Chapter 15

[Freakzilla]

The audacious nature of Muad'dib's actions may be seen in the fact that He knew
from the beginning whither He was bound, yet not once did He step aside from
that path. He put it clearly when He said: "I tell you that I come now to my
time of testing when it will be shown that I am the Ultimate Servant." Thus He
weaves all into One, that both friend and foe may worship Him. It is for this
reason and this reason only that His Apostles prayed: "Lord, save us from the
other paths which Muad'dib covered with the Waters of His Life. " Those "other
paths" may be imagined only with the deepest revulsion.
-from The Yiam-el-Din (Book of Judgment)

Scytale gets into Paul's keep by impersonating Lichna, daughter of Otheym, one of Paul's Fedaykin from before the Jihad. Chani identifies her for Bannerjee who takes her to Paul. This is the toughest part Scytale has ever had to play. Of course, Paul sees through the disguise immediately with his Bene Gesserit training. He did not see this face dancer coming which means he's hidden by a powerfull oracle, he can only see what he can't do, kill her. Lichna's message is that her father wishes to see Muad'dib and Chani concearning a water matter. He wants to tell Paul of a Fremen plot against him, all the details are in a human distrans that only Paul can open. Paul refuses to bring Chani and this is a huge monkey wrench in the conspiracy plan, Scytale doesn't give up though. Paul insists that Lichna go in Chani's place. She says her father instructed her not to return or their enemies would kill her, to seek asylum with Muad'dib. Paul says he will take Harah, one of Stilgar's wives instead. Lichna doesn't know she can trust her and Paul suggests Lichna's step-mother, who stil cares for Otheym, stand in. Paul dismisses her and doesn't tell anyone about her true nature. He can't stray from the vision or there will be violence. He has to find a way out of it, if a way exists.

[Freakzilla]

Clean

[georgiedenbro]

It's interesting to see the parallel plans going on during this scene. Scytale believes that his plan relies on his performance working and Paul not knowing his identity. Paul knows who he is and still goes along with the plan. Does Paul's knowledge that he is being led into Scytale's trap change anything for Paul, i.e. will the result for Paul be the same as if he hadn't seen through the disguise? Even if the result is inexorable it probably feels better to Paul knowing that he chose the path set for him rather than to be caught off-guard.

This makes me think of Thufir and Paul in Dune, especially this exchange:

"Thufir, old friend," Paul said, "as you can see, my back is toward no
door."
"The universe is full of doors," Hawat said.

The irony by now is that Paul is able to see all kinds of traps before they're sprung, but it just doesn't matter that much since based on how they're designed he's obliged to walk into them anyhow.

[Freakzilla]

It doesn't matter, Paul's locked onto this path. He knows that if he deviates the alternatives are worse.

There truly are Fremen in the conspiracy, Paul thought. This moment fitted
the shape of things to come for sure. And he had no alternative but to commit
himself to this course.
...
Should he tell Bannerjee about the messenger's true nature? he wondered. No!
Such an incident hadn't been written on the screen of his vision. Any deviation
here carried precipitate violence. A moment of fulcrum had to be found, a place
where he could will himself out of the vision.
If such a moment existed . . .

[georgiedenbro]

I think that's the nature of how subtle the traps are that are now laid for him. They deliberately set things up so that the best course for Paul to take is precisely the one they plan for him to take, and they assume he will be able to come to that conclusion and will have to play along. In this sense, knowing the trap exists actually forces Paul into the trap, to avoid something worse. The funny thing is that although things for Paul would be worse if he deviated from the path, we don't know whether they would be better or worse for his opponents.

While keeping to the path does seem like the better option for Paul, it's also the path the conspiracy is planning for. If Paul were to 'go renegade' on the path, he believes it would be bad for him and for Chani, but we don't really know whether it would be any good for the conspiracy. After all, they need not only Paul dead but Alia also. The conspirators bank on Paul making 'the smart choice', and so he seems to be doing. But isn't this the same course the Guild took for so long, the safe and sure course that would avoid the chance of destruction?

[Freakzilla]

But isn't this the same course the Guild took for so long, the safe and sure course that would avoid the chance of destruction?

Of course.

[georgiedenbro]

I was just reminded of the good old passage from Dune chapter 1 when Mohiam tells Paul that gnawing off a limb to escape a trap is an animal sort of trick, whereas a human would choose to remain in the trap in order to encounter the one who set it.

I'm not sure whether it is 'good' or not for Paul to remain trapped in the path he chose, although he certainly doesn't enjoy it. But between his BG training and his OM we might expect Paul to have some BG instincts in him. Maybe remaining in a trap is a bias that has been bred into him, even if it's a trap of his own creation. If the human waits in a trap to meet its maker, does Paul wait in the prescient trap to meet - himself? To protect others of his kind (humans) from others of his kind (oracles)?

Perhaps this tale is told in another story as well...