find a doctor as dedicated, I would keep him as my personal physician on Caladan.”
Yueh seemed embarrassed, but Tessia interrupted before he could answer. “Politics, medical doctors, complaints? Is this the way House Atreides prepares for a wedding?”
“Tessia’s right,” Rhombur agreed. “We shouldn’t stand around in the noise and heat of the spaceport. Take us back to Castle Caladan. I’m certain my wife wants to see Jessica again, and we’re all anxious to meet your bride-to-be.”
BACK AT THE Castle, Jessica greeted them, standing at Ilesa’s side. Paul recognized and admired what his mother was doing, and thought she was remarkably composed and elegant.
The whole front foyer and reception hall had been decorated with Caladan pennants, ornate streamers, and large potted plants from Ecaz. Paul could smell the lush greenery, and the flowers that had already begun to bloom in the few days since they’d been set out.
“An auspicious beginning.” Rhombur stroked the plants with his prosthetic hands. “Look at the blooms!”
“A wedding gift from Duke Prad Vidal,” Leto said. “I think Ilesa is very pleased.”
“She should be pleased just to be marrying you, Leto,” Rhombur said. Then he glanced at Jessica and seemed embarrassed by his comment. “It’ll all work out for the best. Leto, you always seem to manage that.”
13
Is it impossible for the mighty and powerful to be as happy as common folk? Not impossible perhaps, but extremely difficult.
On the day of the wedding, Castle Caladan looked magical. Fabric streamers blended the colors of House Atreides and House Ecaz in a symbolic braid. A set of jeweled mirrors from Richese faced each other along the foyer hall. Fine crystal goblets from Balut graced every place setting for the grand banquet that would follow the ceremony. Ixian clocks chimed a harmonic sequence with every hour. Wrapped wedding gifts from countless Landsraad Houses filled tables in side alcoves, each package prominently displaying the giver’s name. Lush potted plants from Elacca decorated the stage of the grand hall.
Duke Leto was most touched by a wall-sized, hand-stitched quilt that had been crafted by the locals, one square given by each family in the fishing village and merchant district of Cala City. The people had made this with their own sweat and devotion, not because they sought political favors or alliances, but because they loved their Duke. Leto told Paul to learn from it, and demanded that the quilt be kept forever in Castle Caladan.
For days, Paul had watched guests arrive — representatives of prominent noble families. Putting his formal training in etiquette, politics, and protocol to use, he made an effort to meet every guest, noting details about their mannerisms, moods, and other features, so that he could remember them. Paul had been raised to be the next Duke, and would continue to believe that was the case, despite this new marriage.
As a formality, Leto had invited his cousin Shaddam IV, but was not surprised when neither the Emperor nor any important representative from Kaitain bothered to attend, though the Emperor did send a courier with kind wishes and the gift of an ornate set of cutlery. At first, Paul wondered if Shaddam was being petulant that Duke Atreides had not attended his own recent wedding; then he realized that someone as powerful as the Padishah Emperor would never hold such a petty grudge.
His father was kept so busy making arrangements that Paul barely saw him in the hours leading up to the actual ceremony. The morning dawned sunny on Caladan. Town bells rang, and the fishermen flew colorful pennants on their boats to celebrate the Duke’s marriage.
Inside his bedchamber Paul took care in getting dressed. The garments he donned — a black jacket with razor-edge collar and tasteful tails, a white shirt with crisp cuffs, black trousers — had been carefully fitted by the finest tailor on Caladan. The elegant old man even pinned a badge with the Atreides hawk crest on the boy’s chest. When Paul regarded himself in the looking glass, he decided he looked like a child playing dress-up.
But Duke Leto thought otherwise. Paul turned to see his father standing in the doorway, a look of pride on his face. “This is supposed to be my special day, Paul, but you might well steal the show. You look as if you could become Emperor yourself.”
Paul had never been particularly adept at accepting compliments, especially extravagant ones. “All eyes will be on you, Father.”
“No, all eyes will be on
“And today, we all have our jobs to do, don’t we?” Paul wasn’t sure if he had intended the comment to sting. Seeing his father’s expression falter, Paul stepped forward and reached up to straighten his collar. “I am ready to meet the guests. Tell me what I can do to assist you.”
The guests had gathered in the grand hall. The costumes, faces, exotic features, and traditional adornments of so many noble Houses made Paul dizzy. Even this tiny representative slice of population demonstrated how widespread the Imperium was, how many different planets and ethnic groups the Emperor ruled. It amazed him that all could come together beneath a single ruler.
Archduke Ecaz was smiling and full of good cheer, his long silver hair held back by a thin circlet. His formal uniform was embellished with ruffles and jewels, so elaborate that he was upstaged only by his wiry Swordmaster Whitmore Bludd.
No matter how Ilesa might be dressed, Paul could not imagine that she would look more beautiful than his mother. He was right. In a long gold-and-black gown, Lady Jessica was breathtaking. He wondered if she had done that intentionally, to remind Duke Leto of all she had to offer.
Thufir Hawat wore an old military uniform, one that featured medals he had earned during his service with Duke Paulus and Earl Dominic Vernius in the Ecazi revolt so many years before. House Atreides had a long-standing history of supporting House Ecaz.
Hawat had once again scanned the grand hall, dispatching his security troops through all public areas. Each wedding guest had been searched in accordance with standard security protocols. None of the nobles took offense, for they would have imposed the same measures upon their own visitors. At every doorway, Atreides soldiers stood beside their Ecazi counterparts.
Duncan Idaho had also dressed for the day. As a Swordmaster, he often played the role of dashing warrior, the Duke’s special fighter and bodyguard; now he wore the formal sword of Old Duke Paulus strapped to his side, a weapon he had carried many times into battle for House Atreides. Paul knew Duncan’s abilities were unmatched, although the two visiting Swordmasters from House Ecaz were also there to show their mettle, if need be.
Despite his attempts to make himself presentable, Gurney Halleck was not designed for formal clothing. His body had been battered too many times, and the inkvine scar stood out on his jawline, defying any attempts at makeup. He was a man more accustomed to work clothes that let him move among the common folk. He was meant to sit with a nine-string baliset on his knee and sing songs to noblemen, rather than pretend to be one of them. But the grin on his face dismissed all awkwardness. Seeing Paul in his outfit, Gurney said, “Young pup, you look like a future director of CHOAM.”
“Oh, I was trying to look like the son of a Duke.”
Duke Leto had chosen his son as best man, and for the honor, Paul had been coached not only by his mother but by official planners and choreographers. Now, one of the choreographers motioned for him to take his place on the garlanded stage that had been erected just for the wedding. Paul walked past the huge potted plants on the stage toward the central podium that held an ancient oversized Orange Catholic Bible, the same book that had been used at the wedding of Paulus and Helena, as well as eighteen generations of Atreides before that. Armand Ecaz stood to one side of the podium with Swordmasters Dinari and Bludd, while Paul joined Duke Leto, Thufir, Gurney, and Duncan on the opposite side.
When he turned to face the room full of strangers, Paul’s eyes fixed upon the large figure of Prince Rhombur,
