The Apprentice Ch. 04

"Everything is in Fiona's hands now... The only choice was to comply with the arrest or fight four mages... Even if I had any chance to win, there would be casualties and that is not something I was prepared to do..." Magnus said, breathing out heavily and reclining on the hard cot. "Damn, that was one expensive blowjob..."

***

Fiona entered the Princess' chambers, feeling some anxiety. Much would depend on this conversation. She really hoped Princess would have some information... something she could use.

"Your Highness!"

"Lady Fiona. Please sit," the Princess said.

"Thank you."

"So... you asked to see me, Lady Fiona? I heard what happened at the Ball... I suppose you would rather skip through the pleasantries?"

"You are guessing my thoughts, Your Highness."

"Just Vivien, please. There is no one here but us, so no need to stick to formalities," The Princess said, smiling.

"She is almost too nice, and royalty is usually so stuck up... She is up to something," Fiona thought, smiling back at the Princess.

"All right, Vivien... You said you heard what happened at the Ball... What is your take?"

"My take? I really don't have an opinion. I trust my father will be able to get to the bottom of this..."

"See, I spoke with all of the guards and servants, since your father was so kind to allow it, and one of them told me that the only other person he saw roaming through the halls was you...?" Fiona said, looking at the Princess with a hopeful expression.

"Oh, I might have roamed some..."

"So did you maybe run into my Apprentice somewhere in the halls?"

"Run into him? No, I couldn't say so..." The Princess said, after a second of hesitation.

"She is definitely hiding something... With enough time and subtlety, I might be able to get her to open up, but I doubt I have much time... So I will be direct and plead..." Fiona thought, weighing her options.

"Princess... Vivien. I beg of you, tell me if you know something. Magnus' life is in danger. These are serious accusations and he could be hanged for treason... please," Fiona said, desperation in her voice. The Princess fought with herself for several moments. Finally, she sighed and nodded.

"I saw your Apprentice in the halls... He was with me at the time of the robbery..."

"He was?! Excellent! So you can provide an alibi for him!" Fiona exclaimed.

"I can't... There would be consequences for me... My father would press me and he would discover what we did..."

"Oh..." Fiona said. "But please, there must be a way... His freedom and life might depend on it..."

"I don't want any harm to come to him, but I am in a difficult situation..."

"Would Her Highness, The Queen, be more understanding of this... encounter?" Fiona asked.

"Hmm, probably yes..." The Princess replied, pensively.

"So can we go to her and explain the situation, and maybe she can intervene with His Highness and present the situation so it doesn't reflect badly on you...?"

"Well... my mother is a woman who can sway a man her way, that is for sure... I suppose that is possible... But still, it is risky for me..."

"Please, Vivien... If there is anything I can do..."

"Hmm... maybe there is..." The Princess said, looking at Fiona and licking her lips.

"All right...?"

"Well... I like taking... tasting samples... Your Apprentice was definitely one of the best samples I have ever tasted... It makes me think you mages are special that way... So if you would..." The Princess said, giving Fiona a lusty look.

"Oh..." Fiona said, surprised. She felt a tingling in her pussy at the thought of getting a royal pussy licking. She shouldn't be too eager, though... She needed to sell it.

"Well, all right, if that is your price..." Fiona said, sighing dramatically.

"Just recline on the cushions, Fiona," The princess said, getting to her knees. Fiona obliged, taking off her undergarments only and pulling her dress up. She was almost trembling with arousal, seeing the Princess herself kneel before her.... The Princess!

"Oh gods... this is not something I could ever have hoped for... the Princess getting on her knees before me... and now, she is going to eat my pussy and drink my juices... Ohhh," Fiona thought, spreading her legs. She almost came the moment Vivien's tongue touched her pussy.

"AHH!" Fiona moaned when Vivien's tongue pushed deep inside her pussy. She couldn't believe how deep her tongue could go in!

"She is such a talented pussy eater... By the gods, I have to convince her to take my samples again..."

Vivien kept licking her, her tongue going in and out of Fiona's pussy in a steady rhythm. She mashed her face in the leaking pussy in front of her, trying to go as deep as possible with her tongue and scoop Fiona's love juice.

