an Atreides by blood, but nonetheless, she was still an Atreides. Lady Jessica had found Seraphina at their doorstep when Seraphina was around five, she had a note from Seraphina’s mother worn around her neck, explaining how Seraphina’s mother was unable to take care of her for a multitude of reasons. One of them being the fact that Seraphina was a child that was born into grief, and that Seraphina was a child with a gift that couldn’t be properly managed.

After a few minutes, the youngest Atreides sat at the breakfast table with her mother and brother, picking at the food on her plate, trying not to fall asleep again. Neither Paul nor Seraphina spoke, their mother was the one to break the silence.

“It’s good that you’re both up early, your father wants you both in full dress before the Emperor’s Herald arrives,” Lady Jessica explained, taking a bite out of her food as Seraphina sighed, playing with a strand of her hair, not paying much attention to the conversation between Paul and her mother until Lady Jessica told Paul he had to use the Voice if he wanted the water glass.

Paul looked at the glass. “Give me the water.” Nothing happened, Seraphina was pretty familiar with Paul’s training for this kind of stuff, she had seen it happen before and so far he hadn’t been very successful. But it wasn’t like she could judge though. She was never even taught how to do that stuff.

“The glass can’t hear you. Command me,” Jessica instructed. Paul stared at his mother, the two made eye contact as Seraphina watched in anticipation, her gray eyes sparkling with interest.

“Give me the water,” Paul repeated, his voice coming out all distorted as Lady Jessica picked up the glass and passed it over to her eldest son about halfway before she stopped, giving him a soft smile before handing him the water.

“Almost,” she told him.

“Almost?” Pul sighed, picking up the water and drinking from it.

“Bene Gesserit skills take years to learn, Paul,” Jessica explained as Seraphina cut her food, biting into the meat as she looked over again.

“You look tired,” the young teenager observed, the curiosity in her tone was clear. “Daydreaming about your imaginary girlfriend again?”

Paul rolled his eyes at his younger sister’s playful jab, shooting her a look as he drank his water. Ever since he had told her about his visions, about the girl. Seraphina had been joking about how the girl in his visions just has to be a future girlfriend of his. Jessica also gave her a look, letting her know that now was not the right time for those kinds of banters.

 

⇊⇊⇊

 

Later that day, Seraphina found herself stalking up behind Paul, shifting as she tried to sneak up on him. Her tail flicked to the side as she crouched down, slowly stalking up behind her target.

People who are like Seraphina have long been seen as a symbolism of strength, passion and love here on Caladan.

But that didn’t mean that Seraphina was a master at using her gift just yet. Jessica had told the teenager she had a long way to go, and it was true. Seraphina was still young and impulsive, she had yet to learn how to properly master her gift.

Paul could hear his baby sister coming up from behind him a mile away, the older boy sighed, not even looking up from his book on the Fremen people as he spoke. “Your breathing is very loud, Sera.”

Seraphina froze, standing up and walking over with a soft sigh, laying next to her older brother with a defeated expression on her face. Her tail curled around her as her ears twitched, she rested her chin on her paws. She was starting to become frustrated with herself, frustrated that she couldn’t master this task.

“I can never get it right,” Seraphina sighed. Paul closed his book, looking at the defeated lioness next to him.

“You’ll get it eventually, Sera,” he reassured as he stood up, watching as Seraphina gave him a small smile. “We should be getting ready for the ceremony now. Our father will be pissed if you’re late again.” He stood up and set his book to the side before leaving to change into his formal attire, the young Atreides girl laid there for a moment before standing up, shifting to her usual human form once again before leaving to her room as well.

 

⇊⇊⇊

 

Seraphina stood next to Paul, her hair was neatly styled and she wore her formal ceremonial attire just like she had been told to do. She watched as the ship landed in front of her, Paul, her father, Leto, and her mother as well as almost half of the Caladan army. The door opened and out walked the messenger, a few guards and the Bene Gesserit higher up. No one said anything and Seraphina fidgeted with her hands, holding them behind her back.

