ᵉⁿᵍˡⁱˢʰ Bloodsport [Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen]

04

In the history of mankind it was once said:

'The sea. It is a kind of escape'.

Today, when there is more sand than water, this is an unthinkable description. But it made sense, because it only had to be seen through the eyes of the people who lived in the past. In the old empire. In the age of computers and artificial intelligence. Before the war and its end, centuries later.

'Over time, I have also learned that the sea holds vast secrets and is capable of keeping mine. And that, like love, it is unfathomably powerful and sometimes violent at its core.'

Today we would say that if we entrust a secret to the desert, it will be swallowed up by it, because the desert was also vast and hid so many things beneath its surface.

Fortunately, Raitaila was spared a discussion with Irulan and the attempt to dissuade her from her plan. It would have been a pointless endeavor and doomed to failure anyway. The shock of learning that her older sister had been living with the Harkonnen for some time was too deep. Plus the fact that it was actually 'important'. Not really, but it should convey something to the humans. What it was was up to each individual.

A daughter of the Emperor was with the Harkonnen.

But somehow Raitaila didn't really want to believe one thing. Her younger sister supposedly didn't know where she had gone for some years. The top witch knew. These witches knew everything. During her time on Giedi Prime, a witch had surely been on the planet and had seen her there and had told the supreme monster this news directly. But if that was indeed the case, not saying a word about her whereabouts was far more important and significant than telling an outsider. No matter who it was.

"Princess Raitaila, welcome," an unknown man greeted Raitaila instead of Piter deVries as soon as she had arrived on Giedi Prime, "The Baron is on his way...."

"I wish you a speedy recovery," Raitaila preempted the stranger, who was taken aback by this, but she didn't put on more than a smile, which was answer enough, "I heard there was an assassination attempt on him. Duke Atreides is said to have carried it out. He, of all people, tried to kill the baron? I would never have believed him capable of such an act. May I ask how he is now?"

"I don't think anyone should," the man agreed with Raitaila, nodding knowingly once, "The Baron is on the mend. Which is more than I can say for the staff that accompanied him. A terrible thing. All dead. The Baron was very lucky, because he was found just in time."

"Not a single survivor? Not one, except the Baron?" but the man shook his head as he led Raitaila into the building, "What was the Baron doing there anyway?"

"Business," the new advisor gave her, as Raitaila suspected, a brief, penetrating look and she returned it with a barely noticeable shake of her head, "All that can be said is that everything turned out well in the end. The Baron is alive, and that's the most important thing."

If only for the reason that there was someone who would not have resigned himself to not becoming the new Baron. It was possible that the Harkonnen would have split in the end if Glossu Rabban had set his mind to it. He would have been capable of it.

When Raitaila was asked if she had a wish, to her own astonishment she answered with a surprised 'yes', because there was indeed something she wanted. Her old room. Not one of the guest rooms. And, if possible, a meeting with Nerdo Cziza.