"Anna." Elsa only took a nanosecond to absorb the scene before she ran off as if she'd been shot from a cannon – in her blind panic, scattering a trail of ice around her with every step as she hurried frantically to find her little sister. Bruce was right behind her, his brain dimly registering the sound from his wrist indicating how hard he was forcing his heart to work to support the action. He knew he had a window of safety before he reached the breaking point – as a rule, he never pushed it, but today would have to be the exception.

He reached the castle with his heart pumping 160 beats per minute. As he stopped to slow it down and catch his breath, grateful that his training enabled him to remain as calm in the face of the disaster itself as he had at the sight of an alien leviathan barreling down the street towards him, he heard a familiar voice cry out, "Elsa!" He looked up in time to see the two sisters collide and cling to each other as if for dear life.

"The queen!"

"It's the queen!"

"Your Majesty!"

"Thank goodness you're here, Your Highness!"

"Everyone, calm down!" he heard Elsa call out as he got closer.

"Kristoff's still inside!" Anna exclaimed, her voice trembling with fright.

Flames and smoke were pouring out of every edge of the wooden roof of the tower directly to the right of the main gate. More flames popping up behind the rim of the wall indicated the wooden pillars, balconies, and stairs inside must be burning nicely as well. People were screaming and running in every direction, including guards who seemed to be trying hopelessly to regain order. Milling in and out between them all were stoic figures, standing or strolling by as if they hadn't a care in the world, neither frightened by the raging fire nor concerned for anyone nor trying to help, just watching it as if it was a fascinating chemical reaction or ignoring it. No one appeared to be fighting the blaze. Elsa looked from the fire to the crowd to her sister. "What happened?"

"I don't know! Lars sounded the alarm... it happened so fast... no one knew what to do... we tried to get everyone out..."

"How many are still inside?" Bruce asked.

"Nobody knows – someone said they heard the steps collapse... a beam fell and blocked the main gate... the courtyard was full..."

Elsa put both her hands on her sister's shoulder and told her firmly, "Stay here! Tell everyone to get as far away as they can!" She let her go and started running towards the burning castle again. "Let me through! Everyone move aside!" Anna began to follow her, but she turned half around and called over her shoulder, "No, wait here! I've got this!"

"Elsa, no..." Anna yelled, speeding up. Bruce ran after them.

Elsa didn't slow her pace. "It's too dangerous!"

"No, please, wait..."

"Stay safe, Anna!"

"No, I..." She tripped over the hem of her dress, and Bruce reached her just in time to catch her as she stumbled. She didn't seem to notice he was there but kept trying to reach her sister. "Elsa! Elsa! Kristoff!" She struggled to escape from his grasp, but he saw Elsa throw him a quick glance before she took off without looking back. "Wait!"

Anna, half-mad with panic, kept trying to break away, but Bruce held her back. "Anna, wait, stop..."

"Elsa!"

"Calm down..."

"Elsa!"

"Let her handle this! She can handle this!"

"Kristoff!"

"She'll find him! He'll be okay! She'll find him! You need to stay calm now, all right? For your sister!" These were the first words that seemed. "For your sister," he repeated, trying to force some of his own calm into her as he held her. "Let her do what she needs to do. Please..."

Anna didn't bother to question him or get mad at his interference but simply looked up at him and then threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as she trembled in fear for those dearest to her. Bruce was stunned by the action only for a moment before, his heroic instincts taking over, he hugged the frightened girl back, whispering that it would be okay.

Elsa pulled the snow from the ground into the air around her as she ran to the castle, causing half the crowd to run quickly out of the way and the other to call out in annoyance, "Watch where you're going! Haven't you done enough damage?" When she reached the foot of the burning tower, she spun around and whipped the large blanket of snow into the air, dropping it on the inferno. She continued to wave her arms at the ground, causing waves of snow to curl into the air as they climbed up the sides of the tower and collapsed on the fire.

Catching her breath, Elsa backed away a few steps and raised her arms slowly, rolling her wrists as she did so, causing a layer of ice to form at the base of the tower and grow up to the fire and over the surrounding walls. At first, it melted before it could reach the top, until she took one long breath and then blew a thick cloud of mist up at the roof. From where he was standing, Bruce watched as her cold finally overpowered the heat, extinguishing the fire until all that was left was the billowing plume of smoke.

Once the flaming turret had been put out, Elsa threw her arms up again, blowing the smoke away with a cold blast of wind. She continued to waft the icy mist along and over the entire wall until it was covered in a thin layer of ice that no fire was left to melt. Bruce felt Anna slump against him in relief and exhaustion as half the crowd began cheering. The captain of the guards ran by them, organizing parties to send in after those trapped inside. Noticing the princess, he turned to her and asked, "Are you all right, my lady?"

"I am now. Just find the prince, please."

"We will," he promised, but at that moment, all three of them turned their heads to the castle as a loud crash indicated that something else had collapsed.

"Everyone, get back!" Elsa cried, right before the bulk of the weakened roof of the tower gave way and fell in on itself. Bruce watched the wood shatter against the rocks beneath it, kicking up a new blast of smoke and dust. It seemed to settle in place at the top of the tower before some of the stones shifted loose, falling to the ground and releasing a trail of debris behind them.

"Kristoff!" Anna cried again, but Bruce held her safely back. He wished he could tell her he knew how she felt. Of course, he was used to feeling as helpless as he did now, watching Elsa run into danger to save her home and her people and him forbidden to get involved, lest he get too excited or stressed out. The crowd was making him nervous enough as it was; those affected looked at Elsa with nothing but pure loathing in their eyes, as if no help she could provide was worth tolerating her presence. How could people so apathetic also be so hostile? What did they hate her so much for? Why were they unable to care about anything yet able to hate so passionately?

The scene grew more confusing and disconcerting the longer it went on. Bruce hadn't been surprised that no one else had seemed to be trying to put out the fire – what means would they have had to fight it? He had, however, been shocked at the people who scowled at the queen as she passed, mumbling insults he was glad he couldn't hear, or who now stood around, ignoring the guards' efforts to get everyone to safety. The captain finally stood still and, looking all around him, yelled in exasperation, "What's the matter with you?! Have you all gone mad? Your friends and family are in there! Help us before someone gets hurt!"

The only response he got was someone scoffing, "Tell that to your precious queen."

"That's her problem – if she's so powerful, let her deal with it."

"Typical of her to ruin our home and then come begging us for help."

"Fine job the witch has done, isn't it?"

"Long live the queen!" someone else yelled sarcastically. "Who knows what doom she'll bring on us next?"

"This is what we get for letting a monster sit on the throne!"

"Let her whole palace burn! See how high and mighty she is then!"

