ACT ONE ━━ CHAPTER NINE
The Rats' Nest

     AFTER MAKING A CRASH LANDING ONCE FLEEING THE SARDAUKAR, Paul and Jessica finally had enough time to change into their stillsuits and begin their search for the Fremen. They navigated stone structures and the dunes between them until they finally reached the vast desert that, while breathtaking, was also incredibly dangerous.

Using his compass, Paul announced, "The sietch where Duncan lived is somewhere off that way."

Jessica followed his gaze with binoculars, "I can see greenery over there." She handed the binoculars off to Paul and pointed, "There."

"That means Fremen live there." Paul accepted the binoculars and looked for himself. "We'll cross after dark. That's how the Fremen do it." Paul returned the binoculars to his mother before adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. He informed Jessica, "We're about to enter worm territory. We can't walk like regular humans. If we do, we're dead. We'll have to walk like the Fremen do. It's called a sandwalk, at least according to the filmbooks back home."

Jessica nodded in understanding, "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Paul turned away from Jessica to begin leading the way, "Okay, follow me. Do the same moves." Relying on his memorization of his studies and what felt natural to him, Paul performed the sandwalk as they navigated the dunes. Jessica mimicked his actions, often doing them in the opposite direction so that any nearby sandworms didn't sense a pattern.

They continued this ritual well into the night and the early morning. Neither of them spoke much, allowing for them to process what they had recently lost. Leto, their guiding light. House Atreides, including Duncan, Gurney, Dr. Yueh, all of whom were extensions of their family.

Lovisa, Paul thought to himself. Although she wasn't who he originally thought she was, Paul found himself trying to recount all of his memories of her nonetheless. Their first meeting when he arrived on Arrakis, walking through the corridors. Upon remembering how Lovisa had memorized and recited the information from the filmbook about Arrakis word-for-word, Paul couldn't believe that he hadn't put the pieces together sooner.

Even if he had, how could he confront her? Every time he was around her, he just wanted to listen to her speak, even if she wasn't a woman of many words. Now, he would never hear her voice again. Never be able to get to know the real Lovisa. Even so, Paul felt that he had known her enough.

Lovisa was intelligent. Strong. Selfless. Honorable — so much so that she sacrificed herself to protect a boy she had just met in order to fulfill a promise made to his late father.

Paul returned to his physical surroundings after scaling a particularly steep dune. He was about to tell his pregnant mother that it was time for another break, but Paul stopped himself short when his next footstep emitted a different sound from all the others.

"Wait," he told Jessica. Paul stomped his feet twice more, eyes widening in alarm upon the realization. "It's drum sand." Both of them looked in the direction of loud rustling, and saw the trail of an enormous sandworm coming their way. "Run!" Jessica did so immediately, aiming for the rock structure ahead of them. They sprinted side by side, attempting to outrun the sandworm before it caught up to them.

Unknown to them, the sandworm was not alone. Lovisa gripped onto the handles of the hooks for dear life as the sandworm ran through the desert. She had nearly lost her footing a couple times since mounting the worm, but she managed to stay on. The wound in her abdomen screamed with every jostle of the worm, forcing her to grit her teeth in pain. But she hadn't bled out yet, and she was determined to see her own survival through.

Lovisa couldn't see ahead of her because of all the sand blowing around her, and she couldn't open her eyes wider than a squint since all of the particles were blowing into her face. Luckily, she already had a scarf wrapped around her nose and mouth before leaving the ecological testing site, but that, too, was close to slipping off by the minute.

Lovisa whimpered as she temporarily lost her footing, her heart sinking into her stomach during the split-second she felt like she was flying. She quickly regained her footing and adjusted her grip on the hooks once more.

Suddenly, the head of the sandworm raised into the air as its body ceased moving. Lovisa froze at first, unsure of what was happening, but attempted to look at her surroundings to determine if it was safe to dismount. When she looked over the side of the worm's body, she could see the desert floor beneath her. She glanced ahead, curious of what was preoccupying the worm, but was also thankful for the distraction since it allowed Lovisa to unhook her tools and slide down the side of the sandworm with ease.

