Once upon a time, there lived a race called the Dark Elves. Their king, Malekith, wanted nothing more than the fall of Asgard, the world that watched the other eight realms. For he hated their king, and wanted the endless war and slaughter in his and Asgard's name to end. The Dark Elves had an idea. With the help of a powerful sorcerer, they were going to create a mirror. A mirror that took everything good and beautiful and made it vanish so only the evil and darkness could be seen. They tested their creation on Vanaheim and all the plant life became decrepit and the gods that resided there turned against each other. The mirror worked perfectly. However, while transporting the mirror to Asgard, the ship that held it was destroyed from a surprise attack. Thus leading to the mirror being broken into thousands of tiny shards. And one of those shards, made its way to Midgard.
Part I
"Anthony, you cannot stay locked up in your lab all day. Boys your age need exercise and sunshine. Go outside and spend time with your friends." A young mousy haired boy of sixteen turned around only to see his butler rolling his eyes while cleaning up the mess his latest experiment made.
"Come on Jarvis." Tony sighed turning back to his beakers. "For all we know I could be finding the cure for the common cold."
"I don't see how that monstrosity could ever lead to a cure to the common cold." Jarvis held his hands out to the metal pieces that were welded together to create a box like shape. "What do you call it again?"
"An automobile." Tony said with a wide grin. "Trust me Jarvis. Horse drawn carriages will become a thing of the past. This. This is where the future lies."
"If your parents knew you were spending the family fortune on this..."
"They would be proud because five years down the line, I will have tripled our fortune and have created something that could help everyone in the village." Tony's eyes glinted, but it wasn't the money that mattered to him. It was the chance of making a change. Revolutionizing the world. He just had a feeling about this one. This was going to be how he made his name. Creating a new mode of transportation that the average person could control and own. "I just need to figure out the best way to get it to actually move." Tony sighed as he looked at his beakers. "Steam and coal like trains are too dangerous. All those fumes so close to human lungs. It could shorten people's life spans by twenty or thirty years."
"Very well sir." Jarvis sighed and went back to his sweeping.
"Tony, are you here?" He heard a voice echo through the house. There was only one person who could enter their house without having to knock.
"Down here Bruce!" Tony shouted back to his best friend. Well, for the most part, his only friend. The majority of the people in the town thought the young Stark heir was for a lack of a better word, peculiar. Weird smoke and noises were always coming from the house, and they thought that without a parental figure, the young boy had gotten out of hand. Bruce though, his closest neighbor, was the only one who saw Tony's experiments for that they were, genius. Even if he did blow up his carriage house and during the winter, the room in the main house that used to be the parlor, at least three times a month.
"Is it safe?" He shouted back. His eyebrows were still growing back from the last time he just walked into Tony's lab without any notice.
"It depends on your definition sir." Jarvis shouted, knowing with his young charge, safe was a word that just didn't exist.
A few moments later, Bruce enter the room and grabbed a pair of goggles off the coat rack. "Still working on the automobile?" Bruce chuckled seeing that the bathtub like structure now had wheels on it.
"Just you wait Bruce. As soon as I'm done with this, everyone in the village will want one." Tony's grin refused to fade as he clapped a hand on his best friend's back. "I'll even give you a discount."
"Thanks." Bruce grumbled as his eyes once again strayed over to the different colored pieces of metal.
"It looks like it's snowing again sirs. Steve and Bucky are having a snowball fight with Rhodey and Sam. Clint and Natasha are building a snow fort. And it looks like young Virginia and Maya are on their holiday break from finishing school and are making a snowman family. Why don't you go outside and spend some time with them?" Jarvis was looking out the window and saw the other children their age in the small park at the center of town. All of them were laughing and having a good time together. How he wished the two acted like normal children and all he had to worry about was stained knickers and not exploding rooms.
"If I go outside will you stop bothering me about it?" Tony sighed as he threw his goggles off.
Jarvis smiled to himself and began cleaning up the glass more merrily. "Just for today sir."
Tony's eyes slid to the window where he did in fact see fluffy white balls falling from the low grey clouds. They then moved to Bruce who showed no signs of help either way. Shoulders slumping and an audible over dramatic sigh, Tony grabbed Bruce by the wrist and they headed to the door. "Fine J. You win. Bruce and I will make nice with the other kids."
After the two boys put on their warm winter clothing they trudged outside. There was a good two feet of snow on the ground and it was still accumulating. The path that led the Stark house to the town square was not shoveled so it made the walk even more grueling to Tony. "Do you know what I hate most about winter?" Tony asked his body still not adjusting to the cold temperatures they were lumbering though.
"The lack of roses?" Bruce threw out there even though he knew the real answer Tony was thinking of. But he quickly bit his tongue so he couldn't say anything else. What he just said was a stupid thing to say. He noticed he was a few steps in front of Tony now, and his thoughtless answer had to be the reason for that.