“By the grace of Shaddam IV of House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padish Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change,” the messenger announced, he spoke clearly and with confidence, his gaze never left Leto. “We are witnessed by members of the Imperial Court, representatives of the Spacing Guild and a sister of the Bene Gesserit.” He paused for a moment. “The Emperor has spoken.” He opened the scroll and began to read what had been written. “‘House Atreides shall immediately take control of Arrakis and serve as its steward.’” He then closed the scroll and held it at his side, watching as Leto stood there. “Do you accept?”

Leto stepped forward, he had a very stoic expression on his face, which made it hard for anyone – even Seraphina to figure out what he was thinking about. “We are House Atreides. There is no call that we do not answer, there is no faith that we betray. The Emperor asks us to bring peace to Arrakis.” Leto paused for a moment, allowing his words to hang in the air before speaking once more. “House Atreides accepts.”

Seraphina stayed on the platform with Paul as the two siblings watched their parents step down, walking over to the table. She swallowed, watching Leto sign the contract and then sealing it via his ring. The young Atreides girl couldn’t help but notice the way that the old Bene Gesserit woman was staring at her and Paul – like they were some kind of two headed animal in a zoo.

And Seraphina could not help but wonder why…

Chapter 2: Seraphina, Les Misérable

Notes:

Here is chapter 2!

Again, please feel free to leave any comments or tips on anything I can do to improve my writing, I'm always looking to improve :)

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Text

Seraphina sat on a cliff that overlooked the ocean, her tail flicking to the side as the cold breeze rifted her short fur ever so slightly. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore was calming, bringing a sense of peace to the anxiety the young shifter was feeling. Ever since the ceremony, she has had a sick feeling of dread in her stomach that she can’t really explain, like a shadow of grief that she can’t defy is looming over her in the shadows, ready to toy with her at any moment.

She had heard a lot of people refer to her as a girl who was born in grief, someone who was helpless to defy fate. But she never understood that last bit, because wasn’t everyone helpless to defy their fate? You can’t escape what your purpose in this world is, you can’t run from it, it will always chase you, it will always be hiding in the shadows, reminding you of who you really are. You can’t beat it or outrun it, no matter how hard you try…

Her ears flicked, hearing faint footsteps behind her, and she immediately recognized them as Paul. He always had lighter footsteps, but he still walked with purpose. The young Atreides girl turned around, shifting back to normal and giving him a small smile, the chilled wind bit her skin slightly, making her shiver. Paul looked at her, he knew his sister well enough to know when she had been lost in her own mind, he had noticed that whenever she was pulled out of her thoughts she rubbed her arm a little bit, avoiding eye contact ever so slightly. 

“You okay?” he asked, Seraphina shrugged. She really didn’t know if she was okay, she was fine, but she wasn’t fine. 

“Just got a bit lost in thought,” Seraphina dismissed as she walked over to Paul, her arms crossed in order to keep herself warm. She seriously needed to stop wandering to the cliffs without something warm on, luckily, Paul also knew Seraphina well enough to bring her a jacket and she handed it to her, the blonde girl smiled and put it on as her gaze flickered to where her father stood looking at their grandfather’s tombstone. 

Seraphina followed her brother as he approached their father, she knew what he was going to ask. Paul had a dream that his best friend, Duncan, died in battle on Arrakis. And he wanted to accompany him on the early trip to the foreign planet in order to make sure that it didn't happen. Some people say that dreams or messages from the deep, a warning of what is to come. Others say that they are simply images of our worst fears, and there are those who just choose to not try and seek out answers. 

Seraphina believed the first one, she believed that dreams could be messages, or in this case, a warning – maybe even a threat. A telling for him to keep House Atreides off of the desert planet. But Seraphina knew that that wouldn’t happen, they had to go to Arrakis whether they wanted to or not. 

“Father, I’d like to ask to join Duncan Idaho on his scout mission to Arrakis tomorrow,” Paul began, walking next to Leto as Seraphina trailed next to him. “I’ve studied the Fremen language, I’d be an asset.”

“Out of the question,” Leto replied, not even looking at Paul as he told him his answer. “You’ll travel to Arrakis in a few weeks, like the rest of us.”

