Fic: De Divinatione, part I
title: De Divinatione, part I
pairing: Billy/Dominic
rating: PG-13 (so far)
words: 4400+ (this chapter)
warning: AU: made-up religion, semi-made-up locations, a bit of angst, WIP
summary: Dominic is sent across the desert to another city; naturally, he needs an escort.
thanks: to Raquel, of course, for encouragement and general discussion, as well as for making me this perfect banner on about 10 minutes' notice. *mega-♥*
notes: This is the first part of a much longer fic that, while still unfinished, is already about 13,000 words, and still growing. I’ll probably be posting more chapters sometime in the near future.
Dominic stared at the wall of candles long enough that he could see each of the flickering flames when he closed his eyes. After a long period of slow, deep breathing, Dominic closed his eyes and tossed a set of stones into the air. Most of them landed within the small circle painted on the ground in front of him, which was good-it meant that the reading was more certain.
Dominic carefully manoeuvred around the scattered stones and rolled onto his stomach to examine them closely. His chart was at his side, but Dominic was confident in his knowledge, and he didn't reach for it. Long moments passed before Dominic sat up again, words turning themselves over in his mind.
Man, Journey, Danger, Death, Life, Illness (or Love), and Choice had all come up in the reading, within the circle. Dominic had briefly glanced at the stones outside the circle and discarded their meanings: Anger, Knowledge, Betrayal, Hurt. They'd rolled so far away that Dominic was reasonably sure that they had no purpose in the reading.
With the prophecy firmly in his memory, Dominic gathered his stones and put them into his leather pouch, which he kept tied to his belt. He would bring the news to the priests and priestesses, who would decide what to do with the information.
***
Billy slammed his sword at the ground with all his might. It went in a couple of inches, but that was it. He groaned and pushed all his weight against it, but it didn't move any deeper. The ground was so dry and barren here. Billy hadn't even seen any green plants in several hours.
Settling onto his knees beside his sword, Billy scanned the horizon in all directions. To the East, he could see the faint blur of the forest he'd come from, and directly opposite, to the West, the glint of the city spires. It had been a few years since Billy had been to Jezoral, and he was surprised to find that he wasn't much looking forward to visiting again.
His last experience involved hunting down a gang of thieves who'd turned out to be mere children, by Billy's standards. He didn't like the "us-and-them" mentality of the city, though he knew he was just as prejudiced-if not more so-as those that lived there.
Using his sword to push himself to his feet, Billy sighed and walked on, keeping the sun-bright spires in his sight.
***
"What? What do you mean?" Dominic blurted out, at once biting his bottom lip hard to keep from speaking again.
"You must go across the desert and set up a temple there. We will find a knight to escort you," the High Priestess repeated slowly, obviously annoyed at Dominic's outburst.
"But. I. That is to say-"
"Go to your rooms and prepare for your journey. We will give you further instructions tomorrow at dawn, by which time your escort will have been chosen."
Dominic pursed his lips in distaste, but bowed his head respectively and exited the candlelit chamber.
***
"Bill?"
"Yeah, John?"
"You want to go back across the desert?"
Billy grimaced. He'd only just arrived after spending a week touring the forest and the desert, and he wasn't in a hurry to go back.
"Your other options are the King's guard or gate-keeping," John continued disdainfully.
"I guess it's better than staying here. Why, though?"
"The priests want to set up some kind of temple in the East. They're sending someone across to set it up, and he needs an escort. You seem to be the man for the job, if you want it."
Billy rolled his eyes at the thought of having someone accompany him, but he nodded. "When do I leave?"
"Report to the High Temple tomorrow morning. Have fun."
"Thanks." Billy playfully slapped his friend's arm and set off for the barracks. Hopefully he'd get at least one night's sleep in a real bed.
***
Dominic was told to dress and pack his things before the sun rose. He was to meet with the High Priests and Priestesses before his escort came. He joined the other prophets for their daily morning prayer, inexplicably saddened that he would be leaving, even though he didn't have any friends and hadn't even left the temple in over a year.
Dominic knelt in the prayer circle and placed his pouch of stones on the ground in front of him. The others did the same. One by one, they each withdrew one stone and set it in front of them. The readings from all of these stones would start off the day. He was called away early, however, by a young page, who nervously tapped him on the shoulder.
"What is it?" Dominic asked irritably.
"I'm to summon you to the High Chamber," the boy whispered. The prophetess kneeling beside Dominic turned to glare at the page. "Right away," he added unnecessarily.
