The god of beginnings and endings by golden_bastet

[golden-bastet.livejournal.com]

Title: The god of beginnings and endings
Author: golden_bastet
Artist: krisserci5
Archive to Pros Lib: Yes
Genre: Slash
Characters/Pairing: Bodie/Doyle
Word count: 40,757
Warnings (highlight to read): Semi-dub-con, violence

Summary: War is hell; but hell is what Raymond Doyle is familiar with. He has had a lifetime full of hells, from being disowned and driven away by his father, to growing up alone and isolated in reformatories and state institutions. He developed a tough skin to keep the world at bay, and uses that toughness to protect the one thing – an innate artistic creativity - that belongs to him.

As the winds of war, then occupation, sweep across the land, his gift eventually leads him to a resistance group looking for a target to make an example of. The occupying forces are too well guarded, but there are other targets to make an example of. The target they zero in on: the mercenary, collaborator, and traitor known as William Bodie.

And thus starts the role of a lifetime.

Notes: A few years back, I read a wonderful story, Rule Britannia, by fajrdrako. When I first read it, it reminded me of Ang Lee’s 2007 movie, Lust, Caution. Although in the end it didn’t go in that direction – though I really enjoyed the story, reread it periodically, and recommend it highly – I still wondered how a Pros story inspired by Lust, Caution would turn out.

And ‘inspired’ it is: several main points in the film have been changed, so it’s not truly a straight redo. Here’s hoping that you like it.

I’d also like to thank several people:

• Betae Extraordinaire, solosundance and anna060957
• My wonderfully patient artist, krisserci5
• moonlightmead, for several discussions that put some bugs in my ear *hugs*
• minori_k for mentioning Anthony Andrews as Bodie #1!
• byslantedlight for letting me borrow the concept of a bespoke gun (because really, never had heard of that before)
• and of course, the mods of ci5_boxoftricks for being crazy and fun enough to do this every year.

The story follows a (very) loose modern-day Norman Conquest, so there are a number of character and place names taken from the Anglo-Saxon / Old English. For those scratching their heads about it, a list of the locations are given in the notes for the story.

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy.

Link to Fic: Fic Master Post
Link to Art: Art Master Post