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monaboyd Jan. 12th, 2005 07:32 pm)
light-the-sky76.livejournal.com posting in monaboyd Jan. 12th, 2005 07:32 pm)Title: The Next Chapter
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
light_the_sky76
Pairing: Billy/Dom,
Rating: G, fluff, fluff and more fluff
Summary: Another tale, following on from Tell me a story. Billy needs some TLC
Disclaimer: Only happened in my head
Author's Notes: This is the story that ate my brain, I decided I had to post it or I would never be free of it *g*. It’s been beta-ed byindigo_blind (who’s feeling a bit under the weather herself *loves*) but I couldn’t resist a tinker, so any and all mistakes are my own big fat stupid fault.
The air smelt like eucalyptus and chicken soup, the duvet had been dragged from the bed and now engulfed the sofa.
“Atchoo!”
“Bless you.”
Billy had a cold. Most of his day had been taken up with coughing, sneezing and snuffling like a badger. His nose was red, his eyes were two dark smudges and he was no longer able to say the letter M with any clarity.
To add insult to injury - or illness, there was a beautiful autumn day outside. A bright sun and a swift breeze, a deep blue sky full of big white clouds, scarlet and golden leaves falling from their branches and dancing in their flight to the ground. Billy had told Dom to go out, walk the street kicking piles of fallen leaves and avoid his germs but Dom had declined. He would have felt guilty abandoning Billy and besides, it was too late to do anything to avoid sharing the cold - you share a bed, you share germs. It was one of the more unfortunate aspects of a committed relationship.
Dom had been kind and attentive, bringing Billy aspirin and hot honey and lemon drinks, wrapping him up tight in the duvet and feeling his hot forehead with a concerned and sympathetic expression.
They were both slumped now, Billy exhausted by his aches and shivers, Dom exhausted by playing nurse – which wasn’t as saucy or fun as it sounded, in front of the TV. Dom flicked absently through the channels, but couldn’t find anything worth watching.
“Afternoon telly isn’t what it used to be.” Dom muttered, turning over from a middle- aged couple trying make money by selling all the old tat in their attic. “There are only so many decorating programmes you can watch. How many times do people need to be told that to sell their homes they need to remove the clutter and paint the walls a neutral colour?”
He turned the TV off and dropped the remote onto the coffee table next to where his legs were stretched. From his vantage point of being sprawled across the sofa Billy looked up at Dom.
“Tell me a story.”
“What?”
Billy looked thoroughly miserable. “I did it for you, when you couldn’t sleep, when you felt bad,” He paused, coughed, and continued, “So now it’s your turn.”
“What about?”
Billy snuggled further under the duvet. “The continuing adventures of Prince Dominic and The Wanderer.”
Dom shifted to a more comfortable position on the sofa, thought for a moment, and began.
“William slammed the castle door, leaving the howling wind and lashing rain behind him. He made his way quickly up the winding stairs to the room he and Prince Dominic shared, shivering and coughing as he went. Usually when he came home late at night he found Prince Dominic fast asleep in their bed breathing softly…”
“Snoring like a freight train you mean.”
“Breathing softly Bill, Princes don’t snore.”
Billy snorted in disbelief, then sneezed.
“But when William came through the door he found Prince Dominic waiting by the fire. He jumped up when he saw William and rushed towards him fussing about how wet he was and how ill he looked. He ran William a hot bath then tucked him in bed with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. William soon drifted off into an uneasy sleep.”
Dom passed Billy the rapidly emptying box of tissues and waited until the foghorn like sound of Billy’s nose being blown subsided before he continued.
“William was woken the next morning by Prince Dominic shaking him and asking if he was coming to breakfast, William mumbled something about a little more sleep and pulled the covers back over his head. Later, he was woken by Prince Dominic telling him he’d been sleeping for most of the day, and asking if he was hungry. William was aching and shivering, his throat felt raw and his head throbbed and he didn’t think he could face eating anything, so he shook his head and drifted off again.”
“Poor old William,” Billy coughed, “I know how he feels.”
