ACT TWO ━━ CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nowhere is There Life Without Water

     LOVISA WAS EXHAUSTED. She had underestimated how much the stillsuits contributed to maintaining the body's moisture and hydration levels. When they had taken time to rest, she collapsed onto her back against the steep slope of the sand dune.

Both Paul and Jessica had looked at Lovisa with worried eyes, concerned over her fragile state.

Paul kneeled beside her, resting a hand on her arm that was shielding her eyes from the rising sun, "Lovisa." He removed his mask from his mouth and held it up towards her own, "Here, drink." Lovisa had rejected his previous offers during their journey, but now, she was too weak to oblige. Paul slid his arm behind Lovisa's upper back, propping her up enough so that she could drink from the spigot inside the mask of his stillsuit.

Jessica watched as Paul cradled Lovisa in his arms, similarly to an infant, and temporarily placed the mask onto her mouth so that she could drink. Although merely an act of kindness, Jessica could see the compassion Paul held for Lovisa, and it put her on edge.

Now that they were accepted into the Fremen, Paul would need to fully come into his role as the Lisan al-Gaib. Jessica worried that his care for Lovisa could grow into something stronger and steer him in the wrong direction. Besides, Lovisa would likely become a temporary crush. Instead, Paul would eventually set his sights on the woman who mattered most to his seizing of the throne: the Emperor's daughter.

Lovisa tilted her head back after she had taken enough sips, leaning against Paul's body that remained behind her. He kept his mask hanging from his stillsuit, dangling in front of Lovisa in case she needed more. Paul glanced around and noticed that the other Fremen had begun taking their places and lying down on the sand.

Paul decided he would stay put in his current state, repositioning himself into a more comfortable position so that Lovisa sat between his legs with her back resting against his chest. He slightly unraveled the scarf wrapped around his head and neck so that he could pull it further in front of his face, sharing its shade with Lovisa.

Paul leaned his head back against the sand dune, its compact state serving well enough as support. He closed his eyes and attempted to fall asleep, but found his mind reeling with thoughts.

He wondered why he continued to care for Lovisa, when — given what she's done — he should despise her. Rue her treasonous behavior against his House. Even if he did, Paul couldn't deny the innate connection he had with her. Why else would she appear in his dreams?

Paul softly smiled to himself. Now, he realized why the dream-version of Aminu looked different to him — because it was actually Lovisa. Sometimes, his dreams were just that — dreams. Other times, his dreams were actually visions. Which one were those, then? Paul asked himself. Since, in his dream, Lovisa was...unclothed...so if that were a vision, then that would mean —

Lovisa stirred, as if she could hear Paul's thoughts. His eyes instinctively opened, prompting him to scan her body in concern. After ensuring that she was content, Paul resumed his previous position. He cast a glance towards his mother, who also appeared to be trying to sleep.

Paul knew that Jessica was not completely fond of Lovisa, and wondered if her opinion of Lovisa would change as she grew to know her. As much as he wished otherwise, he wasn't confident that Jessica would accept his likeness for Lovisa. Knowing his mother, she would likely try to convince him that Lovisa would distract him from pursuing his path as the Lisan al-Gaib, or even distract him from marrying one of the Emperor's daughters, like he had previously off-handedly mentioned to Dr. Kynes.

On the other side of Paul, the back of Chani's resting figure faced him. He wondered what significance she had as well, given that she has also appeared in his dreams before. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, closing his eyes in a focused attempt to discover the connection between the two women.

Sounds of shuffling and shifting sand alerted Paul, prompting him to open his eyes again in search of the reason for the Fremen's movement. Chani, now on her stomach facing the top of the dune, had locked eyes with him and simply rested her index finger against her lips in a nonverbal order to stay silent. Over her shoulder, Paul noticed the other Fremen were no longer there, and watched as one ran down the dune and behind one of the rock structures.

Chani began scaling the dune, and Paul watched her until he felt Lovisa begin to move in his arms.

Paul quickly put his hand on her cheek and turned her head to face him, clearly mouthing, "Stay silent." While she was shocked at first, Lovisa wordlessly nodded before removing herself from between his legs and shuffling back onto the side of the sand dune.

Paul glanced up towards his mother, now on the other side of Lovisa, who signed, "Enemy."

