#dune verse.

[scrletrot]

𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒, 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄, 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓. for this exact point in time. the sisterhood began so much more different than what it's involved into, but no one can stop the press of time & the change that accompanies it. while the bene gesserit steer politics from the background, she oversees the sisterhood in the same vein. ( as mother superior it is her duty, just like approving all of the strategic crossing of bloodlines to bring forth the kwisatz haderach, to guide them on the best course for the centuries ahead. ) however, one thing she did not approve ... that lady jessica herself decided ... was jessica atreides to bare a son. she was instructed a girl. it is no matter now for paul has, in some essence though not exact, followed their man-made prophecy on this desert planet. as door opens, wanda turns her body to face it with fingers still running her rings round & round. eyes narrow slightly as if observing, because she was, ❛ i assume you already know who i am, paul ... or do you perfer emperor now ? ❜ wanda's proding a little with a small tilt of her head. ❛ thank you, for agreeing to see me. i assume you have much to take care, with this new shift in power for the imperium. overtaking house corrino is no easy feat. ❜

﹙ ✦ @profecier liked for a starter ! ﹚

[divin3rot]

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐀 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊, 𝐀 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍, & 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐍𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐓. why did rhaenyra have to do this at all but especially now ? she did not need it, she did not want it ... things would be better, easier, if rhaenyra had not confessed her true feelings. feelings, granted, both of them had been aware of for longer than alicent would like to admit. it was easier, wasn't it, when it was up in the air or when nothing was spoken a loud ? easier for her to digest, perhaps, but unfair to not only herself but to rhaenyra. ( viserys had been her mission, her assignment more like. the beginning of a wider outreach to improve upon the breeding program. the targaryens had desirable features, personality traits, that would benefit them in making 'the one.' ) the sister takes in a deep breath, fingers rubbing against her face: ❛ how could i not say something after everything you confessed ? ❜

@zaldarias SAID, " YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU. "

❛ what do you expect of me, rhaenyra, to betray my mission, my sisterhood ? it would be unspeakable, it would be my death ! ❜ not something alicent could know for sure but her gut feeling gave her an inkling of it. the conditioning of loyalty was so enmeshed into alicent's being that her stomach began to feel sick at the mere thought ... 'sisterhood above all' rings silently in her ears & it makes her shake her head to get rid of it. ❛ no, no, no ... i can't- ... we- ... ❜ but she wanted it, didn't she ? so bad, so to her core. things for no one else she'd ever felt before were felt with rhaenyra, how could she let that go. ❛ my mission .. ❜ voice trails but she almost sounds as if she were considering it.

[divin3rot]

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐔𝐋 𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒, 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐄. her entire time, since she was a teenager, among the sisterhood all they spoke of was 'the one' -- the being to which their sisterhood had spent the last ten thousand years trying to bring forth. he had come, or so they thought, but there was one issue: paul did not seem very interested in the bene gesserit's plan for him or what they thought he should be. he follows his own ambitions, wants, or instructions with little input from the people who made him possible. headstrong as most atreides men were & it seemed that chani, his fremen concubine, seemed to the same or worse. ( alicent admired it in her truth be told. her defiance, her assurance of self. nothing of chani was molded to others wants or whims--she was herself & she did not apologize for it. alicent, on the other hand, had been meticulously molded since youth. ) ❛ how are you liking it here in arrakeen, chani ? much different than the desert, i'm sure. ❜

[ * @s1hayas gets a random starter ! ]

[divin3rot]

𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐄, 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇. in the very beginning before they even get into the higher level subjects or teaching, but for now it would have to do. rhaenyra needed to focus more than anything, to instill a sense of discipline within herself if this was ever going to be as successful as both of them wanted it to be. ( in other teachings of the way she had done more than excellent in while others needed more work--some more, some less. yet over this entire time being the one to instruct her, alicent had picked up on certain patterns as to why rhaenyra may be failing. what could she do to re-direct these patterns ? a question the bene gesserit sister had been pondering for the better half of a week. ) hands continue to be folded on the table from alicent's side. brown eyes watch rhaenyra, studying as she always did, before lips part to speak: ❛ you are becoming increasingly frustrated. have you noticed ? ❜

@zaldarias SAID, " I WAS TRYING TO PUSH THROUGH. I THINK I MADE IT WORSE. "

❛ it is a step in the right direction to be able to know that you are becoming frustrated, angry even. to name it. ❜ some praise may help as well--it had in the past. eyes glance down to the half glass of water in front of alicent which had not moved in over an hour, ❛ take that frustration & turn it into determination, into focus. do not allow it to consume you or you will never win. ❜ nodding to the glass brown eyes flicker back to rhaenyra with expression as unreadable as ever in her sto. ❛ if you want it then make me give it to you. ❜

[divin3rot]

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋 & 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍, 𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍, 𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐃. daughters of the bene gesserit were tasked with gaining control over nearly every aspect of themselves, of their lives, or of ways it benefited the sisterhood as a whole. from the beginning it was drilled into their heads to be obedient, patient, to follow orders as given ... bodily desires or those outside of what aligned with the sisterhood were not encouraged & only a select few of them ever get to indulge in anything else other than what they were taught. ( alicent was one of them but by her own choice. viserys was her assignment but rhaenyra had ended up as her choice --- there was a time when she was rigid, when she would never entertain what was happening now. yet the smallest taste of it, of how good it made her feel, & alicent feels her discipline constantly betraying her. )

