Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

A/N: Well, then next chapter of Unremarkable won't come together properly, so I've decided to post this. It's based on some background I'm putting together for another story in the Apprentice universe. I've decided to put it in story form because the story that it was originally for may or may not ever be finished. So, have a quick scene or two of sexytimes. :)
This is chapter 1 of 2.
Content: mf, hj, fingering.

The sun was just starting to set when Marius and the other boys got their turn in the pool. He had seen the little spring-fed pool in the hills before, its water milky-white with minerals from the spring that fed it, but he had also, as long as he could remember, known that he was never to enter the pool or to use it for fishing or anything else. Even simply taking water was done at least twenty feet downstream of the small stream that emerged from one side of the pool. It was one of the two old holy places near the village.

Now, on this day in late spring, he had been led there, together with the five other boys who had also turned eighteen in the past year, for his initiation as a full follower of the Goddess. As the boys gathered by the pool's edge, all of them wearing the simple grey robes they had put on before making the trip here, they looked to Rolan, the nineteen-year old who had gone through his own initiation the year before, and who would be guiding them through theirs. The remaining four of the previous year's initiates were waiting at the edge of the clearing around the pool.

"You all know why you're here," Rolan began, self-consciously trying to look dignified and clasping his hands together in the sleeves of the white robe he wore. "As soon as the sun touches the tip of the Green Mountain," he gestured toward the high peak visible in front of the lesser mountains behind it, "you, who have all become adults in this past year, will, through the old ceremony, become full members in the faith of the Goddess."

He walked a few steps around the edge of the pool, waving a hand over its surface as he continued, "The Goddess knows that it has been difficult for you to save yourselves for this moment, especially these last few years, as you have approached your maturity. Know that the wait has not been for nothing, and will soon be over. As soon as you have purified yourselves in the waters of the Goddess's Spring, we will go to Her altar for the ceremony."

It was clear, from the sing-song quality of Rolan's voice that he was repeating as best he could the words that had been spoken when he had been here as an initiate. Marius tried to memorize them as well. It might well be that he would be the one chosen to lead next years initiates, after all.

"Now then, remove your robes — and remember to fold them properly, you'll still need to wear them on the way to the altar — and step into the pool. I'm going to assume that most of you bathed before coming here," -- here he looked around the pool at each of the initiates. Marius was sure that they all had bathed and tried to look their best. He knew he had, and he knew that his friend Lucos had spent a considerable amount of time trying to get his rather patchy mustache to look somewhat presentable -- to little effect, if Marius was honest. Rolan continued, oblivious to Marius' train of thought, "so this will be mostly for ritual purposes. Get into the water, making sure to go completely under, and scrub yourself quickly. You've all know the proper prayer of purification. Then get back out and put the robes back on."

At Rolan's gesture, Marius and the others took off their robes -- they had nothing on underneath -- folded them carefully and put them down on a clear patch of grass, then stepped out of their sandals. Marius tried to look dignified and respectful as he stepped into the Goddess' Pool, then almost fell forward as after the first step he sank down into waist-deep, ice-cold water.

Beside him, the others yelped with surprise at the sudden cold. Marius, trying not to shiver, rushed through the required ritual cleaning, steeling himself before he bent forward and dunked his head underwater. Then, teeth chattering, he rushed his way through the prayer of purification and tried to exit the pool quickly without trying to look like he was hurrying. He climbed out of the pool an onto the, to his bare feet, pleasantly warm grass as quickly as he could and shook himself dry and wiped his short black hair from his eyes. Then he took his robe from among the others, and wrapped it around himself quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief as the sun-warmed robe absorbed the last drops of cold water on his skin.

When he looked up he caught Rolan's eye. He was grinning as the last of the initiates climbed, shivering, out of the pool and got dressed again. Marius hid a grudging smile of his own. Evidently, they hadn't messed anything up by their response to the unexpectedly cold water.

When they had all put their robes back on, Marius led the boys into the forest, toward the clearing which held the Goddess' Altar. The previous year's initiates followed after them, talking to each other in low voices.