“William woke again to find Prince Dominic feeling his forehead, his face tight with concern, and then later by Prince Dominic pacing the room with quick nervous steps. He fell into a fretful sleep only to be woken yet again by Prince Dominic’s voice and the voice of another man. The strange voice sounded wise and experienced and was speaking in serious hushed tones. He opened his eyes to find the castle doctor sitting beside him watching him intently. He asked him how he felt and William told the doctor about the aches and the shivers. He tried to sit up but found that his weak body refused. Across the room Prince Dominic watched William and the doctor, his eyes wide with worry.”
“Dom, if this is supposed to be making me feel better it hasn’t yet.”
“I’m setting the scene Bills,” Dom laid his hands on Billy’s forehead and his fingers moved in large soothing circles across the tight muscles making Billy sigh with pleasure. “I’m just building the dramatic tension.”
“Is that a polite way of saying ‘shut up Billy and listen’?”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Sometimes.”
“William was being shook and his name was being called. He was pulled upright and pushed and shoved into his clothes. When he opened his eyes, he found Prince Dominic on the bed beside him wearing travelling clothes explaining in a strange strangled voice that they had to go now, that very minute. William tried to protest, saying he should be in bed and arguing that the doctor would agree. But Prince Dominic persisted, fastened William’s boots with shaking hands and told him he didn’t like what the doctor had to say.”
“What did the doctor say?” Billy was feeling much more relaxed now, Dom’s massage was slowing easing away his headache.
“I can’t tell you, I don’t want to scare you. Prince Dominic half dragged and half carried William down the stairs, across the courtyard, into the stables and onto his horse. After almost an hour of riding William asked where they were going. When Prince Dominic explained that they were going to see a witch William almost fell off the horse in shock. William had heard stories about witches, he tried to explain, they were ugly with hooked noses and warts, and they liked to curse people – princes particularly. They turned them into frogs and locked them in towers and such. Prince Dominic wouldn’t listen he just urged his horse to run faster.
It was a miserable journey. William was hot and cold by turns and his aching head throbbed with every fall of the horse’s hooves. He tried leaning against Prince Dominic for support only to find that him rigid with tension. After what felt like an eternity they came to a small cottage by a river. William noticed animals moving around by the house and a mill wheel turning slowly in the water. Prince Dominic knocked at the door and was greeted by a young woman with a pretty clever face. He felt himself sway in the saddle and the trees, the river and Prince Dominic running towards him faded to grey”
“This is the point where it starts getting better isn’t it? Because it can’t get much worse than passing out like a girl and falling off a horse.” If he hadn’t felt so comfortable Billy might have been inclined to sulk, he wasn’t that pathetic when he was ill.
“Just wait and see. If it makes you feel any better he didn’t pass out like a girl, he keeled over like a very manly man, and made a very manly thud when he hit the ground.”
“Yes, thank you Dominic,” Sarcasm was the only option, “knowing that makes a world of difference.”
“As it should. William was drowning in liquid heat, he couldn’t surface no matter how much he fought, he ached, he burned, couldn’t catch his breath; then something cool was laid on his forehead and a sweet voice spoke softly to him.
‘Sleep’ it told him, ‘Rest and be well’. He slept.
William woke slowly, the bed he was in was soft and warm – but not his own. He rolled onto his side and saw Prince Dominic and the witch having breakfast. There was a confused moment before everything fell into place, but slowly it did and William remembered what had happened – feeling so, so ill, Prince Dominic’s worry, the frantic journey through the woods and the pretty girl in the cottage - the witch.”
“I’m glad to see he’s forgotten all about falling of the horse.” Dom’s fingers were stroking slowly up along Billy’s forehead and into his hair, it was warm an cozy nestling against Dom in the duvet and Billy was feeling more comfortable than he had all day.
“Selective amnesia. When Prince Dominic looked up from his porridge and saw that William was awake, he ran to him and pulled William against him, murmuring relief and half formed endearments into his hair. When he finally released him the witch came over and felt his forehead. She smiled and told him he was looking much better and left William and Price Dominic alone as she went to fetch some herbal tea. When she had gone William asked Prince Dominic about her, if it was safe to be there, if they should leave as quickly as they could. But Prince Dominic smiled and told him that everything was fine. He hadn’t told her he was a prince or William’s name and there was no need to worry. The witch was called Lily and was kind and wise. She knew lots of things about herbs and crystals and had known what to do to make him better when the doctor at the castle couldn’t.”
