Forbidden Fables (NarutoxDisney)

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. All the characters, names and places belong to their respective owners.

I have to go back to work again, so releases to this story is going to be slow or short or both depending on my level of motivation. In truth, I wanted to conclude Cinderella this chapter, but I guess I have to settle for the next one.

Special thanks to grimreaper40045 for an interesting suggestion – that is, reverse the role with Belle as the beast and Naruto as the beauty. Such an awesome idea won't occur in the second arc as I'd already crafted its plotline, but the idea could be used in the later arc.

=[Cinderella]=
6

The refreshing breeze of the seemingly endless night entered the dimly lit chamber from the opened window to swirl around him. Riding along its playful whispers was the sound of boastful laughter and indiscernible conversations. The latter was laced with rumors and gossips, chattered by the busy bodies standing in the courtyard as they began their long journey back to their home since the king's festivals had concluded.

Remaining seated in an upright position with thick royal blanket wrapping around his leaned body in order to trap the generated body, he shifted his shoulder slowly and considerately, nesting her head against his naked chest in a more comfortable position. As she mumbled and brushed her hand against his blissful skin in her peaceful sleep, his crimson slit eyes stared out the window to view the starry sky above.

Those transformed eyes filled with troubled thoughts, and once his sated expression shifted into one of anxiety, a deep voice in the back of his mind called out. "With my help, you can be in this form forever, so what's with the sad face, brat?"

"I am not sad," Naruto vocally responded and rubbed his hands against thickened whisker marks, which adorned either side of his cheek. The vast amount of potent chakra the demonic fox had so graciously lent him in order for him to maintain his henge felt ominous… corrupted. No string attached. There was no doubt in his mind that the titanic fox sealed in his gut had its own agenda. He'd told himself time and time again to stop relying on its power, but without its help, he wouldn't able to achieve all the things he needed to do.

"Troubled? About what troubled you exactly?" Kurama asked with a hint of curiosity.

"It's… my mortality," Naruto answered with a prolonged sigh. That was another troublesome problem he had to deal with one day. In the years that had passed, his body remained the same, youthful and unchanging. He had accepted that this place was another world, separated from his own, but even so, he would still age normally wouldn't he?

Kurama didn't take more than a few second to snort. "Hah? You're a really strange one, you know that? Every dumbass out there would give anything to have a forever youthful body, and here you are, brooding about why you do?"

"I'm not those dumbasses. I don't want to live forever," Naruto asserted as he looked down at his chest and captured the face of a sleeping beauty. "When she's gone… what should I do then?"

"You're a dumbass," Kurama stated flatly.

"What…?"

"I said you're a dumbass," Kurama repeated with even more directness. "Why think about something like that when you still have decades left? Just go with the flow and take what you can get. Worrying about what tomorrow might bring won't let you live today."

Naruto blinked at the philosophical statement and nodded in agreement. The demonic fox was quiet wise when it wanted to be. "You're right. I will make every moment with her more memorable than the last."

As he made his promise, he caressed her peaceful face with a genuine smile. Cinderella squirmed in his warm embrace before revealing her sky blue eyes slowly. "Do you mean that, my love?"

"Yes. I do," Naruto assured and stroked her blond hair lovingly. He knew he would be in great grief when she passed away in the years to come, but at least from here – in this moment – to the dark day of far future, he would make her happy.

Cinderella closed her eyes while she felt the surrealism of it all. "Naruto," she said his name so ever softly and lovingly. "I have a wonderful dream, but it terrifies me greatly. In it, we were married, living in a small cottage by the coast with a beautiful child; a two year old with strands of hair seemingly made out of gold while her eyes were so bright like the color of cloudless sky touching the blissful summer sea. All three of us looked so happy together." She stopped speaking and embraced him as closely as she could.

Naruto didn't understand why such a dream frightened her. He could hear her sobbing lowly upon his chest, and subconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her. "Please don't cry. We don't have to live in a place like that if you don't want to. Your home has been returned to you. We could live there for the rest of our lives."

Cinderella sniffled and rubbed her face against his muscular body. "I don't want to return to that place," she stated with a note of hesitation. It was the home of her parents, but it was also the place where her mother had died; the place where her father left and never returned; the place where she lost all that had mattered in her life. Most importantly, it was Ella's home, not hers; not Cinderella's. "I want to live my days in a small loving cottage with a beautiful child that we will make. I want to make that dream true even if… it felt like it was just an illusion like a figment of my own desires."

"What do you mean…?" Naruto questioned lowly.

Cinderella remembered the falseness of their expression in her dream. It was hard to understand. She knew she was incredibly happy, but at the same time, she felt that happiness was all made up, carefully conjured and crafted by an invisible's hand. She shook her head slowly to clear her mind of such an eerie notion. "No, it doesn't matter. Home is where you are, my love. As long as you are by my side, I will be home."

"Damn… You are one lucky bastard, you know that, Naruto?" Kurama questioned with a hint of envy and sarcasms. Anyone with a brain would see that the Ella – or Cinderella now – was hopelessly in love with the idiot.

"Yes," Naruto admitted with a nod. He was lucky to have met her. He wrapped his hands around her nakedness even more tenderly. "Cinderella. If there is a chance that I am able to return to my home, would you come with me?"

