“I don’t mean to disturb you, your highness. You requested something light to eat,”

The woman had stopped and showed the tray by lowering it down in a tilt towards her. Cheeses and fruit with some kind of pâté she couldn’t tell from this distance. A sharp knife to slice and spread. Irulan glanced up to her. Noting the snow-white skin with teeth as dark as the night skies. Same as Feyd. That wasn’t what caused her unease. It was something so inconsequential she wouldn’t have thought twice if she were home. This wasn’t home though. She didn’t know the people well enough to know if not knocking before entering was customary. Why were guards letting her through without announcing it? Feyd had promised they’d listened. She tempered her voice and kept the annoyance from it.

“Yes, I did. Thank you. You can set it down here.”

Irulan placed the recorder down on the desk. Moving to help clear space for the woman to place her tray.

“Were you working on your next book?” The woman asked somewhat hopefully, “I’ve read one, interesting things you speak about. Especially liked the way you described my Baron.”

Irulan looked up and shook her head to the question with an easy smile. Making herself appear polite and manageable. Really, she just wanted the woman gone from her space already. The table cleared and the tray down. Irulan straightened up and brushed back her hair from her face. Hand going to the sleeve of her plain gown.

“Oh, no, not always. I sometimes just like to talk to myself. As strange as that probably sounds…” She trailed off and watched the woman move in to pick up the knife and begin slicing food on the tray. Another oddity she could have passed off back home as someone delaying to stay and talk. Here it all felt like a veiled threat.

“Don’t mind me, continue. You were telling me about your newest book, what’s strange?” The woman smiled all cheerfully. Dark teeth flashed wolfish her way. Irulan sensed the excitement, some kind of anticipation. Her gut told her there was a deception of sorts there too. Irulan stiffened up and stared.

“If you mean to do me harm-”

“You harm? Oh no. No, my lady. I would never. This knife though?” She waved it. Irulan’s eyes finally pulled away from hers to look at the flash of metal before back to her. The woman picked fruit from a thin vine to pop into her mouth. She was enjoying this. Delaying it. Revelling in it maybe?

“Who sent you?”

“No-one. I’m simply a devout servant of the Harkonnens. Lot of us here wish to keep the bloodline free of any kind of… weakness.”

“Killing me isn’t going to achieve that. You’re as weak as they come.” That earned her a curl of the lip and did her no favours. The woman began a slow walk around the desk. Knife dragging along the wood, the noise of it ringing in her ears.

“I’m not going to kill you, at least not right away. You may wish for it though. I’m going to make you feel it first. I’ll be thorough. Start at your intestines and work my way up.”

“Don’t come closer.” Using the voice, it came out as a rough bark. Too many words. The woman faltered in her stride but launched at her with renewed vigour. Irulan kicked the chair between them. It as enough of a distraction to grab at her wielding wrist and stop her launching at her. Knife switched hands and slashed lower. Irulan pulled herself free and backwards. The chair went clattering aside. Irulan hadn’t felt any knife sink in, but she did feel the sudden wave of burning spread out from her abdomen. Backing away quickly with a palmed press against the cut. Looking down to see her white dress seeping red.

The injury wasn’t lethal, but the poison on the knife to a normal person would’ve been had she not had the training for it.

Toxins worked fast through her system. Bene Gesserit’s training came to her like second nature, but there was going to be a sluggishness about her until she’d stabilized. Had she known that would happen? Weakening Irulan just enough to keep her alive while she’d be picked apart piece by piece? A terrifying thought.

“DROP IT.” Irulan snarled hoarsely. The voice desperately bleeding through once more. Panic beginning to set in but Irulan refused to let it take hold. A loud clatter of the knife as Irulan found herself backing away until she was leaning against a wall for support. That order wasn’t going to hold her off forever. Brain and searing pain enveloped her like a fog, making it harder to think fast. She should’ve told the woman to end herself. Now she’d need to do more orders and she was terrified of what might happen if she didn’t get it right.

At the same time, doors thundered open and Irulan’s unfocused eyes shot to the next assailant coming towards them. She couldn’t take on two. Her breathing came out raggedly. Defeated but stubborn in her will to live. Sinking down the wall. Curling up inward around herself and the source of the pain, feeling it all over now in a feverish way.

It’d be over soon, she thought to herself. Trying instead to focus on the here and now. Preparing to go down giving them hell. When hands grabbed at her she snapped again with the Voice. “Don’t touch me!” Like a cornered wounded animal. She was unwilling to go quietly into that long goodnight.