A Friend For The Prince: By Topher Penrod
All of the characters represented in this story are fantasy. Any resemblance to a real person is purely coincidental.
This story contains scenes of graphic gay sex between consenting legal aged males. If such material offends you, do not proceed into the story.
The story is set in a time where condoms are not available, so bareback sex is also contained in the story. If bareback sex is offensive to you in any way, do not enter the story. As always, practice safe sex in the real world and regular testing helps too.
Feel free to check out my other ongoing story, A Werewolf On Campus, in the Fantasy section of Nifty.
My email address is irishlad1987@yahoo.com, feel free to email me with any criticisms, compliments, concerns, etc.
Chapter 1 Status Quo
Xanth's eyes opened, it was morning, the rooster was giving its customary greeting to the morning. He stretched out his back, arching it, letting his spine crackle and pop as it needed. Today was an important day and he needed to make sure he was ready for it.
He noticed two things right away. The first being his ridiculously hard cock, heavy and swollen between his legs. It had been this way ever since his eleventh birthday, the other boys at the orphanage had made fun of him for it. Every morning, he would wake up and his cock would be hard, sometimes it was nice, he would play with it and feel really good. Other times it was an annoyance, like today when he had so many other things to do besides play with himself.
The second thing he noticed was that no one had come to wake any of them this morning. Xanth lived in an orphanage, he shared a room with 19 other boys, all ranging in age from 13 to 17. But that was about to change, today was Xanth's 18th birthday. He was no longer required to live at the orphanage, he was now officially considered a man.
He knew he would spend the first part of the morning saying goodbye to all his friends in the orphanage, they had been through some interesting times together. The second part of his day was still to be decided, being suddenly allowed to make your own choices was a little overwhelming to say the least.
Xanth could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of freedom, he could go anywhere he wanted, even beyond the boundaries of Haven'Roan. He didn't think he'd leave the Kingdom though, after all, Haven'Roan had been his home ever since he could remember. His parents had been killed in a Goblin raid 16 years ago and he's been living in the orphanage ever since.
Xanth gathered what few precious possessions he had been allowed to keep when he moved into the orphanage. The most important of these things he had was a necklace, it was his by right. A family heirloom that the orphanage had given to him when he turned 13 based on instructions from his family.
The other items were more insignificant, consisting of a small book that was written in a language he didn't understand and a picture of a man in strange clothing, a man he assumed was his father, but he didn't know for sure so he kept the picture anyway.
The only clothing he had was provided by the orphanage, simplistic looking, ill-fitting and scratchy. He hoped new clothing would be easy to come by, or at least hoped he would find enough work to be able to afford some clothing that fit better and was slightly more comfortable.
By now his cock wasn't standing at full attention, it had gone down a little. He reached down and shifted his cock and balls into a more comfortable position and quickly left the room. He went for a dip in the pond to clean himself and changed into a fresh pair of uncomfortable clothes.
As he rounded the corner into the office of the Matron, he was greeted by a collection of people, all dressed in official clothing, they looked like they came from the castle.
"Ah, here is the boy now, or should I say man now? He turned 18 this morning, I should think he already has his bed clear and his stuff gathered?" She posed it as a question.
"Yes, M'Lady, I have done as you asked," Xanth answered.
"Splendid. Well, these gentlemen are from the Castle, they would like to speak with you," She said.
"That's right, my boy! I'm High Wizard Charlin Mandrig, Court Wizard and personal advisor to the King. These are my colleagues, Sir Dren Kindyer, who runs the Castle Stables and Marckus Hendin, the Court Scribe," Xanth bowed to each of them in turn, shaking their hands firmly.
"How may I be of service to you?" Xanth asked.
"Well, lets start with your full name perhaps?" High Wizard Mandrig suggested.
"I am called Xanth," he answered simply.
"Nice to meet you Xanth, do you have a last name by chance?" Sir Kindyer asked.
"No Sir, I don't," he replied.
"A true orphan then?" the High Wizard asked the Matron.
