The Apprentice Ch. 01

After a quick dinner, he was back in the rooms cleaning his Mistress's dress and boots. The dress didn't seem to need any attention from him. A while later, Fiona entered the room with a pensive look on her face.

"Apprentice. It's time for the lesson."

Magnus nodded and sat down on the floor near the bed, and assumed the same cross-legged position. He decided he was going to remain calm this time. Somehow. Soon, he felt Fiona walking around him and making sounds. He tried to steady his breathing and relax. This time he wouldn't let her distract him. He heard clapping sounds, even banging sounds, but he managed to keep his calm. A hint of a smile crept to his lips. A smile of victory.

"Look at him, thinking he has won," Fiona thought with amusement. "Let me break his illusion then."

A minute later, Magnus felt something touch his face. It was a touch he knew so well, the touch he learned to like. Fiona was sitting on the bed, her bare feet in Magnus' face. She kept caressing his face, pinching his cheeks, playing with his nose. Magnus's concentration started to break down. He held on to it, desperately trying to calm himself. He tried to breathe steadily, fighting to ignore the sweet distraction. His arousal was rising, but he was fighting on.

"I am calm. I am calm. Nothing is touching me. I am calm." He kept repeating in his head and it worked... for a little bit at least. But then, Fiona delivered a coup de grace. She placed her toes on Magnus' lips and pried them open, and then inserted her toes in his mouth. Magnus felt like a lightning bolt had struck him. It was such an intimate, arousing, but also an invasive act that collapsed his focus in an instant. Involuntarily, he felt his tongue testing the invader, but instead of fighting him off, the traitor tongue started caressing it instead. He gently suckled on the toes, taken by a passionate trance, the same as earlier, during the bath.

Fiona watched him devour her toes with passion, smiling, but she also started to feel her own arousal. She sighed with pleasure, running her hands through her rich hair. Not every day she had her feet worshipped by a handsome, strong young man... and a future wizard even. She wanted so much to get some relief but she knew deep down that he needed some more time.

"Soon, Fiona... soon. This passionate trance that seems to take him feels so promising... Ohh, just a while longer..."

With reluctance, she retracted her feet, watching Magnus arch his head for a second, seeking further contact. Then he opened his eyes, breaking his trance.

"You failed once again, Apprentice. Truth be told, you did better this time. But not good enough. You need something more solid, something to keep your mind anchored. Think about it."

Magnus sighed, licking his lips unconsciously.

"It is getting late, so we better hit the bed," Fiona said, yawning.

Magnus nodded and went towards the door to his own room. There was a nice double bed there, all for him.

"Magnus! I would prefer if we slept like we always do..."

Magnus stopped, surprised, but then smiled and nodded. He couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected sense of satisfaction he was getting from the fact that he was to sleep at the bottom of his Mistress' bed as opposed to having a whole bed for himself.

"Of course, Mistress. I will just use the chamber pot in my room and I will be here."

When he returned, she was already in bed, under covers. She tapped her feet on the bed.

"Hurry, my feet need you!" she said in a sweet, pouty voice.

A minute later, Magnus was lying in a familiar position, relishing in the touch of Fiona's feet.

"Mistress... What did the Countess want from you, if I may ask..."

"Yes, about that... Magnus, the fact that I am about to tell you this is a measure of my trust in your character. I need not tell you that under no circumstances are you to reveal what I am about to tell you?"

"My lips will be sealed, Mistress. I give you my word."

"Don't seal them yet..." Fiona said playfully as her toes found his lips and slid inside. She couldn't help teasing him... it felt so damn good. She felt him respond immediately and his tongue started playing with her toes.

"How did this ever become a normal thing...?" he asked himself as he swirled his tongue on her toes, gently as if they were made of sugar. They were sweeter than sugar to him.

