Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2020 02:24:08 +0000
From: Leonard <leonardwriting@gmail.com>
Subject: Apprentice and King - Chapter 1

Apprentice and King
By Leonard - leonardwriting@gmail.com
M/b, mind control, consensual (after mind control), magic, oral, anal, more...


SYNOPSIS

A kinky take on a hero's journey as an eleven-year-old boy tries to follow
his destiny as an apprentice to a Master Wizard.  His teacher, though,
shapes him to find pleasure in much more than just casting spells.


STORY NOTES

Chapter 1 doesn't get to a lot of smut, but don't worry.  It's *definitely*
there in Chapter 2.

When you're done here, you'll find many more of my stories in a number of
places, including Nifty, but right now there's no one central archive of
all my work.  (I have around a dozen stories, several of which are
novel-length.)  Reach out at any time and I can share other stories or add
you to my update list to get notified whenever I release something new.

All of the characters in this story are fiction.

Finally, you wouldn't even know about this story if not for Nifty.  If you
can, help it out with a donation to keep this special place going.
https://donate.nifty.org/donate.html



Chapter 1: The New Apprentice

Everyone agreed that things were getting worse.

The line of the Regents was weak.  While they claimed to govern the whole
of Angoria, in truth their rule was just its nominal capital, Angor.  The
nation (if it could still be called that) was really governed by the lords
of other cities or rural domains, each with their own fiefdoms, their own
armies.  Regent Farik claimed dominion but did nothing to enforce it, and
the others tolerated him out of deference to history and tradition while
they pursued their own wars and petty grievances.

Meanwhile, magic was fading.  Since the destruction of the wizard city of
Temishar, wizardkind had scattered and it felt like there were fewer truly
powerful wizards each year.  The line of Regents had no magic, and the
prophecied King, said to be able to use his magic to restore the second sun
in the sky, had not come.  Food was scarce, bandits were everywhere, and
despair was heavy in everyone's hearts.

It was against that backdrop that Master Wizard Zeles Tzell rapped his
knuckles on the run-down cottage door.

* * *

"Yes?" came a woman's voice from behind the door, not opening it.  It was
late in the evening, and she was justifiably wary.  Her cottage was on the
outer edge of this particular village, and the area was not protected by
one of the more powerful lords.  There were certainly bandits in the area.

"Hello," said the wizard, trying not to sound menacing.  "Erm, good
evening.  I come as a friend, with an opportunity, and I seek an audience."

"An audience?" snorted the woman.  "Seek an audience with Lord Vicen.  I
don't have anything for you here."

Zeles sighed.  He expected this but it was still frustrating.  "I am not
looking for Lord Vicen," he said loudly, "I am looking for you.  I am a
wizard, and I believe your son would be a good apprentice.  He will live a
life of relative comfort and learn to harness deep magical energies.  I
would like to discuss his training with you."

There was no answer.  Zeles could hear the sound of feet on the other side
of the door.  They were light footsteps, barefoot; he suspected it was her
children.  Still no response, though, and no movement on the door.

The wizard sighed again.  He expected this, and with a look of resignation,
made a motion with his hand and mumbled some words.  A dim glow suffused
his right hand, slowly growing in brightness.  Suddenly the same yellow
glow spread over the door, a soft halo ensconcing it.  On the other side, a
strange force pushed back any people or things in the door's way, and then
the door just... opened.  Not abruptly.  Not forcefully.  It was as if the
laws of the universe simply told the door to open, and as if it was the
most normal thing in the world, it did.

Zeles Tzell, Master Wizard, perhaps 35 years old, clean-shaven, tall, and
modestly built, stood before the woman and her children.  He wore
travelers' clothes and carried a pack, and in his other hand he carried two
hares, caught recently and cooked.

"As I said," he continued calmly, "I desire an audience.  I bring a gift of
food."

The bedraggled family gaped at him as he stepped forward.  It was a
one-room cottage, with sleep pallets (such as they were) extending out over
much of the floor.  The hares would no doubt be a feast, and he could see
the children, even the two teenage-looking ones, following it with their
eyes.  The woman looked confounded.

"How did you do that?"  It was one of the older ones, a girl.

"I am a wizard," he replied.  "Which one of you is Ardin?"

