The morning sun of Arrakis bled through the reinforced shutters, casting long, amber slats across the white fur rugs of the Princess's chambers. Anastasia sat on the edge of her oversized bed, looking particularly petite in a nightgown of thin Caladan lace.
Lady Jessica stood by the window, her presence commanding and cool. Beside her stood two young girls, barely sixteen years old. They were twins, recruited from the local Arrakeen population, their eyes already showing the faint, tell-tale blue of the spice diet. They stood with their heads bowed, trembling slightly in the presence of the Ducal family.
"Anastasia, my Gem," Jessica said, her voice a soft hum of the Voice. "Since our duties on this planet will keep us busy, I have selected two new personal attendants for you. This is Lila and Mina. They are young, but they have been vetted by the Silent Hand for their... absolute loyalty."
Jia stood in the corner, a dark, silent silhouette. At twenty, she looked like a veteran soldier compared to the sixteen-year-olds. Her hand was gripped so tightly around a silk hairbrush that her knuckles were white. Her eyes were fixed on the girls with a cold, predatory jealousy.
The Kindness of the PearlAnastasia's face lit up with a radiant, "naive" joy. She slid off the high bed, her bare feet padding softly across the fur until she stood directly in front of the trembling twins.
"Oh! You're both so pretty," Anastasia chirped, her voice full of genuine kindness. She reached out and took a hand of each girl. "But you're shaking! Is it too cold in here? The air machine makes a lot of wind, doesn't it?"
Lila and Mina looked up, stunned. They had expected a cold mistress; they found a girl who looked like a porcelain doll and spoke like a summer breeze. The Influence hit them instantly. The terror in their eyes melted into a sudden, overwhelming surge of devotion.
"We... we are honored to serve the Water-Bringer," Mina whispered, her voice cracking.
"Don't be silly," Anastasia giggled, squeezing their hands. "We're going to be friends! I brought some ribbons from Caladan that would look lovely in your dark hair. Jia, can you bring the blue silk box?"
The Silent StormIn the corner, Jia's jaw tightened. Every word Anastasia spoke to the new girls felt like a needle under her fingernails.
Friends? Jia thought darkly. She calls these sand-rats 'friends'?
Jia didn't move for a heartbeat, her yandere-level possessiveness flared. She felt a sickening heat behind her eyes. She had been the only one to touch the Princess's hair for years. She was the shadow. She was the protector. And now, these two children were being invited into the inner sanctum.
"The blue box, Jia," Lady Jessica repeated, her eyes sliding toward the maid with a warning glint. Jessica knew exactly what Jia was feeling—she had cultivated that obsession, after all—but the Princess needed a larger entourage for the public eye.
Jia stepped forward, her movements stiff and rhythmic. She presented the box to Anastasia without looking at the twins. Her silence was heavy, a suffocating pressure in the room.
"Thank you, Jia!" Anastasia said, turning her "naive" smile toward her oldest friend. "Look, Jia, they have such pretty eyes. Like the deep sea."
Jia's gaze finally flicked to the twins. It wasn't a look of greeting; it was a death warrant. It was the look of a wolf watching two lambs play with its favorite toy. If they touch her skin too roughly, Jia vowed silently, I will ensure they never breathe the palace air again.
The Vow of the NewcomersAnastasia began pulling out shimmering silk ribbons, draping them over the girls' shoulders. "There! Now you look like royalty, too. We have to look after each other, okay? Arrakis is very big, and I don't want anyone to feel lonely."
Lila and Mina fell to their knees simultaneously, pressed by the sheer weight of Anastasia's innocence.
"We are yours, Princess," Lila breathed, her eyes shining with a new, fanatical light. "Body and soul. No harm will ever reach you while we stand guard."
Lady Jessica watched the scene with a satisfied, dark smile. She had successfully expanded the cult. Now, Anastasia had her Shadow in Jia, and her Handmaidens in the twins. A fortress of flesh and devotion was forming around her daughter.
"Take them to the dressing room, Jia," Jessica commanded. "Show them the protocols. And remember—the Princess's comfort is the only priority."
Jia bowed, her eyes burning. "As you wish, My Lady."
As Jia led the two girls away, she leaned in close to Mina's ear, her voice a terrifying, ghost-like whisper. "If you drop so much as a single hair of hers while brushing... you won't need to worry about the desert heat. I will be the last thing you ever see."
Anastasia, already humming a tune and looking out at the sun-drenched dunes, remained blissfully unaware of the murderous vow her "favorite" had just made.