Summary: Naruto, a prince, must sacrifice himself to the snake king of a different land in order to bring peace among the lands, but along the way he finds a past that he never knew and a world he never believed in…and two brothers that he plans to make his own.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co. Any and all characters pertaining to Naruto belong to their creator. Any and all OC that may or may not be in this story were created by me or borrowed with permission of the creator and will be given their due credit.

Enchanted Nights

The warm night air gave way to the cool breeze that came from the north. Naruto was dreading the day ahead. His father sent him on a mission that he wanted to refuse to do. But being the prince, there was no one else right for the job. It was moments like these that he wished he had a sister and it was moments like these that he was glad that he didn't. If he had a sister that was sent to do something like this, Naruto knew he would sacrifice himself so that she wouldn't see the horrors to come or have her innocence taken. His mission was simple. Seduce the king from the west into marrying him and then sign a peace treaty. Once the peace treaty is signed and made public, slay the snake in his bed.

It was said so simply, but Naruto knew that things weren't just that straightforward. Everyone knew that the snake king wasn't the rightful heir to the throne, but no one knew where the Uchiha brothers were after their parents were brutally murdered in their beds. When news of such came about to the East kingdom, King Minato set out his spies to find them. After years of continued searching, King Minato gave the word to give up. It was within those years of searching that King Minato came up with the idea of a false peace treaty with the lure of a 'willing' young prince. It was no secret that the new king loved young virgin boys. Not little boys, but teenage boys. And Naruto somewhat fit that criteria. He was borderline adulthood at the 'tender' age of 17.

As Naruto looked out from his carriage, he couldn't help but resent his father. He knew that his father had the people's lives in thought, but he couldn't help but wish that his father would think about his son's happiness once and a while. Who would want him after he was forced to sleep with the old snake? No one, that's who. He was destined to live a life alone thanks to his father's sacrifice…

"Young Prince, we shall be arriving at the front gates in a few hours time. You should rest up." A young man with brown hair and a scar across his tanned nose said sadly from beside him. Naruto looked at the man that had been a brother to him throughout the years and had to wonder what he was thinking about all of this.

Naruto let out a weary sigh before continuing to look out at the night sky. "How many times, Iruka, have I said when it is just us to call me by my given name?"

"I'm sorry Young Prince, but we are not alone. While we are the only ones in this carriage, we have guards and other like men outside." Iruka stated with some amusement in his voice.

"You know it is only Kakashi and the others out there. They have leave to the same as you. We are all friends here." Naruto said with the same amusement as Iruka.

A covered face appeared in the opened window beside Naruto, causing him to jump slightly at the sudden appearance of the man bent doubled on the horse just to look into the window. "Yes, be that as it may Young Prince, you know as well as I do that your father, the king, does not like us being so informal with you while during travel. Especially with the reason we are traveling. You know that there are people out to take you so that this peace treaty will not go through."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the silver haired knight before scoffing. "And you know as well as I that I can take almost anyone on with all the secret training I have been given. And so what if we are traveling? What does having to not say my name mean anything to why we are traveling?" Naruto yelled out. He just wanted to be among friends at the moment instead of being reminded that he was riding to his doom.

Iruka shot up in surprise at the tone the prince was using. "Young Prince! Please lower your voice! You know why we mustn't say your name! Not in these enchanted woods that surround us!" Iruka looked out into the night as he tried to see if any woodland creatures had heard the ruckus.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Again with the enchanted woods thing? Please Iruka, do you think me daft? I am old enough to know that there are bandits out in the woods. You need not tell me about the woodland creatures that await for the reborn fox spirit's name to be called so they know where their master is to take him away. I was little when you told me that nonsense! Why would I believe that I was the fox spirit reborn now?" Fire lit Naruto's eyes as he demanded answers. He wasn't a child. Hadn't been for many years! So why must his friends talk to him as such and about such frivolous things!

The silver haired man looked at Iruka with sad knowing eyes. The truth that kept their mouths locked tight and their hearts cracked opened weighed heavily on those that were there that fateful night that their king made an ultimate sacrifice. A sacrifice that went wrong. Those near and dear to the king bore witness the faults of the king's well-laid plans and then were sworn to secrecy. The silver haired man sighed wearily. He knew it was time to tell Naruto the truth. The truth to his past and what he really is. It was going to be hard.

Iruka heard the sigh and knew it was time. Time to tell the young prince why he was trained secretly behind his father's back. Why he was able to heal so fast. And why his father was so willing to sacrifice his son's life for the lives of the people. It was going to be a lot to take in and Iruka knew that once he was told, Naruto wasn't going to go along with the false peace treaty.

"Young Prince…there are many things you do not know. Many things that will change your outlook on life and the way you look at your father in general." Iruka began. This was going to be painful…

"Iruka?" Naruto was suddenly nervous and he couldn't figure out why. He was finally getting the answers he craves, so why did he suddenly want to go back home and crawl under his covers like he used to as a child?

