fh_trips | Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

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field trip 2009: arrakis

Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

It was around dawn when the scent of food began wafting up from the kitchens. Fresh baked bread, coffee, and the lilting tones of Fremen chattering in a mixture of Galach and Chakobsa as they went about their lives.

If they were a bit more outgoing and less-wary of the visitors than they had been the day before, well, going out into the desert to meet with Shai-Hulud had shown a certain daring and respect, and those were two traits that the Fremen held very dear.

The portal would arrive to pick them all up around three, but until then, the visitors from Fandom had the run of Tabr.

Although it still didn't make you safe from the Aunties.

[OCD UP]

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"Nmm-mmm," she said, holding out her pear-thing after she swallowed again. "Bite?"

"Sure." Merlin reached over to snag it, far too at ease on this planet.

Dinah let it go, being careful, so careful not to touch him. Who knew if her shields even worked here now? She watched the water fall into the reservoir, and took a breath. "I had some nightmares last night. Francine thinks the Spice here is what did it." She hugged her knees to her chest with one arm. "Other people's dreams, I mean."

Merlin turned to look at her, frowning faintly at that. "Are you alright? Did you want me to get Lady Ghanima?"

Dinah swallowed a lump in her throat at this. See? Still the same Merlin. Stupid to be afraid. "I have to track her down soon. I think I'm okay. But I'm being extra-careful now, not to--" She waved her hand. "You know." She perched her chin on her arms, wishing she dared grab a nap before talking to him about this. "Francine helped."

Nodding, Merlin scooted a bit to give her space.

"Was it something on the island you saw?"

Edited 2009-07-02 01:29 (UTC)

For a second, Dinah thought that he was talking about the place in his/their dream, and almost panicked, thinking he'd known she was there the whole time... then she remembered, duh, Fandom. "No. Nothing like that." She frowned. "I saw Arthur fighting a gryphon, with a torch. So, so, so big-- he said Sir Lancelot killed it? Is that right?"

That got a big nod of agreement there. "It was rather big. But it was killed, you know. Nothing to worry about there."

"Other things getting killed." Dinah dragged a hand through her hair, working up to it. "Spaceships. A hundred at least, all of them exploding, and I was the one-- whoever was dreaming, was the one who aimed at them. Explosions. People bleeding." She shook her head. "Lots of people here have seen death, I think. I mean, I have, but to have it all at once, from all different directions inside my head...."

"Back in Fandom--places like where you're from, I think it's harder to deal with these things," Merlin said, looking off at a tree. "People die of disease, or in battle, or from any sort of thing."

"They shouldn't have to." Dinah looked at him, wanting to reach out, not daring yet. "And it makes a difference, how they die." She swallowed. "I saw you. Your dream. Gaius died?"

A question. A plea for please tell me that was just a dream.

Merlin's face changed slightly. "He didn't."

Dinah's heart lurched. Because she was pretty sure he was lying, or he was keeping something back, and either way (this couldn't end well) - either way she couldn't quit now.

"So he was faking it? And the evil witch was lying? And you..." She bit her lip. "You didn't kill her?"

"Nimueh," Merlin corrected quietly. He shifted to find a more comfortable position. "What exactly did you see?"

"Nimueh." It was important to know the names of people who died. She was always sorry she didn't know the names of the two alien soldiers she'd had to kill. "I saw..." Dinah closed her eyes, partly to hide from Merlin (and why was she scared again? she didn't want to be, why was she?), partly to bring the memory into sharper focus.

"You got there, and Gaius was slumped against the altar, and she-- Nimueh-- had a chalice in her hand. She acted surprised you'd come back, but I don't think she was?" Dinah frowned, the dream's details sharper than her own memories. "And you asked her what she'd done, and she said, a life for a life." Dinah gulped. "No, first that your mom was safe. And wasn't that what you wanted?" And another detail came back, one she hadn't shared with Arthur. "You said you were trading your life for Arthur's, not anyone else's, and she, she..." Dinah hugged herself, shaking her head, face crumpling at Merlin's remembered emotions and how she would have felt if it had been her mom, her friend. "She cheated. She said Gaius was willing and that's the way the Old Magic worked."

"Gaius was willing," Merlin said, arms on his knees now. "And I did try to trade my life for Arthur's."

Because, clearly those were details that she needed.

"That sort of magic is--there is always a price for life."

Gaius deserved a huge hug, if she ever met him. Because that was... yeah. The same way Merlin deserved a hug now, and she wanted to, and then the rest of the dream caught up with Dinah, and she demanded, "Why didn't you run? She was going to kill you!" Anger throttling down fear for the moment, Dinah said, "I saw her throw the fire at you, and felt you collapse and you weren't breathing there for a minute Merlin and--" She flailed. "Back up! Getting help! Why didn't you do that? Why?"

Merlin stared at her for a long moment. "There was no back up, Dinah. There is me and them. And when it comes down to it, I'd rather it simply be me."

Dinah flinched back. She didn't mean to. She didn't think about it, she just pulled back, and-- "Yeah. I saw."

"If I had let her live, all she would have done is return to attack Camelot again," Merlin replied tightly. "Or put Arthur in danger again. I won't allow that."

"I don't--" Dinah hugged herself, rocking a little, and said, "She scared me. What I saw of her, in your dream. Badly. She reminded me of--" She cleared her throat. "Someone I met once." She shook her head, looking away, still wanting to cry. "I know you had to do something to her. Maybe you even had to kill her, I don't know, I don't know anything else about her, but she seemed-- really evil." Then she looked at Merlin, and finally blurted it out: "But you scared me too, Merlin. Not the power. You."

She was something like what Merlin felt he could have been in another place.

"Because I killed her?"

Dinah nodded, then shook her head, then put her head in her hands. "Partly. I think? But, it was more than that. You were so cold, Merlin. Not like you. Not like the person I know."

"I'm simply--me. It hasn't come up here like it does in Camelot."

Dinah stared at him, then said, "So this happens a lot? No questions? Someone threatens Arthur with magic, and you just-- kill them?"

And she'd called him the Secret Service guy, but she'd been thinking how he'd saved Arthur's life and gotten his job as a manservant and not-- "Wait. Is this what happened when you saved Arthur's life the first time?"

Arrakis - Sietch Tabr - Wednesday Morning & Afternoon

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