Sadly, Tony and Hawkeye missed a perfect chance to add unnecessary drama to their adventure when they met Elsa. They had been sent to investigate the cause behind a supernatural cold wave, had their plane brought down by unusually rapidly-forming ice, and just met a woman with supernatural ice powers, but neither of them considered the irrational possibility that she might be behind it. Tony was too excited by his discovery to think ill of her and Hawkeye too practical – the approximate location of the source of the polar vortex was hundreds of miles north of Arendelle, and even it hadn't been, the queen, who by all appearances was busy running her kingdom and minding her own business, had no logical motive to freeze the planet, and had obviously not been expecting them when they were brought to her after they crashed. So the opportunity to suspect Elsa of any involvement in the mystery harmlessly passed them by.

The two first-time visitors were far more at their ease than the doctor and the queen. If either of them had ever imagined meeting the other again, no one else had ever been included in the picture. Had they been alone, they would have been able to ask all the questions that were on their minds, but it was impossible to talk freely in front of his friends. They exchanged a brief look that said, Not now, and put all personal inquiries on hold until a more opportune time.

Fortunately, Stark talked more than enough for three people, preventing things from getting awkward. "Nice paintings. I'm an avid art collector myself," he remarked as they walked down the long gallery.

"I've heard my grandfather had a passion for it – the family collection more than doubled during his lifetime," the queen explained.

"He must have been busy," Hawkeye said, a little puzzled, as he stared at a painting of Joan Of Arc. "Looks like he found samples from all over the world."

"He did – even from your world," the queen replied, correctly guessing the meaning behind his observation. "We don't harbor any hatred or animosity towards the nations of your world; we simply prefer to be left alone."

"You and the other countries in this region?"

"Yes. We're the ones who would rather live without the unnecessary complications and unnatural habits of their dangerous technology. We also could never embrace their irrational systems of government or worship their paperwork gods, so we've avoided those who did and kept to ourselves. Our lifestyle is different than yours, I know, but it's the one we prefer, and we simply want to protect our freedom to live in peace."

"So do we," Bruce, for whom the last words hit close to home, finally said. "That's why we had to come alone."

"We're not here to disturb your privacy," Hawkeye emphasized. "We were sent to investigate strange activity north of here."

"I believe you. Perhaps if you tell me more, I might be able to help."

"Sure is nice to have friends who know people in high places," Tony said with a smirk, earning a cold shoulder from Bruce.

"Will our presence here cause a problem for you?" Hawkeye asked, all business.

The queen was looking at Banner when she answered, "Not at all – travelers pass through here all the time. We try to welcome whoever we can, wherever they come from."

"I remember that." Bruce smiled as he recalled the impression he'd gathered on his first visit here. "I remember..." he repeated, thinking, as he looked her in the eye, I never expected you to remember me, just another one of many strangers you helped.

Elsa smiled back and said, "So do I," in answer to both.

Bruce couldn't say anything else after that, and Tony was too busy watching them, so Hawkeye, for the first time in his life, was the most talkative member of the group. "Any other strangers pass through here recently?" he asked.

"None that I know of," Queen Elsa told him.

"Anything unusual happen around here this winter?"

Elsa hesitated slightly before she answered, "No... not exactly... nothing important. I've heard it's been unusually cold, is all."

"You've heard?" a confused Tony repeated.

"That's what everyone's been saying all winter."

Tony still didn't understand what she was talking about. "Been saying? You haven't noticed how cold it is out there?"

Elsa smirked as she replied, "No – I never have."

Tony nodded as he got it. "Oh, right... makes sense... should've figured. Sorry, Your Highness."

Bruce was glaring at his friend, but Elsa simply told him, "Don't worry about it."

Hawkeye tried to sound polite when he asked the queen, "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but, when you say 'not exactly,' what exactly do you mean?"

"It's... complicated. But it doesn't mean anything, it's just... I'll explain inside." Elsa stopped before a set of double doors and nodded to the two guards who had accompanied them. The men stepped forward, opened the doors, and inclined their heads as their queen entered, followed by her guests. Tony saw them take up their positions on opposite sides of the entrance as the doors closed behind them.

"This is one of the rooms I use for private conferences," Queen Elsa explained as she took her ornate seat at the end of the small, mahogany table, set with quills, ink wells, and short stacks of paper, that took up most of the relatively small but well-lit room. A blazing fireplace took up one wall, a set of half-empty bookshelves stacked with a few thin, leather-bound ledgers another, and a small window overlooking the main courtyard the last. "No one will disturb us here."

