The Apprentice Ch. 01

"Let's say I am willing to consider it. But first, tell me. Why do you think you have magic abilities?"

Magnus told her of his two episodes, omitting the parts about fantasizing about women. He was blushing while he was telling the story, so she must have guessed something, as she was smiling the whole time.

"Hmm, all right. That does sound like a manifestation of magical ability. Tell you what, Magnus. Tomorrow morning I will test your abilities, and if I am satisfied, we will work something out. You can even sleep in my room tonight. Beats sleeping in some filthy corner, doesn't it?" she said with a smirk.

Magnus stared at her, feeling both apprehension and excitement. He couldn't believe it. There was a chance to become an apprentice after all! And to such a beautiful and classy sorceress. She invited him to sleep in her room... Magnus blushed again, wondering about the implications... but then he dismissed them. No way she would want anything like that with the likes of him... She was just being kind.

"Ma'am, I couldn't thank you enough! Of course, I accept. I will just go and grab my bag..."

"Of course, Magnus. When you finish with food and drink, my room is up the stairs, the first one to the right. Knock three times," she said, rising from the chair. He nodded with enthusiasm and then went to get his bag. As he was walking away, she watched him appraisingly.

"He might just be perfect... Tall, well-built, and strong, thanks to the farm life, no doubt. He is also quite handsome and I like his dark hair and his piercing eyes... Yes... We will see tomorrow if he can be what I need him to be. It has been so long since I had a real plaything..." she mused as she feasted her eyes on his muscular form. A few minutes later, she rose from the table and went to her room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Enter!"

"I am here, ma'am," Magnus said with unease. He was obviously uncomfortable being in the room of a lady. The room was relatively big; It had a double bed, a wardrobe, and a table. There was also a large copper bathtub in the corner of the room. Fiona obviously enjoyed being comfortable.

"Excellent. Now as I said, I will test you tomorrow after breakfast, and we will see if we can find a way to make this work. I assume you are tired after walking the whole day, so it is probably best if we go to sleep right away."

"Of course. Thank you so much, ma'am. Shall I just stretch myself in that corner?"

"Oh, Magnus. I didn't invite you to sleep in my room just so you could sleep on the floor. The bed is big enough for both," she said with a hint of a teasing smile showing on her beautiful face.

"The... the bed?" Magnus asked, blushing hard. "But... Is that appropriate... I mean, for you... I mean I wouldn't dare..." he kept stumbling over words. Fiona just watched him with a playful expression.

"We won't be lying next to each other, my boy, of course. I am a lady, after all," Fiona said with an air of haughtiness.

"Of course, of course... I would never dare to presume..." Magnus hurried to say, once again blushing visibly.

"You can sleep at the bottom of the bed, Magnus. I will lie normally and you can lie across at the bottom of the bed, and we can both point our feet towards the same spot. I understand the bed might not be wide enough for your height, but I am sure you can manage."

"Yes, I can sleep in almost any spot... Well, if that is what you wish.... I am terribly sorry for inconveniencing you like this."

"Don't mention it."

"Farmboy he might be, but he has nice manners... Hmmm, I wonder..." Fiona mused as a torrent of thoughts rushed through her mind, most of them impure.

"Good. Now you go lie down and then I want you to close your eyes so I can get into the bed as well."

"Oh, all right," Magnus said and moved to get into the bed with his clothes on. Stripping himself in front of a lady never even crossed his mind.

"No, no Magnus. You can't get into my bed with dirty clothes. I want you in your small clothes only. I will turn my back so you can strip without embarrassing us," Fiona said, trying to suppress a mischievous smile. The boy was so bashful and mannered... There was so much potential there. Biting her lip, she turned towards the wardrobe. With a subtle flick of her hand, she created a magical mirror on the surface of the wardrobe, angled in such a way that only she could see what it was showing. She felt a stir of arousal as the clumsy strip show commenced.

