(no subject)
Hi, I'm your guide to The Magnificent Seven this month. In the TV series, the Old West provided a mythic, heroic setting for seven dangerous, enigmatic, complex, flawed, and very human men drawn into an often uneasy alliance. They squabble, they get on each others' nerves, they let each other down, they tease, yet they are ferocious in each others' defense. Just like family. The characters and their relationships translate remarkably well into other environments, particularly environments where men face danger together. The real wealth of the fandom is the many Alternate Universes, most of them open to any writer who wants to play.
While I am bifictional, I particularly enjoy reading about the love of brothers rather than sexual attraction. When I find a good story, I hate to see it end, so this month I will be concentrating mostly on long gen stories. And I have an additional offer for those fans who, like me, prefer to curl up with a printed story rather than sit in front of a computer for a good read. I have all of the stories I'm reccing attractively formatted for printing - two columns per page - and I'm happy to share with anyone who wants them. Write to me at FicPrint at Bellsouth dot Net for copies.
Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website:The Standish Tavern
Why this must be read:
The Four Kingdoms is the first story (novel really) of a series that puts the Seven in a magnificently rousing sword and sorcery fantasy. The author obviously had a lot of fun developing the detailed history, mythology, and rules of the world and you will have a lot of fun reading it. If you are a Mag7 aficionado you will enjoy discovering many characters and bits of episodes you are familiar with. If not, it will all be new and exciting. At the start, the insane King of one of the Four Kingdoms has attacked his neighbors and almost succeeded in reuniting an ancient empire and freeing an ancient evil. An Oracle envisions seven men who may be the only chance to stop him. Chris is the champion of a fallen kingdom, Vin a scout and archer, Ezra a thief, Josiah a mage, Nathan a healer, Buck a former Captain of the Guard, and JD a stable-boy who wants to be a squire. Reluctantly they begin the quest... facing danger, suffering, magic, sacrifice, and overwhelming odds.
Hannah sighed, he head drooping to her chest, and closed her blank eyes. “Josiah, could you…?” she asked weakly.
Josiah nodded, his huge arms circling around her to keep her warm. “An Oracle does not see into the future, Captain. He or she has the ability to see into people, and to guess with some accuracy what they will do. Not long before he attacked Rhea, she had guessed that Farron might try to recreate the Empire of the Ancients, and insisted I bring her here. She also saw each of you, and knew that you would come here to her before it was too late to stop him.”
JD frowned, confused. “Wait, if you knew what Farron was going to do, why didn’t you warn anyone? You could have prevented all this!”
Because most oracle’s are frauds, kid, and, well, no one really wants to listen to them anyway.” Buck said, still frowning, but no longer angry. His fear had faded completely upon Josiah’s explanation, and he allowed himself a moment to think. “They are outlawed from using their gift in the Four Kingdoms, regardless of what they may be able to tell. Most of the time, it is a good law. But sometimes….” He stopped, and looked over at Chris. The paladin shrugged.
An oracle tried to warn us of Farron’s invasion. A girl -- couldn’t have been more than eight. She sneaked into the castle and tried to see the King, but even after she’d stood in front of him, begging him to listen to her, he refused. He had her thrown out.” Chris was staring hard at Hannah, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she had to say either.
She was eight? Your King threw out an eight year old girl?” JD asked, nonplussed. Buck wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Oracles are…dangerous,” Buck said, not elaborating. He looked up, his jaw firmly set. “Given a choice, people will avoid them, close their ears. But…I suppose, at this point, there really isn’t a choice to make any more. Farron took that away from us a long time ago.”
Silence greeted this statement, as all eyes turned to Hannah. She nodded, and smiled in Buck’s direction. He just continued to frown.
"Some ten years ago,” she began dreamily, “I saw you all for the first time. You were all over the place, in every land, your destiny singling you out from the millions of people surrounding you with colors brighter than anything visible to the naked eye. Most people are yellow, or orange, but not you. Your colors were unusual, and so beautiful. At the time, I did not know who you were, or why you were, but, with my brother’s and Nathan’s help, I started to see more clearly.” She paused to take a breath, and she seemed to straighten slightly in her brother’s arms. In the lamplight, her silver hair glowed, reminding Nathan of an angel. She smiled, “Together, you men have the power to stop Farron. Seven figures, each unique, will determine the fate of us all.”
"This is a fairytale,” the thief muttered. Chris gave him a harsh look, but the thief ignored him. “Quite honestly, I do not understand what is so terrible about Farron rebuilding the Empire. The world will still turn, money will still change hands, people will continue to be born and die. How bad can it really be?”
"You want a murderer to be your ruler? One who will take away all our rights as free people?” Chris asked, his eyes bright. “Besides, you told us Farron took your lands, and that you wanted to stop him. Are you now denying that?”
Ezra shrugged. “In the end, I am a realist, mercenary. I may not want him to succeed, but I am not about to risk my life or my livelihood on a bet that will fail. So he rebuilds the Empire, so what? We’ll survive. Besides, when Farron dies, his Empire is bound to fall apart. His only heir does not want anything to do with him; he does not want to be King, much less Emperor. We’ll probably just go back to the way we were.” He shrugged, the red of his cape taking on the color of blood in the low light. His green eyes were invisible in the shadows on his face as he stared at the floor. Across from him, Hannah was shaking her head vigorously.