"Ohh, just look at her... She is enjoying this just as much as I am... maybe even more," Fiona mused, observing the blissful look on the Princess' face. "She really indents to suck me dry..."

"Oh, yes, yeeees! Your tongue is unbelievably long, Your Highness!" Fiona purred, finding such satisfaction at using Vivien's title. Soon enough, Vivien's deep penetrations brought Fiona to the brink of an orgasm, her pussy gushing copious amounts of juice, to Vivien's absolute delight.

"Aaaaahhh!!" Fiona moaned in orgasm as Vivien slurped on her pussy. She savored the sweet and tangy fluids as if it was the most precious of wines. Vivien kept milking her orgasm until Fiona's body finally started relaxing.

"You really know your way around a pussy, Your Highness..." Fiona said, smiling at the pussy-smeared face between her legs... the face of the heir to the throne of Vistania.

"It is not my first, that is for sure," Vivien said, chuckling. "But none tasted so divine, Fiona..."

"I am really glad you liked it..." Fiona said, suddenly feeling much bolder.

"Oh, I am pushing my luck here, but I can't help it... I want to dominate her so bad..." Fiona thought, biting her lip.

"I have been told before that my pussy tastes great... but I have also been told that my ass tastes even better..." Fiona said, smiling seductively.

"Hmmm... That theory is definitely worth testing..." the Princess said, giving one last kiss to Fiona's pussy and moving lower...

"Oh, gods!" Fiona exclaimed, feeling Vivien's tongue probe her anus.

"Is this real... The Princess of Vistania is on her knees before me, licking my ass... Oh, the feeling..." Fiona thought, feeling so aroused by the mere idea of it. She had just orgasmed, but the sight in front of her eyes and the feeling of that long tongue probing inside her ass, made her shiver with desire. The passion overwhelming her senses, Fiona felt even bolder and she lifted her legs to rest them comfortably on Vivien's back. The princess kept probing into Fiona's rosebud, not even noticing the weight on her back.

"Could Vivien be a submissive?" Fiona mused, firmly in the grips of pleasure, and before she could even ponder the question, she felt her orgasm surge in an unstoppable wave.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Fiona screamed as Vivien kept spearing her tongue deep inside Fiona's ass. Her body arched madly, pressing even more weight on Vivien's back but the Princess didn't even take notice...

"Gods, how incredible was this..." Fiona thought when her orgasm subsided. Vivien was still nursing on her juices, relentlessly.

"My Princess, you are simply amazing!" Fiona purred at the smeared face licking her pussy and ass.

"And your taste is incredible..." Vivien responded with a smile.

"She is a submissive, whether she knows it or not," Fiona thought, finally lifting her feet off Vivien's back and pulling her up.

"You can sample me anytime you want... Now, maybe we can go see Her Highness...? After you freshen up of course..." Fiona said, biting her lip. The sight of Princess's pussy-smeared face was simply surreal.

"Oh, I am going to masturbate so many times to this amazing sight..." Fiona thought as the princess finally went to refresh her face and change her gown.

***

Fiona walked away from the palace gate with a lively step. There were reasons to be satisfied.

"Finding out that the Queen was aware of her daughter's 'activities' was a shock, no doubt... but it made things easier as well. Princess' testimony about Magnus gives him a solid alibi, but the Queen still has to convince the King about it, without disclosing the nature of the alibi... She seems like a smart and capable woman, so I have no doubt that she will be able to pull it off, yet still... Will the King release Magnus and drop all charges based on that alibi alone? The impact of the theft was significant and he would look incompetent if the thief was not found... He might keep Magnus in prison for the lack of other culprits, and I have only until tomorrow at noon to figure out a way to convince him... " Fiona thought as she walked towards Charlotte's mansion. She had always used the carriage but she felt she needed a walk and some fresh air to help her think.

"No... I need to offer him something else... to give him some other plausible explanation and maybe a culprit as well... Which means I need to go through the facts and see where they take me..." Fiona thought, feeling a pang of worry. Would she be able to figure it out? Could she find something the King would find convincing enough?

