Solitude of Dune

Part 4 (Trigger Warning)

Many forget the one who conquered the heart of Paul Atreides. The woman in his life is but a shadow, overlooked and forgotten. The worshippers of Muad'Dib think of her as a servant, their God has no woman, their God bows to no one. It is the human psychology that erases all facts of evidence that endanger a belief. If a prophet bows to a mortal soul he cannot be a prophet, and so the mortal soul is erased from memory in the religion.

- From 'The Religion of Muad'Dib' by the Princess Irulan

It was sometime before sunrise, the desert was still and silent, all except for a thumper making its familiar noises. Chani fastened her stillsuit's boots and put up her mask; Shai Hulud would be coming soon. She stood atop a large dune, somewhat away from the sietch. Korba had signs of life when Chani had checked, and she knew her duty in the sietch was over. She had left the little girl to sleep on her own, wondering if she would remember her or think it was a mere dream of comfort-a blessing from Shai Hulud. Perhaps Chani was that blessing, whether she was remembered as a young Fremen or as a passing savior in times of grief. She dove out of her thoughts and spotted the wormsign; it was already creating some light wind around the dunes. In the faint light, the orange flecks of spice were glinting just enough to be distinguished as something other than sand. Under her feet, a little desert mouse, Muad'Dib, quickly swept itself under the sand as it felt the day approaching. Soon, it would be invisible within the dunes.

The sun made it's way higher into the dusky sky and the worm was approaching quickly, drowning out the rhythmic beating of the thumper and rearranging the sand all around Chani, who, knowledgeable, started walking slowly towards the edge of the dune, where she estimated the worm would collide, and it did. Keeping her balance, she waited until it was safe to get on and jumped into what felt like an endless pit in the sands until she landed on the rough skin of the Old Man of the Desert. She deployed her hooks, opening the oxygen rings and ensuring her passage above ground. Her body was well-rested, prepared for a worm ride until the sun came up. Sietch Aktana was far away; it would strain her body subconsciously to stay in the same sturdy position for so long, and the effects would show later. Not right now. It was a survival instinct. Her thoughts wandered into the desert as the worm stabilized and the sand no longer blocked her view of her desert homeworld. It was still dawn, the sun just visible behind the many waves of sand, the stars and moons both still visible when she looked up. The rumble seemed to drown out the quiet of the desert, a paradoxical presence that both disrupted and intensified the silence. It echoed the depths and mysteries of the wild sands, a world untouched by that of the common city folk, where you would walk upon the ground and always feel the drumsand, the heartbeat of the desert. It was an experience that felt like dancing with what some might label a monster, whilst others worship it as a god. The duality embodied Arrakis, not just for its habitat or environment, but for the people, most importantly, the Fremen. Wild and untamed, they were considered the very thing they were, but they were also more than that. More, at least, before the jihad enveloped their beliefs. Chani's silhouette stood out upon the back of the worm, resting in the perfect Fremen rider position. The only thing in the picture that changed was the color of the sky as the red sun dawned and slowly turned the planet bright and hot, dust and spice stirring within it.

The sun made its way higher into the dusty sky, and the worm was beginning to slow. Chani knew she was nearby and had slowly started preparing for dismounting. It was late morning now; both she and the beast needed to get cover from the scorching heat of midday. One by one, she released the grappling hooks, preparing her jump position in advance. As soon as she let go, the worm started diving back into the sands, and she smoothly rolled into the ground beyond it, getting up quickly and waiting for Shai Hulud to recede under the surface.

The stillness echoed silent whispers of grief, swaying with the gentle sounds of passing sand. The sun shone high above, blinding with its hot white glare, scorching the surface, burying more cries of pain within the years passed and to come. Chani felt the glare upon her, even with a stillsuit. No creature should be out at this hour, not for long. Ignoring the heat waves radiating from her body and circling back from her stillsuit, she kept her movements slow and steady, rushing would only slow her down, thus keeping her in danger longer. She could feel the sand hollow underneath her, drumming forming from her steps because of the worm's recent presence. The only thing to be heard was scraping sand against boots as a Fremen made her way through the desert, focusing on getting to the rocky escarpments blurred by the heat shimmers of midday. Robes swaying in the air, the Fremen woman smoothly made her way to the shade of the fallen passage, filled with tumbled rocks and debris from explosions and raids. Rough sandstone outside deceived a stranger's eye, for the architecture and sculptures inside were superlative enough to catch your breath even after having tumbled to the floor into pieces and dust, for the dust they created gave a mystical, ancient air to the structure once used as a sietch. Chani let down her mask, allowing herself an exposed face under the protection that the rocks threw. She wove her way around the destruction, entering through a small opening, one that was once used for scouting. Her lithe body slid through easily and she landed gracefully, taking an agile jump. Dust instantly swayed around her, swirling and glittering in the light with every step she took. Walking silently, she made her way to the water chambers. The room was large and empty, undisturbed since she had left. Her Fremtent poked out of rubble around the wall where she quickly dug it up, along with the fremkit. No one had been here while she was gone. Yet something warned her, drove her off, a sense of uneasiness about the place. Something terrible had happened here, it wasn't safe. All the food stores, water stores, clothes, baskets, they were gone. Whoever had bombed the structure had made sure all trace of Fremen was demolished, all but the carved walls of stone. Chani sighed, sitting down. For a mere moment she rested her head on her knees, pondering what to do with her freedom. Her piercing brown eyes scanned the room and her limited rations, she would need to leave, leave and find food. As she stood up, unfolding the Fremtent with her soft hands, a thought crawled in, something she hadn't intended nor wanted to do. Sietch Tabr, it would be habitable, yet, others would think that. It was too close to the city, even though it was far. And yet, her hands seemed to freeze on the tent, then reverse, slowly, but surely, folding it away. A subconscious part of her made the decision, she would travel to Tabr this sunset. A strange feeling of longing was awakened in the young girl's heart, a sense she so often diminished in the name of duty, strength and life. Despite the dangers and fears, somewhere in the sad, beautiful soul, a little girl wanted to see her home, to perhaps see her friends, the sands she had played in as a child and the ones she had planned to play in with her own child, one now lost, taken back by the desert and its dunes. Thoughts of hope we're quickly extinguished by the strategical survival thinking Fremen so often relied on. Sietch Tabr had been bombed, it had been the home of Muad'Dib, the place where a had been raised. The probability of fleeing enemies or religious worshippers hiding there was high, but not enough to completely bury the flickers of hope and love in Chani's heart. The decision had been obvious since it first creeped into her mind and she knew, she couldn't stop herself from going to explore what might be salvageable of her old home.