The Apprentice Ch. 01

"No, wait! Mistress... don't remove it... I can manage. Your comfort is what matters. I would never jeopardize that... I accept this... condition. I will endure," Magnus said with sudden determination.

"Oh Magnus, are you sure? You are such an incredible gentleman. I wish more men were like you..." Fiona said taking his face in her hands. Magnus felt his will melt at the touch. She was so beautiful.

"I am such an ungrateful oaf... A woman like this should be cared for, no matter what. It is my duty to do anything to take care of her safety and comfort."

***

"So Magnus, have you ever been with a girl?" Fiona asked with a smile. They were having dinner in the inn, and the pretty waitress, Bree, had just served the food. Magnus was watching her walk away. Fiona had to admit she had a terrific ass.

"Err... no, I haven't..." Magnus replied timidly.

"It is really one of the most enjoyable things you can do, Magnus, and it is perfectly natural. Our needs and passions are there for a reason. Bree is a cute girl, don't you think?" She asked, smirking.

"Yes, she is pretty..."

"So, wouldn't you like to make love to her? She has a nice body and is barely older than you."

"I would... but I mean, how would that even work, considering..." Magnus said glancing at his crotch with a sad expression.

"Oh, maybe I would give up on my comfort to see you happy. But there ARE other ways, you know."

"Other ways?" Magnus said, perplexed.

"Other ways to make love. There is so much more to making love to a woman, than just poking her with your spear." Fiona said with a laugh.

"Huh..."

Magnus could feel his curiosity warring with his sense of propriety. He didn't think it right to ask a lady about those things, but she had really piqued his curiosity. He was also feeling arousal in all of his body, and he felt the blood rising in him. It was just his cock that remained indifferent.

"So... what ways are those... exactly," Magnus asked, swallowing hard.

"There are so many, my dear Apprentice," she said, smiling seductively.

"You can use your strong hands for example. A woman really likes feeling a man's hands on her body. You have to be gentle though, we are such tender creatures," she said, batting her eyelashes. "...but most of all, you got your lovely lips," Fiona said, leaning closer, then whispered in her most seductive voice. "...and you got your tongue."

Magnus felt a wave of shame and arousal that was threatening to overwhelm him. This talk... It seemed so improper, but it also made his blood boil with passion. In his mind, he thanked Fiona a hundred times for restraining his cock with magic. Otherwise, he was sure he would have spurted right there and then, embarrassing himself forever. It was such a strange sensation to feel so much arousal, but not to have any reaction in his cock. He just stared at Fiona, red-faced, while she just kept smiling at him, holding her face in her hands.

"You know, Magnus, I am your Mistress, your teacher. I feel I should teach you about these things as well. Knowing how to give pleasure to a woman, to make her happy, to selflessly give her the comfort of relaxation and satisfaction is something a man should know. Especially a strapping young man such as yourself," she said, touching his cheek.

"Ohhh... I don't know.... I mean I want to, but I..." Magnus replied awkwardly. He felt so many thoughts and emotions warring, mixing, and colliding in his mind.

"Don't worry, I will lead you through all of it. I will help you hone your skills... through practice... lots and lots of it..." she said, her voice betraying arousal. "Now, let's dig into the food," Fiona said, changing the subject. She felt he was still being shy about it, and thought it best not to press him anymore.

That night, Fiona had some trouble sleeping. She caressed Magnus' face with her feet. His face felt so good under her feet. She made him shave almost every day to keep it smooth and gentle.

"Magnus is such a puzzle... I have tested, teased, and poked him these few days to make his personality come out, and the result is quite unusual, yet it promises so much fun. He is definitely not a submissive person. He questions almost everything, and he has his own mind about most things... If anything, he is assertive and hot-tempered even. The way he immediately rushed towards those drunken fools who called out after me... That makes molding him more difficult I suppose... I could make him do most things under the pressure of contract, and I am sure he would not try to get out of doing it as he is so kind and honorable. He would take it as his responsibility. But making him do something pretty much takes all the fun out of it. Yet there is hope..." Fiona thought, smiling. She rubbed her foot on his lips gently, trying to gauge a reaction. He didn't move, even if she was sure he was awake.