"Your father never wanted a child. Never wanted to get married really." The silver haired man cut in. An angry shout of 'Kakashi' was heard as Naruto's gaze swung to the man in the window.

"What?" Somehow, the words didn't come out as the angry yell as Naruto wanted them to. He wanted to deny the words and tell Kakashi that he was delusional, but he knew they were fact. The way his father treated him over the years only proved that fact.

"Kakashi! Young Prince…please. Let us finish. You might understand once we are through…" Iruka pleaded.

Naruto, once again, looked at his surrogate brother and nodded dumbly. Iruka let out a sigh before continuing. "Kakashi is right…sort of. When your father was young, younger than you are actually, he was given the title of king. As all kings before him did, he called a seer to his kingdom to tell of his future. Was he to be a great king? Was he to lead many years of prosperity? All things that pervious kings asked for of the seer. But the seer that he had invited was no ordinary seer. This seer was one of the wee folk. And not-" Iruka was cut off by an angry Naruto.

"If you are just going to lie to me, Iruka, then you might as well just shut the hell up! I don't need this drivel about wee people and fox spirits! They aren't real!" Naruto growled out. What did his brother take him for? A fool?

Kakashi looked at Naruto with dead seriousness as he calmly stated, "He isn't lying Young Prince. There is so much you don't know that is out there. For so long, we have kept you protected and away from the things that go bump in the night. What Iruka is telling you is nothing but truth. We, as your knights, have protected you from these creatures such as the fairies that roam the wooded lands."

Naruto looked skeptical, but he nodded for Iruka to continue. If they didn't want him to know the truth, fine. He would let them spin tales all they wanted. At least it would pass the time. "As I was saying. This seer wasn't just any normal seer. Not only was she a fairy, she was the Queen of fairies! It was an honor for the king that the Queen herself felt the need to bestow upon him a visit from her kind. When the king asked her the normal questions that every king before asked, the Queen looked at him before her eyes started to glow this milky white color. It was an amazing site, but the words that left her mouth were anything but amazing." Iruka paused for a breath.

Kakashi took over where Iruka stopped. "The Queen told the king of a dark future. One where death was sure to follow. She told him of a son that was going to be sacrificed upon his birth to the nine-tailed fox spirit. Of how the snake would overcome the flaming fans from the west. And how the lands would become barren. And it would all start with the meeting of the king's future bride. When the king heard of the misfortune that was to follow him, he went into a rage. For you see, he wanted children at the time. He wanted a family since he was the last of his clan. But it seemed as it wasn't to be. But you know what they say…you can't stop destiny. The king, though he swore off women, met a beautiful red headed woman. She was fire. Her passion knew no bounds. She was energetic and always so happy. She drew everyone towards her like a moth to a flame. Even the king. And he resented her for that.

The king tried everything to stay away from her, but the more time he spent with her, the more time he came to care for her. So much in fact, that he forgot all about what the Queen said to him years prior. When the king started to court the woman, everyone in the kingdom rejoiced. It was a happy day. And even a happier day when she became queen." Kakashi knew the next part was going to be difficult, but he didn't want Iruka to say it. It was harder on Iruka than it was on him. He didn't lose family.

"Then came the day the queen told the king she was with child. The joy on the king's face was like nothing I have ever seen. You were going to be his pride and joy, one could tell just by the shine in his eyes. The king pampered the queen more than she had ever been pampered before. There were dances held every night in honor of the coming child. It was on one of those nights that the Queen revisited the king at the ball. It was a month before you were to be born. The Queen came in raging about the destruction of not only his kind but hers as well. The Queen turned to the king's wife and told her that she had cursed them all when she left to be with the humans all because she didn't want to become the next Mab." Kakashi paused to let everything he had said so far to sink into the Young Prince's mind.

Naruto looked at Kakashi in astonishment when he let the word penetrate his head. "So wait…are you saying that the queen,my mother, was some fairy that was supposed to be the next Queen? Have you been smoking opium?" Naruto said incredulously.

Iruka shook his head sadly. "No one has been smoking opium or taking any other type of medicine that messes with ones mind, Young Prince. What we speak is truth. When the king found out his queen, the woman fell deeply in love with, was a fairy, he felt betrayed. It was common knowledge that fairies could manipulate a person's mind and make them feel or remember something that didn't happen. He accused her in front of the court that she had bewitched him. Your mother pleaded and begged for her husband to believe her. The tears that she cried rolled down her face only to hit the floor in prized jewels. When the Queen saw these, she gasped in surprise, I suppose."

"What does it mean for a fairy to cry jewels?" Naruto asked curiously.

"It means that a fairy is mourning the loss of his or her mate. Their chosen loved one. When the Queen saw the jewels, she hastened to inform the king that your mother did not influence him in any way. That a fairy mated could not mate under false pretenses. But the damage was done. The queen had caused too much stress on her body that she went into early labor. And that's when hell started…" Iruka trailed off choked up as tears gathered behind his eyelids at the memories.

