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cameronthecryptid · 4 days ago

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This is exactly like I imagined it. You nailed it. Where he's just like "My wife is possibly dead and I'm about to make it everyone's problem.".

I don't mean to make it seem so minor and stupid, but I imagined it's just like what would happen when you take a toddler's favorite toy and hide it, and they have an extreme and violent meltdown up until you give it back and then they just calm down like they weren't just freaking the hell out. Except with Leto there's literal casualties.

Summary: No longer a member of his harem, but now his wife and Duchess of House Atreides, Leto thinks the worst has happened to you. He doesn't care for a life without you, but he does care about revenge. (death, suicidal ideation, sadness, happy ending though!, p in v, ~3.6k)

A/N: @cameronthecryptid -You sent a WONDERFUL message about this and my inbox ate it. It was basically how Anselm and Leto would simp for their dead beloved in the same way... by destroying everything. And I agree with you!

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A Spacing Guild Heighliner isn’t supposed to disappear.

Then again, spice-fueled navigators and folding space itself, was inherently dangerous. That's what the Emperor’s liaison said when he delivered the news to Leto.

Leto had the man killed.

With a nod to Duncan, Leto had directed his Sword Master to unsheathe his weapon and slice cleanly through the man’s neck. His head left a trail of bright, wet blood in front of Leto’s desk. As the days went on, it dried dark. Leto forbade it from being washed away.

The Heighliner only had a few hundred on it when it disappeared, no one of note. Except for you.

Leto knew you’d been the target. He was sure there were political machinations at work. Some message your killers wanted to send.

Leto didn’t care about any of that. He only needed to know who’d had a hand in it, so he could destroy them.

Only Gurney Halleck and Leto himself knew that House Atreides had twice the nuclear arsenal of the other Houses. It was a happy accident at a time like this.

One House was only allowed so many nukes, but years ago, when the Emperor had ordered House Atreides to claim Arrakis as its fief, Leto had tried negotiating separate arsenals for both there and Caladan. He was to govern both, and he reasoned that they needed equal defense.

The Emperor had forbade it. Leto had done it anyway.

“You need proof. Not much, but anything,” Gurney argued with his old friend. “You can’t destroy House Harkonnen and Giedi Prime with literally nothing to show the Emperor.”

“Perhaps I should use half for Giedi Prime and send half straight into Shaddam’s palace. Both problems solved,” Leto said.

Gurney rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t slept in the 3 days since the guild ship you’d been on had disappeared. Leto hadn’t either, but the hollows around his lord’s eyes had more to do with the fact that he’d rather plot revenge than think about how you were never coming back to Caladan. Never returning home.

“Shaddam had a hand in it,” Leto said.

Gurney nodded grimly. “Yes, it seems likely.”

“He ordered she come to his palace a few days ahead of my arrival, to introduce herself to the court, make herself comfortable.” Leto’s words were bitter and harsh. “I was always suspicious of him throwing a ball in our honor. Of celebrating my finally marrying, producing an heir. I knew he had an ulterior motive. But this-“

Leto’s lips clamped shut. He turned away from Gurney.

Gurney looked away as well, both men struggling. Leto’s breathing stuttered, like he was trying to keep from bursting into angry tears. Gurney’d shed a few himself, alone at night.

You’d brought light to the palace of Caladan, not only with the young heir who would now never know his mother, but with your presence.

You’d grown from an inexperienced harem girl into a beautiful woman, worthy of her title. You had a fierce loyalty to your husband that Gurney admired greatly.

Love hadn’t softened Leto, Duke Atreides was stoic and shrewd as always, but the happiness Gurney found in seeing Leto look at you with love, of hearing how pleased the staff were with their new Duchess… Gurney would mourn its loss for the rest of his days.

And, as Leto had said immediately after the news had been delivered, Gurney’s only purpose in life now was to find out who had done this, and to watch them die. That was fine with Gurney, though. He considered killing Harkonnens to be noble work.

Still, there was more to this plot.

“If I may, my lord,” Gurney said quietly. “While the Harkonnens and the Emperor might have carried out my lady’s assassination, I think we both know who wanted her punished the most.”

“The fucking sisterhood,” Leto spit out. “They never liked that I took her as my wife and mother to House Atreides’ future. They had no control over her. She was loyal only to me. To us.”

“The more she cut ties with them, the more paranoid they became,” Gurney said, his voice edged with steel.

Leto turned back, cold fury in his eyes. “The witches will burn.”

“I would like that,” Gurney agreed. “Rooting them out will take time. The rest of our lives.”

“I have no life, not anymore. It died with her,” Leto said quietly.

