A/N: Hey guys, I'm still making progress on this story, and wanted to thank you for your votes on the poll, as long running a sit was, as to how I should introduce Naruto into Storybrooke. Also, I've decided to extend this story arc an extra chapter. All the same, it should be three chapters at most after this story arc until we get to the real world. One last thing, this chapter may run longer than normal since I didn't want to divide it into two chapters.
A Castle Broken
Naruto sighed as he looked down at Belle, who was curled up in her traveling cloak, barely a foot from the fire yet still shivering, her book fallen to the side as he marked the page, closing it as he placed it back into her bag with magic. He looked up into the sky at the large silvery disc as he shrugged off his own thick traveling cloak and placed it over the girl also with magic. She needed it more than him anyways, and besides, he had a second cloak that he preferred as he pulled it around him, feeling the rough bark dig into his back as he leaned back against the tree.
As he began to feel sleep pulling on his eyelids, he breathed in through his nose, relishing in the scent on his second cloak as he fell into the realm of dreams.
"I said no one was to disturb me! Unless ogres are attacking the castle, I'll have you drawn and quartered!" Regina snarled through her hands. She felt a hand softly touch her, and flared in rage as she called her magic to kill the person that dared to touch her so amicably.
"Well, I wouldn't say ogres per say, but your guards can't really stop me, now can they?" Naruto said, as Regina's expression softened at the sight of him. He'd almost always had that effect on her to temper her emotions.
"Did they even try?" Regina asked rhetorically, it was well known that Naruto visited on occasion to see her on some business from his father. So the guards had learned not to stand in his way or else they tended to lose their hearts.
"The first couple didn't, but you have a pair of rookies guarding your door and they tried, even cut my cloak when I had my back turned." Naruto said disapprovingly, he despised back-stabbers.
"Oh, yeah some of my more senior Black Knights recently deserted me for that Snow White!" Regina fell back into her annoyance at the memory. She would make that little girl pay if it was the last thing she did.
"So you have back-stabbers and traitors among your Black Knights, and you expect them to protect you. Ha, it's no wonder you're so stressed out." Naruto whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"It's that insolent Snow White, if I could have her captured then…" She let the statement trail off, "But every time I send someone to capture her they end up either deserting me, or coming back empty handed because the villages refused to give up her location. I can't even threaten them anymore because that is starting to lose its effect!" Regina hissed as she rose, striding to the balcony, Naruto watching her curiously until he saw how her gown clung to her skin, and he felt his blood rise. He looked away reproachfully as he mentally scolded himself.
"Maybe, I could help you with both problems." He suggested and Regina looked at him surprised, laughing under her breath.
"You help me, and what exactly will you get out of this?" Regina asked, approaching him and standing closer than he preferred but he refused to be the first one to back down.
"How about when I bring Snow White in, you leave her execution to me. Other than that, the idea of spending exorbitant amounts of time in the company of a beautiful woman, how could I resist?" Naruto spoke, brushing her cheek as he leaned in before turning away, leaving Regina blushing as she touched her cheek.
"Wait, I can't let you run around the realm without some authority." Regina called after him as she used magic to call forth a raven's wing traveling cloak marked with her sigil. She tossed it to him which he caught in the manner of it magically wrapping around him. He responded by turning around and mock bowing, "By your leave, my empress." With that said, he turned and threw open the doors to her throne room.
The chirping of the birds awoke the blonde as he looked to the side over the treetops to see the sun breaking the horizon.
"Dawn, when the Artist paints the skies, and when the dead rise." He said as he rolled to the side, falling to the ground below as he landed silently so as not awaken Belle who was still curled tightly in a ball. He chuckled softly as he began to prepare breakfast. Belle awoke a little over an hour later to the smell of cooking bacon; she groggily turned to see Naruto perched over the fire perfectly groomed.
Belle sat up, yawning widely as Naruto looked up at er, chuckling lightly at her messy hair as well as the small line of drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. It seemed to take all her strength to push herself up as the two cloaks pooled at her feet.
