The Witches Apprentice

by Joanne

It was the year of our lord 1568. I was born in the year when good Queen Bess came to the throne ten years earlier. That's the reason why I was known as Bess. My mother was a lady's maid. My father was killed by the papist soldiers of Queen Mary before I was born. The lady's family gave us a room that we shared at the top of the house. I slept on a narrow bed separated from my mother by a light curtain.

The house was huge I knew only a part of it. It was dark and scary and I was too afraid to wander much away from my mother's side or from my place of work. I was put to work in cleaning and helping Charlotte a scullery maid. She was a lot older than me and crippled from stooping and bending. She used me for all the low work, the scrubbing of floors and the like. She did the top work anything she could do whilst standing. She was a kindly woman full of fun and mischief. It was hard work but I enjoyed her company.

In our off duty moments which were rare enough, we would retire to her room. She would lie back on her bed leaving me with her only chair. She would light her clay pipe and relax. The sweet smelling smoke would relax her and any pain would leave her. She would press with her hand to her groin and gasp as her dreams pleased and excited her. The heady smoke would have me dreaming strange dreams. I was transported to lands far away. We would be aroused all too soon by the housekeeper banging on the door and cursing our laziness.

It would often happen that, in the dead of night, I would be awakened by the soft squeak of the door and the light of a candle. I would see my lady dressed in her night gown rousing my mother. I would watch as my mother laid my lady down onto her bed and worked her groin with my lady's legs spread high and wide. My mother's face would be close to her groin and would work at it with her mouth and with an unlit candle. My lady would gasp and wriggle in joy. She would then stand with her arms in the air to allow my mother to replace her night gown. I saw a full view of her without her draws, the mass of hair around her groin and the bulbous breast highlighted in the flickering light of the candle.

She would then drop coins into my mother's hand. Not a word was spoken and my lady left as quietly as her had entered plunging the room once again into darkness. I would be filled with fear and with a strange excitement and a thrill that centred between my legs. This happened more and more often. I was left with a strange hunger and hot thrills running through me. I had sort to quell these feelings by pressing the area. This only served to increase the hunger for more. I would rub myself until the excitement reached its climax and ended by wetting my draws. I then prayed for forgiveness.

Then one night the door burst open. The master was there in a rage of temper. He was drunk and stunk of liquor. He cursed my mother and called her a she devil corrupting and defiling women of previous virtue. He dragged her from her bed and tore the night dress from her. He whipped her naked body with the riding crop he was carrying. He exposed his manhood, red and swollen and angry looking, he bent my mother double and thrust it into her. I had no thought in my head. I grabbed his dagger from its scabbard on his belt and plunged it between his shoulder blades.

He fell onto his side stretching to try and reach the dagger. He coughed blood into his beard. All hell broke loose as the commotion alerted all the servants quarters. My mother screamed "Run Bess run. Run for your life."

I took to my heels and dodged the oncoming staff who were still unaware as the cause of the commotion. I got out of the house before the alarm was properly raised. The call went up "MURDER, MURDER!" The light from torches burning high in the air gathered as more voices joined in. There were calls of "There, over there," as more and more people gave chase and went off in the direction indicated.

I ran into woodland colliding with trees in the dark. I was bruised and blooded. I heard the voices drift off in the distance as those hunting for me had taken off in the wrong direction. I pushed on from tree to tree feeling my way, stumbling into ditches and hollows, getting caught up in brambles. I was cold and exhausted but too frightened to stop. I was on the brink of total exhaustion when I saw a glow. A little strength returned to me. I crept forward as quietly as I could.

Tree after tree gradually became visible in the dim light. The glow illuminated them. Eventually I found the source of the glow. It was a fire. There was a clearing in the centre of which was a large fire with a big pot suspended over it. A snorting noise drew my attention. It was a horse. It was tethered to a tree and was sniffing the air and moving nervously. At the other side of the clearing was a wagon with large wheels. It had gaily coloured patterns on the door and down the sides.

