Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:28:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Mark Friedman <forcewielder2000@yahoo.com>
Subject: An Apprentice's Adventure, Ch. 5

All the usual legalities and warnings stated in previous installments of
the series still apply.

Comments can be sent to me at forcewielder2000@yahoo.com (flames will just
be ignored!).

~Mark

************

I laid in bed that night, wondering why I'd felt so weird around
Denali. I'd certainly never had that kind of reaction around anyone
before. The feelings I was having towards him were bizarre. It was actually
kind of creeping me out.

The next morning, Ambassador Kroaswell met with those of us who'd traveled
with him from Skronia, and went over a few basic rules about how to behave
during the festival. While the local people knew that we were there, and
would likely not expect us to observe all their protocols, Ambassador
Kroaswell still wanted us to make a good impression on them by showing that
we were respectful of their beliefs. The stuff he mentioned didn't seem too
major, so I figured that it wouldn't be too hard to follow – after all,
most of it was various forms of outward action that would only occur
outside the embassy walls, and since my only job of note in the embassy was
to help Ambassador Kroaswell, who wouldn't be doing any of the actions in
question during that time period (or at least not where it'd be obvious to
the locals...).

At lunch, I spotted Denali already seated in the general dining room (which
was used just by those of us who worked there in the embassy), and he
spotted me at about the same time. He motioned me over, and after I grabbed
some lunch I headed over and sat down next to him.

"So, how are you liking things so far?" he asked.

"It's all a bit different," I replied.

"I can imagine," he said. "I'm not from here originally, either, so I know
what it's like to be far from home."

We told the other about ourselves. He had just turned 15 a month and a half
before. We talked about our families; he had one older brother, 17-year-old
Halian. Their father was dead, killed in a mine cave-in just over a year
ago. We also talked about what it was like growing up in our respective
homes.

He was surprised that I seemed so familiar with some of the things that he
mentioned. "How do you know so much, Aidan?" he asked with a laugh at one
point.

"I guess I just read a lot," I replied a bit awkwardly. "As an archivist,
I'm supposed to be familiar with a lot of things so that I can know where
to look for things that might be needed to begin with, and sometimes things
are a little slow in the archives, so there isn't much else to do but
read."

Denali laughed again, in a way I found strangely pleasant. "You're
something else, Aidan."

I shrugged. "I'm just the way I am, I guess," I replied.

As I finished eating, I couldn't help but notice Mage Landyn staring at
Denali and me, and realized that he had been for a little while. I wondered
what *that* was about, but figured it was probably some sort of weird,
mystical mage thing and left it at that.

***

The two days didn't see too much action, and I actually spent most of the
time organizing my room and small desk (yes, an actual desk of my very
own!), and helping Ambassador Kroaswell get things positioned in his office
so that he could easily move around on his own. I spotted Denali a couple
of times as I went into meals, and we sat together. For some strange
reason, I still felt butterflies in my stomach, though not as bad as when I
first met him.

Heading outside one evening after dinner on the third day, I found Denali
outside. "Oh, there you are!" he said, a big grin appearing on his face. "I
was hoping to find you!"

"You were looking for me?" I asked, then mentally kicked myself. That was
certainly a dumb thing to say!

"Yeah," he said. "You want to come out to the celebrations? The religious
ceremonies are over, which means festival!" He was practically giddy with
excitement.

"Uh, sure," I said, as the strange, butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling that
I'd felt to some extent every time I talked with Denali washed over me
again. What was wrong with me?!

I noticed he was staring quizzically at me, and I quickly said, "Just let
me check in real quick so that they know where I'll be."

"Right," he said.

I headed back inside, and found Ambassador Kroaswell. I told him what I
wanted to do, and he quickly gave his consent.

"It's good to see you making friends already," he said.

I nodded, then quickly said, "Uh, yes, Sir," when I remembered he was
blind. I headed into my room for a moment to grab my money pouch, glad that
apprentices got paid anything at all, even if it wasn't much (it wasn't
always that way; as recently as when my grandfather was a boy, apprentices
hadn't gotten paid anything at all). I then headed out to meet up with
Denali

"Let's go!" he said with a grin. "Come on, I know just where to start."