Tony's eyes were looking at the glistening snow and a crestfallen smile formed. "Roses. Yah. I guess I do like them." Tony looked back up, and he half-heartedly smiled at Bruce. "She always planted roses. A mixture of red and yellow. But red. Red was always her favorite."
"Tony, I'm sorry." Bruce said earnestly and he trotted back to his friend. "I didn't think."
"It's fine Bruce." Tony looked up at the sky still not meeting his friend's eyes. "She loved winter too. The icicles that hung from the house. Building snowmen." Tony laughed as he remembered his mother who he lost far too early. "When it snowed, she used to say that the white bees were storming. And I would ask if those bees had a queen like the spring and summer bees. She would always say nay. That they have a king. That he is flying there, where the swarm is thickest." Tony pointed to an area where the snowfall could have looked thicker, even though he knew that couldn't be true. That one area couldn't have a thicker snowfall than the area a foot away from it. But all it was, was a fairytale, so he knew not to take it too seriously. "But he never remains here on the Earth. Instead he flies up to the dark, menacing clouds and resides in a realm far beyond there. But sometimes, late at night, he flies through the streets of this very town, and looks through our windows. And when he looked through them, ice freezes on the panes and creates the shapes that we see in the morning." Tony's eyes moved back to the sky as if he was looking for either his mother or this mysterious Snow King above. "It was a silly story. But still, her face always lit up when she told it. And a part of me always wondered what the king looked like." Tony shook his head and several clumps of snow fell off his wool hat. "Well enough about that. I have a snowball to make with Steve's name on it."
Bruce wanted to reach out for his friend. To tell him that it's ok to open up about his mom more. That opening up about her and how he feels might heal the wound that was created when she died. But Tony wasn't like that. He would rather bury himself in his work to lessen the pain and memories. Instead, he just let his friend pass him and shortly after, followed him to the center of town where everyone else was hanging out.
Before they reached the center though, Tony bent over and began making his snowball. The melancholy face he had moments ago had vanished and a mischievous smirk took its place. Bruce just followed knowing that this wouldn't end well. "Hey Rogers!" Tony shouted from behind Steve as soon as he was in snowball throwing distance. Steve turned around and in mere seconds his face was red from not only cold and pain of getting a compact ball of snow thrown in his face, but from annoyance.
"Really Stark?" He muttered as he wiped away the last bit of snow in his face.
"Bruce and I call dibs on Rhodey." Tony shouted and they made their way to the side of the wall that Rhodey and Sam made in their snowball war against Steve and Bucky.
Rhodey, the only other person in their godforsaken village that he could call a friend. He was not exactly a scientific genius like he and Bruce, but he always stood by their side, no matter what. Also, he was one of the few people that didn't care about the Stark name and all the money and baggage that came along with it. And in the days where a name means everything, true friends are hard to find.
"Jarvis finally made you come out of your cave?" Rhodey laughed as they had their time out so Sam could join Steve and Bucky on their side of the trenches they were hiding behind.
The boys were scooping up the snow and tightly compacting it into baseball sized balls and creating two piles between the three of them. "I figured he needed a few hours away from me so he could clean up the house and not have it destroyed the moment he finishes."
Rhodey scoffed, but smiled at Tony. "Yah right. Cleaning." He finished making another snowball and added it to their pile. "Just make sure we don't lose. Cause if we do, we'll never hear the end of it from Sam."
"This is me you're talking to." Tony grinned sheepishly. "Losing has never been part of my vocabulary."
The hours of throwing snowballs and getting wet and red with the frozen water went by faster than Tony expected. Sometimes he was so caught up in his dream of inventing and surpassing his father, he forgot how fun it could be to be a normal teenager.
He pulled his watch out of his pocket to check the time and saw it was ten till one. "Damn it." Tony muttered as he safely put it back in his pocket. He almost forgot about the trip he had to make to the the neighboring village. It was about two hours by carriage and the shop owner told him to be there no later than three. He would be cutting it close. "I have to go." He signed has he carefully tucked away his watch. "Bruce. Don't forget, about tomorrow. And Rhodey the day after?"
"Tony, have I ever forgotten to come over once in the past ten years? Besides, tomorrow is Christmas. How could I ever forget with that?" The mood quickly turned somber, the three boys speaking cryptically incase the other guys were listening to the conversation.
"I'll see you guys later then." Tony nodded his head as he headed back to his house, hoping that Jarvis already had the carriage prepped.
"Merry Christmas Bruce." Tony pulled his friend into a hug as soon as he walked through the door and entered the Stark mansion.