Feeling very self-conscious, Magnus removed his boots, then his shirt and pants, until the only thing covering his body were his small clothes. "Thank the gods I've decided to change them just before the trip..." Magnus thought with relief. He was always mindful of his hygiene, but it was likely that being in such a sophisticated presence, his standards were still inadequate. Meanwhile, Fiona was enjoying the show in the mirror. She watched his tanned muscular chest and licked her lips. Even his legs were muscled. Remarkably, he didn't have much body hair. One more plus. "Too bad I can't see through clothes with magic. It would be interesting to see if he is equally 'muscled' down there... Although that bulge is telling... He must be aroused by all this," Fiona thought, feeling some sudden heat. Damn her mage libido.

Magnus lay on the bed and covered himself with a blanket. His feet were hanging from the side of the bed.

"All right, Magnus, now I need you to close your eyes. I need to get ready for bed as well."

Magnus nodded and turned his head. He also covered his eyes. Fiona started stripping, watching in her mirror for his inevitable peaking. It never came.

"His manners are impeccable... almost chivalrous... I wonder if I can use it..." Fiona thought as she got into the bed. She was surprised at how excited she was feeling about all this.

"You can open your eyes now. Good night, Magnus."

"Good night, ma'am."

Tired as he was, Magnus still found it very difficult to sleep. The bed was quite comfortable, but the excitement, the fact that he was sleeping in the same bed with a gorgeous woman...

"What if I get aroused and create an incident again? That would be so embarrassing... No, I have to think positively. I have struck some good luck tonight. Everything will work out.... Yes..." After fighting with his restless mind for a while, he managed to fall asleep.

***

Magnus sensed light on his eyelids, and coming half awake, he felt as if someone was hugging him. Trying to fight his sleepiness, he opened his eyes, squinting at the light that was coming through the window. It was still early in the morning. He turned slightly, trying to identify the touch he was feeling on his face and chest. Then he saw it. Those were Fiona's feet! It seemed she somehow rolled on the other side of the bed during the night and even slid down a bit, and now the sole of her left foot was on Magnus' cheek, and the sole of the right one was on the side of his bare chest. He tried to move away slightly, but Fiona moved her feet towards him, seeking contact. He had to stay in this awkward position as he didn't want to risk waking her. It was strange, but somehow, the silky touch of her tender feet felt so good, so arousing. It didn't take long before he felt his cock straining in his small. He always had morning wood, but the touch of Fiona's feet was simply an overkill. He knew there was no getting it down easily. He considered getting out of bed, but he had such a huge erection, it would be impossible to hide it. What if she woke up and saw it?! She would certainly see him as a pervert or something. At the very least, she might just kick him out of her room, and then he could say goodbye to his apprenticeship. No, he was gonna stay like this until she woke.

"Gods, I've never known such torment..." Magnus thought, relishing in the incredible sense of arousal, but also feeling ashamed of it. He remained in the same position for a while, obsessing about how to get his erection down. Every now and then she would move slightly, rubbing her foot on his face, on his lips even. The touch of her delicate feet was so intoxicating and it was only making things worse. After a while of this amazing torture, he finally heard her stir. She lifted her head a bit and looked at Magnus with a smile on her face.

"Good morning Magnus, I hope you slept well," Fiona said, still keeping her foot on Magnus' face.

"Yes, I did... Thank you, ma'am," he said in a raspy voice.

"I must say I slept very well," she said, yawning and stretching her arms.

"Why is she still keeping her foot on my face!"

He did endure her foot for a long while now, but now she was awake and she was acting like it was the most natural thing in the world. It made him feel both thankful and angry at the same time, and he still had that damn erection.

"Your body has made such a wonderful cushion for my feet, I could really get used to this," she said with a chuckle, rubbing his face with her foot. "Anyway, I hope you didn't mind it much. I must have rolled a lot in my sleep," she added and finally moved her feet away.

"Oh, it was fine..." Magnus said after clearing his throat.

"I suppose we should get up for breakfast. What do you say, Magnus? Let's have some food before we get to business."

"Ma'am, do you maybe want to get up first? I will keep my eyes closed until you leave the room."

"Oh, you don't want to get up yet? Why is that Magnus?" she said with a playful smile. She caught him glance at his midsection. She knew exactly what his problem was.

"Eh, I just feel, a lady should always come first. I was raised like that."

"Oh, such a gallant young man. Well all right, close your eyes then."