*****

Sunset on Caladan was always Leto's favorite time. Not only because of the long shadows and stillness, but because it meant the day was done. He could trudge upstairs, to your waiting body and love.

Leto dreads it now, the end of the day.

He works himself to the bone.

He has two functions, two focuses. Running House Atreides, and plotting the downfall of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.

Gurney is in charge of planning the assaults and assassinations. Thufir in charge of finding allies, and a way to the Bene Gesserit homeworld. It’s Leto’s fondest wish to watch it explode with his own eyes.

Gurney has taken to eating a small evening meal in Leto’s office, together, so they can plan.

“Thufir and I have already managed to stage natural-looking deaths for two of the Reverend Mother’s closest confidants,” Gurney says. “We think her spirit is so dampened she doesn’t yet realize that the deaths are related. It will buy us time to get the rest of our plans in place. The two women were the most cautious of the bunch.”

“Good. I remember them. Heartless witches with unseeing eyes. Neither were kind to my love when she was trained by the sisters. They received what they earned." He wipes a napkin over his beard and mustache, though he's eaten almost nothing. "Please, stay as long as you like here, I’m going to upstairs to say goodnight to the baby.”

Gurney rises politely as Leto leaves. It wrings Gurney’s heart that every night, his lord goes upstairs to kiss his son. He hopes it brings Leto a little joy, but Gurney worries nothing will bring Leto comfort ever again.

Leto always spares time to tell the baby a story of their ancestors, about a brave or kind deed. It was a ritual you'd started.

He has to carve out his son’s power in the Imperium with blood and violence. To ensure House Atreides’ safety, and to ensure your memory is never forgotten.

After Leto’s finished in his son’s room, he pauses at the door to the main bedchamber. It’s closed.

He’ll never sleep there again. He can’t even look at the bed.

Sometimes, he buries his face in your dresses, still hung neatly in the closet. He washes himself with your soaps and shampoos. The water of his bath washes away his tears.

A week without you has been an eternity. To think of living the rest of his life without you…

Leto doesn’t open the door. He’ll have a servant come up for bed clothes and a fresh uniform for tomorrow.

In fact, Leto decides not to enter the room again. Never.

He prefers to think you’re in there. To pretend you’re waiting, warm and willing, stubborn and strong. Willing to obey, to please him, something that made him want to see you smile all the more.

The way you would fall asleep waiting for him to come up from his office, naked and tangled in the sheets. You always wore jewelry, even to bed, like you wanted him with you even in sleep. Your eyelids would be heavy when he entered. Your smile would shine like a loving welcome.

A few steps from the door, Leto braces his hand on the wall. Without a sound, he falls to his knees.

He can’t live without you. His mind reels with thoughts he’s been keeping at bay for days.

His son, whom he loves more than House Atreides, more than legacy itself, could be raised by his friends and advisers. They could rule in the boy’s stead until he came of age.

The pain of losing you is too much to bear. One man cannot endure it. The torture of not having you. The endless loneliness.

He’d never accepted a woman into his heart before. Certainly never expected that a woman would accept him as he was, possessive and demanding. But you had. You’d wanted all of him. The only thing Leto had wanted was you. He always would.

People speak of him as if he were a great man. Leto didn't care if people thought him heartless before. In fact, he'd tried to pretend he didn't have one. But you'd changed everything.

No, he cannot live without his heart and soul.

Leto decides: as soon as the plan to destroy the Bene Gesserit is properly begun, he’ll join you. Gurney, Thufir, and the council will finish what was started.

Wherever you are, even if it’s endless nothing. It would be better than this.

He braces his hands on the floor. He should get up, but he’s lost the will to rise.

Leto looks back as a door opens, hoping his son’s nanny doesn’t see him in such a state. The door to the boy’s room is closed.

His brows draw together in concern. His eyes scan the hallway.

There you are, standing in the doorway of the bedchamber. You have on a long, white gown and the warm light of the room spills over you.

“Leto,” you gasp.

You look like a dream. You are a dream, Leto thinks. A perfect one he wants never to wake from.

“My love, please, take me with you,” Leto pleads.

Your beautiful eyes widen ever so slightly. “What do you mean?”

Leto swallows, looking up at you from his hands and knees as you walk closer to him. “Wherever you are, that is where I must be.”

“I’m right here,” you say as you kneel down in front of him.

“What?” Leto says, confusion and desperation muddling his brain.

You take his hands, kissing them with your soft lips.

“I’m here. I’m back,” you say, tears in your eyes.

Leto shuts his eyes tightly, afraid to hope that when he opens them again you’ll still be there. But he does.

And you are.

Now that you’re closer he sees fading bruises on your face. Your left wrist and arm are bandaged.

