pairing(s): dune 2 cast x actor!reader (platonic!!)
synopsis: requested by this ask!
⤷ alt: how to seduce someone walking on sand.
notes: there hasn't been confirmed for dune 3 yet but denise villeneuve has said he's writing for it to happen. ill patiently wait for the day it's confirmed :) ALSO there are fictional/made-up mentions of the novel for the sake of the reader. they're made to be gender-neutral!! and this includes platonic flirting between cast members. i MAY have gotten carried lmaoo
“I mean- what do you think of the character? Do you think they deserved more screen time?” The clip starts off with you comfortably conversing with the interviewer. To say you weren’t deflecting their curiosity. In actuality, you were eager to learn what others thought about your performance and take on the character. The only other interpretation had on-screen was from the classic 1984 film by David Lynch.
The clip that has been widely retweeted back is of a cute moment you had from the first film of Dune (2021). Before release, little was known about your character’s potential. Apart from the enthusiastic book lovers, film viewers were clueless about what role your character would play after the first movie.
Denise Villeneuve didn’t reveal much to you in person. He wanted to keep ideas confidential until he was 100% on board making the project come to life. Still, rumors sparked through speculation and interviews with the cast members of Dune. Including an infamous short, that you forgot about, of yourself boasting about your hopes and wishes for your character.
“Yes! How could we not!” On the opposite side, the interviewer exclaimed as they leaned forward from their chair, closing into your proximity. Their hands clenched, tightening their grip on the flash card, full of questions. “The movie left us on such a cliffhanger. I think everyone would want to know what happened to Nerre,”
“That’s for Denise to decide,” Nodding you gave a relaxed smile while lifting one leg over the other. Your shoulders relaxed, feeling content and ecstatic about their response. “I can’t confirm anything until he gives me the green light to say anything,”
“I’ve also talked to Timothée this morning,” A shift in gears as the journalist flipped over another flashcard. You two had just fussed about the finale and its dramatic cliffhanger. “And all he had to say were the sweetest things about you,” At the mention of your costar compliments, you felt your skin heat up.
Your eyes soften, expressing only fondness for the lovely message. A soft awh escaped your breath. “He’s very sweet. Timothee's always been fun to be around.”
A fervent chuckle from the interviewer sends them into a feverish excitement. “And- he said- you had great flirting skills!” It was then your face morphed into complete shock and giddiness .
“Really?!” The camera pans up on your initial reaction, eyes popping out in surprise and a bubbling laugh slowly erupting. “I’m glad someone appreciates my talents!”
Without context, the short clip seemed harmless. Your sheer reaction to Timothee's comment emphasized the fun chemistry the two of you had on set. Mirroring much of Paul and Nerre's friendship, you both complimented each other well in the first film, being the youngest surrounded by well-renowned actors. But the reason for the recent spike of interest was partially from Dune: Part Two and their interviews.
Fast forward to the debut of Dune: Part Two, it made success at the box office. Even surpassing the first film altogether. The entire cast of Dune was proud of the work they've made. The introduction of new characters played by wonderful actors and actresses all around.
Weeks after the early IMAX screenings, press interviews were being published amongst of the young cast members. A particular interview by IGV Presents brings together Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and yourself.
This would be considered to be one of your first interviews with the Dune cast after the box office release. You felt nervous yet overjoyed at the same time to be meeting your co-actors again after the conclusion of filming had taken place.
The spokesperson of IGV, Simon Harkness starts off the interview strong with a pleasant greeting. "Congratulations on an incredible movie. Uhm it is the definition of a sci-fi blockbuster and is absolutely phenomenal, so huge congratulations to you all!"
"Thank you!" The five of you all politely cherish his kind words.
"It's so lovely to talk to you. Um- Timothee, Zendaya, I'm going to start with you. This is probably the hardest question I've ever asked in an interview so you've been warned." An endearing giggle can be seen from Zendaya before allowing him to continue. "Sand walking, who does it better?"
Timothee immediately lifts up his microphone. "I'm going to give it to Zendaya here." Without glancing at her, you could tell Zendaya was happily smiling at his compliments. How quick he was to answer made it seem how well connected the cast was even given the amount of time spent together. The main lead continues very swiftly, diving more into how cinematic the shot was from an outside perspective, "I think it's the most- one of the most cinematic shots in the movie and she really has it very precisely down but it's the nature of the movie too that she's supposed to be better than Paul,"
"Is that what it is?" In return, Zendaya who sat next to him gave him a teasing look.
Quietly from afar where you sat, next to Austin Butler, you whispered. "He acted like he couldn't do it but," Soft snickering can be heard across the room.
"In fairness to me, I was going 65%- 65 to 70 too hard," Chalamet reasons justly as he glances in your direction before looking back to the interviewer.
"You dumbed it down," Harkness nods in a high-spirited manner. Right after, Timothee reluctantly agrees, keeping the mood light-hearted.
"I had to!"
"Just how committed you are!" Austin steps in, joining in on the joke.
"Zendaya, you can take that crown. I love that," The brown-haired man reassures as she recuperates with appreciative laughter. In truth, it was a beautiful scene between Paul and Chani you were lucky enough to witness behind the camera. And contrary to their light banter, you thought both actors did well at accomplishing what it was meant sand walk. Truthfully you had no scenes beyond walking through the desert but understanding the mechanics and traditions of the Fremen was as fascinating as it was watching it up close.
Suddenly it was Florence's turn to speak, "Zendaya taught me the other day and I had to just stop to stare at her feet."
"The swoopy swoop?" You asked in a cutesy tone, with furrowed eyebrows. You couldn't help but remember the few instances you witnessed your costars practice the sand walk to be one of the more adorable rehearsals you've seen on the sand.
"Yeah, her feet were so pretty! She was doing the swoopy swoops," The blonde acknowledges, waving her hands in a zig-zag pattern. As the replication of water and how her feet moved.
The interviewer's eyes light up, "Honestly I tried to swoopy swoop at home- um because we have a carpet in the bedroom."
"How did it go?" The mixed actress puts forward.
"Awful!" An assembly of bewilderment is seen between Zendaya and Florence as they quickly question why. However, they reassure him in the end that they would practice together in hopes of him archiving the sand walk.
Talks with simple questions went down the row. Florence discusses her experience from her beginnings, starring in Little Women, comparing those scenes in terms of royalty to Dune. In both films, she's worked with well-known actors and now Christopher Walken as the emperor and her father. She raves about how it was a dream come true. A dream she had when she was little. From this experience, Florence emphasizes the concept of learning and observing her fellow actors.
Another intriguing topic follows Austin for his experience between learning choreography fighting and Elvis's iconic rubber legs. In a sense, as you leaned forward on one of your seats, you became fascinated by the Elvis actor's comparison of it all. While Elvis's moves were televised and had to be precise for the camera, being a Harkonnens gave him more leverage in the freedom to move. It was a captivating question that you couldn't help but want to listen to more.
Comparisons aside, you didn't have much to note for your upcoming question. Which is exactly why you felt unprepared for what he was going to ask.
Harkness brings up your name for the finale. "You have done stunt work before. For the first and now second film, I've heard you compared it to rather- dancing. Is that what you think your relationship with the choreography has been?"
You gave a content hum, "You see it with the Fremen or Harkonnens right? Everyone moves so differently and for the course for me, I've had to adjust my choreo little by little. And I think that analogy you mentioned really does relate back to dancing. I don't know if it's because I was once a dancer or that I'm a visual learner," You shrug your shoulders, "But I see the choreography as a dance routine. You're moving alongside people, doing hits and jabs. Both are very hands-on so I would like to approach it as something I can always work on." Satisfied with your answer, you clapped your hands together.
