Here's an idea I posted to Spacebattles.com a few months back:

To clarify on the last point, certain members of Dune fandom basically see Paul/Irulan as plausible as Hermione/Snape. That despite Irulan realising she loved her husband, Paul would never have shown any interest in her regardless of the circumstances.

Anyway, the consensus on Spacebattles was that it could be written, but (obviously) there would have to be much deviation from canon.

But would the Dune fans on here agree? Could it be actually written? And if so how?

 

Well, since no one else will...

I don't think it could work, off hand.

Irulan was a political marriage - Paul had already fallen in love with Chani long before he met the princess. To make the 'ship work, either Paul had to never meet Chani, she had to die without making an impression, or he had to foresee some reason why being with Irulan was better than being with Chani.

Now, the second one is impossible - Chani was a lot like Karrin Murphy in how she dealt with problems and people (ie - direct and forceful).

The first one is unlikely given the social structure of the Fremen, unless Paul and Jessica were found by a different group initially, or Chani had simply never been born... but that leads to a whole slew of other changes, such as who would mother the twins.

To make it truly 'Dune', tying the 'ship to Paul's foresight would narratively work the best, but Chani would still have to be around, or perhaps die in childbirth... In which case, once Irulan falls for him, she'd be the rebound girl, at best.

tl;dr: Probably not, unless Paul 'saw' himself falling for her, and refused to deviate from that.

 

I can see where you're coming from (as Dune almost necessitates Paul/Chani in the plot in a way that Harry/Ginny doesn't), but ultimately I think it just shows a Paul/Irulan fic would have to deviate from canon. But really, what's wrong with that? We don't just want a fic to be exactly the same as the first novel with only Paul/Irulan thrown in, do we?

There is a credible way however for Paul and Chani not together, that I happened to mention in the Sb.com thread. Keep Liet Kynes alive, and use that as a justification as to why Paul and Chani's relationship stays strictly platonic. As I think it could be plausibly argued that Kynes' death certainly played its part in getting Paul and Chani together.

 

No, because what got them to together was not just initial attraction, but his prescience(As Lil Chicago mentioned.) He saw himself with her, something I don't think Kynes being alive would alter at all.

 

My first thought after reading the premise was that Chani has to die, and Irulan would be the rebound girl. But doesn't Chani did die during childbirth anyway? And Paul turned down the offer of turning her into a ghola. What if Paul accepted the ghola offer, but Chani doesn't regain her memories like Duncan does in the other books? Thus, Paul - being distraught at ghola!Chani's differences - is driven towards Irulan?

It'd be a pretty hard sell because Paul promised Irulan a pregnancy via artificial insemination, I think.

The other option is to extend Paul's instincts for the desert. Remember how Kynes was amazed at how Paul got the stillsuit on right the first time while his father had to have all the straps adjusted? Well what if Paul knew how to wrap the water-rings in cloth to not make noise so that he never needed Chani's intervention and help, and never needed to unknowingly make that marriage proposal? (asking her to carry his water rings).

That's all I've got...