"I need to lay down the facts... First: The three guards are all but certain that the thief is someone who looks like Magnus... I have no reason to doubt them, so I'll take that as a fact. Magnus had a distinctive suit, and from the testimonies of servants and from my own impression, no other guest wore anything similar in color and design... Most of the other suits were black or red... I feel this is an important fact somehow... I should go on, maybe something will spring up," Fiona thought, sighing deeply and venturing into the part of the city where most of the merchants had their shops. The noise coming from the traders and customers didn't seem to bother her thought process.

"Second: The guards and servants are positive that no one except Magnus and apparently the Princess herself walked through the halls between the Ballroom and the inner palace. Hmm... Why would the thief wear such a distinctive suit, a suit so similar to Magnus's? If he wanted to blend in with the crowd, wearing a black or red suit would make more sense... Unless... that was the whole point?! Oh, gods... This wasn't only about stealing documents... it was about framing Magnus for it as well!" Fiona thought, feeling sudden excitement and fear.

"But how could he have known which suit Magnus would wear? That was the first time Magnus wore the damn suit... And even if he followed us when we went shopping, we took so many suits to try on... How could he know which one we would pick? And why Magnus, in the name of gods! He is practically a nobody in this society... Gods, I feel I will go crazy!"

Fiona walked through the market feeling frustration and anxiety. There had to be something she was missing, some piece of puzzle, some reason why Magnus was the target...

"IT'S HIM!!" Fiona exclaimed suddenly, making an elderly man passing next to her jump in surprise.

"Oh gods, it has to be him.... It makes perfect sense. That bastard, the Illusionist! He didn't need to know in advance what Magnus would wear, because it wasn't an actual suit he wore... it was an illusion... All he had to do was see Magnus' suit when we arrived in front of the palace... There was so much light, he couldn't have missed it. And that is why the guards were so convinced that it was Magnus... It wasn't just the suit, he faked Magnus' face as well. The only thing he couldn't properly fake was Magnus' height... And it perfectly explains the motive as well. He wanted to get even to us for smoking him out all those years ago..." Fiona thought, feeling both excited and nervous. Magnus would walk free, she was sure of it now.

"The only thing that doesn't make sense is where that bastard went after stealing the documents and after being seen by the guards... The guards were adamant that no one had left the palace until the King ended the Ball prematurely, and that Magnus was the only person coming into the Ballroom from the inner palace... Maybe he had some secret way out? Or maybe he hid somewhere in the palace until things settled down?"

It was a shaky explanation for that part of her theory, but it was the best she could come up with. Either way, she felt she had a plausible explanation for the King, especially considering the fact that Lady Silvana must have shared the news of the Illusionist's existence with other nobles and even members of the royal court after those events years ago. Fiona felt a smile creep onto her face. She had solved the puzzle. She took a turn towards the mansion, feeling light as a feather...

***

"...so as you can see, Your Highness, the true culprit is still out there..." Fiona said, finishing her exposition. The King had nodded a couple of times and was now looking pensive. He was walking restlessly all over his audience room. The loss of documents weighed heavily on his mind. Fiona watched him carefully, in anticipation of his decision.

"All right, Lady Fiona... Your theory makes sense, especially in the light of your Apprentice's alibi... but I still need to find the person who did it... This Illusionist, as you call him..."

"Of course, Your Highness... I am ready to offer my services for that cause. Maybe we can lay a trap for him somehow?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we can let it be known that you found the documents and that the ones that were stolen were fake...? It seems thin, but it might get his attention..."

"Seems unlikely... but we can give it a try," The King said, nodding. "All right, then. I will introduce you to one of my advisor mages... he is quite clever and together you two should be able to come up with a plan."

After several minutes, a middle-aged, medium-height man, wearing formal attire, joined them in the audience room. He had piercing brown eyes and a small beard.

"Lady Fiona, allow me to introduce Master Cedrick, a wizard and one of my advisors."

"Pleased to meet you," Fiona said, inclining her head.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Fiona," Master Cedrick said with a raspy voice, kissing her hand lightly and bowing. "I've been having problems with my throat for a couple of weeks now... I should probably get some healing salve, but I am too lazy," he said, smiling lightly.

"Master Cedrick, you should listen to what Lady Fiona has to say," the King said, prompting Fiona to repeat her theory in detail. Master Cedrick listened carefully, his face serious.