"Indeed, his parents were killed when he was about two, goblins if I recall correctly," She answered.
"Well Xanth, I'm sorry you experienced such tragedy at a young age. However, your fortunes are about to change, which brings me to the reason that we are here. Each of us are masters at our craft, I in Wizardry, Kindyer in Animal Care, and Master Hendin in Scribing. We are all three Masters without an apprentice to learn our ways. Normally, we would take a child of noble birth and teach them our skills, but the recent plague that swept through the land took many of the noble children. We three find ourselves needing to branch out of our normal pool, pull talent from more creative places. So here we are, the orphanage, where many a child wait for adoption, for a chance at a better life,"
"I don't understand," Xanth said.
"Each of us is going to test you, depending on which test or tests you pass, you may be given the opportunity to learn from one of us, become our apprentice, if you fail the tests we will move on and test other children," the High Wizard explained.
"I see," Xanth said, looking at each man in turn, taking in the details about their appearance.
"I will start," the High Wizard proclaimed.
"That's not bloody fair! You start every single one! Give one of us a chance to start!" Master Hendin said indignantly.
"Fine fine, don't get your panties in a knot!"
Master Hendin approached Xanth, he picked up Xanth's left hand, examining it carefully. He did the same with the right hand, turning it over and over, scrutinizing its every detail. After he finished, he handed Xanth a sheet of paper and a pen.
"Well don't just look at me boy! Write your name as neatly as you can," Master Hendin said.
"I'm sorry Master Hendin, but I don't know how to write," Xanth said.
Master Hendin's face went white as a sheet, he rocked back on his heels and then shook his head.
"That wont do, that wont do at all! This boy is in dire need of my skills!"
"Well now just a minute! I need a stable boy to help out with the horses, there are too damn many for me to deal with on my own anymore! At least give me the chance to test the boy," Sir Kindyer said.
"We shall all test him," High Wizard Mandrig said.
Sir Kindyer walked up to Xanth and touched to side of his head. Xanth felt a pressure flow into his mind, it wasn't painful, just uncomfortable.
After a moment, Sir Kindyer stepped away.
"He doesn't have the gift, he won't be a stable boy," Kindyer said.
"Now for my test," the High Wizard said enthusiastically.
He held out his hand and a large ball of blue flame appeared, floating about two inches above his palm.
"All you have to do is hold your hand over the flame without getting burned," the High Wizard told Xanth.
Xanth reached out, fully expecting the fire to burn his hand. As his fingers neared the flame though, he didn't feel heat, instead he felt power.
Xanth surprised even himself when he reached out and took the ball of blue flame from the High Wizard, he held it in his hand, letting it roll around. As he concentrated on the flame, it became brighter, flaring suddenly larger.
"Whoah! Okay! I think you've more than passed my test young man!" Mandrig smothered the flame in Xanth's hand with a wave.
"It looks like Xanth will be coming with us to the Castle, Matron, see that the necessary arrangements are made," the High Wizard ordered.
"But he's already good to go. Everything he owns he is carrying," She said.
"Ah, well then, I'll take Xanth back with me, you two can stay here and find your own apprentices," High Wizard Mandrig said.
"Now wait just a minute! That boy needs to learn how to write! He should be my apprentice!" Hendin objected.
"He will learn from you, just not as your apprentice. He is to be my apprentice, he can spend an hour a day learning his letters from you," Mandrig said indignantly.
"Fine, I'll find someone more suited, maybe someone who's not completely illiterate," he turned and marched off.
"Now Xanth, from this point forward you are to refer to me as Master Mandrig. Follow me, I'll take you to the Castle and get you a room. We will probably have to take you to Madam Ventriz, she's the Castle Seamstress, she will be able to get you some proper clothing," the High Wizard took off down the street, fully expecting Xanth to keep up.
Xanth was flabbergasted, he thought leaving the orphanage would be freedom, but instead he was being told by some important people that he was going to apprentice to a wizard.
"Once we reach the Castle gates, you must not speak. I will speak for you, do you understand?"
"Yes Master," Xanth replied.