"Good," Hawkeye said as he stood at the window, looking down. "We'd like to remain as low-key as possible. Our mission was supposed to be secret."

Bruce and Tony took seats at the table, and Elsa gestured for their leader to do the same. "What kind of mission?" she asked him as he joined them. "What are you looking for here?"

"We don't know," Tony answered. "But we'll know it when we see it... we think... we hope..."

"I... don't understand..."

Bruce rolled his eyes at Stark and said, "We've been sent to find what's causing this incredibly cold weather."

"The weather?"

"Our people believe it's unnatural in origin, this particularly strong cold spell," Hawkeye explained.

"Magic?"

He shrugged as he admitted, "Around here, I guess that's a very real possibility, but we don't know for sure."

"Whatever it is, we have to find it and stop it before the entire world freezes," said Tony.

"You're sure it's that dangerous?" Elsa asked skeptically. "I admit, it's been an extremely harsh winter, but..."

Hawkeye shook his head. "It's more than that. There's a vortex of polar-cold air spreading across the globe from one area. Something – or someone – is bombarding us with chilled air that freezes everything in its path."

"Here?" Elsa gasped. "And it's affecting even your world? That far away?"

"Not just us – everywhere," Bruce informed her. "Parts of our country that almost never see snow have been buried."

"I know what that's like," Elsa said darkly.

"Any idea what could cause something like this?" Hawkeye asked her.

The queen shook her head. "I wish I did, but I've never heard of any magic that strong. I can't believe it. I once accidentally caused a horrible midsummer snowstorm a few years ago, but I don't think even that affected any more than Arendelle. How is this even possible?"

"That's what we need to figure out. Do you know of anyone else with that kind of power?" he asked next.

"Unfortunately, no. I know it's not me this time."

"We know," Bruce told her. "The cold wave's coming from somewhere hundreds of miles to the north."

"What's in that direction?" asked Hawkeye.

"I'll show you our maps, but there have been no reports of anything strange from the kingdoms north of us, except that it's even colder," Elsa explained. "Whatever magic someone is using to cause this, surely someone would notice something."

"So it's populated?" Tony asked.

"To a certain point. Eventually, you find the Great Northern Wilds, where no one but nomadic bandits and thieves roam, looking for lost travelers or explorers foolish enough to venture that far, and then completely uninhabited, frozen wilderness."

"Sounds like the perfect place to hide," Tony observed.

"I agree," said Elsa. "But who? Why?"

Hawkeye shook his head. "We need to find out. Soon."

Elsa nodded and said, "I understand. How can I help you? What do you need? Men? Supplies?"

The question was directed at Banner, so he answered, "Men, no. Looks like we might need new transportation."

Tony shrugged and said, "Well, the two of them, anyway. I've got no problem with ice..."

"You need to leave right away," Elsa said somberly, still looking at Bruce.

"We... have a mission to complete," was all he said.

"I know," she said with a nod towards him. "That's why you came here..."

"I volunteered to come along when I saw where they were going," Bruce said next, causing the queen to smile.

"We didn't intend to intrude on you like this," Hawkeye told her again. "We had an accident on the way. It's almost like something not only knocked us off course but caused us to crash in your backyard."

"Do you think it's connected to what you're investigating?" she asked.

"I don't see how, but I don't see why not."

"That happen to anyone else recently?" asked Bruce.

"No, but, then again, most travel through here is done by sea or road, not by flying."

"How did you know we were flying?" Tony suddenly asked. "How did your men even find us?"

"Some woodsmen saw something circling through the air in the distance," the queen answered. "I've heard stories about flying machines passing over our land, but I've never seen one..."

"Of course not, they're supposed to stay away from here," Stark mumbled under his breath at Banner, who cleared his throat as a warning to keep quiet until she finished and turned back to the queen.

"... No one could remember ever seeing one fly so close. The soldiers kept an eye on it, and it got closer and drifted lower as it reached the southern mountains. When it disappeared abruptly, I sent some of them to investigate. I should have gone myself, but I didn't know if they would find survivors, or... I preferred to hear about what casualties they found rather than see them for myself. I'm so glad none of you were hurt."

"No, we're fine," Bruce assured her. "Sorry to have scared you."

