I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!

[idrilfael.livejournal.com]

Title: The Journey
Author: IdrilFael
Dedication: To Calla...I love you!
Pairings: Billy/Dom, eventually...implied Viggo/Orlando
Rating: PG
Thanks: Much thanks to Nessa_Felagund for being my wonderful friend and beta. I owe you many cookies and hugs for your favors!
Warnings: Hmm. The angst of a disowned person...
Disclaimer: My prose, but is not real now, will not be real 1,000 years from now. I don’t own them, although I wish I do...>:-)
Feedback: I’ll love you forever if you give me some! *huggles*
Summary: Billy is prince of a planet. He’s disowned for not having psychic powers...this is his journey.



~~~

“Focus, William, focus!”

Billy Boyd squeezed his eyes shut, willing the object in front of him to move. His fists were clenched so hard that his fingernails were digging into his palms, drawing pure, red blood, but he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was to prove that he was worth his keep.

The object didn’t budge.

“Concentrate!”

He concentrated even harder, ignoring the pain that was trying to draw away his attention. He had to make that object move!

“Try HARDER!”

“I AM TRYING AS HARD AS I CAN! LEAVE ME ALONE!” The words exploded out of his mouth before he could stop them. He opened his eyes and his bloody hands flew to his mouth in horror, but it was too late.

His sister Margaret graced him with her coldest stare. “That is enough for today, then.” She turned and stalked out of the room, slamming the door, leaving him behind with a mixture of guilt and suppressed anger.

Billy sighed. Did he always have to find some way to make people hate him? It seemed that he couldn’t control his emotions, and all that seemed to do was shame his family further. He was a failure in their eyes, something to be ashamed of.

His hands were now a bloody mess, trails of red flowing from a perfect arc where four of his fingernails had dug into his palms. He watched the blood slowly cover his palms nonchalantly for a moment before decided that he needed to wrap his hands, lest he loose too much blood. He got up and headed to the infirmary, dreading what was to come later that day.

*~*

It had been over 1,000 years since the human race had colonized the planet Sahdre. The Earth humans had been able to create the technology to get the human race to other planets. With this, they had colonized about five of their finds. Friendly relations were tried to be kept between these separate and independent planets, but communications was hard to achieve, so eventually the planets on contacted each other when in dire need of it.

For the past five generations, the Boyd family had been in power over the planet Sahdre. Ever since the infamous Tyler Boyd had emerged from the huge masses with great psychic potential and married Zelda, a similar psychic, the Boyd family had been blessed with psychic power beyond the imagination of many a scientist. Slowly, psychics emerged on every planet, reopening the links of communication between the planets and enabling interplanet travel and communication on a rather easy basis.

Rather rapidly, tests had been developed that could be taken to see if one had any psychic talent at all, on any level, big or small. Many a person had went away unhappy, lacking any then-unique ability. Ever since Tyler, all the Boyds had tested with ability off the charts.

All except one William Boyd.

He had tested with formidable ability, but not nearly as strong as the rest of his family had been. That in itself undermined him in their eyes. The mere fact that his talent hadn’t shown its outward face yet had made him even more inferior to them.

It didn’t make any sense. His father had an immense kinetic/telepathic talent, and his mother was one of the strongest empaths ever to live. His sister, Margaret, was an illusionist who could create such strong and realistic images that she could cause almost anyone to do whatever she wanted him or her to. And then, of course, there was Billy.

The runt and disappointment of the entire family.

Of course, not much could be done for him. Already his family was beginning to shun him, along with everyone else. There were many exercises that he did daily, but nothing seemed to help him. About ever eight weeks he was retested to make sure his talent wasn’t a fluke, and every time the machine said that it wasn’t. This caused the machine itself to be tested to make sure it was in top shape, and it always was. Specialists had even been brought to the palace in which the Boyds lived to try to fathom Billy’s eluding talent. Each one failed and was dismissed, only to have his mother beg his father to bring in another on in a futile attempt to keep him. Recently she had started to doubt him, and was slowly beginning to omit him as well. Margaret had switched to his father’s viewpoint around three years ago.

What was worse, everyone knew he was a Boyd. If he was exiled anywhere on Sahdre anyone could figure out who he was just by looking at him or hearing him speak. All Boyds had chocolate brown hair, such a unique color that no other family had it. They also had deep green eyes, bright and intense, the kind that showed any and all emotion. The family also tended to be on the short side and skinny. No other family was blessed with such good looks.

Then there were their voices. They had peculiar accents, one found no other place except Scotland on the planet Earth. One could guess that was where the Boyds originated, but why they never dropped their accents, one could only guess. No one else on Sahdre spoke in such a way. The Boyds were also known for their way with words. They could talk their way out of anything, it seemed. The words slid off their tongues in a silvery fashion, beautiful to the ear. Their singing was famous, for they were blessed with wonderful voices. Many a young Sahdrean had used his or her allowance money to buy a CD made by one of the Boyds.