“Herbal tea?” Billy wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Horrible stuff. It smells lovely but tastes like iron filings. I don’t know if I’d want to drink it, even if it did make me feel better.”
“It’s magic herbal tea isn’t it?”
“What’s in it?”
“I don’t know,” Dom huffed, “magical stuff! William watched the witch carefully all day, asking her questions to see if there was anything sinister behind her easy laughter and quiet grace. As they chatted about the places they had both seen William thought that everything he’d ever heard about witches had to be wrong. Lily didn’t have any warts or a hooked nose, she seemed to understand the pull of nature when the wind called your name, and she had been lovely to him and Prince Dominic.”
“You should never believe idle gossip.” Billy said wisely.
“Quite. When the sun rose the next day William felt like his old self. Lily smiled as she said how pleased she was that he was well again and he was astonished to learn that he had been sleeping for a week. He’d never gone so long without being out in the world, the road under his feet and the sky wide and open above him.
Prince Dominic looked as though he hadn’t slept at all during that time, worry had left him pale and drawn, so when Lily told them she needed a plant from the forest William was glad to offer their help. He ached to feel the sun on his face; and to be in the forest life moving and breathing all around could only be good for Prince Dominic.”
“Prince Dominic sounds a bit high maintenance to me.” Dom insisted that he wasn’t high maintenance; Billy didn’t always agree and relished any opportunity to wind Dom up a little. “William was the one who was ill and there’s Prince Dominic doing a dying swan routine for sympathy.”
“He was waiting by his beloved’s sick bed!” Dom managed to sound terribly wounded. “Where’s your sense of romance?”
“So how come you’re not all tired and emotional then?”
“I’ve felt better.”
“Poor baby.”
“Damn right!” Dom shuffled until he had slid further down on the sofa and arranged himself so that Billy was tucked up against him. Billy snuggled further into Dom’s warmth and closed his eyes.
“William and Prince Dominic left early in the morning to follow the stream up though the trees.” Dom said after a pause, “The sun was bright and the sound of the water babbling over the shining pebbles on the bed of the brook joined the swish and sway of the trees.
The sunlight and the song of the forest and Prince Dominic smiling close by his side washed away any lingering feelings of exhaustion and illness from William and he felt whole again for the first time in days”
“Why Dommie, you are poetic.”
“I try. They followed the river to a waterfall and clambered behind the rushing water to gather the moss that Lily had said she needed. As they sat with their feet dangling in the cool green river fishing for supper William asked what the moss was for. Prince Dominic shrugged saying that it was probably for her garden, he was sure he’d seen one of the gardeners at the palace using it on the tomato plants.
When they returned to the cottage Prince Dominic insisted that William rest by the fire with a cup of tea, and went outside to milk Delilah the cow. Lily put the fish beside the fire to cook and set up a large pot in the flames then brought a large ancient looking book over to the table. Mumbling to herself she began collecting ingredients – including the moss William and Prince Dominic had gathered.”
“The plot,” Billy said sleepily, “is thickening.”
Dom’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “The flames licked higher and higher around the pot as Lily thumbed purposefully thorough the book. The air in the cottage that had been fresh and cool became charged as though a storm was coming. William felt a prickle of fear coil along his spine and asked Lily, as lightly as he could, what she was doing.
A spell, she told him. A powerful one, for the Prince that lived nearby. Panicked now, William tried to keep his breath steady as he asked what kind of spell.
Maybe he had been right to be fearful of the witch. Maybe they should never have stayed. Maybe they should never have come. He should have insisted that they went back to the castle during the journey on the horse that terrible night when Prince Dominic had told him they were going to a witch.
Lily threw a thick green liquid and a strange shaped black plant into the cauldron and stirred the bubbling mixture angrily. She’d heard all about Princes, she explained. They were heartless - there were hardly any dragons left in the world because of princes hunting them for sport. Princes were hard and cruel, especially to witches, they locked them in towers and did terrible things to them. So she was going to cast a spell so the no prince could find her home, no matter how hard he looked. To the prince the forest around her home would look dead and desolate with withered trees and sharp rock echoing with the cries of hungry animals. He would be driven away and she would be safe.
