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

The Sage of Hearts

Being the bodyguard of a princess wasn't a bad gig – you were basically at the beck and call of your charge and her parents but not many other people could really tell you to do stuff. Naruto was assigned his job when he was seven – now at the age of thirteen, he was finally allowed to train with the castle guards to be able to actually fight for Snow White (granted he could basically trounce anyone with his raw strength but the king insisted on some sword training at the very least). His formative years in the castle (basically the six years he spent goofing off with the princess) were fun as he learned two things about the royal family. The first was that Snow White was an absolute joy to be around – she could light up a room with her cute and delicate demeanour but never really took advantage of her sway over people (Naruto was glad that was the case – he had charisma in spades but even he was taken aback by her effortless moe factor). The second was that while the king appointed him as his daughter's bodyguard, he rarely got to see the man especially as he seemed to waste away with every year. Instead he spent most of his time with Queen Grimhilde, who insisted on 'tutoring' him with the excuse of 'edifying his simple and brutish' mind to better suit a person of his standing in life (apparently being a meat shield and playmate for royalty qualified as a better standing …meh…).

Naruto would freely admit that she was a weird lady, what with her strict tutoring sessions where she would drag her fingers across his face, shoulders and chest while teaching him stuff like history, math and English. He certainly could see why he had to learn the stuff even if it made his head hurt but he always left those sessions feeling oddly drained – he had boundless energy but he could feel the slight dip in his reserves, noticeable but generally insignificant. He also learned that the Queen was also a *bit* in love with herself – seriously, who needed a huge mirror that they always kept in their room? It wasn't like she had only one…she just seemed to be extra protective of that particular reflective surface for some reason (Naruto couldn't see why – the endless depths of that mirror just gave him the creeps).

In any case, our story begins in the early hours of a spring morning in the castle barracks where Naruto was busy torturing *ahem* "training" with his teacher (none other than Humbert – the queen's personal aide and huntsman). The two of them were going through their sword fighting forms, with Naruto swinging his wooden sword with energetic flourishes while Humbert was busy defending and occasionally riposting Naruto's advances.

"Give it up old man! I got you on the ropes already and I haven't even started sweating yet!" Naruto said as he darted around poor old Humbert, who was helplessly watching as this teenager was flitting around him like a damn hummingbird while wearing full plate armor (he might as well have being in his underclothes with how much the armor 'weighed' him down). Nevertheless, he kept calm and waited for an opening – Naruto was fast and strong but he also had the attention span of a goldfish. He would eventually grow bored of harassing him and slip up and that would be when he would strike.

"Ah…Naruto, why do you insist on calling me old? I am merely in my early thirties, arguably still in my prime – besides, the art of battle is not always decided through overwhelming power and skill. Sometimes, all it takes is a little…" Humbert paused as he saw an opening and struck with a quick riposte that had Naruto's eyes wide in surprise.

"…sleight of hand."

Humbert made to disarm Naruto but as he approached the young lad, he saw his surprised demeanor suddenly shift into an impish expression.

"Sorry Humpy old chap, I can't lose this spar – my lady charge is watching us after all~" Naruto said in a singsong voice as he looked up to the princess' chambers, where his acute vision caught Snow White (now a budding beauty at ten years old) excitedly spectating the match, even pumping her dainty fists in excitement. He grinned at the sight before turning to Humbert and quickly responding to his riposte by momentarily dropping his practice sword, quickly grabbing Humbert's sword arm, flipping him on his back while simultaneously disarming him while grabbing his practice sword before it even hit the ground.

Everyone watching was floored with the boy's speed – it was like he vanished right before their eyes as they couldn't follow his actions.

"W-what was that?! You never moved that fast before in our spars…" Humbert said as he shakily rose to his feet, his teeth chattering in his skull (being flipped in a panoply of armor would do that to you).

"Oh that? That was nothing – I just had someone I had to impress is all…hehe." Naruto said as he bashfully grinned and looked up towards Snow White, who smiled brightly at him with a mild flush crawling over her cheeks.

Two hours later: Early morning, after the castle breakfast

Now in the princess's room, Naruto was having the time of his life talking with his little charge as she twirled and danced around the room happily.

"So did you see what I did to Old Humbert there Snow? I know you were watching us practice this morning~ Does my lady wish to try her hand with the sword?" Naruto teased as Snow White gasped in surprise and blushed in embarrassment at being caught spying on her protector (while Naruto certainly didn't pick up on it – girls are always precocious creatures and Snow had already begun forming the basics of a crush on her dashing 'knight').

"O-oh…you actually saw me through my window? I wasn't spying on your training, honest! I just thought it looked interesting is all…you could do with a little clemency with Humbert though – I don't think tossing the poor man like that is good for him…" Snow said as Naruto huffed playfully and gently ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry your pretty head about all of that tripe Snow – he's a big boy so he can handle himself. Besides all us men do is tumble in the dirt when we tussle so it's no big deal." He said as he puffed up his chest as Snow giggled at his goofy "serious" expression.