"Excellent," Mandrig continued walking. He paid little to no attention to his surroundings, instead focused on watching Xanth and his reactions.
It took them nearly 45 minutes to reach the Castle gate, a group of young guards were stationed there.
As they approached the gate, the young guards suddenly became serious, grabbing their weapons and standing at attention.
"What business have you in the Castle?" One of them asked.
"I beg your pardon?" High Wizard Mandrig was highly irritated now.
"You heard me old man, I don't like to repeat myself," the young guard, probably in his early twenties, pulled his sword out and brandished it at the High Wizard.
"Fool, you obviously have no idea who I am, do you?" Mandrig asked.
"Just an old man who's about to get his ass kicked," one of them replied.
"Indeed," and it was at this point that Xanth was shown exactly what magic could do. High Wizard Charlin Mandrig blasted one of the guards off of his feet and sent him flying backwards several yards.
He turned his magic on another guard, small concentrated bursts of concussive energy smashed into him all over. Each blast of energy was like being punched as it hit, it didn't take long for the guard to stop moving.
"Now that I have your attention, allow me to enlighten you. I am High Wizard Charlin Mandrig, and the next time you decide it prudent to harass me, I'll turn you all into toads and use you in my next chemistry experiment," the High Wizard smiled at them and gently pushed Xanth through the gate onto the Castle grounds.
Xanth was still recovering from the shock of seeing offensive magic for the first time. He did his best to pay attention to the Castle layout, he was sure it would come in handy. He saw tons of guards going from place to place, but he saw even more servants, there were literally so many that he couldn't keep track.
There were servants dressed in gray aprons and covered in flour, there were servants dressed in gray and white who seemed to be running important errands. He did notice that almost all the servants were wearing the color gray in one form or another.
"Your room will be in the Living Quarters, normally children of noble birth would be given these rooms, but as there are no children of noble birth, one of those rooms now belongs to you. Give me just a moment here and I will write you a note to give to Madam Ventriz. The note will tell her everything she needs to know in order to get you into some decent clothing. I expect you to see her before the day is finished, once you have seen her, the rest of the night is yours to do with as you wish,"
Xanth nodded, took the note and walked into his room.
His jaw practically dropped to the ground. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would sleep in a room like this. Lavish was too subtle of a description, there were heavy curtains that looked as if they had silk lace, the bed was positively massive, at least 10 times the size of the beds he had been used to at the orphanage.
Book shelves lined the wall, full of books spanning a plethora of genres.
But there was one amenity which took up all of Xanth's attention. A large bathtub sat in the corner of the room, the water was still steaming. Next to the bathtub was a young man dressed in servants gray, he was holding a towel.
"Will you be requiring assistance with your bath?" The young man asked.
"I...I've never taken a bath. We always just used to wash in the pond," Xanth said innocently.
The servants eyes got big, "You mean you've actually never been in a bathtub in your whole life?" he asked, shock evident on his face.
"No Sir," Xanth replied.
"Never call a servant Sir, I am not a Sir to you. You are an apprentice to the High Wizard, I am supposed to call you Sir now," the young man explained.
"But that's silly, you are practically the same age as me, why would you have to call me Sir?" Xanth was confused.
"Its a status thing, you are above me in status," the servant explained.
"I don't like it," Xanth said plainly.
"You don't have to like it, but I guarantee you won't fit in with the royalty and nobility around here if you don't adapt to it," the servant replied.
"What is your name?" Xanth asked.
"I am Fen Renald, I have been assigned to you as your man-servant until such time as you either dismiss me or acquire a new man-servant," he bowed.
"Stop, please, do not bow to me ever again, it makes me uncomfortable," Xanth said.
"Well, you will have to get used to it, you are an important person now," Fen said.
"So what does a man-servant do?" Xanth asked.
"Anything and everything you ask of me," Fen said, a smile on his face.
"You like being a man-servant?" Xanth inquired.