"Yes... I have heard rumors about this 'Illusionist', but I thought it was just hearsay until now... So, Lady Fiona, you think this person managed to enter the palace and leave, after creating such a ruckus?"

"Well, yes... I don't know how, maybe he had laid low for a few hours and then found a way to leave inconspicuously..." Fiona said with uncertainty in her voice. Master Cedrick nodded.

"Well, we will need to increase our security from now on, Your Highness."

"Indeed... Anyway, I am leaving you two to figure out a plan of action. Let me know when you have something concrete. Meanwhile, I will give an order for the release of your Apprentice, Lady Fiona. He will be free to go."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

***

Magnus sat up suddenly, startled by the sound of the dungeon gate opening.

"It's too early for dinner... Maybe they are bringing another prisoner?" Magnus thought when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He put his face through the bars, trying to catch a glance of the newcomers. The effort was soon proven to be unnecessary since the group of men stopped at his cell.

"Mage Magnus..." said the man whom Magnus recognized as one of the mages who were at the ball. "...you are to be freed," he said simply when one of the guards opened Magnus' cell.

"I am free to go? How so?" Magnus said with relief.

"I don't know the details, but it seems your Mistress has managed to convince the King of your innocence..."

"I see," Magnus said, breathing out heavily.

"Fiona came through... I have no idea how, but once again she proved she is one of a kind," Magnus thought with a smile. The mage entered the cell and producing some weird-looking key, he started working around the Lenerium arm bracer. Magnus heard a clicking sound and then felt the bracer come off. He took a deep breath when the world regained its colors. He smiled ecstatically, inhaling the air as if it were his first time breathing, and on a whim, he produced a small flame in his hand.

"Damn, I would never think casting such a minuscule spell could make me feel so happy," Magnus said.

"I know exactly what you mean," The mage said, nodding. "You are free to go. I was also asked to pass the message for you to go back to the mansion," The mage said.

"Where is my Mistress?"

"I think she is still in the palace, working on something..."

"All right."

He was escorted out of the small prison to the street. He started in the direction of Charlotte's mansion but then changed his mind suddenly.

"I am way too curious about everything that happened to go and wait at the mansion... I'll just seek Fiona out," Magnus thought, changing his direction. He hoped the guards would let him pass.

***

"So, do you think this ruse will work?" Fiona asked. She had been explaining her idea to Master Cedrick.

"It is hard to say, but it might be worth a try," Master Cedrick replied.

They were in a large room that had been used for all sorts of meetings. The room was particularly suited for that purpose as it had four separate entrances that all led to a different set of corridors, which was sometimes necessary in negotiations between factions, in order to keep the tension and interaction to the minimum and avoid incidents.

"I am so anxious to catch this son of a bitch. His ability in illusion magic is a serious threat... He could even pose as some duke or emissary and possibly even start a war," Fiona said. "...and he already showed he is ready to do anything and steal from anyone."

"Indeed. Too bad you and your Apprentice hesitated when he threw himself out the window of Lady Silvana's mansion. You could have solved the problem right there and then."

"Yes..." Fiona replied, pensive. "It would have saved us so much trouble..."

Fiona replayed the whole ordeal in her mind, remembering the fight from years ago, Magnus arriving at the critical moment...

"Wait..." Fiona said, raising her head suddenly. "How do you know that detail? I don't think I have shared that with anyone, especially with Lady Silvana as it would make me look less competent..." Fiona said, looking at Master Cedrick with confusion.

"Really?" Master Cedrick said, his face showing alarm for just a second, and then returning to its usual seriousness. "I have Lady Silvana's report right here with me, and it says you were surprised and you hesitated."

Fiona raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Here, Lady Fiona, I can show you the report..." Master Cedrick said, coming closer and reaching inside his suit. Fiona leaned in and saw Master Cedrick's hand move fast...

Fiona felt a sudden sharp pain and then a strange sense of cold overwhelmed her body. She looked at Master Cedrick's face with wide eyes. His face showed an ugly, evil grin, and an unmistakable look of triumph. She followed his eyes down and saw a dagger protruding from her stomach. A sense of dread, a sense of panic and desperation took over her mind.