"Yes, there is plenty of hope... This boy, this young man seems almost fanatically chivalrous and gallant towards women... it is obviously his weak spot. He is my servant and apprentice, yet he acts like a knight defending his lady. I think I will be able to seduce him into doing so many things... It will be so fun to play a tender, pampered lady, to make him wish to care for me, to give me pleasure, to provide every comfort... Goading him into sexual acts might take some time though, he is so innocent still," Fiona thought, barely containing a laughter of excitement. "It will be interesting to see him learn magic as well. I am curious to see how fast he can learn. His magical strength is incredible... far above my own. I wonder if that makes him able to learn faster..."

Meanwhile, Magnus was deep in thoughts of his own.

"It is so strange how much my life changed recently. One day I am working on the farm, the next day I am learning magic... And I am learning so much, even if Mistress won't be teaching me any spells for a while. But even this... theoretical knowledge about magic is mind-blowing."

He felt Fiona's foot on his lips, rubbing gently. Her other foot was snugged against his cheek. Her soles felt so soft, so tender... like the rest of her.

"I had this all backwards at the start. I was taking the servant position like a necessary evil, in order to learn magic. But this beautiful, tender woman needs to be taken care of. She is obviously used to comfort and pampered life, but she still took me in, a clueless farm boy, who is just an expense for her. Well, I will do all I can to provide the comfort and care she deserves... even to pamper her the way she is no doubt used to... she must have been earning good coin to support that lifestyle..."

"Mistress..." Magnus called out silently.

"Yes, Magnus."

"You said magic ability is so extremely rare... That means there must be a high demand for skilled mages... But exactly, what services do you provide for people who can afford you?" he said, his lips touching her foot with every word as if kissing it. It felt so intimate, so... arousing.

"It is a good question, Magnus. There are different ways to make a living as a mage. One way is to be in the service of The Crown. The king has several skilled mages at his disposal and he pays them well to do various things for him. They can provide safety for the king. They can be very useful in diplomacy and espionage. They can even be a strong fear factor and addition to the army. A skilled mage can unleash an enormous destructive power. Also, it is a matter of prestige for kings and queens to have mages in their service," Fiona said, sliding one foot across Magnus' face and the other across his neck. Magnus released a barely heard moan and she felt her face spreading into a smile.

"A mage can also do something similar for the rich nobility. Be their bodyguard, provide them with intelligence, root out spies, plots, and so on. Only the richest among the nobility can afford to keep a mage in their service full time."

"I understand," Magnus said. Weird as it was, he was starting to relish the caresses of Fiona's feet.

"Last, but not least, there are mages like me, who take one-time contracts from nobles and merchants. I don't like being attached to anyone. I like my freedom, so I just take occasional jobs. A job can be almost anything. Sometimes we are even tasked with putting down some dangerous predators, but that happens rarely, and I have never taken a job like that, to be honest."

"What kind of predators? Don't tell me they hire a mage to kill a wolf or a bear?"

Fiona laughed.

"No, of course. There are far more dangerous predators than that. For example, I heard the Wizard Declan killed a chimera some years back. The beast was plaguing the land of some lord."

"What exactly is a chimera?"

"It is a three-headed flying lizard, big and very dangerous. Once it tastes humans, it won't go away until it is put down. Chimera spits poison and has thick scales, making it very resilient against ordinary weapons like arrows and spears."

"Oh, wow. I have never heard of a beast like that..."

"Well, it happens rarely. Chimeras usually roost in mountain peaks, so they rarely come in touch with humans, and they even avoid them mostly. Anyway, now that you mentioned all this, we will be leaving tomorrow. We are going to the estate of Countess Silvana. She has a job for me, it seems."

"Oh... What kind of job?"

"I don't know yet. Now, time to smother your curiosity," Fiona said, placing her foot over his mouth, and pressing down, "...and to go to sleep," she added, placing her other foot over his eyes. Magnus chuckled, but then fell silent, feeling a strange combination of arousal and intimacy in the touch of her feet. This time it didn't take long for both of them to fall asleep.