"Kind of like sand walking no?" It was then that Zendaya swerved counterclockwise to face you.
Bringing back the conversation they had in the beginning about sand walking, your eyes instantly brighten. "Exactly like that!"
"I feel like you would be great at sand walking," Florence puffs, mindlessly shaking her microphone back and forth. "You- You already got the moves." Even Timothee came into agreement, humming and commenting you worked well with the choreography.
Austin Butler raises his microphone. "I think you gotta learn with me because I don't think I could,"
"Nonsense!" You give him a silly glare. "If you can do a killer rubber leg, I think you can sand walk." Florence and Zendaya both mumble their support and your male costar leans to have his arm around the back of your chair, warmly.
"Is that an open invitation I see?" The spokesperson, Harkness giggly pokes at than the rest of the cast turns to look at you. Your scowl morphs into an innocent one.
"Hm?" As you squint your eyes in hesitation.
"I feel like you could have the potential to sand walk but just with the right partner," Timothee chimes in, spreading his arms over his chair as well. Your brows furrowed accusingly, as if wanting to clarify what he meant by his comment.
And the French actor gives you a look, one you became so sure of. "Mm right!" A slight eruption of laughs before you straightened your back with proper posture. "With just the right partner,"
There were also hints mentioned in your interview with Timothee surprisingly not. This was one of the more recent ones to be published, as you finally were able to pair up with your favorite co-star (besides Brolin) from the first film. The two of you had strong chemistry despite having less screen time together in the second film.
The beginning of the video cuts to a clip of you answering an innocent question. "What I think about every day, is Timothee going to send to me a meme today? Uh, I hope so!" You give a sarcastic look to your seat partner as he latently laughs in front of you. "Or when is he going to text me you know?"
It then transitions to an interviewer from Heart commercial radio as he shouts out your names. "How are you both?"
"I'm doing good!"
"Going great!"
The radio show was more relaxed than you would've expected as the spokesperson was very down to the earth with his conversation starters and contagious warmth. Timothee was able to catch up with him from his last interview when he premiered his Wonka film. Eventually, the interview became more casual discussing working together, cooking, and trendy topics.
Timothee and you both went back and forth on favorite memories you had of the first film. And talking about the new cast members and new elements it had brought to the table for the film itself.
"Cool new characters this time," As you played around with the fuzzy microphone the camera crew gave to you.
"Yup lots of new people to meet," Timothee adds on, nodding.
The interviewer proceeds with the question, "And also you have seen- there's a clip about of you running around actually." He signals to you, "Of your reaction to something Timothee said about your performance in the first film,"
"Oh! I've seen it," Almost instinctively, your co-star raises his hand. "I was supposed to send it to you but I forgot." As he turns, to finds you looking lost at the topic at hand.
"Really what was it?" You almost looked concerned, seeing how you didn't understand what they meant.
Luckily for you, the Heart radio spokesperson managed to get a hold of the video from his phone, "It was a little callback of Timothee raving about your flirting skills."
As it plays, the camera zooms in on you and your co-actors reaction. The French actor couldn't help but look slightly embarrassed but smitten when the timing of your reaction came on screen. While you held an intrigued stance, arms crossed and a content grin.
"I am pretty good at flirting,"
"You really are, huh." At the same time, you both turn to make eye contact.
"I also heard Tim- that you thought that they would be your love interest initially?" At the radio speaker's inquiry, you couldn't help but in mid-sentence, finally, swerve your head suddenly.
"Yeah well, fun fact actually," The male actor tries to reason, sitting up. "In the novels, Paul and Nerre almost did become a couple!"
It was a well-known fact of that in the first novel, there had been slight changes to the story. Initially, it was said that the author, Frank Herbert had planned for Paul and Nerre, the character you played to have a romantic connection after the fall of House Atreides. Nevertheless, it was later scrapped for another plot, that of instead having Chani as the love interest. But even decades later after the novel’s release, it was something fans still fuss about.
"Oh, I heard about that!" Almost in awe, you nodded, your attention fully on Chalamet, wondering how far he was willing to go beyond spoilers.
"Do you think Nerre would ever meet someone then?" The afro man questions, adjusting his microphone. "Since- Paul has Chani, I feel like if we ever get a potential third film, that could open some doors!"
"If a third film could happen," You start, fiddling with the lining of the mic cover, "I hope so! I mean I got the moves, I got the skills!"
"Keep practicing your sand walk and we'll see," Timothee cutely chimes as you proceed to blow a raspberry at him. Only for him to lightly swat you away.
Despite your failures to have scenes of sand walking, your cast of a crew were more than happy to show you. Javier Bardem and Jessica Ferguson were quite supportive in your interest for something you did not have any part-time. A few behind the scene videos show the actor demonstrating from afar the slower version of the walk.
Though your back was facing the camera, viewers would pick up and recognize it to be you. Jessica as well was off to the side, in her luminescent costume of a million robes, clapping from side to side.
Another later pans to you taking long strides across the sand in the background. In front of the camera are Josh Brolin and Javier having their turn in the video, to discuss their relationship and the previous they have worked on together. However, viewers couldn't help but pinpoint your figure alongside the frame trying to master the patterns of what Javier taught you from the previous clip.
Request for dark! Paul and Chani both liking the reader and deciding to confess together but reader is just like confused on the sharing so she’s no but needless to say they aren’t really taking no for an awnser
Pairing: Paul Atreides X Chani X Female!Reader
Fandom/Franchise: Dune
Author's Notes/Triggers: mild, but as always, please consume content cautiously.
The room had gone mostly silent. You, dressed in jewels and metal and fine silk, stood before the pair of them. Your eyes flickered between them. Chani’s armor was different. Here, she didn’t need the flit-plugs or a still suit. She wore metal and chainmail so fine that it appeared to be a second skin. Paul’s gloves were splotched red.
You opened your mouth, but Chani spoke first.
“Let us go first.” Her voice creaked in the same sadness as the day you left them on Arrakis. Her hand floated in the space between you and her. “We didn’t intend for this to happen. None of us wanted what happened today.”
Chani’s voice was full of reason now. It contrasted from the spirited outburst you saw a half hour before.
“We only wanted to talk.” She said.
“You come here. Dressed in armor that fits you perfectly only to talk?” Your own voice carried an awful edge. Your head shook. “I don’t believe either of you. This was planned.”
“We couldn’t let you marry him.” Paul interjected.
“So, you kill him?” You snapped at Paul. You stepped forward, but Chani blocked you.
“It wasn’t supposed to go this way.” She assured you.
“Then, how was it supposed to go?!” Your eyes searched hers. “Tell me!” For a moment, Chani looked as if your words cut her cheek. The next, she dipped her eyes to Paul. They shared a look between them.
“We were supposed to arrive last night. We were going to tell you and then take you from here.” Chani explained.
Your heart started to race, making your chest tight. It was Chani who held your hands first. You pulled from her immediately. “No.” You reacted. “Don’t touch me.”
“We’re not trying to scare you. We’re here to save you.” Paul stepped forward. You stepped back.
“No.” You shook your head in a panic. “I was fine. This—this was an order. Meant to bring together the empire.”
“I was wrong.” Paul explained. He shared a panicked look to Chani. “We both were. Ordering you, forcing you into a marriage was my fault.”
