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

Queen's quarters, two hours after the Prince left

"You called, your Majesty?" Humbert said, bowing down to the queen, who looked relatively placid, despite the roiling sea of emotions churning within her. She then rose from her armchair (really was more like a second throne as the sheer size of the thing was impressive to say the least…), arms held behind her back as she began to speak.

"Yes Humbert, I did. Your penchant for stating the obvious is truly grating on my nerves. Nevertheless, I have a task for you, one which I cannot order my dear protégé to do."

When Humbert heard that last bit, his eyes widened in shock – he had lost most of his agency as the queen's aide and huntsman in recent years and was the veritable laughingstock of the castle staff since he quickly lost all relevance when Naruto surpassed him in every aspect, even as a child. Granted, most of the castle guards still didn't like the man, seeing him as a brat who just got lucky, Humbert saw things differently. In all of his years serving under Grimhilde, he knew that there were a few elite humans in the world – superior to their fellow man in every possible way, these people would practice magic and enjoy powers beyond mortal ken. However, this would invariably warp their minds and disfigure their bodies, to say nothing of the condition of their souls (even white mages would eventually turn into some type of spirit, devoid of their former sapience when they expired).

Yes, Humbert knew that power came at a great cost – which is why he knew Naruto was extremely special. Naruto boasted the mental and physical attributes of a demigod without any perceived sacrifice on his part (besides his childish naïveté, but that was merely a question of time and experience bringing wisdom), meaning that he was no magician and his power was his own. While this made him unbearably jealous, he was too craven to actually act on his malevolent impulses, afraid of Naruto's retaliation and more recently, the queen's responses to anything that would harm her precious 'protégé'. Oh yes – that was another bucket of worms all together; the Queen despite all her charm and wiles, had fallen head over heels in love with a man young enough to be her son. Scandalous as it was, she was discreet about her affections for the boy, with only Humbert really knowing anything about it (Naruto was oblivious, Snow was unaware that her step-mother was a cougar grooming her childhood friend to be hers and the queen herself was ignorant of the way Naruto was slowly worming his way into her heart, something no one had ever done before).

Queen Grimhilde was a shallow and greedy woman; while incredibly smart and cunning, she couldn't see anything or anyone beyond mere 'possessions'. She had to have it all – power, beauty and adulation as her vanity truly knew no bounds, a goddess among mere mortals. Enter Naruto – an oblivious demigod with the potential to become a god himself. She simply couldn't resist his charms – what started out as a simple curiosity on the nature of his powers and a petty desire to take Snow's crush from her evolved into a one-sided infatuation, one which actually made the queen a better person(her black heart was no longer obsidian but rather something like ebony – not much difference in color but her heart did get softer). Her jealousy of Snow's beauty was curbed by her 'reclamation' of Naruto as her secondary aide and she generally ignored the poor girl(instead of constantly berating her) as she did not wish to sadden Naruto.

Well, at least until now…

"And what would you have me do my liege?" Humbert said, looking up towards the queen who smiled thinly, her ruby lips cutting a bloody line on her pale, bone white complexion.

"You will take Snow White to the deepest parts of the Enchanted Forest and kill the girl. After the deed is done, remove her heart from her corpse and put it in this box, which you will then return to me!" Queen Grimhilde exclaimed as she pulled out an ornate gold box encrusted in rubies, topazes and sapphires in floral patterns all over it.

"As you will it, so it shall be my queen. I must ask however, how am I to divest the princess of her heart if her protector will tear me apart long before I harm a hair on her head?" Humbert said as the order itself didn't faze him all that much (he had done much worse for the queen, even before she was a queen and just a witch as her de facto thrall) – he just didn't fancy his chances going against Naruto. Even empowered with the foulest of black magics, he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell against a Naruto fueled with the righteous rage of a man fighting to protect his lady love – he would be summarily obliterated with nary a delay on Naruto's part.

"Worry not my foolish servant, I am well aware that you do not compare to the power of my chosen mate. While it is true that you cannot hope to best him in a test of strength, I can still delay and waylay him with my feminine charms until you return." She said as she handed Humbert the box and sat down in her chair, her legs crossed over one another as she took an imperious pose.

"Now go! Go and take that eyesore away from my kingdom and do not return until you bring me her heart!" She said as Humbert hurriedly rose to his feet and ran out of the room, her thunderous expression scaring the poor man witless. Now that she was alone, the mirror then began to speak to the queen, who looked to be deep in thought.