Anna, who had been looking more stunned and indignant throughout the preceding speeches and the echoes of agreement coming from all sides, finally stood up straight and faced the crowd. "What are you talking about? My sister didn't have anything to do with this. This wasn't her fault!"

"Everything is her fault!"

"What's wrong with all of you?!" Anna demanded. "How can you say that? Can't you see she's trying to help?"

"Probably started it in the first place."

"Thinks she can fool us, huh? Play the hero?"

Bruce knew what he would have done in this situation had it been a few years ago. He could almost still hear his commands: Keep quiet. Don't say anything. Get away. There's nothing you can do. Don't get involved. Don't get angry. These days, however, sustaining his safe mode of constant internal anger and preventing pressure from building up required asking, "Fool you about what? What has she done to you?"

"She's cursed the land in eternal winter!"

That was an odd complaint coming from one of those who, according to Hawkeye, thrived on cold. "It's too cold for you?" Bruce asked the man.

"Look around you – the entire kingdom is ruined because of her!"

"Her and her black magic!"

"She won't stop until she kills us all!"

"She'll freeze the entire world!"

"My sister is not..." Anna tried to say, but her voice was drowned out.

"Why doesn't she go back to the mountains where she belongs and leave us in peace?!"

"We'll never be safe until she's gone!"

"Hasn't she done enough damage?"

"What damage?" Bruce tried asking again, but, although they continued to complain, no one gave him a direct answer. He didn't know what to make of it. It seemed to him like they knew they were unhappy but didn't know why and didn't ask why – they just directed all their new frustration and dissatisfaction with life at a scapegoat. They were angry not because of the harsh weather but for no reason and didn't want a reason, just something to take it out on. What had made them so blind to reality? Why had they picked Elsa? Why direct all the hatred that was the only emotion they were still capable of feeling at her? Was it really just because her powers made her an easy target? "What has the queen done to you?"

"She's no queen of ours!"

"How dare you!" Anna gasped, furious.

"She won't get away with this!"

"Filthy witch!"

"Evil sorceress!"

"No more witches here!"

"Stop the witch!"

The captain stepped protectively in front of the princess and shouted, "That's enough! Unless you intend to help, everyone, be gone! We have enough trouble here! Clear this area at once!" He motioned to his men, and the soldiers began urging them on their way.

Anna suddenly became a distracted by a new flurry of activity by the gate. "What's going on up there?" It looked like they were bringing people out. "Where's Elsa? Elsa!"

Bruce easily spotted her. Realizing the princess wouldn't be able to stand waiting any longer, and no less eager for answers, he said, "I see her. Come on," and began leading her towards the scene.

They heard Elsa issuing orders before they could make out what was going on: "Get me a doctor immediately! Check the kitchens and the scullery! Give the captain the names of anyone unaccounted for! Use the back and servants' entrances only – no one is allowed in the front courtyard! Have your men check the damage and report back to me in no more than an hour, but be careful! Take your team and search the castle for intruders – no one goes back in until I'm sure it's safe! Tell Erik to arrange lodging for anyone who needs it! Put them down here..."

Anna finally broke her way through the crowd and gasped in horror. "Kristoff!" She ran forward as two men who had been carrying him between them lay him down on a blanket someone had thrown on the ground. He was unconscious, and his head was bleeding severely. "No, no, no..."

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed as her sister fell on her knees beside her husband.

That was the last thing Bruce was aware of before his mind shifted modes. "Let me through! I'm a doctor, let me through!" This was the type of crisis he could help with. A second later, he was on his knees by the victim, assessing his injuries. Miraculously, he seemed to have mostly minor cuts, scratches, and bruises, except for the head wound, which was full of splinters of wood. He had to remove them and stop the bleeding, but he had no instruments. "Somebody get me a rag – a scarf, a handkerchief, anything!"

A woman standing near him removed her apron and began tearing it into strips, handing him the first one. "Will he be okay?" Anna asked him desperately, but he just shook his head – he'd have time to answer questions later. "I need water!" Elsa formed a tall cube of ice next to him and, with another snap of her wrist, melted the center so that the hollow was full of liquid water.

Heedless of the cold, Bruce threw off his gloves so he could work. As he wet the cloth and began sponging away the blood, he heard Anna tearfully ask, "What happened?"

They were joined by a shadow. Bruce briefly glanced up to see it belonged to an old man, clutching at a long gash in his right arm. He was covered in soot, and his clothes were torn, but it looked like he was dressed like a man who had once given him asylum after an incident in Italy – a bishop. "The balcony above us fell just as we were leading a group of people out," Bruce heard the bishop explain as he went back to work. "A girl tripped, and he pushed us out of the way. Saved our lives."

"Are you all right, Your Grace?" someone asked as the bishop failed to suppress a soft moan of pain. "You need help."

"Don't worry about me. Will he be all right?"

"We need to get him inside," Bruce answered. Kristoff had obviously been indoors when it struck – he wasn't dressed for this; he'd freeze to death if he kept working on him out here. A man threw a coat over him as another man brought a woman dressed in a maid's uniform, groaning in pain, forward in his arms.

"Doctor, I think her leg's been broken," the man said, so fearfully that Bruce guessed he must be her husband.

"Where's the palace physician?" Elsa asked.

"Injured. We're trying to locate the nearest doctor."

"Have someone bring me his instruments," Bruce ordered. "And find us a place indoors where everyone can wait."

"Was any part of the main building damaged?" Elsa asked next.

Not soon enough, Bruce was set up with a staff of servants in a room in the first wing of the castle declared clear and safe, with a makeshift waiting room filling up with patients. It was a crude hospital, but he'd certainly worked under much worse conditions in India, which had made him no stranger to a lack of modern medical luxuries. Elsa left him in charge and instructed the servants, "Do whatever he says." He worried at first how they would react to taking orders from some foreign nobody, but they seemed grateful for his skill and expertise and very willing to help with whatever he needed.

Anna refused to leave her husband's side, so Bruce let her hold his hand while he sewed the gash in his head closed, even though, unsurprisingly, she seemed to find the ordeal more painful than the patient did. She sighed in relief when Bruce said, "There, done. Now you need to..."

"Don't worry about me," Kristoff told him weakly. "I'll be fine. Go help the others."

Bruce rose from the bedside but told Anna firmly, "Don't let him move from here until I've had a chance to thoroughly check him out."

"Right," Anna promised before throwing her arms around him again. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

He was used to this kind of embrace and returned it. "No need to thank me, princess. I'm sorry, but I need to go now."

"Yeah, thanks for saving my life," said Kristoff, trying to rise from the bed before Anna sat back down and grabbed his arm.

"I don't think I saved your life..."

"Close enough," Kristoff and Anna said together.

"You're welcome," the doctor replied before moving on.