We headed off. I followed him off, wondering where he was headed. I
followed him to what looked like a local marketplace, though it was an area
that was decorated very fancily at the moment. Quite a few activities were
going on, and quite a few stalls were set up selling a variety of items
ranging from food to jewelry to fancy, colorful clothing. Several people
greeted Denali, and he greeted them in return.

Denali practically dragged me over to where several others our age were
playing a game involving hoops and small leather balls. When they saw us,
several enthusiastically called out Denali's name and beckoned us over with
calls of "Come join us!" After Denali greeted them, he introduced me, and I
was welcomed with practically as much enthusiasm as Denali has been greeted
with.

Denali explained to me how to play the game, called 'Galtro temori' in the
Tehari language (which, shockingly, translated into 'hoops and balls'). It
didn't take long for me to grasp the rules, but took a little while for me
to really do anything. Denali, with a bit of a laugh done in a way that let
me know he wasn't laughing at me, said that the game did take a bit of
practice, and that odds were the others (who all made it look so easy) had
probably been playing it since they could walk.

While I had eaten earlier, Denali hadn't, so we headed over to the food
stalls, where Denali bought himself some food. Thirsty from the exertion of
the game, I got something to drink, and Denali and I headed over to a group
of nearby benches and took a seat on an empty bench. Denali insisted that I
try some of the Tehari food he'd gotten, and though I wasn't really hungry,
I did try a few, just to be polite. I thought the last dish I tried,
chicken with some sort of sauce on it, had an interesting flavor. I turned
to Denali to ask what it was called when the sensation of fire practically
exploded in my mouth. I gasped and fumbled around for the drink I'd gotten,
tears streaming down my face.

Denali, laughing, handed me part of a roll and said, "Here, actually this
will work better."

I grabbed it and shoved it into my mouth. The fiery sensation immediately
subsided. I swallowed and took a drink.

"What was that?" I gasped out, my eyes still watering.

"Tehari fire chicken," Denali said with a grin. "Named for obvious
reasons." He then took a bite of a piece of it. "Admittedly, it's something
of an acquired taste," he said calmly after swallowing.

"Obviously," I muttered, the aftereffects of the fiery sauce still
lingering in my mouth as I took a big swallow of my drink.

"Hey, there's a play about to start," he said just as we finished eating,
indicating a nearby temporary outdoor `theater' had been set up. "Let's go
see it."

I shrugged.  "All right," I said.

The play, a comedy, wound up being better than I though it'd be, and I
snickered in a few places in spite of myself. After it was over, I got up
and stretched a bit. I noticed that the sky had gotten completely dark, the
only light being from torches lit at various locations along the
marketplace and surrounding streets.

"Well, I think it's time to call it a night," Denali said, stretching as
well. I looked at the sight of his body stretching like that, and found
myself getting an erection.

"Yeah," I admitted, stifling a yawn to cover my embarrassment over my
body's reaction to Denali's stretching.

As we walked back to the embassy, Denali said, "So, what'd you think?"

I considered for a few moments. "I think that I enjoyed myself," I
admitted. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," he told me. "Thanks for coming along. It was nice to be
able to go with someone for a change. Most years I just go by myself."

"You don't ever go with your brother?" I asked, surprised.

"We did a couple of times, right after we moved here, but after our dad
died, Halian went to work to help bring in money, and we just never had the
opportunity to be available at the same time, especially after I started
working, too."

"That's a bummer," I said.

We soon arrived at the embassy, and the guards, recognizing us, waved us
through.

"See you tomorrow, Denali," I said.

"See ya, Aidan," he replied.

***

Eventually the festivals came to an end, and life in Jaana returned to its
normal routine. Preparations were now in full force for a formal reception
to be held at the embassy, which would be held after Ambassador Kroaswell
had his first meeting with King Osvaldo.