"I wasn't scared of you, only for you." Everyone knew she was referring to the sighting of their jet and their fate after the crash, but at least one of them was struck by an alternate, unintended, unconscious meaning of her words at the same time she was. There was a pause as it sank in for her before she shook her head and cleared her throat. "But everything's fine now. If you will vouch for your friends, Dr. Banner, I'll assure my men that they're not spies and mean us no harm."

"You have my word, my Queen," said Bruce, grinning, as he nodded at his companions.

"And if you will vouch for your friend, Dr. Banner," Stark echoed, "we will trust that she and her people mean us no harm."

Bruce turned towards her and said, "You have my word. We can trust her."

"As I trust you," said Elsa.

"Can you tell us what's been going on around here lately?" Hawkeye asked her. "Anything out of the ordinary, anything suspicious at all..."

"Nothing that I have any reason to believe is caused by magic or any malevolent design," Elsa began cryptically. "But as to out of the ordinary..." She sighed as her voice trailed off.

"What, Your Majesty?" Hawkeye pressed her. She still said nothing.

Bruce finally leaned forward and asked, "What is it?"

Elsa turned to him again. Her voice was heavy as she said, "Something has changed. It started this winter, so I could understand, because of the cold, but Kristoff's right – it's more than that. People have started acting very strange."

Barton nodded at Banner, who asked, "Strange how?"

Elsa sighed again before she stood up. She paced around the room as she continued. "It probably doesn't mean anything. People just seem more... unhappy than usual. Depressed. Angry. I mean, of course we've had some problems ever since the truth came out about their queen's powers, but nothing like this. I understood that some people would have a hard time accepting me as their ruler, but as time went on, they grew to trust me. I knew some would never be comfortable with it, I wasn't surprised when many left, but most were able to look past it and realize I wasn't a threat just because I was different.

"That's why it doesn't make any sense. Things had been going so well for years. I managed to gain their respect and love, just like my parents. We were getting along so well together – everyone was always eager to come to the castle, thrilled to see me use my powers... the gates have never been closed for a full day since I took the throne. Arendelle isn't perfect, but it was happy; we had fun, trade was booming – even many of the other nations came to trust me – we all rejoiced when my sister got married... everything was going wonderfully until two months ago."

"What happened?" Bruce asked her.

Elsa sounded calmer and more focused when she answered, like an inspector giving a report of results: "It started when I noticed less people coming to the castle each day. I didn't think anything of it, at first – like I said, I thought it was just because of the cold. But then I started noticing things outside – people whispering as I passed them in the street, giving me dirty looks, turning and walking abruptly away when I tried to say, 'Hello.' It was just a few people, at first, so I tried to ignore it; I accepted long ago that some people would never trust me because of my powers.

"But when I told Anna, my sister, about it, she said it wasn't just me. She'd noticed that more people seemed unhappy lately, not about me but about everything, and were less friendly with everybody. She said that whenever she went out, the streets were much quieter, not just because less people were out but because those who did almost never spoke, just went to work, bought food and other necessities, and went home without looking anyone in the eye – people who used to laugh and celebrate with us just weeks ago. Our servants all said they noticed strange behavior in their friends, too, but nobody could tell them why – for no reason, they'd just seemed to start hating to live here and hating everything and everyone around them. I tried my best to find out why, but none of the soldiers or officials knew anything, and when I tried to ask people in the street what was wrong, nobody would speak to me, just turn their back on me and walk away, or mumble 'Sorceress' or 'Wicked witch' under their breath, even spit in my face."

"And you let them get away with that because..." Tony asked incredulously.

"I'm not a tyrant," Queen Elsa said firmly. "My guards felt the same way you do, though; they'd rush forward and grab the person by both arms and growl about how they would pay for that before I told them to let them go. Nobody's ever tried to hurt me, they just hate me. But it's not just me, it's everything. I finally gave up and stopped inquiring about what I'd done to make everyone so sad and angry."

"Everyone?" Hawkeye asked.

"No, not everyone, not literally," Elsa clarified. "At least, not at first..."

"At first?" Tony repeated.

Elsa stopped her pacing and stepped up to the table but didn't sit down. "Whatever it is, more of our friends and supporters have left us since it started. Every day, more people seem to catch the spirit of discontent; less and less people come to the palace, and there are more and more angry glares in the streets, which get quieter and quieter."

"Any pattern to who's affected?" asked Bruce.

She started pacing again. "None that I've been able to find: different professions, different ages, different places of residence..."

Tony spoke up: "When we came here, it seemed to get better the closer we got to the castle."