William looked at Lily mixing up he spell, he looked outside at Prince Dominic and he thought hard. Then he stood, took Lily’s hand and led her to the window, pointed at Prince Dominic and told her that that he was the prince.
Not all princes were cruel, William said, just as not all witches were evil and hook nosed. Prince Dominic wasn’t heartless, he would never lock anyone up in a tower and if he ever did meet a dragon he would ask it’s name and try and make friends with it.”
“And invite it home” Billy added.
“Prince Dominic, unaware of the exchange happening before the simmering cauldron walked into the kitchen, put down the bucket of milk, grinned at Lily and William and went back outside to groom his horse.
Lily looked down at the moss in her hands then out the window at Prince Dominic speaking softly to his horse. Her forehead furrowed in thought and she shrugged, smiled and said she’d just have to use the moss for her tomatoes instead.”
Billy gave a hoarse chuckle. “Tomato plants, only you could come up with that, Dom.”
“Who can resist fresh home grown tomatoes? William and Prince Dominic left Lily’s cottage the next day, each promising to visit the other.
William was content. He’d made a new friend, someone wise and kind, he’d stood behind the thundering spray of a waterfall; and he’d learned that there was someone who would do anything for him - face any danger, take any risk, like a…well, like a prince.
Prince Dominic turned to smile at William and pointed above the trees to where the golden banner at the top most tower of the castle could be seen; they were almost home. William was content.
The End.”
The room was still.
“How do you feel, Billy?”
“Hmm?” He shifted and nuzzled Dom sleepily. “Nice, warm, better.”
“Good.”
Billy shifted again, then snored.
“So Prince Dominic doesn’t snore,” Dom pulled the duvet up to cover Billy up to his chin, “but it seems that William does.”
Billy snored again, smiling as he slept.
Author:
light_the_sky76Pairing: Billy/Dom,
Rating: G, fluff, fluff and more fluff
Summary: Another tale, following on from Tell me a story. Billy needs some TLC
Disclaimer: Only happened in my head
Author's Notes: This is the story that ate my brain, I decided I had to post it or I would never be free of it *g*. It’s been beta-ed by
indigo_blind (who’s feeling a bit under the weather herself *loves*) but I couldn’t resist a tinker, so any and all mistakes are my own big fat stupid fault.The air smelt like eucalyptus and chicken soup, the duvet had been dragged from the bed and now engulfed the sofa.
“Atchoo!”
“Bless you.”
Billy had a cold. Most of his day had been taken up with coughing, sneezing and snuffling like a badger. His nose was red, his eyes were two dark smudges and he was no longer able to say the letter M with any clarity.
To add insult to injury - or illness, there was a beautiful autumn day outside. A bright sun and a swift breeze, a deep blue sky full of big white clouds, scarlet and golden leaves falling from their branches and dancing in their flight to the ground. Billy had told Dom to go out, walk the street kicking piles of fallen leaves and avoid his germs but Dom had declined. He would have felt guilty abandoning Billy and besides, it was too late to do anything to avoid sharing the cold - you share a bed, you share germs. It was one of the more unfortunate aspects of a committed relationship.
Dom had been kind and attentive, bringing Billy aspirin and hot honey and lemon drinks, wrapping him up tight in the duvet and feeling his hot forehead with a concerned and sympathetic expression.
They were both slumped now, Billy exhausted by his aches and shivers, Dom exhausted by playing nurse – which wasn’t as saucy or fun as it sounded, in front of the TV. Dom flicked absently through the channels, but couldn’t find anything worth watching.
“Afternoon telly isn’t what it used to be.” Dom muttered, turning over from a middle- aged couple trying make money by selling all the old tat in their attic. “There are only so many decorating programmes you can watch. How many times do people need to be told that to sell their homes they need to remove the clutter and paint the walls a neutral colour?”
He turned the TV off and dropped the remote onto the coffee table next to where his legs were stretched. From his vantage point of being sprawled across the sofa Billy looked up at Dom.
