They came out into a clearing, from which they could see the village and castle far below them.

"Whoa... Fiore looks completely frozen," said Gray.

"Technically, we're still in Fiore," Angel snorted. "Your kingdom is bigger than one castle and a small village."

Gray frowned. "Then does the village have its own name?"

"Don't tell me you don't know that!"

"Okay, I won't. But what's its name?"

"Hargeon," said Angel, staring at him as if she didn't believe a prince could be so ignorant.

"Hargeon," Gray repeated. "So, Hargeon and the castle are completely frozen."

"Not that it isn't rather cold in this part of Fiore, too," Angel admitted, scuffing one boot against the snowy ground.

"It'll be fine," said Gray. "Lyon will thaw it."

"Oh, really? He will?" Angel raised one eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"Uh huh. Come on." Gray pointed ahead of them. "Mount Hakobe's this way, right?"

"More like this way." Angel took Gray's arm and moved it to a more vertical position.

Gray stared upward, catching glimpses of the mountain through wispy clouds. "Well... then I guess we better get started..."

They walked through a grove of willows, with drooping branches covered in frozen droplets of water. Rudy's antlers knocked into some of them and set the strands swinging. They rang like chimes, a lovely and yet eerie sound.

"So, how exactly are you going to get your brother to fix this weather?" asked Angel.

"I'm going to talk to him."

"That's all?"

"Yeah. Something wrong with that?"

"I guess you're not afraid of him..."

"Why would I be?"

"No, no, no. You've got the bark facing down! It needs to be facing up!" The pink-haired Natsu grabbed a chunk of firewood from the growing pile and turned it over.

"What do you know, punk?" demanded his firewood-gathering partner, captain of one of the stranded ships in the bay. The man had a wild mane of black hair and metal studs all over his body. "Bark down is drier!"

In a few moments the two were rolling on the ground, punching each other and yelling.

"Make the bark face up!"

"The bark goes down, nitwit!"

"I'll make you go down, jerk!"

"Natsu, Captain Gajeel..." Lucy stood nearby. "Stop fighting, already!" The blond girl's words were ignored.

"Excuse Juvia, does anyone need a cloak?" the blue-haired princess offered. She had a pile of cloaks in her arms, all different colors.

"Oh, thank you," said Lucy. "Fiore is indebted to you, your highness. Sorry about these idiots..."

Juvia laughed. "At least they're keeping warm. Juvia wishes to inform everyone that the castle is open. We are serving soup and hot drinks in the great hall."

"Okay. Want me to help pass those out?" Lucy motioned toward the cloak pile.

Duchess Minerva showed up, her guards right behind her. "Princess Juvia, do you expect us to just sit here and freeze while you give away all Fiore's tradeable goods?"

Juvia handed the cloaks to Lucy and turned to the duchess with a frown. "Prince Gray gave his orders -"

"That's another thing! Have you considered that the prince might be conspiring with the sorcerer to destroy us all?"

Juvia's eyes narrowed. "Do not question Prince Gray. He has left Juvia in charge, and Juvia will not hesitate to protect his kingdom to the best of her ability, whether it be from cold or treason."

The princess stalked away, leaving the duchess flabbergasted. "Treason?!"

Suddenly a horse's frightened whinny filled the air. It galloped through the village and up to the castle gates, shying as if every snowflake was a hornet.

"Whoa, whoa," called Juvia gently. "Easy, boy..."

The horse skittered to a stop in front of the princess, tossing its head and snorting. Juvia approached it cautiously and tried to calm it down.

Jellal came and helped her. "This is Prince Gray's horse."

"But where's Gray?" demanded Erza.

Juvia looked at the two servants, then out in the direction Gray had headed. Through the falling snow, a mountain could be seen looming in the distance, beyond a dense forest. "Prince Gray is in trouble. Juvia asks for volunteers to come with her to find him."

"I'll go," said Erza, wearing a face that boded ill for anyone who dared to harm the prince.

"Me, too," volunteered Natsu.

Captain Gajeel crossed his arms and said nothing, figuring he could stack wood in peace with the impetuous pink-haired boy gone.

"My guards will help, your highness!" Duchess Minerva said quickly. As a few others spoke up, she whispered to the two of them, "Be prepared for anything. And if you encounter the king, make sure this winter ends. Understood?"

They both nodded, first the cheerful blond and then the solemn raven.