Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Seven

Gurney could see the hurt mixed with annoyance in her face. She tried her best to mask it, but he knew her well enough that her mother's words bothered her. Mildred was a strong, young woman, but whenever her mother talked down her she seemed to shrink back. She would become closed off. This was an opinion he kept to himself.

The dreams had not stopped, but she learned to deal with them. Sometimes it required a nightly walk. Other nights she would take a few sips of alcohol. She never once told Gurney about the dreams no matter how much she wanted too. It would only complicate things. She could feel herself growing closer to him, but she didn't, not once, allow herself to fall in love with him despite the dreams she had about him.

When the planet Moria came into view she felt herself relax slightly. Here, she would be free of her mother's patronizing. The Duke was always a pleasurable host. He would greet every guest that entered his home personally as well as his wife and three sons. The Duke and his wife were a prime example of how successful the Bene Gesserit's breeding program could be.

They were perfectly compatible in every way. Looks. Personality. They were both truly in love. Their three sons were a product of that success. All three of them were handsome. Long blonde hair tied back at the nape of their necks. Piercing green eyes. Tan, flawless skin. The only one she would every consider marrying was the heir, Lucas. He was the kindest out of all three brothers and that was saying a lot.

Mildred didn't know how the three of them became such assholes. Perhaps it was because of their mother who spoiled them endlessly. Perhaps it was the wealth their family had accumulated. They could be kind at times, but most of the time they were cocky. They were also quite vocal about how they would never want a woman to lead their house. She secretly hoped they would all have daughters one day.

When the transport stopped, the doors opened and they all began to file out. Just as Gurney was about to exit Mildred noticed that one of the pins on the collar of his formal uniform  was crooked.

"Gurney," she called out quietly. "Your pin is crooked."

"Oh." He spoke and reached up to fix it blindly. "Better?"

It was not better. The corners of her mouth started to form a smile. "Not really. Would it be alright if I tried?"

He hesitated, but nodded. She took a step forward and reached up slowly. He was a good six inches taller than her requiring her to stand closer to reach the pin. She tried not to focus on how their bodies were mere inches apart. She had been closer to him in her dreams. He looked down at her as she focused on the mundane task.

"Are you alright?" He asked referring to her outburst earlier.

She didn't say anything. She just nodded her head as she finished fixing the pin. "There. Better."

"Thank you." He whispered while the two of them exited the transport.

The moment she came into view, the hungry eyes of the brothers found her. She tried not to react as they practically undressed her with their eyes. She instead smiled sweetly at the Duke. "Duke Ewan, it's good to see you and thank you for the invitation."

"Of course, Mildred. Your family is always welcomed here." He spoke kindly to her.

"There's our Millie!" The youngest brother, closer to Paul's age yelled out in a teasing manner. "Care to join us inside?"

The castle was always decorated beautifully to reflect the seasons of the planet. Fresh flowers and soft colored linens adorned the halls. Every time one passed by the flowers a floral aroma would fill their nose. Laugher and chatter could be heard wafting in the air as she followed the brothers to where the children of the Dukes and Duchess's sat. The room was smaller, but had an opened balcony allowing it to seem bigger.

Inside the room was approximately fifteen youth from four different houses including Mildred's own house. Paul was the youngest and had just been allowed to join the older children. Lucas was the oldest at twenty years of age. She took her usual seat at the large table and began to listen and converse about various topics such a politics, who was marrying who, who was courting who and of course some pestering.

"I'm telling you, House of Vico has the best Warmaster. I mean look at his bloodline. Generations of Warmasters running through his body." Zurkar argued.

Mildred fought back the urge to argue with him. There was really no sense in it. He had to be one of the most arrogant people she knew. "You know, Zurkar, bloodline isn't everything."

"I don't think you're the one to be making that statement, Millie. Consider the Reverend Mother handpicked your father and mother to be together." Zurkar spoke and then a mischievous smile spread across his face. "I forgot, your Warmaster was a Harkonnen slave."

"I wouldn't under estimate any Atreides soldier. They're fiercely devoted to those they serve from my understanding." Owen, the heir to House Daryai defended Gurney. Mildred mouthed a quiet 'thank you' to him.

"Being a slave could be beneficial. One would have to learn to fight harder." Mildred said.

"Or be completely submissive." Zurkar countered. "Perhaps we should test your theory, Lady Mildred, that bloodlines do not matter. You've been trained by your Warmaster, correct?"

"Since I was six."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to settle this. A duel."

Finally, Mildred thought to herself.