"There's a small stream and pond about 100 feet that way." Naruto pointed off to the side, returning his attention to the cooking bacon. "Don't take too long, we need to pack up and head on before the sun gets too high or else you'll be miserable." Naruto called after her as she stumbled off towards the water, her bag slung haphazardly over her shoulder.
Four hours later, Naruto paused to look around before nodding to himself as he continued on, Belle trailing behind him still barely awake now that she was full and the morning sun had warmed her, it took a conscious effort to stay awake.
Minutes later, she had had enough, "How much farther until we're there?" She whined to Naruto who looked back with a smile as he stopped, Belle mentally praising him as she slumped to the ground like a doll.
"Depends, do you want to take the scenic route or the dangerous route. Actually, I suppose that's an unfair comparison as they're both dangerous." Naruto said, and Belle rolled her eyes; as if anything the blonde did wasn't dangerous.
"I suppose it might be worth mentioning that the scenic route also offers breaks along the way whereas the purely dangerous path is nonstop work." Naruto offered as Belle sighed, nodding her head as Naruto smiled brightly looking behind him.
"Okay, then it should another two hours until we get there, maybe three depending on how long we rest on the way." Naruto said offhandedly, like he'd rehearsed this speech.
"I know I'll regret asking, but where is this Razorback Ridge and why are we going there?" Belle asked, pushing herself back to her feet. However, before she could react, Naruto had scooped her up, the pair vanishing in a swirl of smoke as Naruto reappeared atop a tree, tightly holding the brunette who shrieked… right into his ear.
"Hold on, I won't drop you. Now look over there and tell we what you see." Naruto whispered as he lowered her, holding on to her by her waist as he pointed off into the distance. Belle looked worriedly towards his finger, and her eyes widened in shock, how had she missed something like that?
"It-It's a massive wall of stone." She whispered, and Naruto's smile could be heard through his voice.
"Yes, that is Razorback Ridge, and our destination is some ruins on the very top of it. And the reason you can't see these ruins is because what you see only goes to the clouds, whereas the ruins are at least another 1000 feet higher than that, and yes, the term Razorback does serve a purpose. The ridge is barely wide enough for a single person along the top, and this side is a straight drop to the ground below. So unless you suddenly learn how to fly, well, I'm sure you can finish that sentence." Naruto said, and the pair vanished once more in smoke to reappear on the ground, closer to the wall.
Once more, Naruto set off before looking back at her with a considering look, "I forget to mention, if you see any wolves, I would recommend diving off the edge of the world." And for once his smile was serious.
As predicted, two-and-a-half hours later, Naruto and Belle stood in front of a massive castle that towered another hundred or so feet into the air the various towers and equally various stages of ruin with some untouched with other being only indicated by a few large stone blocks.
"Welcome, precious Bookworm, to," Naruto announced, his next words a bunch of gibberish that Belle couldn't make out, "Or it's called in our tongue, the Saccharine Throne." Naruto finished with a flourish and mock bow as he looked at Belle who returned the look strangely.
"So, split-up or stick together, what do you think?" Naruto asked, heading for the door which was slightly ajar with vines running up it, pieces of the wood littering the grounds where the wood had rotted. The fact that these pieces were similar in size to Naruto seemed to escape the blonde, but not the brunette, who was steadily growing more wary of these adventure/treasure hunt.
"I thought giants were a myth, you know something to tell to kids so they'll behave?" Belle mumbled as she raced after Naruto, who entered into the decrepit castle.
"Nope, but this isn't a giant's castle, notice the architecture." Naruto said lecturing as he gestured to the various examples around the room which was abnormally large for a traditionally sized castle.
"The columns are massive, yes, but notice the arches that crisscross on the way up. If you look closely, you can see the smaller arches built into the columns. And the stone blocks used are normal sized, which a giant would have trouble carrying and placing so. Another thing to notice is…" Naruto trailed off as he looked around before finding his destination as he raced off towards a much smaller door. Belle followed after, finding him in a much more moderately sized room with a small depress in the floor that had a mosaic built into the floor which featured a lot of marble and gold depictions.