Elsa nodded as she stopped by the window and looked out. "That's because those who haven't caught it yet are still happy to join us here for fun and company; they who have not only avoid me and my family and even my supporters as much as they can but don't seem to be able to enjoy anything anymore. As far as I can tell, those who continue to spend time here near me do so because they're still unaffected, not the other way around."

Bruce got up and stood near her, looking down as if hoping he could see some answer she couldn't. "What can cause something like that?"

"I wish I knew," Elsa sighed.

"An extreme case of Seasonal Affected Disorder?" Tony suggested, completely sincerely. "My grandfather suffered from it."

"SAD is not contagious," said Hawkeye.

"It's probably nothing," Elsa said, turning around. "Nothing magical, anyway. People fearing me is nothing new."

"Yes, it is," Banner said firmly. "I remember what this place looked like before – nobody saw you that way. Why would that change all of a sudden with no explanation? Why would so many people change?"

"And why now?" Hawkeye added, standing up and crossing his arms. "You said this started two months ago?"

"Yes," the queen told him. "Just after winter began.

Hawkeye nodded as she confirmed his theory. "The same time the cold started, too."

"You think there's a connection?" Tony asked.

"Anybody here believe in coincidences?" Hawkeye asked in reply.

"Why would something that spreads cold also make people depressed and angry, aside from indirectly?" Bruce wondered aloud.

Elsa raised her head, a deep thought forming in her eyes. "Maybe Kristoff wasn't too far off with what he said about real frozen hearts."

Hawkeye looked at her and repeated, "Frozen hearts?", but before she could elaborate, Banner spoke up:

"If there is a connection, we'll find it."

Tony found it strange that the queen didn't seem comforted by the promise. "I'd like to hope it's something that could be fixed that easily, but... I hate the thought of something harming my people that way."

"It's not your fault," Bruce assured her.

Elsa looked up at him and said, unconvinced, "I'm supposed to protect them."

"You are – in every way you can." Stark and Barton didn't understand what Banner meant until he said, "Your harbor should be frozen, but it's not. You did that, didn't you?"

"Yes," answered Elsa, no less troubled. "That's just about all I can do. I wish I could just stop this winter altogether."

Tony's curiosity got the better of his manners. "You mean you can't?"

Seemingly unbothered by his bluntness, the queen simply explained, "Unfortunately, I only have power over ice, snow, and cold, not universal control over weather. I can thaw ice and snow, but I can't make it warmer. I've done my best to make this brutal winter easier on everybody, mostly keeping the fjords unfrozen so ships can continue getting in and out – it's still bitterly cold, but at least trade and travel hasn't been entirely brought to a halt."

"Well, that certainly explains why people would complain about having a ruler with magical powers," Tony said sarcastically.

"Many of them blame me. They rave about how I'm freezing everyone to death and yell for me to stop the winter, but I can't reverse a winter I didn't create."

Tony was bewildered by the absurdity of that. "Why do they think you've been trying to help them if they think you're behind it?"

Elsa actually smiled as she answered, "That's what Anna, Kristoff, and our friends have tried telling them, but they won't listen or explain. Nobody needs a reason to hate anything anymore, it seems."

"There's a reason," Hawkeye said confidently. "Hopefully, we'll find it when we find the reason behind this cold."

"Yes." Elsa's expression suddenly hardened with intense determination. "If there is a connection, I want to help in any way I can. This unnatural cold and this plague have to be stopped."

"They will," Bruce told her, as they turned face to face again. "We'll figure this out. That's a promise."

Stark smiled contentedly as he watched the two of them. "Lucky thing we crashed here, isn't it?"

"Yeah... the one place where something else strange is going on..." Hawkeye, who didn't share his teammate's interest, observed. "Has this... plague struck anywhere else?"

Elsa quickly turned towards him and said, "Not that we've heard of, but why would we? Who would see anything odd about people being more unhappy than usual this winter?"

Hawkeye shook his head as he mulled over the puzzle. "Why here, then? What is this all about?"

"We should take a look around," Tony suggested. "Look for anything unusual."

"We don't have time," Hawkeye replied, shaking his head. "We don't know what's causing this, but we know where it is, and it's not here. We need to get to the source of this cold wave as soon as possible."

"Why can't we do both?" Tony wondered nonchalantly. "One of us investigates here, the others proceed to the source?"

"Splitting up is a bad idea, Stark," Hawkeye said decisively.

