someone asked for a picture of what i imagine feyd-rautha to look like so this gif of ezra miller was the closest i could find but ultimately i want to leave it up to your imagination! happy reading

***

The light pouring in from my bedroom window was bright enough to wake me up that morning. I blinked a few times and opened my arms wide to stretch when the events of last night came back to me.

My cheeks flushed and I looked over to see my bed empty, no sign of Paul or his clothes. I sat up straight in my bed, conflicted on how to feel.

Was last night wrong? Were we both acting impulsively, our hormones finally taking control? Did the spice from the sand somehow escape the jar and effect us?

My eyes lingered on the empty side of my bed where I expected Paul to be this morning. He left without any notice or goodbye, no note or message. What was he thinking? Did he regret his actions? Was he ashamed? Did he spend the night with me because he wanted me, or was it because he wanted someone?

My last thought made me nervous. What if that was the case? What if Paul acted the way he did because he had spent his entire life without any kind of romance. What if I was just a convenience?

But when I replayed last night over again in my mind I couldn't imagine wanting anything else. Everything about it just felt right. Being with Paul felt right. The way he touched me and held me... it all felt right.

I looked over at the clock and realized I had to be on one of the aircrafts shortly. I quickly got myself dressed before making my way to the warehouse where we kept our thopters to meet with Duncan and Yuma.

I had decided to meet again with Feyd-Rautha, that is, before last night. Whatever it was that happened between Paul and I, was that enough to sway my decision? Was it a reason to stay? To go?

Yuma insisted she come along for the trip because she wanted to make sure I would be alright. I was silent the entire trip, my mind numb as I tried to forget my concerns and focus on the matter at hand. The both of them made attempts at small talk with me but his words passed over my head so instead they conversed with each other.

I had never been with anyone before, and I knew Paul had never been with anyone before, either. Neither of us had ever had the chance to see anyone other than each other but it still blew my mind to think of how the tension broke last night...

The palace on Giedi Prime was as dark as always. Duncan followed me in like last time but remembered to stay back. I wasn't as nervous this time, I was determined. Feyd-Rautha showed me that he wasn't here to force some peace-agreement, but rather coordinate together to satisfy both of our needs.

To my surprise I wasn't led to his waiting chambers like last time. Instead I was brought to an open room lined with windows that touched the ceiling. On one wall was a display case of different knives and armour, a selection far greater than what I've seen from House Atreides.

In the centre of the room was Feyd-Rautha, but he wasn't dressed in the same odd attire as a few days ago. Instead he wore trousers with a tight t-shirt that showed off the definition of his muscles.

The door closed behind me, leaving the two of us alone. I looked back at Feyd-Rautha who stared back at me.

I remained in the corner of the room near the door. "What is this?"

He looked around. "What does it look like?"

My eyes moved to the collection of knives at the side of the room. "Looks like a training room."

He nodded. "How observant of you."

I remained in place, unsure of whether to move forward or not. He eyed me curiously.

"Did you want to join me or are you going to keep standing there?" He asked and crossed his arms.

I didn't say anything. Instead I moved forward to join him on the mat. I moved slowly, not because I was afraid he was going to hurt me but because I knew to always expect something when challenged to a fight.

I reached the edge of the mat and slipped off my shoes, stepping on with my bare feet. I stopped with about a meter away, staring back at him intensely.

"I've been told you're a pretty good fighter." He told me.

We began to circle each other slowly. Instead of answering him I decided to reach for his ankle.

He was able to step out of the way before I could touch him and instead leaned over me to force my body to the ground. I quickly slipped under his grip, causing him to lose balance as I shifted his weight.

He fell forward and composed himself before returning to an athletic stance, circling each other again.

"Not too bad yourself." I said sans emotion, but oddly enough my comment felt playful in nature.

His next move came faster than I could think. He went straight for my torso which sent me toppling over as he expected. Before I lost my balance though, I held on tightly to his arm and flipped so that I was back on my feet. Keeping my hold on him, I made an attempt to yank him down but his height and weight made that impossible.

He responded by pulling out his leg out from under me and swinging it over my body so that he had me trapped between his thighs. He began to curshing me to the point I could no longer breath. I struggled in his grip, not wanting to give up. Instinctively I reached towards his waist.

Apparently the pressure point I used to use on Paul all the time was useful against Feyd-Rautha as well. His body jolted at the surprise sensation, releasing me enough to set me free.