Dominic sighed and bowed his head to his colleagues. "Apologies. I must leave. My stone is 'the cloud'." Without another word, Dominic rose fluidly to his feet and followed the page out of the courtyard. The sun peeked over the high stone wall.
***
Billy stood with his hands clasped in front of him, eyes lowered respectfully, to the right of the doorway. The small pageboy returned with the prophet in tow-the newcomer hadn't noticed him yet. The page bowed and scurried into the shadows. The prophet bowed low and pushed back his hood with a sweep of his hand.
He was younger than Billy was expecting, dressed in the traditional midnight-blue, hooded robe, and his hair was longish, shaggy, and a very ordinary shade of brown. He stood with his back straight and his hands curled into loose fists at his sides.
"Your escort, Dominic." The High Priestess gestured towards Billy, who raised a hand in greeting.
The prophet, Dominic, turned slowly on his heel to face Billy. His eyes were rimmed thickly in black and his lips were stained a dark, unnaturally deep red. He looked like death, until he raised his eyes to meet Billy's. His eyes were bright, clear blue, full of life and... disdain. Billy couldn't really blame him. The poor man had probably never left the temple.
***
The knight was small, probably smaller than Dominic himself-Dominic smirked inwardly at that, though his mind immediately questioned the man's skill-and he seemed uncomfortable in the chamber. He wore a weather-beaten leather coat which hung to his knees. Dominic saw the hilt of his sword at his belt.
"William Boyd," the knight said.
"Dominic Monaghan," Dominic replied, not taking his eyes off Boyd's sword.
"He will take you to Luaves, where you will teach the prophets your art at the newly built temple there. You've packed your belongings?"
"I have," Dominic affirmed. "Am I to stay there?"
***
Poor sod, Billy thought. He didn't want to leave. Billy pitied him.
Dominic turned back around, to face his superiors. Billy watched his stance change as he asked about his fate. Dominic's hands shook ever so slightly, and he pressed them against his thighs.
"You are to stay and teach until a prophecy dictates otherwise," one of the priests confirmed. Dominic's shoulders fell. It was barely noticeable, but Billy saw, and he frowned. But it wasn't his place to intervene here.
***
"I shall do as the gods command," Dominic said readily, though he felt a bit sick to his stomach.
"Boyd will tell you of the journey. If there are any final preparations you must make, do them before midday, which is when you will leave the city."
Dominic nodded. "Thank you." He bowed from the waist, closed his eyes, and breathed in the scent of the stuffy chamber. When he straightened, he left the room quickly, not waiting for Boyd to follow. Quick footsteps told him the knight did follow, though, and Dominic slowed his pace. The other man was soon walking at Dominic's side.
"Erm. What should I call you?" he asked quietly. "Prophet? Dominic? Mr. Monaghan?"
"Dominic is fine."
"Aye, well. You can call me Bill or Billy, if you like. I don't go by William among friends."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Billy." Dominic didn't look at the knight, instead staring straight ahead, not even seeing the hallway before him.
"Dominic?"
"Yes?"
Billy hesitated, then stopped short. Dominic halted and turned to face him. "Yes?" he repeated impatiently.
Billy seemed to rethink what he was about to say. "Nothing. Are you ready to go?"
Dominic sighed and frowned. "A page at the gate has my bag."
"And that's it? You just... leave?"
"Until the gods command me to return," Dominic replied, raising an eyebrow at Billy's question.
***
"Okay, then." Billy bit back a snide comment about Dominic's so-called gods, knowing it would only spark an argument, something they didn't need to deal with before they'd even left the temple. "Erm... The desert's harsh; dry, hot, and dusty, but it's not hard to cross. The forest is more comfortable, but also more dangerous, which is why I'm going with you. I was told to see you safely to the temple in Luaves, so that's what I'll do."
Dominic nodded. "I guess I'm ready."
"Do you need to say goodbye to anyone?" Billy asked softly. He was sure that even a blind man would notice Dominic's reluctance to leave this place.
But the young prophet shook his head. "I don't have any friends. Let's go."
***
Dominic led the way towards the main gate; he walked purposefully, proudly, which Billy thought was odd, considering everything he'd heard about these people being respectful to the gods. But Billy walked a half-step behind Dominic and didn't ask. They stopped at the gate so Dominic could talk to the gatekeepers and find his belongings. Billy waited off to the side. He wasn't entirely comfortable within the confines of the temple; his place was outdoors, or at least out of the gods' house.
