Four Seasons: Book One

By: Ruby Sparrow

Summary: AU In a world were the four seasons are broken into four kingdoms, there's something or someone messing with the balance of things. Now it's up to the Royal Family of the middle kingdom, Four Corners, to find the chosen protecters of the realm and hope that they can learn to get along before it's too late.

Author's Notes: This story just kind of came to me when I was watching the DVD. You'll find that I moved the events around a bit and I had a little bit of fun with some of the boys but that many of the boys' friends are in these books. Also I would like to thanks Vivian Tanner for all of her help from beta reading my stories to for her great ideas . I hope that you enjoy it and that you please review.

DisclaimerI do not own "The Magnificent Seven" story line, characters, settings, or anything else to do with it. I am in no way getting paid for this story unless you count the fun I had writing it.

Part I

King Steven was a mess; nothing had gone right at all since he had woken up. His wife, Mary, insisted on talking to him about their son and the dreams the boy had been having, he had had meetings none stop until dinner, when once again Mary wish to talk him. Now when he thought he could finally rest, the two oak doors to the Great Hall busted open to admitted two guards. In between them was a small boy, whom looked like he was being dragged but as the trio drew closer Steven realized that the guards were really trying to hold him up.

"What is the meaning of this?" Frank Ellish, the Royal Tutor and dear friend to the king, was running trying to intersect them.

"Please forgive us Your Highness but this boy says he's from the Fall Kingdom and that he carries a message from their king."

"You fool if we let everyone who says…"

"It's alright Frank," Steven said holding up his hand for silence.

"Yes, my liege."

"He had this," one of the guards said holding up a ring. Steven stood and began making his way down the steps, taking the ring from the guard he could see it was covered in blood. The ring had a picture of a dear on it, the band was a floral design of leaves and vines. This is the Royal Sea he thought, looking up he saw Mary standing in the doorway behind them, her face covered with fear. The blood on the ring was surely from the boy, he was covered in cuts from head to toe.

"Mary sends for the healer, you two lay this poor boy down." The guards moved to lay the boy on a sofa then stood back making room for their king. "Easy there, you're safe now," Steven said attempting to clam the boy.

"Your…Highness," the boy gasped. One of the side doors open to reveal and the healer, good here comes some help. He looked back to the boy, he had so much blood on him one wouldn't be able to tell the color of hair, let alone his skin, who could have done this?

"Sire, if you please?" The healer asked.

"Yes, of course," the king made to move but as he stood the boy's hand shot out clinging to Steven's arm.

"Your Highness…you need…to…help," the boy gasped.

"We will help, our healer is here, he will see to you."

"No…not me…the Royal Family…"

"Royal Family, which family, what's happened?"

"The Fall…" the boy's eyes closed. Steven could see that talking was hurting him. Poor lad he thought.

"Sire, please," Steven turned to see the healer leaning over him trying to get to the boy, Mary was standing behind him. Steven could just make out the form of tears in her eyes.

Looking back to the child, "You need to be looked after, than we will talk."

"No…the family…the kingdom…attacked." The boy refused to let go of the king's arm.

"Who attacked?"

"Someone…inside…they're gone…"

"Who's gone?" Steven asked.

"Royal…Family…"

"Maybe they're hiding," Mary spoke up.

"No…they're gone."

Steven looked around at the people in the room, he didn't like where this was going. "What do you mean gone?" Frank asked moving to stand beside the queen, having had stayed by the throne until now.

The hand squeezed harder on Steven's arm as the boy took another breath. "They're…dead…all…de…" His eyes closed as his hand fell limp to the ground.

Part II

Mary gasped, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes darted around the hall. All present had a look of horror on their faces but if it was from realizing that the boy had just died or from hearing the news that he had delivered she could not tell.

"Poor boy, must've used the last of his strength to get here, all the way from the Fall Kingdom," Mary looked toward the healer.

