Dune_ House Atreides - Brian Herbert [146]
The Duke’s eyes widened. He saw the guileless expression on this young man’s face and looked at his son, thinking that this was no made-up tale. Leto nodded. No boy of nine years could have concocted such a story, however much he might have been coached.
“And so I came here, sir,” Duncan said, “to see you.”
“You landed in which city on Caladan?” the Duke asked again. “Describe it for us.”
Duncan couldn’t remember its name but recounted what he had seen, and the Old Duke agreed that he must have indeed made his way from across the world.
“I was told to come to you, m’Lord, and ask if you might have something for me to do. I hate the Harkonnens, sir, and I’d willingly pledge my loyalty forever to House Atreides if only I can stay here.”
“I think I believe him, Father,” Leto said quietly, studying the boy’s deep-set blue-green eyes. “Or is this a lesson you’re trying to teach me?”
Paulus sat back, hands folded on his lap, and his chest wrenched with spasms. After a moment Duncan realized that the big man was holding in great rumbles of laughter. When the Old Duke could no longer restrain himself, he burst out with a deep chuckle and slapped his knees. “Boy, I admire what you’ve done. Any young man with balls as big as yours is a man I must have as part of my household!”
“Thank you, sir,” Duncan said.
“I’m sure we can find some urgent work for him to do, Father,” Leto said with a tired smile. He found this brave and persistent boy to be a hopeful change from everything he had seen recently.
The Old Duke rose from the comfort of his chair and bellowed for retainers, insisting that they supply the boy with clothes and a bath and more food. “On second thought”—he held up a hand—“bring an entire banquet table. My son and I wish to share lunch with young Master Idaho.”
They entered an adjacent dining room, where workers scurried and clattered about, setting up everything their Duke had commanded. One servant brushed flat the boy’s dark and curly hair, and ran a static cleaner over his dusty clothes. At the head of the table, with Duncan seated on his right and gray-eyed Leto on the left, Paulus Atreides sank his chin into a large fist.
“I’ve got an idea, boy. Since you proved you could handle those monstrous Harkonnens, do you think a mere Salusan bull is beyond your capabilities?”
“No, sir,” Duncan said. He had heard about the Duke’s grand spectacles. “If you want me to fight them for you, I’ll be happy to do it.”
“Fight them?” Paulus laughed. “That isn’t exactly what I have in mind.” The Duke sat back with a huge grin, looking over at Leto.
Leto said, “I think we’ve discovered a position for you here at Castle Caladan, young man. You can work in the stables, under the guidance of Stablemaster Yresk. You’ll help tend my father’s bulls: feed them and, if you can get close enough, groom them, too. I’ve done it myself. I’ll introduce you to the stablemaster.” He looked over at his father. “Remember, Yresk used to let me pet the bulls when I was Duncan’s age?”
“Oh, this boy will do a lot more than pet the beasts,” the Old Duke said. Paulus cocked a gray eyebrow as platters and platters of magnificent food were brought to the table. He noted the enchanted look on Duncan’s face. “And if you do a good enough job in the stables,” he added, “maybe we can find some more glamorous tasks for you.”
History has seldom been good to those who must be punished. Bene Gesserit punishments cannot be forgotten.
—Bene Gesserit Dictum
A new Bene Gesserit delegation bearing Gaius Helen Mohiam arrived on Giedi Prime. Freshly delivered of her sickly Harkonnen daughter, Mohiam found herself in the Baron’s Keep for the second time in the space of a year.
She arrived in daylight this time, though the greasy cloud cover and pillars of smoke from unfiltered factories gave the sky a bruised appearance that strangled any hint of sunshine.
The Reverend Mother’s shuttle touched down at the same spaceport as before, with the same demand for “special services.” But this time Baron Harkonnen had secretly vowed to do things differently.