He didn't see Elsa for several hours while he tended to the injured and she tended to everything else. He was relieved to hear later that there had been no casualties, that everyone was shaken up but accounted for, thanks to Elsa putting out the fire so quickly and to his own efforts afterwards. Between the two of them, tragedy had been averted.

The cause of the fire was still a mystery – no intruders had been found, and no one had actually seen it start. Based on what Bruce was able to piece together from what he'd heard throughout the day, the coachman had been the first to notice something unusual, when he was walking through the courtyard and smelled smoke. He'd followed the scent to the door nearest the tower and gone outside to investigate the other side of the wall when he saw flames peeking out of one of the windows. He'd sounded the alarm immediately, but what had looked like a small fire suddenly grew, spreading all along the inside of the wall surrounding the courtyard, sending many into a quickly-spreading panic.

After the initial alarm, a few brave souls had rushed right in to try to extinguish or contain the blaze. Kristoff had insisted Anna lead the evacuation through the rear and side entrances, which she'd done very smoothly and quickly under the circumstances, while he stayed inside and made sure no one was left behind. He was among those still searching when the beam fell that had caused the worst damage and getting out became a questionable task. Fortunately, the fire hadn't spread to the main building. The castle itself was untouched; all the damage was contained to the courtyard and the exterior wall.

Theories about the origin ranged from someone dropping a torch (but it had been broad daylight) to someone not properly putting out a match (but no one admitted to smoking) to kids playing with matches again (but they all swore they weren't) to the grim but popular theory of sabotage. Several visitors testified that they'd overheard some men arguing in one corner and some kids in another, but they hadn't bothered to listen. No reports of events leading up to the fire got any more unusual than that.

Elsa was standing in the courtyard, surveying the damage, when she was informed of the results of the day's investigations. "I see," was her only comment before dismissing the men. She then turned to go inside, telling the captain, "Double the guard tonight."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied with a bow as she walked past him.

Without stopping or turning around, she added in a firm voice, "And lock the gates."

There was a pause before the captain asked, "For how long, Your Majesty?"

She stopped walking, but her voice never wavered as she answered, "Until we find who's responsible."

"It might have been an accident, ma'am."

"I hope so," the queen sighed, turning half-around. "But until we know for sure, no one is to enter without necessary business or without being summoned. I won't take chances with anyone's safety – until we determine how this happened and can guarantee it won't happen again, the gates will remain closed."

The captain bowed again and said, "Understood, my Queen," as she turned and walked away.

He watched her go until the doors closed behind her. One of the soldiers stepped up next to him and sighed. "The princess will be devastated when she hears the news."

"No more than the queen," the captain observed, "but she's right – it must be done." Following her example, he shook his head and went to deliver his orders for the night watch, his eyes narrowed in determination.

It was long after midnight when Bruce, half-dozing in a chair by a bedside, felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He opened his eyes with a startled gasp and turned around to find Elsa looking down at him. "It's all right, it's just me. How are things going here?" she asked.

He rose to his feet and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Under the circumstances, couldn't be better. Things went a lot faster once Dr. Nielsen arrived from town. He's bandaging our last burn victim in the other room." He noticed the concerned way she looked down at the little girl sleeping in the bed. "She'll be okay – just sprained her ankle. Her mother said she and her brother were climbing on your frozen fountain and slipped when the panic struck."

"How's Kristoff?"

"No concussion. He'll be sore for a while, but he'll recover. How's your sister holding up?"

"Honorably – she's been a big help today, helping me conduct things. I haven't seen her for a few hours. Has she been back at all?"

"No. I haven't seen either of them since they left hours ago, but she seemed fine once she knew her husband was all right."

"And Bishop Thoresen?"

"Bad cut but nothing serious. He left as soon as I finished – said he didn't want to take up room."

"Dr. Holstein? I heard he was injured."

"Just a broken arm. Wanted to help but not much he could do. He'll probably need to keep his arm in a sling for six weeks, but after that, he should be fine."

Elsa continued to ask after the rest of her friends, staff, and visitors until Bruce had no more information to give her. The other doctor returned as they were finishing up, and she gestured for Bruce to join her in the hallway. Dr. Nielsen, thinking she was ordering him to go get some rest, bowed to the queen and told him, "Go ahead – I'll take over from here."

"Thank you," said Bruce, clasping his hand before following Elsa, closing the door softly behind them.

The halls, normally well-lit until everyone was in bed, were almost dark tonight, the moon outside the window giving more light than the few live lamps. The darkness fit the mood, though, as Elsa said, "I can't thank you enough for your help today."

"I was just doing my job," Bruce said sincerely.

"I don't know what we would have done without you."

"You could have found someone else..."

"Not quickly enough. I owe you my people's lives. Who knows how many you saved today?"

"I didn't save anyone – you did," Bruce reminded her. "Who knows what that fire would've destroyed if you hadn't stopped it?"

"If it hadn't been for you, what I did wouldn't have mattered."

"If it hadn't been for you, there might not have been anyone to save."

Elsa looked away from him and said gravely, "If it hadn't been for me, this wouldn't have happened."

Bruce looked away as well and asked, reluctantly, "You think this was about you?"

"Do you think I'm wrong?" He didn't try to deny it. "The grumblings, the complaints are nothing new, but this is the first action anyone's taken against me."

Keeping his focus on the analytical side of the problem to keep the emotional side at bay, Bruce asked her, "Why target the courtyard? Why not the building? And why make their move when you weren't here?"

"Sending a message – they didn't want me dead, they wanted me to see my family and my people in danger." The speed of her answer showed she'd thought it all through hours ago. "They targeted the place where we and our friends gather to celebrate and have fun, not where we live. They want to make it clear those times are over."

"Are they?"

"For the time being. I'm not letting them hurt anyone else." She stopped and looked out a long window at the kingdom she ruled. "How could I have let this happen?"

She was trying to hide it, but Bruce recognized the tone of voice too well. "You know it's not your fault."

She didn't show any surprise that he had read her mind. "They attacked us because of me. Because of what I am."

"And they failed because of you. You stopped their plan in its tracks. Nobody else here could have done that."

"I never should have allowed it to go that far. It's my responsibility to protect Arendelle, and I've failed."

"If you did, so did I."

Elsa turned to him, but he didn't look at her. "What?"

"I was supposed to stay behind to prevent something like this," said Bruce, finally voicing the thought he'd been using to feed his constant anger for the past few hours.

"They left you behind to look for clues, not to protect me."

He shook his head. "Good, because I can't protect anyone." He wasn't the strong one...

"But you have. Look at what you did today."

He shook his head again. Why did everyone act like what he did as a doctor was such a big deal? "That was nothing."

"It meant a lot to me, and Anna, and Kristoff, and everyone else you helped. You were... our hero today."

He had to smile, but only because of who was saying it, as he turned to her and said, "No. You were."

