Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Thirty Nine

A/N: I know I'm leaving some parts out from the book, but this story is already so long. I don't want to make it even longer. Thank you for reading.

Two Years Later

"That's very good, Drashi." Mildred complimented the six year old Fremen boy. "Remember, think of your stick as an extension of yourself. Do not fight it."

The little boy gaped at her with a large smile as he attacked the sandbag with his stick. Mildred returned the smile and walked around the cavern to observe the other children fighting. Two years ago, she made the decision to stay with the Fremen. It had been a difficult one, but Paul needed her to trust him, so she did. It was hard at times. Her mother became the Reverend Mother of the Fremen. Her brother became their Prophet. Mildred had seemingly disappeared into the background. She became no one.

Occasionally, she would look at her father's ring that laid on her hand and reminded herself that this was all part of a bigger picture. It hadn't all been bad. Many of the Fremen admired her fighting skills and wished for her to teach them. So, she did with the help of Paul. Six months into living either the Fremen, Stilgar came to her with a request that she teach the children to fight. She taught any ages from four to fourteen. By the time the children were fifteen they were considered adults.

She oddly enjoyed teaching children. She took comfort in knowing that because of her, these children would have a better chance at surviving their rugged planet. The children seemed to enjoy her as well. They would often ask her to tell stories or speak about Caladan. She would always happily oblige. While she hadn't adapted as well as her mother and brother at least she was doing something to help others. That would have been her goal if she had been Duchess.

Jealousy always lingered in the back of her mind. It was a dangerous emotion. She was happy when her mother finally gave birth to her younger sister, Alia. She loved the little girl to death, but her mother had took the Water of Life, a liquid that turned Bene Gesserit into Reverend Mothers, when she was still pregnant with Alia. Because of this Alia's knowledge was vast. While she was only two years old, she knew things that most adults knew. She talked well. She acted older.

Regardless of what happened to Alia, it didn't change the nature of their relationship. Mildred was still her sister and Alia often looked up to her even if Alia knew more than her. She would often climb into her lap when it was time for bed and begged her to tell stories about their father or Caladan or even Gurney at times. It came to no surprise to Mildred when Chani and Paul formed a bond. She was a pretty, smart girl and Mildred and she got along well. Their mother was the only one who seemed to have an issue with it.

Mildred could see the strain of their relationship from the outside. It was the same thing that happened between her parents. Paul would not marry Chani since he still planned to marry the Emperor's daughter. They had a baby, a boy whom they named Leto after their father shortly after falling in love. Like Alia, Mildred loved her dear nephew fiercely and even at his young age, Leto reminded her so much of Paul.

Mildred had wanted to become a mother, but it seemed the world had other plans. While she wasn't a biological mother, she was surrounded by children constantly who loved her. There were times when she wished to ask Paul about her future, but she knew that his visions could often change. She had had several marriage proposals throughout the two years, but she turned every single one down. Gurney would be the only man she ever loved.

She missed him every day. Eventually, she became numb to the pain of losing him. There still wasn't a day that she didn't think about him or wished to hear his voice singing to her or wished to have him in her arms. In the back of her mind she had hope that he somehow lived through the ordeal, but deep down she knew he didn't. No one, not even Gurney, could have survived the attack. She had heard rumors from the outside that everyone believed the Atreides family was dead. Oh, how little they knew.