"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠?" Zack asked "you're usually with him"

"He's in a meeting," I told him "from the way he told me it sounded important" I fiddled with my hands a little, I wasn't sure if I was totally happy with Zack at the moment but in a new land we all had to stick together. I looked up as something loud flew right by the monument "That must be Duncan I grinned" 

"Do you want to go see him?" Zack asked, he knew how anxious I was to hear all about what Duncan had seen on Arrakis 

I nodded with a huge grin "but you have to come"

"Of course" he laughed, we stood up and walked out of the room. I wondered if Arrakis was scary, in some way it probably was. We walked out of the monument but not before being reminded that soon the sun would be at its highest point and we wouldn't be safe. 

It was scorching hot outside, we had walked probably fifteen steps and I was already sweating "who said it was ok for it to be this hot?" I groaned as we walked in the direction of the spacecraft 

Zack chuckled "I don't know but I certainly don't like it" 

"I don't think anyone does" as we walked I longed for the cool, clear water I was so used to seeing. Here it was just sand, burning hot sand. Zack and I soon reached a building where the duke's guards were standing outside the doors. We nodded politely as we entered the room. 

It was dark and cool which was refreshing after walking in the sun. I saw Paul and was going to say make my presence known when the duke suddenly spits on the table. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned to look at Zack who just shrugged 

"I'm glad you've come," The duke said to a man standing a good ten feet in front of us "I believe your people and mine have much to offer each other" 

"No" the man shook his head "you are out-worlders, you come here for the spice, you take and give nothing in return" 

"That's true" Paul spoke up

"I know you've suffered at the hands of the Harkonnen" the duke continued "name what you want if it's in my power to grant I'll give it and ask for nothing" I caught Paul's eye and he signaled for me to stand beside him, I walked up the two steps and stood by him quietly 

"I ask, please do not seek us, do not trespass in our lands," I noticed how the man's eyes were glowing blue, it was an effect from the spice "the desert was ours long before you came, so come and take your spice but when you have it go back to the shield world and leave the desert to the Freyman"  

"You will address the duke as your lord or sire" Gurney interrupted 

"Gurney, just a moment" the duke waved him away "the empower has given me Arrakis as my fief, to rule and protect, I can not promise not to travel into the desert if duty compelled me, the sietches will be yours forever and you will never be hunted while I govern here"

"That's very honorable" the man mumbled "I must go, that's all I have to say to you" he began to walk away 

"Won't you stay?" Paul called out "we would honor you" the man shook his head and dismissed himself saying that someone required him to be elsewhere 

"I don't like him," Gurney said once the man was out of earshot 

"of course you don't" I rolled my eyes

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"Sorry I'm late," I said, Paul has once again convinced his father to let me accompany them on some sort of expedition. I had been fitted into some sort of suit or armor I wasn't really sure, maybe it was both. A woman was inspecting everyone's suits 

"your desert boots are fitted at the ankles who taught you to do that?" she asked Paul while making sure the stillsuit was fitted properly 

"It seemed the right way," he told her softly, she smiled and nodded. Her eyes also were glowing blue but that was to be expected of all the people who lived on Arrakis, she mumbled something quickly in Chakobsa I was sure that Paul understood but I was still learning and couldn't quite understand it

"Are you Freyman?" I asked her as she fitted my boots 

"I am accepted in both sietche and village," she told me "now come and see the spice sands on which your livelihood depends on" we all climbed on the aircraft which I had learned was called an Ornithopter. We flew over the smooth golden sands, the sand was quite mesmerizing 

"Can we go down there?" I looked at the lady 

"You wouldn't want to go down there" she replied "it's worm territory" 

"dust cloud" Gurney pointed out 

"I see it"

"that's one of your harvesters," she told us all as we flew right next to it "you can see the spice on the surface, rich spice bed by the color if you get a little higher you'll have a better view." The duke flew higher as we peered towards the ground "you can see the spotter crafts looking for wormsign"

"Wormsign?" I asked 

"A sand wave heading toward the crawler, worms travel deep but get closer to the surface when they attack, if you are patient, we should see one" 