"Anyway, here it is. Apparently, there is a spy in the midst of her staff. She assumes it is in her staff, but it could be somewhere else too. She doesn't want to fire all of her staff, as some of them are irreplaceable. This spy has already cost her dearly. Some of her trade secrets and political alliances have gotten into the wrong hands, even things she never had in writing, things she said in absolute privacy, as she says, so she suspects a touch of magic. That is why she wants my services. I am to root out this spy, discover who he, or she, is working for. My presence here alone has no doubt been an alarm for the spy so he will probably go quiet and settle down for a while, which makes my job that much harder. I wish she said what the job was before we arrived... I could have posed as a maid or something. This way the spy is alerted and the job will be hard, no doubt."

"You as a maid? Yeah, right," Magnus said, chuckling, his mouth still half full of toes.

"Oh shut up, Apprentice," Fiona said, chuckling herself and shutting him up by pushing her foot deeper inside his mouth.

"Hmm, you might be useful in this investigation, too. We will be staying here for a while, as this will take some time... maybe a month, maybe more, who knows. I want you to get acquainted with the staff... Talk with them, find out what you can about them. It shouldn't be too hard."

"I am not so sure about it... The maids just giggle when they see me, older maids look at me with disapproval and male servants ignore me..." Magnus said, barely able to pronounce words.

"You are a handsome young man; of course, they giggle at you. Older maids disapprove that you are staying in my rooms. They assume certain things... Male servants don't see any use in talking to you, that is why they are ignoring you. You will find a way to approach all of them and learn something. That is your primary task now, besides taking care of my needs. I also arranged swordplay lessons from the Countess's weapon master. Every day in the late morning, you will have swordplay lessons. Evenings are still reserved for magic lessons. So as you see, Apprentice, you will have your hands full for quite a while."

Magnus just grunted in response as he couldn't manage much more. It was not polite to talk with his mouth full, after all...

***

Knocks on the door woke Magnus from his sleep. He squinted, seeing Fiona's eyes flutter open as well. The room was bathed in the morning light, but the sun wasn't fully up yet.

"Lady Fiona! I have your breakfast here, and a message from Her Ladyship," the female voice behind the door said.

"Damn!" Fiona muttered. "Magnus! Go under the covers, quickly!"

"What? Why...?" Magnus said, not fully awake yet.

"Do it!" Fiona said, pulling the covers.

Magnus went under the covers, trying to fit his big body inconspicuously. Fiona moved her legs over his body and raised her knees to hide the bulge his body was making. He couldn't understand why he had to hide under covers. He could have just gone to his own room, couldn't he?

"Enter!" Fiona said loudly.

He heard the maid enter and then he heard them talking. Meanwhile, he was in almost complete darkness underneath the covers. Almost. He smelled an unfamiliar scent... it felt... arousing, somehow. He darted his eyes all around, not making the slightest move with his body. He felt his Mistress's legs touching his chest and neck... and then he saw it. It was barely visible in the dark, and it took some time until his eyes adjusted but it was unmistakable. His Mistress was completely naked under the covers! He realized that his head was very close to her crotch.

"Oh, gods... I can see her pussy!... But what in the gods' name... Older farmers had been telling me that women are hairy down there, but Mistress doesn't have a single hair I can see... anywhere! And this scent... it comes from... there," Magnus thought, completely enchanted by the sight.

He knew he should look away and not violate his Mistress's intimacy like this. He knew it was what a true gentleman would do... But he found that his eyes were glued to the amazing image in front of him. He couldn't see the details in the dark, but he saw enough to lose control of his eye muscles. He could still hear the voices, but he couldn't focus on anything being said. He just stared at the first pussy he had ever seen in his life, and he already knew it was the most beautiful one. He thought he saw it glisten as if her pussy was wet, but he wasn't sure; he couldn't see well enough to be certain. Those old farmers always said that a woman gets wet when aroused... Was his Mistress aroused?

He was broken out of his reverie by the sound of doors closing.

"You can come out now."

Magnus started moving sluggishly, and when he was finally out, Fiona saw he was red-faced and wearing a guilty look.

"Hard to breathe down there, eh?" Fiona said with a smirk. "The Countess is away for today. We will continue with my plan. Now go and get dressed."

When Magnus finished with dressing and getting ready for the day, Fiona was just finishing her breakfast.

"You are here, good. Now, help me get dressed." Fiona said and got out of the bed.

Magnus stared at her naked body. He was right about her pussy, not a hair on it!