"Yah, you too." Bruce was hesitant to hug at first. He always got weirded out by how much Tony loved Christmas. Especially since what follows the next day. But knew that it was better to go along with Tony's whims. To keep him merry and focused on the joy of the holiday. Today was all about his best friend and eating Jarvis's homemade gingerbread cookies.
"Before I forget, here is your gift." Tony pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to Bruce.
"Tony, you shouldn't have." Bruce said feigning the gift as a marriage proposal. It was a good way to keep the mood light and to keep Tony entertained.
"Well you are the only person who can keep up with me." Tony said playing along.
Bruce opened the box and laying on a black velvet bed was a gold pocket watch. The cover looked like little cogs and the back was see through so one could actually see the mechanics of it. He lifted it up from the bed and the chain was long enough to wear around his neck instead of in his pocket. He clicked the button on the top and it popped open showing the Roman numeral numbers. What Bruce did not expect was the engraving on the inside.
The cog that always keeps me going
Was it sappy? Yes. Was it unexpected? Of course. Would anyone believe him if he said Tony had something that sincere engraved in it? Definitely not. But did it remind him why they were friends? Why they were so close? Yes. That it did. It was one of the few moments where Tony was being grateful and not his usual egotistical self. It was his way to say, without you Bruce, I wouldn't be a functioning human being.
"I figured since I broke your last one..." Tony trailed off as his eyes shot to the ground.
"It's perfect Tony." Bruce smiled genuinely as he closed the box and put it in his pant pocket. "Is that gingerbread I smell?" He asked breaking the embarrassed mood the two of them seemed to have. "Wanna see who can make the better gingerbread house?" Bruce challenged knowing Tony always liked a good competition.
"Why is it always a house?" Tony asked as the headed for the kitchen. "Why can't we make a gingerbread version of the Roman Colosseum?"
Bruce rested his head in his hand and shook it wearily. Tony is the only person who would think of something that ridiculous. But that was one of the reasons why he loved Tony. Lifting up his head and placing it on his friend's shoulder. The two then headed into the kitchen to begin the day's customary events of building gingerbread houses, singing carols in the music room, playing a game or two of chess, eating a dinner prepared by Jarvis, and falling asleep to a crackling fire while he told them ghost stories.
"Sir are you ready?" Jarvis asked after knocking on the door and letting himself into his young charge's bedroom. He saw Tony was fussing with his tie and came over to fix it for him. He helped him put on the stuffy black jacket and gave the boy a quick lookover. He looked so much like his father and yet, besides the whole mad scientist and engineering hobbies, he was more like Maria. He wanted to help the villagers. Try to make their lives easier. Yes he did flaunt his intelligence, have an I'm superior than everyone attitude at times; but everything he did was to better mankind.
"Where's Bruce?" Tony did his best to keep his voice level, but he swore he he heard a tinge of sadness in it.
"Getting ready in one of the guests rooms. Shall I fetch him for you?"
Tony nodded his head slowly, as his eyes dared to look at his mirror. How he hated dress clothing like this. They felt constricting in a sense. But very soon, when he goes off to university overseas, clothing such as this would be expect of him. He would have to look like a true gentleman. And that would be even harder with him being an American, well Italian-American. "Thank you Jarvis."
"Are you ready?" Bruce asked as he stood in the doorway. "Rhodey is gonna met us there as usual."
Tony headed over to the door and was ready to leave. "When am I not ready?" He asked as he tried to walk past Bruce.
Bruce placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's just gonna be you, me, Jarvis and Rhodey. You don't need to act-"
Tony shrugged off Bruce. "It's not an act Bruce. Besides, it's been ten years. I'm not a kid anymore."
"I'm just saying, you don't need to pretend to be strong. We all know how close you were with her. And your father-"
"I'll be fine." Tony said as he finally left Bruce in his doorway and headed down the stairs.
While the flower shop had a very little selection to choose from, Tony was able to buy a lovely bouquet of Kaffir Lilies. And besides the snow crunching under their feet, Tony, Jarvis and Bruce walked to the small graveyard on the outskirts of town in silence. There were not many headstones, for many in their village could not afford such frivolous items for the dead. So the land looked even more desolate than a graveyard should.
If Tony had it his way, he would have had an obelisk built for his mother, but she was a women who preferred the simple lifestyle. While she was the wife of the richest man in town, she never flaunted her wealth. In fact, she used it to help the villagers, by being the local midwife. Her skills were so grand, the other neighboring villages and even people from the capital called upon her for her skills.
And her stories, the ones of the gods, and the nine realms, they would always relax him and put him to sleep. She never forced him to pursue engineering or the sciences like his father. All she wanted was for him to be happy.
At the gate of the graveyard, Rhodey, dressed in his Sunday best, was waiting from them to arrive. "Hey Rhodey." Tony muttered and found himself pulled into an embrace by his friend.