“Tell me a story.”
“What?”
Billy looked thoroughly miserable. “I did it for you, when you couldn’t sleep, when you felt bad,” He paused, coughed, and continued, “So now it’s your turn.”
“What about?”
Billy snuggled further under the duvet. “The continuing adventures of Prince Dominic and The Wanderer.”
Dom shifted to a more comfortable position on the sofa, thought for a moment, and began.
“William slammed the castle door, leaving the howling wind and lashing rain behind him. He made his way quickly up the winding stairs to the room he and Prince Dominic shared, shivering and coughing as he went. Usually when he came home late at night he found Prince Dominic fast asleep in their bed breathing softly…”
“Snoring like a freight train you mean.”
“Breathing softly Bill, Princes don’t snore.”
Billy snorted in disbelief, then sneezed.
“But when William came through the door he found Prince Dominic waiting by the fire. He jumped up when he saw William and rushed towards him fussing about how wet he was and how ill he looked. He ran William a hot bath then tucked him in bed with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. William soon drifted off into an uneasy sleep.”
Dom passed Billy the rapidly emptying box of tissues and waited until the foghorn like sound of Billy’s nose being blown subsided before he continued.
“William was woken the next morning by Prince Dominic shaking him and asking if he was coming to breakfast, William mumbled something about a little more sleep and pulled the covers back over his head. Later, he was woken by Prince Dominic telling him he’d been sleeping for most of the day, and asking if he was hungry. William was aching and shivering, his throat felt raw and his head throbbed and he didn’t think he could face eating anything, so he shook his head and drifted off again.”
“Poor old William,” Billy coughed, “I know how he feels.”
“William woke again to find Prince Dominic feeling his forehead, his face tight with concern, and then later by Prince Dominic pacing the room with quick nervous steps. He fell into a fretful sleep only to be woken yet again by Prince Dominic’s voice and the voice of another man. The strange voice sounded wise and experienced and was speaking in serious hushed tones. He opened his eyes to find the castle doctor sitting beside him watching him intently. He asked him how he felt and William told the doctor about the aches and the shivers. He tried to sit up but found that his weak body refused. Across the room Prince Dominic watched William and the doctor, his eyes wide with worry.”
“Dom, if this is supposed to be making me feel better it hasn’t yet.”
“I’m setting the scene Bills,” Dom laid his hands on Billy’s forehead and his fingers moved in large soothing circles across the tight muscles making Billy sigh with pleasure. “I’m just building the dramatic tension.”
“Is that a polite way of saying ‘shut up Billy and listen’?”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Sometimes.”
“William was being shook and his name was being called. He was pulled upright and pushed and shoved into his clothes. When he opened his eyes, he found Prince Dominic on the bed beside him wearing travelling clothes explaining in a strange strangled voice that they had to go now, that very minute. William tried to protest, saying he should be in bed and arguing that the doctor would agree. But Prince Dominic persisted, fastened William’s boots with shaking hands and told him he didn’t like what the doctor had to say.”
“What did the doctor say?” Billy was feeling much more relaxed now, Dom’s massage was slowing easing away his headache.
“I can’t tell you, I don’t want to scare you. Prince Dominic half dragged and half carried William down the stairs, across the courtyard, into the stables and onto his horse. After almost an hour of riding William asked where they were going. When Prince Dominic explained that they were going to see a witch William almost fell off the horse in shock. William had heard stories about witches, he tried to explain, they were ugly with hooked noses and warts, and they liked to curse people – princes particularly. They turned them into frogs and locked them in towers and such. Prince Dominic wouldn’t listen he just urged his horse to run faster.
It was a miserable journey. William was hot and cold by turns and his aching head throbbed with every fall of the horse’s hooves. He tried leaning against Prince Dominic for support only to find that him rigid with tension. After what felt like an eternity they came to a small cottage by a river. William noticed animals moving around by the house and a mill wheel turning slowly in the water. Prince Dominic knocked at the door and was greeted by a young woman with a pretty clever face. He felt himself sway in the saddle and the trees, the river and Prince Dominic running towards him faded to grey”
“This is the point where it starts getting better isn’t it? Because it can’t get much worse than passing out like a girl and falling off a horse.” If he hadn’t felt so comfortable Billy might have been inclined to sulk, he wasn’t that pathetic when he was ill.