"If we were investigating an ancient, empty, boarded-up, haunted house, I'd agree with you, but..." Stark began.

Barton didn't let him finish. "It's too dangerous."

"He's right – we can't take that risk," Banner concurred, not looking anyone in the eye as he remembered how the other guy had frightened everyone the last time he was here. He'd been able to look forward – however foolishly – to passing quickly through here, but his practice never to return to the scene of a previous incident was too deeply ingrained in him for him to think of spending any prolonged period of time here without his stomach churning. A paranoia he could never shake insisted that the longer he stayed, the greater the chance someone would find out. Someone who remembered would figure it out, and then everyone would know! His fear of that happening far outweighed his fear of what Elsa would infer from his words.

"I agree," Elsa chimed in, turning towards the other two. "The sooner you solve this mystery, the sooner we can put an end to this, right?" She then looked back at Bruce, and he saw this was her honest conclusion about the best course of action: Priorities...

He nodded at her ever so slightly. I know.

Stark was the one who called out, "What if we could find some answers here?"

"There's no time," Barton repeated.

While the two of them continued to argue, Bruce shook his head to tell Elsa that he didn't think it was a good idea, but she merely raised her eyebrow quizzically at him. Why not?

He closed his eyes briefly and sighed before opening them again. She understood; she realized what painful memory he was reliving and shook her head in response. That's irrelevant.

The fear of discovery was too great; he shook his head again and lowered his eyes. No, it's not. I can't.

She folded her arms and grinned at him. Then why did you come here?

To his surprise, he grinned back. Why does it matter? Do you really want me to stay?

She took a step towards him and held her head high. If I did, I could order you to.

He leaned comfortably against the wall, jerking his head once in the direction of his teammates. This is our mission.

She shook her head in silent laughter. Until you brought it to my territory.

Still grinning broadly, he took a step towards her to show he wasn't intimidated. Fine – what do you suggest?

He had brought them back to what they could speak of out loud. "It all depends – do you think you could learn anything in Arendelle that could help you?"

There was a pause before he confessed, "I did last time." Her eyes widened in eager curiosity, and his burned with the desire to tell her everything, but the sound of his friends continuing their debate a few feet away made them unable to forget this was neither the time nor the place.

"And now?" He couldn't respond, so Elsa turned and raised her voice as she said, "Perhaps we should ask your partners what the plan is." Their two companions both instantly fell silent and snapped their heads in her direction. She let them look blankly at her for a second before asking sweetly, "I was just wondering how long you plan on staying?", her smile growing more mischievous when she turned back to Bruce.

What they were planning on answering at that time will never be known because, at that moment, all eyes swiveled around to the door as knocking was heard from other side. Elsa didn't move but said, "Enter," loudly and clearly.

One of their sentries opened the door slightly, allowing the sound of footsteps and voices – one male and one female – to drift in from the hallway. The guard bowed and began, "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but you wished to know when..."

The queen smiled in understanding and raised her hand to signal there was no need for him to finish. "Yes. Thank you for the warning. Hold her off as long as you can." He bowed his assent and retreated back through the door, pulling it closed behind him, as she turned back to her guests. "My apologies, gentlemen. This will only take a minute." The voices outside – more than before – were right on the other side of the door now. "My experience has shown this is the best way to handle this situation." They could hear the conversation getting louder and more argumentative. While Stark and Barton were focused on the door, wondering what was going on, she turned to Banner and whispered, "It's better this way – it'll be over much more quickly than if she caught me alone."

Bruce realized what she was getting at just when the knocking began, more frantic than last time. Elsa smiled as she released a let's-get-this-over-with sigh before calling, "Let her in!"

The door burst open to admit a young woman with strawberry-blonde hair tied up in a thick bun, with a tall, blonde man following closely but not nearly as quickly behind her. She had just stepped over the threshold when she asked at rapid speed, "Elsa, what's going on? Are you all right? I heard they found some suspicious strangers in the mountains, and they said you left right in the middle of the..." Her eyes had swiftly darted around the room, taking in the sight of the three foreigners, but stopped abruptly when they reached Bruce.

Her male companion closed the door behind him and took advantage of her sudden silence to say, "I tried to stop her."

"I know," said Elsa, walking towards the girl. "Gentlemen, allow me to introduce my sister, Princess Anna, and my brother-in-law, Kristoff." She gestured towards her visitors and said, "This is...", apparently uncomfortable with pronouncing their names.