"Worms always come?" Gurney frowned 

"Always, they are drawn my rhythm noise"

"Why don't we shield the crawlers?" Paul suggested 

"A shield is a death sentence in the desert," she told him gravely "it attracts the worms and drives them into a killing frenzy" I wasn't really liking these worms so far

"Is that a worm?" I asked looking into the distance, it seemed that sand was being moved in a line coming straight towards us 

"A big one," the woman said "you have good eyes" the woman turned on the radio and was making a lot of commands. I was anxious about if the carrier would reach the harvester on time, if not we would see what a worm could do. I watched as the sand wave grew closer, the carrier got there quickly but something happened, something wasn't working and the carrier couldn't fully attach. 

"Mila, it's going to be alright," Paul said gripping my hand, I nodded as people on the radio started yelling. I watched the wave, it was traveling fast and there was nothing we could do, or so I thought. I let out a small scream as the Ornithopter suddenly dove down at an extremely fast pace heading for the harvester, we were about to risk our to save the men in the craft.

"What are you doing?" I asked in alarm as Paul got out of his seat, I stood up with him and walked to the back of the Ornithopter as the latch opened, we were close to the ground and I could see the spice in the sands. Paul walked out and picked up a handful of sand, the spice glittered in the sun

"Mila, look" Paul pointed at a mound of sand that had broken apart due to the worm's arrival 

"Paul we have to help them"  I yelled looking at two men who were probably twenty meters in front of us they started running for the Ornithopters when a huge cloud of sand invaded our vision. I could barely see anything and the air was filled with sand, I felt like I couldn't breathe 

"Paul!" I coughed into the dust "Paul?" he wasn't answering and I didn't have the air to scream again I felt dizzy but I had to keep looking, I couldn't leave my best friend "Paul?" I whispered staggering forward. I was about to fall when strong arms wrapped around me, I had no idea who it was but I let them drag me out of the storm cloud. When I could stand again I saw it was Gurney "he's still out there" I panted "Paul is still out there"

"Mila!" The duke yelled from inside the Ornithopter "get in" I looked back into the sand wondering if I should go back 

"Go, I'll find him" Gurney yelled. I nodded and ran to the craft where the woman was waving me in. It seemed like I was waiting an eternity for Paul and Gurney to return, the worm was almost next to us now and they weren't anywhere in sight. I stared into the dust looking for any signs of movement, any at all, that's when I saw them running out, if they didn't hurry the worm would collide with them. 

"Paul!" I screamed as they ran. Another mound of sand broke apart but it rumbled at their feet and the two of them fell, they couldn't get up because the sand was sinking beneath them 

"Don't" the duke yelled as I rushed into the sand, I made it to the two of them and helped Paul to his feet, he slung his arm around my neck as we ran for the craft, Gurney was stronger so he was able to run on his own, thankfully the craft wasn't too much father because we couldn't last much longer. Gurney got on first, then Paul, and then me. The duke started flying as soon as our feet touched the ramp. I had to grip onto paul tightly so that I wouldn't fall off. 

My breath caught in my lungs as I watched the harvester being swallowed by the worm, it was so much larger than I had expected "holy fuck"

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"You can not take risks like that" Leto scolded Paul when we got back to the monument "you have responsibilities"

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again," he said quickly 

"Go" Leto growled we walked forward and started to head back to our rooms. I was shocked, to say the least, we had almost died. I could have died and never had the chance to say anything to Zack or my brother or my mom.

"Mila" Paul took my arm but I pulled it out of his grasp 

"How could you do that?" I snapped "you risked so many lives, you risked Gurney's and your dad's and all those people in the Ornithopters"

"I'm sorry" he sighed 

"But you risked mine too" I sniffed "you are my best friend Paul which means that when you do stupid things and end up in trouble I have to be there to save you"

"You don't have to Mila, no one is forcing you," he said 

"No, they aren't Paul but I care for you and it would kill me if you got hurt, I'm emotionally obliged to risk my life for you and I don't want this to become a normal thing" I walked into my room and slammed the door, I was angry and scared and I had no idea what to do about it.