Nathan Jackson, the Royal Healer, had been a good friend to her since he came to the palace. She had come across him on one of her outings, one of her Ladies in Waiting had fallen and sprained her ankle. Nathan, walking by at that time had stopped to help. Mary was so grateful that she told the Royal Healer at that time about him and Nathan was soon asked to become his helper. When the healer had passed away last winter, Nathan took his place.

"What do you think it means, Your Highness?" One of the guards asked.

"I'm not sure," Steven stood making room for Nathan to get to the boy's body. "Mary perhaps you should go," he said putting an arm around her, "I'm sorry you had to see this."

Mary give a sad grin to her husband, he still thinks I need to be sheltered from the world, she thought. "I'd like to stay Steven, that boy die to get a message to us and I would like to know what's going on."

"If I may Your Majesties?" Mary look toward Frank standing next to her, "this may all just be a trick."

"A trick!!" Nathan yelled moving in front of Frank, "A boy just died and ya saying it's a trick!!" Mary knew that Nathan didn't care for Frank but she had never seen the healer this mad before.

"Now, now Nathan, let's hear him out," her husband said placing a hand on her friend's shoulder trying to calm him.

"Thank you Sire, as I was saying, there have been many reports of bandits along the borders. This may be a trick of their's."

"But he had the Royal Seal and what would the bandits gain by this?" Mary asked, she had heard some of the report and this didn't seem like something the bandits would do. They've just been taking a little gold here and there, she thought.

"That's what I'm not sure of, I suggest you send a message of your own My Liege?" He said giving that wolfish grin that Mary hated. "Send someone to the Fall Kingdom to find out what has happened."

"What if what the boy said is true? We would be sending our men to their death," Mary argued. She didn't like this idea at all and she was hoping that Steven was not going for it.

"Mary, maybe you should go check on Billy," Steven said. She couldn't believe her ears. He can't be listening to this, she thought.

"But Steven…"

"Please Mary," the king gave her a smile and started for his throne.

She looked around the hall for help, Nathan was seeing to the boy's body with the guards' help. Her eyes landed on Frank, that grin still plastered on his face, you've won this fight. She made a curtsey to her king's back and storms from the hall, closing the doors as hard as she could.

Part III

Mary sat in the library going through the reports of the bandits attacking the borders. The scouts that Steven sent to the Fall Kingdom had returned two days ago, badly wounded but confirming the boy's news. The Fall Royal Family had falling, all believed dead killed by someone in the court. The kingdom was a mess and they couldn't find who had taking over ruling.

Frank was still saying that it was just the bandits but Mary wouldn't believe it. The fall family had two very good bodyguards, she had never heard of anyone getting past them. She noticed someone watching her, looking up she found Nathan standing in the doorway. "Your Highness, may I enter?"

"Of course you may and I've told you before to call Mary."

"That you did and I said I would when we was alone," he said grinning toward a small desk in the corner. Prince Billy was sitting there reading some reports Mary had giving him when he insisted on helping.

He must have notice them staring at him. "It's alright Nathan, I won't tell, beside I don't like being called prince all the time," he said.

"Thank you Billy. Mary I needed to talk to ya."

"About what Nathan?"

"About the Fall Kingdom, do ya think that the folks that went for them will go for the other kingdoms?"

"I wish I could say no but since I'm not sure what's going on, with the boy and then the news the scouts returned with. Steven have sent scouts to the other kingdoms, I'll let you know as soon as they return." She could see the disappointment in his eyes, Mary didn't know much about Nathan's past but she know that he had once lived in the Summer Kingdom and that he still had a good friend there. "If there's anything I can do for you Nathan…"

"Thank you but its fine," as he went for the door his path was blocked by the king rushing into the room.

"Steven, what's wrong?"

"The scouts I sent have just returned and not with good news. All three have fallen."

"What of the Royal Families?"