“Does this mean you’re alive?” Leto whispers. He pulls one of his hands away, touches your face as if it’s made of delicate glass.

“I am,” you smile shakily. “The ship had to stop in the middle of our journey. We crashed on a small, barren planet. Luckily, a few Spacing Guild members were aboard and were able to somehow use the ship’s communications to get help. Not everyone survived. I demanded the rescue ship drop me off here on Caladan.”

Leto’s hands shake as he brings them to your face, down your neck and shoulders. He feels down the front of your gown, your waist and hips. He leans forward, lets his face rest on your thighs.

He groans. “My love.”

You let tears fall from your eyes, not bothering to wipe them. You pick up Leto’s face, your hands full of his salt and pepper beard.

“My Leto,” you smile. “Did you miss me?”

A laugh escapes him. “You don’t know the half of it.”

“I sneaked into the palace. I wasn’t sure if it was safe, but I already spent time with the baby. I know we should go downstairs, find the council,” you say reluctantly.

“No, they cannot have you yet.” Leto shakes his head. “You’re mine first.”

Leto takes your hands again and stands, pulling you with him through the bedchamber door. He slams it shut, his mouth already on yours, devouring, tasting, consuming.

You undo his jacket, letting the uniform fall in a heap to the floor.

Leto pushes at your nightgown, frustrated. “There’s a very good reason I never allow you to wear clothes at night.”

You laugh. To Leto, it feels like cold water on a fresh burn.

“I never will again,” you promise.

“You will never leave my side again,” Leto corrects. From his tone, you know he’s serious. His hands hold you close. “You’ll not travel more than a few hours from me, and most definitely not off planet.”

His brown eyes are deep, wild, almost mad.

“Leto, that’s not practical.”

In an instant, you’re crushed against him. His big hands squeeze you, one keeping your head tucked against his neck. You can hear his heart beating, like the thrum of a hard rain pounding on stone.

“You being even a few hours from me is a kindness I’m loathe to grant. I’d rather have you leashed so I could hold you close to me forever.” Leto moves your head so you can see the authority of his expression, hear the command in his voice. “You will not leave Caladan without me. You will not leave the main island without me. Is that clear?”

His fingers tighten on your face.

“Yes, Leto.”

He relaxes, but you see the stress of the week still written on his face. Grief is etched in every part of him.

The corner of your mouth turns up. “You’ve always preferred to keep me in the bedroom.”

Leto stands a bit straighter, looking down his nose at you. “Actually, I’d planned to confine you here anyway, when we got back from the Emperor’s palace. Just until you I could get you pregnant again. But now, I think I’m going to insist you stay in the palace for a few months, until I can ensure your safety.”

You wrap your arms around him. “I was so scared,” you say, resting against his chest.

Leto helps you to bed, pulling you down so you’re half under him, cocooned in safety. He kisses your head and temples.

“My beautiful girl,” Leto whispers. “You have no idea what I felt, knowing you were ripped from my life.”

You kiss him gently and Leto’s hands smoothly remove your nightgown the rest of the way. His body presses against yours, hard and straining to be inside of you.

With shaking fingers, you undo Leto’s pants. He only gets them around his ankles before he settles between your thighs. The hot, soft tip of his cock pushes swiftly inside.

You drop back on the bed with a moan.

Leto fills you. Careful not to touch your injured arm, he threads his fingers through your other hand. Swift punches of his hips that steal your breath and make you sigh his name, show you how much he missed you.

You wrap your legs around him and he groans. His tongue massages yours.

“I would never have taken another woman,” he says. “No one could feel like you do. So soft and tight, so wet. Move your hips more, my love. Give me what I’ve dreamed of.”

You let the muscles of your cunt squeeze him relentlessly. Leto fucks you with a desperation you’ve never felt from him.

Yes, he’s often desperate to make you come or to make you beg for his release to fill you.

This, though, is different.

As scared as you’d been during the crash, things could’ve been much worse. You’d spent a few nights waiting for help. Thoughts of Leto and your son had kept you from going crazy. Once you were away from the crash site, you’d been too anxious to be scared. All you’d wanted was Leto, filling your every sense, holding you like he’d never let you go again.

Now, you realize what Leto had been through.

It hadn’t occurred to you that you’d been reported as dead.

Seeing the wild look in Leto’s eyes, though, you can tell that’s exactly what had happened.

It’s why you’d found him on his knees in the hallway. Why he’d thought you a dream.

Leto’s hips slow. His thumb brushes your cheek and you realize you’re crying.

He kisses you, softly and deeply. “Our nightmare is over, sweet girl. You’re back where you belong, in our bed, with me inside of you.”