***

"I think that is all..." Magnus said to himself as he put the bag onto the carriage. That was the last of several bags and boxes that contained his Mistress's things. She sure had a lot of clothes and footwear. She also had several thick books and a large box that contained a lot of bottles and ingredients. Magnus took a few steps back and inspected his new responsibility with an appraising look of an expert. Apparently, his Mistress thought that now that she had a permanent servant, she should own a carriage and a pair of horses to use in her travels. It was much more comfortable than renting a carriage, or even using public carriages that were used for transport between towns.

"Well, she needs comfort like she needs air..."

He sized up the horses, inspected their teeth and their hooves, and decided they were good enough. They would be adequate for pulling the carriage. The carriage looked quite nice. It was a closed carriage with a relatively big passenger compartment. It had been painted in a light blue color, with big windows all around. The seats inside were padded and comfortable. Magnus climbed onto the driver seat at the front. His Mistress should be ready soon.

Half an hour later, the blue carriage was rolling down the streets of Fairfield, attracting a few curious looks from the people on the streets. Magnus was quite alert until they left Fairfield. He felt uneasy driving the carriage with so many people on the streets. Some child could always run in front of the carriage, or someone could maybe try to attack or rob them. It was highly unlikely, almost impossible, for an attack to happen in the middle of a town and during the day, but Magnus felt he should be on his toes nevertheless. His hand went to the knife he kept attached to his belt. He would be ready. He hoped to gods he would never have to use it though. Killing people wasn't in his nature.

Once they were out of the town, he felt so foolish. It was a hundred times more likely for an attack to happen on the road. Theirs was a lonely, fancy-looking carriage, with no one but the driver to defend it. He would need to arm himself better maybe... He was handy with the knife, but he never held a sword in his hands and it was unlikely he would be able to use it successfully, even if he had one. In contrast, his Mistress seemed completely relaxed. He peeked inside several times and saw her reading something. She seemed not to have a care in the world. She opened the window a couple of times to give Magnus instructions on which road to follow. After so many years spent traveling, she knew Vistania's roads well.

They were following the road that went northeast from Fairfield. It would take them two days of traveling to reach Countess Silvana's estate. The estate was situated only a day and a half of travel from Vistania's capital Highfort which lay further north. They stopped several times, for hygiene breaks, to stretch their legs, and to eat. Magnus was watching the surrounding terrain the whole time as he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that they were such an easy prey for bandits. The sky was darkening already when they finally rolled into Brickston, a small town that was on their way. Magnus stopped the carriage in front of the only inn the town had. He opened the door for his Mistress and followed her inside, eyeing the inn's patrons. He felt uneasy with so many eyes following them. His Mistress was obviously a sight to be seen.

"My dear Cob, I assume your best room can be at my disposal?"

"Of course, Lady Fiona." The innkeeper replied, bowing. "Girls! Go prepare the big room, hurry!"

"Would you be needing anything else, my lady? Eh, the young man... you need another room for him?"

"No, that is my servant, and he will be staying with me. I am quite lost without his services," Fiona replied, smiling. "I will need a bathtub with hot water brought up as soon as the room is ready. In a few hours, we will be coming down for dinner."

"Mistress, I will go out to take care of horses and the carriage," Magnus said, turning to go.

"Just bring them to my stable master and he will take care of them, lad," the innkeeper said. "Can I offer you my best wine while you wait my lady?"

"I don't have the greatest memories about your best wine, but it will have to do. Thank you."

Half an hour later, Fiona was sitting on the bed, while Magnus was bringing the last of her bags up to the room. He didn't seem out of breath, even if she had so many bags, and he had to make the trip up the stairs many times. She kept an eye on him the whole time, admiring his frame. Magic could make one younger and prolong their life significantly, but it couldn't make one more beautiful, or physically stronger than one was. Among other reasons that was why she found Magnus so fascinating. He was a full package. Well, if Fiona was being honest so was she. She had been gifted with great physical beauty, on top of her magical talent. She had been given so much. She always felt that she should, therefore, use her gifts for acts of kindness as well, to try to balance the scales of the universe. Otherwise, she might become a dung beetle in her next life, if what some religions preached was true. She was not sure that many of her fellow mages felt the same way.