Steven just shook his head. "There is no word on the Summer's; Winter's king luckily had, against his wishes, left his kingdom before they were attacked."

"And Spring?"

"Spring's Queen is being held captured in her castle. I'm to head out and give aid where I can."

"You can't, what about your own kingdom?"

"Four Corners is the middle kingdom, if the others are lost for good then we're lost as well. I must help if I can," he took Mary into a hug. "I have faith that you will look after things here." Steven gave her a quick kiss and held her at arms length, "We leave at sun rise I just wanted to say farewell to you and Billy."

Mary couldn't speak, she was having trouble breathing. Holding back her tears, she watched her husband say good bye to their son, say something, she told herself but she knew that he wouldn't listen.

Steven was heading for the door when he stopped in front of Nathan and held out his hand, "Take care of them."

"I will," the healer said talking his king's hand.

"Thank you my friend," and with that Steven was gone just as fast as he had came in.

Nothing but silence in the room, Mary didn't know what to do. She had a very bad feeling about all of this but Steven would just wave it off. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't…

"Mom, it's just like my dream," she stared at her son. Mary had forgotten all about Billy's dream with everything going on but now it all came back to her. There were bigger things going on here then just a band of bandits playing a trick and she was going to need help to find out what.

"Nathan?" Mary hardly heard herself calling her friend's name.

"Yes madam."

"Would you please be so kind to send word to my father-in-law?"

Part IV

Orin Travis, honorable representative of the Season' Court, had just arrived at the castle of Four Corners and just by looking around he could tell that he was not going to like reason for this visited. He had received word from the Queen Mary that all was not well in their kingdom and when he was getting ready to leave his seniors told him to be on the lookout but they didn't say for what.

Now he was being escorted to the Great Hall to see the Queen but what got to him was that the guards had said nothing about the king.

Mary couldn't take it anymore, it's been five days since her husband had left for the Spring Kingdom and she hadn't heard anything from or about him. Now their son was coming to her in the middle of the night crying about another dream that he kept having, more like a nightmare.

She looked at the list that he had written out for her, it was a list of different items that he saw in his new dream. None of them made sense, none except for one, an image of his father being killed. She had to convince him that it was just a dream but now that she thought about it most of Billy's dream always had some kind of truth to them.

"Your Grace?" Mary looked to the guard standing by the door.

"Yes, what is it?"

"His Lordship Orin Travis have arrived."

"Very well, please show him in."

"Yes madam." The guard left, returning with Lord Travis close behind him. He gave a bow to Mary, then to Travis before closing the door to the hall as he left.

Wonder if he knows anything of what's been going on, she thought as she walked down the steps from the throne to him. "Welcome Lord Travis," she greeted him making a small curtsey.

"Mary please, you don't need to be so formal with me," he said pulling her into a hug, "now tell, what's been going on?"

"You mean you haven't heard about anything?"

"No, I haven't. Mary tell me what's wrong."

"EVERYTHING!!!" She yelled throwing her arms into the air. "The four kingdoms boarding Four Corners have been attacked. The Fall family been killed; Winter's is on the move, who know where to; there've been no word on Summer; and Steven left to rescue Spring's Queen from her own castle." She gave a sigh going back to her throne, "And now Billy keep waking me because of a dream he'd been having of random images. I don't know what to do."

She waited for an answer but did not like the one he gave her. "Now Mary, I'm sure Steven will be alright and he'll be back soon, then we'll take care of the other kingdoms."

"But what about Billy's dream?"

"It's nothing but a dream, he'll get over it."

Mary shook her head, holding out a piece of parchment. "I don't think he will."

"What's this?"

"Read it," she said sitting down and looking anywhere but at him.