"Forgive me for my interruption of your cogitation Mistress; I simply wanted to ask how you will go about with distracting Naruto until your huntsman returns? Naruto is the girl's guard so he's bound to notice her leaving with Humbert for the enchanted forest. I also wanted to ask why you wanted the maiden's heart. Rituals involving it would certainly not work on Naruto, as it is evident from your 'lessons' with him that illusions to warp his perception, particularly those concerning Snow White are futile."

"Ah Mirror, never mind how I will distract my dear Naruto. No matter how powerful he is, he is still a man~ the girl's heart on the other hand, serves a greater purpose. As it is the symbol of the Fairest One's beauty, innocence and purity, it is an object of great power. Channeling my powers through it as my new power core would make me immortal and even more beautiful. More importantly, when Naruto learns of Snow's demise, he will fall into a deep well of despair – one which I will pull him from. After all, he already thinks fondly of me – when I resemble his precious Snow and even behave like her, he will have no choice but to fall madly in love with me!" Grimhilde said as she smirked coldly.

Yes, all her plans were falling into place – she just had to summon Naruto to her quarters again. Oh! And get an outfit for the occasion~.

Scene Break

Naruto was giddy – his heart was positively jumping out of his chest, so great was his joy. Snow had all but confirmed her love for him and he revealed his long harbored love for her as well. While a relationship between a royal and her servant was not exactly appropriate, he was sure he could convince Grimhilde to allow them to do it. She was a nice lady after all, just a little weird sometimes when she got a little grabby with his pectorals and biceps when they had their little tutoring sessions together.

After talking with Snow for a few hours, Naruto received a summons from the queen. Naturally, he was caught off guard (Grimhilde would usually only call for him in the early hours of the day and leave the rest of the afternoon and evening for his guard duties with Snow) but shrugged it off and answered her call, unaware that Snow was currently talking with Humbert and being led out of the castle.

Upon arriving at the queen's room, Naruto then knocked at her door, firmly rapping the sturdy oak three times in quick succession.

"Come in~." The queen said, once again catching Naruto by surprise, the warm, honey like tone she used bringing an embarrassed flush on his face. He then opened the door and bowed to the queen only to get the shock of his life when he saw in what a state she was in.

"Oh? Why the look of surprise my dear Naruto? You look like you have never seen a comely face and womanly body before?~" Queen Grimhilde said as she was standing seductively in front of her bed, wearing nothing but a blue dress with yellow trimmings. It revealed much of the queen's chest and back, exposing a great deal of creamy and now rosy, skin. The dress also had a cut on its sides, meaning that the queen's long legs were visible as she walked towards the flabbergasted Naruto with a purposeful sway to her wide hips.

"W-what is with that dress Miss Grimhilde? It's so…so….so risqué! And why are you acting so weird all of a sudden? You're making me feel strange!" Naruto stammered out, his face now completely red as the queen chuckled at his expression, cupping his face with one hand as she quickly went behind him, pressing her womanly curves to his body as she began nibbling on his left earlobe.

*Giggle*"Mmmn…I guess you could say I have grown tired of waiting to claim what I desire…being tempted by what I want but can't possess yet…aahhh…your manly scent is so delicious!~" She moaned out breathily as she dragged her hands over his chest. She delighted in his shuddering gasps as he quickly freed himself from her embrace and looked away from her, trying to catch his breath and school his expression as he looked at her with wide eyes.

"You see, my dear protégé – I have had my eye on you for such a long time, years in fact. I have watched you grow from a cute boy to a ravishingly handsome young man, one that I have taught and had a personal hand in fostering. Now it's time for me to pluck the fruit I have so carefully cultivated~. " Grimhilde said as Naruto's blush disappeared as he looked surprised at her admission, a regretful expression on his face.

"S-so you want to marry m-me Miss Grimhilde? But I am so much younger than you!" 'And in love with your step-daughter!' Naruto said with that particular afterthought lingering in his mind like a hot iron brand.

"Never mind the age differences my dear – with my magic, I can make us eternally youthful and with you as my King, we will rule unopposed for all time!" She said as she approached Naruto once again, his back now facing her bedroom window.

"B-but I love someone else Miss Grimhilde! I love Snow!" Naruto said as the queen's demeanor suddenly changed, turning cold and vengeful before turning into sickly jealousy.