When the time came to have the meeting with the king, I dressed in my best
clothes and met up with Ambassador Kroaswell, where we, headed down to the
stables. A carriage had been procured for official transportation to formal
events that Ambassador Kroaswell would be expected to attend outside the
embassy, and it was waiting for us outside, along with the two others who
would be in our group – Mage Landyn and Tinalla Castor, the embassy
chief of staff, as well as a detail of 6 guards who would be escorting us.

I noticed Denali working in the stables, and when he looked up and saw me,
he stopped what he was doing and just stared at me. I felt a twinge in my
stomach as well.

I was snapped out of my daze when Driton said, who was now in charge of the
stables and would be serving as the carriage's driver, said, "We're ready."

As Ambassador Kroaswell and the others began getting into the carriage, I
shook my head to clear it. It was then that I noticed that Mage Landyn had
been staring at me, and I wondered why he was looking at me. I glanced
around and noticed that the only person on the opposite side of me from
Landyn was Denali. It was rather weird, since I'd noticed that Landyn had
been doing that (staring at Denali and me whenever we were together)
several times. As with the first time I'd spotted him doing that, I figured
it was just some mage thing, and so I mentally shrugged and got into the
wagon.

We headed out into the city, heading towards the palace. Arriving, we were
escorted past a checkpoint at the outer wall, where we were directed to an
inner courtyard. Getting out, I noticed several people in official-looking
clothing coming towards us. Ambassador Kroaswell evidentially heard them as
well, since he turned in their direction.

"Ambassador Kroaswell?" the man in the lead said when they reached us.
Ambassador Kroaswell nodded, and the man continued. "Good day. I am Viturin
Alfanto, His Majesty's majordomo."

"Good day, Sir," Ambassador Kroaswell, holding a hand out, and the two men
shook.

"Please, come this way," Viturin said. "His Majesty is anxious to meet
you."

As part of getting things set up, Ambassador Kroaswell and I had discussed
how I was to help him move around unfamiliar areas in formal situations,
and so I knew what to do. I quietly moved up to where he was, and he placed
a hand gently on my arm before we followed Viturin. We were led inside, and
went down several very ornately decorated hallways before arriving at a
giant set of doors, what I assumed was the entrance to their Great Hall.

"Please wait here for a moment," Viturin said before heading through a side
door.

I glanced around, thinking that while some things looked the same as in the
palace in Toskel, some things looked very different. Among the differences
was that here, there were a few depictions of nude individuals discretely
place about in the form of various items of artwork, and I blushed
slightly, especially when I felt my body start to respond to the images. I
tried to think of other things to keep myself from getting any more aroused
than I already was, and started glancing around at other things in the
area.

At one point, I noticed that there was a man in ordinary-looking clothing
nearby, looking to be doing a bit of repair work on a hole in the wall. It
didn't seem unusual under the circumstance, given the apparent age of the
palace, and the guy certainly seemed very capable at his job. What
attracted my attention to him were two things. The first was the
crescent-shaped scar on his cheek, and the second was that he wore about as
irritated-looking an expression as I've ever seen on anyone's face, and
every so often he'd glare in our direction, and he'd actually manage to
scowl more. I had to wonder what *his* problem was.

Just then, Viturin returned. "His Majesty will see you now," he said to us

Two guards held open the giant doors, and we entered into the Great Hall
and approached the two thrones at the other end. Seated upon one throne was
King Osvaldo, and next to him was seated a woman who was as ornately
dressed as he was, and I assumed that she must be his wife, the
Queen. There were several other individuals arranged around them, who I
figured must be various officials. We reached the thrones and bowed.

Viturin stepped forward. "Your Majesty, may I present to you His Excellency
Omarion Kroaswell, ambassador from the kingdom of Skronina."

"Good day, Mr. Ambassador" King Osvaldo said in a baritone voice. "It is
good to be able to finally meet you in person. My cousin, Duke Rayan, has
always spoken highly of you."

I figured that this Duke Rayan must have been the cousin of the king that
Ambassador Kroaswell had inadvertently saved all those years ago at the
cost of his own sight.