Magnus closed his eyes and waited. He heard her get out of bed and then he heard her use the chamber pot. After a couple of minutes of hearing the rustling of her dress, he heard the room door open and close. He sighed with relief. He got out of bed, his spear still pointing up, but he knew that after emptying his bladder it would get better. A couple of minutes later he went downstairs and joined Fiona at her table.

"Help yourself with food Magnus, don't be shy. I am sure farm life has built up your appetite."

"Thank you, ma'am," Magnus replied and dug in.

On the table, there were hard-boiled eggs, a big loaf of warm bread, a large piece of butter, and a lump of cheese. There was even a small bowl of honey and a few apples. Rich breakfast indeed. Fiona watched his healthy appetite in action, eating only a small piece of bread with butter and an apple herself.

"Big day today, for both of us maybe. There is no point delaying it, so once we are sated here, we should go up to the room and see where we stand," Fiona said.

Magnus just nodded solemnly, not wishing to speak with his mouth full. He stole glances at Fiona here and there. She was so beautiful. She was slender but with shapely breasts, and an incredible ass. He reprimanded himself for thinking it but then he couldn't help ogling her some more. Her face and neck seemed so tender, her skin so fair and cared for, and her heart-shaped lips, their color blood red, were so inviting that Magnus feared he might cause another fire if he kept staring at them. Fiona pretended she was deep in her thoughts, looking at the ceiling, but she felt his curious eyes on her and kept giving him her best poses. She kept playing with a strand of her hair, caressing the side of her neck with it, and making Magnus fidget on his chair.

"He is sporting another erection, no doubt," Fiona thought, smiling at her little game.

"I'll be up in the room. Join me when you finish," she said finally.

Magnus watched her move away with a graceful, almost catlike walk as she swayed her lovely backside, subtly outlined in her tight dress. Magnus sighed, knowing it would take some time to get his soldier down.

***

"All right, Magnus. I will now assess your magical ability. Well, one of the abilities that can be assessed this way. I will explain everything later if you become my apprentice. For now, I need you to relax. That is very important. Relax and don't fight me."

"All right," Magnus said and took a deep breath.

"I need you to open up your mind, to clear your thoughts. You might feel something, like a pressure on your mind, but I need you not to fight it. Close your eyes and just let go."

"I will try, ma'am."

Fiona put the tips of her fingers on Magnus' temples. She stared at him for some time and then closed her eyes. Magnus tried to relax and think of nothing. It wasn't easy with everything that went through his mind lately. He tried thinking of the meadow back at his parent's farm. He used to lie there, beneath a large tree and fantasize about his future, trying to imagine the life he would lead. He had never expected to end up chasing wizards and sorceresses and trying to become their apprentice. Suddenly, he felt a kind of dullness pressing on his mind. He panicked at first, but then remembered what Fiona had said so he tried to relax.

"Think about the green grass, blue sky, gray mountains in the distance..."

Several seconds later, he felt the dullness disappear, along with Fiona's hands. It was so abrupt, that he opened his eyes right away, and saw Fiona recoiling, her face showing surprise and fear for a second, but the next moment she was smiling again.

"Magnus... You do seem to have a... modest magical ability..." Fiona said with a sigh. "Either way, now that we know that, we are back to the talk about apprenticeship. Do you still want to become my apprentice?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't think I could just go back and spend every day worrying if I will burn or destroy something and hurt someone... No, I want this... I NEED this, and I am willing to do anything to make it work. I understand that I don't have much to offer you, but if you can find some way to make it work..."

"Magnus, I will be honest with you. The price Brennus mentioned is the going rate, and yes, that means that apprenticeship costs more or less, about fifty silver pieces per day. There is no amount of work you can provide right now that will amount to even one silver per day."

"I know..." Magnus said, sighing.

"But... I am willing to make a sacrifice here if you are willing to accept my terms."

"I am," Magnus said, perking up.

"Wait until you hear the terms first," Fiona said with a disarming smile. "If I take you as my apprentice, I would train you in magical skills, but... I would also need you to do my bidding."

"Do your bidding?" Magnus asked cautiously. "Can you be more specific? I mean, I have certain moral barriers, and..."

"Oh, Magnus, no, nothing like that. I will never ask you to kill, or harm anyone in any way, that I can promise you."

