Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Nine

"I think Gurney enjoys punishing us!" Duncan spoke as he ran along the sand next to Mildred.

"It's going to get worse. Just remember, we have sword training after this." Mildred reminded him with a sinister smile.

"How do you look so elated?" He asked between catching his breath.

"It beats sitting in yet another boring, endless meeting." She told him.

He nodded in agreement. Wet sand slapped against the boots as hundreds of feet ran along it. The sun had barely started to rise yet the day for those in the Army had already started. First part of the day was conditioning. It involved a forty five minute run along the shore followed by sit ups, push ups and pull ups. Gurney seemed to be an especially foul mood since they would be required to attend sword training after their run.

She looked over her shoulder to see Paul lagging behind. His scrawny body seemed to be swallowed by the uniform he was wearing. He still looked like a boy at age thirteen. Hardly any muscle. A thin face. Height wise he was almost at her height. The Astreides men were known not to fill out until they were close to adulthood. Even Mildred herself was quite small. She slowed her pace so she could run next to him.

"You okay?" She asked her young brother.

"Yeah...I just don't understand the point of this." He admitted.

She flashed him a smile. "It's best not to question Gurney's ways, but it shows unity and that we're equals when we train with the army. Us putting in the same amount of work as them is important."

"You're the heir, not me. Why should I be the one training?" He asked.

"What if I were to die? I have no children. The next in line would be you. Besides, I'm sure I'll find something important for you to do when I'm Duchess. Training is good for you too. It'll teach you to defend yourself if necessary."

Paul huffed in annoyance. It was a hard age at thirteen. She remembered it clearly. You weren't a child anymore, but you weren't quite an adult yet. The training, the teaching it all intensified at the age. Throw in the pressure from their mother and Mildred knew it was a difficult age.

"You don't have to run with me." Paul spoke.

"I want to run with you." She told him.

"Shouldn't you be relaxing anyways? I mean, it's your birthday. Your eighteenth birthday. It's kind of a big deal." He pointed out.

"True, but it's just another day. My day can't cease just because it's the day I came into the world. We won't celebrate until later anyways."

"One day, I hope to become as wise as you." Paul teased his older sister.

"I'm hardly wise. Just...realistic."

Her lungs were beginning to burn as they continued to run. It wouldn't be long until the run was over, but she could feel her body wanting to give out at any second. There was still more to do though. There would be hardly any time to rest after finishing her run. From the beach she would go straight to the training room. After that was when she could draw herself a bath with the hottest water she could stand.

Ahead she could see the end in sight. Multiple soldiers stood with their hands on their hips attempting to catch their breathes before the next level of hell Gurney would make them endure. As she passed by a few of them, they would hit her shoulder in a friendly manner or wish her a 'Happy Birthday.' Before Paul or Mildred could reach the front of the group, they were on the move again, ascending the hill back to the castle.

They were usually allowed to choose their fighting partner unless someone said otherwise. Mildred and Paul rarely fought one another since they had different skill levels. However, sometimes they needed a good sibling rivalry. Today was one of those days. Mildred's sword laid on the table and she picked it up before switching her shield on. Her eyes connected to Paul's across the room and he knew.