Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Nine

Mildred could be a ruthless fighter. Sometimes it scared Paul that his sister was so well trained. He often joked that she should have joined the military instead of being an heir. Sometimes, she agreed. He put his sister up on a pedestal he supposed. She most definitely had her weaknesses such as a temper she got from their father and she could be quite passionate.

Paul had decided from a young age that it was an honor to serve under her and Vice versa. She never uttered it out loud, but he knew she was jealous of his ability to use the Voice and abilities that he had. Maybe then their mother would have paid Millie more attention. He watched his sister cross the room with sword in hand. She was ready. He enjoyed fighting his sister. It gave him a challenge and she rarely went easy on him

Their swords clashed together so hard that it sent vibrations through their arms. Both of them had mischievous grins on their face as they fought. Paul was a strong fighter, but he was hardly a match for his sister. She was kicking his ass needless to say. She had struck him so many times that he would have died within seconds without the shield. He could get an advantage, potentially. He suddenly tucked his body and rolled behind her.

Mildred was taken aback by Paul's move. Good, she thought to herself, he's learning. She turned around and raised her sword up. Just as she was about to hit him, someone's sword collided with her's preventing her from hitting Paul. Her eyes widened with surprise and she looked up to see Gurney standing there. In an instant his sword slid down her arm and he twisted it causing her to drop her sword. His arm tucked under her's and the next thing she knew her back collided with floor.

Even with the shield around her, she felt the impact. She let out a soft groan and could hear her brother snickering.

Gurney knelt down next to her and murmured, "Don't get cocky." Before helping her stand up.

She was about to say something smart back, but stopped when she saw one of her servants waiting in the doorway. She knew it was time for her to get ready.

"Duties call." Gurney spoke to her in a low, but rather snarky tone.

Mildred's head turned to look at him once again, wondering why he seemed so cold to her. She would ask him later when no one was around. She gathered her sword from the ground and placed it in it's holder before following the servant out.

"Do you know why Gurney is in such a foul mood today?" Mildred asked her servant, Sara.

"I thought Gurney was always in a bad mood." Sara pointed out.

Mildred smiled to herself. She had a point. Today it seemed worse. He had barely looked or acknowledged her. He didn't even tell her 'Happy Birthday.' That was something he always did every year since he came to House Atreides. Odd, it was oh so very odd to her.

Gurney had had a bad dream. Well, it wasn't the worse dream he ever had, but it certainly wasn't pleasant. Well, it was pleasant, but it wasn't the sort of dream he should have been having about someone he served. He had always enjoyed Mildred's company even when she was young and annoyed the hell out of him. He still found her pleasant to be around. She could joke with him. She could fight with him.

Never, not once, did he ever have any romantic feelings about her. Yes, she was considered attractive with her thick hair that hung in loose waves around her face. She had a charming, enduring smile that could draw you in. Her eyes were a reflection of whatever emotion she bore that day. That was why he was baffled when he dreamt of her last night. They were lying in a bed together. Her fingers traced every scar that adorned his body.

She was saying something to him, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. All he could focus on was the feeling of her fingers against him. It didn't take him long to realize that neither of them were clothed either. When he awoke, it was in a frenzy. Hours later he could still feel her hands against the scar on his cheek and he hated it.

He felt incredibly guilty as he went about his day. It was highly inappropriate to be thinking such thoughts, regardless if they were dreams or not, about the heir to Atreides. If anyone was to find out there was a real possibility that an investigation would occur. While there were no rules against it, she was still considerably younger than him. He felt bad for neglecting her, for his harsh words, considering what day it was, but he couldn't face her.

The hot water in the bath was a welcoming sight to her sore, dirty body. She thanked Sara a hundred times for drawing it for her and adding her favorite soap to it. When she first got into it, she didn't scrub her body. She just sat there with her eyes closed. She tried to clear her mind. She tried not to think about training or her duties or the inappropriate dream she had about Gurney last night, again.

"Lady Mildred?" Came Sara's voice from the other side of the screen dividing the bathtub from the room.

"Yes?" Mildred called out.

"I have a gift for you." Sara informed her.

A gift?

"Just, leave it on my side table. I'll get it when I'm done." She told her servant.

Mildred worked quickly to clean herself before reaching for the towel hanging on the side of the tub. After drying herself off, applying oils to her body and hair, she slipped a robe on over her. There was no sense in changing into her dress until her hair dried. Lying on her side table, was something bound in brown paper. She picked the book up and found a slip of paper on top.

Happy Birthday, Lady Mildred. -Gurney

Mildred felt her heart swell. So, he had not forgotten after all. She laid the paper down and carefully undid the brown paper revealing a rare commodity. A book. It was bound in old, brown leather with gold letters that had started to wear off. It had to be hundreds of years old. Most books were all electronic nowadays. She opened it carefully and instantly knew that it was a poetry book.

Growing up and even now, she loved when Gurney would read poems to her that he had either memorized or written himself. Now, she had a book of her own that she could read to him if he wished. She sat on the edge of her bed and began to read to herself.