"Hey man." Was the only thing Rhodey said to him. He knew better than to say sorry and I understand. Those were empty words. Not something Tony needed to hear. All he needed to know was that his friends would stay by his side, no matter what.
The four men made it to the back of the graveyard where the iron fence made its border. Two headstones approximately three feet in height stood under a dead maple tree. One read Maria Collins Stark, 1796 - 1831 "A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
A quote from her favorite author, Washington Irving. It was fitting for her. Worth every cent to give her such a headstone, even if no one besides himself and his friends were looking at it.
The other headstone next to hers was much more simplistic, Howard Anthony Walter Stark, 1790 - 1831 Husband, Father, Inventor.
At times, Tony felt like his father didn't even deserve that. If it was up to him, he would have been buried under the very tracks his trains drive on. But seeing as how the village would have been nothing without him, he was obligated to at least give him that.
Tony knelt down at his mother's headstone and placed the flowers down on the snow. "Hey Mom." Tony whispered as he held his hand out and grazed the frozen stone. Some snow fell of the top of it and landed on his gloved hands. "Happy belated Christmas. Jarvis has been making sure I'm eating, sleeping and cleaning properly so I don't get sick. And wakes me up to makes sure that I go to school every day. So you don't need to worry about me. Rhodey and Bruce are still putting up with me. Making sure I don't destroy the house too much with my inventions. And Jarvis still tends to your garden. The roses will be beautiful this year. I know you will like them." He got silent for a few moments and his hand dropped from the frozen slab of stone. "On occasion, I still look for him. The Snow King. If I see a thick cluster of snowfall. I look for him. For you. I know he's not real, but you always believed in him. So I'll keep searching for him. For you." Tony rose and straightened his jacket. He briefly glanced at his father's gravestone. His hand grazed gingerly over his stomach as he looked at it apathetically. Closing his eyes and dropping his hand he turned around and began making his way back to the graveyard entrance.
Tony leaned against the frozen gate and saw Bruce and Rhody running as quickly as they could in the snow to meet him. "Are you sure that's all you want to say?" Rhodey asked first since he got to Tony first.
"Like I told Bruce earlier. I'm not a little kid-"
"This isn't about you being a kid or not." Rhodey quickly interrupted, not wanting to take any of Tony's shit today. "This is about you still trying to be connected to your mom but pushing her memory away at the same time. Tony, you always lock yourself up. Drown all your attention into your inventions. The only time you ever open up is when we have these once a year trips to your mom's grave. And each year, your time with her gets shorter and shorter. Tony, you don't have to limit your time or keep anything to yourself. Today is your day with her. We are just here for support."
"What's there to tell her?" Tony asked hypothetically. "I'm nowhere close on my automobile. And I can't think of any way to improve trains any more than they already have been. School is tedious. And who knows if I'll even get into Cambridge, let alone go considering it's a continent away. So far nothing of great meaning has happened in my life for me to tell her. I'm heading back home then. I have work to do." Tony said finitely, leaving his friends without a second thought.
Winter continued on and there were many cold days. Snow continued to pile on top of itself, and Tony used it as an excuse to continue his work. But every other day, was the same as the last. Meaning, he was making no progress on his automobile. With spring coming, Tony was becoming more optimistic. Working outside with the fresh air, the blooming flowers, and the gentle hum of the bees. He had a strong feeling that spring and summer was exactly what he needed to get out of his indoor working rut.
"Don't stay up too late sir." Jarvis said as he opened the door to Tony's lab. "You have school in the morning."
"Yah. Yah." Tony waved off not straying from his newly welded pieces of metal. His car, aesthetically, was coming along smoothly. If only he could still figure out a way to power it. Long into the night he worked on schematics and tried to think of some new ideas, but nothing came. Finally, he stepped away from his desk and knew his eyes needed a rest.
It's impossible to think properly when you're tired, but Tony was not going to let that get to him. He was determined to stay up at late as he needed. Spring was coming. He wanted a prototype out by late spring or early summer, but that dream felt more and more likely to be unfulfilled.
Pushing his blueprints away, he finally stood up from his desk. He walked over to the couch by the window and plopped down. Closing his eyes, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maybe his seventy-two hours of no sleep so he could try to figure out the secret of powering his automobile, was finally getting to him. But how could he possibly think about sleep and school at a time like this. He needs to make this automobile. He needs to surpass his dad in every way possible. He needs to be the one remembered in his history books. It has to be him. It has to be.
Opening his eyes he turned to look out the large window. The glass was finally replaced from his latest experiment gone wrong, but he did miss the cool breeze on his face. But he had to admit, that he was happy for the glass since spring is only a day away. So when they were inside, he didn't want to deal with Bruce's allergy induced sneezing.