Travis looked at the parchment she had handed him. Realizing that it was written in Billy's hand he could only guess that this was a list of things he had seen in his dream:

Burning castles

7shadows protecting me and mother

A black wolf with green eyes standing away from the pack

A lone rider on a hillside in front of a bright clean sky

A fairy chained to the ground with broken wings

A church and a bear

A sword in a rode bush

A child wearing armor that's too big

Red cat eyes

None of these items made any sense until he got to the last one:

Dad being killed and a pocket watch

He stared up at Mary, who had tears running down her face. He didn't know what to say and even if he did, he didn't think that he could have voiced it. The boy's dream have never been wrong, he thought, I prey that this time is the first.

"I didn't know…what to…do."

"There, there Mary, I'm sure that this time it really is just a dream, nothing no more then a dream."

Mary just gazed at him, how he be so calm? Here she was crying and going crazy with worry and he's telling her to calm down. "I just don't think that this…"

There came a knocking at the doors. "Come in," Mary yelled whapping the tears from her eyes. The right door opened slowly to admit Nathan. He walked into the Great Hall holding something behind his back. "Nathan, what can I do for you?" There was no answer, the healer just kept walking towards them, his eyes to the ground. He knows he doesn't have to be formal with father, she thought. There had to be something wrong. "Nathan?"

He finally looked up and she soon wished that he had kept looking at the floor, for she didn't like what she saw in his eyes. "Lord Frank has returned, Your Highness," he said.

The Queen had to lean forward to hear him, why is Frank back but not Steven? "Where is he Nathan?"

"He's resting now, he was in bad shape."

"But Nathan what about…" she didn't get to finish her question. Nathan pulled his hands from behind him and Mary had her answer. He held a sword in front that she knew all too well.

"I'm sorry Mary."

Part V

It had been about week since King Steven of Four Corners had been killed and Queen Mary was staring to lose control. Orin Travis stayed in the castle to help the best he could but he was also in constant contact with the Season' Court trying to find out anything that they might know.

"Have you found anything out yet?" Travis looked up from the list that he was once again staring at, he couldn't stop thinking of the items and just what did each one mean? Mary was standing in the doorway to his room, staring back at him with hope in her eyes. He wished that he could have told her yes but he just shook his head and went back to reading. "I can't believe that the court doesn't know about any of this."

"Oh I'm sure they know, they just won't tell us what to do. Who else would send Billy his dream?"

"I just wish they would send him some real dreams and no more of these nightmares," Mary sat down in a chair across from the Honorable Travis. "He still can't go to bed without seeing his father or those other images. Why can't they just tell us what they want from us?"

"They have their rules, as do we," he was sorry that the poor boy had to see the same dream over and over but there was nothing they could do for it. "Could you get anything from Lord Frank?"

"No, he's still in too bad a shape. The only thing we can understand is that they were ambushed before they even got to the Spring Kingdom and some how he was able to get away and get back here."

Orin just shook his head, "It's just irritating that I can't figure these items out."

He heard Mary shifting in her chair, he looked up when he noticed her leaning over trying to get to the list. "The burning castles are easy it's the four kingdoms and his father falling."

"So that's two out of ten," he said.

"Do you really think that these are all events that are going to happen?"

"It could be, yes."

"Nathan thinks that we should just go look for these shadows ourselves."

He looked from the list to Mary and back to the list, all he heard was Nathan and the shadows, maybe the healer have something there, he thought. Not counting the first and last items on the list he counted eight things, one of them being the shadows protecting Billy and his mother.

"Perhaps we should go looking for them."

"But we don't even know who we would be looking for."

"Yes, we do," he stated holding up the parchment. He could see the confused look in her eyes and could tell he was about to lose her. "Nathan's a fairy."

"Yes, but I don't…"

"Any ideas what happened to his wings?"

Mary shook her not knowing where get was going, "No, I never thought to ask, why?"

Travis stood from his chair taking the parchment with him as he took off out of the room in search of the healer. "Because I think he's one of the shadows."

AN: I hope you liked it. I wrote Steven as I pictured him from that little bit that we see of him in the show. Please review and let me what you thought.