Disclaimers:

Seven Samurai: The Seven Samurai was written, directed, and edited by Akira Kurasawa in 1954. It was produced and distributed by Toho Entertainment. It starred Toshiru Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuki Kato, and Yoshio Inaba. There have been several books, movies, and television shows which have been inspired by (some might even say "rip-offs of") The Seven Samurai, most notably The Magnificent Seven, The Mystery Men, Battle Beyond The Stars, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 2, Episode 17).

Conan The Barbarian & Conan The Destroyer: Conan The Barbarian was a 1982 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger based on the stories and characters created by Robert E Howard. The movie was written and directed by John Milius, produced by Dino DeLaurentis, and distributed by Universal Pictures. It also starred Gerry Lopez, Sandahl Bergman, Mako, and James Earl Jones. The 1984 sequel, Conan The Destroyer, was written by Stanley Mann and was directed by Richard Fleischer. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger it also featured performances by Olivia D'Abo, Wilt Chamberlan, Sarah Douglas, Grace Jones, and Tracey Walter.

The Beastmaster: The Beastmaster is a 1982 movie written and directed by Don Coscarelli and produced by Paul Pepperman. It was loosely based on a science fiction novel by the same name written by Andre Norton, and was distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer and United Artists. It starred Marc Singer in the title role.

Red Sonja: Red Sonja is a 1985 movie loosely based on the character of Red Sonja, based on the work of Marvel Comics writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Smith, who loosely based the character on characters and stories created by Robert E Howard. The movie was produced by Dino DeLaurentis, written by Clive Exton & George MacDonald Fraser, and directed by Richard Fleischer. The film starred Brigette Nielsen in the title role, and was distributed by MGM & United Artists.

Deathstalker: Deathstalker is a 1983 film directed by James Sbardellati (credited as John Watson), written by Howard R Cohen, and produced by Roger Corman. It starred Richard Hill in the title role, and was distributed by New World Pictures. The film was based on a painting by famed artist Frank Frazetta (who also painted several famous pictures of Conan The Barbarian) and spawned several sequels (all of which had little if any connection to the other films in the series and different actors starring in the title role each time, with the exception of Part 4 which also starred Richard Hill).

Willow: Willow is a 1988 film starring Warwick Davis and Val Kilmer. It was written and produced by George Lucas, and directed by Ron Howard. It was distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

With the exception of the original characters written specifically for this story, all characters in this story belong to the above mentioned copyright holders. I own nothing but the stories in my head. This story was written out of love for the above films and their characters, not for profit. No money has changed hands in the creation of this tale. As such no copyright laws have been violated, intentionally or otherwise. Please don't sue me, as I cannot afford to pay anyone any royalties.

Universal Pictures presents

In association with Metro Goldwyn Mayer

And United Artists

A Dino DeLaurentis Film

Directed by John Milius

The Seven Swords

Of

Conan The Barbarian

Starring:

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan

Marc Singer as Dar

Brigette Nielsen as Red Sonja

Dolph Lundgren as Deathstalker

Val Kilmer as Madmartigan

Al Leong as Subotai

Tracey Walter as Malak

George Peppard as Kaylar

Dean Cain as Shad

Nicole Eggart as Nanelia

The Juns:

Brian Thompson as Karak

Kevin Nash as Dako

Donald Gibb as Kalo

Vin Diesel as Tembo

Jesse Ventura as Braxus

"El Gigante" Jose Gonzalez as The Berserker

Sven-Ole Thorsen as Gar

Vernon Wells as Strobo

Peter Paul as Dak

David Paul as Brog

Bolo Yeung as Kassar

Kane Hodder as Janos

The Other Juns:

Ben Davidson; Clancy Brown; Randal "Tex" Cobb; Ralf Moeller; Lou Ferrigno; Eric Allen; Ken Kirzinger; Richard Brooker; Steve Dash; CJ Graham; Kevin Sorbo; Pat Roach; Ted White; Tom Morga; and Kevin Tod Smith.

Chapter One

A Village In Peril

Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryus, there was an age undreamed of. When shining kingdoms lay spread across the land. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, sword in hand, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth beneath his sandalled feet. Destined to become king by his own hand and wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his Chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of a tale of high adventure . . . .

Far to the north of the great city of Aruk, where the young King Tal rules with a firm yet just hand, at the very edge of His Majesty's realm, there lies a valley. The valley is fed by a clear and swift stream, causing the land to grow rich with life. Plants of many varieties grow here. Because of this many animals which depend on those plants for shelter and sustenance dwell here, as do the predators who prey upon those animals. And nestled within the heart of this valley is a tiny farming village. Most people in Aruk have likely never heard of it. It doesn't even appear on most maps of the area. The people who live there call the village Akir. And while the land is fertile, it is also not very flat, making farming difficult but not impossible. Between raising crops and livestock such as sheep, goats, swine, and chickens, one can scratch out a fairly comfortable life for themselves. One can even add fresh fish from the stream to his dinner table if he were so inclined.