"It's honest work, and I get to hear all the Castle news before anyone else. I must say, I am pleased that you aren't like the other apprentices I've served. Most of them are either bullies, or they are so conceited that they'd suck their own cocks if only their mouths could reach," Fen was suddenly embarrassed, afraid that he had said too much.
"You are turning red," Xanth pointed out.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to speaking with a noble in such a way," Fen said.
"I'm not a noble, I'm just a guy who lived in an orphanage and now I find myself in a Castle with a servant and a bath and a bed the size of a house," Xanth said, looking around critically.
"Noble or not, I was assigned to be your man-servant and I intend to do my job and do it well," Fen said.
"You know this stuff better than me, I was told I needed to see Madam Ventriz before the end of the day. Do I have time for this bath you speak of before then?" Xanth asked.
"Of course, she wont be closing her shop until later this evening, you still have practically the whole day," Fen said, "Let's get you into your bath."
Fen walked over to Xanth and helped him remove his clothes. Xanth wasn't used to being naked around another guy, he was blushing profusely.
"Don't worry, you have nothing to be embarrassed about, I'm a guy, I've seen everything you have," Fen reassured him.
"This is just new to me," Xanth admitted.
"I know, but I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to do," Fen said.
Xanth was fully naked now, his young lean body looked nice in the glow of light from the fireplace. Fen guided him to the bath and let him climb in, adjusting naturally to the warm water.
"Just relax for a bit, allow yourself to soak in the water. I'm going to go and get some clothing from one of the closets that I think will fit you. When I get back, I will show you how to properly bathe yourself so that if you choose, you can decline my help in the future," Fen explained.
"Alright," Xanth said, starting to enjoy the feeling of warm water on his skin.
Fen disappeared from the room and Xanth was left to soak in the water. He was experiencing this for the first time. Up to this point in his life, he and the other boys from the orphanage had cleaned themselves in the pond.
The warm water soon had his cock swollen hard, he couldn't help but play with himself. He started stroking his cock, the warm water intensifying his pleasure.
After a few minutes of this, Fen returned. He blushed as he entered but otherwise didn't say anything. He laid out the clothing on the bed and walked over to the tub where Xanth was still masturbating.
"Here let me do this for you, just lay back and relax," Fen said.
Xanth was all worked up, his dick was begging to be stroked and played with. As Fen grabbed his dick and started giving Xanth a handjob, he leaned down and gently licked Xanth's nipples. Xanth was in heaven, it was fantastic. He had never let someone else touch his cock, let alone suck on his nipples. The combined sensations drove him over the edge; in less than a minute he was spurting his young healthy cum into Fen's mouth.
Fen swallowed every last bit and continued licking and sucking Xanth's cock until the orgasm subsided.
"I didn't realize a man-servant did that sort of thing!" Xanth said, still breathing heavily from his orgasm.
"Trust me, there is no limit to what I will do for you," Fen smiled, gently rolling Xanth's balls in his hand, "Later tonight, after you've gone and seen Madam Ventriz I will show you some of the other things that I can do," Fen stood up, wiped his mouth off and helped Xanth finish his bath. He soaped up Xanths body, showed him how to use the scrub brush and made sure his hair was cleaned as well.
"I don't think the pond was ever able to get me this clean!" Xanth exclaimed.
"You are going to need a haircut too, thankfully I can take care of that. I'll be right back," Fen handed Xanth a towel and showed him how to wrap it around his waist. Then he guided him over to a chair facing a mirror.
He searched through the wardrobe next to the mirror for a few minutes and then finally found what he was looking for. A large pair of hair cutting shears, a razor for shaving, and a comb.
"You are going to need to hold still for this, moving around might mess up your haircut," Fen explained.
Xanth agreed to hold still and Fen went to work. He used the sheers to cut off the majority of Xanth's shaggy brown hair, letting it fall to the ground in clumps. Eventually, after about twenty minutes of cutting and putting the finishing touches on, Xanth had a military style haircut.
"Now that's attractive on you, wow," Fen regarded Xanth, sitting there in a towel, bare chested with a military style haircut.