“Just wait and see. If it makes you feel any better he didn’t pass out like a girl, he keeled over like a very manly man, and made a very manly thud when he hit the ground.”
“Yes, thank you Dominic,” Sarcasm was the only option, “knowing that makes a world of difference.”
“As it should. William was drowning in liquid heat, he couldn’t surface no matter how much he fought, he ached, he burned, couldn’t catch his breath; then something cool was laid on his forehead and a sweet voice spoke softly to him.
‘Sleep’ it told him, ‘Rest and be well’. He slept.
William woke slowly, the bed he was in was soft and warm – but not his own. He rolled onto his side and saw Prince Dominic and the witch having breakfast. There was a confused moment before everything fell into place, but slowly it did and William remembered what had happened – feeling so, so ill, Prince Dominic’s worry, the frantic journey through the woods and the pretty girl in the cottage - the witch.”
“I’m glad to see he’s forgotten all about falling of the horse.” Dom’s fingers were stroking slowly up along Billy’s forehead and into his hair, it was warm an cozy nestling against Dom in the duvet and Billy was feeling more comfortable than he had all day.
“Selective amnesia. When Prince Dominic looked up from his porridge and saw that William was awake, he ran to him and pulled William against him, murmuring relief and half formed endearments into his hair. When he finally released him the witch came over and felt his forehead. She smiled and told him he was looking much better and left William and Price Dominic alone as she went to fetch some herbal tea. When she had gone William asked Prince Dominic about her, if it was safe to be there, if they should leave as quickly as they could. But Prince Dominic smiled and told him that everything was fine. He hadn’t told her he was a prince or William’s name and there was no need to worry. The witch was called Lily and was kind and wise. She knew lots of things about herbs and crystals and had known what to do to make him better when the doctor at the castle couldn’t.”
“Herbal tea?” Billy wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Horrible stuff. It smells lovely but tastes like iron filings. I don’t know if I’d want to drink it, even if it did make me feel better.”
“It’s magic herbal tea isn’t it?”
“What’s in it?”
“I don’t know,” Dom huffed, “magical stuff! William watched the witch carefully all day, asking her questions to see if there was anything sinister behind her easy laughter and quiet grace. As they chatted about the places they had both seen William thought that everything he’d ever heard about witches had to be wrong. Lily didn’t have any warts or a hooked nose, she seemed to understand the pull of nature when the wind called your name, and she had been lovely to him and Prince Dominic.”
“You should never believe idle gossip.” Billy said wisely.
“Quite. When the sun rose the next day William felt like his old self. Lily smiled as she said how pleased she was that he was well again and he was astonished to learn that he had been sleeping for a week. He’d never gone so long without being out in the world, the road under his feet and the sky wide and open above him.
Prince Dominic looked as though he hadn’t slept at all during that time, worry had left him pale and drawn, so when Lily told them she needed a plant from the forest William was glad to offer their help. He ached to feel the sun on his face; and to be in the forest life moving and breathing all around could only be good for Prince Dominic.”
“Prince Dominic sounds a bit high maintenance to me.” Dom insisted that he wasn’t high maintenance; Billy didn’t always agree and relished any opportunity to wind Dom up a little. “William was the one who was ill and there’s Prince Dominic doing a dying swan routine for sympathy.”
“He was waiting by his beloved’s sick bed!” Dom managed to sound terribly wounded. “Where’s your sense of romance?”
“So how come you’re not all tired and emotional then?”
“I’ve felt better.”
“Poor baby.”
“Damn right!” Dom shuffled until he had slid further down on the sofa and arranged himself so that Billy was tucked up against him. Billy snuggled further into Dom’s warmth and closed his eyes.
“William and Prince Dominic left early in the morning to follow the stream up though the trees.” Dom said after a pause, “The sun was bright and the sound of the water babbling over the shining pebbles on the bed of the brook joined the swish and sway of the trees.