He was glad Elsa didn't try to deny it. She smiled back at him and asked, "Is this what you do every day back home? Saving people like you saved us today?"

If she insisted on believing that about him, it was easier to let it go than to argue with her. "We saved them today," Bruce reminded her, taking her hand and squeezing it for emphasis, trying to convey how impressed he'd been by seeing her in action today.

Elsa looked shyly down and then back at up at him – she got the message. "We make a great team, don't we?"

Was it more dangerous to answer or not to answer? Concealing anything was dangerous for him, which left him no choice but to admit, "Yeah. We do."

Elsa stared at him so intently that he feared she was about to try to kiss him again. If she started it, he knew he wouldn't be able to disobey her. He didn't move, and, to his relief, she only leaned forward a fraction of an inch before releasing his hand and backing away, wrapping her arms around herself. "You should go get some rest – you look exhausted," she said.

"So should you. You've had a long day."

Elsa shook her head and turned away from the window. "No, I need to find Anna. I want her to hear the news from me. She'll be heartbroken, but it has to be done."

"She wants you safe, too. She'll understand," Bruce assured her.

"I hope so. She's probably with Kristoff – do you know where they took him?"

"They left after a guard came and told them their rooms had been checked and it was safe to go back to them. Her maid came to help us about an hour ago. Said the princess sent her down because she wouldn't need her anymore tonight."

Elsa frowned. "Well, if she managed to get to sleep, I don't want to wake her up. I guess it will have to wait until morning. We should go to bed, too... I mean, we should... you should... and I should go..."

Don't laugh, don't react. Pretending that meant nothing when he translated it to his own language, and trying not to think of what Tony Stark would have said had he heard that, Bruce calmly stepped away from the window and said, "We should try to get some sleep."

Taking his cue, Elsa quickly cast off her uncharacteristic fluster and said, gratefully, "Yes, we should. Thank you again for your services today."

"It was my honor to be of service to you." Determined to part from her in perfect composure, Bruce made himself take her left hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it softly. "Good night, my Queen."

"Good night, Bruce." He would have left then, but he couldn't until she released his hand, so they stood there smiling at each other until she let go. He bowed, she nodded, and they both turned, still smiling, and walked away in opposite directions, still smiling.

Elsa dismissed her maid as soon as she reached her chambers. The girl, understanding why the queen would want to be alone after the events of today, bowed courteously and left her alone with her wildly confusing thoughts, which she seized as a welcome distraction from thoughts of the day's catastrophe. She'd go crazy if she dwelt on that all night... but should she dwell on thoughts of Bruce? Why shouldn't she? She was so grateful for his help today, so glad he had been there to take care of her people. Was that why thinking about him and just knowing he was nearby made her feel so happy? As soon as she thought about her own happiness, her spirits inexplicably fell, making her feel like she wanted to scream or cry.

Elsa leaned against the door she had just closed behind her maid and sighed. She had been sure her confused feelings about Bruce would have resolved if she ever she saw him again, but it felt like they were getting worse. What was wrong with her? She couldn't afford to be so confused, not now, not after what just happened. She shook her head, straightened up, and went to her bedroom, determined to put such questions aside until their real problems were solved. She had a friend and a valuable ally – why couldn't she let it go at that?

Her thoughts continued to alternate between the fire and the doctor as she prepared for bed, swapping her ice outfit for a beautiful but mundane silk nightgown that couldn't melt while she slept. If she had never felt this way about anyone except him, the question was, why? Of course, she knew how he was different from anyone she'd ever met, and why their friendship was different from any other relationships she'd had, but what did that mean?

Her memory answered by quoting Anna's theory on the subject. Could this really be...? The idea was completely surreal to her. She'd grown up telling herself that she would never know a man's love, shoved the possibility out of her mind until it became as implausible for her as the thought of flying or breathing underwater. Love, courtship, marriage, children – none of that was for her. None of it would ever be part of her life. It was too dangerous. She would live alone with her curse forever. She'd been mercifully released from that burden a few years ago but too recently to make up for lost time. Her development in that area had been severely stunted; she had never learned how these things worked like other girls did in their youth (it had seemed easier not to know what she would be missing out on). She was well-educated in most fields, but in matters of the heart, she was as knowledgeable as an innocent little schoolgirl. Her instincts had told her that Anna's initial approach with Hans wasn't right, but this wasn't as clear to her.

How did this work? She was willing to admit she found him attractive, but what about the rest? What did attraction plus sympathy plus friendship plus sorrow for the pain he'd suffered plus admiration plus gratitude add up to? She wasn't concealing anything – she honestly didn't know. Did he know? How did he feel about her?

She tried to tell herself it didn't matter anyway. Hadn't she promised him she would keep things in perspective? He wasn't the type of man that she should be asking these questions about, that her situation allowed her to ask these questions about. The issue should never have come up. But it had, pointless or not, and ignoring it would be reverting back to her old self, from before she'd learned the dangers of concealment. Now that she'd started down this road, she couldn't turn back, even if there would be nothing for her at the end.

One floor and several rooms away, Bruce, likewise forbidden to conceal anything from himself any longer, was mentally taking a circuitous route to the same road. As he'd walked back to his room, his mind had been safely focused on the mystery of the fire. How had they done it? What would be next? Whatever happened, he vowed he wouldn't let anything happen to Elsa or her family or her people.

Why is that so important? Because it was his duty. He'd already failed her once. He didn't deserve all the respect she'd shown him today. And yet, it had felt good to learn that she thought as highly of him as he thought of her.

Is that it? Yes, he admitted he cared about and respected her, he accepted how much she respected him, but how arrogant would it have been to presume anything more? He reminded himself what he was and what she was. His safety lay in the difference.

What does she want from you then? A friend and a confidant.

What about you? What do you want? He didn't bother to answer that – there was no point. Shouldn't the human psyche have some defense mechanism that prevented it from wanting the impossible? He was sure he did, at least – it had been a long time since he was guilty of that weakness. He involuntarily flashed back to the last time he had nearly succumbed...

"It's okay, I want to..." So had he, but...

"I don't every time get what I want."

No. No, he didn't. What he wanted didn't matter. The fact that he and Queen Elsa – the most powerful, beautiful woman he'd ever known – shared such a special bond didn't matter. He would never be free to go down that road with her. He would never be anything but a monster. It was hopeless.

Just let it go, Banner. Let it go.


"It was a rash move."

Hans shrugged nonchalantly, his satisfied grin unchanged. "The results beg to differ."

Far away in her ice palace, he watched the Snow Queen pace around the Mirror of Reason, her arms behind her back, her eyes knit in concentration. By watching him through her Mirror, and watching her through his piece of it, they could each hear what the other was saying and respond knowing their reply would be heard. It was a rather awkward way of communicating, at first, but he'd gotten used to it over the past two months. "It's too soon," she said in her flat, even, regal voice. "If you waited until we had more of the soldiers under our control, you could have done much more damage."