“I’ve been training my whole life,” Paul argued, “Seraphina has been training even harder, what is the point if neither of us are allowed to face some actual risks?”

Seraphina wasn’t pleased that Paul was bringing her into this, although it was true, she had been treated like a child soldier and training like one for as long as she can remember. Jessica always said that it was for her own protection, but Seraphina wasn’t stupid, she had seen how many differences there were in Paul’s training versus her own. Her training was a lot more harsh than his, and whenever she brought that up, it was always dismissed, and she couldn’t help but wonder why people treated her more like a soldier than an actual kid. In her training, all the names of the Great Houses into her head. She could name all of them off the top of her head, and she knew each and every one of their fighting styles.

And usually in those training sessions it was always defense, learning how to protect whoever was behind her from the enemy. That was what made her a protector. 

“You know why, Paul,” Leto replied as his voice rose slightly, “You’re the future of House Atreides, my son. Your sister has a future in leading our army.”

“And grandfather fought bulls for sport!” Paul retaliated, he was getting agitated, Seraphina could sense it. 

“Yes,” Leto chuckled dryly, “And look where that got him.” There was a long beat of silence before Leto spoke again. “I need you by my side. Both of you. When we get to Arrakis, we’ll face enormous danger.”

“What danger? The Fremen?” Seraphina asked, “The don’t mean to be aggressive, they’re accustomed to outsiders being violent towards their people and serving no creature or person except themselves, they’re used to them consuming without producing. They have every right to feel hostile. If anything, it's House Harkonnen that are the savages."

“Political danger, Sera,” Leto sighed as the father and two children continued to walk, “The Great Houses look to us for leadership, and this threatens the Emperor.” Leto inhaled. “By taking Arrakis from the Harkonnens and making it ours, the Emperor sets the stage for a war which would weaken both houses.” He paused. “But if we hold firm, and tap the true power of Arrakis, we could be stronger than ever.”

“What does that even mean?” Paul questioned as he looked over at Seraphina before turning his gaze back to his father, “Mining the spice? Keeping the Fremen in their place? We’d be no better than the Harkonnens.”

“No.” Leto stopped and turned to his two children, giving them a stern look. “By making an alliance with the Fremen. That’s what I’ve sent Duncan Idaho to arrange.” He paused once more, waiting for his words to sink in before continuing, “Here on Caladan, we’ve ruled by air power and sea power. On Arrakis, we need to cultivate desert power.”

Paul nodded.

“I want you sitting in on my Council. Learn what I do,” Leto said to Paul, he didn’t assign Seraphina to anything as he tried to walk off but Paul stopped him. 

“What if I’m not, Dad?” Paul asked.

Leto turned back around, “Not what?”

“The future of House Atreides,” Paul sighed, watching his sister for a second before looking back at Leto. 

Leto sighed, taking off his gloves as he showed Paul the ring on his finger, “I told my father that I didn’t want this either.” He said as Seraphina listened with interest. “I wanted to be a pilot.”

“You never told us that,” Seraphina said with a small smile as the cold breeze ruffled her hair ever so slightly.

“Your grandfather said, ‘A great man doesn’t seek to lead, he’s called to it, and he answers’,” Leto continued, “And if your answer is no. You’ll still be the only thing I ever needed you to be, my children.”

Chapter 3: The Burning One

Notes:

sorry for late update, lot's going on right now LMAO

Chapter Text

Seraphina stood with her back to the door, trying to practice her sparring skills alongside Paul, who was doing the same thing on a separate dummy. Seraphina snarled in slight frustration as she swatted her paw at the dummy with her claws out, trying to get her speed faster like her old trainer had told her. Her ears flickered behind her upon hearing footsteps behind her and Paul and she turned around quickly, instinctively standing in front of Paul – who hadn’t even bothered to turn and see who it was – with a growl, her lip curling back to reveal the sharp canines in her mouth. 

“Don’t stand with your back to the door,” Gurney said as he walked in, putting his stuff down on the side table as Paul continued hitting the dummy with his sword. “You can relax now, Seraph.”

