The fact that the gate easily opened when he turned the latch confirmed Hawkeye's suspicion that this was dangerous territory – it wasn't locked to keep intruders out, but open to allow unsuspecting prey in. With his quiver of arrows and longbow strapped securely to his back, he mounted his crossbow on his shoulder and nudged the two doors open all the way with his foot but didn't step over the threshold. The sight inside the wall did nothing to ease his suspicions. Stark, standing a few feet away, turned at the noise and stared wide-eyed at him. "That was fast. Do you see what I see?" he asked.

"I see it. And I don't like it." Hawkeye scanned all around the garden from where he stood at the entrance, looking and listening for anything unusual besides the weather – bones, discarded clothes or armor, animals acting unusually alert or distressed, or making a lot of noise like they were trying to speak, the echoes of disembodied voices moaning or calling for help with no discernible source, or scantily clad women with long blonde hair. Everywhere he looked, he could see nothing but flowers, grass, bushes, and cherry trees and hear nothing but the soft murmur of running water. Besides the two men and the plants, there was no sign of any other living thing anywhere, not even a single sound of birds or insects.

The agent's first impulse was to turn around, close the gate, and ride away without looking back. Unfortunately, his hero's instinct overrode his agent's training, preventing him from feeling afraid enough to run away. The sight put him on edge, but it couldn't scare him off. He didn't lower his weapon or take a step inside, but he didn't turn around, either. "What is this place?" he asked no one in particular.

"Best I can figure, a dimension of sight, sound, and mind," Stark said from where he stood, looking around him in disbelief.

"Looks more like the Bower of Bliss to me."

"Can't be – Guyon destroyed that."

Hawkeye turned his eyes from the landscape to Stark. "What's your name?"

Without hesitation, Tony answered, "My name is Anthony Stark, but I also answer to Iron Man. I am the son of Howard Stark, current CEO of Stark Industries, boyfriend of Pepper Potts, and one of the Avengers – the team that saved the world from Loki and an extradimensional army called the Chitauri."

"Was that hard to remember?"

Stark shook his head. "Not at all. Well, that rules out the Wood Between the Worlds, too..."

Hawkeye still wasn't satisfied that the place was completely safe, but at least the atmosphere didn't seem to produce any instantaneous effects. He took a deep breath and placed one foot on the grass as if it were a bed of hot coals. Nothing happened, nothing changed, meaning it probably wasn't one of those illusions that dropped when you got close, revealing something entirely different. He moved his other foot forward and, always keeping his weapon raised and ready to fire, took a few tentative steps into the summery garden.

He hadn't gone very far when he heard the gate swung shut behind him. It didn't slam closed with a bang like a door blown shut by the wind but as slowly and quietly as a garage door being lowered. Hawkeye had expected this, but as he had already seen that his companion could still fly here, it didn't concern him, although what happened next would tell him just how concerned he should be. He tried the latch on this side of the gate; he could see no lock or keyhole, but, unsurprisingly, the door didn't budge.

"Its locks you in, doesn't it?" Tony guessed, walking towards him.

"Yeah, but how?" The puzzled agent pushed harder against the latch, just to be sure. "Come on, open up..." he mumbled under his breath. To his amazement, the gate swung open again – in the opposite direction it had when it had let him in, but, still, it opened, revealing the same snow-covered world they had just left. The frozen river and bare trees were in the exact same places; the two reindeer, still loaded with the supplies, were hungrily stripping the bark off a tree.

Tony stepped forward and pulled the gate shut again. After jiggling the latch to be sure it was closed, he took his hand away and said, "Open," at the doors. Sure enough, they opened again with nobody touching them. "Huh... odd security system."

Hawkeye was now thoroughly confused about the purpose of this place – it had all the earmarks of an evil trap, but what kind of magical prison opened whenever the prisoners asked for it? He didn't drop his guard, but knowing they were free to leave whenever they wanted all but eliminated the urge to get away. He turned away from the gate and looked around the garden once more before lowering his crossbow to his side; whatever threats they found here clearly would not be of the type you could shoot. "So, do we look around?"

"We were looking for the source of supernatural weather, right?" said Tony. "Extreme winter, extreme summer... think there could be a connection?"