"I've never had my hair this short, it feels nice. I don't have to worry about it getting in my eyes or tickling my ears," Xanth said, rubbing the top of his head.
"Speaking of tickling ears," Fen said, running his tongue along Xanth's ear, "Now its time to shave that scruffy face of yours," Fen smeared a slick frothy soap on Xanth's face everywhere there was hair. He picked up the razor and gently shaved Xanth's face, it was slow going at first, Xanth had probably never shaved.
All in all the shaving process took about a half hour. But Xanth realized he really liked the look of his face clean shaved.
"That looks much better than before," Xanth said, admiring himself in the mirror.
"Yep, we just need to add the finishing touches now," Fen said. He picked up a smaller pair of shears and trimmed Xanth's eyebrows. He was glad that Xanth wasn't too hairy, his body was actually more smooth than some men.
Once he had tended to Xanth's eyebrows, he made Xanth stand up.
"Your pubic hair is too much as well, may I fix that?" Fen asked, already grabbing the shears.
"I guess," Xanth said, eyeing the shears warily.
"Don't worry, I've never cut anyone ever," Fen said. He dived in, quickly and neatly trimming back Xanth's pubic hair.
"Never even knew people did this sort of thing," Xanth said, liking the way his cock looked with less hair around it.
"I must say, you were good looking before, but now you are simply to die for!" Fen said, clapping his hands together.
"Well, its getting a bit chilly in here, maybe I should get dressed," Xanth said. Fen agreed and helped Xanth get dressed.
"These aren't going to be perfect, but they will be a lot better than the rags you were wearing before," Fen stood back once Xanth was dressed and admired him.
"These clothes don't feel scratchy!" Xanth said, a huge smile spreading across his face.
"Unbelievable the way you were living, I'm a servant and I live better than that," Fen shook his head.
"So what now?" Xanth asked.
"Madam Ventriz, we need to get you some appropriate clothing. You are an Apprentice Wizard now, it's time you started to take up that role," Fen explained.
"Role? I don't understand," Xanth said.
"It's not actually that difficult. Most people are going to view you as dangerous, they will avoid you. Magic isn't a very favorable practice with most people, they are afraid of it which makes them afraid of anyone who uses magic. Being an Apprentice Wizard will also put you above most everyone else in the Kingdom aside from the Royal Family and the Generals. You are fortunate that the King looks upon magic favorably," Fen said, explaining a bit about the kingdom to Xanth.
"Anything else I should be aware of?" Xanth asked.
"Just treat people with respect when you encounter them, and know that you are a higher status in the social structure than they are," Fen said.
"This is going to be strange," Xanth admitted.
"You will get used to it, just don't let your knew status go to your head. And always keep in mind that most people are going to be afraid of you." Fen opened the door and ushered Xanth out. They headed out of the castle and down into town, Madam Ventriz's shop was in the Market District, the busiest place in the entire city.
Fen showed Xanth where several of the important shops were, he also taught Xanth the basic money structure the kingdom ran off of. Xanth discovered that he wasn't terrible with numbers once he understood them.
"So, here is Madam Ventriz, she's an uppity woman. Give her that letter and she will take care of the rest, trust me," Fen smirked, "I feel it's only polite to tell you she has a thing for young men about our age, she will use every excuse she can to get you naked, and unfortunately in order to measure you for undergarments, she will need you completely naked," Fen laughed at Xanth's expression and then bounded off.
"Where are you going?" Xanth called to him.
"I'll be back in about twenty minutes, trust me, you will be much longer in her shop," Fen replied, yelling over his shoulder.
Xanth shrugged and walked inside. His nose was the first to react to the place, it smelled like apple pie, the kind he had bought from the baker for the Matron at the orphanage.
"Oh welcome! Welcome! I'm Madam Ventriz, very good to meet you! How can I accommodate you?" She asked in a shrill but perky voice.