So there was no way he could go anywhere unknown.

He was to be disowned by him family soon. It seemed his father only wanted a powerful son, and Billy didn’t meet his precise criteria. Of course, only male could rule Sahdre, for if Margaret were to take the throne, the Boyd name would be lost from her marriage. God forbid that ever happen.

Billy didn’t really mind his family as individuals. They were kind and caring, if you didn’t remind them of his faults. He just wished that they didn’t rule Sahdre. Then, at least, he wouldn’t be exiled from them.

Being different isn’t always a good thing.

*~*

Billy opened the tall, ornamented oak door and stepped carefully into the room. He made his way to the dark, comfortable maroon bed, where he laid upon the velvet sheets, staring up at the ceiling.

Since he had been born into such a wealthy and prominent family, William Boyd had the best of everything. His room had gadgets of the most advanced technology. His ceiling was a cream color, the walls were made of a beautiful mahogany, and his floor was the color of dark, rich red wine. His closet was full of expensive and beautiful clothes, the cutting-edge of fashion.

He wasn’t concerned about his just-announced exile; he wasn’t concerned about anything just then, really. The moment his father had waved his right jewel-covered hand, banishing him from the palace, all emotion had deserted him. He had 24 hours to clear out of the castle.

It seemed almost unreal. He hadn’t thought that his father would actually disown him. Send him on an expedition to ‘become a man,’ maybe, but not outright disown him. Perhaps Lord Boyd only wanted someone who could pass on his genes to his beloved grandchildren. That was one of his greater weaknesses, after all; he cared more about lineage, appearance, and power than his own family. Had Lady Boyd mysteriously lost her powers, it’d be very possible that he’d drop her quickly, too. He didn’t dare associate with anyone who lacked psychic powers that rivaled his.

Margaret and Lady Boyd were not quite as strict as he was, but neither of them seemed to want Billy anymore. Billy had hoped that his mother would intervene and stop his father from banishing him, but that had been the hopes of a dreamer. She had just sat there by her beloved daughter Margaret, favoring him with the coldest stare she could muster. One could hardly believe she was his mother, just by seeing that look.

It was common knowledge that Margaret fancied a boy with next to no psychic powers. The only reason Lord Boyd didn’t arbitrate was because she was a girl. He had the opinion that girls knew nothing, which caused a lot of women to despise him. Billy disagreed with that sentiment, for he had met many a girl who was smarter than him.

Billy sighed and sat up, figuring that he might as well start packing. As he stood up and moved to the closet, an idea hit him. His life might make a good satire, what with all the hypocrisy going on in the palace. Everyone was supposed to be equal, no matter what his or her differences, and yet he was disowned for not showing talent. Very nice satire material, in fact. Maybe he could become an author later in life.

He opened the closet doors and considered his clothing. He could only take a few changes of clothes, of course, because on was only able to carry so much without kinetic ability. He finally chose a few of his favorite garments and packed them in his backpack. He wasn’t taking any of his fancy gadgets, for the ones that would do him any good were paid for by his father, but in 24 hours he’d have to pay for them himself. He wasn’t keen on using his money for any of that nonsense. He had been granted a small amount of money, enough to get him far enough away from the palace. After that ran out, he’d be on his own to find a job and make money.

He moved to his bathroom, packing his toothpaste, toothbrush, hairbrush, and other personal necessities. He paused, looking at himself in the mirror. He wasn’t a really strong man; he wasn’t sure he could handle his new fate. He would be mocked, the laughing-stock of all the citizens. He was unsure how it would affect him, but he was proud, so he’d hold his head high and weather it all like a man would.

There was a gentle knock on the door in a familiar and hesitant pattern. “Enter, Andy,” Billy called. A moment later his door opened and a man with curly brown hair entered. It was the palace’s best thespian, a man who could change anyone’s mood in a second. However, from the look on his face, he obviously hadn’t come for such a light reason.

He looked at Billy for a moment, then rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. Andy had been Billy’s best friend all his life, and it was an unhappy time for the both of them right now.

After a bit, he pulled away and looked Billy in the eyes. “I have a place for you to stay. My father’s best friend has a son that I had contact with my whole life, and he has agreed to take you in until you get on your feet.” He held up his hand, quieting Billy’s objections. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. Trust me, please!” There was such sincerity in his pleading voice that Billy felt touched. Mutely, he nodded, holding back tears. He was a man; he would not cry.

Andy gave him a relieved smile, then continued. “He lives in the town of Ylrevaw. His name is Viggo Mortenson. He’s a very kind man.”

Billy thanked him, but before anymore could be said, Andy was called to another part of the castle. They hugged, and he departed. Billy waited until the footsteps faded out of his hearing before going back to his packing.

*~*

Billy stepped out into the cool night. He turned his head towards the heavens, taking a deep breath of the refreshing air. The stars were beautiful tonight. They shone with a pale light, bathing the ground in a gentle and beautiful blanket of illumination.