***

The sun was beginning to set in earnest by the time the group reached the Altar. As Marius saw the people already there, waiting for them, his nervousness at the realization that this was really happening now increased. Looking around surreptitiously, he saw that the others were also looking nervous, eyes darting around but each time returning to the Altar and the people behind it.

The altar sat in the middle of the clearing, a simple, low block of carved stone, covered in writing in the old language, flanked by two tall, unlit torches. In the center of the side facing them was a small niche in which the sun's fading light glinted off something metallic. Marius knew, even without being able to see it clearly, that it was the golden idol that was usually hidden in the small shrine by the village's central well. Around it, in a circle about twenty feet wide, were a number of logs, just high enough to sit on, surrounded by a circle of more torches.

Behind the altar, in robes identical to Marius and the boys', were the other participants in the coming ritual: the five girls who had turned eighteen in the previous year. Behind them stood Rolan and his companions' counterparts, in identical white robes. There were only five of them, though Marius knew that there had been seven girls who'd had their Initiation the previous year.

By the altar, dressed in a rather more ornamented, deep red robe, stood Mrs. Carter, the village's innkeeper and priestess of the goddess. She'd had her head lowered in prayer, but looked up when the boys arrived. "There you are!" she said, pushing back the hood of her robe and revealing a mass of curly brown hair framing her face, her piercing green eyes taking in each of the boys in turn. "You made good time. We have a bit of light left."

She took a deep breath and turned around slowly, making eye contact with each of the initiates, then nodded in satisfaction and gestured for them to approach her. They did, boys and girls meeting around the altar. Marius was quietly pleased that he ended up right across from Lise, the blacksmith's daughter. The two of them had been dancing awkwardly dancing around each other for a few months now. At least, Marius hoped he was reading the situation right. Whenever he ran into her, he tried to speak to her, but their conversations always seemed stilted and uncomfortable. He hope that that was because she was as nervous about talking to him as he was about talking to her, and not because she simply didn't like him. He had been looking forward to seeing her here during the initiation, hoping that the enforced proximity might finally lead to something. As he watched the way the strands of her pale blond hair contrasted with the grey fabric of her robe, he was suddenly very conscious of the fact that, like himself, she was wearing nothing underneath.

He was distracted from his thoughts when Mrs. Carter began speaking again.

"You have all, for eighteen years, been waiting until you could join the rest of us as full members of the congregation, in the eyes of the Goddess. Soon, you will undergo your initiation. But first, the reason for which you have been saving yourselves." She withdrew her hands from her sleeves, revealing the she was wearing an ornate golden ring with a small, blueish gem in a complicated setting. She stepped forward toward Lucos, raising her hand. Lucos bent his head and she touched him briefly on the top of his head, then moved to his neighbour in the circle and repeated the movement.

Eventually, she reached Jahn, the last of the boys. To Marius, who had been watching from the corner of his eye, he looked nervous. As soon as Mrs. Carter's hand touched his head, it became clear why. The gem in her ring suddenly shone with a bright, blue-white light and Mrs. Carter's face twisted into an expression of disappointment.

"Step out of the circle," she ordered him. As he slunk away a few feet until one of the older initiates stopped him, she went on, "We make sure to make it clear to all you youngsters how important it is to save yourselves until this moment, and yet every year there are one or two who just can't help themselves." She sighed resignedly. "I realize that the need to stay virgins, and fairly strictly so, is difficult for growing teenagers, but you have all been told why it is necessary, even if it conflicts with the behavior that is expected from you later, as full followers of the Goddess. There are, as I'm sure you know, still plenty of things you can do to express your attraction to each other and desire for closeness. The rule was simple: no touching each other's holy parts in any kind of sexual manner, nor mixing fluids."

She had stopped her progress around the circle for the moment and was looking around at them again, this time with an angry look on her face. "You have all been told to wait for this moment, before your initiation, so that the final end of your period of virginity can be used to help in the magic that keeps the land around our village so fertile. The lands around us may have droughts and famines, but as long as enough of us keep to our obligations, we will always prosper. Now, is there anyone else who has been derelict in their duty? Speak now, because the ring will find out!"

