as the heir to house atreides, paul carries a heavy burden on his shoulders as expectations pile on with each newly placed set of responsibilities which only scratch the surface regarding all that is put onto him. he also carries with him the additional weight of bene gesserit training which his mother is insistent he do.
he is equal parts the son of a duke and the son of a bene gesserit. however, knowing that duality exists doesn’t make the weight of them any easier. if it did, he wouldn’t be wandering the ocean side as an escape from it all & yet, he was doing exactly that. escaping through the only means he can that didn’t involve hiding away in his bedroom.
after hours spent down by the ocean, ( despite the heavy cloud coverage indicating rain to come ) paul finds himself walking back to castle caladan, but in his stride, he keeps his head low as his eyes focus on the ground. once again, the reminder of expectations falls on his shoulders as he stops walking & looks up toward the castle before his gaze moves to the nearby woman. as his eyebrows furrow, he vaguely recalls his father mentioning that members of house ora would be coming for diplomatic affairs, but he didn’t expect to see one so far from the castle.
sighing to himself, paul continues to walk until he is close enough to see who the person is only to stop again when she speaks.
you're a great deal like your father.
her words cause his heart to hammer against his chest & his fair features to flush with a faint pink tint. he then finds himself swallowing a lump from the back of his throat.
a quick chuckle breaks forth. “ i wouldn’t say that. ” he shakes his head while a gloved hand reaches for the back of his neck & rubs gently at the skin under his hair. “ my father has many great things that many can say about him, & what about me? ” I’m just the son of a great duke who comes from a line of other great dukes. his thoughts finish where his tongue cannot.
he swallows again as his hand drops to his side. “ i apologise for that. you must be … from house ora. i’m paul, but i’m guessing you know that. ” the burning sensation in his cheeks reminds him that he hates small talk & has never been good at it.