The sunlight and the song of the forest and Prince Dominic smiling close by his side washed away any lingering feelings of exhaustion and illness from William and he felt whole again for the first time in days”
“Why Dommie, you are poetic.”
“I try. They followed the river to a waterfall and clambered behind the rushing water to gather the moss that Lily had said she needed. As they sat with their feet dangling in the cool green river fishing for supper William asked what the moss was for. Prince Dominic shrugged saying that it was probably for her garden, he was sure he’d seen one of the gardeners at the palace using it on the tomato plants.
When they returned to the cottage Prince Dominic insisted that William rest by the fire with a cup of tea, and went outside to milk Delilah the cow. Lily put the fish beside the fire to cook and set up a large pot in the flames then brought a large ancient looking book over to the table. Mumbling to herself she began collecting ingredients – including the moss William and Prince Dominic had gathered.”
“The plot,” Billy said sleepily, “is thickening.”
Dom’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “The flames licked higher and higher around the pot as Lily thumbed purposefully thorough the book. The air in the cottage that had been fresh and cool became charged as though a storm was coming. William felt a prickle of fear coil along his spine and asked Lily, as lightly as he could, what she was doing.
A spell, she told him. A powerful one, for the Prince that lived nearby. Panicked now, William tried to keep his breath steady as he asked what kind of spell.
Maybe he had been right to be fearful of the witch. Maybe they should never have stayed. Maybe they should never have come. He should have insisted that they went back to the castle during the journey on the horse that terrible night when Prince Dominic had told him they were going to a witch.
Lily threw a thick green liquid and a strange shaped black plant into the cauldron and stirred the bubbling mixture angrily. She’d heard all about Princes, she explained. They were heartless - there were hardly any dragons left in the world because of princes hunting them for sport. Princes were hard and cruel, especially to witches, they locked them in towers and did terrible things to them. So she was going to cast a spell so the no prince could find her home, no matter how hard he looked. To the prince the forest around her home would look dead and desolate with withered trees and sharp rock echoing with the cries of hungry animals. He would be driven away and she would be safe.
William looked at Lily mixing up he spell, he looked outside at Prince Dominic and he thought hard. Then he stood, took Lily’s hand and led her to the window, pointed at Prince Dominic and told her that that he was the prince.
Not all princes were cruel, William said, just as not all witches were evil and hook nosed. Prince Dominic wasn’t heartless, he would never lock anyone up in a tower and if he ever did meet a dragon he would ask it’s name and try and make friends with it.”
“And invite it home” Billy added.
“Prince Dominic, unaware of the exchange happening before the simmering cauldron walked into the kitchen, put down the bucket of milk, grinned at Lily and William and went back outside to groom his horse.
Lily looked down at the moss in her hands then out the window at Prince Dominic speaking softly to his horse. Her forehead furrowed in thought and she shrugged, smiled and said she’d just have to use the moss for her tomatoes instead.”
Billy gave a hoarse chuckle. “Tomato plants, only you could come up with that, Dom.”
“Who can resist fresh home grown tomatoes? William and Prince Dominic left Lily’s cottage the next day, each promising to visit the other.
William was content. He’d made a new friend, someone wise and kind, he’d stood behind the thundering spray of a waterfall; and he’d learned that there was someone who would do anything for him - face any danger, take any risk, like a…well, like a prince.
Prince Dominic turned to smile at William and pointed above the trees to where the golden banner at the top most tower of the castle could be seen; they were almost home. William was content.
The End.”
The room was still.
“How do you feel, Billy?”
“Hmm?” He shifted and nuzzled Dom sleepily. “Nice, warm, better.”
“Good.”
Billy shifted again, then snored.
“So Prince Dominic doesn’t snore,” Dom pulled the duvet up to cover Billy up to his chin, “but it seems that William does.”
Billy snored again, smiling as he slept.
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If you find one that has pretty boys kissing in let me know ;)
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This
made me crack up. Actually, a lot of lines made me crack up. Lovely, lovely, lovely. :-)
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This was funny, warm, quaint and comfy all served by a loving Dom...everything Billy needed to make him feel better!
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Awww, thanks :)
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That's lovely, thanks