“Forcing me?” You gasped. “I liked Abram.” You voice filled with the tears you weren’t ready to cry out yet. “Abram was, was good. He was their heir. He was.” Was. It hurt you too much to say it. Even now. Was. Not Is. Was. So much happened in a span of minutes.
Paul and Chani stiffened in their spots. You couldn’t see how their blood boiled underneath their skin when you admitted you liked Abram. Chani cleared her throat.
“We’re taking you home.” She declared.
“No.” Your brow furrowed underneath your wedding veil. “I’m not going anywhere with either of you.”
“You are.” Paul argued.
“I’m staying right here. I—
“I love you.” There was quiver in his admission. His eyes fluttered. “Chani and I—
“I love—we both do.” Chani agreed. The admission was sloppy, clanky at best. It certainly didn’t follow any kind of romance book you shared with them before. Your eyes flipped between them.
“What is this?” You asked. “I don’t—
“We spoke and we decided to keep you. Have you.” Chani tried to gently explain.
“That’s not—I am not…” Your voice trailed off. The room filled with stifling air. Your chest struggled to breathe evenly. “What are you asking me?”
“To come home. Be angry, yes, but be angry with us at home.” Paul explained firmly. “Share our bed. Share us.”
“Us? There is no such thing. Marriages are—
“Do not stand there and tell me how things should be!” Chani finally snapped. She stopped in front of you. Her hands cupped your cheeks. “You have etched valleys into my heart. I cried when you left.”
Shock turned you cold. “Paul is to be emperor, and you are his lover and—
“We could marry.” Paul suggested. “Right now.” His eyes seemed to suggest he was still feeling high after murdering Abram.
“No.” You shook your head.
“No?” Paul swallowed hard. There was a cruel twitch in eye you knew he reserved for those who had danger coming. You tried to leave, but Chani held onto your wrist. The slick, clicking sound of a cuff sounded off around your wrist.
You lifted your gaze to Chani. “Let me go.”
“I can’t.” Chani said. Her voice grew possessive. “You’re coming home. You’re marrying Paul. Then, you will join our bed. You are ours, Y/N.”
♡ Conteúdo: fake chat, fluff, o Chani sendo um bobinho perfeito e acho que é isso!!
♡ [Fala gabz!!]. Fazia muito tempo que eu não me sentia tão apaixonada por esse homem. Eu tenho certeza de que isso vai flopar, mas o que importa é que eu amo meu homem!! Um beijo!!
summary: the discovery of a long hidden planet operating outside of the emperor’s rule threatens to upend the balance between the great houses and shift the tides of war. (ongoing series)
pairings: paul atreides x reader , chani x reader, leto atreides x reader, lady jessica x reader, irulan x reader, feyd rautha x reader (AFAB crown heir!reader)
cw: reverse harem type crack treated seriously, cosmic horror elements, undecided/possibly ambiguous endgame, dark/yandere behavior & themes, comedic undertones, dark & nsfw content, canon compliant as much as possible but there will be gaps in my memory, past leto & jessica (they split after she became a reverend mother)/past paul & chani, each character pursues reader separately, oc planet & oc house for reader, pretend like it still makes sense for leto to be there, don’t think too hard about the logistics of this in general, vintage sci fi inspired, i just wanted to have a silly unrealistic series where it’s all about the reader lmao
Pairing: Paul Atreides x Chani, Paul x black!reader, Paul x reader, Paul x Chani x reader, Chani x black!reader
Summary: The sands of Dune have tested your strength, morality, and now your heart as you fall deeper in love with two people who will never be able to have your hand.
Warnings: DUNE Part II Spoilers, themes of death, violence, war, sexual activity, grief, angst
Word Count: 3.1K
Taglist: @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx
***
The ways of the Fremen were becoming clearer the more time you and Paul spent with them in hiding.
You and Paul were never intended to even be on this planet. You and he begged your brother, Duncan, to convince the Duke that your presences were required for a successful trip. While you were not permitted to fight under societal orders, your brother insisted on conducting secret trainings with you while the remainder of the palace lie asleep. You were among the few people the young Atreides trusted with his life.
One could call it fate that you and Paul landed on Arrakis.
You deemed it as a twisted destiny that left you confused and heartbroken.
Following the attack from the Harkonnen’s, you and your brother narrowly escaped the palace. Fear flooding your body as all you could think about was him, the boy you grew up with—the boy who you felt in your soul was gone.
You and Duncan wandered the sands of dune for what felt like miles before reuniting with Paul and Lady Jessica. Swallowed whole by the feeling of your heart stitching itself back together, you wrapped your body in his and held onto him as if he were a fleeting memory or a ghost of imagination.
These sands are where you shared your first kiss with Paul and where you suffered what was the greatest loss of your life.
The death of your brother was difficult for you to understand. How bravely and selflessly he laid his life on the line for the Fremen who still looked to you and Paul as outsiders….foreigners even.
Chani was the only one who seemed to care for you, meaning that your presence was not immediately repulsive to her. The Fremen were still trying to figure out Paul and his mother’s intentions, they radiated great power, while you were still grieving the fallen soul of your family.
The Fremen girl was no stranger to Paul and his dreams. She and you held the objects of his affections. Upon meeting her for the first time she was unsure of you, however, seeing how skilled you are with a blade peaked her interest.
“Your brother gave his life for my people.” You recall being the first thing she said to you. “His death will not be in vain, I assure you.”
It was not until Paul’s initiation in riding the sandworm, that you learned the girl possessed true emotions. Anxiousness was flooding your system, still on a high from completing your own task. As the cloud grew thicker in the distance and Paul’s body disappeared into the sand, the girl grabbed your hand carefully. Holding it in a way that your presence was her most prized possession. You wrapped your fingers around hers, turning your head to meet her icy gaze. Her eyes were soft, full of worry, and that mirrored your own.
To calm her down, you simply stated “He is an Atreides, he will not fail.”
Upon the success of Paul’s task, the air around him and Chani felt different…it felt safe. You hadn’t felt safe in months but something about them together brought you at ease.
“They have stopped staring since we have ridden the Sandworm.” You whispered to Paul, swallowing a bite of your food ridden with spice. The two of you huddled in a tent as the night sky grew darker. “You have convinced more of them that you are the Maud’Dib.”
He focused on his bowl, not looking within your blue eyes until he could not bare the silence. “I knew I was destined to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, but, I never knew it would feel like this.”
“Then give me some of your worry, Paul.” You insisted, brows furrowed as you studied his face. “I have always said I will follow you anywhere, as long as you’ll have me.”
Turning to you, he inched closer against the grains of sand. “And I told you that this is dangerous. Us together is putting you in danger.”
“And who am I to cower in the face of danger?” You asked, a slight laugh escaping your lips.
Paul frowned. “This is no laughing matter, Y/N.” He warned, shaking his head in protest. “I have already lost Duncan. I promised that I am to look after you in his absence—”
“You are terribly misguided if you believe I will not avenge my brother against those who killed him…who took him from me.” You growled, all kindness and compassion fleeting immediately. “I love you, Paul, but you cannot ask me to run away from a fight. Not when this is what I have been training my whole life to do.”
The man blinked, licking his lips as he pondered what to say next. Frustration hitting the surface as he took a breath. “I am not asking you to run. I am asking that you protect yourself. I cannot lose you, you understand?”
“What about Chani?”
“What about me?”
The tent enclosure opens. Brown curly hair framing her face as she enters, her lips curled into a curious grin. The tinge of blue in her eyes sparkling against the brief view of moonlight.