She didn't even want to think of trying to dismount a sandworm while in motion.

Lovisa distanced herself from the sandworm, attempting a light jog but was soon humbled by her injury. She looked ahead, trying to see what had stopped the sandworm, and noticed the silhouettes of two people.

Could it be...? she asked herself.

From before the sandworm, Jessica squinted her eyes at the small movement from on top for the worm, sliding down its body, and landing on their feet. She wanted to step forward, but was too frightened by the worm's potential reaction. Although she wasn't particularly fond of Lovisa, Jessica wished she could call out for the girl, enlightened to see a familiar face. Especially one Jessica believed to be dead. Maybe that meant there was hope for the others, too?

Neither Jessica or Lovisa had the chance to call out for one another, a rhythmic thumping in the distance drowning out their thoughts altogether.

"It's a thumper," Paul remarked. Lovisa heard a male's voice speak in the distance. "Someone set off a thumper." The worm's head turned and began moving towards the direction of the device, leaving the three foreigners alone.

Paul went to grab Jessica's arm and direct her back towards the rocks, but she resisted, "Wait, Paul —" Relying on instinct, Jessica yelled out towards the silhouette, "Lovisa?!" Paul's head whipped around, following Jessica's gaze. His heart fluttered at the possibility of Lovisa being alive, prompting him to walk towards the silhouette he caught sight of as well.

After hearing her name, Lovisa broke out into a relieved smile.

"It's me!" She called back, breaking into a light jog towards the mother and son.

"Lovisa?!" Paul echoed, running to meet her halfway. Soon, Lovisa's features more clearly came into view and Paul's heart skipped a beat at seeing her alive. His mouth mirrored her smile as she came within an arm's distance, "Lovisa —"

"Paul —" Lovisa began, falling into him as weakness consumed her body. Paul caught her and fell to his knees, holding her head upright. He scanned her body in confusion, investigating the cause of her collapse. She was bloodstained from head to toe, undoubtedly from fighting the Sardaukar, but Paul didn't see any sign of injury — until he noticed that his hand on her abdomen was stained red with blood.

"Lovisa —" Jessica started, her tone sounding relieved until she was stopped short upon seeing the girl limp in her son's arms. "Paul..." Jessica said remorsefully.

"No," Paul argued, knowing where Jessica was going with her next sentence. He looked up at his mother, "We need to find the Fremen. They will heal her."

Jessica shook her head, "Paul, she isn't Fremen —"

"She lived among them!" Paul insisted. "She fooled them like she fooled us, yes, but..." he looked back down towards Lovisa, who was still alert but beginning to feel so, so tired. "...they will see a reason to save her."

Lovisa coughed, weakly lifting her head, "I'm fine." As she moved to sit up, more blood pooled out of her wound. She heavily sighed, lifting a hand towards Jessica, "Help me up." Surprisingly, Jessica helped Lovisa stand and held onto her elbow to keep her steady.

Lovisa removed the scarf she had wrapped around her mouth and nose. Now that she was no longer riding the sandworm, she didn't need it to keep the sand out of her face anymore. Lovisa stretched the scarf as long as it went, and wrapped it around her abdomen, making sure it lined up with the line of her wound and pulled tight. She quietly whimpered, but once she had knotted the scarf a couple times to make sure it was secure, Lovisa acted like everything was normal.

"Okay," she announced, motioning towards Paul, "after you."

After giving her a once over, Paul nodded his head encouragingly, "Alright, we should be close by." He pointed towards the rocks, "Let's just make it up there, and we can rest a second before we keep going."

Lovisa followed, limping a few steps before glancing up towards the rock structure itself. Her eyes scanned the rocks, looking for any signs of life. This looked exactly like the kind of structure Fremen would inhabit, even temporarily. It reminded her of the structure near Duncan found her, before bringing her into Sietch Tuek.

Lovisa kept her thoughts to herself, not wanting to cause the other two to panic. On top of the flat rocks in the middle of the structure, Lovisa noticed a faint movement in the corner of her eye. She grabbed onto Paul's arm from beside her, forcing him to look over at her in concern.