@zaldarias SAID, " YOU SAID 'JUST ONE MORE TIME' LAST TIME, REMEMBER ? "

a whine threatened to leave lips when rhaenyra pulled away, brown eyes opening to search for reasoning behind it yet all she heard was the tease filled tone of the others words. it makes alicent's nose wrinkle, eyes rolling almost completely in the back of her head with building annoyance. ❛ yes, i recall. ❜ resolve around rhaenyra had always been weak it seemed---whims more easily given into & the chase of feeling, of her lips against alicent's & so much more. it was hard to deny, it was harder to forget afterward. what hold did rhaenyra have over her that alicent could not will, pray, herself away from ? it went against what she was told to want. it's alicents turn to tease: ❛ do not lie, rhaenyra, you want this again. i can hear it in the way your heart pounds in your chest .. ❜ like her discipline, rhaenyra's own body is giving her away. ❛ you want me again. ❜ witch leans forward as lips nearly touch once more.

[divin3rot]

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐑𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 anticipated when being sent here. the heir to this house was stubborn, preferred her own way or rules but that would never work if she were going to learn even the slightest of their way. the bene gesserit were a sisterhood, they were one house onto themselves made up of thousands of woman across generations ... thousands of years of suffering & agony if one was to venture upon the spice agony. that was what she wanted, wasn't it ? to be a reverend mother, to be a future mother superior even. it'd taken alicent years, since the time she was a girl, to get to the trusted, respected, position she is in now---but, despite the sisterhoods beliefs on personal want or gain, she wanted more. ( eyes close themselves, fingers rotating her mothers ring constantly. the only item she was allowed to keep of her home, of her family, before being forced to give them up for the sisterhood. back turned toward rhaenyra, black dress which she always wore leaks down around her like spilled ink on the ground. )

@zaldarias SAID, " CAREFUL, YOU'RE TESTING ME. "

sighing, fingers pinch the bridge of her nose before alicent straightens her back to turn. now facing rhaenyra, feet make the short distance between them disappear. express is set form, jaw clenched just slight, & brown eyes settle on the other with growing frustration of her own. ❛ what else do you expect ? to be coddled, to be handed what you want ? it is a blessing in itself that i am allowed to teach you. ❜ as alicent often reminded her when rhaenyra seemed to forget humility or her station in life in comparison to alicent's own as a sister. figures steering in the shadows they were but always labeled as servants to others. ❛ you must control your emotions, yourself, rhaenyra. otherwise, this is all for nothing. you will be a failure. do you want to fail ? focus, calm yourself, dictate your own emotions & do not allow them to overpower you. ❜ it sounded harsh but sometimes it is what someone needs.

[divin3rot]

𝐈𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐏 why she was angry, why she had said what she said. in truth, it had been ... somewhat harsh or more-like it sounded like it as the words left her lips. but, they come from a place of knowing, or assuming, what would happen to her if her superiors, or even viserys himself or those around him, found out about what herself & rhaenyra had been doing. what temptations alicent had allowed herself even when it went against some parts of her sisterhood vows. ( sisters of the bene gesserit were trained to have strong wills, bodies, & even stronger minds. they were the hand which guided the great houses, steered toward their predestined future of the perfect specimen of a ruler. how could she have even thought of allowing herself the closeness of someone else ? it's a weakness of hers ... her distaste & dread toward loneliness. ) brown eyes, whites cast in a blue hue from the spicy agony many moons ago, settle on rhaenyra from behind her thin veil of black. brows furrow together as alicent forces herself a deeper breath.

@zaldarias ASKED, " HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ME ? "

❛ it has nothing to do with you. ❜ tone is slightly more even, ❛ i have a job to do here, rhaenyra. you seem to have forgotten since my arrival, since my agreement to train you in some of ours ways. ❜ & that was not a formal duty, per say, but something alicent offered to win viserys over. to weave in the chance of as good opinion on the sisterhood as possible--like a robot programmed to advance & protect its mother host. ❛ allowing myself close to you was dangerous enough, against my vows, without you ... adding on to it, in front of other people. your father, no less. ❜ it sounded like a scold, ❛ you are not the one in danger, i am. mother superior would not take kindly if she found out about us nor if she even thought, for a second, that i was failing my mission. ❜

[divin3rot]

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐑, 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐍, 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 much harder to reason with than the one that came before. not that it was a bad thing, alicent says to herself, for someone with some push back would open a doorway for challenge ... how long has it been since she had a real challenge ? it is hard to recall. ( yet, she has not forgotten her mission ... the core of her sisterhood even with this version of their kwisatz haderach has finally come to light. though, presenting as a man rather than a woman as his mother, jessica, had been instructed. ) 'no matter,' the thought is sighed in her mind as the door to paul's office is finally closed behind her by one of his detail, 'he can be made malleable over time. it has been done before & perhaps it can be again. control, the sisterhood needs even an ounce- ..'

@s1hayas LIKED FOR A STARTER !

train of thought is broken when brown eyes settle on chain coming toward her down the hallway, hands folding at her front as alicent meets the fremen woman in the middle. black outfit hangs over her shoulders, a hood not pulled over her head nor worn is the often elaborate headdresses of most sisters. ❛ good afternoon, chani. ❜ alicent smiles--unlike some other in her order, the redheaded woman has never been mean to chani. ❛ how are you fairing today ? it is rather warm on arrakis today. ❜