Seraphina relaxed, taking a deep breath as she shook herself off and moved away from Paul, shifting back as she went and grabbed some water. She had often been told her zealous tendencies to protect her loved ones would be the end of her. But she couldn’t help it, it was as if there was a switch in her brain that would automatically turn if there was even a slight hint of danger towards her family. 

Many people described her as a ‘burning one’, a girl who will watch the world burn for her family. The intense passion and love she carries is so powerful, yet it can be so dangerous.

“I could tell it was you by your footsteps, Gurney,” Paul stated simply as he continued hitting the dummy.

“Someone might imitate my stride,” Gurney countered as he grabbed his sword.

“Are you the new weapons master?” Seraphina questioned as she finished her water, trying to catch her breath. She was still being given intense training sessions, Lady Jessicca seems to be incredibly set on making Seraphina into the perfect fighter. 

“With Duncan Idaho gone, I must make do the best I can,” Gurney told her, taking his jacket off and setting it on the table. Seraphina watched him as her eyes flickered to Paul again who was drinking a glass of water.

“Choose your blade, Paul.” Gurney picked up a dagger. "We're not working on your sister's ability to protect you today. Today it's about your defense."

“I’ve had quite a day, Gurney,” Paul sighed, “Give us a song instead.”

Gurney sighed, looking at the dagger in his hands and suddenly throwing it, landing it on the table a few inches away from Paul. 

Seraphina felt her eyes flicker to the sharp weapon the man had just thrown, the dagger still stuck in the wooden table, feeling her instincts flare up as the voice in her head screeched at her to get in front of Paul, protect him. Keep him alive. But she held back, she knew that this was merely only a training session. And it wasn't about her right now, this ws about Paul having to learn how to defend himself if she isn't there to save his ass. Her hands twitched, as she took a deep breath. Watching the scene play out. Paul sighed, picking up his sword as he turned to face Gurney.

“That’s rude,” Paul snarked as Duncan came up and swung his weapon at the boy, making him block and duck as he scrambled away. 

In a way, Seraphina was glad Paul was the one who was training right now, she was exhausted and needed to rest for a little bit before she could return to her own training. Paul powered up his shield and Gurney did the same thing as they both got into their sparring stances. The sparring lasted a few minutes before Paul pinned Gurney down, his sword in a position that in a real fight — would penetrate the shield and kill Gurney. But Seraphina was observant – she saw that Paul was in the same position — Gurney’s blade was placed just above an artery on Paul’s upper torso.

“I have you,” Paul said as Gurney nodded before he nodded towards the blade he had pressed against Paul’s side.

“You’d have joined me in death, my Lord,” Gurney said as he panted slightly. Seraphina swallowed, she knew that either they were going to fight again or it would be her turn to spar, and knowing Gurney he’d go a lot harder on her than he did with Paul. Paul stood up, helping up Gurney as Seraphina approached the two of them, standing next to her brother with a tense demeanor. 

“Will it be that bad?” Paul asked as Gurney turned away, pouring himself some water. 

“The two of you don’t get it, do you?” Gurney sighed as he turned to look at the siblings. “You really don’t understand the grave nature of what’s happening to us.” He paused. “For 80 years, Arrakis belonged to House Harkonnen. 80 years of owning the spice fields. Can you imagine the wealth?”

Seraphina stared at him, feeling her eyebrows furrow at his words, of course she could imagine the wealth, but the cruelty that the Fremen experienced clouded her thoughts a lot more. 80 years of owning the spice fields meant 80 years worth of cruelty, 80 years of being massacred. 80 years of living under the creulty of House Harkonnen.

“Neither of you have met Harkonnens before, I have. They’re not human, they’re brutal!,” Gurney growled, getting in Paul’s face and Seraphina snarled, it was a low but loud sound escaping from her throat, feeling as though her brother was under threat. “You have to be ready. Both of you. Seraphina can’t be your only source of safety and protection, Paul. She may know their style and will defend you with her life, but wha will you do when her blood spills and it's just you?"

