Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affiliated 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
Late Morning, Enchanted Forest, Woodcutter's Shack…
It was a quiet morning in the forest right now – seeing as the number one trouble makers were busy elsewhere (the rascals being Naruto and Briar surprisingly as the girl seemed to burst with energy when around her closest confidant). Naruto was due to return in a few minutes with his gift for Briar and being quite the doting 'brother' that he was, he wanted only the best for her. Granted, he did butt heads with his mothers over what would be considered an appropriate gift for a young lady over the years (there was one notable incident when he tried giving Briar a pair of bladed brass knuckles as a way to ease her into combat training just in case something or someone tried to get too fresh with her – he didn't even get to show them to her before Flora vanished the weapons with a quick spell). This didn't dissuade him though – with the support of his loved ones (namely Tiger and Tinker Bell) he was able to squeeze in some lessons with Briar so that she wasn't some gullible wide-eyed youth like the rest of her generation.
There was also the problem of Maleficient's curse. Since this was Briar's sixteenth birthday, the three fairies masquerading as the mundane aunts of the disguised princess planned on a grand reveal, telling Briar (or rather Aurora) all about her origins but conveniently leaving out the part about her curse. Of course, they couldn't hide all of this from their adoptive son – he was well aware of how cunning magical beings could be and given that he could also turn into a fairy himself, he made it all to clear just how dumb their entire plan was.
Flashback, earlier in the day…
"So you're telling me that you are going to take Briar back to her parents after celebrating her birthday? Aren't you forgetting something here?" Naruto asked Fauna as the other two fairies were busy dividing up their roles for the party preparations. Given their dispositions though, this quickly devolved into squabbling – the party wouldn't even start in its entirety until Briar arrived but the two women just had to get one over the other in their arguments.
"N-no dear. I do believe my sisters and I have this situation well in hand – after all, you did come with us during our regular visits to the castle so you know that the poor girl has an excited family to return to!" Fauna said as Naruto rolled his eyes.
He knew all too well just how her royal family was awaiting her return – don't get him wrong, he knew that Briar's mother and father were nice people. They were just a little too clueless in his opinion- the father was overprotective and was all for the idea of keeping his daughter in the dark about her situation – even when she returned to her home. Leah on the other hand, was the textbook housewife and queen, soft spoken and submissive to Stefan so her opinion was irrelevant – it was worrying just how royal spawn were pawned off between families like chattel. Briar was promised to Philip and she was also getting married right after her birthday – truly outrageous in Naruto's eyes since the girl hadn't even met the boy in question!
"Sure, sure…that's true but you're ignoring the elephant in the room here. Why haven't you told Briar about her curse? You know my aunt is nothing if not persistent right?" Naruto said as Flora walked over to the two, seeing that her 'nicer' sister was at a loss of words.
"Stop pestering Fauna Naruto! Trust in your mothers – we know our sister best and we think that keeping Aurora in the dark is the best plan moving forward." She said as Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"That's dumb. Maleficent is the Mistress of all Evil – she is stronger than the three of you combined and given your pacifistic nature, you can't fight back directly in case she does want to capture Briar you know?" He said as Flora huffed and pushed him gently out of the home.
"I would thank you to trust in your mothers and stop prying into our plans. We know what we are doing so just don't meddle in our affairs – that includes your gaggle of women! Don't think I haven't noticed what you were doing, sending two of them to accompany Aurora out on her trip to pick berries!" She said, getting Naruto out of the house before closing the door behind him.
"Hmph. I know all too well what you think a good plan is. After all, you abandoned me as a child remember? I won't let Briar be a pawn in your cold war with your dark sister…" He grumbled as he walked into the forest, his mind focused on what he could do to make Briar more involved in determining her own fate.
Flashback end…
Back to the present, we find the three good fairies busy with organizing the party. Fauna was baking a massive cake, with vanilla frosting and strawberry toppings crowning the majestic pastry.
Flora and Merryweather however, were doing something else. They were supposed to be preparing their present for Aurora (a fine dress) but immediately began an argument as old as time itself – Red versus Blue (I couldn't help myself – the reference had to be honored). Given their hotheaded natures, it wasn't long until tempers were lost and the two sisters started a magic duel, their vows to stay incognito without using magic long forgotten.