"Guess we better find out before we go," Hawkeye concluded. He put the rest of his weapons down so that he could remove his coat and gloves (he couldn't think of a more anticlimactic way to go than heat stroke). Since he couldn't carry them and leave his hands free to fight, he left them on a boulder; either they would be here for him to get when he left, or they would be carried off by a race of little people whom he could track down and get answers from. He strapped his weapons back into place, adjusted his wrist guards, and checked that Stark's radio gadget was still firmly in place in his ear, even though it didn't seem to be working in here. "Stay on guard. Don't trust anything."

"And don't split up," Tony added before the two explorers walked away from the wall.

They started by following the sound of the running water, which turned out to be a small stream. Tony theorized it was a branch of the river they'd found that went underground as it entered and left the garden. "How? The river outside's not flowing," Hawkeye wondered.

"No, but if it's always summer in here..."

"We don't know that," Barton said as he bent to examine the stream. It was certainly the clearest water he'd ever seen, but there were no fish or frogs or any other creatures taking advantage of such a pristine home.

"What else could it..." Tony started to say but stopped.

Barton looked up and saw him struggling to walk. "What is it?" he asked, a thousand suspicious possibilities running through his mind.

"It's the suit," Tony groaned. His armor suddenly felt like it weighed a ton. "It's... it's not moving..." It wasn't supporting him; he was supporting it. Had his body not been in its way, it would have collapsed. It was like a car stalling, and it was pinching and suffocating him as it shut down with him inside. As he had no tools here to open it manually, he had to act fast before it shut down all together. "Open," he said. When it didn't, he said, "Open eject, open eject!" more urgently. The suit finally obeyed the command and slowly pried itself apart so that he could extricate himself from the metal shell.

"You all right?" Barton asked him as he caught his breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Whew, this place doesn't like technology."

"Magic and technology don't mix. Should we go?" Hawkeye asked.

Tony remembered how vulnerable he'd felt the last time he couldn't get his suit to work, but, for some reason, it didn't bother him this time. He was suspicious of this place, but he wasn't the least bit afraid. "Not until we find some answers. It'll be fine once we get away from here."

"You sure?" Hawkeye asked, clearly unsure.

"Yeah, it's no big deal, come on," Tony said flippantly before walking on, Hawkeye following behind him, uneasy but also curious.

They walked over path after path, row after row, of flowers of every kind – flowers that should have bloomed in different seasons, or at different times of the day, but were all in bloom together here; bigger and brighter than flowers in the world outside the wall; many species of flower neither of them could identify and that they strongly suspected didn't exist outside. They didn't dare bend down to sniff any of them, but their scents were so strong, this was unnecessary.

The trees likewise looked brighter and more alive than other trees, dripping with perfectly round, smooth cherries as red as blood. Hawkeye gasped in horror when he once looked up and saw Stark about to put one in his mouth. "Hey!" He grabbed his wrist before the fruit could reach his lips. "Forget what happened to Persephone?"

Tony shook his head and blinked his eyes as he let the fruit fall to the ground. "No, I just... I was just..."

"Lost your head for a minute?" Hawkeye asked him.

"No, I'm fine," Tony said firmly. "I feel fine, I just..."

"We should go before this place starts playing tricks with our minds."

"I remember who I am and what we're doing here. We can do this. Just don't look too long at any one thing. Besides, those evil mind game zones never work on more than one person at once."

"Maybe it just takes longer," Hawkeye said, unconvinced, but he wasn't worried enough to press the issue.

"Maybe it's not even a trap," Tony suggested. "Maybe it's a private love nest for some couple like Oberon and Titania."

"Then the gate would lock trespassers out, not in," Hawkeye pointed out.

"Unless they want people to come in so they can have some fun messing with them."

"What a comforting thought."

They had wandered a few yards further in when they spotted something unusual... that is, something that didn't seem to fit. Right next to the wall, surrounded by a close grove of trees was a pile of charred wreckage. Closer examination revealed that the big pieces were all wood, with a few pieces of decayed but unburned thatch scattered throughout, like a thatched roof had collapsed on the pile. They found a few objects – a bowl, a comb, sheets that Stark was sure were silk – buried in the rubble. It was obvious that a house or some other small structure had burned down – the type of structure humans lived in, containing things humans used. Both men braced themselves for a grisly discovery but, fortunately, found nothing that could have been the occupants or owners of the house... at least, not in the house itself.