"I couldn't agree more," Hans replied, "but since you refuse to nip our potential problem in the bud, I couldn't afford to waste any more time."

The Snow Queen's tone didn't waver a fraction as she asked, "How many times do I have to tell you those two pose no threat?"

"Why take a chance?" Hans asked in reply, no less calm, if more annoyed. "All it would take is one big storm, one quick avalanche, and you could eliminate them right now."

"As I've tried to tell you, it wouldn't work. You don't know them – I do. I've seen what they can do."

Hans remembered perfectly what she had told him about their weapons and powers – hence his concern. "Yet you say they aren't a threat."

"Not to me. I wouldn't recommend you challenging them to combat."

Hans knew he showed no reaction to that, but he wasn't surprised at the half-smirk she made at the few extra seconds it took before he spoke again: "Then taking care of the problem should be no trouble for you."

"I'm not going to waste my energy on a solution that might not work to a problem that doesn't need fixing. Forget about those two. If they had stayed in Arendelle, I agree they might have been able to make things difficult for us, but now that they've left, we have nothing to worry about."

"If that's your reasoning, I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that, as long as they're alive, there's a chance they will return?"

The snow Queen made a sound that might have been her very mild version of an exasperated sigh. "Very well, if you're so worried, I promise, it will no longer be an issue tomorrow."

Hans looked out his room's tiny window, seeing the first rays of dawn already emerging over the horizon. Tomorrow would be here any minute. "I applaud your confidence. Pardon my curiosity, but what are exactly are you planning to do to accomplish this?"

"Nothing. I intend to let someone else take care of them for us."

Hans furrowed his brow and looked aside, trying to calculate where the two strangers would be by now and what she could be referring to. One part of the legend he'd heard fit, but it didn't exactly reassure him. "Yes, that worked out so well last time," he said sarcastically.

"It will buy us some time. I believe that was your primary concern."

"Why don't you just bury them and buy us all the time we want?"

The Snow Queen smiled as she replied, "You're not thinking this all the way through. They would be far more useful to us alive than dead."

"If you could freeze them, which, as I recall, you apparently can't."

"Not at the time I tried," the Snow Queen confessed, untroubled. "I admit, I miscalculated. He seemed to have a frozen heart already that should have attracted the ice to him like a magnet to iron, but, apparently, he has the power that grants humans resistance to it."

"Then your hope is futile."

"I said 'resistance,' not 'immunity.' No human remains in the same mindset all the time. I'll just have to strike when his mind and heart aren't protected by the thoughts that protected him that night. Unlike the other one, he can't keep that armor up forever, especially if he doesn't know he needs to."

Hans believed her explanation, but he still doubted her approach. "Would today possibly offer an opportune time to try again?"

"Perhaps, but if, as you claim, our priority is time, let's keep them busy for a few weeks first."

Hans would be perfectly satisfied if only she could really guarantee that, but he didn't see how. "Weeks? If they're really as powerful as you say, this stunt might buy us a few minutes."

"A few minutes are all we'll need."

Hans sighed in defeat – nothing could break her stubbornness. But wallowing in anxiety was not in his nature. He put his worries about the two strangers aside for now; he would return to that issue if and when this plan of hers failed. Until then, he would focus on the things he was in a position to control. "Very well – take care of them as you see fit, but don't forget I warned you."

"I'll do that. I believe in proceeding with caution – something I suggest you do more of on your end."

He scowled at the accusation, as it was patently untrue. "No one works more cautiously than I."

"Until today. You lost your patience."

"It worked," Hans said dismissively.

"Not the way you planned."

"Not to the extent I hoped," he admitted, "but I'm still satisfied."

"You've made things more difficult."

"If I have, I'll work it out. Let me handle things here. I've got everything under control."

"If that were true, you would pay more attention to your new guest."

"What?" Hans laughed, amazed that she considered that significant enough to bring up. "The queen's latest charity case? Haven't we got more important things to..."

"He is in a much better position to expose us than his companions are."

"His companions are the only ones with the power to stop us," Hans reminded her. "He's the one they could afford to leave behind – how dangerous could he be?" He had to laugh again as he remembered the shy, nervous, gentle, quiet, self-effacing man he'd seen last night while he'd been watching the queen. "The other two may be warriors, but he's just another one of the myriad peasants the queen and princess have taken in in the past. Not a threat."

"Not in the way you're thinking, but if the throne is still your goal, I suggest you nip this potential problem in the bud," advised the Snow Queen, echoing his earlier complaint.

Her insinuation was clear, however ludicrous. "Interesting theory," Hans observed, suddenly suspicious. Was she just making an annoying joke because she was angry that he had argued with her, or was she trying to distract him? He had never fully trusted her, but he had apparently overestimated her intelligence if she thought she could fool him. "Based on...?" he pressed.

The Snow Queen didn't reply but instead asked, "Did you watch them at all today?" Because she had no basis for it. That confirmed his own theory – for a reason he was yet to learn, she was trying to distract him.

"I'm afraid not," Hans said sarcastically, to let her know how unnecessary he knew it was. "I meant to, but I was too busy getting our revenge on Queen Elsa."

"How, by giving her the perfect opportunity to rush in and save the day?"

His intent had been to show all those still supporting Elsa that no one was safe with her and get those whom the ice splinters couldn't freeze to abandon their queen out of either fear or frustration, but they needn't go into that right now. "By taking away one of the things she loves the most. It was time to tell her we're here, and there's no escape. That no place is safe from us. We can get to her anywhere. And anyone she cares about."

"You risked discovery to crash a party."

"I don't take risks, I make plans. The two sentries who guard the gate have both been frozen," he explained. He had waited patiently for just such an opportunity. Today was the first time since his return that he'd ventured sneaking into the courtyard. The guards' cooperation had made it easy – as long as he kept his hood up and didn't act suspicious (which Princess Anna could testify he was a master at), no one recognized him as the prince most of them had no doubt heard of but few had seen years ago and all knew had died six months ago. "There was hardly any danger of exposure."

"And hardly any profit," she pointed out.

Hans shrugged again. "So the queen's latest admirer was able to save everyone's lives. It was still an effective gesture. He didn't do any real harm, except for the prince..." He cringed as he remembered how close he had come to getting his revenge on the peasant who had won everything that should have been his.

"You didn't honestly expect to get rid of him so easily just by..."

"Of course not!" he snapped, the speed of his answer giving away the lie. He reverted back to the previous subject. "At least I know how to factor the doctor into my plans from now on. Anything else about him I should know about?"