All the flashing lights and noise disrupted the peaceful setting of the forest and even attracted the attentions of Diablo, Maleficent's crow familiar. Recognizing the magic of his mistress' lesser siblings, the bird perched on a lowhanging branch of a tree close to the window of the shack so that he could both see and hear what was going on with greater clarity. He rolled his eyes when he understood what was going on but thankfully, he didn't have to wait for long as Briar returned from her excursion not long after. She was alone, as Tiger and Tink had returned to their home to inform the other women of what had transpired in the forest earlier.
"Surprise my dear! Many happy returns of the day – how does it feel to be sixteen?" The fairies all said in unison, the poor girl's eyes bugging out at the display of magic and the sheer size of the cake before her.
"O-oh…you startled me! I didn't know I was sent away so you could prepare a celebration! Thank you! But where are Naruto and his lovers? I thought he'd be here too?" Briar said as Diablo started in surprise, not expecting to hear that Naruto was here too (his animal instincts told him that that man was probably the only being with the potential to truly challenge his diabolical lady after all…).
"The foolish boy probably got sidetracked with his job again – he was supposed to be here with a present of his own. As for his entourage, well, we decided this would be better as a private family affair…" Flora said, her spiel interrupted when Naruto walked in the door, covered in leaves and brambles.
"Sorry for my tardiness – I was busy preparing my gift for my cute little sister here!" Naruto said, walking over to Briar before hugging her close and rubbing his cheeks with her own, much to her mortification (and secret joy).
"H-hey! I am not little – nor am I your sister! Sheesh – I know you mean well but I am not the little girl you knew before. I am a lady now – understand?" Briar said, pushing him away as she crossed her arms in mock outrage (intentionally pushing her bosom up to try and embarrass the man as well).
"Okay, okay – I wouldn't tease you so much if you didn't give me the best reactions though! Seriously, who knew that some casual ribbing would have you squawk like this~?" Naruto said with a cattish grin, his whiskers making him look like a real cat for second as Briar held back a delighted squeal from escaping her rosy lips.
The party then commenced, with the birthday girl getting her cake and presents. While what she got from her aunts was nothing too special, the gift from Naruto was something else entirely.
"W-what is that? It's so beautiful! H-how did you even afford such an extravagance?!" Briar said as she held up a magnificent necklace to the light. It was made of a silver chain that had three beautiful gemstones hanging from it – an amethyst, a diamond and a large sapphire in the middle of the two. As she put it on, she felt a rush of energy flow through her, her skin tingling with the ambient magic flowing over her form.
"Haha! You like it? I made it by infusing my fairy magic and chakra with the sapphire as Grimhilde and Ella also contributed to the metalwork and their respective gems! If I can't train you to defend yourself (he winked at Briar as he said so – they did have some secret sessions after all) then I can at least give you this as a means to do so!" He said as Briar looked at him fondly before sighing a little, confused with her own feelings.
"What's wrong Briar? You look a little sad – was my gift a little too much?" He said as Briar shook her head in the negative before speaking up.
"No, the gift is lovely. I just remembered what happened to me back in forest is all. I think I may have made a new friend and he may like me a little more than that…" She said as the fairies went into a tizzy.
"What?! But we told you not to speak to strangers!" Flora said as Naruto looked at Briar curiously (she was at that age after all).
"I know, I know, but he was nice! He heard me singing and even joined in for a bit! We shared stories and I might have invited him to our cottage later on…" She said, blushing a little as Naruto whistled at her sudden audacity before he started snickering at her pouty expression.
The fairies on the other hand, looked a little annoyed.
"Briar dear, I think it's time you learn just who you are and why you have been living like this since yu were a babe…" Flora said as she walked closer to the girl, pulling out her wand as the three fairies revealed their true forms to the girl.
What followed was a lengthy period of exposition as Briar learned that she was actually Princess Aurora, the daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leah. She was also betrothed to one Prince Philip, a fact that she was none too happy to hear. Looking to Naruto in apparent despair, she ran over to bury her face in his chest.