From the other side of the dune, echoing Harkonnen voices boomed from what Lovisa presumed was a ship. A shiver went up her spine, but she quickly regained her composure. She instinctively rested her hand to where her crysknife used to lay in her stillsuit, but panicked upon feeling nothing but the thin cloth of the gown her mother had dressed her in.

Lovisa's head shot downwards, noticing that she had grabbed a bundle of the fabric rather than the hilt of her weapon. She shut her eyes in annoyance, internally cursing her mother for taking her crysknife — especially when it would be unequivocally helpful in a time like this.

More Fremen from the other side of Jessica began to stand and quietly move down the dune, further into the rock formations. Paul looked past Lovisa and Jessica and locked eyes with Stilgar, who remained flat on the dune's surface.

"Stay here," he ordered. After making a quick, subtle battle sound with his mouth, he led the rest of the Fremen down the dune, opposite of the others, and behind a different set of rock structures.

Jessica, ignoring Lovisa and looking directly at Paul, barely nodded in an indication to investigate. She and Paul began climbing up the dune, followed by a lagging Lovisa who was just as curious.

Her instincts were correct. Once she reached the top, a few seconds behind the other two, she noticed the Harkonnen soldiers floating down from the ship hovering in the air. The head of the Harkonnen squadron was relaying orders, which could be heard all the way past the sand dune Lovisa, Paul, and Jessica remained perched on.

Jessica signed to Paul, "Down. Right." Although Lovisa didn't understand her order, she had used enough context to understand that it was a command. Paul grabbed onto Lovisa's arm, both to direct her towards where his mother said, and to support her weight since she was still weak. After Jessica began descending the dune, Paul followed, gently pulling Lovisa with him.

At the foot of the dune was a rocky formation with a slight burrow, which Jessica seamlessly slid into for cover. Paul would've done the same, but with Lovisa on his arm, he made sure that she was closest to the inside of the rock while he lied down beside her on his stomach, able to see the dune from his position.

The Harkonnens' voices sounded closer, forcing the trio to more closely hug the wall of the rock. Paul was practically smushing Lovisa into the side of the formation, but their options were being skin-to-skin or potentially being spotted and killed on sight. It was safe to say that they both agreed with the former.

The squadron of Harkonnen soldiers descended the dune so that they stood on the side closest to Lovisa, Paul, and Jessica. Paul scooted even closer towards Lovisa, wrapping his arm around her so that he had one less barrier from preventing him from being as hidden as possible.

Despite the circumstances, Lovisa, who was lying on her back, suddenly became aware of her proximity to Paul yet again. His face hovered directly above hers, allowing her to observe the faded scars on his chin likely sustained from training, the sweat shining on his forehead and creeping into his hairline, the few moles creating a path from his jaw to the corner of his mouth. Due to her current lack of strength, though, all Lovisa could do was remain still.

She could hear the Harkonnens' booted footsteps growing closer, and since they were near, she could clearly understand their words to each other.

"They're close," a soldier said in Harkonnen. The heavy breathing from their suits alerted Lovisa, Paul, and Jessica of their position. One soldier began stalking towards them, cautious of their surroundings. As they grew closer, Paul reached over Lovisa's head to grab a stray rock to use as a weapon in case the soldier ended up in fighting range.

Suddenly, thumping in the distance ceased the soldier's footsteps.

"Do you hear that?" Another soldier asked.

"The rats are calling a worm," the soldier closest to them spoke, stalking back up the dune and away from the three of them.

"Worms!" A Harkonnen in the distance warned.

"Unit, climb. Now!" The leader of the squadron ordered his troops. While barely sticking his head out from behind the rocks, Paul watched as the squadron of Harkonnens got a running start off of the opposite side of the dune and levitated into the sky to the top of the rock formation. One of the soldiers shot the thumper, ceasing its vibrations in the sand.

Jessica scrambled to her feet behind the pair, prompting Paul and Lovisa to do the same. Like the first time, Paul ensured that he had a grip on Lovisa's arm so that she could keep up with them. As they ran deeper into the rock formation, a Harkonnen's suited body suddenly slammed onto the ground beside them. Paul grunted in surprise, falling back against the small rock behind them. One by one, bodies fell from the sky, lying lifeless in front of them. Lovisa, barred from moving by Paul's outstretched arm that rested across her chest, watched with wide eyes as a very much alive soldier floated to the ground with their back facing them.