There was a long moment of silence, no one said anything as Gurney’s words hung in the air. The tension was thick, the room was dead silent, all you could hear was the soft breathing of the three of them. Gurney sighed, giving Paul and Seraphina a respectful nod before he exited the training room and left the Atreides siblings in silence. Gurney’s words rang through Seraphina’s head like a mantra, she knew that being on Arrakis wouldn’t be easy, but a sick feeling in her gut told her that this whole ordeal would turn into something much greater than she could have ever imagined. 

 

Chapter 4: Bound by Loyalty

Notes:

how i feel after disappearing for months and then updating again, sorry if its shitty

Chapter Text

Seraphina shot up from her bed, her ears rang as her eyes darted around the room — something wasn’t right, she could feel it. Her instincts were screaming the same mantra again. And as her head cleared for a brief moment, she heard it. It may be hard for the normal human to hear it, but Seraphina wasn’t a normal human.

It was Paul, he was hurt.

Protect him, the voices snarled.

The Atreides girl bolted out of her bed like a bullet, racing down the hallways of the house as she followed the sound of Paul’s pained winces and groans. Once she made it to where the sounds were coming from she found her mother at the door to a large room. Seraphina’s instincts flared up more as she tried to run past her but Jessica stopped her with a firm grip on the teenager’s wrist. She opened her mouth to protest but was cut short.

“Jessica?” an unfamiliar voice called from the other side of the door, Seraphina didn’t hesitate to pull away from her mother and rush in, shifting as she ran and stood in front of Paul with a low snarl, her tail flicking.

“Stand down, child,” the unfamiliar woman scolded, like she was talking to a soldier. Seraphina looked at Paul checking him for any damage before relaxing slightly upon seeing there was none, but she didn’t move away from him or shift back. Protect him, serve him as a soldier and keep him safe.

That was what had been drilled into her head for years, and that was what she would do.

She loved her big brother, and his safety was what mattered most to her.

The woman looked at Jessica. “You’ve been training Paul in the Way.” She turned her gaze back to Paul. “Tell me about these dreams.”

“I had one tonight,” Paul replied.

“What did you see?” the woman asked as recognition crossed Seraphina’s mind. This was the Reverend Mother.

Paul hesitated for a moment, blinking as he stared at the Reverend Mother. His gaze was hard, his eyes never left the older woman and it was clear something had happened which only made Seraphina flare.

After a moment Paul finally answered, “A girl. On Arrakis.”

Paul’s imaginary girlfriend, Seraphina thought to herself, starting to realize that this was definitely more than Paul just being delusional.

“Have you dreamt of her before?” the Reverend Mother asked again.

Paul nodded. “Many times.”

Seraphina’s tail flicked, she was picking up on something. The tension in the room was beginning to thicken, she could smell something in the air but she couldn’t tell what, she glanced over to her mother who was just standing there silently. 

“Do you often dream things that happen just as you dreamed them?” the Reverend Mother pressed. Seraphina picked up on slight surprise and distress in the woman’s eyes. Yes, her face was covered pretty heavily, but Seraphina was good at this stuff.

“Not exactly,” Paul replied quietly, instinctively scratching Seraphina’s ears. The Reverend Mother stood up and Seraphina tensed again, strangling a warning growl as her eyes never left her, her tail twitching as she waited to see what would happen next.

“Goodbye young human, young soldier,” the Reverend Mother said to them. “I hope you two live.”

Seraphina watched the Reverend Mother leave as her mother followed, her heart pounding as she processed the situation. None of this made sense. Why was she so interested in Paul? And why did she seem thrown off by her presence? The young teenager watched as her mother followed the Reverend mother and she turned to Paul, immediately checking him for any wounds and circling him, her face creased with worry.

“I’m fine, Sera,” Paul sighed as he flexed his hand, fidgeting with his ring. Seraphina could tell that he was lost in thought. Seraphina swallowed, looking around the now empty room with a sigh.

“We should follow them,” she said, looking at Paul again. “Get some answers.”