“Paul is suggesting that I no longer fight, in fear of losing me.” You state immediately. Watching as she takes a seat in front of you two within the tent. “For that I will ask again, why don’t you have hesitations about Chani being on the frontlines?”
The young man shifted in the sand. His brain trying to find the words without telling you the truth. The things he has seen have scarred him, regardless of if he understands them completely or if they remain yet another wonder among this gift he has been given.
“You have always been so headstrong. Ever since we were children.” Paul spoke, breaking the slight sounds of the sands rustling within the wind.
Chani inched closer to the pair. “It is one of the many things that make you special.” She laid a gentle hand on your leg, giving it a reassuring squeeze that did not go unnoticed by you. “You can not control her, Paul. You’re a long way off from Caladan.”
“I am still responsible for Y/N, and for you too.” He replied softly, distracted by his girls staring at him. Their gazes held passion and worry, something that was not foreign to either of them.
Paul guided his hand toward your cheek, caressing it softly in effort to relax you. He upset you, between questioning your combat skills and the mention of your brother he knew he made mistakes. His visions were so blinding, so jarring, that he lost any composure in efforts to keep you and Chani safe as much as he could.
His mother told him this would happen. That there would be a time in his life soon where his choice would be made clear. His rebellion against going to the South would no longer be an option…he would have to drink the Water of Life as his mother instructed. It was the only way to keep you and Chani away from harm.
“I can take care of myself, Paul.” You whispered, relaxing into his touch and the lingering feeling of Chani’s hands inching up your thigh.
He grinned. “Then let us take care of you for once.”
Your eyes flickered from Chani to Paul. Curiosity spiking your veins as the spice in the air heightened your sensitivities. You did not possess the amount of ignorance needed to ignore the feelings brewing between your best friend and the Freman woman. Nor could Paul overlook the companionship you found in her.
He was never jealous or spiteful that you looked to Chani for moments of relief. If anything, he was happy that you both found another spirit you could be drawn to in agonizing times like these.
You brought your lips to Paul’s, nails snaking through his dark curls as your free hand rested on Chani’s chest. You broke away from the kiss, allowing for the blue eyed girl to situate herself between the two of you. Swaying in the directions of whoever was holding her attention at the time.
Your night clothes were gone, thrown into a pile along with Paul and Chani’s. The heat from their bodies warming you up within the slight chill of the night air. You were not foreign to Paul’s acts of pleasure, the first time being on your seventeenth birthday after years of pent up tension between the two of you.
While you had learned your ways around his body, you allowed yourself to bask in the beauty that is Chani. Her hardened nature never affected you, only drew you closer to her because you shared similar sentiments in remaining strong for those around you.
Her golden skin glowed in a way you had never seen before. The curvature of her breasts and hips was enough to make the strongest of men fall to their knees. Her lips whispered secrets along your body that you were too eager to uncover. Only when you felt Paul’s hands wrap around your waist were you brought back to reality.
Your back arched in pleasure. Chani’s soft moans and Paul’s panting filled your ears while the knots in your stomach began to unravel. The stickiness of sweat coating your body and small hairs stuck to your face. Catching your breath, you curled against Paul and rested on the side of his chest. Chani’s body laid with his as well, mirroring you in the brief period of rest while her hand played with yours.
It was the last time the three of you would ever be at peace.
As the days went by, you could feel something brewing in the pit of your stomach. Food did not taste the same, the air felt different, your mind could not focus on the smallest of tasks without that nagging feeling haunting your bones. The travel to the South was not expected to take a toll like this on you, on anyone truly. While other instances may have been mere coincidence, Paul was now struggling to look you in the eyes. Only holding his gaze for just long enough until he would break away—hoping you would not notice his shift in behavior.
Your connections to him were stronger than before. An invisible link binding the two of you for life.
You and Chani were exploring the desert. She insisted on practicing your sand walk with you while there was downtime among the Fremen. In the midst of your walk, the sharpest pain you have ever endured attacked your brain. Dropping to your feet, you squeezed your eyes shut in a panic.
“Y/N?!” You could barely hear Chani speak as she was right next to you. “Y/N? What is the matter?”
“I-I don’t know…” You managed to speak. The sudden burning in your lungs left you crying for air. You weren’t sure how you knew, but, the intensity only led you to one person. “Paul.” You said breathlessly, looking to Chani for help.
As fast as the pain came, it fleeted instantly. Opening your eyes, a singular tear threatened to escape but you blinked it away. Careful not to waste water as the Fremen have taught you.
“Chani, Y/N!” A voice called out within the distance.
Snapping your heads, you looked to Stilgar, his demeanor wrapped in concern. She helped you to your feet and you both sand walked quickly to find out the source of what was happening. Paul was in trouble and you could feel it, nearly as if he were standing beside you. Something tethering you to one another.
Stilgar did not say much, just ushered you both into an aircraft that was instructed to take you to the temple.
Your nerves were never ending. Anxiousness and fear plaguing your body into stillness. You could not bear to look at Chani in a time like this, at a time where you had to be strong and not crumble into a complete mess. That’s all you’ve known on Caladan. The delicate nature of a woman with the heart of a fighter, that’s what your brother taught you to possess since the absence of your parents.
“Stilgar, what’s happening?” Chani broke the uncomfortable silence.
The man turned, taking a deep breath. “The Maud’Dib drank the Water of Life.”
You felt a sense of emptiness. Like something within you was no longer present and your soul was searching for it aimlessly. The connection to Paul was broken and you felt as if you were going to faint from stress. Chani warned him against this, he said he wouldn’t do this and yet his life now hangs in the balance.
You felt a hand within yours. Turning your head in her direction, you finally looked at the Fremen girl and her blue eyes swallowed you whole. Chani’s fright only amplifying when she could see how ridden with concern you were.
The carrier stalled, landing within the sand in front of the temple. You weren’t sure how long the travel was, any and all thoughts occupied by Paul Atreides. It was moments like these where you dearly missed your brother. The one person you felt you did not need to be strong for all the time, the person who would take your pain on as his own, all to protect you.
As soon as your boots hit the sand, you and Chani broke out to a sprint for the temple. Your heart thudding in your chest so loudly that you felt it within your ears.
The temple was surrounded by people, the inside full of spectators and believers of the Maud’Dib. Pushing through them, your focus landed on the floor of the temple, Paul’s body laid to rest. His features were still soft, his curls ridden with sand, but his face still seemed etched in worry. Even in this state he could not be at peace.
You halted in your tracks, watching as Chani dropped to her knees in effort to examine him. Paul Atreides was dead, the believed Messiah was destroyed by the Water of Life. How could he be so careless? How could he leave you and Chani this way?
Your chest felt as if it were caving in. Tears pooled in your eyes and threatened to spill over. A hand brushed your shoulder, making you jump at the sudden movement. Lady Jessica, the new Reverend Mother, settled beside you and cradled her belly gently.
You jolted away from her grasp. “This was your doing.” You exclaimed, cutting your eyes in her direction. “Paul would never be this half minded unless it was under your guidance.”
“I understand your emotions are running high.” She stated calmly. “However, I do suggest being mindful to whom you are speaking to, child.”
“Any ounce of respect I had for you is gone.” You hissed. “There was never much to begin with.”
Lady Jessica grinned. “I am the only one who knows what it takes to save him.” She looked to Chani, the girl trying to hold herself together in the midst of madness. “You must combine your water with the Water of Life.”
“Me? Why me? This is your fault and you need to fix it!” Chani hollered, brows furrowed in agony.
“Do it!”