With no cover, it was merely seconds before he would turn around and charge. Lovisa glanced around, noticing that available swords were on the dead soldiers' bodies. From her own labored breathing, she could tell that she was not in her best fighting shape, but she had studied the Harkonnen soldier's fighting patterns until they were ingrained into her head. No matter how skilled of a fighter Paul was, he didn't have as good of a grasp on the Harkonnen tactics like she did.

Another Harkonnen body fell between the alive soldier and the three refugees, the sound grabbing the soldier's attention. He whipped his body around, catching sight of the trio pressed up against the rock. Before he even stepped foot towards them, Lovisa slipped out from under Paul's arm and began sprinting towards the exposed hilt of a dead soldier's sword.

"Lovisa — !" Paul exclaimed from behind her, moving to run after her but being held back by his mother's iron-clad grip. He looked at Jessica with wide, panicked eyes, "She's too weak —"

"Stay here," Jessica ordered with the Voice. Paul was taken aback by his mother's command. Although his brain restricted his limbs from moving, his face contorted into an expression comprised of shock, betrayal, and disgust.

She was more than willing to let Lovisa die, and would force her son to sit and watch.

Lovisa, unaware of the friction between the mother and son, had acquired a brief stint of energy in order to run towards the enemy. She was able to grab the extended sword from the dead soldier's holster and maintain the same pace towards the Harkonnen advancing towards her.

When she came into a close distance, Lovisa slid onto the ground and swiped towards the Harkonnen's hand, disarming him and sending his sword into the air. Lovisa popped up from her position on the sand and grabbed the the sword in midair, twirling it once to get a better grip on its handle. Without hesitation, Lovisa sent both of the swords into the Harkonnen's body, piercing either side of the abdomen. The soldier ceased moving and collapsed to his knees. Lovisa removed both swords from his flesh, allowing him to fall lifeless onto his front.

Aware that this soldier was not alone, Lovisa looked up and quickly scanned her surroundings. She momentarily locked eyes with Paul and Jessica, who were watching her, unmoving. Ignoring their complacency, Lovisa turned around to scope out the rest of the area. At the top of the dune, a Harkonnen soldier armed with a gun looked down towards her, and then to the dead Harkonnens surrounding her.

"Shit," Lovisa swore, knowing that she wouldn't be able to scale the dune in time to disarm him. She glanced down at the soldier she had just killed and eyed his armor. Can it withstand a bullet — ?

Before Lovisa could fully ponder her own question, she was tackled onto the ground. She fell flat on her back, slightly gasping for air at the sudden drop.

The silhouette of a face hovered over her, the sun peeking out from the clouds distorting it so that none of its features were visible. First, Lovisa panicked at the possibility of them being an assailant. The clouds shifted ever so slightly, allowing color to return to the person's face. Once the light revealed the familiar trail of moles near their mouth, Lovisa instantly knew.

"Lovisa!" Paul shouted again, placing a hand on the side of her face to try and regain her attention. After noticing the soldier cock his gun towards her, Paul sprinted and pinned her to the ground, but she hadn't reacted. Instead, she stared up at him with an empty stare that instilled more fear in Paul than the possibility of being shot.

Speaking of, Paul glanced up the dune towards the soldier, only to watch as he was hit on the back of the head with a large, flat rock. Once the soldier fell to the ground, Paul noticed that the attacker was his own mother. Jessica repeatedly brought the rock down onto the Harkonnen's head until his limbs became still.

Paul looked back down towards Lovisa, who had seemingly registered who he was and where they were.

She half-heartedly spoke, evidently coming down from her energy surge, "Paul..."

Paul exhaled a laugh of relief, "Yes, I'm here." Lovisa's chapped lips formed the ghost of a smile. Paul shifted his weight back onto his heels and brought Lovisa's body up with him to a sitting position. "Here, let me help you stand. Okay?" Lovisa didn't verbally respond, instead gripping onto Paul's arms as a way to convey her agreement. He lifted her off the ground and held her upright once they both returned to their feet.