A young boy, perhaps 11 years old, raised his hand shyly.  Though his face
was smudged with some kind of dirt or soot, and his body was covered just
in thin rags, the child was a vision.  Light, soft brown hair (all going in
wild directions at the moment); a slim body, but with some muscles from the
hard work he no doubt had to do; an open, innocent face, with cheeks that
were still rounded with some baby fat.  He was short for his age, about
four feet and a half, and probably only 70 or 75 pounds.  Both might change
with proper nutrition.  Like his siblings, he was barefoot on the hard dirt
floor.

"Ardin," said the wizard, squatting down to be closer to his level, "I
think you might have the makings of a wizard yourself, and I'd like to
invite you to train with me."  He hoped dearly that his information was
right.

There was silence.  The boy looked back with wide eyes.  Competing impulses
warred within him: fear of this large, strange man (Zeles did not fail to
notice the lack of any men in the house), along with boyish eagerness at
the adventure promised by being a wizard.  He was a brave boy, though, and
he stepped a little bit forward.

"Really?" he exclaimed.

"Get away from him!" shouted his mother.  Whether she meant the wizard or
the boy was irrelevant.  Zeles ignored her.

"Yes," he said.  "I can test you."

"No!" said his mother.

Zeles sighed, and stood up.  "You would deny your child the chance at a
better life?"

"I don't trust you," she replied.

"Then come," he said, holding forward the hares.  "Let us eat.  These are
fresh, and good, and you can get to know me."

"No," she said.

"Mama," said one of the younger kids.  "Please."  The wizard saw the
children's mouths watering at the food, and this would be so much easier
for Ardin if the mother said yes.

"It's just food," he said.

With a sigh, the woman nodded.  "Fine," she said.  "Food, then go."

There was no table, but the wizard brought out his pack and found a
reasonable clean pan within on which he placed the hares.  He brought out a
knife, and began to cut them.  The children gathered around, watching as he
did so, and then he invited them to take food.  Even the mother, nervous
though she was, couldn't resist the smell of fresh roasted meat.

"My name is Zeles Tzell," began the visitor.  "There are not many wizards
left.  It has become harder and harder to find those with talent.  But
those who have it can live a wondrous and prosperous life."

"Ardin is just a boy," said his mother.  "He has no such talent."

"I think he does," said Zeles.

The woman just shook her head.

"Let me test him," said the wizard.

"No," she said.  "I won't have you filling his head with crazy stories and
doing... whatever you want to do."

"Mama," said Ardin, "please!"  He stood up and gestured with his hands, a
wild, dramatic movement, as if casting a spell, and his rag-like clothing
rustled on his body at the motion.  "I want to learn magic!"

"Ardin, sit down!" she retorted.

"No!  I want to learn magic!"

"Ardin!" she cried.  "No, you will sit!"

"Mama, let him!" cried another child.  "Yes, let him!"  "What if he's a
wizard?"  "What if he can do it?"

Zeles supposed the woman was probably younger than she appeared underneath
the strain that poverty had placed no her.  Regardless, that didn't change
the angry glare she gave Zeles, which felt withering from her.  "Fine!" she
finally said.  "You'll see.  This is no story.  We don't have heroes who go
on to live glorious, carefree lives here.  But yes, test him, O Great
Wizard.  See for yourself."

Zeles shook his head softly, and then turned to Ardin.  The boy's hands
were greasy from the hares, and streaks of grease glistened on his round
cheeks.  There was no source of light in the cabin, for of course the woman
could not afford candles, but the setting sun provided enough light.
"Come," said the wizard softly, and the boy padded over in his bare feet.

Zeles stood up then, towering over the child.  He brought out a hand and
laid it on the boy's head, fingers surrounded by the silky hair of the
young.  He closed his eyes and lowered his head, and said some words in a
long forgotten language.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, again, a glow in his hand.  It alone added to the light of the fading
sun.  The glow this time was blue, and it was reflected in the face and
eyes of the other eagerly-watching children, and even in their stubborn
mother.  He head quiet gasps.

Zeles didn't move.  He felt all the presences within the room, even with
his eyes closed.  He just calmly held his hand there, and the blue glow
stayed steady, illuminating the boy's hair but little else.  His impromptu
audience watched with bated breath.  Nothing happened.

"See?" said the boy's mother, even though she couldn't have comprehended
what was happening.  "Nothing."

Still Zeles stayed, head bowed.  He raised the palm of his hand up, keeping
the fingers planted on the boy's scalp.  Still his hand glowed blue.

And then... "Maaaama?" exclaimed Ardin.

There was a flash of blue.  "Yessssss," cried Zeles.

"Mama!" cried Ardin.