Xanth handed her the letter, smiling weakly. Never in his life had he seen such a woman. She was dressed in the brightest color of neon green, and it was obnoxious. She had a long jacket that was open in the front revealing a purple blouse and a pair of long neon green pants that flared out at the bottom. Her hat was even more atrocious, big and fluffy tufts of bright pink flowers protruded in every direction imaginable, Xanth found himself wondering how she managed to get the hat to stay on her head.
Madam Ventriz regarded him curiously, while she opened the letter. He watched her eyes dart back and forth across the page, assimilating the various words that Xanth had no idea how to read.
"Well then, this changes things! Been a while since I attired an Apprentice Wizard," She grabbed Xanth's arm and lead him back into her store.
As they walked, Xanth glanced around noticing hundreds of different types of fabric in every color imaginable. He suddenly felt her stop and collided with her backside, nearly knocking her over.
"Dammit boy! Pay attention! You are going to wrinkle my ensemble!" She shrieked.
Xanth apologized sheepishly and backed off a bit.
"Let's see, Apprentice Wizard..." She was fumbling through a large book, "Ah-Ha! Now I remember! Each Wizard chooses his own color!" She slammed the book shut and grabbed Xanth, practically dragging him over to her fireplace. She positioned him directly in front of it and the just looked at him.
"What?" Xanth asked, completely confused.
"Are you slow?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously, "Cast a flame blast into the fireplace, it will tell me what color to make your Apprentice Wizard robes," She pointed at the fireplace.
Xanth didn't have the faintest idea how to cast a fire blast, but he supposed he was expected to try. He remembered the High Wizard creating the ball of fire in his hand, he didn't remember the Wizard using a spell though, no word that would create fire.
Xanth wondered if he could just simply will the fire to appear. He imagined a sphere of flame just like the one that the High Wizard had created. A large red sphere of flame appeared in his hand, he threw it at the fire.
The fireplace erupted in a flame tempest, fire came billowing back out of the fireplace and into the shop, lighting several of the racks of material on fire. The whole shop was catching fire, Xanth was frozen in panic and embarrassment.
"Don't just stand there idiot! Put out the flame! Reign in your power or the whole damn city will burn!" Madam Ventriz was shrieking and waving her hands around like a madwoman.
Xanth imagined all the fire going away instantly and it did. Unfortunately the damage it caused remained, and Madam Ventriz was shaking, she had buried her face in her hands, Xanth couldn't tell if she was crying or enraged.
When she spoke, it was in a deceptively calm voice, "It would have been nice had the High Wizard informed me that you didn't know the first thing about magic! We could have died!" She shook her head and dragged Xanth back to her sewing table.
"The initial fireball you created was bright red, but we simply cannot have you trapezing about in bright red robes now can we? I think a combination is in order for you, something sinister like your power. Red and black, that's it. Come over here, we need to take your measurements. Undress yourself completely and stand on this pedestal," She pointed at a wooden box that stood about a foot off of the ground.
Xanth quietly undressed, and then completely naked, stepped up onto the box.
Madam Ventriz clucked her tongue, "My, my, my! You are quite the handsome one aren't you? Which family are you from? The Wendells? The Giliniks?"
"Neither, I'm an orphan, I'm not of noble blood," Xanth explained.
"Haha! Quite the jokster aren't you! But seriously, your features are to fair for a random peasant boy, you have noble blood in your veins, your features scream it," She told him, "Those dark green eyes, fair skin, brown hair. I'd bet my life you have Wendell blood in you," Madam Ventriz said.
"I didn't know my parents, I was told they were killed in a goblin raid years ago," Xanth said.
Madam Ventriz blanched, almost as if she had seen a ghost.
"G-g-g...goblin raid? Your parents were killed you say?" her voice had gotten quiet, shaky.
"Yes, the Matron from the orphanage told me that," Xanth said.
"I'd best get your measurements taken, it will only take a few moments," She grabbed a tape measure from her table and began measuring Xanth's body. He noticed she spent extra time measuring his inseam, even going so far as to tell him he had a nice cock.
Once she had thoroughly measured everything to her satisfaction, she let him get dressed again.
"Come back in one week, I'll have your wardrobe ready," She said.