"Never stand with your back towards the open," Jessica stated, descending the dune towards Paul and Lovisa. She eyed Paul, "How many times do I have to tell you that, huh?" She cast a glance towards Lovisa, but didn't acknowledge her pristine swordswork nor her disheveled appearance.

"You okay?" Paul asked his mother.

"Yeah."

Paul gestured towards her stomach, "How about her?"

Jessica nodded, casting a quick glance towards her belly, "She's fine." She noticed Paul's concerned expression as he readjusted his grip on Lovisa's spineless frame and, after reluctantly looking at Lovisa's pale face, felt a twinge of maternal worry. She looked around, noticing that the Fremen were returning from their previous positions. "The sietch shouldn't be much farther," Jessica said in an attempt to be encouraging.

Paul wordlessly nodded, moving Lovisa and himself over to a rock that they could lean against. Holding Lovisa, he gently lowered them to the ground, positioning her body between his legs and against his chest like earlier.

He held the mask connected to his stillsuit in front of Lovisa's mouth, encouraging her, "Here, drink." Slowly, she drank from the spigot. After she had roughly swallowed the water down her parched throat, she rested back against Paul's chest, fighting off sleep.

"They do not usually venture this deep," Stilgar informed from nearby, stabbing a Harkonnen body with his crysknife to ensure that they were dead.

"They want to make sure no Atreides escaped," Paul replied.

Stilgar chuckled, "You think too much of yourself. No, no, we are in the deep desert. Only Fremen can survive here. They were here for us, not for you." He chuckled again, "Don't worry. I'm taking you somewhere they will never find us."

Jessica looked past Stilgar and noticed the other Fremen inserting a syringe-type tool into the flesh of the dead soldiers, removing the water from their bodies. She felt her stomach begin to churn as she watched the cadavers visibly flatten as the water was siphoned out of them.

Stilgar followed her confused and disgusted gaze and explained, "Filthy water. It's full of chemicals, but good enough for cooling systems."

"Can she drink it?" Paul immediately asked, motioning towards an unmoving Lovisa in his lap. "Without a stillsuit, she's too dehydrated to move."

Stilgar remained emotionless, prepared to relay the unfortunate news that she would likely not survive the trip to the sietch, but was caught off-guard by Jessica beginning to gag.

He ordered, "Don't let it out."

Paul looked towards his mother, noticing the green tinge on her face, "You okay?" She fought to swallow down the bile rising in her throat.

"Don't let that out," Stilgar insisted. "Don't let it out — !" Jessica turned around and hunched over, vomiting onto the sand. Stilgar muttered a phrase of disapproval in Chakosba.

Jessica held a hand out behind her towards Paul, "I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" He asked, unconvinced.

"Mm-hmm," she muttered, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm her stomach.

At the strong smell of the nearby vomit, Lovisa blinked her eyes open and noticed that it was the doing of Jessica. The stench brewed nausea in Lovisa, too, but nothing came of it since there was nothing in her stomach to throw up.

"You fought well," Chani said from next to a body that she was ejecting water from. Lovisa barely nodded in response, unable to form words. Chani glanced over her shoulder towards Stilgar, before discreetly hiding the recently-filled water pouch under the shawl covering her shoulders. She walked over to Lovisa and crouched down, handing her the pouch with the exposed spigot, "Here."

Lovisa extended a hand, desperate to ease the pain of dehydration, but Paul quickly intervened, "Stilgar said that water is filthy."

"For Fremen, yes. We're not used to those chemicals," Chani reasoned. She nodded towards Lovisa, "But she is not Fremen." Paul was still not convinced. Chani sighed, annoyed, "She won't make it to the sietch unless she drinks something." Paul opened his mouth to counter, but Chani quickly cut him off, "The water from your stillsuit is not enough."

Chani addressed Lovisa, who had been silently observing the conversation, "You are a good fighter. You would be a valued addition here. Believe me, I would not try to harm you." Lovisa thought back to when Chani had tried to kill her earlier that day. Chani seemed to remember that moment too, quickly adding on, "...again."

"Let her drink, Paul," Jessica suddenly chimed in from beside the teenagers. "She is weak as it is — " Jessica sharply inhaled, wishing that her son saw with the same reason that she did. "— she will die, Paul."