Tony got the message. "Anthony Stark," he said with a bow.

Hawkeye did likewise. "Agent Clint Barton."

"Dr. Bruce Banner."

"I remember you," the princess said very blatantly in his direction before turning to face them all. "You're from Outside, aren't you? It's been a while since any of you have come through here." She curtseyed as she finished, "It's nice to meet all of you. Welcome to Arendelle!"

Kristoff's greeting was much more laconic: "Hi."

"Nice to meet you, too," said Tony, highly amused by this addition to the picture.

"Nice to see you again, princess," Bruce said softly.

"You, too," Anna said to him excitedly. "I knew you'd be back."

Tony turned his head very slowly from the princess to Banner, his raised eyebrow and evil grin saying very audibly, You don't say?

Bruce was giving his persistent friend a warning glare when he heard Kristoff ask him, "Do we know you?"

Not knowing how much they knew and unsure what they ought to know now, Bruce turned to Elsa and let her explain: "Dr. Banner passed through here a few years ago and stayed with us for a night." (Nothing out of the ordinary in that.) "He and his two friends were on an expedition to the Great Northern Wilds when they got lost and found their way here."

The princess gasped while her husband asked, "You're going where? At this time of year? In this weather?"

"We've been sent on an important mission," Hawkeye answered.

"A mission?" the princess repeated. "For what?"

"I'm sorry, that's classified," the secret agent explained.

"Since when is chasing bandits classified?" Kristoff wondered, grinning in amusement at their evasiveness.

"We're not after bandits," Tony informed him.

He shrugged and asked, "What else is out there?"

"I'll tell you later, if I can," said Elsa. "Right now, we have some important things to finish discussing."

"Why can't you tell us now?" he sister asked suspiciously.

"Anna, you know some things need to be confidential. If it's safe, I'll..."

"Safe? Confidential? What's going on here? Elsa, is everything all right?"

Elsa put her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Everything's fine, Anna. It has nothing to do with us."

"Then what are you talking about in here?"

"Like they said, they have an important mission to accomplish, and I offered to help."

Anna seemed determined to get more details. "With what?"

"That's what we were discussing."

"Alone? Shouldn't the captain or the council be here?"

"This is something I prefer to handle alone."

"Why? What is this about?"

"I'll tell you what I can later," Elsa said in the same calm, authoritative voice she'd maintained throughout the conversation.

"But... but..."

Anna was interrupted by Kristoff stepping forward and asking, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the... strange stuff that's been going on lately, would it?"

Elsa looked at Banner and then at his friends. Hawkeye nodded that she could tell the truth, so she gave them her honest opinion: "Probably not."

Hawkeye raised his eyebrows questioningly at his teammates, who nodded their votes that they could trust the rest of the royal family with more details. "Your queen has informed us of recent events here. We don't know if what we're investigating is connected, but if it is, we hope we'll be able to help."

"What are you going to investigate out there? Snow?" Kristoff asked sarcastically.

Fortunately, Anna spoke up before he could notice his listeners' reaction: "I knew something wasn't right! Is it happening where you're from, too?"

"Not in the same way," was Bruce's answer.

"What do you think it is? What's happened to everybody?"

"We don't know yet," Hawkeye told her.

"You have to find out! We'll help in any way we can!"

"Where's the rest of your army?" Kristoff asked them.

"This is a covert mission. It's just us," Hawkeye explained.

"Then how are you going to get there?" he asked next.

"We should work that out now, don't you think?" Elsa asked him, nudging her sister with her arm.

"Oh, yes!" Anna exclaimed sincerely before she seemed to get it. "Yes... yes, you should. And we should go... let you do that. Come on, let's go." She looped one of her arms through her husband's and curtseyed with the other. "So sorry to disturb you, gentlemen. Wonderful meeting you. I hope you enjoy your stay here!"

"Good luck," was Kristoff's simple but sincere farewell as he tried to lead his wife away, but she seemed reluctant to go and walked slowly, looking back over her shoulder and stopping to listen.

"We can't stay very long, actually," Hawkeye said to Elsa as they returned to the table. "We need to get going as soon as possible."

Elsa, who hadn't sat back down, asked, "By land or sea?"

"Land."

"Only one of us can fly now," added Tony. "Our... vehicle is only good for our trip home from here now. Any suggestions?"

"I'll arrange something right away," Elsa assured them. "It's too bad you didn't come tomorrow. I have business I need to finish with the new Duke of Weselton before he leaves in the morning, including his farewell banquet tonight."