It is a warm late spring day, and the Akira are hard at work doing their daily chores. They had just finished planting their fields the week before, and were now maintaining them so that the crops will grow strong and plentiful. Village elder, Kayman, looks on with pride as his son, Shad, and daughter, Nanelia, work side by side. Shad is a young man of twenty winters. He is tall and handsome, physically fit from a lifetime of hard work in the field and around the house. Shad is chopping firewood with an ax, preparing for the evening meal. Nanelia is younger than her brother, only fifteen winters old. A mere few months ago she was just a slip of a girl. She has filled out almost over night into a beautiful young woman, with an angelic face which would make the goddess Ishtar herself green with envy. The girl is stacking the wood after her brother splits it. She looks over at her father and smiles. The look brings equal parts joy and pain to Kaylar. He is amazed at how much Nanelia looks like her mother, now more than ever. But that only reminds Kaylar of what he has lost. Nanelia's birth was a difficult one, which her mother did not survive. As Nanelia took her first breath fifteen winters ago, her mother exhaled her last.

Kaylar smiled back, and then turned away to observe the rest of the village as well as to hide the pain in his eyes from his daughter. Unlike most of the Akira, Kaylar was not originally of the village. He was once a high ranking member of King Zed's Royal Guard, second in command behind the king's personal bodyguard Seth. Kaylar had been assigned to command a group of soldiers guarding a merchant caravan. The caravan was attacked by the Barbarian Juns. In those days the Juns were a menace, but not the threat that they would later become. During the fighting, a Jun warrior had struck down Kaylar's horse out from under him with a well placed spear in the beast's chest. Kaylar's foot got caught in the stirrup of his saddle and the horse came down on his leg, breaking his leg in three places as well as his hip. The Jun barbarian drew his sword and was about to slay the commander, when Kaylar brought his crossbow to bear and fired a crossbow bolt right through the eye slot of the Jun's helmet and into his brain. Encouraged by their commander's sure skill even under such extraordinary circumstances, Kaylar's troops rallied around him and successfully repelled the Jun raiders.

Kaylar's men carried him back to Aruk where he was hailed a hero. King Zed himself presented Kaylar with The Golden Phoenix, the highest honor available in the kingdom. Ironically, the shot that won him the medal was a complete fluke. Kaylar was completely blinded by the pain of his broken leg. He didn't even consciously aim the crossbow at his attacker. It was just pure luck (or perhaps divine intervention if the great god Bori was feeling generous with his favors that day) that allowed him to land such a perfect killing blow. In any event, the fall from his horse had given Kaylar a permanent limp, ending his military career. With his Golden Phoenix and a small sack of gold, Kaylar rode out to the village of Akir. He had traveled through the village a few times in the past while collecting taxes for King Zed, and found it quaint and peaceful. So he returned in order to set down roots. He bought some land. Built a house. Took a wife. And then built a family.

It was a few years later that King Zed had banished the mad priest Maax from the kingdom of Aruk. Maax then united the various Jun factions under his banner and used their combined might to conquer Aruk and imprison King Zed within his own dungeon. The Akira were blissfully unaware of any of this. Their valley was far enough out of the way to be of any consequence to Maax or the Juns, and their village was hardly wealthy enough to seek out. The return of Prince Tal and Seth, the murder of King Zed, the death of Maax, the final battle against the Juns, these things all came and went with the Akira being none the wiser. A heavy bell ringing breaks Kaylar out of his contemplations.

"Juns!" shouts Kaylar.

Immediately the Akira run for cover. Children run and hide in their homes. Kaylar turns to his daughter. "Nanelia!" he says, "Get in the house!"

"But I want to stay with you!" she protests.

"Do as I say child!"

"Go on," says her brother with a calmness he didn't truly feel, "We'll be all right."

Nanelia bites back another protest and does as she's asked. Kaylar limps to the head of the gathered farmers. The Akira were no longer ignorant of the events beyond their borders. They had learned that the Jun Horde was decimated by the defenders of Aruk (who had set fire to the moat of tar that surrounds their city) who were aided by a group of mysterious allies. Not all of the Juns had been slain in that defeat. Some of them had taken refuge in the mountains just north of the valley where the Akira live. Presumably they were joined later by the Jun women and the youths who were not yet of age to ride into battle. Their numbers have not reached the level they were at under the rule of Maax. And old rivalries between the various Jun factions may have resurfaced. But now, years later, this Jun faction has grown large enough to pose a serious threat. Not to a major city like Aruk perhaps. But a village like Akir? The villagers number just over one hundred, including women and children. Kaylar has estimated that the Juns have at least twice that many warriors ready for battle. The old soldier steels himself for what is to come.