"What is this place?" belle asked as he looked around, before noticing that a small window was on the wall, and looking out of it, she barely choked off the yell at the sight. There was nothing in sight except clouds and the occasional bird that quickly dipped back down; nothing except a small mangled body that was mummified.
"The baptismal chamber, which means…" once more Naruto trailed off a she looked around before his eyes lighted on a wall as he ran to it, only to find that it went further in than it appeared as he turned and headed down the disguised passage.
"Baptismal chamber, what does that mean?" Belle called out as she was forced to race off after Naruto once again. She finally caught up with him, in a large chamber, with various treasures scattered around the room among the mountains of golden coins.
"Goblins, but I thought those died out decades ago!" Belle yelled as Naruto began to wade through the proverbial sea of gold.
"So the legends say, I don't know, but what I do know is that this castle was their capitol. Two creatures could be so obsessed with gold, and only one of them would horde so much. After all, the Dwarves are honest that way and keep only what they dig up, whereas the Goblins loot and raid like no others and all that gold had to be stockpiled somewhere. Of course, the war between them is what caused this unnatural geological formation. Legends say that over a thousand Dwarves mined for two years until the mountain was left in this condition eliminating the Goblin's advantage of numbers." Naruto said, having reached the other side of the sea of gold as he looked at Belle with far too much glee to be considered normal.
"Anyways, the baptismal chamber was one of the most closely guarded rooms among Goblins. You see after the first son is born to the Goblin King, all following males are taken to the baptismal chamber and baptized in molten gold." Naruto said, looking around for something. Not finding it, he cursed under his breath as his smile turned to consternation.
"But, that's horrible and barbaric! That would kill anything!" Belle shrieked, and Naruto winced as the cry echoed throughout the room.
"That was the point. By doing so, there could be no usurpers to steal the throne from the rightful king. However, legends also say that if the child did survive, then the goblins took that as a sign from their Gods that the child was destined to be a great king. Maybe not the next king, or the one after, but they would be king, and a great one, such was their destiny." Naruto said back to excitedly, before he turned and spotted something as he took off down a passage to who knows where.
Belle was caught off guard by the actions and paused before racing after him, only to have to likewise wade through the sea of golden objects, taking even longer than Naruto due to her weaker body.
Meanwhile, Naruto had raced off in search of the throne room, and his goal. Running through the antechamber once more, he turned down a side passage that narrowed with multiple rooms off shooting from it, however, Naruto had read several books on architecture and knew that normally all hallways lead to the throne room. He was rewarded for this as he continued down the path, and came to a room with no doors that held his destination.
A throne big enough for several humans to sit side-by-side comfortably; and on it hung a crown that despite its simple appearance, that of a single golden band, Naruto knew held great power. It was aid that all those who wore the crown would find great wealth.
It also held a second purpose that Naruto intended to test as he lifted the crown, feeling it heat up in his hands, it quickly grew too hot fro Naruto to hold as he yelped, dropping it as it hit the floor and began to roll away, bouncing on the stones. He gave chase as his prey eluded him.
He finally caught it back in the baptismal chamber, rolling in a ring around the depression. Scooping it up once more, Naruto started to place it in his trusty bag when he noticed one of the mosaics that looked different from the rest.
It showed a Goblin holding the crown aloft as he brandished a golden rod in his other hand, pointing it towards the sky. Bending down, Naruto ran his hand over the picture several times before finding it, a shallow divot in the tile where the crown was. Suddenly an idea occurred to him as he placed the crown into the divot, pressing down and turning it like a knob.
With a low rumble, a hole barely big enough for the blonde opened in the base of the bowl, and with a smile, Naruto climbed down into it.
At the same time, Belle was wandering around the castle, calling out for Naruto. It creeped her out how her voice echoed back every time. Seeing something out of the corner of her eye, the brunette turned sharply to catch a door shutting silently on well-oiled hinges. Huffing exasperatedly, she ran to the door, her shoes resounding against the smooth floors as she got to it, pushing on the door, only for it not to budge.
