Chapter 40-May Thy Knife Chip and Shatter!

Chapter 40

LADY JESSICA ATREIDES

When word had first come that the Emperor wished for House Atreides to relocate to Arrakis, she knew that their future was over. It was a death sentence, and she had advised Leto to rebuff the Emperor's command and escape into the vast galaxy.

And yet he had denied her that, choosing to walk into the trap knowing that they could all die. And when all hope had seemed lost, one person had emerged as a beacon of hope in their darkest time.

Inzal Kazab Corrino, Anirul's wayward son, had appeared out of nowhere and had saved them all for literally nothing. The boy could have wrung the dry, taken advantage of their desperate condition, or even let them be bait for the Harkonnens and the Saradukar, yet he had helped them out, saving them and treating them as equals as he made to usurp his own father.

Their alliance may have seemed equal to many, but she knew that it was anything but that, and now House Atreides had broken that alliance. And they were being shunned for it, the Atreides honor lost and decimated because of the actions of her own son—no, grandson, one who was not even born yet.

"You cannot accept the kanli," she began as she looked Inzal in the eye.

"I will claim otherwise, exercise my powers as the Lady of House Atreides, and have the challenge withdrawn," she offered, clinging to straws in desperation.

"You and I both know that such a thing is not possible. Paul issued the challenge using his title as the Baron-na of House Harkonnen rather than heir Atreides. You have little to no jurisdiction," he replied softly, and she bit her lip.

"He is my son!" she roared, and Inzal shook his head.

"That changes nothing," he said as he leaned back.

"There has to be a way. You have always figured out a way to beat the odds, do it again. Just once more, but you cannot accept the challenge," she reiterated, and he sighed.

"But I already have," he said rather forcefully, quieting her. She had tried to talk Paul out of it, to make Paul or whoever was controlling him see the truth, but it had never worked.

After their initial meeting, Paul refused to see anyone, even herself. She was told that he had met Chnai Kynes for a few minutes and then recused himself into his quarters, waiting for Inzal to set the time and terms of the kanji.

As the challenged, it fell on Inzal to determine the terms and time of the kanli. Though there was the stipulation that both the terms and timeline must be of a reasonable nature, it was up to a truth sayer to determine what was suitable or not.

"Then delay it for a hundred years," she offered seriously. Although agreeing to this would probably result in her removal as the truth-sayer, that did not matter to her.

"I will rule in your favor and deem it reasonable," she offered and Inzal sighed as he leaned forward, putting his hands on the table.

"This kanli will have Lady Jessica, you must accept that. There is nothing you can do to prevent it," he said sharply and she bit her lip.

"Then don't fight yourself. Send Gurney, or Duncan, or m..." so that their House may recover some of its honor.

"That is enough," he said.

"I have made up my mind. And the time and the terms I have chosen are as follo..."

0000

SHISHAKLI

The Fremen had been a mess ever since Paul's challenge of kanli. They all felt betrayed and let down, for they had housed the Atreides, nursed them, and bled for them. And now the Atreides were trying to take away their freedom, something they had clawed away with their own hands.

Inzal had been quiet about the whole ordeal, remaining cooped up in his solar, after the challenge, asking her to keep the lid down until he made a sense of what their next step would be.

Shishakli herself was devastated by the whole thing, knowing from Chani how the person inside Paul—the one who had issued the challenge—was not really the Atreides heir, but someone called Leto the second, Paul's son from the future that may never happen.

It was all too convoluted, and Shishakli had spent the last day putting out fires, resolving multiple fights between Atredies men and the Fremen, many of whom were now openly calling for a 'jihad' to rid themselves of the traitorous curs of the Atreides.

And though those voices were weak for now because every Fremen had their sights set on Inzal, their leader, she knew that they would get stronger with time. The Fremen have sacrificed much for this freedom, and they would not give it up just because of the traditions of an Imperium that treated them like slaves.

They will fight. To the last man if they had to.