Your hands trace down his back, over the swell of his ass. You pull him deeper.

“You want more?” he asks. His lashes flutter gently as he looks down at you. His fingers toy with your nipples. “I can be gentle, this once.”

You shake your head. “I don’t want gentle. I want my husband.”

His jaw moves and his beard along with it. You see the tight emotion on his face. “There is no one in any universe that could compare to you. I love you.”

He rarely says it so plainly. He’s a man of action, and pet names that remind you of your importance. Compliments are plentiful from his beautiful lips. He calls you his love, but hearing those three words means more to you than any gift he’s ever given you.

“I love you too,” you say.

Leto kisses you again. Your thighs hitch around his hips, but he grabs them with his strong hands, untangling you and pushing them back. He surges forward, the weight of him pressed down on your hips. Your eyes roll back as he sinks his cock to the hilt. You grab the sheets, breath hissing through your teeth as your skin stretches to its limit.

“Relax,” you hear Leto’s voice say. “You can take me, love. You were meant to do so. Breathe.”

You take a deep breath, feeling your body accept him again. Even a week away has made you tighter.

Leto rocks his hips. The weight of his pelvis, how full he makes you, it all crashes into you at once and you come so hard your back arches almost to the point of pain. Your lungs drag breath in, your body turning the air into moans and Leto’s name over and over from your lips.

Leto can barely move in and out, you’re so tight. But it feels so good like this, for both of you.

“You like that, don’t you?” He bends over you further, his face hovering above yours. “You love to feel this way. And I love to feel you come. Again. Make her beg for my seed and I will grant it to her.”

Every sentence is punctuated by his hips. He fucks into you faster. Whining, keening moans are all you can do. You pant shallowly. Leto pushes your legs apart another fraction, enough that the hair at the base of his cock grinds against your clit and you come again for him. You sob his name, feel his hips stutter, pressed flush against you.

Leto comes in you with a low growl, his hand on your stomach, as if he wants to feel himself fill you.

His tan forehead is dotted with pinpricks of sweat as he lets your legs down. He’s out of breath, but looks more in control of himself.

You let yourself lie limply on the bed. Leto sits up beside you, looking you over from top to toes. You do the same. He looks paler and thinner than usual, but you'll never tire of seeing him.

“Are you very hurt?” he says.

“Now you ask?” You smirk at him.

A smile ghosts at the edges of his lips. “You know I can’t contain myself around you. I never could.” His hand brushes up and down your thigh. “From the first moment our eyes met, I had to have you. I knew you were more than a body in a harem.”

“And I thought how fortunate I was, to be sent to the most handsome leader in the Imperium.” You reach up and toy with the curls that fall forward onto his face.

Leto’s expression fades from contentment back to the serious frown he wears when he’s displeased. “I don’t like to think about how your fate could have been different. How you would’ve suffered under another’s hand.”

“I know,” you say softly.

“But I do think, perhaps, it won’t be long before young girls are no longer taught to trade their bodies for power.” Leto’s brown eyes rise to meet yours. “I mean to end the sisterhood. Their influence is too great. They have a woman in the bed of every great leader in the universe, whispering in their ears. The Reverend Mother sucks power from the Great Houses, using women as her tools to do so. Also, I cannot let them live, not after what they did to you, my love.”

You prop yourself up on your elbow. “The accident was deliberate?”

Leto’s face turns hard. “Yes. We’ve devised a plan. By the time our son ascends to Duke, he won’t be given a woman, as if she’s property and neither of them have any choice in the matter.”

“I thought you liked the way I was given to you,” you tease him.

Leto’s brown eyes melt as they look over your naked body. “I liked the power I had over you. I still do. But I never take it for granted. I’ve always tried to treat you with respect.”

“You do,” you reassure him. “You were so patient on our first night together. You didn’t force me, didn’t take me as if you had the right to anything you wished. You asked me not to fear you.”

You see Leto swallow thickly at the memory. “You’ll never have a reason to. But soon, many others will. I hope you can accept that, my love.”

“I’ve always wanted you exactly as you are, Leto. Harsh sometimes, authoritative, but never without reason. And I’ve always known there’s violence in you,” you say reluctantly, “but never as a husband or father.”

Leto nods deeply, “thank you.”

He lies down next to you, pulling you close.

You really do need to wake the rest of the palace. They should know you’re alive.

You can’t bring yourself to leave Leto’s arms, though. He’ll know when it’s time. Until then, you hold onto this man you love so much.

He could’ve been a gentle soul. If, as Leto had said, fate had been different. Instead, he’d been shaped by his power. In time, he’d learned to wield it with deadly accuracy.

You almost feel sorry for his enemies. Almost.

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