As he expected, the Snow Queen snickered in the direction of her Mirror – obviously to put on a show of confident, lofty nonchalance after he'd seen through her attempted trick. "Him? No, he's harmless." He gave her credit for being wise enough to admit it to him.

"Very well – I'll keep my eye on those who aren't. If you'll excuse me..." With that, he lay the mirror face down on the table. Before he picked it up again, he pulled his cloak more tightly around his shoulders. This inn was noticeably colder than the one he'd previously hidden in, but after that stranger had almost discovered his hiding place, he'd been forced to move immediately. Fortunately, more than one innkeeper had been frozen and was more than willing to help the man who understood how dangerous the queen was and had a plan to save them all from her.

When he picked the mirror back up, all Hans could see in it was his own reflection. But not for long. The strangers would no doubt want to make an early start, and he wanted to keep a close eye on them. What were they up to? What didn't the Snow Queen want him to see? Just because she'd failed to distract him didn't mean it was safe to grow complacent. He'd been looking forward to seeing how the queen and princess suffered through their first day of locked gates, but there would be plenty of time to savor their misery later. For now, these powerful new enemies had to be his priority. "Show me the two..." What had the Snow Queen said they called themselves? "... Avengers."


"Ugh... how did Cap put up with this for seventy years?" Tony wondered aloud as he scanned the miles of snow, ice, more snow, and more ice surrounding him for miles. He flew around in one quick circle as he waited for his partner riding down below to catch up with him before launching forward again at a much slower speed than he was used to. "Some adventure..." Yesterday had been completely uneventful, and today was looking no better. Sure, it meant they'd made good progress, but Tony Stark wasn't exactly looking forward to another straight day of nothing but flying and stopping to rest or eat before hitting the road again. It felt like the seamless white landscape was laughing at their feeble attempts to find something in its unbroken blankness. It wasn't even snowing or windy, just completely deserted, still, and frozen. "You know, when this is over, we should take a vacation somewhere more tropical, like the ice planet of Hoth."

"If we can't stop whatever's causing this, we'll be living on it soon," Hawkeye's voice said in his ear. Tony looked down and saw him turn his mount right to go around a hill or large mound of snow up ahead.

"Come on – if we can stop a Frost Giant, how hard can it be to stop a giant frost?" The Avengers' most extreme introvert was fighting the unexpected urge to grin when their most extreme extrovert added, "As long as we don't die of boredom first. I mean, come on, almost twenty-four hours in a magical land without running into a single threat? What a rip off!"

Hawkeye's grin instantly disappeared as he rolled his eyes. "You know you should never say stuff like that, Stark."

"Oh, you mean because..." Tony was distracted by an alert from one of his sensors. He only had to wait half a second to spot what it had detected below: the mound of snow unfolding to reveal the head, body, and limbs of a massive, vaguely humanoid creature (the-Pillsbury-Doughboy-monster-on-steroids-and-with-rabies was Tony's assessment), bringing both the heroes to an abrupt halt. It stood up straight and stomped a few times in their direction before stopping, the empty blue sockets in its head darting up and down between them as it growling menacingly – clearly, they were not welcome. Tony eventually broke the tense silence that followed: "... that might happen." At the sound, the monster looked up and swatted at him with one of its icy claws like he was a fly, so fast that Tony just barely managed to rise and dodge the attack. "Whoah!" He could easily stay out of its reach, but he couldn't exactly fly off with Agent Barton stuck fighting on the ground.

The creature stomped towards them again, swinging its thick arms. Hawkeye dismounted and rolled away as it took a swipe at him, sending the two reindeer running in fright, but there was no time to worry about that; now that he had no chance of outrunning the thing, the only option was to fight. He came up on one knee with an arrow already on the string and fired, replacing it before he got to his feet. He'd used an ordinary arrow to test what would happen; as he expected, it passed right through the creature's shoulder, trailing a stream of snowflakes behind it on its way to the ground but causing absolutely no damage.

Tony steadied himself in the air and fired one strong double-blast. The force of impact made the creature stumble back a few steps, but it got right back up, unharmed and growling louder and angrier than ever. Tony flew out of its reach as it lunged towards them again, just before Hawkeye fired his explosive arrow at its head. It detonated on impact, but the hole it left almost instantly closed, the snow resuming its original shape as if molded by an invisible hand. The creature kept coming at him, but he shoulder-rolled to the side out of the way right as Tony fired another blast at its back. It fell forward on its face, its form melding into the snow around it, but neither of the men thought it would be down for long.

"JARVIS," Tony said as the monster came after them again and Hawkeye fired harmlessly at each of its limbs, trying to find a weakness, "what can you tell me about this thing?"

"Its entire structure appears to be made of snow," the robotic sidekick answered as his master fired a stream of missiles at his attacker. "Scans detect no discernible skeleton or anatomy or nervous system."

"Great – how do you fight magic snow?" Tony asked, dodging one swipe after another as he tried to get a closer look.

Hawkeye ducked and shot a flaming arrow into the monster's arm. The fire melted a small area of snow before fizzling out. "I knew that would be too easy," the archer said to himself as he backed away. Deciding to try the opposite approach, he fired his next arrow at the creature's right knee, which became encased in ice upon impact as the freezing agent activated. Unbothered, the creature kept walking, only a little stiffly, the ice crumbling away a little with each step until it was able to move as freely as ever. Apparently, neither fire nor ice beat snow.

"JARVIS, boost the flares to maximum power!" Once the stats on the screen confirmed his order had been carried out, Tony dived at the monster with his suit now more fireball than armor. This amount of flame melted enough of its core to bring it fairly down. The way now clear, Hawkeye readied another arrow and ran ahead, Stark flying above him. The creature recovered and gave chase, but Tony shot a wide blast at the ground in front of it, kicking up a huge spray of snow. Naturally, this didn't hold it off for long, but it allowed the heroes to get that much farther away from it. Tony managed to fire a missile right in its mouth just as Hawkeye fired an explosive arrow into its chest, but it kept coming.

Hawkeye turned and tried to look for the reindeer or some part of his environment he could use to his advantage. The ground ahead sloped gently downward, but he could see nothing below except a strange strip cutting across the plain to the right, of a color and texture slightly different from the snow around it; he quickly realized it was a frozen river. A beam of red light around the corner of his eye caused him to turn back, where he saw Stark firing a continuous laser at the beast, as if he were trying to melt it. The archer loaded two flaming arrows on the bow he now turned sideways before circling around to the left to get a better angle for the shot. The creature, however, suddenly rallied itself and, regardless of its half-melted face, charged right after him in a rage. Tony zoomed after it and knocked it as hard he could to the side.

Hawkeye darted around the fallen monster, his attention divided between waiting for it to rise up and resume its assault and listening to the radio in his ear: "Unless you have a rock salt arrow in there, we gotta get out of here!"