The Voice commanded within the temple. You did not flinch, too overcome with emotions that you barely began to process what was happening. With her fingertip, Chani caught her tear and dipped it within the sacred water against her will. You despised the use of the Voice, the idea that it allowed more power to the already all powerful Bene Gesserit witches.
Chani painted Paul’s lips with the antidote. Holding him close as she brought his soul back within his body. A loud gasp filled the room, his body shooting upright as he caught his breath.
Paul Atreides was alive. Your Paul had returned to you.
A loud slap cut through the silence. Chani’s raised hand flying across Paul’s cheek. The Fremen witnessing their Messiah being humanized by a scorned woman’s touch.
As she rose to her feet, your flood of fear finally washed over you. Your lips trembled while you watched her exit the temple, shooting her eyes in your direction.
Paul’s gaze felt like it was burning your skin. That sense of attraction and pull between you two was strong once more within you. However, you could not in good faith give into your urges. How you wished you could embrace him and assure him everything would be alright. Thats what you would have done in the past but now, Paul was becoming something unrecognizable.
Someone to be feared.
You followed after Chani, wiping your tears away while you fled the temple. Paul’s voice echoed behind you, begging you to listen to him. His hopes being that he could reason with you, and in turn, Chani would forgive him.
“It was the only way, Y/N.” Paul stated.
Furiously, you turned in his direction. “Those are the lies your mother has been spoon feeding you and the Fremen people.”
“She has seen it—”
“What your mother sees are merely possibilities, Paul!” You cried. “Nothing about her visions, or yours, are set in stone. Nothing is finite until it happens!”
He shook his head, reaching a careful hand to caress your cheek. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I know things do not seem clear now but they will be in due time.”
How badly you craved his touch and his love once more even with being as upset as you were. Your eyes fluttered, spice collecting within your lashes as you took a breath. “You wanted to be the liberator of these people,” You began, removing his palm from your face. “and yet you take all the steps necessary to be their next oppressor.”
Breaking away, you had no plan of where to turn to. The desert sands seemed to be all the company you desired in this present moment. Paul was left to his own thoughts and conclusions following your argument. He did not and could not reside in fear for fear is the mind killer.
“She’s become more outspoken since coming to Arrakis, no?” Lady Jessica questioned, approaching her son.
Paul sighed. “She lost her brother, her only family left,” He faced his mother. “that would be enough to crack even the most docile of people. Which is why I am doing all I can to protect her. I have seen things, horrible things, and I can’t allow for those visions to come to fruition. Y/N can not die trying to protect Chani.”
“And as for Chani?” She ponders.
“She forgives me, I have seen it.”
Lady Jessica nods. Licking her lips before carefully deciding what she wants to say. “It is okay to love them both, Paul, but be mindful of who your hand is reserved for. For the imperium and for the throne, Princess Irulan must be your bride.”
Paul remains silent. Staring out into the sands of Dune as he watches his future walk away from him and from each other. Knowing in his heart that this had to be done and there was no other choice but to create a new prophecy to protect the women he loves.
He just hoped that his visions of forgiveness would come true.
Note: Sorry this took ages. I kept rewriting it - as I adore Messiah and wanted to get it right. Trying to fit in (your name) was hard, but I felt that the arc they have and how it plays into the narrative works best with this version.
I hope it was worth the wait.
Happy New Years Eve!
Spoilers for the book Dune Messiah.
Find Part 1 here.
Summary: Loneliness, regrets, and haunted memories bring you back to a home that's long since changed. Brings you back to family you never thought you'd see again. And a vicious end to all the madness.
Arrakis was never a kind planet. But the skills Stilgar had taught you kept you alive. It felt painful to rescind the title of 'father' and call him simply by name. But it helped you cope. It enabled you not to think about what started because of him and his faith. The destruction. The death. The attempt at controlled chaos in a universe that could never be tamed.
Chani, god, you missed your sister. Your best friend. A person who, even from a simple glance, understood what you were thinking. You wondered how she was doing. If she was even still alive.
You wondered why, now, after five years, you were only now starting to think about these people again.
Maybe it was the way that your mind plagued you, making you see shadows in the walls of the Sietches and wonder...was that them? It wasn't. It was either an inscription on the wall of the legend of Mau'dib, or some ancient drawing from Fremen long before your time.
You'd run your hand down them sometimes, mourning what had been lost. The people. The culture. The meaning of everything.
You're lost. Dune has changed. Paul promised a green paradise, but you haven't seen much movement of that yet. But it just feels different. The air around you doesn't feel like the Dune you grew up on.
To be honest, you fully expected to die at some point. But you kept going. Life was hard. Some days, just about finding shelter, or water, or whatever you needed, but you got by. Alone.
Fremen offered you company, calling you a sibling and offering you a tribe, but you always said no. Some were fanatics, others just wanted to continue living as they used to. Fights broke out.
Other times, those on the latter side were dejected, like you. A kind of comrade would be there whenever you passed each other.
Some wanted to bring Paul down. But you always told them the same thing:
"You can't defeat someone who knows your every next move before you do."
Maybe that was what kept you going. Not hope, but acceptance of what would most likely come. Empires fell. The Harkonnens fell. Dune itself would probably fail at some point. It was the natural order of things.
It is why you find yourself overlooking a city that held your dead parents. The killer was probably slain in the war. Maybe by you. Maybe not.
Either way, he was gone.
The city of Arakeen had changed as well. High walls, and a beacon of civility in a land where there was that, but only in Sietch's and even then, it was just by letting people do what they need to and then be on their way. No, Arrakeen was a home. But not one you recognised.
Still, after leaving the worm you rode behind - the very same creature and god that allowed for a distraction that saved your life all those years ago, now brought you back to this place.
And yet your feet still pulled you forward. A ship had flown overhead a while ago. You were used to it, sure, but something felt different this time. That, and your suit was failing. Time and just wear and tear had made you vulnerable on some days. Not having as much water as well.
You approach a gate. It opens. And there, before you, is a place you do not recognise. A place filled with towering structures. Still with sand. But, you see a colour you do not know.
"It is just as he said," a Fremen person tells you. They are dressed in more formal robes, but still with a slight bit of the Stillsuit you were still in mind, "a green paradise. Just the beginning."
You just nod, looking at the green. You hear a noise. Turning, you see a pool. Water. Just...there. Not hard to reach. Drinkable. Not prayed at. Not being refilled by the dead, to your knowledge anyway. A waste.
You hadn't wasted your own water since your promise when you left Chani and everyone behind. You felt like that was a wasted idea now.
The person leaves you be. You look away from the water, seeing just how tall the buildings are here. Gone are the small villages or Sietches. You know buildings bigger than some of the Dunes, you swear.
Some fremen come up to you, telling you to come with them. You follow. Instead, however, of going to the massive palace you expected to, you are taken to a building that you assume is a holding place.
You hear a tremble of breath...and, there he is.
You gulp. Stilgar hasn't changed that much looks looks-wise - but you have. At least, it's what you can infer by the look on his face. His eyes look at your changed appearance.
Some things have changed, but you still held onto what you could. Your Stillsuit changed as you grew, but you kept it simple. Enough to keep you alive.
Stilgar approaches you. Leaving...a Reverend Mother in a cell behind.
"...Child..." he says, putting a hand up to your cheek. You haven't had any contact with flesh in years. But still, your father puts a hand there, and you find yourself leaning into it. It feels softer. It feels warm. Safe.