As she looked at Inzal, who sat there in his solar, looking softly at her, she realized that this might be the last time she saw that face.

"So, you have made up your mind," she asked, and he nodded.

"I have. The terms have been set. The Kanli shall happen in seclusion, with one arbiter and one observer from each side," he said, and she closed her eyes as she steeled her heart.

"I shall be..."

"Irulan shall act as my observer," he cut in as if reading her thoughts. She was hurt by that choice, though a part of her had expected that. A part of her had known that he would not let her see him like that, and her eyes narrowed.

"Why? Why do you deny me even this," she asked tiredly and softly, pleading for him to change his mind as he rose from his seat and plopped down on the table infront of her. He held her hands as he replied.

"Because this is my mistake. And I do not wish to see you, or any of the Fremen, suffer for it," he said, and she bit her lip.

"You and I are one now, and we have been for a long time now. So your mistake is mine own, so let me stand there beside you in this fight," she pleaded, and he smiled at her.

"I am sorry, but there is something much more important for you to do," and at that, she saw him reach for his hand as he took off a ring and pushed it towards her.

She frowned as she saw the insignia on it. A shai-hulud, a sandworm coiled around a pair of wings.

"What is this?" she asked.

"The insignia for the Dutchy of Arrakis," he answered, making her eyes widen as the implication behind that dawned on her.

"As the Naib of the Naibs, I nominate you as the Duchess of Arrakis," he finished; her heart leaped in her chest as she looked him in the eye.

"You are preparing for your death," she gasped out, the words making her mouth dry and her heart scrunch up.

She looked him in the eye, hoping that he would reassure her and deny her accusation, yet as silence reigned on between them, no such rebuttal came.

"No," she shook her head as she thrust the ring back in his hand.

"I don't care! Screw the Imperium and the kanli!" she roared as she rose from her seat.

"You will not die! NO! The Fremen will stand by you! We will have the Imperium on its knees!" she roared, already making plans in her mind.

"Shi..." he tried to speak up, but she was not listening.

"The Saradukar, they will follow you as well. We can use the atomics here to destroy the fleet and then use the ships we have to run a perimet..."

"Shishakli," Inzal spoke out a bit forcefully as he gripped her hands rather forcefully, making her look into his eyes.

"Listen to me," he said as he put his hands around her face.

"There is no other way," he said, and she understood that. She did, yet that did not make it any less painful.

"Don't die. I beg you. Just win..." she said as she sobbed. He nodded, hugged her, and rubbed her back.

"I will. I promise."

0000

And so, two weeks later, Paul and Inzal found themselves in a part of the desert, with nothing but sand all around them as five people gathered there to decide the fate of the Imperium.

Inzal walked forward, clad in his full armored still-suit, a mask covering the lower half of his face. Paul stepped forward, clad in his own still suit. Lady Jessica, the arbiter, stepped forward.

Irulan Corrino and Chani Kynes stood behind the woman as the observers from each side.

"You have made quite a mess for me," Paul spoke as he and Inzal looked each other in the eye.

"Making Arrakis a duchy and handing it to someone else. I never would have thought of something like that," he commented, and Inzal raised a brow.

"I did not want to make things too easy for you. Though I doubt it will matter much after all. After all, I have no plan of losing to you," he said as he reached into his back and took out his daggers.

"We will see about that," Paul said as he took out his own dagger. They both took their stances and raised their daggers to their foreheads, uttering the ominous words.

"May thy knife chip and shatter..."

"May thy knife chip and shatter..."

And in that moment, Inzal Kazab Corrino closed his eyes, and even Paul felt it as the world rippled to his senses, though he was not the only one.

People felt it all over Arrakis, and even beyond it, the world rippled as the shield surrounding Arrakis came down. When Inzal opened his eyes again, they glistened a bright blue, unlike any time before. Paul felt the whole world's eyes were set on him as Inzal smiled.

"Let's begin!"

And with that, he blurred as the sound of metal clashing against metal shook the clearing.

0000

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