Grumbling, she pushed harder, and yet the door still didn't give. With an air of finality, the brunette gave the door a swift kick which sent her hopping around one foot. Despite the appearance of a lightweight wood, the door was made of something much heavier.
With a loud utterance of several words unbefitting a lady, even one of her current status, Belle stalked off only to stop at the loud rumble that began to come from within the castle itself as if the great behemoth was awakening from its long slumber. Seconds later, she was struck painfully on the head by something.
Looking around, she found what it was, only because more began to fall. An overhang had opened, and golden coins were striking the floor in a golden hailstorm. This had the unintended effect of the castle seeming to come alive as Belle watched in wonderment as the stones seemed to move around her, and then as wonderment turned to horror as she realized the stones were moving but creatures that perfectly blended with the stones.
They had long gangly limbs and bony bodies as well as obtuse heads with large ears, several of which had insects crawling in. Their skin was the color and had the texture of either sandpaper or, Belle thought, paper that had begun to grow old, yellowing and curling up at the edges. But the worst was their voices which closely resembled metal on stone. Once the initial shock had worn off, she realized what they were saying, "Thief!" They cried, as one, as a whole, as the horde came to life, advancing on the innocent brunette who did what her instincts demanded, she turned and with the threat of her life chasing behind her, she ran like never before, faster than her body could've ever before.
As she turned a corner, she did the only thing her mind could think to do in these situations, she screamed.
Clambering out the hole, Naruto heard the scream as it echoed through the castle, and his blood went cold as he leapt from the pit, his prize secure in the pouch on his hip. Bending low he ran back the way he'd came before coming into the massive antechamber with the soaring arches. Coming out the door like a horse at full gallop, Naruto immediately spotted Belle rushing towards him from the opposite side of the room, her face twisted in terror, Naruto didn't know why until he saw something from the corner of his eye move and glanced up to see the arches coming alive as thousands of small, sallow creatures were lining, heading for the columns littered around the room which were bridged on every level by the arches.
"Turn right, get to the door!" He practically roared over the growing sound of dragging bodies, Belle's head snapping up as she nodded furiously, or maybe she was just breathing really heavily, Naruto couldn't really tell.
Belle heard him, but thought he meant his right and so she turned left, heading down a much narrower passage that wouldn't have looked out of place in a castle. Pausing once she'd turned the corner to wait on Naruto, she jumped and gave a small squeak when something grabbed her shoulder. She sighed in relief when she saw it was just Naruto.
"I said turn right, and you go this way!" Naruto hissed, the ruins having grown quiet, no doubt because the goblins were hunting them down.
"I thought you meant your right, my left." Belle whispered back, and Naruto sighed in exasperation.
"Here, put your collar back on, its magic will keep you quiet so maybe we can sneak out of here safely." Naruto mumbled, pulling the collar which he'd removed shortly after leaving the town out of nowhere with his magic.
"Okay." Belle answered, taking the black collar with wavering hands when it happened.
Belle never claimed to have the strongest nerve or the fastest reflexes, and it was showing now. As she took the collar it slipped from her hand, and fell to hit the stone floor with a clear, reverberating cling!
"Never mind, you run this way, and I'll try and hold them off." Naruto said, shoving Belle further down the corridor.
"No way, you'll die, there's way too many of them Naruto!" belle said, but Naruto glanced at her with the first genuine smile since this adventure started.
"I can't die yet, I have someone I love most dearly, and I won't leave her alone! NOW GO!" He yelled, and Belle stumbled back a few steps before turning and running away like a bat out of Hell.
Pulling his sword free, Naruto relaxed, feeling how his sword connected to his arm like an extension, just as it was meant to as he swung it, catching the first Goblin to round the corner in what he assumed was its shoulder. Naruto nearly grimaced as it wailed, leaking black ooze from the wound.
But he didn't have time to think about it as twenty more followed shortly, some standing on top of their fallen kindred. With a nonplused breath, Naruto leapt into battle with the horde.