There is still a bitterness in you that you can't go back to that, though. The days of not exactly innocence, which was killed from the day you were born on Arrakis, but more so, simpler times.
Just times on survival, on the stories you were told. Not this...not this Jihad which you had heard so much about - seen ships come and go. Heard some excavations are going on, and this planet has changed so much.
"(Your name)," he says, voice wobbling, "I always prayed that you would return. Lisan Al Giab saw it. Oh, my child."
He's still believing then. Your return continued to renew his faith. You curse yourself for it.
You back away from the touch. You clear your throat, "Stilgar," you greet, nodding.
His heart shatters, but he manages to just about control himself and nod back to you.
"Take them to Chani," he orders.
You're silent the whole way back. The doors open. It's not the room you expected for the Lisan Al Giab. It's cosy. Nice, but small.
Chani is there, on the balcony, looking over the city. She turns back to you. She smiles, bright. Almost the polar opposite of the last time you both saw each other.
She picks up speed and throws herself into you, hugging you tightly.
It lasts a moment, before she pulls back and connects your heads, "my sibling..." she says, "my sibling is home..."
Being with someone you trust. It makes a tear run down your cheek. Chani wipes it away. She herself is emotional.
"I am glad you are alive still, (Your name)," you turn, seeing Paul enter the room. You see sincerity in his eyes, but you find yourself not fully trusting it.
"I saw a ship. Of the royal kind," you say, "I felt compelled to look."
Paul nods, then looks at your stillsuit, "I can have you a new one made."
"For what in return?"
"That you stay," that shocks you. You know he said that you and Chani would both return, yet he has blindsided you with this.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you are free to leave. But, (Your name), you said it yourself, things have changed. This is different, I can assure you. Duncan...Duncan Idaho is alive. Or, a form of him is. A ghola named Hayt. A gift for me."
You remember Duncan. He was a good man. Loyal.
"Why does that mean that I have to stay?"
"Because," he puts his hands behind his back, and goes out onto his balcony, "there are few people left that I actually trust. People follow me, or they die. Lead them to paradise, and yet I killed more than Hitler could ever dream of," you don't know why, but this moment of genuine honesty gets to you,
"All I ask, (Your name), is that you stay as an advisor. I do not ask that you fight for me. You refused to kneel, and I respected you for that. I always have. I need someone to say 'no'. I will protect you from any consequences.
“You have a sharp mind, (Your name). After all, it was your ideas that you would've given to me that helped us win."
Chani puts a hand on your shoulder, "Please, (Your name)..." she says.
You look at your sister, one who does not show emotion a lot, and see the genuine desire to have you stay. To have this family be complete once again.
“I don’t want immunity,” you say to Paul, I’m not like you.”
Paul doesn’t flinch at your words. He merely nods, “Very well. But, and this I do promise, no harm will come to you, (Your name). Only verbal consequences.”
You are given a room, and are made new clothes. They feel alien on you. But, it is all you really have here, given you just kept your stillsuit on all this time. They even run you a bath. You have never seen water so pure before, and yet you are expected to put your body in it?
The people who help you are gentle, but don’t baby you either. They leave you be once you are settled, as you can be.
You cleaned when out in the desert, mainly on return to Sietche’s, but never have you seen a bigger waste of water than this.
One of the handmaidens explains soap to you, but you can see that you clearly smell, but you just assume that you got accustomed to it being a native to the planet and all.
Ironically, the clean smell you now emanate is off-putting to yourself.
You get out, putting on the robes that were left for you, and leave.
“You're the newest arrival?”
You turn, seeing Princess Irulan, wife to Paul, but not through genuine love. Like most things in this world, it was done for gain or a reason other than love.
“I am,” you say, curtly. You realise you’ll have to keep your guard up here.
She observes you, “You were the other who did not bow.”
“I banished myself due to it.”
“Duty to the Fremen?”
“Duty to Arrakis. We’ve just…” You lower your voice, “We’ve traded one ruler for another. His story may have come true, that I do not deny; but, all it has done is handed power to someone else.”
“I couldn’t agree more about my ‘husband’,” she says, “you hate him?”
“I don’t trust him, but my sister loves him.”
Irulan knows more than to rage at you with her feelings on Chani. So, she just nods, even if you can both read the true feelings of the other through the eyes alone.
“Why did you come back?”
“I could only stay in the changing sands for so long. Things felt like they were…changing. And not for the better.”
“But they could,” you looked at the Princess, “there are…plans in motion.”
There is silence.
“And…you think I’d fit them.”
“I know you would,” she says. You feel a prick on your finger.
You had blanked out the hours after; what had she done to you?
You woke up again, this time looking at reports of a Fremen woman who had died, and who Alia (Paul’s sister) and Hayt had gone to investigate.
Edric, a… creature living in a tank, bluntly accuses Paul of at least thinking about becoming a god.
Your father moves closer. Even you do. Scytale’s (a Tleilaxu Face Dancer) laughter intensifies your anxieties.
The smell of spice seems to be doing its work, making you blink and feel unease.
“Paul,” you say, “they were just trying to put you off balance.”
“It worked. Listen to them. They may be right: they use words as weapons, but I…I may have had religion thrust upon me, but I still used it for my victory -”
“A great victory!” Your father shouts.
A silence befalls the room.
Stilgar then leaves, giving you a nod before doing so, with film reels in his hand to understand Earth’s history.
Paul, shaken, nods at you. You take your leave.
You can’t sleep. Something in you wishes to confront Paul.
You came here, armed with the cynicism of what has happened and how you could’ve stopped it.
Now…even if on the sidelines with everything, you feel a pull to try and understand it.
You knock on Paul’s door. Hyat opens it, regarding you and nodding, before leaving.
You enter, finding him on a balcony, looking at the moon.
“Did you mean what you said at the meeting?” You ask.
Paul, for a genuine moment of vulnerability, nods.
“Why are you trusting me with this?”
He looked from Alia’s temple to you, “because you are someone who has your own free will. Everyone below us does, but you see things differently. You don’t let anger or love blind you.”
“I-I met Irulan. I - she spoke about -”
“A conspiracy to end my reign?”
Your breath left your body, “how do you -”
“When I first had my visions…I cried in my mother’s arms. Then the anger took hold. I saw so much. I saw our extinction as a race.
“But I saw a small, narrow way through. I do not have the strength to fully complete it. But I know that someone will.”
He looks to you, “Chani will die soon.”
The moonlight reflected your tearful eyes. “How?”
“Hyat. Humiliation from the people at my demise. Childbirth. So many ways. But I just know that it is soon.”
“How…how do we?”
He put a hand on your shoulder, “we don’t,” he said, “we can’t.”
The next day, a meeting with the Reverend Mother occurs.
She is appalled at the idea of Paul blocking the Bene Gesserit from its claim to the throne due to Paul only having a “true” heir with Chani, who you learn is pregnant.
You shut your eyes, shuddering. This was one of the ways Paul said that she could die.
In a desperate bid, the Reverend Mother suggests the two Atreides siblings, but Paul is quick to kill that idea.
Chani finds you the next day, angry.
“That disgusting Irulan!”
She crosses over to you, hands on your shoulders, “she threatened my pregnancy, (your name)! I lost one child to the desert; I cannot lose another! I won’t -”
“You won’t, sister, you won’t -” you say, hugging her.
She pulls back, “The Ghola, Hyat. He says that nothing can go back. That we all carry our pasts,” she looks around your room, “do you ever think about your parents?”
You decide to be honest, “I didn’t know when I was first taken in by you all. But…those years, Chani. I was so alone.”