Despite Paul having her best interests at heart, Lovisa loathed having decisions made on her behalf — especially right in front of her. If she had the strength to, she would've drank the extended pouch as soon as it was offered by Chani. Lovisa had researched the Harkonnens until she could recite their history like it was her own. She could name each of the pharmaceuticals ingested on a daily basis, and what each of them did. Inhabitants of Giedi Prime ingested a daily regime of chemicals in order to protect them from the planet's harsh conditions.

Yes, Stilgar was correct in saying that the water was "filthy," if it is judged according to Fremen standards. They only ingest spice with their food, but not every planet in the Imperium is the same. On Ginaz, the School's students had monthly rounds of injected vitamins and minerals to keep their bodies in pristine condition. In Salusa Secundus, since the harsh conditions were not unlike Giedi Prime's, the prisoners were given daily pharmaceuticals, although at a lower dose than Harkonnens likely were. Those on the prison planet were expected to suffer, and potentially die during Sardaukar training, but not succumb to the planet's elements.

Lovisa had gone through a brief detox period transitioning from Ginaz to Salusa Secundus, and then again when she was preparing to come to Arrakis and was weaned off the daily medications. Ingesting whatever was in this water now would not harm her to the extent that Paul believed it would.

Mustering up the strength, Lovisa extended a shaky hand towards Chani. Chani, able to respect a vulnerable soldier asking for aid, handed her the pouch. Lovisa's frail fingers wrapped around it, and as she brought it closer to her mouth, she put all of her concentration towards holding onto the pouch.

Paul watched, unmoving, believing that Lovisa was about to be successfully poisoned. Lovisa's leg twitched, likely becoming crampy from dehydration, and a brush of spice from the ground flew into Paul's face. He closed his eyes as the particles irritated his eyes, and turned his head to cough away from the girls.

Visions flooded his mind. Lovisa stood in front of him, now with her hair pulled back with what appeared to be metal rings woven within it. She and Paul were holding hands, and when Paul turned his head, thousands of Fremen watched the two in what appeared to be an intimate ceremony inside a sietch. Next, Paul stood side-by-side with Lovisa on a ship overlooking Caladan. Both of them had the characteristic blue eyes of the Fremen. Lastly, they were lying in a bed with Lovisa on top of him. It looked like his parents' bedroom in their castle. She brought her hands to either side of his face and slowly dragged them down to his chest. Paul felt a warm, liquid sensation coming from her palms.

He peered down at his bare chest and saw crimson blood dripping from Lovisa's hands, staining his skin. Paul looked back up at Lovisa in horror, believing it to be coming beneath her skin. She didn't appear to have any physical wounds, but tears billowed in her eyes until they eventually rolled down her cheeks.

Lovisa rested her hands on either side of Paul's face again, whispering in a language that Paul didn't recognize, but understood all the same, "This isn't you, Paul...you promised me..."

Paul blinked, returning to reality. He faced Lovisa again, ignoring the confused glances from Chani and Jessica. Instead, he rested his hand over Lovisa's, and gently lifted the pouch to reach her mouth. He used his free hand to grab onto the spigot and point it towards her lips, which barely opened wide enough for the straw to fit.

Color visibly returned to Lovisa's face as she continued to drink the water from the pouch until she had sucked it dry. When she removed the spigot from her mouth and let it drop to the ground beside her, she exhaled in relief, the corners of her lips turning upwards in the slightest hint of a smile. Her eyelids were still heavy, but at least Lovisa could keep them pried open.

"Thank you," she muttered to Chani. The Fremen girl didn't verbally respond, but gave a respectful nod nonetheless. Chani didn't need to speak, Lovisa had accepted her gesture for the nonverbal words they represented. Chani gave Paul and Jessica one last parting glance before standing and rejoining the rest of the Fremen.

Lovisa watched as Chani walked away, internally admitting that she may have been wrong about her. Perhaps Lovisa could grow to find an ally in her. If she was lucky enough, maybe even a friend — a female friend, nonetheless.

It's been a while since she's had one of those.

yay we've entered act 2!! also a sneaky peek at a potential girlboss brotp?! maybe?! 🤫😏