<
"No, no, you do not understand. Farron must not be allowed to recreate the Empire of the Ancients. He must not be able to reunify the keys, to achieve the Divine Mandate again.” She looked around at them, her unlined face bright. “Do you know the legend of Emperor Magnimus and Rhea?” A few nodded assents greeted her question, along with a few frowns. Ezra crossed his arms and huffed slightly.
"A legend,” he muttered quickly. “If this is all about some childish mythology, then I am leaving.”
"Mythology? No, no, Ezra, this is no mere story. The keys are real, even if the rulers of the kingdoms had long since forgotten how to use them. They are all aspects of the Divine Mandate, and the Mandate will bring back the darkness that shrouded this land for hundreds of years.”
Ezra shook his head, and levered himself up off the crates. “And what? Farron has learned how to use his key, that of…what was it called…Reason? That he killed Queen Kinya and her family, and that of the Brishnian King in order to get their so-called magical powers too? No, Madame, I know Farron. He has no magic. He is simply a nasty, ambitious man whose ego refused to be contained within one Kingdom’s boundaries. He wants power, but not magical power. He wants political power. He wants control, and money, and glory. All these things define him as the greedy, sadistic bastard he is, but he is no mage.”
"You’re wrong, Ezra.” She was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “He has already learned how to use the powers of Reason and Conviction and…and he may have Truth, though he has yet to use it. He has become so dark that I can barely see him anymore, like a shadow. He uses them to hide himself from me.” She shook her head again. “And the madness is already strong in him.” She paused, and her brow furrowed in concentration again.
"Once the Divine Mandate is alive again, it will not let itself be rent apart again without a fight. It will hold onto Farron, and will infect his heirs as well, whether they want it to or not. It will just as equally infect his killer, should the heir die as well. No one knows how Queen Rhea controlled the Mandate when she split it up, and without that knowledge, no one will be able to defeat it.” When the thief didn’t try and contradict her again, she continued, though more softly, her tone addressing them all.
"I can see that future, and all the despair the Mandate will bring. It is a future that stretches on and on into infinity.” She licked her lips, and drew herself from Josiah’s embrace to step forward, her head bowed slightly against the low roof. Her eyes met Ezra’s, then she looked past him to Chris. “You must not allow it to happen.”
"Assuming what you say is correct, what exactly do you expect us to do?” Ezra asked, not hiding his sarcasm. “Take on an army with just the seven of us?”
NOTE: The last story in the series, Rhea and the Wolf, is listed as a WIP, but the story is essentially finished, so don't hesitate to read it.
The Four Kingdoms
While I am bifictional, I particularly enjoy reading about the love of brothers rather than sexual attraction. When I find a good story, I hate to see it end, so this month I will be concentrating mostly on long gen stories. And I have an additional offer for those fans who, like me, prefer to curl up with a printed story rather than sit in front of a computer for a good read. I have all of the stories I'm reccing attractively formatted for printing - two columns per page - and I'm happy to share with anyone who wants them. Write to me at FicPrint at Bellsouth dot Net for copies.
Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: N/A
Author Website:The Standish Tavern
Why this must be read:
The Four Kingdoms is the first story (novel really) of a series that puts the Seven in a magnificently rousing sword and sorcery fantasy. The author obviously had a lot of fun developing the detailed history, mythology, and rules of the world and you will have a lot of fun reading it. If you are a Mag7 aficionado you will enjoy discovering many characters and bits of episodes you are familiar with. If not, it will all be new and exciting. At the start, the insane King of one of the Four Kingdoms has attacked his neighbors and almost succeeded in reuniting an ancient empire and freeing an ancient evil. An Oracle envisions seven men who may be the only chance to stop him. Chris is the champion of a fallen kingdom, Vin a scout and archer, Ezra a thief, Josiah a mage, Nathan a healer, Buck a former Captain of the Guard, and JD a stable-boy who wants to be a squire. Reluctantly they begin the quest... facing danger, suffering, magic, sacrifice, and overwhelming odds.
Hannah sighed, he head drooping to her chest, and closed her blank eyes. “Josiah, could you…?” she asked weakly.
Josiah nodded, his huge arms circling around her to keep her warm. “An Oracle does not see into the future, Captain. He or she has the ability to see into people, and to guess with some accuracy what they will do. Not long before he attacked Rhea, she had guessed that Farron might try to recreate the Empire of the Ancients, and insisted I bring her here. She also saw each of you, and knew that you would come here to her before it was too late to stop him.”
JD frowned, confused. “Wait, if you knew what Farron was going to do, why didn’t you warn anyone? You could have prevented all this!”
Because most oracle’s are frauds, kid, and, well, no one really wants to listen to them anyway.” Buck said, still frowning, but no longer angry. His fear had faded completely upon Josiah’s explanation, and he allowed himself a moment to think. “They are outlawed from using their gift in the Four Kingdoms, regardless of what they may be able to tell. Most of the time, it is a good law. But sometimes….” He stopped, and looked over at Chris. The paladin shrugged.