"Then we'll leave as quickly as we can and let you get back to it," Hawkeye said decisively. Tony saw the princess cringe at the news as she looked back over her shoulder again.

"I'm so sorry, I know how important this is," Elsa said as she began strategizing in her head. "But he's been very anxious to mend things between our nations ever since his uncle died six months ago. I don't know how I could excuse myself the rest of the day without explaining everything to more people than I would prefer, or looking suspicious... Maybe I could ask him to meet early... I can reschedule that meeting with the architect about the new Church... then the banquet's not until this evening..."

"Why don't you invite them?" Princess Anna had gotten as far as the door before her voice caused everyone to turn in her direction. She stepped up to the table and said sheepishly, "I mean, I- we could take care of whatever they need today..."

"We?" Kristoff asked.

"Anna..." Elsa didn't get any further.

"...And then you can take care of things with the Duke and everything else you need to get done today..."

"Yes, but..."

"...Then no one would need to know what's going on, their secret would be safe, they could stay for the party tonight, and leave tomorrow."

"Anna, I don't think..."

"I mean... would one day make much of a difference?"

Elsa seemed unable to deny her suggestion had some merit. She looked to her guests for their opinion. Hawkeye instantly said, "We can't stay here a whole day."

"They can't stay, Anna," Elsa said, as if that settled it.

"Not even for just one day?" Anna pressed.

"It's just one day, guys," said Tony.

"Travelers stay here all the time; we have plenty of room," Anna argued.

"We do," Elsa admitted.

"You do?" Hawkeye asked.

"They do," Banner confirmed.

"It's no problem," said Anna.

"Is that a problem?" asked Elsa.

"No, there's no problem," Tony said confidently.

"So you can stay?" Anna asked hopefully.

"Sure, we can stay," Tony answered in complete content.

"We can't stay," Bruce argued.

"You're more than welcome to stay," Elsa said quickly.

"Come on," said Tony. "It's just for the night."

"Yeah, just for the night..." Bruce repeated.

"Okay, but just for the night," Hawkeye reluctantly agreed.

"Good," Elsa sighed in relief. "We have a lot of work to do. I'll finish with the Duke and everything else scheduled today as quickly as I can. Kristoff, see that they have everything they need to be on their way tomorrow."

"You can count on me," he replied.

"Anna, can you handle the preparations for the banquet tonight?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you."

"You are inviting them, aren't you?"

Kristoff tried to stop her. "Anna..."

"I-I don't..." Elsa stammered.

Bruce and Hawkeye started protesting at the same time, etiquette forgotten: "No, we can't..."

"We're not here to party..."

The princess was undeterred. "Oh, please, it'll be great. There's gonna be dinner and music and dancing..."

Elsa tried to tell her, "Anna, they have more important things to do right now..."

"But they're going to be here for the night anyway – what harm could it do?"

"Yeah, what harm could it do?" Tony repeated.

"We have to invite them," Anna told her sister. "They're our guests!"

"I'm sure they don't want to come," Elsa said uncertainly.

Anna simply turned to the newcomers. "Oh, I hope you'll join us! I'd love for you to come!"

"Well, if you insist..." Tony conceded, grinning widely.

"Stark..." Hawkeye warned him.

"The princess has invited us, gentlemen," Tony pointed out. "It would be rude to turn her down."

"We have a job to do," Hawkeye said, as if that settled the matter.

Stark, apparently disagreed. "And how will sitting alone in a dark guest room be more productive?"

"We need to stay hidden," was Banner's argument.

"Oh, no one will think anything of it," Anna claimed. "Our gates are open to everyone."

"They're open to everyone," Tony repeated.

"Now that you're here, there's no reason not to come, right, Elsa?" Anna asked in her sweetest little sister voice.

"Well, of course, we'd be happy to have you, but..."

Tony relieved Elsa of the burden of continuing: "The woman who has volunteered to help us would be happy to have us."

"Just go with it," Kristoff advised the queen. "Why fight the inevitable?"

"You're more than welcome to come," Elsa finally said. "But it's up to you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Tony.

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty – we'll see," Hawkeye said politely.

Bruce leaned over and asked him, "What just happened?", but he only raised his hands helplessly.

"Very well." Elsa paused before adding, "It'll be crowded. Everyone will be busy having a good time. It might give us a chance to talk. Alone..." Bruce looked up at her at the last word before he could stop himself. They maintained eye contact for a second before she turned aside.