And all of a sudden, the boy's whole body glowed blue.  A halo of blue,
like that which had covered the door, but brighter and growing brighter
still.  His eyes shone out, little torches of blue light themselves.
"Mama, I'm blue!" he cried.  The light grew brighter, and brighter, and
brighter, until finally Zeles took a deep breath and removed his hand.  In
an instant, the light was gone.

After the light, the whole cabin now felt shockingly, deeply dark.  But no
one could doubt what they saw.  No one except the boy's mother.

"Foolishness," she said, as everyone else stood there, shocked.

"It tingles," said the boy.

"Ardin," said Zeles kindly, "would you like to do some magic?"

"Yes!" he cried.  "Yes, please!"

"Hold out your hands."

The tall wizard stepped in front of the short child and took the boy's
hands in his, one in each.  His two hands were comically tiny compared to
those of the wizard, but to Zeles, they felt warm, and small, and
beautiful.  He could hold those hands forever.  He sighed deeply, and then
let his magic flow through his arms, letting it flow into the child, and
letting the child's magic flow into him.  He felt a powerful warmth.  The
boy was strong.

More than strength, the bond between them was growing.  He heard Ardin gasp
at the feeling of joining together.  As if he was sharing something
personal with the man.  Something all his own.

"You can feel it?" said Zeles.  "Good.  You'll learn quickly.  You feel the
power?"

"Yes!" squeaked the boy.

"Close your eyes," said Zeles, "and let the power flow out of you.  Softly,
just a little.  Too much and it will overwhelm your senses.  A little, and
you'll feel it ripple over everything in the room.  Even without seeing,
you'll feel everything here."

Ardin concentrated, his pale brow furrowing as he tried to do what the man
had said.  "It's bright!"

"You're letting out too much," said Zeles.  "Less.  As little as you can."

He felt the magical energies dim slightly, then more.  Though it had been
invisible to the others, it had been blinding to the two magic-users;
slowly everything in the room came into focus as they tempered the flow.

"I see it," said Ardin.  There was wonder in his high-pitched voice.  "I
see it!"

"Good," said Zeles.  "Now, let's show everyone what you can do.  I'll help
you channel the power, all right?  Pick something in the room, and let's
see if we can levitate it."

"Levi-what?"

"Levitate.  It means to raise it up.  Make it float."

Ardin nodded enthusiastically.  "Ok!"

"Let the magic flow into it, but just the bottom of whatever it is.  Just
lightly.  I'll shape it."  Zeles spoke the words that would shape the flow,
turn it into magic of flight.

There was a shriek.  "Mardo!"

Ardin giggled.  It was his younger brother, a boy of perhaps eight years
old, who suddenly found himself floating two feet up.  For a moment no one
knew how to react, and then Mardo giggled too.

"Ardin, it tickles!" he said.  His voice, even higher than Ardin's, rang
out through the shack.  "It's amazing!"

Ardin smiled.  And then Zeles gasped in astonishment as the boy shifted the
magic, shifted it not just to flow below Mardo, but also on his side.  And
with that, Mardo started not just to float but to fly; he moved through the
room as Ardin piloted his younger brother around the shack.

"Waaaaaaahahahaha!" cried the younger boy in sheer joy.  "I'm flying!  I'm
flying!"

Zeles had never had a pupil learn to control magic so quickly, let alone
without even being told what to do with it.  He watched as Ardin flew the
boy back and forth across the room, turning him easily, speeding him up and
slowing him down.

"Wheeeeeeeee!" cried Mardo.

The boy was a quick study, yes.  He was powerful, yes.  But it was more
than that.  He had a precision and a knack for control that was far beyond
the skill of an untrained apprentice.  He would certainly be one of the
most powerful wizards alive, if not the most powerful, before long.

Zeles had chosen well, in so many ways.

But he was still 11.  Zeles felt it before everyone else saw it.  Mardo was
moving too fast; Ardin sweated in concentration but couldn't slow him down.
He managed to turn the boy, who was whimpering now, before he slammed into
a wall, but now Mardo was headed right at another wall and Ardin couldn't
react fast enough.

"No, no!" cried the boy.

Zeles withdrew his hands.  Quickly, he held up his right hand, palm
outwards, facing at Mardo, and muttered some words.  The boy slowed almost
instantly, elegantly, like a dancer in the air.  He came to a complete stop
mere inches from the wall, floating easily.  And then Zeles gestured with
his hand, and the boy floated back from the wall, one foot, two feet away.
Finally, gently, he returned to the ground, standing upright, bare feet
touching down lightly on the ground.