Tony's eyes started to flutter in and out of sleep the longer he sat on the couch, but his eyes stayed focused on the stars. It was a clear night and the shimmering diamonds above looked even more radiant.
"Did you know Tony that we are just one of nine realms? The other eight, they are up there. We may not be able to see them, but they can see us." Maria's voice whispered jovially in her son's ear.
Tony turned his head to the other side of the room, and could have sworn he saw the shadow of his mother and a young boy sticking their heads out the window. A small brass telescope was in her hand but she placed it down on the nightstand. The shadow that resembled a four year old him shook his head no as he took in his mother's every word. "Asgard and Vanaheim are where the gods, such as Odin and Frigga, reside." The shadow smiled warmly as she wrapped her arms tightly around her son. "We, humans live on Midgard or what we call Earth. And the elves-"
"Elves!" Tony head his own voice interrupted his mother excitedly.
"Yes Anthony." Her laugh was musical as she rubbed her son's shoulder. "Elves. But not the same type of elf as Father Christmas. These ones are warriors. They do not care for the rule of the gods but live peacefully with them. They reside on Alfheim. And the dwarfs, called the dark elves by some, live on Svartalfheim. Now the dark elves are a dangerous breed that want to downfall of the gods and to rule all the realms for themselves. But few, if any, live. Most were killed in their last war with Asgard. Then there is Hel, where the dead reside. And then there is Niflheim and Muspelhim, where the ice and fire demons are."
"Is that where the Snow King lives?"
"Nay." She looked down towards him as he continued looking at the stars in the sky. "He lives in the last of the realms. Jotunheim. Where the giants live."
"Is the Snow King a giant then?" The enthusiasm could no longer be contained in the small child's voice as he listened to his mother's story.
"Yes, he is. But he is not quite like the others."
"Mother, how do you know so much about the realms and the Snow King?"
"That is a story for another night my son." Her voice slowly faded away as her eyes drifted from her son back to the sky and the stars above.
Tony watched the shadows evaporated into the darkness of the room and he turned back to face his own window. "What the?" He murmured to himself as he started to rub his eyes awake. Across the street he saw thick white mist...no, not mist...it was snow. A moving swarm of snow. It was like the bees his mother used to point out to him. He watched as the storm paused at the windows of every building it passed for a few seconds before moving again. He had to be imaging this. This could not be real. The bees in the snow. They are just storied his mom made up. Science. Frozen water in the sky that falls from clouds. Snow is not some mystical creature. It could be explained with science based facts.
His body froze as the snowy mist got closer and he repeated over and over in his head that he was seeing things. For he could have sworn he saw a silhouette of a body. The floating snow surrounding it was moving perfectly in sync with the walking of the body. Wait. The body wasn't walking. It was gliding. The silhouette's feet were not touching the ground. It slowly got closer to his own window and Tony thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He did his best to stay still on the sofa. He prayed soundlessly to the gods; asking them to let this be some sleep deprived mirage, but in his heart he knew it was for naught. What he was seeing was real. It's something that he has known about since he was a child, but in recent years convinced himself to be a myth. What he was seeing, was what his mother was always looking for. It was the Snow King.
He finally dared to move his eyes back over to the window and had to keep himself from shouting in utter shock. His own eyes met a pair of deep crimson ones, a shade of red more vibrant than blood. But the longer he looking into them, the closer he studied, the more alluring he found them. Enchanting in a sense. They were the most beautiful swirl of deadly and alluring. He had a feeling that the Snow King could see in the window. That he could see him. He even thought the man could hear his heart beating through the wall and glass of the window. But their eyes never parted.
Tony's body shot up from the sofa, as if the king was calling out to him. Summoning him. He leaned in closer to the glass, his finger itching to touch the clasp to open it. He was completely entranced.
The Snow King smirked and moved his head so he was only inches from the window. He lowered his body so he was perfectly eye level with the boy on the other side of the window. He found himself amused and intrigued. This human. This mortal. He could see him amongst his protective mist. It didn't matter though. This boy will just think he is dreaming. That this was his imagination running wild. And even if he did tell the villagers. Claimed that he saw a man creating frost on his window. No one would believe him. They would think him mad.
Pursing his lips together, he gently blew on the glass. He watched as the boys eyes went from captivated to confused when star shaped frost formed on the window and made it so neither could see the other.
"Tony, you do realize how crazy that sounds." Bruce whispered after he finished jotting down the notes on the chalkboard. "The Snow King? You were probably just imagining it. Which is why you need to have a normal sleeping habit."
"I know what I saw Bruce." Tony whispered back, but unlike Bruce, he was not writing down what their teacher was on the board. He just sat in his chair, his elbow on his desk and chin resting on his right hand.