Finally, Dominic came over and tapped him on the shoulder, a floppy, cloth knapsack slung over one shoulder. Billy cocked his head towards the gate, and Dominic nodded. Smiling encouragingly, Billy took the lead.
***
Immediately outside the temple's gate, Dominic felt nervous. He followed close behind Billy, his eyes darting around as he tried to take in everything happening around him. At the temple, Dominic led a quiet life. The priests never spoke outside of their rooms, and the prophets only occasionally sought out conversation. It wasn't quite lonely, but there were times when Dominic had felt alone. But out here, everyone was talking and laughing and shouting and there were dogs chasing children and barking at market vendors, and there were horses and mules and carts overflowing with freshly caught fish and dried fruits and colorful fabrics.
Dominic was also self-conscious in the marketplace crowd. He knew that people of the church were sometimes heckled by the commoners who didn't share their beliefs, and he'd never been outside the temple without changing into normal street-clothes. He was still wearing his deep blue robe, though he'd left the hood down, and he felt like all eyes were upon him. Billy didn't seem to notice.
There was a young man leaning against a wall, in the shade of the building, sharpening a dagger on a stone, and he glared at Dominic, who licked his lips and looked away. Billy stepped casually to the side, putting himself in-between Dominic and the man, and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Perhaps Billy did notice, then.
***
Dominic would have to take off his robe as soon as he had the chance. Billy didn't want their journey to end before they'd left the city. He was annoyed with himself for not thinking of these things.
After walking for five minutes or so, Billy took Dominic by the arm and ushered him into an alley. The soldier's barracks were across the street; they would be safe here.
"Take off your robe," he murmured. "Do you have something else to wear?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."
"Neither did I," Billy replied. "No harm yet, though. After you change, we can go through the market. We need some food and you should have a better shoes than those."
"What's wrong with my shoes?" Dominic asked indignantly, looking down at his feet.
"They won't last across the desert. Don't worry, we can get everything we need from the market, and we should be out of the city by nightfall."
Billy looked away respectfully as Dominic slipped out of his robe. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Dominic was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of thin, white trousers underneath. Dominic quickly redressed in a matching shirt and held his arms out for Billy's approval.
The lad still looked a bit conspicuous, and the white clothes only made the darkness around his eyes and mouth more noticeable, but it couldn't be helped. Billy made a mental note to get Dominic some sturdy, normal clothes in addition to the shoes.
***
"Have you been to the market?" Billy asked as they set off again.
Dominic nodded and walked close to Billy's side, still wary of his surroundings. "A few years ago."
Billy shot Dominic a grin. "It's changed since then."
"Changed?" Dominic glanced around again. "How?" He felt Billy's hand at the small of his back, leading him forward. Dominic unconsciously stepped out of Billy's reach, and was glad when Billy dropped his hand back to his side.
"There hasn't been enough rain in the desert the past two years. It's made travel much harder for the salesmen. There's not much fresh fruit anymore. Nothing from the East."
Dominic saw that Billy was right. There were more fish vendors than he'd seen before, and none of the bright, succulent fruit he remembered. There even seemed to be a shortage of meats. The seaside city had two things in abundance, he noticed: fish, and fabric. Everywhere Dominic looked, he found a stall displaying fine silks, richly-coloured cottons, and soft furs.
Billy followed Dominic's gaze and nodded. "The dyes and furs come in on ships from India and Africa. At the outskirts of the city, there's cotton plantations. And of course, the fish are caught just out in the bay. But this is still an arid town; across the desert, there's green everywhere."
"Must be nice," Dominic murmured absently. "Is it much different, there?"
"The customs are the same, I think." Billy touched his back again, urging him on, but he pulled away almost immediately. "They have the same attitudes about your church."
"I see." Dominic licked his lips, studying Billy's expression. He was a hard man to read, and usually Dominic was very perceptive of people. It was a trait common amongst people with foresight.
***
It was nearing evening when they finally left the market with all of their purchases. Dominic had a pair of boots, a set of coarse, sturdy trousers, a brown tunic, and a leather coat similar to Billy's own. Billy had with him a thick blanket for them to sleep on, and two canteens of water. They'd bought some dried fruit and salted meats and stuffed them wherever they would fit in their knapsacks.
Billy led the way out of the city, waving cheerfully to his friends on guard at the wall. One of them shouted down the conditions of the roads, as told by the day's travellers, and Billy nodded his understanding and thanks for the information.
"Do you work in the city?" Dominic asked curiously, the first time he'd spoken in a long while.