The boy waited a moment, and then ran to his mother, burying his head in
her clothes.  "Mama!" he cried.  Ardin gasped, sat down.

"Are you all right?" asked Zeles.  The question was meant for Ardin.
Neither boy answered.

"That's what you can do?" said the woman.

"He's powerful," said Zeles.

"I want to go learn!" cried Ardin.

"After that?" said his mother.  "After you nearly killed your little
brother?"

"That's why he needs to learn," said Zeles.

"From you?" she retorted.

"Mama," said the boy, "I have to."

"Stay here," said the boy's mother.  "I will speak to the wizard outside."
She pushed Mardo away and walked out, waiting for Zeles.  Zeles shrugged
and followed, leaving the children alone.

Once they were out of sight and earshot of the shack, she turned on the
wizard.  "What do you really want?" she accused.

"I want to train Ardin," said Zeles.

"I've heard stories of your kind," she said.  "You never want just one
thing."

"This will be best for him.  He has amazing potential, but he needs to
learn."

She looked at him and bit her lower lip.  "I've raised that boy for eleven
years," she said.  "I've seen how some men look at him, and you're no
different, wizard.  I saw the flush in your cheeks when you held his
hands."

"That was magic..." protested the wizard.

"You lie," she said.  "I won't have you touch my son."

Zeles sighed.

"Leave," she insisted.  "Now."

"This is unfortunate," said Zeles.

"It's right—" she started.  But in that instant, Zeles muttered
something under his breath and brought his arm out, placing it on the
woman's head.

"What!" she cried.  "No!"  She breathed in as if to scream, just as Zeles
said, "shhhhhhh."

What came out of her mouth was a muted sound, little more than a low mutter
of a scream.

"Relax," said Zeles.  "Relax.  All is well."

The mother shook her head, even with the wizard's arm still on it, even as
glowing light passed into her skull.

"Relax," insisted Zeles.  "Relax.  Close your eyes."

Again the woman shook her head, but it was less than before.

"Relax."

And with that, her eyes closed.

"Do you hear me, woman?" said the wizard.

She nodded.  "Yes," she said, softly.

"Good."  He reached into her mind with his magic, feeling its boundaries,
the channels of thought, the crevices where he could sneak in.  He knew
this would be a hack job, not nearly the kind of mental molding he liked to
do, but it would have to be enough.

"Breathe in," he said, "and relax.  You trust me now."

Her face grimaced.  Perhaps she was trying to resist, perhaps it was just
the reaction from the magic coursing through her mind.  Whatever it was,
she relaxed again.  "I... trust you," she said, her voice flat.  He found
that new thought, her trust, and pushed his magic into it, strengthening it
within her mind.

"You will let me take Ardin."

"I will let you take Ardin."  Again, a flow of magic.

"You know that I will treat him well."

"You will treat him well."

"You're happy that he has this special opportunity."

"I am happy for him."  A ghost of a smile crept up on her face as more
controlling magic flowed into her.

"Good," said Zeles.  He poured still more magical energy into her head,
building up her new thoughts, growing them to overpower any others.  It was
exhausting, this brute force, not anything like his usual subtlety.  But it
had to be done.

For a moment he stood there, working, restoring her mind, when she suddenly
reached out and grabbed his arm.  "Wizard!" she cried.  It was a sudden
burst of strength, even through his control.  Then she paused, struggling.
Her voice broke, and she spoke in nothing more than an urgent whisper.
"This isn't a story of heroes, is it?"

Zeles stared at her.  It was an impressive burst of strength.  "That
depends on your point of view," he replied.  She seemed to nod, her grip
loosening.

"Now," he continued, "relax.  Relax.  Let the energy flow through you,
through your body, through your mind.  Relax."

The woman's arm dropped to her side.  Her head swung down.  Her muscles
lost all their tension, shoulders drooping.  And Zeles worked his magic
into her mind, sealing off the gaps, blocking away objections, ensuring her
new thoughts would hold, would seem natural.

"Now think of this event, my control of you."  He felt the memory rise up,
and he grabbed it with his magic, trapping it.

"You will not remember this," he said, as he started to break the memory
apart, piece by piece.  "You will remember that we talked, and I told you
of all the great things Ardin would do.  Of the adventures he'll have, the
lords he'll meet, the great food he'll eat.  He will never be hungry, never
lack for coin, never lack for respect, never lack for safety.  He is truly
blessed."

