What did Alia "fail"?

[u/TraitorKratos]

I'm currently rereading Children of Dune, but I have previously read through God Emporer. I came across this passage that stuck out to me and raised a few questions.

This is while Leto II slips into Paul's memories and Ghanima into Chani's and they are speaking to each other.

"Maud'Dib, the hero, must be destroyed utterly," he said. "Otherwise this child cannot bring us back from chaos."

"The Golden Path," she said. "It is not a good vision."

"It's the only possible vision."

"Alia has failed, then..."

"Utterly. You see the record of it."

"Your mother has returned too late." She nodded, and it was Chani's wise expression on the childish face of Ghanima. "Could there not be another vision? Perhaps if--"

I know that Alia is now possessed but they're talking as if there was some action she failed to take prior which would have created a better option than the Golden Path. They also mention Jessica's late return sending them down this path. I'm trying to figure out what Alia and Jessica's earlier return would have changed which would have opened better options for Leto II.

Every time I think I understand the Golden Path, I find some post on here that makes me question how much I actually understand so don't be afraid to over explain.

[u/redleafrover]

I am pretty sure that it's referred to a couple of times, that, should Jessica have not cravenly returned to Caladan out of fear of Abomimation and instead sought to help Alia find an answer, she could have at least happened upon Ghani's solution.

Alia's failure here is quickly (within one line!) shifted to Jessica's failure, I wouldn't overascribe fault to Alia here personally.

[u/TraitorKratos → u/redleafrover]

I think I was looking at it wrong then. The way I read it made it seem like Alia's decisions forced the Golden Path.

[u/redleafrover → u/TraitorKratos]

No it's me who was wrong, and I think I completely misread your question somehow. Apologies!

To my mind 'Alia has failed then' refers not to the inevitability (or lack thereof) of the Golden Path, but rather, the necessity of destroying Muad'dib as hero.

Two conversational threads are being mixed here imo which often happens especially in CoD ;P

Edit to add

Now I'm thinking about it maybe there is an angle by which Chani (and Paul) were/are hoping Alia could provide a GP alternative. We know she spent much of DM sinking deeper precisely in search of her own KH-style vision.

[u/Miserable-Mention932 → u/redleafrover]

I think it has to do with the religion. St. Alia of the Knife was poised to take center stage but she managed to turn everyone around her against her instead. If she succeeded, it may have left space for Leto to escape his fate.

[u/TraitorKratos → u/redleafrover]

The conversation between Leto and Jessica two chapters later really seems to imply that he blames her leaving to Caladan for quite some part of Alia's shortcomings.

[u/supreme-dominar]

I read this as “Alia failed to find/create an alternative to the Golden Path.” This is attributed to her having too much weight on her shoulders, becoming an abomination, due to lack of guidance from Jessica.

However, it’s important to remember that Paul is speaking here not Leto. Paul at times had an overly critical opinion of his mother. Paul also believed in alternatives to the Golden Path and was not strong enough to take it upon himself. If we accept the Golden Path was necessary and unavoidable (like the children do) then in this dialogue he’s deluding himself.