"No," Billy replied shortly. "I rarely stay here longer than a few days."
***
Billy seemed like a friendly enough person, and more talkative than Dominic was comfortable with, but he didn't exactly volunteer much personal information. Dominic frowned and shrugged his shoulders; his pack was sitting awkwardly against his back.
The blanket Billy had chosen was thick, but not large. I was a deep red and fiery orange at the center, and Dominic thought it looked like a sunrise. He was sure that was the vendor's intention with the dyes. But there was only one blanket, and they would probably both be sleeping on it tonight, and that thought gave Dominic pause.
"Billy?"
"Yeah?" Billy, a couple of steps in front of Dominic, looked back at him over his shoulder.
"What are we doing tonight?"
"Erm. Walking." Billy slowed his pace until Dominic caught up with him and they were walking side-by-side. "We'll set up camp, I can cook something with the food we've got, and we'll sleep. We're close enough to the city still that we're not in danger of thieves or animals, and once we're in the desert, there won't be many other living things to worry about, so we needn't bother sleeping in shifts or anything."
"Oh. Okay." Billy hadn't answered Dominic's question, but that was alright. He hadn't really asked, anyway. "When will we do that?"
Billy looked around, then turned back to Dominic. "Actually, there's a village I want to reach before nightfall. We should make it there in... about two hours, at this pace."
***
After nearly an hour, they still hadn't made enough progress. Billy didn't want to push the man-man. Huh. More like a boy, really-but they were losing light, and they probably wouldn't reach the village in another two hours still. He knew this trip would be slow, but he hadn't counted on this. He reached out to touch Dominic's shoulder.
"Dominic." Dominic turned to look at him, briefly, and continued walking. Billy was sure this would hurt his pride, but the question needed to be asked. "Will you be able to keep this pace for a week?"
The lad stopped, his hands clenched into fists. "I'm not a child. I can keep up." Billy grimaced, having just called Dominic a boy in his mind, and nodded.
"Then we need to go faster."
***
Dominic's feet were beginning to tire and they'd only been walking for half a day. He honestly didn't think he would be able to keep up, but Dominic was had a competitive streak that rarely showed within the temple. He was determined not to drag out their journey. But when Billy insisted on moving faster...
Dominic took a deep breath and trudged on, trying to stay two steps behind Billy. The sun was already low in the sky, and unless the village was hiding behind a hill or something, Dominic didn't think they would make it before sundown.
"Billy, where is the village?"
"We follow this road until it splits, then only a short distance from there. We can cut across a few fields, to save time."
"Why do you want to go there?"
"There's an innkeeper who lets me have a room when I pass through, if it's available. And we'll be able to get more supplies, if we need them."
Dominic sighed.
"Would you rather camp here?"
Billy had stopped, looking first ahead and then back down the road towards the city. Dominic's heart leapt at the chance of rest, and possibly stopping for the night, and he nodded.
"Follow me, then."
***
In his mind, Billy revised his plans. If they camped here tonight, they could sleep late and continue the short distance to the village and stay there tomorrow. Once their, Billy could stock up on more supplies figuring their journey for twice the time he'd originally estimated. Dominic would surely be happier at a slower pace-he was obviously unused to walking long distances. Billy was frankly curious at how the lad managed to stay fit, cooped up in that temple all the time. There didn't seem to be much of a fitness regimen in place there. Billy made a note to himself to ask Dominic about it later, after they were more comfortable with each other's company.
Billy led Dominic quite a ways off the road, enough that they wouldn't be noticed by passers-by in the dark of night. The roads this close to the city were relatively safe, but one could never be sure.
Once they'd reached a place Billy deemed suitable, he dropped his pack to the ground and immediately started gathering supplies for a fire. There wasn't much wood, but a few sticks from some nearby shrubberies would do fine, along with the dry leaves.
Dominic found a small boulder and a sat down upon it, his own knapsack still on his back. Billy could see he was tired.
***
"Set up the blanket," Billy ordered, scrounging around for something on the ground. Leaves, it looked like.
"What do you mean, set up?" There wasn't anything to set up, as far as Dominic could tell. He reached for the blanket.
Billy made a face. "Unroll it, then. Smart-arse."
Dominic spread out the blanket beside where Billy'd made a sort of fire pit, then sat down heavily on it. His shoulders were aching, his feet were aching, and he'd never walked so much in his life, as far as he could remember.
