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

True to Queen Grimhilde's prediction, the king passed away in his sleep two years later on one night in the winter leaving his daughter at the tender age of twelve. The funeral was a dull affair, with not many people attending as the bitter cold served as a deterrent to any would be funeral goers. Snow White was distraught and would have been even more heart broken had Naruto not consoled her as she wept for a whole night and didn't eat well for a fortnight after. The queen remained unfazed, nonchalant even as she delivered her eulogy and the expected funeral rites as her 'husband' was interred in the royal family crypts – Naruto often wondered just how she could maintain her stoic, uncaring mien even when her own lover(oh, how little he knew…) died. He was sad as well, the king didn't really see much of Naruto before he got his mysterious sickness but he always made sure to take the best care of him and his daughter, behaving like a foster father would. As the period of mourning began in the kingdom (for royalty, the minimum was about a month or so), Naruto reaffirmed his loyalties to Snow White and by extension, her kingdom as he vowed to never let her cry like that again.

A week had passed since the king had died and Naruto found himself carrying Snow's breakfast to her chambers (venison stew, piping hot straight from the castle kitchens with a loaf of bread and a pitcher of milk for those curious…) despite the protests of the staff. He knew she was in her despondent phase right now, her tears all but exhausted as she had finished sobbing her heart out a while ago. Now she had to learn to live and accept that her father was gone – Naruto's job was to remind her that she still had people she could turn to (the queen didn't seem too interested in her step daughter – she was too 'busy' with her regency it seemed…Naruto would have to talk to her about that soon…). However, all that would have to wait as Naruto had just reached Snow's room, its huge oaken doors barred shut.

*Knock**Knock*

"Snow, it's me Naruto. I've come bearing an offering to break your fast." Naruto said he could hear blankets being shuffled about before the princess' subdued voice could be heard.

"N-naruto? That's alright, do come in…" Snow said as she sat on top of her duvet as Naruto nudged the door open with his foot as he carefully placed the platter of food on a table and looked at her expectantly.

"Are you doing better Snow? I know things seem bad right now but I am sure your father wouldn't want you to wither away in your room like this." Naruto said as he looked her over with a critical eye (he said she was withering away but she still looked radiant – her beauty just had a bittersweet tone to it now as it spoke of resigned acceptance to loss).

"It's alright dear Naruto, I have come to terms with Papa's death – I just can't bring myself to smile just yet. You have my thanks for bringing me my food – I know this isn't part of your duties…" Snow said as Naruto shook his head and interrupted her as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Never you mind about 'duties', I just wanted to make you happy again! Everyone in this castle has become so stone faced and you'd think that they would at least try to make the place less depressing - YOU should be their main concern now and that means you should pick up the pieces of your heart and put them together to make it stronger! I mean…you still have people that care about you ya know…it also hurts them when they see you so sad…" Naruto said as he noticed his hand on Snow's shoulder and her surprised expression as he pulled away and spoke with an embarrassed flush crawling up his neck and cheeks (he got a little carried away there - bodyguard or not, the queen made it crystal clear to him that royals weren't to be manhandled, especially after the last time she caught him hugging Snow after playing together in the courtyard when he was nine years old). 

Snow was surprised to see Naruto act so bashful – normally her boisterous friend would never shy away from speaking about what was on his mind but ever since his fourteenth birthday he had been acting a little weird around her (he told her that her step mother told him that he was no longer at the age where he could casually touch a maiden and that things were different now…humph…of course that didn't apply to a 'mature' lady like the Queen as she tried to monopolize even more of his time). She also noticed that he brought her venison, as if to remind her that it was this particular animal that brought them together and that this situation was a reaffirmation of his oath of loyalty to her.

Surprising even herself, a small but beautiful smile made itself known on her face as she stood up and made her way to Naruto, standing on the tips of her toes to give him a fleeting kiss on his cheek.

"Hihi…Naruto, you silly boy…I know you care for my well-being, you don't have to speak in such a manner to your best friend you know? I must have really worried you so I apologize for the bother – I should have known that you would always be at my side, protecting me, even from my own heartbreak." Snow said as she pulled away to see Naruto blushing brightly at her, even if he couldn't look her straight in the eye for a few seconds.

"Well…when you put it like that, I guess we were both being a little foolish there weren't we? At least my tomfoolery put a smile on your face!" Naruto guffawed as he scratched the back of his head with a closed-eye grin.

"Yes, yes my gallant knight. Now, will you partake in this glorious feast with your princess? I suddenly find myself with quite the appetite but I'm afraid I can't consume it all~" Snow said as she looked at him shyly behind her half lidded gaze as Naruto nodded and made to sit next to her at her bedroom table.

"Sure! I'm a little famished myself actually!"

"…and don't think I didn't notice your little gesture with the venison you sly boy…hihi!"

"Hehe… you caught that huh?"

Scene break

Queen Grimhilde's quarters 

It is said that behind closed doors, people show their true faces and Grimhilde was no exception – her plan was a success. As a practitioner of dark magic, she had many an evil spirit to appease and to enjoy the luxuries that her magic power could provide, sacrifices had to be made.

"At last, that old fool is dead! Years of seduction barely contained my poorly veiled disdain for that impotent man! Now his kingdom is mine and my power is uncontested!" Grimhilde cackled in delight as her Magic Mirror manifested a face.

"Yes, your offering to the demons has been accepted and now you may farm the souls of your subjects to curry even more favor with us…" The mirror said with a sibilant hiss.

"Indeed. Now I must make sure that the princess does not get any bright ideas of being the royal heir – she will stay beneath me as it is her place!" She said as she rang a bell to call for Humbert.