"The Snow King is just some story your mom made up." Bruce began jotting notes down again, his eyes staying focused on the board, but his brain on the conversation with Tony. "No one else in the village has ever heard of the story. I asked around. No one knew what I was talking about when I asked them if they were told any myths or stories about a Snow King. In fact, most of the stories your mom told, the ones about the gods and nine realms. No one has ever heard of them before."
"I know what I saw Bruce. It was the Snow King. It had to be." But even Tony heard the doubt in his voice. Bruce was the one person who believed in him, no matter what. So why won't he believe him when he said he saw a guy making the frost on everyones windows in the middle of the night. That he was doing what his mom's story about the Snow King did. Sure, he might have been a little sleep deprived, but he knew what he saw was real. It had to be real. It had to be.
"Mr. Stark." Mr. Coulson's voice quickly hushed the two boy's whispers. His arms were crossed as he walked to the back of the room. "Care to share your riveting conversation with the rest of the class?"
"Nah, I think I'm good." Tony smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "So please, go back to teaching. Just act like I'm not even here."
"Oh no Mr. Stark." Professor Coulson who normally showed little emotion, had a glint in his eyes that Tony didn't like. Something akin to a smile on his stoic face. "I insist. Please tell us. I believe you were talking to Mr. Banner about a Snow King. A Snow King that you know what you saw." He rose an eyebrow, challenging the boy to admit he was talking about some cock-and-bull fairy tale.
"It's a new steam engine train. Supposedly it goes ninety miles per hour. The typical train only goes forty. The thing is, it only travels by night, so no one knows if it really exists or not." Tony said the lie so matter of factly that even he was believing it. "Since the train station is a few miles behind my house, I can see the trains pulling in from my bedroom window. Last night, I thought I saw the mysterious Snow King Steam Engine, but Bruce doesn't believe me. Doesn't think a train that moves that fast could exist." Tony turned to Bruce, grinning. "Isn't that right Bruce?"
He could just imagine the long string of profane words Bruce was saying in his head from being forced into Tony's lie. Bruce smiled half-heartedly at Professor Coulson as he tried to think fast. He didn't want Tony to get in trouble, nor have the other kids thinking he was crazier than they already do. But Tony's lie was absurd. Almost more absurd than the actual one he was telling him about the Snow King in his window. So, how was he supposed to back that up? "Well Professor Coulson, you know Tony. Always chasing after the unattainable. Especially when it comes to the sciences."
"That he does Mr. Banner." Professor Coulson said shortly. "That he does. Now, back to conjugating."
"Thank god it's over." Tony said as he and Bruce left the small schoolhouse and began the walk to their houses. "Now to more important matters."
"You know Tony, if you still plan on going to Cambridge, you might want to get on Professor Coulson's good side." Bruce said slowly, but knew Tony wouldn't listen to his advice either way.
"Who needs Professor Coulson's recommendation when I got both the money and the brain?" Tony was being nonchalant about the situation as opposed to the last time he talked about his short term goal. "I'll get in, no problem. And so will you." Tony turned his head to the side to look at his best friend and smiled genuinely. "We're gonna get out of this town and go on to bigger things. Make a name for ourselves." Bruce sighed in relief. It seems like the day of visiting his mother's grave, and what he said there was a long forgotten memory. He was back to being his usual overly assuring self.
"And it all starts with the automobile." Both boys said in unison, but their tones vastly different. Tony was excited, enthusiasm rung in his voice, where for Bruce it was more dread; that they were chasing after a lost cause.
"That's right Bruce." Tony stopped and grabbed Bruce by the shoulder and pulled him in close. His other hand reach out in front of him as if he were painting a picture in the air. "I can see it now. You. Me. Stark-Banner Industries. We will revolutionize the way people travel. Hundreds. No Thousands. Thousands of years from now, people will still know our names. We will be immortalized."
"We just need to figure out how to power it to make it work." Bruce said sarcastically as if it were no big deal. That the past two years they have spent working on it will finally be solved next Tuesday.
"It's all a matter of time Bruce. All a matter of time."
They finally reached the fork in the road that divided to two houses from one another. "I should head home and practice my Latin."
"Or you could come over." Tony was still beaming. "It's the first day of spring. And Jarvis has been working on the garden since we left for school."
"Some of us actually care about how well we do." Bruce sighed. It was easy for Tony to blow off school as nothing. He has money. Is a genius. His father was worshiped and considered a revolutionist in his industry. Even without his intellect, Tony was set for life. While Bruce has the intellect he has to work hard to make sure he can succeed. His name is already tainted by his father in the scientific community. He can't give them any more reason to be shunned when he hasn't even entered it yet. And he definitely cannot rely on Tony to help him make it. He has to do it on his own. Make everyone else see his brilliance and that he is not his father. "We can hang out this weekend." He saw Tony look at him skeptically. "Friday when school gets out. I promise."
