In the halls of the palace, Gurney and Duncan were walking towards the barracks.
They were quiet as they walked back.
Gurney walked in silence, he felt the odd atmosphere around them, so he decided to break it.
"He would have hated all of us standing around looking miserable," he said glancing at Duncan.
Duncan nodded in silence, his mind a little preoccupied at the moment however, something Gurney quickly caught.
"Is there something on your mind?" Gurney asked, and Duncan glanced at him in silence for a moment before he spoke.
"Did you know Mohiam killed Duke Leto?" He paused for a moment.
"She tried to do the same to Duke Paul, and it almost worked," Duncan said, and Gurney froze mid-step.
He did not speak, his eyes widened as he stared at Duncan.
"What do you mean she did the same to Paul?" he muttered.
"Nerve touch, Paul had come to this conclusion and this was the same method she used on Duke Leto's, through a handshake."
"Lady Jessica however, had trained Paul on Bene Gesserit techniques which allowed Paul to fight it off even though he claims he wasn't even good enough to see a blockade forming," Duncan said.
Gurney however, did not even hear the rest of what Duncan said, his mind far too preoccupied on Leto's death and the attempt on Paul.
"Mohiam... you mean the Emperor's truth sayer?" Gurney slowly asked, and Duncan nodded.
"So..." Gurney wanted to say something, but he felt a huge amount of anger rising in his chest.
He grit his teeth, unable to even voice his thoughts.
"Did Thufir know about this?" He managed to squeeze out, but Duncan shook his head in denial.
"Thufir found out about this at the same time as me," Duncan said, but Gurney did not respond.
For several moments, Gurney was silent, his eyes on the floor, slowly, he raised them and met Duncan's eyes.
"My last mission... was a failure, Duncan, I want to make sure I make up for it..."
"Protecting Duke Paul is a must, I must gain my strength once more," he said, determination filling his heart.
His jaw clenched.
'But, those who harmed Duke Leto... will not be let go.' The thought flashed through Gurney's mind.
...
Paul stood off the chair, setting it aside, and he glanced at the paper he had just signed.
'This... is real power,' The thought flashed through his mind.
Carefully, he folded it and placed it into a letter.
He was silent for a moment as he glanced towards the solid red wax and a burner on the desk.
'Leto used to do this so efficiently,' he thought as he fired up the burner, placed the solid red wax on it, and let it heat up.
'It's like it was effortless to him.'
Several moments passed by as the wax finally turned liquid.
Carefully, Paul lifted the hot wax and began pouring a sliver onto the lip of the letter. He was careful not to pour too much, as it might ruin the document within.
Stopping just short of spilling too much, he raised his hand, glancing at the ring, and brought it down onto the wax.
Pressing hard, the imprint of House Atreides was left behind.
"It is time to begin incorporating Fremen into House Atreides." He muttered.
He activated his communicator and asked Thufir to come.
A few moments had passed when the door opened, and Thufir walked in.
Arriving in front of Paul, he placed his right hand on his chest and bowed his head slightly.
"Greetings Duke Paul, what have you summoned me for?" Thufir asked, but Paul quickly waved his hand, "There is no need to be so formal Thufir," Paul said as his eyes fell on the letter whose wax had slowly begun to harden.
"Thufir, I have a question." Paul paused for a moment as he deliberated internally whether he should even say, but eventually he decided to say it.
"Before we resume operations, announce that Planet Arrakis must officially be recognized as ours for the next 50 years" Paul said and Thufir nodded as if expecting this.
"I will work towards spreading the word."
Paul's eyes glanced towards the letter and he noticed the wax had completely dried by now.
Paul hesitated for a moment.
There were details he wanted to share…
'Thufir is a Mentat, he can help my plans but... how do I explain things about the Fremen that I am not supposed to know?'
In the end, he chose not to.
"Thufir, I need this letter regarding the Fremen council meeting invitation to be sent," Paul said as he grabbed the letter.
Thufir nodded as he took hold of the letter. In silence, Thufir turned around as he began to walk away.
Paul watched in silence as Thufir left the room, shutting the door behind him as his thoughts drifted to a certain someone within the house.
'Jessica...'
"Complicated character," he muttered to himself as he shut his eyes for a few moments.
Paul shook his head, opening his eyes as he activated his communicator.
"Thufir, one more thing,"
"Can you ask Lady Jessica to come to the office?" Paul said.
Thufir agreed, and Paul sat in his chair, waiting for Jessica to arrive.
Several moments passed, and the doors to the office opened once more and in stepped Jessica.
Paul's eyes glanced towards Jessica's belly, which seemed to have begun to protrude a little, but he did not mention it.
"Thufir informed me that you wished to see me."
Paul nodded.
"Mohiam used nerve touch on me."
Silence.
Not the silence of someone processing new information. Jessica went completely still in a way that Paul recognized as... different.
"When?" She asked, her eyes lingering on Paul.
"After the second session, not long after I finished talking to you," Paul said quietly observing her.
Jessica nodded.
'Mohiam did the only correct thing, it was an obvious move,' Jessica thought to herself.
'She attempted to preserve the order.'
'Paul was an acceptable loss... to them.'
'But...' Jessica felt a lump in her throat as her thoughts stalled.
Her eyes had dropped to the desk without her realizing it.
Paul, who had been quietly observing Jessica, noticed something unusual that genuinely surprised him. Jessica lost track of the room.
'Her loyalties are clashing...' Paul thought.
'Good...'
'But I cannot expect results this soon,' Paul thought to himself.
He was silent for a few moments before he decided to switch topics.
"Were you informed… or were you excluded from Duke Leto's assassination?"
Jessica was silent for a few moments, as if reeling from something.
"If I knew, I would have prevented, and they know that," Jessica softly said.
Paul did not respond immediately as he quietly observed her.
Finally, he nodded.