"If you are done staring go get white satin undergarments and my olive green dress. I'll be wearing my black boots with a heel today," Fiona said to Magnus, who couldn't take his eyes off her body.

"Move!"

Startled, Magnus moved to obey. Overwhelmed with nervous energy, he helped her put her undergarments on, then her dress and stockings. Putting her stockings on was incredibly arousing in particular. When she pushed her foot inside the stocking, Fiona put her foot on his shoulder and let him pull the stocking all the way to her crotch, her foot sliding down his back. She felt his warm, ragged breath on her thighs as his strong but slightly trembling fingers pulled the stocking all the way up... He stopped when he reached the end but didn't move away as if mesmerized by the sight. Fiona found herself holding her breath as well. It was hard to say who the more aroused one was.

"Soon, Fiona, soon..."

She cleared her throat loudly and Magnus snapped out of his trance and moved down to repeat the process with the other leg. Finally, he helped her put her boots on.

"Excellent. This will be your duty every day from now on. Now go hit the breakfast, mingle with servants, and don't forget the swordplay lessons later," she said, sending him on his way.

Magnus breathed out loudly once he was outside. So much was happening so quickly... He was getting so many indecent thoughts about his Mistress. How many times had he been thankful for his chastity? Otherwise, his cock would be pointing up the whole day, every day...

***

Magnus hefted the wooden sword in his hand. Wielding it was easy. It was much lighter than the bandit's sword he had taken. His first swordplay lesson was well underway, and weapon master Rorik was showing him the stances in swordplay. His breakfast had been uneventful as he barely managed to squeeze a few sentences out of other servants. It would take some time. He did meet another pretty maid, Mary, if exchanging five words could qualify as meeting someone. Small steps.

"You need to be mindful of your balance, lad. It is one of the most important things in swordplay. Don't get caught on the wrong foot, don't let your momentum swipe you off your feet, don't stumble and fall, and don't get rushed and thrown to the ground. Mistakes like that, you will pay with your life, most likely," Rorik said.

"I'll give my best," Magnus said and once again took the basic stance, his feet spread wide. Balance was important. The wooden sword in his hand still didn't sit quite right, but it was better now when he was taught how to hold it properly. It took patience to accomplish anything. Farm life had taught him that, after all.

In the evening, he was bathing his Mistress again. She purred like a cute, lazy cat when he massaged her neck and shoulders. She would lean her head back, resting it on his chest, while he relaxed her muscles with his hands. It felt so amazingly intimate, feeling her head on his chest, smelling her red, wavy hair. It was like a drug to him. There was no point denying it anymore. His Mistress aroused him to insanity. He felt his thoughts filled with passion anytime he looked at her. Her every touch felt intimate, arousing, maddening. For the first time, he wondered if he would be able to endure it. He had a strong will, he knew that much about himself, but he never even dreamed that his will would be tested like this... It had been a while since he had a chance for release, and he knew his... chastity would be an ongoing thing during his apprenticeship. He knew he had to control it somehow... But how? Meditation was the key, he thought. If he could master it, he would be able to apply it in daily life as well, but it wasn't going to be easy...

"Mistress mentioned the need to find something that calms me, something that empties my mind and makes it impervious to distractions... When was I most calm, content, and at peace...?"

"Other side now..." Fiona breathed.

As he moved to massage and bathe her feet and calves, his mind wandered to his life on the farm, the peaceful, if hard-working days of his boyhood. He remembered how he used to lie under a lone tree in his favorite meadow. He would just lie there and fantasize about his life while enjoying the light breeze swaying the grass and tree branches. The grass, the tree, the whole meadow, would sway in an intricate rhythm that would always ease his mind. The world seemed so right then, so much at peace.

Magnus felt something breaking him out of his thoughts... and then again. He returned to reality to the feel of his Mistress's feet gently slapping his face.

"Wow, you completely zoned out while doing my feet and calves. I had to slap you around to wake you up," Fiona said, laughing. Magnus saw her eyes were full of mischief. Gods, she was beautiful... and so damn attractive. On the other hand, maybe he had found his anchor in meditation...