Tony agreed to Bruce's terms and watched his friend walk down the path to his aunt and uncle's house. The moment he was out of sight, Tony went back the way they came and headed to the graveyard. The flowers he left for his mother at Christmas were gone. The grounds keeper must have tossed them when they wilted, and Tony felt bad that he didn't bring a new bouquet for her. But he quickly shrugged it off. More pressing matters were at hand. "Hey mom. Sorry about my last visit. I know I wasn't exactly being talkative, but now I have something to tell you." He sat down cross-legged, and dropped his voice into a whisper. He knew no one would be listening, few people in town ever come to the graveyard. But there was just something about telling him mom what he saw that made the hushed voice necessary. "I actually saw him. The Snow King. He's real. He looked right at me through my window. His eyes were darker than blood and his skin a cleaner blue than the summer sky. Just like you said." Tony sighed and began pulling at the grass over his father's grave. "I don't know how you knew all of this. And it's not just the Snow King, but how you knew of the gods and other realms too. You were taken away from me before I got to hear that story. But I will find out one way or another. Why you know so much about these other worlds. And why you were so interested in the Snow King as opposed to all the others. I'll have to wait a few month for the cold to return, but I will figure this out mom. I promise you that much."
Laying in the rose garden, both Tony and Bruce were both watching the clouds. The bricks were warm, but they had laid out quilts and pillows just in case it got too hot. Bruce had a small stack of hankies by his head incase his hay fever started up. Below the stack of hankies was several scientific journals, their pages starting to yellow at the edges and the leather covering them deteriorating. On a small table was a sweating pitcher of raspberry lemonade and two glasses with melting ice.
"That one looks like an air brake pump." Tony said offhandedly pointing to a cloud.
"Yah know, most people see dogs or boats, not train parts." Bruce grabbed one of the thin pieces of cloth and dabbed his nose. "When they are looking at clouds."
"Doing this helps me think." Tony sighed as he grabbed one of his head pillows and put it under his lower back. "I still need to figure out how to get my automobile to work."
"Why are you so against steam power anyways?"
Tony's eyes continued to scan the sky as he debated how to word the answer. There were plenty of reasons as to why he was so against making his automobiles steam powered, but most may sound juvenile. Now, there was no question that the biggest reason as to why he was against steam power was because that's what his dad worked with. If he was truly going to surpass him, he needed something better. "All that smoke so close to human lungs, cannot be healthy. I also don't imagine it being that healthy for nature in general, but more studies on that need to be done." Tony said lifting up his right hand pointer finger as if saying the number one. "It will take too long for the automobile to heat up and take away from the convenience factor that I want for it." Tony then put up his middle finger making the number two. "The maintenance required for a steam engine will also be difficult for the average household, which once again will take away from my idea of convenience for short distance travel that's faster than carriages." He held up the index finger to make a three. "So, steam power is out of the question."
"Why not just make a steam powered one. See how people react to it. Then when you finish that one, work on the life changing power source yet to be discovered." Bruce threw out. "Who knows, maybe you'll figure out what you're looking for, if you work on something you do know."
"You know I can't do that Bruce." Tony said as the cloud that looked like an air brake pump began to lose its shape.
The two got quiet and the bells in the small church tower began their song. It was noon. The only time they rang besides for service every Sunday at eight am. As the bells rang, a pain surged through Tony's eye. The excruciating pain made him sit up and he immediately began rubbing his eye. If felt like something had fallen in the same moment the bells began chiming. He rubbed harder to get whatever it was out, but the pain only got worse. "Damn it." He muttered as the pain moved from his eye to his chest, specifically his heart. He didn't understand what could cause such pain, but it was excruciating. After a few more moments, it vanished and he felt perfectly fine, which confused him even more.
"Tony are you alright?" Bruce shot up and turned so he was sitting directly across from his friend.
"I'm fine." Tony snapped, shrugging off Bruce's concern. It was only after he said the words that he realized that he was coming off as agitated and he didn't understand why he had the sudden outburst. He removed his hand from his eye and looked at the roses next to him. While he could have sworn just minutes ago, they were a mix of vibrant ruby and gold, they now were turning brown at the edges and looking decrepit. "What the-" Tony trailed off as he plucked one of the roses out to study it. He touched the petals and they felt dead, not silky. He pulled out another one and another, trying to rid the garden of the flaws he kept seeing.
"Tony what are you doing?" Bruce asked, his voice borderline frantic as he watched his friend pluck flower after flower. He grabbed Tony's wrist to prevent him from pulling out more flowers.
"Those roses. They're dead. Ugly." Tony snapped freeing his wrist from Bruce's grasp. He turned to face his friend, and he also looked different. He still looked like Bruce, but his aura. It was different. He couldn't explain it. The pain in his left eye and chest returned and he hunched his body over from the pain.