"Speaking of royal heirs, will my Lady take a consort to consolidate her rule?" The mirror said as the queen scoffed at it and looked away with a faint flush on her marble complexion.

"Bah! As if there was a man worthy of a woman such as I – none are as fair or powerful as I would like!"

She might have been dismissive of the notion but deep down, she knew that she had already begun coveting Naruto – what had started out as a petty notion to rob Snow of all that she loved became an insidious and treacherous train of thought that made her notice all the little things about the boy. He was still too young for her tastes but the idea of grooming her own personal mate appealed to her greatly (he was a handsome lad and his power was just a cherry on top). While she was a married woman, she had to disguise her wily seduction tactics as tutelage for the boy to make him a better aide to the princess but now, she could step up her plans, plans that she would implement immediately seeing as Humbert was getting up there in age…

"You called for me your Majesty?" Humbert said as he bowed before the Queen as she appeared to be deep in thought, barely even noticing his presence. As she shook herself out of her cogitation, she then turned to him with a dismissive and imperious gaze.

"Ah, Humbert. I have need of your assistance – please summon Naruto to my quarters. He will be sharing tasks with you as my personal aide and I must inform him of his incumbent duties."

"Yes, your Majesty. I shall bring him to you at once." Humbert said, his bowed head hiding his resigned face as he pitied Naruto for catching the queen's eye.

'That poor boy…the Queen looks ready to take him as her own – a vile maneater like her would chew him up and spit him out a shadow of his former self!' Humbert mused as he made his way to Snow's bedroom, where he found Naruto playing cards with the princess (she was losing, if her pout meant anything while Naruto was busy trying not to look at her – it wasn't his fault that he had the Devil's luck…). Upon his arrival though, Snow schooled her expression and Naruto turned to him curiously.

"Hey there Humbert! What brings you here?" Naruto said as Humbert approached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Apologies princess, the Queen has summoned your aide to her quarters. We won't be long." Humbert said as he pulled Naruto to his feet and nudged him out of the room, the boy waving back to the girl.

The walk to the queen's quarters was a quiet one, with Naruto's one sided conversations failing to bait the older man into replying. When they arrived, Humbert opened the door for Naruto and left, leaving Naruto alone with the Queen (who was sitting at her study table with a 'forlorn' look on her face).

"Ah, you've finally arrived my dear Naruto. I was wondering where you'd gotten yourself to this morning when I didn't see you at the breakfast table…" Grimhilde said as she rose from her seat and stood in front of Naruto (she was a very tall lady- about six feet tall so poor Naruto, who was about 5 foot 8 at the age of fifteen had a 'great' view of the royal bosom making it quite the precarious situation for a hormonal teen but with his legendary density regarding such matters, he had already gotten used to the queen's 'weirdness').

"Right, you noticed that huh? Well, I just had to bring Snow her breakfast you see – the poor girl didn't get up early today and I wanted to check up on her…" Naruto said as he looked away with a faint blush that the queen caught and scoffed at internally (brats were very precocious these days but perhaps she could use this dynamic they seemed to have to her benefit…).

"How chivalrous of you! Truly a deed worthy of the princess's loyal protector. However, that is not my concern now – Naruto, I would like to bestow upon you the honor of being my personal aide beside Humbert seeing as my lord husband has passed away." She said as Naruto's eyes bugged out in surprise.

"W-what?! B-but I am already the princess' guard! Isn't that a little too much responsibility for someone like me? I am still young and Humbert seems to be doing a fine job and all…" Naruto stammered out as the Queen smirked at his embarrassed blushing and fumbling of his words as she cupped his chin with one hand and stroked his whiskered cheeks with the other, a pleased shudder running through the poor boy as he was flabbergasted by her behavior today (maybe she was hitting the wine a little too hard in her mourning?).

"Do not fret my dear student – I won't tear you away from your precious charge (yet) and you won't take over Humbert's job completely until you are a little older. However, given your outstanding abilities, I simply cannot let Snow keep you all to herself – there are…special needs of mine that only a…fine specimen of a man like yourself can provide. You wouldn't deny a mourning widow and your dear teacher correct?" She said as she had some crocodile tears to sell the façade of her desperation.

Of course this was super effective on Naruto who never suspected that the lady who was practically his kindergarten teacher was actually a cougar as he rushed to Grimhilde and gave her a hug, the queen squawking in surprise with a completely red face as her charade seemed to have worked too well.

"Don't worry Lady Grimhilde! I'll do my best to protect both of you – you don't have to be sad anymore. Believe it!" Naruto said as he grinned at her – his chakra unknowingly leaking into the Queen and causing some…interesting reactions.

"U-unhand me at once! Your enthusiasm is duly noted but one doesn't embrace a lady like that without warning!" She said as she straightened her hair and clothes.

'That was close…any longer and I would have come undone in his arms. This boy truly is dangerous~'

"Ah! My deepest apologies! I forgot your lessons on etiquette for a second there but I just didn't want to see you sad is all!" Naruto said as he smiled at the queen, who had recovered her cool by now and was looking at him calculatingly.

'Yes…truly dangerous…I will have to enact my plans to push Snow away from the throne and from Naruto as soon as possible…'

And that wraps up chapter 4! The king is dead and the movie plot will start from the next chapter (Snow will be seventeen and Naruto will be twenty years old) – things will pick up really fast since the movie is pretty straightforward. Reviews have been pouring in so that's great (I have a poll on my Patreon page for the Grimhilde pairing choice since this lady is pretty evil in the actual lore). How I proceed from here will depend on this choice.

On a side note, Panacea seems to lack any major interest from readers. Should I abandon it and focus on this fic(along with the polled fic ideas on my Patreon page)?

If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon (just got one free member – no money earned yet but still hyped!) 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!