"Her???!! She already has the visiting Prince under her spell and now has bewitched you as well??!! No matter – I am the Queen! She can have that oaf if she wants but I have my eyes on a different prize – one I will not relinquish without a fight. So don't resist darling, and let me take you for myself and show you a world of pleasure like you've never known~!" She said as she leaned dangerously close to Naruto, her lips parted in anticipation for the kisses she was about to plunder from him!

"N-no! I am sorry my queen but my heart belongs to another! I can't let you do this!" Naruto said as he made to escape with the only route available to him.

*Crash*

Naruto immediately jumped through the queen's window, breaking the glass and falling from the castle tower. Fearing the worst, Grimhilde rushed to the window, only to see the impossible, Naruto running down the sheer face of the castle tower and jumping across the parapets to vault over the castle walls and run into the Enchanted Forest, the place she ironically drove him towards when she intended to do the exact opposite.

That day, the castle staff got the scare of their lives as they heard another inhuman scream of anger and anguish less than four hours apart.

Enchanted Forest, with Snow White

Snow White was currently running for her life – where to she did not know but after Humbert lost his resolve to kill her, he bade her escape from the Queen, whose rapacious desire and jealousy had driven her to plan her assassination and subsequent engagement to Naruto, who would be her new King consort. Heartbroken and horrified, she had been running ever since – the forest which once looked harmless enough now transformed into a maze of horrors for the young girl. Tree branches looking like grasping claws and bushes pulling and tearing her dress trimmings, floating logs in the rivers she passed looking like crocodiles ready to rise and devour her whole!

After about twenty minutes, her body gave out at the foot of a massive oak tree with a hollow in it – her heart practically jumping out of her chest, so potent was her fear. Compounded with her adrenalin, she couldn't take another step, so overcome she was by her terror.

*Sob**Sob* "Oh, why did this have to happen? I had just found out that Naruto might be my prince and now he will be taken from me! And if that wasn't enough, step-mother wishes to claim my life as well?! Oh, woe is me!" Snow cried as tears flowed down her face, her expression one of abject sorrow. While she was crying however, she missed the faint golden glow rising off of the grass, the motes of light looking like so many stars. The woodland animals also approached her, their natural caution tempered by Snow's innocence and beauty. When she finally noticed them, she was taken aback by their attempts to comfort her, their guileless mien doing a lot to calm her heart. As they frolicked around her, she found herself giggling despite herself and even breaking into song ("With a Smile and a Song").

After she finished singing, she then turned to ask the animals if they could lead her to somewhere to stay.

"Oh my dear friends, deep in this enchanted hollow, is there a place where I can rest my head and air my sorrows?" She said as the animals started to gesture animatedly before they seemed to notice someone approach.

"What is it my dears? Is there someone coming?" Snow asked as she readied to hide herself in the hollow of the oak tree she found herself resting near. She noticed the golden motes of lights brighten for a second before dissipating, the flash making her close her eyes for a second.

When she opened them however, she got quite the surprise – right before her eyes was Naruto, who looked like he had ran all the way from the castle to this spot in a hurry(less than twenty minutes but who's counting right?).

"N-naruto?! Is that you? Oh thank goodness! When Humbert told me about the queen's plans, I had feared the worst!" She said as she leapt into his arms, Naruto also just as glad to see her as he laughed joyously, spinning her in circle while in his arms.

"Snow?! What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the castle?" Naruto asked as Snow shook her head and smiled at him.

"You might want to take a seat; it's a long tale to tell…"

One information dump later

 To say Naruto was outraged was an understatement - he was ready to storm the castle and beat Humbert and the Queen black and blue had it not been for Snow's mediation. When she told him that she would be content with him at her side, regardless of her having a royal title or not, he simply couldn't stay mad (seriously – that pure smile was unfair). Now having settled their affairs, he and Snow were walking hand in hand to wherever the woodland animals were taking them, having quite the interesting conversation.

"…so you were found by fairies in the hollow of the same tree I was resting at?"

"Yeah, I lived around here for almost five years before coming to your kingdom!"

"Sometimes your life sounds like something straight out of one of my storybooks…"

"Ha! You're one to talk princess!"

"Hihihihi!"

And that wraps up chapter 6. In the next chapter, we'll get a brief snippet of time spent with the seven dwarves before the queen appears and the story wraps up with a new villain revealed and beaten. Can anyone guess who it might be? Reflections *wink*wink*

Thanks for all the reviews and visits to my story – looks like Panacea will have to be discontinued seeing as no one really cares for that story compared to this one. The polls are in (got one paid member recently and they voted for Queen Grimhilde in the harem)!

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Reviews and comments are always welcome!