"I'll go get Jarvis." Bruce shot up and began running back to the Stark Manor, leaving Tony to writhe in pain.
When he could no longer hear the pounding of Bruce's feet, the pain once again lessened and he felt normal again. He slowly moved his hands and laid back down. He kept his breathing slow and focused on a single point in the blue sky. He finally felt himself becoming calm, but when he looked back over to the flowers, they were as decrepit as they were before.
"I don't know what happened." Tony could hear Bruce talking to Jarvis as he returned to the garden. "He just started picked the flowers, saying they were dead, and then his body hunched over like he was in pain."
"Are you alright sir?" Jarvis asked as he got on his knees and placed the back of his hand on Tony's head.
Tony pushed it away as he felt the pain in his eye and heart returning. He didn't want to be bothered by Bruce or Jarvis. All he wanted was to be alone. He was fine just a moment ago. But having them in his presence brought back the pain. "Leave me alone." He shouted as he shot up from his spot. "I was fine until you showed up."
Jarvis was taken aback. He had never seen Tony like this. While he was arrogant and technically the master of the household, he always remained respectful to him. He didn't know how to handle this scenario. "Sir, I know you think you are indestructible-"
"I'm going back to my room." Tony interrupted, not wanting to once again hear that he is human and needs to take care of himself. He was reminded that on a daily basis and didn't want to hear it again. "It's unbearable being out here." Tony spoke sharply before leaving Jarvis and Bruce in the rose garden. He slammed his bedroom door behind him and was thankful they didn't follow him back into the house. He fell on his bed and once again could feel the hatred disappearing. Closing his eyes he decided to focus on breathing and nothing else. But why did he get so mad at Bruce and Jarvis? They were only trying to help him. And yet, for found himself agitated that they did care and worry about him. But he couldn't explain why. And the roses? What happened to the roses? Tony didn't understand what had happened to him just now. Maybe it was his lack of sleep? Yes. That had to be it. He just needed to sleep and everything would be better in the morning.
As much as Tony wanted to believe things would get better in the morning, it never came. Day transformed into weeks and he only found himself getting annoyed at them. He even snapped at Professor Coulson during lessons or at Rhodey when they spent lunch break together. Everyone and everything was bothering him. And the one thing that Tony thought would be his salvation during his unexplainable mood swings, his experiments, he was starting to find them almost as irksome as people at times. But he kept trudging through, not giving up on them yet.
"Tony, don't you think it's time you focus on something a little more realistic?" Bruce saw the floor around Tony's desk was littered with crumpled blue prints and the trash bin in the corner was filled to the brim. "No one will blame you for giving up on this one. You are still the smartest seventeen year old in the village. So just make one with a steam engine already."
Tony rubbed his temples, his pencil still between his fingers. Sighing, he grabbed the blueprint in front of him, crumpled it up and threw it in the direction of the bin. It hit the small pyramid already formed on top and several of the rumpled balls rolled and joined the others on the floor. "You know I can't do that Bruce." He finally spoke as he tapped his pencil on the fresh sheet of blueprint paper. "I need to beat him. I have to."
Bruce placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and sighed. What more could he do? Yah, he liked science, but he is more into chemistry, biology, and physics. He is not an engineer or inventor like Tony is. But their skill sets complement each other. However right now. He has no clue how to even start helping Tony on this one. "Tony, your dad designed and built the first working steam powered locomotive. That's not an easy feat to beat. And no one expects you to. Not when you are still in school. Besides, you have so many more opportunities out there. You have money Tony. You can go to Europe and study at one of the university's there. There is nothing keeping you here."
"If you're not gonna help me Bruce, then just go." Tony said bitterly, but was confused where that spurt of annoyance came. Bruce was just trying to help. Being a friend. There was no reason to bite his head off. And yet, something about the anger felt right. That it was easier than trying to look at the bright side. A part of him just wanted to succumb to his hatred, but he needed to fight it. He can't hurt Bruce. Not when he has always stayed by his side. Bust most of all, he can't let this hatred turn him into his father.
"Bruce...I"
"You're obviously tired Tony." Bruce said irately as he headed for the door. "We'll talk after you get some sleep."
"Bruce. Wait!" Tony shot up from his chair, but Bruce had already slammed the door behind himself. "Damn it." Tony picked up the blueprint paper and began ripping it into pieces. "It's useless. All useless." He walked over to the welded sheets of metal and kicked it. "Damn it!" His foot throbbed in pain as he hopped around the shed.
Tony still didn't know where all this pent up rage has been coming from. Why he had been shouting and talking back to Jarvis, Bruce and Rhodey. He honestly didn't know. But trying to find a way to sedate it was much harder than accepting it. So he was. And honestly, a large part of him didn't care anymore.
