Chapter 15

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Chapter 15

Post by Freakzilla »

My father, the Padishah Emperor, took me by the hand one day and I sensed in the
ways my mother had taught me that he was disturbed. He led me down the Hall of
Portraits to the ego-likeness of the Duke Leto Atreides. I marked the strong
resemblance between them--my father and this man in the portrait--both with
thin, elegant faces and sharp features dominated by cold eyes. "Princessdaughter,"
my father said, "I would that you'd been older when it came time for
this man to choose a woman." My father was 71 at the time and looking no older
than the man in the portrait, and I was but 14, yet I remember deducing in that
instant that my father secretly wished the Duke had been his son, and disliked
the political necessities that made them enemies.

-"In My Father's House" by the Princess Irulan

Kynes, who has been ordered to betray the Atreides, is waiting to meet the Duke for a spice harvesting inspection. He feels shaken by how closely the Atreides fit the Fremen prophesy. He notes how Paul wears the stilsuit and jubba cloak like he's had them all his life and how Paul acts like he's aware of things others are not. The Duke thanks Kynes for the stilsuits and cloaks, Paul quotes from the bible, "The gift is the blessing of the river." The Fremen jump up and mutter, "Lisan al-Gaib!". It is the Fremen prophecy that He will greet you with Holy words and your gifts will be blessings. Kynes checks their stilsuits and explains their workings. Leto's needed adjusting but Paul's fits perfectly. Again, the prophecy. Leto pilots them over the shield wall. On the way, he questions Kynes about what he does and the spice. Gurney plays a tune. They find the spice factory and the Duke spots wormsign. He divides the bonus for first wormsign among the workers. The carryall wing doesn't show up to pick up the factory and the Duke orders all the thopters to land and pick up the crew. They take off just in time as the worm swallows the factory. Kynes admires that the Duke values the lives of the men over the spice and admits to himself that he likes the Atreides.
They were destroyed because they lied pretentiously. Have no fear that my wrath
will fall upon you because of your innocent mistakes.

~Leto II, God Emperor
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