He adjusted the straps of his backpack and headed down the path in front of him. The night air kept him awake, even though he doubted that he would’ve been able to sleep had he tried. He was too restless, too anxious to get this over.

He technically still had around ten hours left at the palace, but he couldn’t stand being there any longer. All the pitying stares that the staff sent him drove him nuts, along with being ignored by his family. He had decided that the sooner he left, the better he’d be. After all, he may as well get on his way before the family awoke and decided to watch him leave.

He clunked down the path, reviewing in his mind what he had been told by Andy.

He had to go to Ylrevaw. He had heard of that town in passing, but he didn’t know much. He knew that it was rather small, on the outskirts of the larger town of Rockshell, but that was about all. He had searched the palace for a map to get him to Rockshell, and had given up when Andy appeared most conveniently again with a very detailed map for him. After another hug or so, Billy had finally departed the palace, ready to start on his journey.

He knew it would take him a long while to get where he wanted to go.

*~*

The sun shone brightly through the silver clad curtains as Billy awoke. He did not want to wake up, but since his bed soft and rather comfortable bed just happened to be positioned so that the sun shone in her eyes at 7 every morning, he had no choice but to get up, or get a bad headache. Not a hard choice. He flung back the covers on her bed and sat up, yawning loudly and stretching. Time to embrace the new day.

He reached over and grabbed the clumsily folded clothes that were nearest to his bed and stood up. He pulled them on slowly, his eyes still seemingly glued shut, and managed to rip his favorite shirt. Crap. This woke him up immediately and he cursed out loud; he had loved that shirt. He wandered over to the closet and opened the mahogany door. He reached down and had thrown masses of clothes aside before actually finding what he was looking for. He slipped on his new shirt, and reached for his hairbrush. He combed the tangles that had made nests in his chocolate brown hair out and tried to get it to agree with him. After the short argument in which his hair naturally won, he threw the brush in disgusted accord onto the bed and headed out of the room.

He stepped into the kitchen, delighted to smell bacon and eggs the moment he did so. Viggo made delicious eggs, but he rarely made them. It was treat when one actually got to have some of the delicious commodities.

Billy grabbed a plate and gathered up some eggs and bacon onto it, taking a deep breath to absorb the palatable smell. He poured himself some orange juice and sat down in the chair already pulled out for him. He then attacked his meal, making sure that there were no crumbs left behind.

Viggo entered the room then, and laughed merrily when he saw Billy eating. “Hungry, by any chance?”

Billy nodded and continued wolfing down the food. This action caused Viggo to laugh even more, which caused Orlando to enter the room to see what was the cause of such delightful laughter. Upon asking, Viggo merely pointed at Billy, and Orlando, looking, laughed also. Billy felt somewhat uncomfortable under their scrutiny, but decided not to say anything. Well, not like he could say anything when he had food in his mouth, anyway.

After he had finished his assault on the food, he downed his orange juice. Ignoring the peals of laughter issuing from behind him, he swiftly cleaned up his mess and turned to confront the laughter.

“And what, may I ask, is so funny that you cannot stop laughing for a moment?” Billy asked, pretending to be annoyed.

By now Orlando was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his eyes, and he couldn’t stutter even a word of response to such a silly question. Viggo, always the master of control, calmed himself and informed Billy that it was his eating habits. If he was to view himself eating, he’d probably laugh also.

Cracking a smile, Billy had to agree with this. He did, after all, just polish off three eggs and numerous pieces of bacon in less than five minutes. That had to be quite an interesting sight to see.

Viggo shook his head, laughing, and steered Orlando out of the room. Billy watched them leave, then headed outside to do his daily chores that earned him his keep here.

Orlando was a beautiful thing to behold. His brown hair flowed freely down the side of his delicate face, which just captured the heart of anyone who looked upon him. He lived with Viggo. They both claimed that they were simply friends, but Billy had begun to suspect that there were some interesting things going on between the two. However, he never brought up or pushed the subject, for he didn’t want to make either of them angry. They were both fine men, and he didn’t want to leave them.

Billy pulled out the watering mechanism and started to water the yard, but froze upon looking out at the street.

There he was. Walking down the street, looking like nothing could harm him. His blonde hair framed his beautiful face, and he walked as if he had no care in the world. He intense blue eyes pierced anything they came upon, and they were sweeping across the street.

Billy’s heart fluttered in his chest, and he had to grab the side of the house to keep from falling. He didn’t know what he felt, but whenever he saw this man, he wanted to fall down upon his knees and worship him.

Those blue orbs that were sweeping across the whole world connected to Billy’s green sea in his eyes. Time seemed to stop, and both men froze in their paths, experiencing jolts of electricity that neither was willing to try to explain at that moment.

When the man finally passed on, Billy was breathless, unable to move.

Billy had seen him before, and had asked Viggo about him. Viggo had told him who he was, and where he was from. All the information that had been bestowed upon him made him want to meet this elusive creature.

He wanted to get to know the one called Dominic Monaghan.