“Is that what brought you back to us?”
Us, not her. Us. One thing you learn only years after, and Leto II and Ghanima are around, do you learn that Chani meant herself and Stilgar, not her and Paul.
“I saw how much had changed, and how I didn’t stop it. I just…left. I wanted to see if I could make it right. If I could correct all of this.”
Chani moved a hand to your cheek, “You’re here now. Paul had a vision of you returning. But, in truth, I also wished for it. I prayed for it.”
There is a moment of silence, both of you taking this rare moment of peace in.
Then: “Paul has had another vision. This is one of the children and me. He won’t tell me what it was. Did…do you know of it?”
Your eyes hold the same emotions, even as your brain spirals. You could tell her what Paul had said to you about her fate. Maybe it was why she came to you, hoping for a more angry reaction.
Paul was grieving before she was already gone.
You could tell her, and part of you wanted to - but that part was soon overruled with a simple question that terrified you: would it make a difference?
“No, dear sister,” you answer, “he only spoke about his talk with Hyat -”
“Duncan,” you pause at her correction, “I have seen his true self, (your name). Duncan Idaho has returned to us!”
Hope rose in you for a moment.
It was only a moment before it was cruelly taken away.
Stilgar came through the door, “I need you with me, child.”
You looked to your sister, though she seemed frozen.
“Paul –”
“That is what we fear,” your father said.
He held a hand for you, “Come.”
You grab his arm. You both know that your long-overdue talk will have to wait.
A Stone Burner has set the Sietch ablaze. Houses burn. People flee or throw themselves to the ground.
Most are blind, eyes completely gone.
You walk amongst them, trying not to let the smells and sights get to you.
You thought the war with the Harkonnen was bad? This…this is something else.
You look to Paul, seeing his eyes ruined beyond repair.
He then snapped into leader mode, giving orders to help those closest to the fire.
You snap out of it, doing the same. Moving them away, checking that they aren’t majorly hurt anywhere else.
For once, a Fremen community is working together.
However, instead of going by the old ways of abandoning the blind, Paul orders that those affected be given eyes - eyes developed by the ones who use technology, the Tleilaxu.
You know this isn’t the time to disagree, nor - for all the water in you - would you.
Korba, a Fremen who was part of this conspiracy the whole time, is put on trial. You stand next to your father. Alia then joins you.
Paul enters, and you hold your breath. You know the customs to abandon those with blindness to the desert.
It strikes you then, how much has changed. Did you know about everything? No.
Yet, here you stand, wanting Muad'Dib to succeed instead of the hatred and sickness you felt at even looking at the little animal in your travels before returning to this cursed city of Arrakeen.
Paul proves his sight, addressing everyone by name, even giving yourself and your father a nod of address.
More of your people start to doubt Korba’s innocence, despite his proclamations - ha - and desperate tries to deny Paul’s sight.
Your father, despite being a devoted follower of Paul, reminds him of the law of this place. It brings Paul back to his senses.
You look at your father. That same man you still knew is in there. He’s not completely blind to it all.
Paul comes over to you all after the trial of the traitor.
“Thank you for playing your part, both of you.”
Paul explains to Alia that with that single reminder, the traitorous Fremen were also exposed.
Old you, even before Paul ever came to Dune, would never betray your people like this - selling out names. But now…now things were different. You were stuck in this spiral, just like the rest of them.
You gave the names you noticed, Stilgar and Alia, the rest.
She then, after talking with your father, looked to you, “I trust Stilgar, but he will betray my brother…but you, you won’t betray him. You’ve changed.”
You and Stilgar leave the temple.
Stilgar turns to you, putting a hand on your shoulder, “I don’t know if we will talk, child,” he says, “but I missed you and loved and prayed to Shai-Hulud that you were alive.”
He moved his hand to your cheek, “You are my kin. You will always be my kin. No matter what happens.”
You put a hand to his chest, just feeling his heartbeat through his clothing and Stillsuit.
As you walk the hallways, keeping vigilant, Chani finds.
“I wish for you to accompany me to the Sietch.”
“For protection?”
She shakes her head, “to have my sibling by my side as I bring life into this world.”
You go with her, but then more people file in. Paul and she talk, you just look out at this world. This heavily changed world. One that had changed so much you felt like an outsider in it now.
Customs had died off, messiahs had risen. Everything was too big and too much.
Regret was once the feeling you had. Regret that you hadn’t stopped this.
Now…now something sadder was a part of you.
A bleak sort of acceptance.
This home wasn’t yours anymore. Dune had gone through a shift so fast it was like the blink of an eye.
A hand goes on your shoulder: Chani.
“It is time,” she says, her eyes sharing the same bleak thoughts you have had about your home.
Chani, the woman who was used to hiding her emotions, lets herself be open with you, “I’m scared…”
You knock your foreheads together, “I’m with you, sister.”
“Take my water -”
“Chani…”
“I knew you were lying, (your name),” she says, “I could see it in your eyes. You forget who grew up beside you in the Sietches.”
“I’m sorry -”
“Do not waste your water,” she demands, “do that for me.”
“What will you have me do?” is all you can ask in desperation.
“Keep yourself alive in this home that is no longer ours.”
You compose yourself as best you can, nodding.
Duncan approaches, calling you by your Sietch name, before turning to Chani, “it is time, my lady.”
Chani goes with him. But, before he follows, he gives you a nod: he has her.
As you’d learn later, Paul lashes out, telling the aids to worship life itself.
He, too, has been broken by all this: his visions, the power, the conspiracies.
Twins are born, and Chani stops breathing.
Paul enters, whispering goodbye to his Sihaya.
Scytale, forever the rat, tries to bargain with Paul to make Chani a Ghola.
Paul’s knife enters his eye the next moment.
You retrieve it, hitting his head against the wall a few times to let out some of your nihilistic rage at the universe.
You look to your father, who looks at Chani with mournful eyes before looking to you. He gives you a single nod: Go. I have them.
Irulan tries to find you, but Stilgar just tells her that it’s too late, you’re gone.
That prick on your finger that you felt? That was her taking some blood. She wanted to learn more about you. You puzzled her. The way you never ratted her out. The way you were a lost soul.
She found that you were nothing special. No special genes, nothing. Just a lonely Fremen lost in the place you once called home.
Paul, in disguise, leaves the city, only to see you ahead, waiting for him.
He stands beside you.
"Why won't you kill me or leave me be?" Paul asks.
"Because fear may be the killer of minds, as your mother says," you remember her mantra, "but loneliness is the killer of the soul. No one deserves to be alone. Especially not a guilty soul. You're a victim of this tale, just as I am."
Stilgar was once your home. But now you no longer have a place to call that. The Sietch was destroyed. Some were abandoned to time and just left to rot. The planet itself had changed. The wheels of exploitation continued, those sins from the old past to the next generation.
You don't know what is coming next for Dune. Despite the look on his face, you sense that Paul is happy that he does not fully know either. He can no longer see.
He's free, at least in physical form anyway. His name will still be remembered, whether he lives or dies. There was no stopping that. But, he's out.
You can't say that you were out when you were never really in. You both walk now, side by side, strangers to this world once again. But remembered by those close to you - and by others.
You weren't some god. Just a fremen. A person who had people who loved them, and who you loved. People you'd spilt both blood and water over.
Stilgar taught you how to survive; you taught him how to be a dad.
Forever connected, but forever apart. Bond healed, yet now on separate paths.
