Their quarters in Sietch Tabr were always ready for them, but it had been a while since Leto, Alice and Hania had been able to make the 'thopter ride there. The Emperor was needed in Arrakeen, especially since the uprisings on the planets of a nearby system had caused some concern in the capital. Leto had not been worried, since he had know they would happen, and had even had a hand in setting them in motion, but it was a strategy that had needed his full attention, especially since Ghanima was in Fandom.

The Sardaukar and the Fremen had crushed that revolt. Who would have thought they would fight side by side like this when the Emperor had first gained control of the formidable soldiers loyal to House Corrino?

Leto smiled as he let his daughter tug at his finger. Today he wasn't the Emperor. Today he was a Fremen enjoying the company of his wife and child in the gentle light of the glowglobes lighting theyr yali.

[For Alice!]

He had found himself standing in the street as the pale colour of dawn lit the town. The Nothing had caught him, he remembered running, and then... what? Had the island been spared, or the whole multitue of universes?

He would find out, but first he needed to find his family. The hotel? Alice would have returned there, wouldn't she? It was the first place to look, and if she wasn't there Ghanima might.

Back at the Arms Hotel, Leto opened the door to their room. It was quiet, but he could hear the sound of breathing, clear to his enhanced senses. Two sleepers, and one of them a baby. He smiled. Silently he moved towards the bed and leaned over, brushing the hair from Alice's face.

"Morning." It was still very early, but he thought she wouldn't mind being woken up.

[For Alice, who is modded with permission]

Stilgar had looked completely confused when Leto had asked him about two of his most trusted Fremen warriors. Irulan seemed oblivious to the fact that half of her hat collection was gone. And Farad'n didn't remember who Tyekanik was.

That might be explained away, perhaps, but the visions were terrifying. Leto had stumbled as the last one struck him like a blow. He had been sensing a dark emptiness, like a black hole, tugging at the corners of reality, for some time, but it was growing fast, filling him with a quiet dread. He had confided in Alice, of course, who also noticed something was happening, but everyone else seemed to notice nothing.

Today it was tearing at the core of his future. Nothing was reliable anymore and he had resorted to the Litany against fear for the first time in a long time.

Entering their private quarters, he looked for Alice.

[for Alice] 

Light fell through the tinted glass, softly lighting the centre of the room. Glowglobes lined the walls, and the movement of the thin curtains dividing the hall in sections betrayed an otherwise unnoticeable flow of air. At the front of the room stood three familiar figures. Instead of the elaborate fashions of the Houses of the Imperium, they all wore the colour of the desert, marking this as a Fremen ceremony.

( Hania's naming ceremony )

"Bi-La Kaifa!"

[For the guests! NFB due to distance. Written mostly by the awesome notyourpawn and atreideslioness. Wait for OCD, please. OCD is up!]

A dry desert breeze blew through the city of Arrakeen. There was a hint of moisture in the air that would have been impossible a decade or two ago, but it was unnoticable to most, and especially to visitors, who would find the dry heat of the sun too much. The palace, built in the centre of the city, provided plenty of shade, however, and soon the night would offer a rather chilly relief from the heat.

The gate leading to the 'thopter landing site was the entrance nearest to the portal, and this was usually the place where foreign guests were greeted. Visitors from every corner of the known universe came to Arrakis, and had done so ever since Muad'Dib's days, and those important enough to be received at the palace got their first view of the city here. 

[ooc: For the visitors! Wait for OCD please. OCD is up!]

So, we've finally managed to come up with a date for Hania's naming ceremony. Leto and Alice will send out invitations to all their friends to come and attend this in Arrakeen, on Arrakis. If you think your character was invited they were.

This will take place next weekend, October 14-16. There will be SP most likely for time zone reasons. If you have any questions, please ask!

/Sanna & Relly

The light of glowglobes lit up the main hall of Sietch Tabr, and most of the tribe had gathered there. Leto took a step closer to Alice and smiled at her, not sure how she felt about being at the center of attention. Well, Alice and Hania. Leto felt he couldn't blame any of them for their curiosity. Also, Harah had no doubt retold the story of how Alice had threatened to stab her while giving birth, which had been a good first impression.

"You asked for these," Stilgar approached them, holding Chani's water rings in his hands. These rings were more than a kind of currency representing a share of the tribe's water. They had symbolic meaning on different ways, one of which young Paul Atreides had discovered soon after his first meeting with the Fremen. The memory flashed before Leto. Chani had given Paul an odd, surprised look when he had asked her to carry the water rings he had just earned. 'Courtship ritual', the young Duke of Atreides had correctly guessed.

"Thank you, Stil." Leto picked them up, running a finger against the surface. His mother had worn these braided into her hair, like all Fremen women. Kept loose the braids allowed the rings to make a clinking sound, but all women knew well how to tie them back when there was need to move stealthily.

He turned to Alice again. "Will you carry these for me?" His gaze met her eyes.

[NFB due to distance. For Alice. If Ghani is around she's welcome to ping in too, of course.]

He had watched the sun rise over Arrakeen, and Hania was now asleep in his arms. He was still unable not to smile when he looked at her, now quiet, tiny fingers curled into tiny fists. Her mother had needed some rest, and Leto himself could stay awake for longer periods of time than most humans.

There were things to be arranged. A naming ceremony for his daughter, and before that he needed things brought from Tabr. He also had an Imperium to run. But in this moment he would do nothing but watch the baby sleep. He was moved by the memories inside him that recalled similar moments. This memory would be his though, just as Hania would be his only child.

He stayed like this for a long time, and Hania didn't stir when one of the servants entered. "My Lord, I brought the coffee service you ordered."

He didn't turn. "Just place it on the table." He would inspect it later. A coffee service worked just as well for tea, and he hoped Alice would appreciate it.

The baby yawned and shifted in his arms and then returned to sleep.

[NFB due to distance, open for Alice if she's around, or Ghani if she's there. Or for phonecalls. Just don't wake the baby.]

"Alice?"

He had led the way to his private quarters in the palace, which were large enough for both of them, at least for now. In her current emotional state, Leto didn't want to leave her more than he had to.

"Perhaps you should eat something."

He shot a glance out of the window. The sky was clear but there was a faint shift of colour at the horizon that told him a storm was coming.

[For Alice, and Ghani if she's on Arrakis. NFB due to distance.]