"Is this true Naruto? Am I meant to marry this prince?" She said as Naruto cupped her cheek before brushing a tear out of her eye.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I mean – my mothers almost had me never see you since they wanted to make sure you never met a male until it was time for you to be wed! That was simply outrageous – I mean, perks of royalty should include being able to marry whomever you want and not be forced into one like an ordinary peasant. This whole system is pretty dumb actually…" Naruto said, rambling about stupid politics as Aurora smiled a little, mollified by his attempts to cheer her up.
The fairies were having none of that though – they told Aurora in no uncertain terms that she was to return to the castle later that day and that she would never see the man or Naruto again as she was to be the wife of another soon. Aghast and more than a little angry, Aurora ran off to her room, her eyes full of hot tears. Naruto made to follow her but Merryweather simply teleported him out into the forest. Understanding the situation, Naruto then made his way back to his home so that he could consult his lovers about how to proceed with the situation.
Meanwhile, the eavesdropping Diablo quickly flew off in the direction of the Forbidden Mountain to tell his mistress of what he heard. Maleficent was ecstatic with the quick results of her most trusted minion and began plans to capture and fulfill the curse on the poor princess. Upon hearing of her nephew's involvement in caring for Aurora though, Maleficent knew she had to be clever in how she went about her business, as she had no intentions of inciting a fight with him (he was powerful and she was more interested in perverting that strength for her own ends after all…).
The Royal Castle, later that afternoon…
King Stefan and his wife were happy – their daughter would return to them at last! Her birthday was almost complete and once the clock struck midnight, her name day would be over and Maleficent's curse would be dispelled! Their time waiting while fearing the worst would finally come to an end – Stefan wished he could have had more time to get to know his child before she would be wed but she supposed that he had to take the bitter with the sweet. The subjects of the kingdom had all prepared for the grand ceremony that would take place later on in the evening and now, the people were in a festive state, anticipating the boom in business with imminent dual birthday and wedding.
"Hubert my good man! How are you finding the preparations to receive my daughter?" Stefan said as Hubert took a sip from his goblet of wine and hiccupped.
"What I see here is nice and all but how do I know my Philip is going to get what he deserves?" He slurred out as Stefan's eyes narrowed at him.
"What do you mean by that?! Are you insulting my Aurora's honor?" He said as his fists tightened.
"It's not that I am worried about…my Philip is a man of virtue you see and your daughter's been living in the boonies for sixteen years with three fairies and their handsome, adoptive son. What if she succumbed to temptation already?" Hubert said as Stefan grabbed Hubert's shirt, pulling him close as his other hand was raised to punch the portly king in the nose.
"I'll have you know my court magicians and their son are beyond reproach – they are trustworthy and my daughter's not some harlot!" Stefan said as Hubert tried to shove him away, his flabby hands grasping at Stefans doublet.
Just when it seemed that the two kings were about to get into fisticuffs, they were interrupted by the arrival of Prince Philip, who walked into the royal throne room with a bewitched look on his face.
"Father, father! I met the most wonderful girl today – I think I am in love!" He said, Hubert's eyes widening in shock as Stefan crowed in triumph next to him.
"Ha-looks like your man of virtue is being tempted by someone else instead! How do you like that!" He said as Hubert waddled over to his son.
"P-Philip, please reconsider – you're to be betrothed to a princess! You can't be seduced by the charms of a peasant on your wedding day!" Hubert said as Philip merely scoffed before walking back out of the castle.
"You are living in the past Father! This is the fourteenth century and I am going to marry the woman I love, not some princess I haven't seen hide or hair of!" He said, quickly moving to the stables to mount Samson before riding off into the forest to find the cottage the peasant girl told him of.
What followed was utter bedlam as Stefan laughed at the disconsolate Hubert while Leah tried to mediate between the two. However, what none of them knew was that Philip wasn't about to succeed in his quest for true love, as the girl that stole his heart already had someone else in hers.
And that was chapter 41! By popular demand, Aurora is now part of Naruto's harem! Poor Philip (nah…) – the plot thickens now since he won't be the hero in the story! Aurora will also have a different role (she won't be so sleepy at least)…
If you'd like to support me and read up to 80 chapters in advance, 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!