If Belle had stuck around, she would've seen Naruto fall into a dance-like battle as he flowed throughout the battle, slicing at each opportunity and blocking seamlessly without effort. When it was over, Naruto stood amid the bodies, many of which were divided, all leaking the same black ooze.
Sighing with relief once more, Naruto replaced his blade, a mistake as seconds later the first Goblin stood to his gangly feet and ran down the corridor after Belle, Naruto cursing loudly as he chased after it.
Belle meanwhile was running down the singular corridor which unlike the other one had no attached rooms, making her wonder where it was leading her. She got her answer moments latter when she turned a corner, barreling down the passage only to stop, on the tips of her feet, leaning over a stark drop as the rest of the passage had broken off and fell down the cliff. Finally getting her balance back, she backed away, turning back the way she came, sending prayers to whoever was listening for Naruto to come round that bend, he'd have a plan.
Her hopes were dashed as a singular Goblin covered in black came around the corner, his ebony marbles locking on to her as he put his head down, barreling at her like a charging carriage. She could down nothing as she took a step back unconsciously, her foot going off the edge as she began to fall, the Goblin leaping at her, grabbing on to her as they both went over the side.
The world seemed to slow down as she looked up into the blue sky and sound fell away as rather than the absolute terror that had gripped her mere moments was gone as calm washed over her. And then it to fell away as she felt the magmata pain of her arm being wrenched from its socket as her eyes met the electric blue of her savior, who was breathing heavily. Behind him, she could see his midnight blade stuck into the stones, the only thing keeping both from hurtling to their deaths. Below her, she could still hear the unholy screams of the falling Goblin.
"I thought you'd died." Belle gulped down the throaty cry as Naruto struggled to lift the girl. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but the only thing keep him from going over the edge after her was his sword which required the use of at least one hand, and he couldn't stand up to get some leverage without releasing the blade.
"I promised you I would keep you safe, didn't I?" Naruto mumbled out, smiling softly at the brunette as she smiled back. Then, the moment was broken by the rumble coming towards them. Glancing back, Naruto recognized the sound, nearly identical to water flowing down a sluice.
'Do you trust me?" Naruto asked quickly, watching Belle's face for her answer as she wasn't expecting the sudden question. "Do you trust me?" Naruto asked again, and this time Belle was ready as she nodded.
"Yes, I trust you." She responded with some tredeptation.
"Then may I suggest if you suffer from acrophobia, vertigo, or you're a generally normal person, don't look down." Naruto said, and before Belle could question him, he released her hand and a scream was torn from her mouth as she felt gravity take hold as she fell, making a small puff as she hit the cloud cover.
Meanwhile, Naruto took a deep breath, bounding to his feet as he looked back just long enough for the true horde of Goblins to round the corner, filling the corridor much like water as they tumbled over each other, racing towards Naruto who grabbed his blade, sliding it home in its place on his side as he ran towards an overarching arch, hitting the side, using his momentum to take another step up, back flipping with just enough air that as he tucked his legs in, he went under the top of the arch and he slammed his feet into it, sending him rocket down after Belle.
As he broke the cloud cover, he saw her tumbling in the air, and increased his speed, hearing the wind screech in his ears. Closing his eyes due to the tears blurring his vision, he caught up to her, rolling in the air as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her head to his chest as he twisted the ring on his finger, ravens wing-colored wings sprouting from his back as he curled them around them both before opening them widen as their descent slowed and they shpt off like an arrow, zipping across the sky as the sunset before them.
"I thought you were going to let me die." Belle sobbed out as Naruto comforted her.
"I'd never forget that I promised to keep you safe, precious Bookworm." Naruto whispered into her ear as he angled towards the northwest.
"But, how?" Belle asked, and Naruto smirked roguishly at the brunette.
"Rest for now, and I'll tell you when we land." And those were the last words Belle heard as she fell to sleep, whether by her own will or by some magic, she knew not, only that the sleep was long overdue.