"Ah~ I had no idea that my stalwart guard was a man at the tender age of thirteen! Pray tell good ser, why do you look like a beardless youth and are shorter than any man I've ever seen before?" Snow teased as Naruto turned red in the face as he saw the twinkle in her bright blue eyes.

 "W-well…I am not a man per se…but I can compete with the best of them! Yeah, it's the thought that counts right? Queen Grimhilde told me that a man is measured by how he carries himself – that probably means age is not a factor in my awesomeness!" Naruto said as Snow pouted at the mention of her stepmother (no she wasn't jealous that her friend had to spend time with her prickly step mother…she wasn't!).

"You mentioned my step-mother again…why is she the one that has to give you your classes? I can always ask Papa to let you join me for my classes instead?" She said as Naruto shrugged, oblivious to Snow wanting to monopolize his time.

"Well…your mom seems to be the one calling most of the shots here so maybe she taught I could get special mental and physical training with her and her minion so I could serve you better!" Naruto said as Snow 'hmmed' at him doubtfully (her step-mother wasn't the warmest individual- she barely talked to her but seemed to always have time for Naruto…strange. She also hadn't seen her father since he got sick a few months back).

"I am not sure about that but I guess it's no use complaining – in the end, you're my friend not hers!" She said as she beamed at the poor boy (he still wasn't used to how she could look incredibly cute on demand).

*Gasp**Wheeze*"Cripes, take it down a notch – I can only take so much 'cute' before I pass out." Naruto said as he wiped some sweat off his brow as Snow grinned at her friend's flustered face (boys were so funny sometimes).

"Well I had to get my licks in – you can't be the only one who teases me after all~ Besides, you have a tutoring session with the Queen in a few minutes so I probably won't be seeing you for a few hours." She said as Naruto yelped in shock and ran out the door after giving her a quick hug.

"Hehe…what a silly boy. I wonder if he knows that he's my best friend and that he doesn't need to worry so much about his job?

Queen Grimhilde's Laboratory

Just as the clock struck noon, Naruto ran into the queen's room for his daily studies. The queen didn't abide tardiness (she actually spanked him for that when he was younger – it didn't hurt but she really looked like she enjoyed it a little too much. A real sadist that one…). As he entered the room, the queen looked up from her experiments as she made her way to the boy after stealing a quick glance at herself in the mirror behind her.

"Ah, Naruto. It appears as though you've finally decided to grace me with your presence…a minute longer and you would have been late. I wonder – why do you test me so? I teach you out of the goodness of my heart so the least you could do is come to my room without delay…" She said as she stood in front of the boy, running her smooth long fingers over his chest and slowly going behind him to stroke his hair and face as she spoke, her bewitching and dulcet tones going right over Naruto's head (charm and beauty is one thing but Naruto was as dense as they got – to him the queen was just being a weird old lady as usual).

"Sorry for that! I was just talking with Snow and time just got away from me. I know you care about how I behave with the princess but don't worry! I'll be the best friend and protector she has in the kingdom!" He said with a cheesy grin and thumbs up as the queen hummed in quiet amusement, a sly smile on her face as she teased some chakra out of his body and absorbed it into her body(while she didn't know what the energy was, it certainly did wonders for her youth, beauty and vitality – the king couldn't keep his eyes off of her, even in his dire state).

"As you say, my dear child. Now, we shall begin with an examination of your calligraphy and history…"

Four hours later, Queen Grimhilde's Laboratory

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" The queen said as her mirror manifested a magical face.

"You my queen- you're the fairest in all of the land. Might I say, the new type of magic you have is doing wonders for you – perchance, do you know what it is?" The mirror said in a man's voice as the face turned greedy for a split second before looking placid as usual.

"You know a lady never spills her secrets~ However, the magic I got doesn't seem to be tied to any spirits I know of, good or bad. How goes the investigation into the origins of my student?" Grimhilde asked as she smirked at her gorgeous reflection.

"I'm afraid that is a dead end Mistress. I am no closer to the answer than when you first asked me about it. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, perhaps you should keep the boy close to you until you get the information you want." The mirror said as Grimhilde put a slender finger on her ruby lips as she tittered at the mirror's behavior.

"Oh, don't you worry. I have big plans for that boy – my useless husband will die any day now and leave me the sole monarch of the kingdom. Once I rule supreme, the boy will become my aide, replacing Humbert – I will probably have to marry off the princess to some prince but I will keep the throne all for myself. It just peeves me how Naruto can shake off my charms but blush like a child when around that little brat." Grimhilde huffed as she left her laboratory and went to her shared bedroom with the king, many a devious plot simmering in her mind.

And that wraps up chapter 3 of the Sage of Hearts! Having set the stage for when the Snow White plot actually starts (pre-king death), we catch a glimpse into how castle life is treating Naruto and how he interacts with the royals (basically Grimhilde and Snow). Thanks for all the follows and reviews, it really means a lot. A bit of a late upload today since my city's Internet connection went down since early Sunday morning(I can't afford an independent connection and have to rely on the city's government grid).

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!