Thread: Daughter Of Dune (Ursus Peregrinus & darkangel76)

To say that Hersilia's nerves had been rattled was an understatement. She'd been shaken by the dreams that had woken her from her slumbera very much needed slumber at that given the road that lied in wait for them both. As she swallowed down the tiny bit she'd taken of her food, her blue eyes focused on Marid and she nodded. She knew he was right, that his words were sound and meant to both comfort and aid, to teach her what she needed to know. She was glad of that and didn't miss the subtle undertones and inflections in his voice. The Bene Gesserit teachings Irulan had so painstakingly taken the time to teach her also let her know that he noticed her fear as well, but that he was keeping that part to himself... for now. For that part, she was grateful. Besides, her mouth had in fact gone dry and the idea of his suggesting a drink sounded so very good that she immediately reached for her spiced coffee. The drink was still cold and delicious, though whether the taste was due to her body needing the liquid contents or because she genuinely enjoyed the drink, she wasn't certain. Either way, it did the job and for that, Hersilia was both glad and grateful. With each swallow she tookbe it of food or of drinkshe found herself feeling better, more at ease, the fear ebbing away. And it helped that Marid was awake with her, busying himself by checking to make sure that their tent was secure and sealed. Thank you, Hersilia then said, breaking the silence a bit, needing to hear a little something before she allowed herself to try and attempt sleep once more. Though she didn't want to admit it, she feared the return of the dreams, just as she feared traveling through the deserts of ArrakisDunedesert planet. The only home she knew, yet she knew so little of the place in which she'd been born. I will adapt, Hersilia then added, trying to reassure both herself as well as Marid. Just... she continued, a bit hesitant. Being so far away from Arrakeen. She looked down at her lap. It seems to make my dreams a bit more vivid, I suppose. A smile played on Hersilia's lips just then, though it was more to comfort herself than anything else, another ploy to cover up her apprehensions on falling back asleep and allowing the dreams to return once again. Tilting her head a bit, she eyed the maps and bit down on her lower lip. A curiosity began to burn within and she wondered where exactly they would be heading next on the long journey toward their final destination. Wherever it was, the journey would be another long trek through sands her body wasn't used to traversing through. Thank goodness for the cover of night when the air was cooler. As Marid set the maps aside, Hersilia continued to nibble on her food and sip her drink. Her body had stopped shaking, but the images of the dreams were ever present within her minda muddled mess of pictures that she couldn't even begin to understand. For the most part, they'd been the same for quite some time now and it was something she found quite unnerving. At first, she just dismissed them as dreams mixed with nightmares, the overactive imagination of a girl with very little to do and a longing to see the outside world. But now? Now she was beginning to wonder. Their recurrence was more than disconcerting and troublesome and the vividness and clarity was only seeming to grow. What did that mean? She didn't know nor had she spoken of it. Often times she'd suspected Irulan had wished for her to speak of her dreams, but... something had always held her back from discussing them with the woman she knew to be as a second mother. And though she'd have felt no fear in talking to her own mother, time never permitted. Sitting there with Marid, she wondered if she should dare speak to him. A taciturn man she barely knew, yet the one she'd be with for who knew how long. He was her protector, her guardian, her teacher. He was Fremen. A man of the desert. Could someone like him understand? Hersilia took another bite of food. It seemed even drier than the last. Sipping down more of her drink, her eyes looked over Marid as she warred with herself over whether she should divulge the dreams to him or not. She feared they'd return or... worsen. They could become an enemy while they traversed the desert, a burden, and that would do neither of them any good. I tend to dream a fair bit, Hersilia said softly, her blue eyes focusing on her lap. I don't always understand them and I don't understand this one and it's been haunting me for quite some time. Her grip on her drink tightened as the fear threatened to return. I saw two shadowsa man and a woman. I saw a great sandworm and a sandstorm. The sadness, the fear... the cold... She shook her head trying to make sense of all the images, but all it did was bring back the fear. As she began to tremble once again, her eyes welled up slightly. Trying to hold back the tears she brought the drink to her lips and sipped.