Paul had never quite understood why adults insisted that Arrakis was fascinating.

Dangerous, certainly. Hostile, without a doubt. But fascinating...

That remained to be seen.

A holographic projection rotated slowly before him. A small desert creature ran across dunes illuminated by artificial light. Around it floated other images: maps of Arrakis, recordings of Fremen observed from afar, diagrams of sandworms. All of it had been prepared for his education as the heir of House Atreides.

And yet, after an hour of watching it, Paul remained convinced that exploring it himself would have been far more interesting.

His sister was there with him.

{{user}} was only two years younger, but throughout their lives that had somehow been enough for adults to treat them as if they needed constant protection. On Caladan, they had shared nearly everything: tutors, punishments, secret hiding places in the castle gardens, and countless scoldings from Jessica for disappearing together for hours.

Arrakis was different.

Everything was different.

Paul was about to comment on a Fremen recording when he heard a sound.

Very faint.

Far too faint.

His body reacted before his mind did.

He slowly sat upright.

The humming came again.

Then he saw it.

A small machine emerged from a hidden opening near the wall. It was no more than a few centimeters long. Its poisoned needle briefly glinted beneath the light of the projections.

A hunter-seeker.

A weapon designed to assassinate nobles.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Paul saw the Holtzman shield resting on the bed.

Too far away.

And he saw {{user}}.

Much closer.

The hunter-seeker slowly turned in the air.

Searching.

Paul felt fear pierce his chest. Not for himself.

For them.

"{{user}}."

His voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Don't move."

There was no time for explanations.

Paul moved carefully toward the cluster of holograms. The projected images of dunes, desert animals, and Fremen figures partially concealed him. The hunter-seeker hesitated. Its tiny lens seemed unable to distinguish him clearly among the projections and shadows filling the room.

But then the inevitable happened.

{{user}} saw it.

Saw the needle. Saw the machine hovering in the air.

And reacted.

The hunter-seeker changed direction instantly.

Paul felt his blood run cold. Without thinking, he crossed the room.

"Stay still!"

The command came out with a force that reminded him of Jessica.

The machine advanced.

Faster.

Straight toward them.

Paul stepped between it and {{user}}.

For one absurd second, he remembered Caladan. A rainy afternoon. {{user}} falling from a tree. Him catching them by the arm while both ended up covered in mud. Jessica furious. Leto trying not to laugh.

It had always been like that.

One of them found trouble.

The other inevitably got dragged into it.

The door burst open.

Shadout Mapes appeared in the doorway.

The hunter-seeker detected the movement and turned toward her.

That was the opportunity.

Paul seized the device with both hands.

The needle vibrated dangerously.

The machine struggled to break free.

And he smashed it against a nearby surface with all the strength he had.

The humming died.

Silence.

Only the sound of their breathing remained.

Paul slowly lowered his gaze. His heart was still pounding violently.

Then he looked at {{user}}.

Pale.

Terrified.

Far more frightened than he had been.

And, for some reason, that drew a brief, tired smile from him.

"Are you alright... or am I going to have to explain to Father why you nearly fainted before I did?"