For the past few years the Juns have been extorting the Akira of their crops and livestock. When the barbarians first came, some of the young men in the village had attempted to fight them off. The Juns butchered the Akira men who had tried to fight them and abducted their women, and then they took most of the crops and livestock anyway. Ever since then the Akira have been paying the Juns their tribute without argument. Always before the Juns had simply attacked their prey, killed everyone, and then help themselves to the spoils. This new Jun leader was more ambitious. A monster of a man named Karak, he was as cunning as he was cruel. Unlike his predecessors, Karak understands the long term benefits of subjugating a people like the Akira rather than slaughtering them wholesale. By extorting them for food the Juns are able to devote their energies towards other things, such as rebuilding their numbers.

The Juns ride into the village, Karak in the lead. He is difficult to miss. Aside from his size and powerful build, Karak's weapons and armor are very distinct. His bronze helmet has a set of ram horns set in its sides. The face guard of the helmet comes down to his upper lip, and is designed to look like a human skull. His chest is protected by a stiff leather piece with a bronze plate riveted over top as added protection. The bronze plate has the image of a pair of bones crossed over his chest engraved into it. It is held in place by a set of shoulder plates, made of bronze and designed to look like human skulls. His arms are bare except for his bronze plated bracers, which run from his wrists to nearly his elbows. He wears a leather loincloth underneath a bronze codpiece. His boots are made of heavy leather, and he wears bronze shin guards from his ankles to his knees. Karak's chest armor is designed to leave his belly exposed, showing off his chiseled abdominal muscles. Belted to Karak's hip is a frightening looking bastard sword, with a brass crossguard and a handle crafted out of an actual human femur. Even more frightening is the huge double bladed great-ax he wears strapped to his back. There are over a score of the barbarians accompanying the Jun leader. The Juns rein their mounts to a halt, and then Karak and about a dozen of his men dismount. He stands in front of Kaylar, towering over the smaller man.

"You're early," says Kaylar, hoping that he is successful in keeping the fear out of his voice, "We weren't expecting you until the Autumn Equinox."

"Kaylar," says the Jun leader in mock dismay, "I'm hurt. We haven't come for your tribute. This is a courtesy visit."

"Since when do Juns have any courtesy?" blurts out Shad. Kaylar quickly holds up a hand to silence him.

"Your boy has a sharp tongue, Kaylar," says Karak, "He'd best be careful lest it get him in trouble."

"The boy is young," says Kaylar, "He speaks from the heart rather than the head. But he is not wrong. Since our . . . .arrangement . . . .began, you have never once set foot in our village out of courtesy. So that begs the question, why are you here?"

"The Spring Equinox has come and gone," replies Karak, "The Summer Solstice quickly approaches. And yet my scouts tell me that you have barely begun your planting."

"You should tell your scouts to pay closer attention, and to more than just the goings on in our village," Kaylar tells him, "The winter was unusually harsh this year. The snowfall was higher than I have ever seen it, and the winds felt much colder. The spring melt came late, and when it did come the rains were exceptionally heavy. It is only recently that the weather has eased up enough to allow for planting the fields. And had your scouts truly been paying attention, they would have told you that we just finished planting our fields a few days ago. All that's left is maintenance."

"Good to know," says Karak, "But the question remains, will you be able to pay me my tribute on time?"

"It might take us a few weeks longer to harvest because of the delay," says Kaylar, "but you will have your tribute."

Just then a flash of movement catches Karak's eye. He glances over to Kaylar's house and spots Nanelia peaking out through the animal hide curtain hanging in the doorway. When she realizes that he had seen her, Nanelia ducks out of sight. But she was too late. Karak heaves an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

"Kaylar," he says as he shakes his head, "That is not our arrangement. You are supposed to hand over your tribute within the first week of autumn. Three extra weeks brings us dangerously close to the beginning of winter. It gets mighty cold in the mountains then."

"I understand that," says Kaylar, "but my people cannot control the weather."

"Of course," replies Karak, "And my people don't expect you to. But the delay is going to cost you."

"Cost us?" he asks, "Cost us what? You've already taken most of everything we have. We're on the edge of starvation. What else can you possibly take?"

"Oh," says Karak, "I'm sure you have something that we can use."

With that, Karak signals for one of his men to go into Kaylar's home. The old soldier suddenly has a panicked expression, as he begins to understand just what the cost of the delay might be. There's the sound of clay dishes smashing on the dirt floor, and then Nanelia screaming. The Jun barbarian exits the house with the girl slung over his shoulder, kicking and screaming. Karak grabs Kaylar by the shoulder in a parody of a friendly gesture.

