Mildred was unnaturally quiet the rest of the flight home. Never in all the years that Gurney knew her did he ever see her so tense and silent. Part of it was nice since she could talk endlessly, but part of it pained him since he knew the cause of it. The moment they landed she took off her straps and practically marched out of the transports.
She was angry, no, pissed. Why had nothing been done to stop the slavery on Giedi Prime? She knew that her father would be in a meeting with his advisors and security. It would be the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject. She needed to change and shower, but she didn't much care at the moment.
"Mildred!" Gurney yelled after her. "Mildred! I know you're angry, but you can not go in there without a clear conscious."
"I can do as I damn well please." She murmured and kept walking.
He stopped in front of her and held out his arms to stop her from walking. "Mildred, listen to me. I know what you saw is horrific. I lived it, but you can't go in there and start making demands to your father."
"You forget yourself, Gurney." She warned.
Never in her life had she ever spoken so cruelly to him. She regretted her tone the minute the words came out of her mouth. She watched him straighten and let her pass. She pushed past the doors that led to where the meetings were held and all eyes were on her an instant. She knew her father was going to be mad that she barged in, but she didn't care.
"Why has nothing been done on Giedi Prime about the slavery?" Mildred demanded of her father.
"I apologize for the intrusion, my Lord. I tried to stop Lady Mildred." Gurney spoke to Leto.
Duke Leto could see the anger written all over his daughter's face. It was the same face he made when he was also displeased. What he didn't understand was her sudden interest in the Harkonnens. He also didn't appreciate her bursting into the room.
"What do you mean, Mildred?" Leto asked.
"Slavery seldom exists anymore in the galaxy. In fact, there are strict laws forbidding it. Why do the Harkonnens get a free pass?" She asked.
Leto's eyes landed on the people sitting around the table. They were either gaping at him or his daughter. "Clear the room, please."
Everyone left as they were told. The only person that lingered was Paul. He looked at her with so much concern that it actually alarmed her. She gave him a small nod to tell him that she was okay.
"Mildred, you just can't come in here and make demands." Her father told her sharply. "Especially things you don't fully understand."
"I understand perfectly, father. I saw what they did with my own eyes. We can't just stand there while girls younger than me are used for their..." she couldn't even finish her sentence without choking up.
"The Harkonnens have deep pockets. Their power, their manipulation runs deeper than any of us known. Who knows what or who they have control over." He tried to explained.
"It doesn't matter if they can bribe people. What matters are human lives who are suffering."
He could feel his own anger bubbling inside of him. "If we were to wage an attack against the Harkonnens, they would murder us all in seconds. When you're the Duchess, you can go to war with them, but it will be the end of House Atreides. They won't only kill your men, but they kill you as well."
She didn't say anything. She just gave her father one last look before walking out. She knew she had her father's temper at times. However, it never had become as bad as it just did. She needed to hit something. She avoided anyone standing in the hallways as she walked towards the training room.
"Leave me." She told Paul and Duncan who had just started sparing with one another.
The two looked at each other and did as they were told. Neither one of them wanted to experience her anger anymore than they already did. She found a stack of swords on the table and picked up the one most familiar to her. She walked up to the dummy's and began to slash them with great ferocity. She felt blinded by rage as she struck the dummy's as hard as she could manage. All she could hear was her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
The door opened. She knew it did and she was ready to throw the sword at anyone who entered, but she didn't. She could feel blisters forming on her palms from the death grip she had on the hilt.
"I've told Paul and you both, don't stand with your back towards the door." It was Gurney.
Of course it had to be Gurney. She supposed it could have been worse. It could have been one of her parents. She didn't speak. She just kept hitting the target as hard as she could. She could hear him walking closer to her. She couldn't tell by his footsteps if he was being cautious or if he was still upset. She wanted to be alone though. She spun around suddenly and raised her sword towards his throat.
Mildred had under estimated how close he was. There was only perhaps an inch or two between the two of them. Her sword rested against the side of his neck. If she moved even slightly it would pierce the skin. He looked down at her with a mix of sympathy and anger. They were so damn close that she could see the gold in his brown eyes. She could see every line in his hardened face.