I heard nothing. Suddenly I was shocked to feel a blade across my throat. I was gripped by what was left of my nightdress and was then pushed out into the clearing. A hand felt me all over me for weapons and when none were found I was thrown to the ground. It was an old lady, old, but by no means weak. She was as strong as an ox. Her face was black with dirt. Her hair was covered in a woollen scarf. She wore a plain woollen bodice and a long woollen skirt that reached the ground. It was of the same pattern as the scarf. She went back to the wagon. She sat on the step and pulled a shawl around her shoulders. She retrieved the pipe from were she had left it and puffed on it as she looked me over.

"What's you name?" she demanded.

"Bess," I said.

"Who are you running from Bess?" she asked.

I became aware that I was trembling and tears were running down my face.

She didn't wait for my answer, "Are you hungry Bless?" she asked. Her voice had softened.

I nodded, speech would not come as I sobbed.

"Come Bess and calm yourself. You are safe here with me. Come, you must eat."

She ladled food into a bowl and gave it to me. She patted the step beside her. I sat down and scooped the rabbit stew into my mouth as fast as I could.

"Steady girl steady you will make yourself sick," she said.

While I ate the food and drank the ale she had also given me. She ladled hot water from the pot that hung over the fire into a large bowl and added water until she was happy with it.

"Strip off those rags," she said.

I was upset for them to be called rags. It was my best nightdress. I looked down and indeed it was now just rags. The nightdress, and the mother that made it for me, belonged to another life. I started to shake again. The woman stripped me naked. She then washed me from head to toe. She dressed me in a smock that was too big for me and stood back admiring her work. "You'll do," she said.

When I had drunk more of the ale that she drew from the barrel attached to the side of the wagon and had stopped shaking she asked me again about what had brought me to her camp. In between drinking deeply and sobbing I told her the story of the last few months.

"You are safe now," she said. She put her arms around me.

She told me about herself as she stripped herself naked. She was old but in beautiful condition and surprisingly clean. Her face was black with dirt but her body was white and flawlessly clean and when she had washed her face she was a handsome woman with strong features.

She talked all through the cleansing completely unperturbed by her nakedness. She made a living by selling potions and dreams. "Some would call me a witch," she laughed. "It is true that I collect herbs and make up potions which I sell in the villages along the way and it suits me to have people afraid of me. A curse as saved my life more that once."

I was fairly drunk when it came time for sleep. The inside of the wagon was beautifully appointed but it had only one bed. We settled down and sleep quickly overcame me. I was awakened by a hand in my groin. It was setting fire to me. The familiar feelings grew in me, but this time, it was not by my hand, I was not in control. The feelings got stronger and stronger.

"Feel my cunt," she whispered into my ear, her breath sending thrills through me.

"What?" I didn't understand what she meant. I didn't know what a cunt was.

She placed my hand onto it. She was naked and warm. The passion continued to grow within me as she played with what I now knew was my cunt and I followed her lead and played with hers. My passion reached its climax. The climax I remember from my times with my mother. The wagon rocked alarmingly as we shuddered and gasped together.

We remained locked together in each other's warmth until the light of dawn woke her up.

After breakfast of oats and water warmed on the embers of last night's fire, she took dirt from the floor and rubbed it all over her face. She saw me looking on in horror.

"Lesson number one," she said. "If I was clean, a woman travelling alone, I would be fucked by every man in every village on the way. If they think I am a witch dirty and poxed they are both afraid and disgusted and that makes me safe."

"What about me?" I asked.

"You are under the protection of a witch. You are quite safe." She laughed, "I have spells that that would wither their cocks and feed their balls to the devils of the night. Trust me they fear me more than god himself."

She showed me how to attach the horse to the wagon, "This is your job from now on." I nodded agreement.

We set off at first battling through thicket until with reached a track. She turned left and the easier going allowed the horse to reach a comfortable gait.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Does it matter," she said. To answer her own question she said, "As long as we hit a village it doesn't matter a fuck. You will learn girl, you will learn."

Soon her well trained ears picked up the sound of a horse at a trot. "Quick," she said. She turned the wagon off the road. The rider was quickly upon us. "In the back with you," she ordered. I fell over backwards into the wagon and closed the door. My heart was pounding as I heard the horse as it was pulled to a halt. "What have we here," the man's voice was challenging.

"Fuck you." was the reply. She jumped down starling the horse. "You will hold your tongue while you still have one." Her voice had taken on a scary quality. The man stammered, "Oh..er," he had then clearly realized what he was dealing with. "Buy some of my wares and I will forgive you," she said.