"Might have something better," the archer replied, rapidly firing a series of arrows at the ground three at a time, setting off a chain of explosions that their opponent had no easy time getting through. "See that river down there about fifty yards to the northwest?"

Tony hadn't time to look before, but he did now, and he quickly deduced what Barton must have in mind. "That's the oldest trick in the book."

"You got a better idea?"

"If you fall in, don't blame me. Brace yourself!" With that, Tony swooped down, lifted the archer into the air, and flew towards the river. The two men landed on the opposite bank and turned, their weapons at the ready, only to find that the creature wasn't following them but standing where they'd left it, growling threateningly after them.

"Get ready," said Hawkeye, never taking his gaze off the monster. "As soon as it reaches the center, melt the ice under it."

"One giant ice cube to go, extra frozen, hold the snow, coming right up," Tony replied. He never got the chance to try their instant freeze plan, however, because the demon snowman appeared to have lost interest in trying to catch them. It didn't follow them, nor did it wander away; it just stood back there staring down at them.

"What, did we reach some magic border it can't cross?" Tony asked, bewildered.

"I don't think so." It wasn't acting frustrated or enraged like you would expect had he been forced to give up the chase – more like there was no reason to chase them any longer. The way it looked at them struck Hawkeye as vaguely familiar. He gingerly put one foot down on the ice in front of him; when he was sure it could support his weight, he walked slowly across, never taking his aim off the creature. Stark flew up and hovered a few feet above the ground on the other bank.

Once they were both back over the river, the creature grew more agitated. The farther they moved in its direction, the more upset it got until it finally roared (covering Tony's armor in snow as it did so) and ran at them, as eager to fight as it was in the beginning.

Hawkeye saw Stark prep his arms for another blast and yelled, "Wait!"

Stark didn't fire, but he didn't power down his gauntlets, either. "Why?"

"Back up – see what it does." Keeping his eyes on the monster and his bow raised and ready to fire, Hawkeye stepped backwards towards the river. Tony floated after him, not sure what he was getting at. The creature roared at them once more but then retreated back the few steps it had come. Its behavior now reminded Tony of something, as well. He flew towards it again, circling wide around it so that it had no chance of catching him. As soon as he passed it, the snowman dashed after him, running through the snow like a fish swims through water, except much faster, howling and flailing its bulky arms about in pure rage. Tony let it almost catch up to him before he rocketed upwards and glided back to the near bank of the river, landing beside Hawkeye.

"It's not trying to kill us," the sharp-eyed archer concluded. "It's trying to keep us from passing. It doesn't want us to go that way."

"So, either this is the habitat for a very territorial species of snowman Elsa forgot to mention, or..."

"... there's something over there someone doesn't want us to find." Satisfied that they were safe as long as they didn't move in that direction, Hawkeye resheathed his arrow, shouldered his bow, and pulled his tablet out from inside his jacket. "The polar vortex isn't coming from that direction," he said as he looked at the screen.

"Then what is someone so eager to hide?" Intending to find out, Tony shot straight up until he was as high as a low-flying plane and scanned the area as far as he could, pulling up radar and satellite data on the screen. "JARVIS, anything unusual around here?"

"Satellite scans show nothing but snow for at least a sixty mile radius, sir – no sign of plant, animal, or human life within that perimeter."

"Maybe not on the surface – what about underground?"

"Geothermal activity and heat readings are all normal – no sign of any activity, electrical power, or unnatural structures under the snow or ground."

"Any sign of recent human activity?"

"Negative within this vicinity, sir."

"No way finding it would be that simple, Stark," Hawkeye chimed in over the radio.

"Then we gotta get rid of this thing. We're close to something – something important, or they wouldn't go to so much trouble to guard it. Could be part of what's causing this polar vortex."

Hawkeye swept his gaze over the entire horizon, looking for a way to either stop or avoid the beast without telling Stark to go look without him, when he said, "I know, but how..." only to stop as his thoughts detoured. Aside from the monster, there was nothing in the area to indicate there was anything special or even different anywhere nearby; had it not been for the attack, they would have kept on going north towards the source of the polar vortex, never knowing someone was trying to guard something to the northeast of here at all. They would have passed, and the secret would have been perfectly safe. If you wanted to hide or protect something, you concealed it where no one would notice it, not wave a flag that said HERE IT IS, SO DON'T GO THIS WAY! to people who never would have known it was there in the first place. The monster or whoever had created it hadn't kept them from finding something – it had alerted them that there was something to find. "Hold on – something's not right here." The set-up was too obvious. "That's just what they want us to do."

Tony realized that his first instinct upon finding out the creature was only trying to chase them away had been to look for a way to go in that very direction. "That's not a guard, that's bait," he said.

Hawkeye grinned as the true picture developed. The both reached the conclusion at the same time: "It's a trap."

"Someone wants us to go that way," Hawkeye added.

"Why? So we walk into something they have rigged to kill us?" Tony asked as he landed again.

"Your buddy said there's nothing over there."

"Right..." And if they weren't being drawn to something... "I can't believe I almost fell for that," Tony said with a chuckle.

"What?"

"They weren't trying to lure us in," Tony explained, as he pointed in the direction the snowman was guarding. "They were trying to lure us away." And he pointed in the opposite direction across the river. "Make us think that they want us to stay away so we go that way instead of going the way they really don't want us to go."

"Well, they get points for originality," Hawkeye conceded. A rustle of movement from the north caught his eye. He reached to his side for an arrow before the shapes of figures approaching registered as those of reindeer.

"Thanks for joining us again, guys," Stark told them as they walked closer.

"Good – I wasn't looking forward to walking or being dragged the rest of the way." Hawkeye wasn't surprised that, instead of running off scared, they'd returned with what looked like most of the supplies still on their backs. He'd first gotten the impression two days ago that the reindeer around here, or at least in Arendelle, were different from other species; their eyes and faces seemed to display the emotion and reasoning of sentient, if mute, beings, who appeared well aware of what the humans around them were up to and weren't shy about showing their approval or disapproval. He took the reins of one and swung his leg over its back. Once he was in the seat, he studied the display on the tablet again. "That could be a trick, too, you know – keep us away from the source."

"They could've done that yesterday – why wait until we got here?" Stark argued. "This was where he was waiting for us – why?"

"This river is the first landmark we've come across since we left Arendelle," Hawkeye admitted.

"Let's see what's on the other side before we go on," Tony suggested.

Hawkeye decided the risks of not investigating outweighed the risks of a few hours' delay and led the reindeer over the icy river. They inched their way across the slippery surface but, once they had the snow-covered earth under their hooves again, broke into a run. "Race ya'," Stark laughed before flying ahead. The reindeer sped up, as if sensing and accepting the challenge. Hawkeye let them have their fun while he kept an eye out for anything suspicious.