Cinderella knew her beloved was basically asking her to throw everything she knew away and go with him to the land filled with magic and wonders. The choice wasn't difficult. It wasn't because such a place would bewilder her endlessly. It was because everything she had in this life now belonged to him. Her heart, her body, her mind, was no exception. "Do you need to ask, my love?"

"I guess not," Naruto said with a cheekily grin.

– Cinderella –

"May I present Lady Tremaine," the servant introduced with a deep bow. Her master waved his hand to dismiss her from the room while the other powerful noblemen and noblewomen of the realm remained impassive at the introduction. They all knew who Lady Tremaine was, and if they somehow didn't, they had come to learn much about her in the last couple of days. She was an upstarted, trying to gain favors with the Grand Duke in any way she can.

"Lady Tremaine," the Grand Duke greeted from his seat with an ever charming smile. "I must say, you are more resourceful than I'd given you credit for.

"You are too generous in your compliment, my Lord," Lady Tremaine replied as she took a seat closer to the Grand Duke. The nobles in the room murmured among themselves when she did so. To take a seat without the Grand Duke's expressed consent, let alone a seat so close to him, was a direct offense, but strangely, he remained calmed and collective.

Was there some real basis to the rumor that had been circulating in across the realm for the last couple of days? It was about a lowly born woman, who was able to captivate the Grand Duke's heart, if he ever had one in the first place.

The Grand Duke, for no apparent reason, made the woman – Lady Tremaine – a countess, granting her a vast estate in the more prosperous region of the Kingdom. Was she the one? No, the men and women by the table answered their own question almost instantly. Still, why showed respect the woman? They wanted to know, but luckily, they had enough restrain to not ask the most powerful man in the entire realm such a personal question.

The Grand Duke only gave an approving nod when Lady Tremaine was fully seated. She shifted around the cushion, making herself more comfortable.

"I trust that you are settling to your new estate?" The Grand Duke finally asked.

"Yes, my Lord. Your support in the matter had been far too gracious," Lady Tremaine answered. Even though she had to return Ella's estate back to her to clear all her outstanding debts, the wealth she gained for 'selling' the girl was more than just impressive. The title of countess and granted land was only a mere afterthought. If she knew the stupid girl would worth that much, she would have sold her as a plaything long ago.

In addition, the absurd price she got for the jeweled encrusted silver tiara and exquisite sky blue dress would keep her and her daughters living comfortable for years. Unfortunately, even with her new found luck, not everything went her way. Her eldest daughter, Drisella, had smashed one of the glass slippers in her enraged fit when learning that Cinderella had the prince's eyes. In doing so, the undamaged one became useless to any potential buyer.

"Please. There is no need for such modesty, Lady Tremaine," the Grand Duke said. "If there is anything you desired, speak. If it is within my power to do so, I will."

"Thank you, my Lord," Lady Tremaine said. She paused for a moment before taking out a small scroll from her purse and placed it on the table before the Grand Duke. "I know it is not much, but I want to show you my full support. The Kingdom needs a strong King and… perhaps, a wise Queen."

There was some wistfulness in her tone. Everyone, who was anyone, knew the Grand Duke would prefer innocent maiden, tending him in his lonely nights, but such thing was not a problem with Lady Tremaine when considering the power she would wield once she was official spouse. Even if she couldn't, perhaps, one of her two daughters would.

"Indeed, a wise Queen is a must," the Grand Duke agreed wholly. He was referring to someone else, but no one else in the room knew who exactly. He tapped his fingers on top of the unsealed scroll. He didn't need to unfurl and read it to know that it was the royal order, commissioned by the prince. His retainers within the army had given him a sealed copy a full day ago.

"The King had grown feeble and his moronic son had bitten more than he can chew, my Lord," one of the nobles said. "Perhaps it is time to show where the power of the realm actually lies."

"Yes, I supposed we should open his eyes to the reality of his situation," the Grand Duke agreed with a light nod. How the prince managed to acquire all the essential evidence against him so quickly made him pondered if there was a spy among his associates or inner circles. It made him strangely proud, but then again, after this night, it did not matter one way or another.

"But before we do so, let us dine like it is our last supper," the Grand Duke added and clapped his hand lightly. The servants immediately brought forth vast amount of trays and beverages so they could begin a grand feast.

In truth, the grand feast was an understatement. The cost to bring forth such a feast far exceeded that of the King's festivals if anyone beside the Grand Duke knew. Exotic cuisines after cuisines from far away land were brought forth from the massive kitchen, enticing everyone with their alluring and taunting aroma long before their taste buds were allowed to dance joyously. The vintages they allowed to sample so eagerly must have been slowly nurtured in mother earth's bosoms for centuries passed.

"To the new King. May we all prosper in his presence," one of the noblemen gave a toast towards the Grand Duke after a hearty meal worthy of his size. Everyone did the same, saying their own version one after another.

"May your blood flourish throughout the realm, my Lord," Lady Tremaine toasted and drained her cup in one go.

"My blood has already flourished, Lady Tremaine. That is the truth," the Grand Duke claimed with a smile. He turned to look at the rest of the nobilities and became quiet amused. He was thinking about how ironic everything had been up to this moment. The people seated before him, bowing to him, were probably some of the same one that destroyed his livelihood. Now, they were beseeching him, the commoner they loathed, to be King. He then drained his own cup, consuming the foreign substances the wine was laced with, without any hesitation on his part.

– To be continued –

Next chapter: the happy ending to this arc... well happy ending to Naruto and Cinderella anyway.