"What?" He asked, instinctively looking down at her covered wound. "Is it your — ?" Lovisa looked into his eyes and set her index finger against his lips, ceasing his talking. She then moved it in front of her own, signaling to stay quiet. Paul wordlessly nodded, understanding her warning.

With his free hand, Paul motioned towards Jessica in sign language, "We are not alone." Her eyebrows unfurrowed in worry, standing up straight from her previously crouched position. She looked around, noticing Fremen beginning to reveal themselves from their hiding places behind certain rocks.

All around the trio, Fremen began making themselves known and stepping towards them, asserting their dominance. Lovisa released her grip on Paul's arm to hold onto the handle of her crysknife instead.

"Do not run," a brooding, masculine voice spoke from behind them. Lovisa, Paul, and Jessica turned towards the sound to see a male Fremen lounging on his side, seemingly unbothered. "You will only waste your body's water." He held a hand out towards A Fremen who was anxiously moving closer towards the group, prepared to attack. He ordered, "Hold."

From his laidback mannerisms, and that distinct voice, Lovisa recognized this man. It was Stilgar, the Fremen naib who Duncan had also brought along to Arrakeen.

Why couldn't it have been Tuek? Lovisa asked herself. At least she had actually interacted with him. She and Stilgar merely shared an ornithopter and a holding room.

"Stilgar," Paul said lowly, apparently having the same thoughts as Lovisa. "Hey!" Paul shouted towards him. "You know me. I was there when you came to my father's council."

"Oh," Stilgar said in realization, sitting up straighter. "This is the Duke's son," he informed his fellow Fremen. Stilgar slightly tilted his head once he looked at Lovisa, lazily pointing his finger, "You..." Stilgar stood up and slowly walked towards Lovisa, only stopping once they were an arm's length apart.

"You are no Fremen. Your eyes..." Stilgar shook his head, "...are no longer blue from ingestion of the spice." Lovisa's head hung low, worried about what was about to happen next. She didn't put in the colored contacts that made her eyes appear Fremen blue, since she thought she wouldn't need them anymore.

Oh, how she was fatally wrong.

Lovisa needed to act quickly, or else she would most definitely be slain on sight.

She held her head high, addressing Stilgar with respect, "I was forced to come onto this planet. Against my will." Lovisa nodded at Stilgar, "Surely, you know what it's like, being forced out of your home."

Stilgar dryly laughed, "Have you been sent to try to kill us?" The Fremen surrounding them chuckled.

"No," Lovisa shook her head. She gestured towards Paul and Jessica, "To kill them." The amusement fell from Stilgar's face as his eyes shifted towards Paul and Jessica, noticing their very much alive states.

"Then why are they still breathing?" Stilgar asked.

Lovisa inhaled sharply, her wound beginning to throb, "Because my motivations differ from the Emperor's." While Stilgar kept his gaze on Lovisa, she noticed the Fremen around them glance at one another.

"Why are you waiting?" The anxious Fremen hissed. "We need their water."

"This is the boy I told you about," Stilgar explained. "We can't touch him." The Fremen made remarks in protest in their native language.

The outspoken Fremen unsheathed his crysknife, "They are weaklings."

"Jamis," Stilgar said. "That was a brave crossing they made in the path of Shai-Hulud." He pointed at Lovisa, "Not to mention how this one managed to ride it." Stilgar stepped closer to her, "Who taught you how to ride? Who gave you those hooks?"

Lovisa shrugged, "Dr. Kynes. It was her dying command." Stilgar blinked, glancing towards the sand beneath his boots in brief grief. "I would be dead if I had not done as she said."

Stilgar stepped back, addressing the rest of the Fremen, "They do not speak or act like weaklings." He nodded towards Paul, "Nor did his father."

"The girl, maybe," the Fremen — Jamis — admitted. "But my thumper saved his life. Go back to reason, Stilgar. He's not the One." Stilgar stayed quiet, seemingly accepting Jamis' words.

