Sage of Hearts

Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affliated properties. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?

"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)

'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought

Montague chateau, two years later…

Naruto and his group had integrated quite seamlessly with the Montague household and the local peasantry over the two years they spent working as the 'vassals' of Lord Francis. Naruto quickly made a name for himself as the dashing coachman who could stealthily track down a doe just as easily as he could bring down a bear bare handed while Snow was immediately the subject of many a crush by the local men and boys. Given that she also made some surprise performances at the local taverns and inns, she also became well known for her singing ability, her dulcet tones bewitching many a traveler and bar crawler. Grimhilde had a different set of circumstances – as imperious as she was beautiful, many people found themselves slightly intimidated by her cool demeanour but simultaneously drawn in by her effortless charm (she was the bane of many married women as their husbands would often feign sickness or some other excuse to visit the femme fatale that was the town potioneer). Francis was no exception – his wife died in the first year of his induction of his new vassals and he made some attempts to court the mysterious lady, only to be turned down gently…

Lord Francis' chambers, one year ago on a warm summer day…

"Papa? Why are you dressed in your finest garb? I do not recall that you had any meetings or appointments with the king or the other nobles…" Ella said as she watched her father wear a deep purple petticoat over a fine silk shirt and his fanciest pantaloons. She then watched him pose in front of the mirror, fixing his hair and cummerbund while trying to put on certain airs of 'refinement'.

Now Ella was a classic daddy's girl but even she had to admit that her father, while well meaning, had times when his antics really made her question his sanity as he would act like a complete simpleton or goofball around certain people or in certain situations.

"Ah, Ella my dearest daughter, I am in love once again! Ever since your dear Mother, my beloved Josephine passed away, I found myself bereft of a lover and you of a supportive mother figure. However, as time went by, I found myself falling for our resident potion maker and herbalist – I want to bare my heart out to her, she has stolen my heart with my knowledge so I now must claim hers in turn. Hopefully she will be receptive to my courtship…" Francis said as Ella gasped in surprise, her eyes looking away for a moment before returning to her father (who was now fixing a rose to his lapel) with a sad gaze, almost as if she knew something he didn't. 

You see, in the time Ella got to know Grimhilde, Naruto and Snow, she began to pick up on the subtle nuances of a deeply interwoven love shared by the two women for their man and vice versa. While not explicitly stated by Grimhilde (unlike Snow's bold faced confession when they first met), Ella could clearly see that the frosty woman's mien would 'warm up' significantly when around the younger man, with her deep green eyes lingering on his form and her hands finding any excuse to hold him close. The general understanding of everyone else regarding the new arrivals to the estate was that Naruto was simply the protector and guard for the two women, who were thought to be some form of traveling nobles of some kind. They never made their relationship public, so many people were left guessing (so as one might expect, gossip and speculation led to different headcanons about their group).

Ella however, was different. She picked up on some hints of their relationship and spent most of her time contemplating her own mercurial feelings regarding the blonde heartthrob (she had an on-off crush on him as well but was making an effort to stifle it as she didn't want to hurt Snow, her closest friend and confidant…other than the man of the hour of course…). So when she saw her father attempting to 'court' Grimhilde, she was torn on whether to simply break the news to him or just let him find out for himself. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she resigned herself to letting her sire 'shoot his shot' so to speak – he was still a desirable man and even if he was rejected by Grimhilde, she was sure he would find another love (he was of French descent and ergo was a passionate person – women typically like that).

"Alright Papa…I wish you the best of luck! Remember to keep calm and be honest – Miss Grimhilde has been living with us for a year so she knows us all personally." Ella said as Francis looked towards her and nodded, wiping some sweat off his brow.

"Ah, right, you're right. Women know of such matters after all…alright! I'm leaving now-wish me luck!" Francis said as he left the room.

"Ah, Father…love has made us both into fools. We yearn for the hearts of those who have already entrusted them to others – at the very least, you have the courage to pursue yours, I am still indecisive. *Sigh*"

Montague chateau, apothecary wing

In front of the imposing oak door of the apothecary wing, Francis was hyping himself up for the last time.

"Alright. This is it Francis – you're about to confess to the most bewitching woman you have ever beheld in your life – forgive me Josephine, for my will is frail. I will always remember you fondly as my first love." 

He then knocked the door and upon hearing the word enter, made his way into the room. Grimhilde looked to be in the middle of an experiment – she was busy dousing a frog in a myriad of potions as the poor amphibian was then obscured in a plume of colored smoke, the frog itself turning into different colors and forms.

"Oh dear – these potions seem to be conferring entirely new properties to the subject instead of cleansing it…perhaps I need to consult with my protégé once he returns from his gamekeeping duties~." Grimhilde said, humming a mysterious tune as she picked the frog up and placed it back in its terrarium, her svelte body sinuously moving in her purple dress.

*Gulp* 'What a body – truly sinful proportions this woman possesses. I should be commended for resisting this succubus for so long!' Francis thought, his eyes glued to her delectable hindquarters and wide hips (the lowborn husbands would rave about her fantastic ass and rocking hips but he was a noble – indubitably, he was *ahem* above such coarse language…). Clearing his throat, he then caught the attention of the lady as she turned to face him, a sly smirk crossing her lips as she noticed his finery and the rose on his petticoat.

'Ah. So the poor man finally succumbed to my charms has he? Truly unfortunate that I no longer need men or nobles as stepping stones for power or influence anymore – I could have rocked his world, if only for a moment. Alas, I am a reformed woman and my heart, body and soul belong to a marvel of a man, one who was breathed new life into me.' Grimhilde thought as she prepared to let the besotted man down gently.