"Oh, good," Magnus said, obviously relieved.

"But I will need you to obey me, to serve me. You would basically become my apprentice, but also my servant. That means working for me and serving me in any way I see fit. That includes being a body servant," she said with a knowing smile. "What I say, goes."

"A body servant?" Magnus asked timidly.

"Don't worry Magnus, I will not make you do anything you are truly uncomfortable with," she said, laughing. "I want you to be obedient and to serve my needs," she said in a slightly changed voice but then cleared her throat.

"You will be provided with food and clothing, but other than that, your only compensation will be lessons in magic. Finally, we would sign a five-year contract specifying all that I said, and if you break the contract, or just want to get out of the apprenticeship, I am entitled to, say, 150 gold pieces for every year of the contract you didn't fulfill. Take your time to think about it, because there will be no taking it back once you accept and sign," Fiona said with a kind smile.

Magnus ran his hands through his hair.

"All things considered, this is a dream offer... I suppose I will have to work plenty, and I will have to act as a servant... I never did mind hard work, and I suppose being at her disposal is only a small price to be paid. She also already said she would never ask me to harm someone, so that is fine too. As an added bonus I will be serving a beautiful woman, and not some old man stinking of tobacco and beer. I just dislike that it needs to last five years as a minimum..."

"Ma'am, I have to ask. Is it necessary for the apprenticeship to last five years? It seems an awfully long time to study anything."

"Oh, Magnus. After five years of intense lessons in magic, I can't guarantee you will be anything more than a mage with basic magical skills. It does depend on magical aptitude, intelligence, and so on, but it takes a long time to master the use of magic. A very long time," Fiona replied with a patronizing smile.

"Eh, so... Don't get this wrong ma'am... but how exactly are you a skilled sorceress then?" Magnus blurted out. The next moment he felt like a fool as he was on the verge of insulting the woman who was his only chance of putting his life on the right track. He was all the more surprised to see her burst into a merry laughter.

"There is so much you need to learn, Magnus," she said when she calmed a bit. "But I suppose your question is a logical one. Tell me, please, how old do you think I am?"

"Oh damn... I feel this is one of those trick questions... Women are usually so sensitive about their age... Maybe give a vague answer?" Magnus thought, feeling trapped.

"Eh, I would say you are somewhere between twenty and thirty... closer to twenty probably... I am not bold enough to be more specific," Magnus said with a cautious grin.

"Why, thank you, Magnus, I noticed right away how much of a true gentleman you are," Fiona said playfully. "I am 45, by the way."

"What?! You are just teasing me now... That can't possibly be true."

"I assure you, I am not joking, my dear Magnus. I am forty-five years old, thus being a student of magic for a little more than twenty-five years. And I still got so much to learn."

"But how...? I mean you look so young and gorgeous...." Magnus blurted out and then blushed.

"You think so?" Fiona said making a flirty pose. "You are such a sweet talker Magnus, such a devil with words."

"Eh?" Magnus said, feeling completely lost. The look of complete bashfulness was on his face. Fiona couldn't help laughing again.

"As I said already, I will explain a lot of things about magic if you accept to be my apprentice and servant. But one of the consequences of using magic is getting to look much younger than you really are. The magical energies invigorate your body and have a rejuvenating effect. Also, magic users have a significantly increased life span."

"Wow, really? How much increased? Ten, twenty, thirty years?"

"No, much more than that. It depends on your magical ability once again, but for example, I can hope to live another two hundred years, possibly even longer."

"What?! Oh, by the gods... So will I...?"

"Yes, Magnus, you will also live much, much longer than ordinary people. Of course, you can still get killed, but assuming you don't suffer a violent death or an incurable disease..."

"Gods... this is so overwhelming... I had no idea of the implications of magic..."

"Oh, you haven't heard anything yet," She said with a smirk. "Anyway, take your time and think about it, Magnus."

"Thank you, ma'am, you really are so kind to me. But there is nothing to think about. I accept being your apprentice if you will have me, and I accept being your servant, under the conditions you mentioned. I accept all other terms as well, the duration of the contract, the penalties, all of it." Magnus said with a solemn and resolved look, looking Fiona in the eyes.