"Apprentice. Time for the next lesson."

"I am ready," Magnus replied enthusiastically. Learning about magic was the highlight of his day.

"No more theory for now. It is time for the next step."

"I will learn how to cast a spell?" Magnus asked with excitement.

"Not a chance. There is one important step before we tackle casting itself."

"What step is that?"

"Meditation."

"Meditation?"

"Yes, meditation. I have already told you that remaining calm and focused is the only way to cast a spell with proper control, and the only way to avoid injuring yourself and others. In time, you will be trained enough to cast spells even when you are in the grip of emotions, but there is a long way to get there. You need to learn to be calm and focused; It is one of the most important things when doing magic. To achieve that, I will teach you to empty your mind, to reach a state of calm easily, and to shield yourself from distractions of any type."

"It makes sense..."

"All right, Apprentice. Sit down on the ground. Cross your legs and put your palms on your knees."

Magnus did as instructed. He watched her with curiosity.

"I want you to close your eyes, Magnus. It will enhance your other senses somewhat, and you will need to resist the distractions. Try to empty your mind. Think about something that calms you. I am not going to tell you what I am thinking about when I need to concentrate, because it is different for every person. You need to find your own focus. The point is to stay focused and avoid reacting to any stimuli."

Magnus closed his eyes. He tried not to think about anything.

"Just emptiness. Emptying my mind... Yes, seems to be working..."

He heard a clinking sound, as if a coin dropped on the floor. Reacting on instinct, he turned his head towards the sound but stopped himself midway.

"See, you are already distracted. Let's say you were casting a fire spell, and you just incinerated yourself. Focus!"

Magnus tried to numb himself. He heard the coin drop again, but it seemed more distant now, and he didn't react to it. A minute later, he heard hands clapping close to him and he couldn't help flinching a bit. He cursed inwardly and tried hard to steel himself. He heard another clap, then another, but he didn't move this time. He wondered if he was doing it right. Was his lack of physical reaction the point, or was he supposed to make himself not even notice these distractions? He had his answer soon enough. After a couple of minutes, he heard doors open and close and he heard water being poured. He tried not to move, but his curiosity was piqued...

A couple of minutes later he heard the rustling of clothes and water splashing. Then he heard Fiona hum some nice melody.

"Gods... she is taking a bath, with me still in the room..."

And that was where any remainder of focus he had, shattered completely. He had to use all his force of will not to open his eyes, or at least peek. It was such a sweet torture and he felt incredibly aroused by the whole situation. The image of such a beautiful woman taking a bath, completely naked, just five feet from him, made his mind run rampant. Once again, he felt grateful for the spell on his cock, otherwise, he would be needing new pants. His restlessness started showing on his face, as he was doing some small involuntary twitches.

"Am I ruining your concentration, Apprentice? Poor you... I will kindly ask the chimera that just spat her deadly poison on you to be more careful next time. The chimera should play fair and avoid breaking your focus."

Magnus tried to prevent himself from scowling. She was pushing his buttons, but she did have a point. He failed in his concentration today, completely. After a while, he heard her get out of the tub and rub herself dry, still humming. Finally, he heard the dress rustling and her voice ended his misery.

"That's enough for today, Apprentice. You will need to do better."

"Yeah... That wasn't great..." Magnus said, sighing and getting up to his feet.

"I'm talking a short walk outside and we will meet downstairs for dinner in half an hour. Meanwhile, you will take a bath. You need to develop healthy hygiene habits. You will use the water I bathed in already. That won't be a problem, won't it?" she asked teasingly.

"Umm no, of course not, Mistress..."

Soon, he was naked in the tub, bathing in the water his Mistress already used. Somehow, it felt incredibly intimate. The same water that touched her delicate skin, her breasts, her shapely legs, her lady parts... was now caressing his own body. He wanted to stay forever in the water that was barely warm now. Cursed dinner. It was the first time ever he wanted to skip a meal. He just wanted to soak in the water for hours. But his Mistress was expecting him downstairs.