Kakashi wished he could comfort Iruka, but now wasn't the time. The story had to go on. "As soon as your mother went into labor with you, the castle shook something fierce. Everyone stood in horror as a roar could be heard outside the gates from in the forest. It was so close…so close. The Queen ushered your mother into a room with a bed and started the steps to help deliver you. The king wanted to go with them, but he knew he was needed outside. When we got there…everything was near ruins. And there stood a demon…a monster. The Kyuubi of the nine-tailed spirits stood over us. Towering us a good hundred feet if not more. The screams were deafening. His roars were louder. The king gave us knights the go to start attacking the spirit, but everything we did didn't even faze the thing. We lost many that night and we were about to be given another deadly blow."

"W-what happened?" Naruto asked dazed as he was sucked into the story. He had heard whispers as he grew up about an attack that devastated the kingdom, but he never thought it would have been something like this. If he believed them that is…

"The king knew that you were going to need someone of your own kind to help you through your life. Adjusting to what he was going to do. So he was going to sacrifice himself in order to put the spirit inside you to protect everyone. But he wanted to at least meet you before he had to say good bye. So as the knights were fighting, the king and a few others went to the room just as you were born. He was greeted with the cries of a healthy young boy who had a set of lungs on him." Kakashi said wistfully as the memory surfaced of the cries that had greeted them. Naruto really did have a set of lungs that night.

"But the oddest thing happened when he picked you up. You quieted down as if you knew what was going to happen and was trying to reassure the king that everything was going to be all right. As he looked into your eyes, a look crossed his face. He knew he wasn't going to see you grow up by your mother's side. He knew he wasn't going to be able to teach you the things that his father taught him. The king's face told all how sad he was that he was going to die and never know you or get to stay by his wife's side to watch you grow up. He kissed your forehead, whispered that he loved you, and did the same to the queen. The queen knew this was going to the last time she saw her beloved husband and she cried all the harder. She begged him not to, but she knew this was his fate for she had seen it to." Kakashi paused as he sat up for a moment. This part was hard for him too. He may not have lost family, but he did almost lose a dear friend.

"Your father," Naruto started at that because not once had Kakashi or Iruka called his father as such. It was always 'the king' or 'he'. ", used ancient magic that night to seal the spirit. A wind surrounded all of us that wasn't natural. A ghost like figure appeared behind your father. It had torn clothes and its face was deformed. Its jaws hung open showing razor sharp teeth. In its hands was a sword. It was elegant in its features. A sword I have never seen the likes of before. As your father recited the words that would lead to his death, the ghost like figure raised it's arms above his head ready to plunge down into your father. As the last words were said, the sword was slammed down and the life was taken…only it wasn't your father's life like he planned."

Naruto looked up at Kakashi with tears trailing down his face. He knew what was coming next and he didn't want to hear it. Not at all.

"The sword came down into your mother's womb, narrowly missing you, killing her and your unborn twin sister. What I guess could be described as her life force shot out of her body and left the room. When your father saw that it wasn't his life that was forfeit, he collapsed. He couldn't believe that everything went so wrong. Your father was about to try it again, thinking that it didn't work to kill the nine-tailed spirit, when your mother's life force shot back into the room with another's attached to hers. It was a deep angry red. We watched as it struggled with your mother before she forced into your body. And then the wind stopped. It was almost like everything stopped the moment you started to glow this beautiful golden color. You rose from your mother's chest and the glow started to spread. As it flowed over us…I can't describe the feeling…" Kakashi trailed off in memory.

"It was peace…and love." Iruka said softly. At Kakashi's encouraging nod, Iruka continued. "When that glow surrounded us, it was like everything was going to be ok. It was peace, love, and happiness. The Queen told us that it was your mother's love and your acceptance of her essence that made us feel that way. The Queen then told us a new prediction. That the sacrificial son would be sacrificed once more in the name of peace and that he would one day slay the snake of the west and free the flaming fans."

"So you are saying that I am the sacrificial son and that I will one day bring peace among the lands?" Naruto asked in disbelief and awe. This couldn't be real…it wasn't real. "You really think that I would believe this farce that you are trying to shovel down my throat? Do you think me stupid?" Naruto couldn't believe that the man he always thought of as older brother would lie to his face!

"We're not lying Naruto!" Iruka roared out in anger only to pale once he realized he uttered the Young Prince's name. "No…" And then all hell broke loose.

~x~

Author's note: This was originally going to be a really, really, really long one-shot. Close to 40 to 60 pages. That was what was planned anyway. But in light of certain events, this story is going to be either a large multi-chaptered or a mini multi-chaptered story. It depends on how I am feeling day by day. So some chapters may be angst-y beyond belief and some chapters may so depressive it will make you tear up. All depends on how I am feeling. They may even just be all up beat to help make me feel better. But this story that was originally made for my friend has been made into a vent for me because of the latest news about my grandfather. So this story is for me, but that doesn't mean you can't like it! XD