Paul nodded and Seraphina was the first one to leave, deciding that now could also be a good time to put her silent walking to the test. She followed them out, quietly stepping on the concrete as she stayed low to the ground, her ears twitching as she listened to the conversation. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose, allowing her senses to take over and block out any other noise that wasn’t the conversation as Jessica’s voice hit her ears.

“Did you have to go that far?” she asked, Seraphina could tell by her footsteps she was walking behind the Reverend Mother with her head hung low, like a stray dog being scolded. 

“You chose to train him in the Way, in defiance of our rule,” Reverend Mother replied simply, “He wields our power. He had to be tested to the limits.” She paused. “So much potential, wasted in a male. You were told to bear only daughters. But you, in your pride, thought you could produce the Kwisatz Haderach.”

“Was I wrong?” Jessia asked, “And I have a daughter. She has the Gift and the instincts of a Protector; she just needs to learn how to harness it.”

“You’re lucky he didn’t die in that room,” Reverend Mother hissed as she turned to Jessica.

Seraphina stopped, her ears pinned to her head, silently watching the scene unfold through the dense fog, the cloudiness covered her completely, the dull beige colour of her fur helped her blend in. But just because she was invisible to them didn’t mean the smog blinded her own vision. She could easily see the two women through the heavy smog. 

“If he is The One, he has a long way to go. His Sight is barely awakened, and now he goes into the fire.” The Reverend Mother paused. “In regards to your daughter, she is not blood, you know we cannot have strays poisoning our work. Someone like Seraphina cannot be used in the bloodline.” There was another beat of silence. “Our plans are measured for centuries. We have other prospects if your son fails his promise and the girl turns out to be just as useless.” She turned to walk away.

“Do you see so little hope?” Jessica asked, making the Reverend Mother turn around. The engines of the ship began to whine, the engine blades kicking up more dust to add onto the fog. 

“On Arrakis we have done all we can for you,” the older woman snarled. “A path has been laid. Let’s hope none of them squander it.” She turned around and walked away again, slowly ascending up the ship ramp before the doors closed and it took off into the night in a flash. 

An eerie silence fell over the atmosphere. Seraphina stood quietly, still in the form of a lioness. Her amber eyes never left her mother, she hadn’t noticed Paul standing next to her. It was like she had been in a trance, her mind swirling with all these questions and confusion. The Kwisatz Haderach. Stray. The One… Poisoning the bloodline. She wanted to ask so many questions, say so many things. But she lacked the words.

Jessica turned around, her breath shaking while she began to walk back to the palace but she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes locked onto her two children. Seraphina, her head hung low, clearly analyzing and processing what she’d heard. And Paul, standing beside her with a hesitant hand on her back, absentmindedly stroking the soft fur. 

“What does it mean?” Paul questioned, he sounded tired. But he needed to know. Seraphina looked up as well, the tip of her tail curling slightly. “That I could be The One? Sera being a protector?”

“You heard,” Jessica said, inhaling deeply. The tension in the air was thick and it made the fur along Seraphina’s body stand on end, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “The Bene Gesserit serve as powerful partners to the Great Houses, but there’s more to it.”

“You steer the politics of the Imperium from the shadows. I know,” Paul replied as Seraphina shifted back to human. 

“You don’t know everything,” Jessica replied, shaking her head. “Neither of you do. For thousands of years, we’ve been carefully crossing bloodlines to bring forth…”

“The One?” Seraphina guessed, the hairs on her arms beginning to stand up. She didn’t like this. 

“A mind… powerful enough to bridge space and time. Past and future. Who can help us into a better future. We think he’s very close now. Some believe he’s here,” she replied, her stare was intense as it shifted over to Seraphina. “And he needs a Gift. Someone who is loyal enough to lay down her life to keep him safe. A guardian, to him and the people. A Seraph.”

Seraphina swallowed, her mind racing as things began to add up. Her relentless hours of training in protective combat, the hours of practicing with her shifting, Paul’s training in The Way…  she remembered studying old Fremen prophecies, could he be the one that the prophecies spoke of? 

But what did that make her?

“All part of a plan,” Seraphina whispered.