As her gaze once again swept the circle, Marta, a small, stocky girl with flaming red hair, hesitantly raised a hand. Mrs. Carter shook her head in disappointment and then, with a sharp gesture, directed Marta to join Jahn. As Marta moved out of the circle, she asked, in a tremulous voice, "Will be still be allowed to join in the initiation?"

Mrs. Carter's expression softened slightly as she answered, "We will never disallow on of the faithful from progressing along their spiritual path. You may rejoin us when the ceremony begins. But we will discuss this, afterwards, and there will be punishment." Marta nodded in relief and scurried over to Jahn as Mrs. Carter turned to the net initiate in the circle and touched her head. There were no more flashes of light from her ring as she finished her circuit of the initiates.

"Well," she said, "it seems that we have enough people to ensure that the magic continues for another year. Let's begin." She looked past the initiates, a the older boys and girls behind them. There was a some shuffling and jostling as most of the boys and girls exchanged positions, then each took one of the initiates by the arm and led them over to the logs and had them sit down. Marius was uncertain for a minute when no-one joined him, but then Mrs. Carter appeared by his side and led him over to a log, then stepped behind him.

Marius looked around the circle. Spread evenly around, boys on one side and girls on the other, were the prospective initiates. The last year's initiates were now sitting down behind each of them, legs on each side of them. Marius felt a warmth against his back as Mrs. Carter took her own place behind him, her legs on the outside of his and her chest pressed into his back. She nudged him forward until he was sitting right at the edge of the log, his legs slightly spread.

"Keep looking forward," she said her low voice close to his ear. He stopped trying to turn his head. One of her hands appeared around him, now holding a small pewter bowl. The other held him around the torso, pulling his back more tightly against her soft breasts, clearly noticeable even through his robe.

"Everyone ready?" she asked. Marius looked around surreptitiously. Behind each of the initiates was an older boy or girl; girls behind the boys and boys behind the girls, except that behind Anni was Jo-Ann the tailor's apprentice and behind Mikal was a boy Marius didn't know by name. They were each holding a bowl similar to Mrs. Carter's.

"Good," Mrs. Carter said, as the others all nodded. "Then we can begin. Remember, it's not about the volume, it's about the act."

Without further explanation, her hand left his torso and then, with a practiced movement, untied the belt around his waist and twitched his robe aside. Marius was surprised by the suddenness, though he had been half-expecting it. As a delicate hand trailed down his chest and stomach, he heard Mrs. Carter's voice by his ear. "Sorry we didn't let you choose, but as priestess I do need to participate, and I've had my eye on you for a while, now."

His reply turned into a strangled sound as her hand skimmed through his pubic hair and fingertips just barely touched the root of his cock.

"Just relax and let me handle things," she breathed in his ear. "Look straight ahead." Marius lifted his gaze again. On the other side of the circle, just visible around the altar, was Lise, the front of her robe open as well, as the boy behind her caressed a breast.

"I've seen you notice her," Mrs. Carter said, quietly, as her first two fingers encircled the base of his rapidly-hardening cock. Marius' eyes were fixed on Lise. The boy behind her was now gently encouraging her to open her legs. As she did so, Marius found he couldn't look away from the sparse bush of light hair that was revealed. "I think you'll get your chance during the Initiation," she went on, her breath hot in his ear as her fingers began to stroke up and down his shaft. "Because I think she's noticed you, too."

Marius looked up slightly from where the boy's hand trailed down Lise's stomach, and saw that she was looking straight ahead too, straight at him. Her mouth hung open slightly, her pink tongue licked her lips and were wide. Marius swallowed heavily and breathed in sharply as wet lips kissed his neck and Mrs. Carter's hand gripped his cock fully, swiping her thumb over the head and spreading the first drop of pre-cum around. She began pumping him firmly, not fast but making sure that she touched the head with every stroke.

Across the circle, the boy behind Lise was now circling his fingers just above her clit, making her hips jerk arrhythmically. Her chest was heaving, drawing attention to her large but firm breasts and the peaked, rosy pink nipples. A quick glance showed that she was smiling faintly, her eyes unfocussed but looking in Marius' direction. Marius groaned as a tongue swiped over the shell of his ear just as the hand around his cock sped up,  jerking him almost violently. His eyes darted around the circle to see that all the other initiates were in similar positions, robes all open at the front and the people behind them now jerking or fingering each of them.