She removed the sword from his neck and her arm dropped to her side. She took a step back tearing her gaze away from there.
"Why stop there?" He asked. "You want to fight? Then, fight."
"I don't want to fight." She mumbled.
He scoffed. "You're hitting the dummy's like you want too."
"Gurney..." she trailed off in annoyance.
"You're angry. That's understandable, but this lashing out...that's not you, Mildred." He spoke.
"I forgot, you know everything about me." She said feeling fresh tears forming. "You don't."
Gurney almost laughed at the ridiculousness of her statement. "I know you, Mildred. I know you wish you were apart of the army and not the future Duchess. I know the pressures that everyone puts on your shoulders, but somehow you don't break. I know you prefer to wear dresses in shades of green because it compliments your eyes. I know your words can sometimes do more harm than your fighting. I know how your mother casts you aside because you're not like her."
He had walked closer to her as he spoke. Her face look absolutely shattered with shame. She had realized the infliction of her words towards her father, but especially Gurney. Gurney, the man who devoted everything to her family. He stood as close to her as they were before when she had the sword pressed into his skin.
"So, I do know you, Mildred Atreides. You can be angry, upset. You can want to kill the Harkonnens as much as I do, but don't let your anger consume you to the point of rage." He whispered.
He noted the way her chest was rising and falling more than it usually did. There was a smudge of dirt under her left eye. Her lips were parted ever so slightly. Despite her efforts earlier, her hair was breaking free of the bun. The only thing to break him out of the trance he was in was the sound of her sword clattering to the ground.
Mildred wouldn't consider Gurney abnormally tall. It did, however, cause effort to pull him down to her and press her lips against his. She had never kissed anyone a day in her life. She of course imagined would it would be like. She didn't expect it would be with Gurney Halleck of all people. Her hands had grabbed his shirt until their bodies collided together. Once she had him where she wanted, one of her hands slipped to touch his bicep.
He should stop, Gurney thought to himself. He should stop this before anything worse happened. He didn't want too. In the back of his mind the repercussions that were bound to happen didn't matter. All that mattered was he had Mildred in his arms. One of his hand's held onto the back of her head, the other was wrapped around her waist. She fit against him so perfectly.
The kiss was desperate. Sloppy even. The hairs from his beard tickled her nose, but she didn't care. She needed him like she needed air. He began to back her up until her back hit some sort of surface. She didn't know if it was a wall or table. He pressed himself harder against her needing the contact. He needed to know it was real and not some dream he had.
She had to pull back. She didn't want too, but she needed a second. Her forehead rested against his as she fought to catch her breath. "I bet you didn't know I would do that."
He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his heart thumping against his chest.
"This is a bad idea." He mumbled into her hair.
"Possibly." She told him.
"I'm too old for you." He said.
"Most definitely."
Another chuckle.
"You were my first kiss." She admitted.
"I kind of figured that."
She looked up at him. "That bad?"
He shook his head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "No. Not bad."
The reality of the situation was starting to sink into the both of them. If her father found out, he would kill Gurney. They were different people from different worlds. It could work, possibly. While her father never married her mother, he was still in love with her. There was no one else he ever desired. There were ways around the blurred lines.
"What do we do now?" She asked.
"Think." He answered simply.
"Think?" She repeated.
"Yes. To make sure this wasn't some spur of the moment thing. Your position complicate things."
"You mean, I need to marry and produce an heir?"
He nodded. "Yes. I don't think people would take too kindly to a Warmaster being with their Duchess."
"I wouldn't care about their opinions."
"I know you wouldn't." He spoke.
"Would you want to...marry me? Eventually?" She asked.
They had just kissed and she was already taking about marriage. That was how it worked in her world though. You could marry someone without even meeting them. It was something he would have to consider as well as she. Was she even ready to marry? She could almost see his mind working.
"I....I don't know, Millie." He admitted. "Would you want to marry me? And not someone with a title, better bloodline, younger?"
"You know that has never mattered to me. Any of it." She paused. "I would marry you."
He pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. He still didn't know the answer to her question. He loved his job. He loved serving her family. He enjoyed the freedom he had. But would he marry Mildred Atreides and give everything up?