"Lady Grimhilde. I have come before you today as a hopeful man, hopeful that you would see fit to let this man have a chance to steal your heart, as you have stolen his. Your beauty and mind know no equal and your wiles could stop wars – I am no equal to your greatness but I am willing to offer you all that I am to become your beloved and you mine. So will you do me the honor of being my lawfully wedded wife as the new Lady Montague? Of course, after a suitably long period of courting – we don't have to marry straight away…" Francis said on bended knee, his voice dying out into a faint whisper near the end of his speech.

Having heard all his sweet flattery, Grimhilde sighed a little before gracefully walking over to him (almost gliding really) and placing a hand on his head, slowly rubbing his thinning locks of hair.

"While your words are sweet and your heart true, I cannot bear my heart out to you; for while your proposal and confession are heartfelt, you are not the first to make mine melt." She said as Francis choked out a small sob as a single tear dropped down his face before he got to his feet and looked at Grimhilde, who had an apologetic smile on her face as she stroked his aged face with her long, manicured fingers, each digit leaving a cool trail on his flushed face.

"But why madame? If your heart belongs to another, why do you live alone with your friends and not with him? Why do you persist in remaining a simple vassal when you could rise above that?"

"In my long life, I have come to realize that the best thing one can have is the indefatigable support of your friends and family. I have fostered strong bonds with some extraordinary people and they in turn, have taken me to heights I have never seen – of course, my beloved is the primary reason for that. He is always close – in fact, no one realizes just how close~."

Having said that, Grimhilde then allowed her hand to glow a faint green before Francis' eyes suddenly grew unfocused, his apparent rejection branded into his mind but that it was on good terms, with his heart still ready to love another, his capacity to love or lust after Grimhilde summarily extinguished, like a candle in a storm or salt crystals in the ocean.

One year later…

Now that Francis no longer carried a torch for Grimhilde, he then began a courtship with a lesser noble – a dowager named Lady Tremaine. She was the widow of a former noble and had two daughters, Anastasia and Drizella from said union. A harsh and unfeeling woman, she quickly lost a lot of her wealth pampering herself and her daughters (both of whom were simple girls, easily influenced into a gross sense of self-entitlement despite their 'unflattering' appearances shall we say…). Despite this, she was an expert maneater – she quickly ensnared Francis with her feminine wiles and soon Naruto was occupied with bringing Lady Tremaine and her daughters over to the Montague chateau nearly every day (this really cut into the time he'd be able to sneak off and have some 'romantic encounters' with his lady loves, a fact that Snow really complained about, saying that it was unfair that stuff like this always seemed to happen, even when they were all at peace. Grimhilde was suspiciously silent, whistling innocently while looking away from Snow's and Naruto's knowing gazes…).

The first meeting of Naruto and the Tremaine family was a strange one – while Naruto was no noble, he had the charisma of a king and the body of a god made mortal, a fact that seemed to bother Lady Tremaine, who simply couldn't ignore the temptation laid out before her despite her best efforts. Her daughters were instantly took a shine to Naruto, constantly giggling and batting their lashes at him in an effort to charm him, to no effect. This bothered them a little but their mother strictly reminded them that they were meant for greater things and their charms were better used trying to ensnare men of a higher social status, like Prince Charming for instance.

Of course, she was a hypocrite because in the end, all three women ended up nursing a taboo lust for the handsome coachman who took them to meet their new step-father or new husband. Ella and Snow didn't like Anastasia and Drizella and took extra pains to avoid them – this typically meant they'd leave the house and do some 'chores' with Naruto. This basically boiled down to the two girls chatting and bantering with Naruto as he performed his duties. Grimhilde was unfazed by the behavior of Lady Tremaine and her daughters as she found their simple minds a dull affair and simply ignored them, preferring to work in her apothecary and occasionally have a spot of tea with her protégé and the two girls who wormed their way into her heart as pseudo-daughters. Lady Tremaine on the other hand, found Grimhilde to be a great threat to her hold over Francis, believing that such a beautiful woman could easily steal her future meal ticket from her and so she did her best to belittle or otherwise annoy the woman to no avail. Seeing as Francis didn't seem to show any interest in Grimhilde, she then resigned herself to accepting Grimhilde's presence as she ensnared the poor man. She disliked Snow and Ella for outshining her frumpy daughters but quickly realized mistreating them was to invite the ire of Naruto, whom she didn't want to irk for *some* reason.

The courtship then went on for four months before Lady Tremaine married into the family and became Lady Montague. The marriage was a dull one, with the new Lady Montague relatively uninterested in her new husband and instead focused on diverting his wealth for her own purposes. Francis then passed away one winter on Ella's seventeenth birthday, leaving her fatherless and his wife a two time dowager and the newly reinstated Lady Tremaine. This marked the true beginning of Ella's story as she would have to make choices that would shape the fates of a kingdom and the plotline of the divine fairytale that was their universe. 

That was chapter 11 done! This is the final plot set up for the Cinderella arc – her father is dead, her step family has been introduced and the story will pick up soon. Lady Tremaine has been voted in the harem by my supporters (3 and counting!). Based on reviews, I'll introduce omake sections for all your wacky requests(looking at you mini Naruto fighting Lucifer guest reviewer!). If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link: p#at#re#on.#com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hash tags). Reviews and comments are always welcome!