"Good day, Your Majesty," Ambassador Kroaswell replied. "It is good to be
here, and I bear unto you the greetings and good tidings of His Majesty,
King Quillan of Andares."

King Osvaldo smiled, and said, "I am grateful that King Quillan was
receptive to my overtures, Mr. Ambassador. I look forward to being able to
maintain better relations with my counterpart in Andares. We've allowed
things to go unsaid between us for far too long, I'm afraid."

"Hopefully we will be able to rectify that, Your Majesty," Ambassador
Kroaswell replied.

They exchanged a few other pleasantries, and King Osvaldo introduced his
wife, Queen Kalena, his prime minister, Arapeta Glaina, and his senior
court mage, Mage Balkaran, whom we politely acknowledged. Ambassador
Kroaswell then introduced us.

We discussed a few more pleasantries, then got down to a bit of
business. There were several issues that either the king or Ambassador
Kroaswell (who had presumably been briefed more fully by King Quillan prior
to our departure) that would need to be addressed in the near future. A
couple of issues were quickly cleared up, and the two made agreements for
meetings to be held in the near future to address the other issues.

We soon wrapped up the meeting, and were escorted back out to the carriage
by Viturin, which we entered for our return to the embassy.

***

Standing outside the Great Hall, I noticed a bunch of naked teenagers,
lounging around, the guys sporting erections

Viturin was seated at his desk, looking not the least bit fazed at all the
nude people around us. "What can I say?" he said to me with a casual
shrug. "Some of our people are perverts."

"That's all right," I heard a familiar voice say, and I turned to see
Denali come up to stand beside me. "Aidan's a pervert, too." Turning to me,
he said, "Aren't you, Aidan?"

I tried to say something, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. It
probably had something to do with the fact that Denali was stark naked
himself.

"Don't act so surprised, Aidan," he told me. "After all, I'm just following
the current dress code."

That's when I realized I was naked, too. Denali reached out and started
fondling me, and a huge column of while liquid appeared between us as a
blast of semen erupted like a geyser out of the end of my dick.

I sat up, and was disoriented for a moment before I realized I was in my
bed in the embassy. I shifted, and that's when I felt the wet sensation in
my underpants. I felt my face grow warm as I realized I'd just had a wet
dream. My dad had told me about wet dreams, but I`d never had one
before. While I knew that it was nothing to be ashamed of, it was still a
bit startling, made all the more horrifying by the fact that it was about
Denali.

I got up and, noticing that the sun was starting to rise over the horizon,
stripped off my now-dirty underwear and took a quick bath out of the water
basin in my room before getting dressed. At breakfast, I noticed Denali was
already there with his breakfast, so I grabbed some breakfast and sat down
next to him.

"Hey," I said to him.

His mouth full, he nodded in return. We ate in silence for a bit. As he
finished the last of his breakfast, I said, "Can I ask you something?"

He paused for a moment before saying, "Wow, didn't give me much of a choice
there, did you?" I noticed a smirk growing on his face.

"Cute," I muttered. "Real cute. Anyway, I was wondering something...and
don't take this the wrong way or anything, but...well, when Ambassador
Kroaswell and I were leaving to go to our meeting with King Osvaldo
yesterday, I couldn't help but notice that you were staring at me."

Denali's eyes widened as he stiffened for just a moment, and if I hadn't
been looking right at him at the moment, I might have missed it. "Oh, um,
well, I don't, uh, think that I'd, um, ever seen you dressed up like that
before," he managed to get out. "You looked, uh, good."

"Uh, thanks," I said, wondering what was going on. I had never seen Denali
seem to be at a loss for words before. He always seemed to be so at ease
when having a conversation with people that at times I thought he'd make a
better ambassador's aide than I would.

"Look, I hate to eat and run," he said, "but I've got a bunch of things to
do in the stables."

"All right," I said, a bit disappointed but knowing that, with the formal
opening of diplomatic relations, I now had a lot of things to do myself,
and that sitting around for long periods of time having a leisurely
breakfast was probably a thing of the past. "See you around."

"Yeah, later," Denali said.