Billy came back into their little clearing a few minutes later with an armful of twigs and leaves, some of which he dumped unceremoniously into the fire pit. He crouched down and a moment later, there was a fire.
"You hungry?"
Dominic nodded. He shrugged out of his pack and rummaged through it. "Did you say you could cook something?"
Billy hesitated, looking around. "Not here, not really. I don't have anything to cook on. There's rocks and things in the desert that work for that."
***
Dried fruit it is, Billy thought. Dominic seemed happy enough with that. He'd sat down cross-legged on the blanket, his back straight and his hands resting on his knees. Billy wondered if that sort of posture was required by the temple, or if that was just Dominic.
"So..." Billy began uncertainly, after they'd started to eat. "What do you... do? At the temple, I mean."
"Well, I'm a prophet. I have the gift of sight, and the priests call upon my abilities-and that of those like me-to interpret the gods' wishes. The priests decide what to do with that information, and they spread the word amongst those who visit us."
Billy rolled his eyes inwardly. The gift of sight, indeed. He wondered if Dominic even realized how silly it all seemed. He wondered a lot about Dominic, actually.
"And... you tell the future?"
"I interpret the gods' wishes," Dominic repeated sternly. "Sometimes that comes in... 'telling the future', but it's often more general than that."
"How does that... work?" Billy asked, trying to appear politely interested.
***
"You don't believe, do you?" Dominic asked. His companion's body language and tone of voice were telling Dominic all he needed to know. "You don't believe at all?"
"What? I-"
The man probably thought he was hiding it well. Dominic sighed and looked away.
"No, I don't," Billy finally answered. He sat stiffly a couple of feet away from Dominic, obviously uncertain about how Dominic would react.
Dominic decided to put him at ease. "I'm not surprised. Not many knights do, these days. They-you-think you've seen how the world works, think you can interpret it." He paused. "Not like I can, though."
"You seem confident."
"I am," Dominic replied haughtily. He could hear the disdain in his own voice, but he didn't try to temper it. "I know much more about the world than you probably think."
***
"Have you even left the temple? Left the city?"
"I was brought to the temple at an early age for exhibiting the signs of a prophet," Dominic explained. "They trained me, and now I-"
"You've not been outside the temple in years," Billy countered. "You told me so. You were frightened in the market today. All due respect, Dominic, but you know nothing about the world."
Billy felt mildly guilty for his outburst when he saw Dominic's shocked expression. He should've maintained a... professional distance. His only job was to escort the lad across the desert, not argue his own beliefs, or lack thereof.
"I'm sorry," Billy said. "I don't understand your beliefs, nor do I want to, but I shouldn't have said that. Let's just... Let's go to sleep and not talk about this anymore."
***
Dominic's brow furrowed. He certainly hadn't expected an apology, and it confused him. But Billy was up and moving around: he repacked their food, wrapping it up tightly so animals wouldn't get it, and started tossing dirt over the fire.
"It's too small to keep us warm during the night," he explained. "Not worth trying to keep it alive."
Dominic didn't exactly know how to prepare for bed. At the temple, he'd meditate and perhaps study the symbol charts by candlelight, but that obviously wasn't an option here. Billy sat back down next to him and curled up on the blanket, lying on his back and looking up at the sky.
"Erm..."
"What?"
"What do I..."
"Just lie down and go to sleep."
Dominic leapt to his feet. "I can't!"
Billy pushed himself up on his elbows. "Why the hell not?"
"You're-I can't-We can't-" Dominic gestured helplessly between himself and Billy. "There's rules."
"Rules?" Dominic didn't have to be unusually perceptive to notice the annoyance in Billy's voice.
"I can't sleep beside you," Dominic said stiffly.
"You won't sleep beside me. You can, I'm sure."
"I can't-" Dominic stopped himself before he stomped his foot like a child. "I'm not allowed to lie with anyone."
"You can, and you will, Dominic, or you won't be sleeping on a blanket," Billy growled, his teeth flashing white in the darkness.
Dominic's own mouth snapped closed. He couldn't think of an argument other than propriety, and Billy obviously wasn't willing to accept that. Dominic angrily shrugged off his coat and threw himself to the ground on the blanket, rolling as far away as possible from Billy.
***
Billy shook his head inwardly. Poor boy.
"You'll be cold," he warned quietly as Dominic tossed the coat away.
The boy didn't answer. Just as well-it would probably just spark another argument about not being allowed to wear more than one layer during the night, or something equally foolish.
"Fine," Billy sighed, settling back down. "I'll wake you in the morning."
to be continued…