"We have powerful friends," Jessica reasoned. "You help us off-world, to Caladan, you will be well rewarded."

"What wealth can you offer beyond the water in your flesh?" Stilgar asked amusedly. The Fremen surrounding the trio stood up and adjusted their grips on their crysknives, evidently prepared to fight.

"Hmm..." Stilgar began, "...the boy is young. He can learn our ways. He may have sanctuary." Stilgar stood, "But the woman is untrained..." he removed the shawl covering his stillsuit, "...and too old to learn." Stilgar looked at Lovisa, "And the girl, as much promise as she shows..." he shook his head and peered down to the blood seeping through her makeshift bandage, "...she will bleed out by next nightfall."

Lovisa's breath hitched as Stilgar jumped down from his spot on the tall rock. She noticed a Fremen to his side take the slightest step forward. She glanced back towards Jessica, who was looking at her in the same manner. Jessica looked towards Paul, sending a silent warning, and removed her own shawl. Lovisa grabbed her crysknife.

In sync, Stilgar and the Fremen eyeing Lovisa pounced on their respective targets. Lovisa deflected the Fremen's first attack and slid on the sand to land behind them. Lovisa used the handle end of her knife to knock her attacker to the ground, rolling them onto their backs so that they were looking Lovisa in the eyes.

Despite being in their stillsuit and wearing a scarf tightly wound around their face, Lovisa noticed the softness of her assailant's face. It was a woman — a girl.

The Fremen girl used Lovisa's surprise to her advantage, using her feet to kick Lovisa over her head and land on her own back. The Fremen girl seamlessly kicked herself up to her feet and crouched over Lovisa's body, her crysknife held against her neck.

On the ground, still trying to regain her breath, Lovisa managed to grab onto the Fremen girl's wrist holding her blade, preventing her from impaling further. With her other hand, Lovisa held her own crysknife up to the Fremen girl's neck. The Fremen girl's eyes flitted down to see that she, too, was in a compromising position. They were in a stalemate.

"Where did you get this?" The Fremen girl asked in reference to Lovisa's crysknife.

"It was a gift," Lovisa choked out.

Lovisa's chest heaved as blood rushed in her ears, beginning to send her inner ears spinning. The Fremen girl above her began to duplicate into two, three translucent clones. Lovisa felt her stomach acid begin to creep into her throat, which she then had to force back down.

"Back, you dogs," Lovisa could hear Stilgar's voice from behind her. "She'll cut my throat." A brief moment of relief came to Lovisa, knowing that at least Jessica would make it through this attack alive. The girl above Lovisa, though, wasn't budging.

"Chani," a female voice spoke, sounding close to the two girls fighting. Lovisa knew that she was close to losing consciousness, because the voice sounded eerily familiar. The one that greeted her only in her dreams and the very few positive memories from her childhood.

The Fremen girl above Lovisa, who she presumed was "Chani," only looked towards the sound of the voice while remaining still.

"Leave her be," the same voice commanded. "She has proved herself." Chani's eyes slowly returned to Lovisa's, noticing that her breaths were slowing down as the seconds passed. Finally, against her pride, Chani removed her crysknife from Lovisa's throat and stood up.

Lovisa let her hands drop to her sides, moving towards her abdomen that she could feel bleeding out. She went to sit up to assess the severity, but hands on her shoulders gently pushed her back onto the ground.

"No, tytär," a voice spoke in Lankiveilian. Lovisa looked towards the woman's face that soon entered into view, never expecting to hear that language again. "Stay still, Lovisa," the woman commanded, still in the same language. Lovisa's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as to how this woman could know both the language of Lovisa's birth planet, Lankiveil, and her own name. Her vision refocused for a moment, and the woman's face came into clear view. Lovisa's mouth fell open and a tear rolled down her cheek at the unnervingly familiar face.

She couldn't even speak from the combination of shock and weakness that had suddenly overtaken her body.

Instead, Lovisa stared at her own mother's face hovering over her until she finally lost consciousness.

surprise!! 🤭🤭 but also i think i went through all 5 stages of grief while writing + editing this