I'd never been to Giedi Prime before. Paul and I had learned about the planet before, but seeing it in person was a whole other thing. The sky was dark, the buildings grey and scary. It felt as though the entire planet was meant to scare you away.

I stared at the large palace ahead of us from the safety of our ornithopter. Within the next few minutes I'd be stepping outside onto the dark planet to meet someone I might marry. I shivered.

"You ready to go, Lia?" Duncan asked me, standing him from the pilot's seat.

I didn't answer. I took a moment as I continued to analyze the mysterious environment that surrounded us.

Noticing my hesitancy, I could hear him grumble under his breath. "This is so stupid."

"Don't tell Paul, please." I asked him, pleading.

I could hear Duncan sigh from beside me, not answering my question. I took his silence as a reluctant yes.

Of course Hawat would assign Duncan Idaho to bring me to Giedi Prime, it's not like he had anything important to do back on Arrakis. No, not at all. I'm sure marrying off Paul's friend was a more valuable way to put his combat skills to work.

But then again, for such a sensitive and intimate type of mission I was glad it was him. I knew Duncan wasn't here to judge me, as weird as he found the whole situation to be.

"You don't have to agree to any of this by the way." He added as he opened the door to help me out. "I can't believe Hawat even suggested this to you..."

"I know," I whined. "I just want to do something, okay? I don't want to sit back and let everyone else do the fighting."

He threw is head back and laughed. "Marrying a Harkonnen is not fighting. Just... go easy on yourself, okay?"

I nodded and he led me in the direction of the main entrance. I squeezed my nails into my palms as we got closer.

One of their guards opened the door for us without acknowledgement. I realized he had a strange and sickly appearance. It made my skin crawl.

The inside of the palace was not as empty as I had expected. Despite the grey theme, the room was filled with small pieces of art and furniture to fill the spaces. It was clear there was some sort of in-ground lighting system that lined the side of the walls, the light traveling up towards the ceiling to give it a brighter look.

I felt a slight twinge of comfort knowing the interior wasn't as sullen as one would expect from the Harkonnens. In fact, it was almost beautiful. In its own dark and minimalist way, of course.

There was another strange looking man at the centre of the room. He held his hands behind his back and proceeded to greet us with a small nod, clearly expecting us.

"If you'll follow me, Na-Baron is expecting you in his waiting chambers."

He began down the hall to our left. I followed after him with slight hesitancy, exchanging an odd look with Duncan.

The man stooped and turned around, sending a pointed look towards my company.

Duncan raised his hands defensively and took a step back. "Okay, I'll stay here. Got it." He made a face at the guy but still sent me a small encouraging smile.

I nodded him goodbye and continued to follow the strange man. Without Duncan, I felt unprotected in this unfamiliar place. How did I know they weren't leading me somewhere to take me hostage? If that were the case then it was a little too late for me to save myself now.

Thankfully, I was not lead to any mysterious or questionable parts of their palace. Instead, we stopped in front of a set of black French doors which I could only guess Feyd-Rautha stood behind.

"He is waiting for you." The man told me, and I could only assume he was suggesting me to go through.

I whispered a thanks to the man before he turned and made his way back towards where we came from.

I stared back at the door. What would he look like? What will he say to me? What could go wrong?

A lot. A lot could go wrong, I thought.

I took a breath and opened one of the doors slowly. The inside was lined with several different book shelves that made me feel as if I had entered a library. I could see the back of someone standing on the other side of the room. They were wearing what I would almost describe as armour, but the lack of metal and thin layer of fabric made me believe it was simply an intense uniform.

The figure lifted his head from his book at the sound of the creaking door. He turned around to face me.

To my surprise, Feyd-Rautha did not look any less human than I. He was not as pale as the two Harkonnens I had previously encountered, and his face did not bear any kind of evil or unappealing features. The most unique part of his appearance was his jet black hair which was messy and unkept. The thought reminded me of Paul.

"You must be Ophelia." He noted. I nodded, unsure of how to respond or what to do next.

He motioned to one of the seats in the centre of the room, suggesting I sit down. I made my way to one of the chairs and hesitantly took a seat.

I was able to get another look at him from this angle. He was rather tall and heavily built with broad shoulders, but he couldn't have been more than a few years older than me.

I stared at him, my body tense and my hands clasped tightly together in my lap. Feyd-Rautha raised a brow.

"You look rather terrified," He commented, taking the seat across from me.

I didn't answer. I held onto his stare, not wanting to look away in fear that he may try something.

"Do you speak...?" He trailed off, scrunching his nose.

I inhaled, finding the courage to answer him. "No. I mean, yes, I do speak." I stuttered.

He nodded, almost what I could describe as a grin reaching his lips. He grabbed a small decorative fixture from one of the side tables and began to play with it in his hands. I was was caught off guard by his ease. He did not come across as menacing, and I didn't feel he would hurt me right now.

"You don't need to be so tense." He said, playing with the thing in his hands. "I'm not going to hurt you."

His words confirmed what I was thinking but I stayed quiet and watched him toy with the small decoration. He wasn't going to hurt me? I mean, that was reassuring. Why did he say that, though? Did he originally plan on hurting me?

I was surprised as he let out a small laugh. Putting the toy back down, he met my eyes again. "So are we going to sit here and stare at each other?"

"Well, what did you have in mind?" I asked him.

He shrugged and looked around. "I don't know, um... Tell me something about yourself?"

I made a face. "Like what?"

He shook his head. "Anything, I guess. We are here to decide whether you want to marry me or not, right?"

The idea made my blush. I had yet to say those words out loud, so hearing it come from him felt so strange.

"So I get to decide?" I asked him, repeating his words.

He nodded as if it were obvious. "Why would I marry someone who doesn't want to marry me?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, my muscles relaxing as I put my guard down. "Well, I don't know..."

He sighed and looked over at one of the windows before looking back. "Look, Ophelia. I'm not here because I want to get married or force someone's hand. I'm here for the same reason as you." His face softened.

"You want to end this political conflict?" I asked surprised.

He clicked his tongue. "I'm not my uncle. I'm don't want to fight a battle that will lead us no where."

This came as a surprise to me. I had expected him to be a blood-thirsty, evil Harkonnen, but so far his motives seemed to be same as mine.

"But you won't force me to marry you to resolve this conflict." I finally said, curiously.

He shook his head and hesitated. "I want to end conflict, but I'm also looking for a life partner. Someone for the lonely road ahead. So naturally, I want my partner to enjoy my company."

He finished with a shrug. I wanted to be mad at his logic, but it made sense. It was also reasonable, I thought to myself.

"I'm not trying to force anything, like I said," He continued. "I'm just reiterating we have a similar goal, so maybe we can help each other out here."

I nodded, letting his words settle with me. I found a sense of security and reassurance knowing his request doesn't come from a place of power or control. Maybe he wasn't as bad as I thought. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be a bad partner, either.

"So," he smiled. "Tell me about yourself."

***

currently at a bar with my friends drinking, singing, and watching the packers game rn, but i don't know anything about football so i managed to type up and upload this chapter LOL

soooo what are we thinking about feyd-rautha? hmmm ;)

sorry for any typos! obligatory mobile disclaimer

with love,
via <3