Marius watches as Lise's head fell backward onto her partner's shoulder when two of his fingers entered her, pausing a moment to spread her pussy before plunging in, then coming out covered in glistening wetness. Her partner seemed practices as he kept his fingers thrusting in and out of her while using his thumb to brush over her clit.

Marius moaned as Mrs. Carter's hand briefly left his cock to cup his balls, a gently squeeze sending another jolt of pleasure through his body before she went back to his shaft, stroking him while giving the occasional twist of her wrist that made his leg jerk involuntarily.

It took only a few minutes before the Lise trembled in front of him, head rolling from side to side. Her partner kept thrusting into her, but his other hand quickly moved the bowl under her dripping pussy. A few drops of Lise's fluids were caught in the cup as she suddenly moaned loudly and went rigid, then went limp in her partner's embrace.

"Oh, she looks good like that," came the voice by his ear again. Mrs. Carter sped up again, now timing the twist of her wrist just so that she rubbed the place where the head of his cock met the shaft with every stroke. "Can you do that, too? Can you come for me?"

Marius moaned unsteadily as he felt his own peak approach. With an effort, he kept his eyes open and his head upright, his eyes fixed on drip of wetness from her pussy as her partner positioned the bowl to catch as much as possible. Then, his gaze traveling upward, he watched her chest rise and fall with every deep breath she took until his eyes reached her face. She was looking forward again, and when he met her brown eyes, they looked deeply into his. The encouragement of her grin was enough to push him over the edge. His hips jerked forward as he came, and the first jet of cum shot forward onto the grass.

Then, Mrs. Carter's hand on his cock gripped it firmly and held it still as he continued to cum, catching most of it in the pewter bowl.

"Yesss," she hissed in his ear. "Cum!"

When he finished, her hand left his softening cock and moved up. He just caught, from the corner of his eye, her tongue darting out from between her red lips as she licked the few drops of cum that had dripped onto her fingers. Then, as he slumped in her embrace, the hand went to his head and ruffled his hair.

"Good boy," she said. "That's what I like about young men, you know. So responsive..."

Marius felt his mouth curve into a dopy grin. Keeping eye contact with Lise, he let himself slide forward, off the log and onto the grass, until he was leaning back against the rough bark. Lise did the same. They stayed in that position while around them the shouts, moans and groans rose into the air as the other initiates reached their own climaxes. Neither of them looked around and neither spoke, but from the way their eyes were fixed on each other and the expression on Lise's face, he was sure they would meet up during the ceremony to come.

Eventually, when all the initiates had cum and the bowls had been put together on the altar, Mrs. Carter moved back into the center of the circle. her belt had come undone, and now her robe, too, hung open as she walked, showing off her toned legs with every step and, when she turned around to address the initiates, revealing a small, carefully-shaved tuft of dark hair between her legs and a pair of heavy breasts with dark nipples.

"I thank you for your assistance, in the name of the Goddess," she began, inclining her head in turn to each of the previous year's initiates. Many of them were looking pretty heated, and Marius could see that several of the boys' robes were tented in the front where they concealed erections. "We will need no further help in the ceremony. You may return to the village." She smiled slightly. "The main room of the temple should be free, if you want to enjoy each others' company for a while longer. I will see all of you for the weekly ceremony, tomorrow."

Without speaking, they disappeared into the forest, walking quickly and exchanging significant glances.

"Now is the time for your initiation," the priestess intoned, raising her hands to the sky. "To show your commitment to the Goddess and to take your place among Her followers." She looked at Jahn and Marta. "Join us now. Form a half-circle, facing the altar and me, make sure your neighbor is in arm's reach, then kneel down."

They all shuffled into their positions. By unspoken agreement, Marius and Lise ended up on the ends of the half-circle, facing each other across the clearing. He glanced around as he knelt, the grass soft on his knees. None of them had closed their robes, and his gaze trailed over the skin on display. Some of the boys were already starting to get slightly hard again.

He lowered his head as the priestess knelt by the altar and began her invocation to the Goddess. He was looking forward to the rest of the night.