He gathered some composure, "What could you possible have that I want," he challenged.

"I have two things that you would want. The first is a potion that will give you the largest and hardest cock you have ever known."

"And the other?"

She called me by name. I gingerly came out of the wagon. I was at the top on the steps. She lifted my smock exposing my naked body. She held a jar in the other hand.

"The potion to give you the finest manhood in the area and a sweet young virgin to prove it on," Is that not to your taste.

The man tethered the horse. He scooped coins from the sack tied to his belt and took hold of the jar. He gulped it down thirstily.

"Now take the girl," she said.

He took two steps towards me and fell flat on his face. "Don't just stand there girl, help me," she demanded.

She was busy undressing the unconscious man until he was naked. His cock was indeed rock hard. She took his horse and tied it to the rear of the wagon. She saw me staring at the naked man, "The potion did for him. The cock is down to you," she laughed. "He will be out for at least twenty four hours. We will be long gone by then. We have money, we have boots and clothes to sell and with have a horse. Not a bad day at all"

There were many cross roads and byways. Nobody could know which one we had taken. We travelled for most of the day until we arrived at a river bank. "We will camp here," she said.

She unhitched and tethered the horse. She took a length of twine and went off to the river. "Now fuck off and gather wood for the fire, dry wood mind, and then light it. It's fish for dinner."

I am sure she is indeed a witch for I have never seen anyone catch that many fish in so little time in all my life. There was a whole fish each and several to sell or eat tomorrow.

She set traps for rabbits before nightfall made it impossible. She cooked the fish over the fire. They were delicious, that and the ale we were drinking, had me feeling very content. We recalled the expression on the face of the man as the ground rose up and hit him in the face. We fell about in uncontrollable laughter. We washed to get ready for bed, but this time in the river. We splashed about and chased each other and laughed fit to burst.

When she walked out of the water her fine handsome face was on show again. As was her naked body. Her wonderful round breast bounced as she walked. Her nipples were standing out as they reacted to the cold water. Her bushy mound glistened in the half light of dusk. The now familiar feelings started to build within me. "I want your cunt," I said with a cheeky grin.

She smiled a broad smile, "I have much I can teach you," she said.

We dried off in the heat of the fire and we danced, holding each other close and swaying to the gentle tune she hummed into my ear. I reached her cunt. It was slippery and hot. She kissed me and then guided me to the wagon.

We were still naked and so there was no delay. She laid me onto her bed and lifted and spread my legs wide. She knelt down and kissed me on the cunt. Using her tongue she took me out of this world. I was shaking and gurgling like a trapped animal. She traced my cunt and then there was a sharp pain as she entered me with her finger. The pain was quickly overtaken by wave after wave of thrills, each one mightier than the last. She pushed in two and then three fingers. Still the passion grew.

She pulled away leaving me begging for more. She produced a candle that she had fashioned earlier into a large cock. She pressed it into me and fucked me to a mindless frenzy. Over and over she fucked me. I was a shameless whore screaming for more. This was surely heaven, has this witch got the power of god. My whole being seemed to fall through my cunt and still she fucked me. I was screaming and squirting and screaming and squirting. When she finally withdrew the cock I was too weak to speak.

"My name is Mary by the way," she said. I was too weak to respond. She just climbed into the bed beside me and held me close until I fell asleep.

Midday the next day we arrived at a village. We went around the inns with the clothes we had come into. The boots were quickly sold. She told the buyer that she has a love potion that will make any woman he wants fall in love with him and give herself to him. Because he was first to buy from her she would give him a sample. "We are camped just outside the village." She told him. He went off with his new boots, very pleased with himself.

"Why did you give the potion to him?" I asked.

"I make that potion from herbs that I collect. When he puts it in his girl's drink the narcotic effect will have her happy and compliant. He will be able to fuck her brains out all night if he can, but she will remember nothing the next day. He will try it on again and she will slap him and curse him.

He will then be back for more. Not only that, but he will brag to all his friends that he has fucked the most unobtainable girl of the village. They will also be here, wanting some for themselves. By the time we leave this village that girl will be pregnant to half the village and will not know how it happened. That, my girl, is witchcraft."

"What about the girl," I asked.