A pause.  "He is," she said, magic shaping her mind.

"Your beautiful boy will grow up happy."

Did her eyebrow twitch when he called the boy beautiful?  If it did, she
did not react otherwise.  "He will," she finally said, voice flat.

He pushed in one more burst of magic, then removed his hand.  "Now," he
said, "wake."

She startled up, looked at him.  She smiled, the first smile he'd seen from
her.

"Ardin will be so happy," she said.

"He will be uplifted," confirmed Zeles.

There was a slight pause, then she nodded.  "I'll tell him the good news,"
she said, and started to walk back.

Zeles sighed.  He knew how others would think of what he'd done.  But he
also knew it was necessary.  Necessary for the realm, necessary for
everyone.  Ardin would be happy with him.  So happy.

He felt a pang of guilt.  They were rare, but such a blunt use of
power... he knew it might have repercussions for her mind.  "One moment!"
he called, rushing after her.

"Yes?" she said.

"I know Ardin would have worked, would have started earning coin."

"He already did, at the miller's," she said.

Zeles nodded.  "Here," he said, handing her some coins.  "Take this to
replace what he would have earned for you."

She looked down at her hand.  In it were two gold pieces.  Her jaw dropped.

"He... he wouldn't earn that in twenty years!" she cried.

Zeles shrugged.  "It's from me.  For your children."

The woman pursed her lips.  "It's too much."

Zeles reached up and closed her hand around the gold pieces.  "Please," he
said.

She nodded.  "All right," she answered.  "Thank you so much.  For all your
kindness.  For all you'll do for Ardin."

"Of course," answered the wizard.  "Of course."

And with that, they walked back.

* * *

There were tearful goodbyes.  Ardin hugged all his siblings and buried
himself in his mother's rags.  (Zeles hoped she would use his money to buy
some better clothes.)  He hugged Mardo tightest of all, and Mardo hugged
back just as tightly.  "Thank you for making me fly," said the
eight-year-old.

"I'll be back," said Ardin.  "You'll fly again."

And with that, they were off.  Ardin's mother invited Zeles to stay the
night, of course, but he wanted to get on the road right away, even at
night.  He thought he'd built the walls in her mind well, that they would
last until the day she died.  But he knew they might fail, and if they did,
the first night, the first time she slept, was the most dangerous.  Much
better to get on the road.  Ardin had nothing to pack, declaring that he
was too old for a stuffed animal that was so worn out Zeles couldn't even
tell what it was.  And so the Master Wizard and his Apprentice started
walking away from the shack.

"I can't believe you got Mama to say yes!" exclaimed Ardin.

"Well," replied Zeles, "I'm not sure she had any choice once she understood
everything."  He did still feel a little bit guilty, but it was the right
decision.  Hopefully she would be all right.

"Understood what?" said the boy, but then his attention was distracted by
the sight ahead of them.  "Ooooooh!"

It was Zeles' horse.  A large, golden-coated stallion, somehow shimmering
in the cool night air.  As they approached, Zeles took down the spells that
had prevented the horse from being stolen.  He reached up, starting to undo
the knot that tied it to the tree.

"Can I... can I touch it?" asked Ardin.

"Let it smell you first," said Zeles.  "Hold out your hand."

The boy did, raising his small hand up, and the horse lowered down and
snorted into it.  Zeles reached into a pack, retrieving an apple.  "Here,"
he said.  "Feed him.  His name is Lightstorm."

"Lightstorm," whispered the boy.  He held up the apple fearlessly, and the
horse reached down and took it.  Ardin giggled at the touch of the horse's
tongue on his palm.  Zeles smiled, and walked up to the boy, ruffling his
hair.

"Have you ever ridden before?"

"Nope!" said Ardin.  "Except my brother lets me ride on his back
sometimes."

"You can ride in front of me," said the wizard.  "I'll hold you up."

Ardin smiled.  "This is great!" he cried.  Then his face turned serious.
"Is the horse magic?"

Zeles smiled back.  "He's just a horse," said the wizard, "but he's a great
horse."

Ardin nodded.  He agreed completely.




TO BE CONTINUED!

Ok, so we didn't get to that much smut here.  But don't worry, it is there
in Chapter 2!

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and it contains all of the surrounding text, including this text.  It is
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I welcome your comments, feedback, ideas, and friendship.  You can reach me
by e-mail at leonardwriting@gmail.com.

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