An oracle tried to warn us of Farron’s invasion. A girl -- couldn’t have been more than eight. She sneaked into the castle and tried to see the King, but even after she’d stood in front of him, begging him to listen to her, he refused. He had her thrown out.” Chris was staring hard at Hannah, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what she had to say either.
She was eight? Your King threw out an eight year old girl?” JD asked, nonplussed. Buck wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Oracles are…dangerous,” Buck said, not elaborating. He looked up, his jaw firmly set. “Given a choice, people will avoid them, close their ears. But…I suppose, at this point, there really isn’t a choice to make any more. Farron took that away from us a long time ago.”
Silence greeted this statement, as all eyes turned to Hannah. She nodded, and smiled in Buck’s direction. He just continued to frown.
"Some ten years ago,” she began dreamily, “I saw you all for the first time. You were all over the place, in every land, your destiny singling you out from the millions of people surrounding you with colors brighter than anything visible to the naked eye. Most people are yellow, or orange, but not you. Your colors were unusual, and so beautiful. At the time, I did not know who you were, or why you were, but, with my brother’s and Nathan’s help, I started to see more clearly.” She paused to take a breath, and she seemed to straighten slightly in her brother’s arms. In the lamplight, her silver hair glowed, reminding Nathan of an angel. She smiled, “Together, you men have the power to stop Farron. Seven figures, each unique, will determine the fate of us all.”
"This is a fairytale,” the thief muttered. Chris gave him a harsh look, but the thief ignored him. “Quite honestly, I do not understand what is so terrible about Farron rebuilding the Empire. The world will still turn, money will still change hands, people will continue to be born and die. How bad can it really be?”
"You want a murderer to be your ruler? One who will take away all our rights as free people?” Chris asked, his eyes bright. “Besides, you told us Farron took your lands, and that you wanted to stop him. Are you now denying that?”
Ezra shrugged. “In the end, I am a realist, mercenary. I may not want him to succeed, but I am not about to risk my life or my livelihood on a bet that will fail. So he rebuilds the Empire, so what? We’ll survive. Besides, when Farron dies, his Empire is bound to fall apart. His only heir does not want anything to do with him; he does not want to be King, much less Emperor. We’ll probably just go back to the way we were.” He shrugged, the red of his cape taking on the color of blood in the low light. His green eyes were invisible in the shadows on his face as he stared at the floor. Across from him, Hannah was shaking her head vigorously.
<
"No, no, you do not understand. Farron must not be allowed to recreate the Empire of the Ancients. He must not be able to reunify the keys, to achieve the Divine Mandate again.” She looked around at them, her unlined face bright. “Do you know the legend of Emperor Magnimus and Rhea?” A few nodded assents greeted her question, along with a few frowns. Ezra crossed his arms and huffed slightly.
"A legend,” he muttered quickly. “If this is all about some childish mythology, then I am leaving.”
"Mythology? No, no, Ezra, this is no mere story. The keys are real, even if the rulers of the kingdoms had long since forgotten how to use them. They are all aspects of the Divine Mandate, and the Mandate will bring back the darkness that shrouded this land for hundreds of years.”
Ezra shook his head, and levered himself up off the crates. “And what? Farron has learned how to use his key, that of…what was it called…Reason? That he killed Queen Kinya and her family, and that of the Brishnian King in order to get their so-called magical powers too? No, Madame, I know Farron. He has no magic. He is simply a nasty, ambitious man whose ego refused to be contained within one Kingdom’s boundaries. He wants power, but not magical power. He wants political power. He wants control, and money, and glory. All these things define him as the greedy, sadistic bastard he is, but he is no mage.”
"You’re wrong, Ezra.” She was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “He has already learned how to use the powers of Reason and Conviction and…and he may have Truth, though he has yet to use it. He has become so dark that I can barely see him anymore, like a shadow. He uses them to hide himself from me.” She shook her head again. “And the madness is already strong in him.” She paused, and her brow furrowed in concentration again.
"Once the Divine Mandate is alive again, it will not let itself be rent apart again without a fight. It will hold onto Farron, and will infect his heirs as well, whether they want it to or not. It will just as equally infect his killer, should the heir die as well. No one knows how Queen Rhea controlled the Mandate when she split it up, and without that knowledge, no one will be able to defeat it.” When the thief didn’t try and contradict her again, she continued, though more softly, her tone addressing them all.
"I can see that future, and all the despair the Mandate will bring. It is a future that stretches on and on into infinity.” She licked her lips, and drew herself from Josiah’s embrace to step forward, her head bowed slightly against the low roof. Her eyes met Ezra’s, then she looked past him to Chris. “You must not allow it to happen.”
"Assuming what you say is correct, what exactly do you expect us to do?” Ezra asked, not hiding his sarcasm. “Take on an army with just the seven of us?”
NOTE: The last story in the series, Rhea and the Wolf, is listed as a WIP, but the story is essentially finished, so don't hesitate to read it.
The Four Kingdoms