"She did it to herself being too stuck up and teasing. She won't remember being fucked but her body will. Her juices will run out of control every time she sees a comely man. Pregnant or not she will soon be begging them to fuck her."

"How much of it do we have left?" I asked.

"We don't need a lot. We will spread it out amongst those wanting it and we will be gone in the night before the girl's father gets wind of it."

We were all packed up and ready to go when the boys turned up demanding that we sell the potion to them. Sales were fast and supplies exhausted quickly. By the time the orgy started we were miles away.

We were heading away from the village putting as many miles as we could between us. The horse was showing signs of strain. We needed to stop soon. Then we saw something in the distance that lifted Mary's spirits.

"Great," she said, "That's a bit of luck."

"What?" I asked. I could only see distant smoke.

"Gypsies," she said. "Horse traders."

They treated Mary like a long lost friend though they had never met. It was all part of the horse trading trade. You get a better deal from a friend. Mary was far too wise for that and a good price was agreed.

We did not stay once the deal was done. Mary warned me for the future, "They are good traders, but you can't trust them. They could cut your throat and take it all." We drove the horse and wagon on smiling broadly as if they were family. We soon had good reason to be thankful for Mary's caution. We were no more that half a mile away when we were run of the road by a troop of soldiers riding at high speed. We were blinded by the sun reflecting from their shiny breast plates. "Queen's cavalry," Mary said. We stopped and looked back. We could see down the hill. We could see the soldiers swinging their swords cutting down the gypsies. Men, women and children, they set fire to the wagons and rounded up the horses. A child made a dash for freedom, a soldier gave chase and with a single swing of his sword he took the child's head off.

We cut off the road, for they would be returning this way, and parked behind trees. We could hear their laughter as they rode back towards their camp. I was crying. I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Listen," Mary said, "Never cheat a soldier. They have friends with a lust for blood. I don't care how good that deal was. The price was too high."

We turned the wagon around and headed back to what was left of the camp. There was carnage everywhere. We were about to give up and leave when I heard a cry, a whimper really. There was an upturned broken part of a wagon. I lifted it and there was a little girl of about seven years old. She was typical of gypsy girls. Olive skinned and dark haired and with the deep brown eyes that led many a good man to his death.

Mary scooped her up and put her in the wagon, "We will keep her until we find more of her kind."

At that moment I loved that witch more that I can say. She made her living robbing, fucking and conning, but she had more humanity than anyone I had ever known. We had that girl for three weeks before we found more gypsies and told them the story. She did not speak a single word in all that time.

We spent a lot of time in one place. Mary needed time to collect the herbs and the fungi she needed for the potions she made. She was very clever and passed a lot of her secrets on to me. The landlord of the inn that refused to feed us was cursed by Mary. The curse was made to come true by the simple action of putting a strong laxative in the water. The inn was empted and the food was thrown out where we were able help ourselves. We knew, that as long as it was not cooked in water, there was nothing wrong with it.

Our life was, for the most part, peaceful and unhurried. There was much to gather and much to learn. Much of what we did involved nothing more than suggestion. Potions that were no more than bad tasting but harmless herbs. But give them the power of suggestion and who knows what they can do. We had a whole range of knock out drops that we could use to keep people under for varying periods.

We stole and we conned but when all else failed we lived off the land. Mary was clever at trapping animals and fishing and she knew a great many wild plants that could be eaten. We were never hungry. In the long evenings she would sit with her dagger, the one she put to my throat, carving dolls and the like for sale.

Out of the blue she asked me, "When is your birthday?"

I didn't know and said so.

"Well guess when it might be," she said.

"How can I do that?"

"Well is there a day when it could not be?"

"No, it could be any day," I said.

"Then it could be today?" she said triumphantly.

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Then happy birthday," she said and handed me a gift, wrapped in cloth.

I giggled. All that was to give me a gift.

I unwrapped it and then giggled again. It was a huge cock, carved from wood. It was accurate down to the veins and bulbous head I remembered from the naked man.

"That will be better than the candles," she said.

"You want to fuck, don't you," I said.

She didn't answer. She just stood up and took me by the hand and led me to the grass outside of our camp. There in the warmth of the day, with the breeze making patterns on our skin, we fucked each other's brains out. It was indeed better than any candle.