"Great! Then it's settled!" Anna exclaimed in triumph.

"Settled," Tony concurred.

Elsa looked back at Bruce again, and they both smiled. Alone...

"We should go now," Kristoff suggested. Half the room couldn't have agreed more. He let Elsa open the door and dismiss the guards before leading everyone else out after her.

Three minutes later, as the entire group was walking down the hall, Hawkeye found an opportunity to whisper, "What are you up to, Stark?"

"Hey, she started it," Stark replied, gesturing towards the redhead walking ahead of them.

Banner walked up next to them. "So what do we do now?"

"Get some transportation and supplies, get some sleep, get back on the trail first thing tomorrow," Hawkeye said tonelessly.

"What about the suit?"

"I'll get it tomorrow," said Stark. "No sense freaking everyone out by powering it up and putting it on around here."

"What about the jet? We can't just leave it there," Bruce worried.

"It's as safe there as it would be anywhere else," Hawkeye reasoned. He removed something between the size of a jump drive and a folded-up flip phone from his pocket. "I locked it down remotely when we were arrested. No one's getting inside."

"We'll see about that," a voice they couldn't hear said miles away.

Realizing he was almost there, Hans put the mirror back in his satchel as he trudged through the snow, never more grateful for his knack for foreign languages. He chuckled as he remembered how his brothers had teased him about his studies when he was younger, insisting it was a waste of time, that the Southern Isles never dealt with the barbarians in those parts of the world, and even if one of them ever needed to someday, it certainly wouldn't be the twelfth and last spare! He'd make sure to gloat about that next time he saw them!

He reached the top of the hill and glided down the slippery slope, never losing his balance once, stopping perfectly on his feet at the bottom of the valley. He'd heard of and seen pictures of crafts like the strangers', but he'd never seen one for himself before. He walked around it, wondering what it could do and what other strange things they had inside. He hadn't thought much about the world it came from for years (they had so little information about it, it was pointless to consider seizing power there – better to stay where he fit in, with people whose ways he knew and whose trust he could easily gain) and had no idea how these visitors would complicate things. Could they possibly be a threat? How did they intend to stop the winter?

He finally reached his hand gingerly towards the metal surface. When nothing happened, he reached farther down and pushed on what he'd seen was the entrance. A loud noise caused by something he couldn't see made him jump back, followed by a voice coming from nowhere saying in English, "Access not authorized."

Hans didn't know what magic they had protecting this, but he decided it was safer not to test it. Obviously, he wasn't going to learn anything more here. He pulled the mirror out again and said, "Show me the strangers." They were still in the castle with the royal family. "Who are you?" he whispered.

A few hundred miles away, another eavesdropper observing the same scene whispered, "Excellent," before focusing her gaze on Hawkeye. "Interesting…" She wasn't the only one who thought so.

"Oh, Kristoff, isn't this exciting?!" Anna gushed.

"I'm reserving judgment for now," her husband answered as he turned and looked back at the strangers, conversing together in their own language.

Elsa was the only silent one of the party as she walked ahead, lost in her own thoughts. Answers, she hoped as she passed a window. Maybe I'll finally get some answers. Answers to why her beautiful home seemed to look uglier to more and more people every day.

Bruce was thinking the same thing a few feet behind her. "I'm with Barton – this can't be a coincidence. But what could do this? How?"

"Maybe it's proximity," Tony theorized. "The effects start close to the source and then spread out. Maybe, eventually, countries farther away would reach this next stage – first it freezes the world, then it freezes... how did she put it?"

"Frozen hearts."

This time, there was nothing to distract Hawkeye from the memory the words conjured up:

"You have heart." The feeling of ice spreading through his veins, cooling his anger, dulling his senses, clouding his mind, freezing his will, his emotions, and his self before they could protest. No reason to resist, no reason to disobey, no reason to care. Cold, empty, complete, perfect, blissful peace...

"Frozen hearts... nah, forget it, that doesn't make any sense," Stark concluded.

"She thought it might," Bruce recalled.

"She was probably joking, you know, just a metaphor."

"This isn't a metaphor, this is real."

"She said herself it's probably nothing."

"You're kidding, right?" Bruce called over to Hawkeye, "Barton, tell him there's no such thing as a coincidence."

"Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart, you will know peace..."

Hawkeye raised his head and, without looking at the others or altering his pace, looked straight ahead. "It's probably nothing."