Rae

the baron infested your mind all your life, telling lies about the house Atreides and how all this time they’ve been planning to steal all the spice from your house

of course you believed him, never having heard the other side of the story

you were completely unaware that the baron was greedy and evil and just the most disgusting being in the universe

to you, he was a savior, and you felt like you owed it to him so you didn’t even try to escape the marriage when the news of the arrangement arrived

“the enemy must be destroyed, my child,” he said before you embarked on your journey to Arrakis. “be good and ruin the enemy from within.” that was his plan

the wedding itself was far from what you’d consider an actual wedding ceremony, it was just the necessities cause now Paul was the new duke and that comes with certain rules

however, your gown was a mixture of traditional clothing from both Caladan and Arrakis. it was BEAUTIFUL okay

and when you arrived at the end of the aisle, the groom sitting on a throne with a smaller, empty one by his side for you to sit in, you actually saw him for the first time

and you immediately hated yourself cause why on earth did the mere presence of this guy make you nervous?

and of course, the wedding wouldn’t be complete without a kiss

oh, that fucking kiss

it made your insides turn upside down for a moment and you felt something you’ve never felt before

so trying to deal with the self-hatred and the insecurity you got cause of that kiss, you projected all those negative emotions on him, resenting everything he did or said 

dinners would be silent whenever Lady Jessica wasn’t there, only the clattering of the tableware could be heard

and his mother made sure to be absent pretty much all of the time

“you two should get to know each other. I am certain my presence would only be disruptive”

sure.

and your nights? definitely spend separately

you got your own room, however its purpose was actually to give you a place to relax. at daytime.

but both you and Paul had kind of a silent agreement from the very start of your marriage that you’d be sleeping in separate beds. in separate rooms.

for him, it was more a matter of respect

for you, however, it was the disgust, the hate that has been planted in your mind by the baron ever since you were a child

but most importantly, it was also that feeling that was lingering deep inside of you

a feeling you tried to push away every single time you looked into Paul’s eyes. if you looked into them. you tried to avoid it as much as possible

instead, you observed everything else, sending secret notes to your father’s confidants about everything that was going on on Arrakis

but over time, as you became more familiar with the Atreides’ philosophy of life and the way they handled the spice harvest and trade as well as the way they treated the Fremen, you began to doubt the things your father has told you about the house and its leader

instead of resenting Paul, you started to resent your father, sending less and less notes, filling them with lies to trick him

you knew it was a dangerous game, and that the baron wouldn’t hesitate to have you killed should he notice that you betrayed him

the longer you kept leading the Harkonnens the wrong way the more unsafe you felt, being aware that spies were hiding in the castle at all times

so you made the only choice you had: coming clean with Paul

well, at least you tried

it was during dinner and after months of silence you finally broke it

“you married your enemy,” you said, poking around in your food as you avoided his gaze

“don’t you think I’m aware of that?” he replied. “I know you’re spying on me”

“then why won’t you do anything about it?”

he didn’t respond, now equally poking in his meal

“I stopped. I don’t wanna do it anymore,” you broke the silence again

but Paul didn’t say another word. instead he got up abruptly and left the dining hall

you didn’t see him anymore that night

later, and way past midnight you woke up to a loud bang outside your room. it was your father who sent his assassins and tried to have you killed — cause, of course he figured it out

the assassins were disguised as guards in front of your room which is right across from Paul’s, and they eliminated his guards before the attack

you were trying to escape somehow but of course you had no chance — you were trapped in your own room

but Paul heard all the shuffling and your screams and woke up, immediately sending more guards and coming to save you

when all danger had passed, he ran up to you, gently placing both his hands on either side of your face 

and for the first time you really looked into his eyes. they were mesmerizing

“you asked me why I wouldn’t do anything about you spying on me?” “I did. I made sure that no matter how far you’d go to fulfil your promise to the baron, you wouldn’t get hurt in the process. that’s all I cared about. I know you’re not like him”

and that was the first night you slept in your husband’s bed

over time, and mostly during dinner or at night, you got to know each other more and more

and Paul made sure no one would get too close to his wife

you literally became his everything

and because he was so busy being a leader throughout the day he made sure to keep you extra close at night

I’m talking him being the big spoon 90% of the time

the other 10% were reserved for when he’s had a rough day and needed someone to calm him down and straight up baby him

of course he only wore shorts for bed and you kinda expected that from him ngl, you needed to feel the touch of his warm skin, to trace the lines of his upper body

to plant kisses here and there which always made him giggle like he’s the most innocent and carefree boy in the universe and not the duke of the house Atreides, the leader of a revolution

you just couldn’t get enough of him and neither could he

THANK YOU FOR READING!

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@lonely-simp