Stark, however, was the first one to spot something: "Got a curve of the river coming up ahead." Hawkeye veered his mount to the right away from the ice. They were soon traveling parallel with the river, which apparently turned west at some point beyond where they had crossed it. Tony had just noticed a branch farther downstream that came from the direction of Arendelle and was trying to trace if it went all the way back there when the sounds of crashing and rumbling like a series of small avalanches caused them both to stop and whip their heads around. Sure enough, their new friend was running after them, still a good distance behind, but obviously not for long.

"Well, at least it confirms we went the right way," said Tony, analyzing the area from his place in the sky.

"Which means now is when he's really going to try to stop us," Hawkeye said as threw open the flap of a saddlebag and pulled out a crossbow; since none of his trick arrows worked on this thing, he might as well use a weapon that could leave one of his hands free.

"Boy, I'd love to know how they built this thing," Tony said while he tried to think of a weapon he hadn't tried on the indestructible snowman yet.

Hawkeye didn't comment on that but simply said, "Original plan still applies. Let's finish this now."

"Get out of here. I'll take care of it."

Hawkeye didn't argue with the guy protected by a flying suit of armor but led his mount and its companion across the river again and ran a few more yards downstream while Stark hovered ten feet above the ice. It wasn't long before their pursuer caught up. Tony fired a small blast in the snow to get its attention. "Come and get me, Frosty," he said to himself, right before it dashed into the middle of the river and ran towards him.

Hawkeye raised his crossbow, a bolt locked and loaded, his finger on the trigger. Tony raised his right arm and fired the laser from his wrist at the frozen surface of the river below him, melting the ice until a flat chunk was bobbing in the water underneath. As soon as the monster reached the spot, Hawkeye shot the bolt at its left leg, causing it to stumble as Stark melted the ice under it completely. This ice did not magically reform, and the creature sank into the frigid water. Hawkeye prepared for another shot, but it wasn't necessary; the monster floated back to the surface, no longer a moving mass of snow but a stiff, frozen, solid statue of ice.

Tony flew over and landed next to his partner, admiring their handiwork. "Huh – that was easier than I thought."

"And what lesson did we learn from this?" Hawkeye asked him pointedly as he lowered his weapon.

"You're right – completely my fault," Tony admitted. "I solemnly promise to keep my mouth shut from now on. Now, let's get out of here before I'm tempted to say something about 'staying cool' or 'chilling out.' "

"Surely such lines are beneath the great Tony Stark," Hawkeye said sarcastically as he began riding alongside the riverbank again, now at a leisurely pace to give the reindeer time to recover.

"Then you can understand my concern, Robin Hood," Tony replied before he took to the sky again. "Now – what's the big secret?"

They followed the river downstream for a few miles without coming across the slightest change in the landscape – no people, no buildings, no more monsters or traps. They passed the point where the river widened as the other branch joined it; Tony made a mental note to try following it on the way back to see if it led to Arendelle. They didn't have to go much farther before they came across something interesting – the skeletons of tall, bare, leafless trees on both sides of the river. The number of trees (growing where there shouldn't have been trees at all) increased but never became crowded enough to be called a forest – more like a park, a grove, or an orchard.

Baffled by the sight, Tony dropped down well ahead of Hawkeye, stepped up to one, and tore off a branch, listening carefully for the sounds of agonized screams as he did so. Nope, nothing. No blood dripping from the break in the wood, either – so far, they appeared normal, but they couldn't be. "What have we got here, JARVIS?" he asked as the sensors in his visor began analyzing the sample. he rose bakc into the air, keeping one eye on the analysis in progress on his screen.

He expected they had stumbled across some unknown, magical species whose chemical makeup would send readings off the scale for something. He couldn't have been more shocked when JARVIS informed him, "Their genetic makeup is consistent with that of cherry trees, sir."

"Cherry trees?" Tony repeated.

"Cherry trees?" Hawkeye repeated after him.

"With 99.7% certainty," JARVIS confirmed.

Tony stared at the branch in his hand. "What are they doing here?"

"Yet to be determined," was JARVIS' only response.

"JARVIS, what have I told you about telling me things I already know?" Tony groaned before taking off again.

"See anything up there?" Hawkeye asked him.

"Nothing yet," the mindboggled genius answered. He soon added, "Wait, disregard that."

"What? What is it?"

"No idea." He saw a stone wall, about ten feet high, up ahead on the opposite side of the frozen river. Even though every inch of the ground around it was covered in snow, there wasn't a drop of snow on the wall itself, or on the wooden gate facing the river, although there were two tall piles of snow on either side of the gate, as if two things had been buried under it. The wall and gate weren't only clear of snow but in perfect condition, even though there were no footprints or any other sign of human presence or activity anywhere around.

Tony stopped and hovered in mid-air until Hawkeye caught up with him. You didn't have to be an expert on fairy tales to know that walls with unusual properties in the middle of nowhere contained nothing usual or safe behind them. "This has danger written all over it," Hawkeye observed.

"Can't turn back now," Tony said, as if it were the most obvious point in the world. "Got anything, JARVIS?"

His assistant's voice came out shakily, as if he were on a cell phone with one bar: "-e sensors... -pear to -e malfu-ining... sir."

"JARVIS, can you speak up? What's going on?"

"... indi- … temp-tures at … -ore data... in-onclus..."

"JARVIS?" the inventor said with concern. "JARVIS, you there?" There was no response this time. "Not again." The readings on his screen began closing out, but the suit itself was still functioning perfectly. The malfunction was inexplicable... magical, he remembered he could now say. Great, maybe the air around here caused technology to go haywire like in the Bermuda Triangle. Well, if that was the case, it would fix itself as soon as they left, and there was nothing he could do about it now. He could still fly and fight. "I'm going in."

Hawkeye decided not to waste his breath saying he had a bad feeling about this.

Tony flew up and high over the wall, circling through the air as slowly as he could for a minute, listening for the sound of attack or anything else uninviting. He heard nothing, but his visor was almost dark, making it impossible to see clearly whatever it was they'd found. The visor slid open, and he looked down. "What in the... what in the... whoah..."

Fed up, Hawkeye asked him, "What? What do you see?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Tony whispered in awe. He remained staring down in stunned silence for a moment before saying, "Coast is clear. Place is deserted. Try the gate."

"What place?"

"Good question." Tony continued shaking his head in disbelief as he touched down on a blanket of springy, emerald green grass. The hot air was so stifling, he had to remove his helmet. He held it under his arm and stood where he'd landed, staring all around him in disbelief at the sunniest, brightest, most dazzlingly colorful, most breathtakingly beautiful garden he'd ever seen, the ground all but completely covered in a rainbow of flowers, all in the full bloom of summer, making the air thick with their sweet, delicious, hypnotic fragrances.