Once upon a time, there was a young knight named Sir Tony of House Stark. He was not a traditional knight for he did not just serve and protect the kingdom, he also ruled it. As the sole surviving member of the royal House Stark, Sir Tony was king and ruled his kingdom with help, more than he cared to admit, from Lady Pepper of House Potts.

King Tony was a handsome man and he knew it well. Women and men from all across the kingdom swooned over him but, while he occasionally sampled from his citizens, he generally wasn't interested. He spent much of his time on his inventions as he was a far more intelligent person than most. There were several things he hated about being king and there were many who hated him for being king but he hoped to redeem himself through his actions as a knight, if not through their eyes, then his own.

One day, as King Tony sat upon his golden throne with a matching crown upon his head, half-listening to the complaints of his people, a messenger burst through the heavy wooden doors of his castle with an urgent message. Tony sat up with sudden interest and dismissed the man before him complaining about his crops with a wave of his hand.

Most messengers would stumble over their feet to bow to Tony out of fear and respect but not this one. This messenger was actually a brave and great knight in disguise by the name of Sir Phillip of House Coulson. He approached the throne and attempted to hand Tony the scroll but King Tony didn't like to be handed things.

"Uh, no," Tony said, staring down at Sir Coulson's outstretched hand.

Sir Coulson barely refrained from rolling his eyes as an alert Lady Pepper swooped in from another room to Tony's aid. "Sorry about the king, Sir Phillip," she said, taking the scroll from him.

"It's all right, Lady Potts. The King's quirks are amusing at best."

Pepper turned and handed Tony the scroll as she was the only he trusted with the task. He knew who it was from before he even looked at the one-eyed raven stamped into the wax seal that held it closed. Lord Nicholas of House Fury always had one important issue or another that required Tony's help. He enjoyed giving Lord Fury a hard time but he was always willing to give assistance when needed. He hadn't yet opened the scroll when he looked up at the knight in disguise.

"Is that all, sir?" he asked pointedly. Pepper shot him a look that made him sink down in his throne a little.

Sir Coulson stared back at King Tony, completely unimpressed. "For now, your highness."

He turned and left without a word as Tony rolled open the message and Lady Pepper returned to doing the real work of running the kingdom. He thoroughly read through the scroll multiple times before letting it go to roll in on itself. It told of a massive green ogre that was terrorizing the Stark kingdom. Lord Fury had attempted to contain it but it broke free and began destroying whole villages in its flight. However, the message wasn't asking Tony to capture the ogre; it was telling him to kill it. Lord Fury failed in keeping it under control and he felt that there was no hope in ever doing so.

King Tony let the scroll fall from his hands to the floor as he deeply thought about the quest. He would do it, of course. He would do anything to protect his people even if they only thought of him as the spoiled rich king. But killing always left a sour taste in his mouth. He didn't brag about his kills like other knights; he kept them well hidden and drowned them in keg after keg of ale.

Tony stood from his throne and removed his crown, leaving it carelessly on the seat. "PEPPER!" he called. "Cancel the rest of the day's appointments. And don't wait up."

He quickly left the throne room and found his way to the castle's massive library. He weaved his way to the back shelves and pulled out a red cloth book with golden lettering. A soft click reached his ears and the bookcase popped forward slightly. He glanced around to see if he was being watched before he swung open the case and slipped through.

On the other side was a dimly lit stairwell. He pulled the case shut and the torches on the walls seemed to glow a little brighter. He jogged down the steps, shedding his expensive clothes as he walked. Tony stopped when he reached the bottom in nothing more than his underclothes and looked around at his well hidden laboratory.

The cold stone walls held larger, flickering torches, and several wooden benches were placed around the floor, each holding books, glass beakers, and metal scraps. By the far wall to his right stood a few tall metal columns with skinny appendages that ended in claws. Beside those was a wooden mannequin, about Tony's height, wearing a suit of custom armor made by Tony himself and painted red and gold.

Tony, being who he was, never seemed to understand the meaning of discreet. As a king or a knight, he felt determined that people know exactly who they were facing. He walked toward the armor and began dressing, starting with his legs and working his way up. When he reached a point where he couldn't hook up his armor on his own anymore, he flipped a switch on one of the metal columns, bringing them to life.

He stood in the middle of the claws which, almost with minds of their own, began to finish putting his suit together. When he placed the helmet on his head, he looked like a man of iron as the only exposed part of him was his eyes. The metal it was made of was nothing the kingdom had ever seen before. It wasn't clunky, fit closely to his body, and it was light while still durable. As he strapped a sword to his hip, his transformation into the shining knight of Stark kingdom was complete.

Within minutes, he was back up the stairs and out in the stables where he was mounting the finest stallion in the land, Tony's favorite horse, Jarvis. He snapped the reins and Jarvis took off in the exact direction he needed to go, as if able to read Sir Tony's mind. Sometimes Tony thought he could.

Jarvis galloped across the land to the outskirts of Stark kingdom where a dark forest lined the border. The scroll stated that the evil ogre had been headed in this direction and Tony figured it was a sensible place for the creature to hide.

"Whoa, Jarvis," Tony said, pulling on the reins so the horse stopped at the entrance of the forest.

He looked up at the tall, dark, leafless trees and the shadows that lied within. Chills brushed over his skin but he swallowed his fear as he dismounted his horse. He landed softly on the grass and walked up to a wide opening between trees. Tony squinted through the darkness and could see that some of the trees ahead were broken like something large had destroyed them to make a path. He looked back at Jarvis, who was prepared to follow Sir Tony to the death.

"Wait here. I'll be back."

