Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Thirteen

The look on Erik's face grimed. "Not much. Perhaps you could offer some expertise?"

"I would love too." She genuinely meant her words. She would do everything in her power to help the survivors.

As they walked closer, the more she was able to see what they were dealing with. She didn't know how many people were there. Probably close to two hundred and fifty. Mostly women around her age and children. There were only a handful of men. Like Erik, their clothes were dirty. Their bodies, malnourished. She swallowed back any emotion that was forming. These people didn't want pity. They wanted help.

A woman, maybe a little older than herself, began to approach them. She looked every bit like a leader. Her body oozed of confidence. Her eyes landed on Gurney and she stopped. "You are one of us?"

One of us. The woman must have seen the scar on his face and knew that he was once a slave just as she was. She could see the tension in Gurney's shoulders and she wondered if he was going to speak. He hardly talked about his past.

"I was." Gurney said.

"Gurney is our Warmaster now." Mildred added. "And a good friend to my family."

She had hoped by telling the woman and allowing others to here that they would have hope that their lives would improve. And they needed a lot of hope. They began to set up tables with food and supplies while their doctor, Micah, set up his medical supplies. Lines had already begun to form. All of them looked on the verge of starvation.

They were all incredibly kind and gracious as Gurney and she handed out the food. No one was rude. They just looked at her with kind, warm, grateful eyes. It hurt her that the people had been treated so horribly. She didn't understand how some people could be so cruel, but as she stood there, ideas and reformations appeared in her mind. She would make a difference, one day.

A little girl no older than seven looked up at Mildred with curious eyes. "You dress funny."

"I do?" Mildred questioned while stifling a laugh.

"Yes. I thought you were a princess? Princesses are suppose to wear pretty dresses." The little girl spoke.

"I'm not exactly a Princess. I'm...a Lady right now. One day, when I'm older, I'll be a Duchess. I don't always wear pretty dresses. I find pants a little more comfortable." Mildred explained.

"I hope to have a pretty dress one day." The girl said sadly.

Mildred felt her heart sink at the little girl's words. "I'm sure you will have one one day."

Gurney watched her interaction with the girl. He knew she was trying her best to remain composed, but he also knew that Mildred had a large heart filled with compassion. It had been harder than he expected to face people from his home planet. To see that even after all the years, the hell still existed.

Once they finished distributing the supplies, they followed the leader, Erik into the only structure that existed. Structure was a generous word. It had been thrown together with different materials and looked as it may fall apart at any second. It was dark since there were no windows. A kitchen, a small gathering area and a sleep area had all been built. They needed more than just help, they needed advisement. Mildred only knew so much.

"Gurney?" Mildred asked after they gathered around the table.

"Yes, m' Lady?" Gurney spoke to her in a more formal way around people they didn't know.

"After I finish discussing some economics with Erik, do you think you and I could show them some basic fighting moves?" She asked and turned to Erik. "I, of course need to weed out those who could potentially become good fighters."