12 Gam Jabbar
A/N: I'm truly grateful for the love and support you've shown for my fanfic and the memes. Your enthusiasm keeps me going. Now, with that heartfelt thanks, let's dive into this chapter.
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The Year 10193 is a year of great importance. It is marked as the year everything changed, but most importantly, it is the year Paul Atreides moved from his home world, Caladan, to the sandy Planet Arrakis.
Paul had been studying with Dr. Yueh. He was a lone man but, most importantly, the physician of Duke Leto and, therefore, the Physician of Paul, for he was the Heir to Caladan, now Arrakis.
The Padishah Emperor, in a move that shook the political landscape, had ordered the immediate removal of house Harkonnen from Arrakis. The Planet was then bestowed upon house Atreides, their mortal enemies in a centuries-long feud.
Duke Leto could be seen massaging his hands, feeling a terrible fate was coming to his house. He ruled Caladan justly and had grown in power throughout these years.
He had once seen the emperor as a father figure after his own was killed by a bull. Still, one hour ago, he welcomed the guild on Caladan, and with them was the Reverend Mother. Her name was Gaius Helen Mohaim, and she was the personal advisor to the Emperor of House Corrino and the known universe.
It was decreed that they should immediately move to Arrakis and take control of spice. Duke Leto, the just one they called him, thought,' If we take control of spice, we could become far more powerful than the Harkonnens and the emperor. The power, the wealth.' He clenched his gloved hands, making them crinkle.
The Reverend's mother entered a dark room through the palace's back door. "Call him Jessica. I wish to see the boy. " Gaius said. Lady Jessica, the once confident concubine of Duke Leto, massaged her hands to calm her nervousness; she recited the saying of the Bene Gesserit,
" I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
When she reached Paul's room, she saw him pretending to sleep. He lay there in the same clothing he had worn to meet the guild as he stood by his father's Side. At once, Lady Jessica said, "Come with me. I have someone for you to meet."
Paul took his head from his pillow and looked down at his door. His mother stood there in all black. Her hands were fidgeting, showing her nervousness; Paul did not show signs of curiosity; this was one of the effects of the training.
His mother had always trained him to become like her, but she never told him of the purpose of it; hell, he had never heard of the one who shortens the way—the Kwizats Hardach. Paul stood from his bed and followed behind his mother.
They came upon a door with a small button on the side. Lady Jessica clicked the button, and it opened. Jessica walked in and met an elderly woman with a black covering on her head. "Please, if I may." she tried to argue to stay and watch over Paul, but Jessica could not finish her words. " Leave Jessica," Gaius said. At once, she left with her head looking down, wanting not to show fear and trying not to cry. She could hear her heartbeat rise and used her training to slow it down.
Jessica passed Paul, whispered in his ear, and then left. She stood Guard at the door. Paul saw his mother being commanded, and he disliked this. " You dismiss my mother in her own home," Paul said, but Gaius looked at the boy and did not wish to argue with him.
" Jessica will be fine," Gaius said. " Don't think anyone can help you with this; no one can get past her. " The Reverend's mother moved something from her clothing, and it was a small box. Paul looked at her and wanted to turn around, but as he remembered what his mother said, he steadied himself.
" Come here, " Gauis Ordered. Paul's body obeyed her words as he found himself in front of her. He stared down at the black box she had placed on a small pedestal in front of her.
" What is that? " Paul asked. " This is a Gam Jabar. Only a box, nothing more, " she said.
" what I meant to ask is, what is in it? " Paul said as he straightened himself. He was using every bit of his training not to show emotion in front of this woman; he felt as if he was naked in front of her.
" Pain, " Gaius said. Put your hand in the box." Paul hesitated, but he found conviction, and he placed his hand in the Gam Jabar. In quick succession, Gaius placed a needle near Paul's neck. It was too close for comfort.
" If you remove your hand from the Gam Jabar, death is what awaits you. This one needle has the deadliest poison known to man, and it will leave no evidence of it being in your system.
I told your mother to bear a girl, yet she did not listen; she wanted to produce the Kwizats Hedrach, the one who shortens the way. " The pain began to seep into Paul's hands. His hands began to feel like crawling ants, then stung like bullet ants.
A whimper of pain escaped his mouth. " silence, " she said to him as a vein bulged at the top of his head. She still held the needle to his neck. Warning him if he moved, he would die. Inside, she felt proud of the boy. Not many knew this but she was looking at her grandson, and Jessica being her daughter.
Jessica was orphaned and trained in the Bene Gesserit way when she was born. No one knew of her origin except those who were there at her birth, and it was few.
" You have the potential to be him, but that is all, nothing more, nothing less. " she removed the needle from his neck, and Paul took his hands from the box. Relief washed over him.
" Your mother tells me you have dreams. And in these dreams, do things occur in the real world just as you dreamt? perhaps, at times, it is something a person said or did." Gaius said
" Sometimes, not all the time." Paul responded, " But I do have this one reoccurring dream."
" what is it of?" she asked
" A girl on a sandy desert, her eyes are blue within blue, she is a Fremen girl, and she doesn't call me Paul but Usul." Paul said.
" a couple of years ago, I used to dream of a man with a red mask. He walked the sand as I did, and I would chase after him for hours, but I would not get close enough to him. When he looked at me, it was as if he knew me.
Gaius could only remember the image of the Bloodworm, a notorious criminal on the planet Arrakis. She could only think the boy had shown her he could see, but not as much as she would like; indeed, he did have potential, but not enough.
" Good luck to you, Paul Atreides. " Gaius said as she walked towards the door. When the door opened, Lady Jessica stood there waiting. In her, there was turmoil. She felt like crying. Paul was her child, her firstborn, and she feared losing him.
When she looked up and saw Paul was fine as he stood there, alone, and the reverend's mother coming to her, she felt like she could release the breath that she was holding. Her shoulders were once tense, now fell.
The Reverend mother came to Jessica and said, " He has the potential to be the one. But that is all." This was good news for Jessica; she believed if she kept on training him, he would become this figure known as the Kwizats Hedrach.
She was young when she learned the true mission of the Bene Gesserit, and when she was taken as a concubine by Duke Leto she wanted to produce him an heir. The truth was Lady Jessica had long fallen in love with the Duke, and she even called him " My Leto."
The Reverend's mother left the palace and went to the ship, returning to the emperor's side to Advise him once more.