"Kaylar," he says in an aproximation of kindness, "You've been holding out on me."

"Please," says Kaylar quietly, "Please don't. She is just a child."

"Not for much longer."

The leader of the Juns begins walking towards his warrior and the struggling girl. "Take off her clothes!" he shouts. The Jun warrior obediently throws the girl to the ground and begins tearing her dress from her body.

"NO!" screams Shad and he runs to try and protect his sister. One of the Juns, armed with a heavy wooden club, drives his weapon into the boy's belly, doubling him over and forcing the air from his lungs. The Jun warrior then raises the club up over his head and brings it down onto Shad's back. There's an audible crunch as the club breaks the boy's ribs. The Jun barbarian raises his club to finish Shad off.

"STOP!" shouts Karak, and the Jun holds his hand in check, "Let the boy live! But make him watch!"

A cruel grin spreads across the face of the Jun warrior. He tosses his club aside and kneels down on Shad's back, placing the point of his knee right on top of the boy's injured ribs. The Jun grabs Shad's left arm and twists it behind his back, pulling until he hears the bone snap. Shad screams in pain. The barbarian then grabs a handful of the boy's hair and pulls his head back, keeping his face looking at his sister.

Karak strolls casually over to his warrior and Nanelia. The girl is now naked and being held down, lying prone on her back with her wrists being held up over her head. She kicks and screams and tries to twist away, but to no avail. Karak stands over her, savoring her distress. Then he removes his codpiece and tosses it aside. He kneels down, grabs Nanelia by the legs, and forces her thighs apart. He pulls down his loincloth and then forces himself inside of her. The girl cries out in pain, humiliation and terror as the leader of the Juns violates her body. Karak begins a rhythmic pelvic thrust, slowly at first, but gradually building up speed and intensity. Nanelia cries with every thrust, begging him to stop. Kaylar and the rest of the village watch in stunned silence as the daughter of the village leader is brutally raped. Finally, in what seems like forever, but in truth was probably only a few minutes, Karak gives a satisfied moan as he climaxes inside of her.

"That was pretty good," he tells her. Then he turns to the barbarian who is holding her down. "Put her on my horse."

Karak gets to his feet and pulls up his loincloth. He then putls his codpiece back on as he walks over to Kaylar. Tears stream down the old man's face as he watches his beloved daughter, naked and violated, be hoisted up into the saddle of Karak's horse. "Why so sad?" asks the Jun leader with a laugh, "Your son will live, and your daughter just bought you a whole extra month to harvest your crops and pay me my tribute. Today is a good day!"

With that he walks away laughing. Karak climbs up into the saddle of his horse behind Nanelia, holding her close and then spurring his mount to gallop away. The Juns obediently follow their leader into the mountains, and the Akira to their misery.

Author's Note:

Some of you might have noticed that I had borrowed a lot of elements from Battle Beyond The Stars in my story (naming the village Akir, the names of some of the main characters, etc). This is mostly because as a kid, my first introduction to Kurasawa's masterpiece was Roger Corman's sci-fi version. And despite being incredibly cheap, cheesy, and a shameless attempt to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars, it has long been a favorite film of mine. So I wanted to pay tribute to it in my story. Which is also why I cast one of the films stars (George Peppard) as the leader of the Akira people.

Also, I sometimes have difficulty creating new names for original characters and places in my stories. Especially in high fantasy/sci-fi settings. Using previously made up names is just easier. So it's one part tribute, one part cop-out (lol).

You may also have noticed that I have recast some of the main characters. Most notably, Gerry Lopez has been replaced by Al Leong in the role of Subotai, and Richard Hill has been replaced by Dolph Lundgren in the role of Deathstalker. While I have no problem with Gerry's performance in Conan, I have always thought that the role should have gone to someone of Asian descent. I also think that Al Leong has been sorely misused in film and television, often getting few to no lines and usually playing a disposable (though fairly tough) villain. As for Dolph Lundgren as Deathstalker, there are two reasons. First, as I had mentioned in the disclaimer above, in the movies Roger Corman would cast a different actor in the title role in each movie. So I figured it would keep with the established pattern if I were to recast the character once again. Also, had this story actually been made as a movie with these characters, it would have had to come out in 1989 or later, as Willow came out in 1988. And in the late '80s/early '90s Hollywood was trying to push Dolph Lundgren as the next big action star (The Punisher, Red Scorpion, Masters Of The Universe, I Come In Peace, Showdown In Little Tokyo, etc). So I figure if Roger Corman was going to make a Deathstalker movie at that time, he might very well have cast Dolph in the title role.