✧. ┊ summary: love triangle where the two love intrests get together instead
✧. ┊ pairing: chani kynes x fem! reader, past! paul atreides x fem! reader
✧. ┊ warnings: *dune part 2 spoilers*
✧. ┊ word count: 657
✧. ┊ author note: canon divergent obvi
masterlist. & 100 follower celebration
From a young age you'd been betrothed to Paul Atraides. The two of you had met on a multitude of occasions your families organised. You could even say love started to bloom between you. Then everything changed when the Atraides acquired Arrakis.
Paul became distant and after a few weeks of no contact. You decided to visit Arrakis. Your Father informed Leto Atraides of your arrival, he'd said they'd gladly welcome you. No one anticipated that would be the day house Attaides died.
Your ship had been knocked out of the sky and landed in the never ending desert. Your outfit is not fit for the conditions of the cruel desert. You accepted that you'd die on Arrakis. Would it be killed by the heat or Sandworms? Your guards decided it would be best to stay in the ship until help arrived.
You doubted that help would come, you probably cooked alive in the ship before that would happen. To your surprise your betrothed came to your rescue. You've never hugged someone as tight as him right now. Glad to see he was alive. After days of convincing yourself he was dead.
His mother was also with him both wearing still suits. "You look beautiful," you laughed. "Sure," you noticed that you were being watched as did your guards. "Princess get back."
"No, no. Wait! They're with me," he switched to your native language. "Please trust me." You ordered your guards to lower their weapons.
"He's bringing more outsiders in," Shishakli nodded along with Chani's statement. "His betrothed to my understanding," this shocked Chani. "She is adjusting better than the rest." Chani felt bad for the girl, Paul had been flirting with her before she arrived. He was anything but a faithful man.
Maybe that's why she wanted to be in her presence so often. Pity, that must be it. When she wasn't out with the rest of the Fremen, she was spending her time in the company of the girl. Her stories of her home planet astonished her. Chani started to look forward to talking to her everyday.
Shishakli noticed and wouldn't stop teasing her about it. "You like talking to the outsider now."
"Yeah, what about it," Shishakli shrugged and changed the subject. Chani got closer to the girl and one night they exchanged their fears, hopes and dreams. A feeling started to bloom, one which Chani recognised as love but she was to marry Paul and probably forget her life on Arrakis.
Chani chose to ignore these feelings and pretend they aren't there. They had to leave north. Chani made sure to stay close to the girl as she had yet to fully master riding the Shai-Hulud. It was a difficult journey through the storm. At one point Chani saw Y/N's grip loosen, almost falling off but Chani grabbed her before that could happen.
Once they arrived at their destination, Chani scolded her and pointed out where to improve for the next time. The truth being Chani was hiding her worry. She is getting too attached to the girl. She can see that the relationship between Paul and her is growing stronger and stronger. It's only a matter of time before they leave.
"Chani, are you awake?" She'd heard that sweet voice ask her. She got up and opened her tent, letting her in. "What is it?" A sour expression was present on her face. One that Chani would do anything for to see be replaced with a smile. "I can't marry Paul. I know it's my duty to my house and family but he has changed."
Tears start filling up her eyes. "I d-don't know what to make of it." Chani gently dried her tears with the thumb of her finger. You don't need to waste your water for him. Her heart couldn't bear you crying over him. She wanted to wash all your worries away. "Marry me?"
genre slight angst , fluff , chani has past scars , non idol au , chani x fem!reader cw chani is afraid of love and a bit reclusive , reader loves him unconditionally , kissing, he's shirtless for one scene , not proofread wc 850 request no note originally written for my f1 blog but i like this fic so much and wanted to post it here as well. i felt like it fit chani the best <3 ik barely anyone reads for sf9 but this is moreso for me than anyone else lmao net @kstrucknet
When you first met Chanhee, he hid his past like he hid the scars on his back; pretending like they didn’t exist at all. To the regular onlooker, he was a normal guy in his mid-twenties. Graduated from a respectable university with a regular office job, his daily life no different from theirs. But the first time you met Chanhee, you noticed the sadness in his eyes.
Something drew you to him, like a moth to a flame; something so strong that you couldn’t ignore it. He was hesitant to let you in at first. He was used to being guarded all the time, whether at work or social gatherings. Even his boss and coworkers knew almost nothing about him besides the one-dimensional ice breaker questions he couldn’t get around answering. But you were persistent, and Chanhee couldn’t fight back against you.
You got to know Chanhee slowly, patiently. You were acquaintances first, and then one day you dared to call him your friend. A small smile flashed on his face for a split second at the mention, and your chest buzzed with warmth at the sight. It was the first time you had seen him smile.
You steadily broke through each level of guarded walls that he had put up so many years ago, and when you finally reached his heart, you found it still wounded. But you were relentless with your patience, and having spent over a year around Chanhee already, you weren’t ready to give up. You took it slow, as always.
When he told you he was scared at the thought of dating— that he had never done it before and didn’t know how— you simply told him that you hadn’t either. It was normal to be scared of the unknown. It was okay to be hesitant. But you could tell he wanted to test out the waters, to see where it would lead. So, you extended the steady assurance that you had given him every time before once again.
“I like you. I do. But I don’t know how to express it,” he whispered one night, hesitance in his voice and doubt in his eyes.
“I know. You’ve already shown me since the day we met. You let me in. That’s enough for me. I don’t need anything else.”
You dated for two years before Chanhee made the first brave decision of his life. His proposal to you was nothing extravagant. But it was him. It was quiet, timid, and so delicately beautiful that you couldn’t help but fall deeper in love with him. You had never been so sure about anything in your life— Chanhee was the man you wanted to marry.
Things started to look up. Your fiancé smiled more easily, and cracked more jokes. Your day-to-day life felt light and weightless. Even the usual frustrations could barely leave their mark on you. You had always been affectionate, but during those days, Chanhee was wrapped up in your affection nearly every moment of the day. The amount of love you poured out was almost overwhelming, and he could only do his best to match it in his own way.
You were admiring your husband again in the quiet, gentle, slowness of the early evening. After a year of marriage, he was more than used to it by now. He let you have your way, pressing slow kisses up his arm and shoulder, nuzzling your face in the joint of his neck. Your hands trailed along his back, tracing the scars he once was so hellbent on hiding from the world. After knowing Chanhee for five years, there was nothing left to uncover, no secrets he still hid in shame. You knew him inside out. All his rough edges had been softened by your love. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t defined by pain anymore.
“You’re so beautiful,” you whispered to him. He had heard you saw that countless times, but it still made his breath hitch. You were everything to him.
“I’m just me, though.” It was his usual reply. He could feel you smile against his skin, breath warm as you placed another kiss to his shoulder.
“‘Just you’… You don’t even know how much I adore just Chanhee.”
He caught your hand, smoothing his thumb over your knuckles and then your fingertips, admiring the beauty in something so simple. Your way of loving Chanhee was overt. You weren’t shy to tell him every lovely word in the dictionary that fit him so perfectly. Kind, gentle, handsome, perfect, mine.
It used to make him shy, heat creeping up his neck at how easily you could say such things. He wasn’t used to such words being used to describe him. But he was starting to get used to it now, starting to accept the warm feeling that you instilled in his chest whenever you complimented him, starting to not be scared to love you back just as fiercely as you did.
His love for you was always quiet, but it was never hidden. You could always see it like broad daylight.
sf9 taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @weird-bookworm,, @kangtaehyunzzz,, @blossominghunnie,, @seunghancore,, @chenleszone,, @yudaies,, @loserlvrss,, @lexeees
