Sorrow | Dune | Gurney Halleck

Chapter Forty Six

When Gurney discovered his wife she was standing over the table in the dining hall. One hand held a cracker while the other ran along a piece of fabric laying on the table. She was still dressed in one of her nightgowns with a robe pulled over it. Her hair fell in its natural soft waves around her face and the tiny beginning of a bump holding their child was starting to show. He observed her in silence at first, but curiosity got the best of him.

He wanted to know what she was looking at. On the table laid a flag. It was green on top, black on the bottom and in the middle of it was a red harp. Next to it laid the banner version of it. Two rings made from silver were on a smaller pillow. Gurney instantly recognized the rings to be his ducal ring. It would be how he signed official papers.

"What do you think?" Mildred asked when she noticed Gurney standing next to her. "I designed it all myself."

"I like it. I suppose it's partially an ode to your father and House Atreides?" He asked.

She nodded her head. "Yes. The green and black represents me, obviously. I picked the harp because of your love for music. Halleck and harp start with the same letter too. It's all about symbolism."

He picked the bigger of the two rings up, but didn't put it on. That would happen at the official ceremony. It was a simple ring with an 'H' written in cursive. Next to the rings were two pins that would be worn on labels of military uniforms. The pins were silver in color and shaped like the harp on the flag.

"This is my last day to submit the designs to the artist. I just want it to be...perfect and have your approval." Mildred said.

"It has my approval." He assured her and kissed her temple. "I see it's crackers for breakfast again."

"Yes, your child is making me sick. Again." She hadn't minded being pregnant thus far aside from the horrible morning sickness she had.

He chuckled and knelt down in front of her. He brought his hand up to her stomach. "Be nice to your mother. She gets angry when she doesn't eat."

"Gurney..." she trailed off with amusement.

He pressed a kiss against her growing stomach and stood up. "Perhaps I have something that would make you feel slightly better."

From behind his back he pulled out something bound in a thin fabric. He placed it in her hands and she slowly unwrapped it revealing a worn, blue book.

"Nursery rhymes?" She asked reading the title.

"Evidently people used to read these books to children. I thought we could start reading to our child."

She reached up and kissed him. "Thank you, Gurney. It's perfect. I'll add it to my collection. They'll be as scholarly as their father."

"And as canny as their mother." He spoke. "Your family will be here soon."

"Which means I need to make sure all the preparations have been made. Well, first I need to put on something more suitable. Are we doing the full military greeting?" She asked.

"Your brother requested that we didn't. He just wishes to see us." He said.

She gave one him one last kiss before disappearing to their room to get ready. Her mother and brother had not been back to Caladan since before they left for Arrakis and she knew it was going to be an emotional return. It would be her sister's and Chani's first time though seeing the beautiful planet. She slipped on a simple gray dress and pinned her hair back. Her brother, the now Emperor would not care about formalities. Her mother would probably scold her for not dressing up.

She stood with Gurney outside the landing platform. A soft rain was falling, but Mildred didn't mind. She had come to enjoy it more. Her family would only be staying for a few days; long enough for the official ceremony making Gurney and Mildred Duke and Duchess. Like them, her brother was quite busy. She stood with anticipation as their modest sized transport landed. She expected a larger one due to her brother's new title, but she had been wrong.