A little while later, Magnus had his bath in the same water, as usual. He found himself much more confident now. He would master the meditation. When he finished his bath, he got dressed and then sat on the floor once again, waiting for the lesson in meditation to begin. As soon as the lesson began, Fiona went for the kill. Her feet were in his face, prodding him, caressing him, pushing on his lips. Her feet aroused him, as did the touch of any part of her gorgeous body, but this time he had a defense in place. He was in his meadow, watching the swaying grass. Her touches were there, but they were so distant, he barely registered them. She kept prodding him, trying to push her toes in his mouth, but his focus never truly wavered.

"You found your anchor, didn't you?" Fiona asked, removing her feet.

Magnus nodded, smiling. This day was his.

"I am glad you did, Apprentice. But the following nights I won't be going so easy on you. Savor your victory while you can," she said and winked at him.

Soon, he was helping her undress for bed. She got out of her clothes with graceful moves, then yawned sweetly, standing completely naked in front of Magnus.

"Seeing me naked has to become his new normal. The fact that it's making him mad with arousal, while he has to stay without any release is just an added bonus... Oh, I can't wait to get him between my legs... There are lessons to be learned there, more important than magic," she thought, smiling seductively at Magnus. He was still somewhat timid with her naked body, but far less so than he used to be. He had gone so far in a relatively short time. They were soon in bed in their usual positions. Being in the dark, in an intimate position like this, always prompted them to talk.

"Any luck today, Apprentice?"

"Not much. I barely spoke five words with servants... I think it will take time for them to open up. Swordplay lessons were interesting, though. Did you discover anything, Mistress?"

"Yes and no... Somehow, this defies reason. After considering all the facts that I have heard from the Countess, I would say that the spy is either a mage or someone with outstanding skill in spycraft. Nothing else makes sense. No ordinary person would have been able to obtain those secrets and then smuggle them out with such success. She told me she was very careful after the first few occurrences but the leak continued nevertheless. Having that in mind, I inquired about all the servants and staff in detail. I went through all the information about them today. The most recent member of the serving staff had been added more than two years ago. I checked and rechecked. And that is the part that doesn't make sense at all..." Fiona said and let out a frustrated sigh. She prodded Magnus's lips with her toes, finding the touch of his tongue soothing.

"A mage would never have invested such a long time just to infiltrate serving staff and obtain some trading secrets. In those two years, he could have made a lot of coin doing other things. That means he is not a member of the staff. But anyone, even a skilled mage, being able to hide himself from all the house members and staff, continuously obtain secrets, and practically live in the mansion, without being seen or heard is just plain impossible. He had to be there continuously to catch these secret-spilling moments, yet no one had seen or spotted any unknown person in the mansion. So that brings us back to serving staff. My next assumption was that someone among actual servants had been corrupted with bribes and was stealing secrets. But an ordinary servant being this good, no, this amazing at cloak and dagger? It defies reason even more... Maybe someone among them has been a professional thief or spy before getting the job as a servant, so I will investigate their backgrounds, but it is still an incredible stretch... This reeks of magic, but I can't see how... It is so frustrating," Fiona said with slight irritation. She did find some comfort in the touch of Magnus' body and lips... If only she could apply them elsewhere.

"Soon, Fiona...Soon."

"Is it possible that this mage took the place of one of the servants sometime recently, and somehow managed not to be discovered?"

"They have all been working for the Countess for a long time, Magnus. She is fair towards the servants it seems. That means they know each other well. So a mage altering his face and build to look exactly like this servant and fooling even people who knew the servant well? We can create illusions, sure, but they are never accurate and precise enough to map someone's face in detail, and they can be maintained only for a short time. It takes amazing concentration to keep up a complex illusion. No, it simply doesn't add up. Nothing does..."

"Maybe we will get some more clues in time, Mistress."

"Yeah, I hope so... I hate this job already... Well, maybe not all of it," Fiona said, rubbing her foot on Magnus' chest and pinching his nipple with her toes, making him yelp.

"Such a baby..." she said, laughing. "Well, babies should have something to suck on," she said, and then her foot found his lips once again...