Jarvis huffed in protest.

"I swear I will."

The loyal horse eyed him but did not move as Tony took his first step into the trees. Even though the trees were without leaves, they were so close together that they still managed to black out the sun high in the sky. The only patches of light were behind him and a few weak beams above each tree the ogre broke. Sir Tony followed the widened path and the massive foot prints in the dirt for what felt like an hour or so without running into the beast. He was beginning to think the ogre had already crossed the border of his kingdom, a thought that filled him with dread and a little relief.

Sir Tony was about to turn around and head back to Jarvis and his castle when a deafening roar not far ahead of him blasted through the forest. It startled him in a way that hadn't happened since his first quest as a knight. Still, as a duty to his kingdom, he knew he had to press on and defeat the ogre, no matter how mighty it might be. He wrapped a hand around the hilt of his sword and walked forward, feeling as if he were prepared for anything.

Dry branches cracked under his feet as he walked but he felt no need to be stealthy. There was no way the beast could hear something so insignificant over his cries permeating the dark woods. He weaved his way around the tree trunks until he saw a wall of green flesh blocking his way. Tony froze. He could barely see around the massive form that stood just ten feet away.

He looked up and down, taking in its full height. It was shaped like a giant man but made of muscle with the tattered remains of clothing on its lower half. Tony wasn't exactly sure how to go about slaying it but he figured a plan would come to him. One always did. He pulled his sword from its sheath and held it offensively as he quietly approached. Unfortunately, it wasn't quietly enough.

"WHO'S THERE!" the beast boomed, looking all around him without thinking to look down.

"Sir Tony of House Stark!" he proclaimed proudly as the ogre turned and peered down at him. "And I'm afraid I'm here to kill you."

The ogre roared again, causing a hot gust of air to blow at Tony with enough strength to make him step back. Tony shouted back in retaliation which surprised the ogre. He raised his sword, about to strike first, when he looked up into the face of the beast. It was not at all as he expected. Its features were unexpectedly and unsettlingly human.

He lowered his sword without completely realizing what he was doing. The ogre's eyes were full of fear and confusion. It was a look he'd seen when hunting wild animals just before they attempt to flee for safety. Sir Tony sheathed his sword, removed his helmet, and decided to try a different approach.

"Do you have a name, great beast?" Tony shouted so that it might reach its ears.

The green monster considered Tony carefully. It reached down with a massive hand and Tony tried to back away but he was too slow. Its fingers closed around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Sir Tony squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to be crushed, when he felt that he was being lifted upward, held in a firm but unconstricting grip so he wouldn't fall to his death. He stole a deep breath before reopening his eyes.

His gaze was met with a pair of large eyes, each about the size of his head. He wasn't quite sure if he intended to talk to him at eye level or eat him.

"I'm Hulk. That's what they call me," it replied.

Tony refrained from looking over the edge of Hulk's hand. It was easier for him to pretend he was on solid ground.

"Hulk," Tony repeated, testing out the sound. "Well, Hulk, may I ask what you're doing terrorizing the villages of my kingdom?"

"I never meant to," it explained in a deep, growling voice. "I only wanted freedom."

Tony looked into Hulk's eyes and saw the fear there again. His suspicions were turning from the ogre to Lord Fury and what he could've been doing to it to make it so frightened.

"Freedom from what? What were they doing to you?"

"Tests. Many of them. And they hurt. They wanted him to change but they didn't like it when he did."

"Change?" Tony asked, confused by the whole situation. "Him? Wait, change into what?"

"Into me."

Sir Tony felt a shock of understanding. "So, you don't always look like this?"

Hulk shook its head.

"Well, big guy, I am familiar with the men who held you captive. As king of these lands, I'll sort out this problem. The villages will be repaired and you will never be treated in such a way again."

Tony could see the fear in the hulking ogre ease as he set the knight and king of Stark kingdom back on the forest floor. He looked up at Hulk and noticed that it seemed to be shrinking. Its body was compacting, muscles dwindling, until it stood before him in the body of a normal man. The man appeared slightly embarrassed as he held the stretched, shredded cloth the Hulk had been wearing around his waist.

Tony was stunned. He wasn't sure what he expected but it certainly wasn't him. "Well, hello there."

"I'm, uh, Bruce," he replied, holding out his hand while he tightened the cloth around him with the other. "Of House Banner. I'm a healer, a doctor."

"I'm Sir Tony of House Stark," he said, shaking Bruce's hand. "King and knight of these lands. I'm a genius and amazingly handsome but I hate to brag."

Bruce laughed. "No, I can see that."

"That's a pretty impressive thing you do there," Tony said as he started to lead Bruce out of the forest.

"You think so?"

"I do. I've never seen anything like it. How did it happen?"

"A chemical accident. I never meant to…"

"It's incredible. You know, I don't think we have any competent doctors in my castle. You should come and stay with me. I have a hidden lab that I think you'd love."

"I don't… I'd destroy your castle just as I did with the villages," Bruce replied, looking down at his feet as he walked.

"I'm the king. I have enough gold to fix anything you manage to break. Own it, Bruce. I think it's a gift."

Bruce was about to respond, say that it was more of a curse to him, but he knew Tony wouldn't hear it and that made him smile. The two walked through the opening of the woods into the bright sun. Jarvis was just outside to greet them, pleased that Tony had returned. Tony mounted the horse and pulled Bruce up on the back. Soon, they were riding off back to King Tony's castle where Bruce thrived. All lived happily within the kingdom ever after. At least until a crack of thunder rumbled across the land and a layer of frost started to blanket the north.