Taking advantage of his surprise, I used my foot to yank his ankle from under his body. This caused him to lose his balance and sent him to the ground.

He was bigger, but that also meant he was heavier with a higher centre of gravity. I loved having large opponents because taking them down was so much easier.

He attempted to recover himself by bringing his fist up to hit me but he wasn't fast enough. I doged his arm with ease and sent my knee directly into his neck.

I came down on him hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. I pressed deep with my knee, knowing how badly it would hurt. It wasn't only a few seconds until he signaled he was done.

He stood himself up, clearing his throat as he did. I took a step back and shot him a look.

"Why you want to do that?" I demanded.

"Why?" He laughed and wiped the seat from his forehead. "Is it a crime to want to fight you?"

"No." I shook my head. "But it's a weird way to get to know someone."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "You're wrong." He said simply. "I just learned a lot about you."

I made a face, wondering how he could have learned something about my character by fighting me. "Such as?"

"You're conservative in your movements," He told me. "and you won't move unless you have to. You'll never strike first because you don't like to incite conflict, so instead you're always on the defence, keeping to yourself. You'll never make the first move. Not in combat, not in life."

Was what he was saying true? In all honesty, I wasn't sure. But hearing him describe my fighting style and comparing it to my personality... It oddly made sense.

He adjusted one of the knives in its display and paused to look at me. He made a strange face, not one that I recognized.

"You can defend yourself incredibly well but you're also an expert in the offence. Well... you're skilled in all aspects of the martial arts because of your abilities in the Way."

I tensed and prepared myself to be attacked. Who did he think he was to discuss the ways of the Bene Gesserit with me? How could he know anything about me and a connection to the Sisterhood?

He held up a hand, signalling for me relax. I didn't.

"How do you know anything about that?" I demanded. "Who told you that?"

He shot me a look, almost as if he were tired. "It was the Reverend Mother Mohiam."

I sucked in a breath. Why would the Reverend Mother share such dangerous and uncertain information with a Harkonnen of all people.

"She has her own agenda too, you know." He added before I could say anything else. "She didn't tell me much," He laughed without humour and looked away. "Not that she ever would have. She did tell me, though, that your skills mixed with the Harkonnen bloodline, mine especially, is exactly what they're looking for. She also told me to tell you it would be in your best interest to satisfy the Imperium. They have quite the influence on my uncle."

I stared at my feet. The Reverend Mother wanted me to have babies with Feyd-Rautha? The thought was almost laughable if I didn't know how serious he was being. The idea made me feel sick... Marriage, children, Harkonnens... none of it sat right with me.

"I just thought you should know." He said quietly. "I figured it would be of importance to you."

He was right. It was. I was desperate for anything that would benefit the House of Atreides politically and help prevent a possible war.

I thought about Paul. I thought about the joy he brought me, how special my time was with him. The kind of person he made me want to be.

But I also thought of his parents. My father. Every important person in my life. I thought of Paul, but this time in pain. Hurt. Dead.

My happiness was a small price to pay to guarantee the safety and security of my family. I wanted to stay close to my them, but I wanted them to survive more than anything.

"You can take as much time as you need to think about it-"

"No." I shook my head. "They don't have time. I don't have time. War doesn't wait for anyone."

He didn't answer right away. Instead he looked me up and down, unsure what to think. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying," I managed with a weak voice. "I'll marry you."

***

!!!!BOOK COVER CONTEST!!!!

^^^ okay so i've decided i'm going to do a book cover contest for this story. i might leave the contest open for like a week or two to give you guys time to submit stuff, i'm also going to make my own cover and enter it into the contest as well! i've decided i will need a minimum of 5 submissions to go forward with this

are there any requirements? not really, i guess the only thing is make sure the cover is the right dimensions (idk what those are, but canva wattpad book cover template fits fine) and make sure to include the title ---- > i have changed the title!! i'm not sure if you noticed but i was playing around with what i wanted to call it and i think i've settled on this one. so include the title on the cover (but you can drop or keep the paul atreides part if you want)

TO SUBMIT: i don't want to write my email here so if you just send me a message asking for it i will give you the email to send your submission to !! if that isn't working for you just let me know here in the comments :)

also i was wondering if anyone actually listened to the song while they read the second part of last chapter? if you did, would you guys want me to do that more and suggest songs to certain chapters?

with love,
via <3