It was after they began searching the perimeter that Stark found it behind a tree – a skeleton lying on its back with a knife in the ribcage, perfectly positioned to go right through the heart that had once been there. A thin layer of white dust covered the remains and the ground around them. Hawkeye could tell by the bones that the victim was a woman, pretty far advanced in years, but nothing more. Further searching turned up no pictures, nothing with writing, no other bodies, no weapons, no clues of any kind to tell who she had been, who had done this, or why (Tony was personally sure they didn't want to know).

"The question is, was she the good guy or the bad guy?" Hawkeye wondered.

"Unless we find a broom, a cauldron, or a cat, my money's on 'good guy'," was Stark's conclusion.

They found nothing of the kind, and after they walked on and the scene was no longer visible, the mystery ceased to trouble either of them. Tony was more interested in the strange sounds he heard, faint but unmistakably real. "Hey, you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hawkeye asked in reply.

"That," said Tony, but he got no response this time. Hawkeye continued walking, but Tony stopped and bent down, following the sounds. They seemed to be coming from... the ground? No, from the flowers themselves. It was like children laughing and singing very softly or far away. He couldn't make out the words, even though he somehow sensed he should be able to understand the language. He kept his eyes on the flowers by his feet now as he walked slowly amongst them, wondering how they did that. He'd never seen so many types of flowers together before. Forget new species – even the familiar flowers came in colors he was sure he'd never seen before. They were so incredible, so lovely, so beautiful... The bright colors gave him a headache just looking at them, but he couldn't pull his eyes away. He stopped when he came to a patch of red and orange lilies that looked like fire as they swayed in the breeze. He stooped down and picked one, drinking in its luscious scent. The smell set all his senses on fire, too, and it felt so good... He twirled the stem in his fingers and watched the petals spin around. That color was so beautiful... the same color as Pepper's hair...

He shook himself as the image that went with the name filled his mind. What was he doing? He quickly dropped the flower and wiped his fingers on his shirt, but he seemed to be okay – at least touching it hadn't poisoned him. Without knowing why, he closed his eyes and let his thoughts backtrack to where they'd just come from. Pepper... Pepper... He held the image of her face, her body, her voice in his mind as he opened his eyes and looked in all directions, suddenly alert and on edge. "Hey, Barton..." he called.

A voice up ahead called back, "What?"

"Let's get out of here."

"What?"

Tony snapped his head around to where Agent Barton stood a few yards ahead of him. He stomped forward, treading on as many flowers as he could, and grabbed his shoulder. "You were right, let's go."

Hawkeye shook himself out of the half-stupor Tony had found him in and said nervously, "Good idea," breathing hard.

They could still see the gate they had come in by and walked towards it until they came to the stream. They were on the opposite side now, but Tony didn't remember crossing it. "I've got to get my suit," he said.

"Let's hurry," said Hawkeye. As they hiked upstream, he recited his name, parts of his history, archery instructions, and the names of other agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. to be sure he wasn't losing his memory. He felt like he was stumbling through fog. He'd been right about the air in this place playing tricks on the mind – it was so thick with the strong, sweet perfume from the flowers that he could barely think – and he'd already been mind-controlled one too many times in his life. But this didn't feel like that had. He'd felt numb and cold and dead when he'd been controlled by Loki, but every inch of this place was warm and bursting with life. It was so peaceful, so tranquil... he'd never seen the sun shine so brilliantly...

For a minute, he wondered why he kept staring at the flowers they passed. The sight didn't interest him – in fact, it bored him – but he couldn't look away. After another minute, he stopped wondering, and a minute later, he couldn't remember asking the question at all. He tried to remember what else he should have been looking for but gave up – he was too tired to bother, and thinking too hard spoiled the tranquility and distracted him from the beautiful view. There was so much to see, it was exhausting just to look. It was like each breath of air drained his energy instead of giving it...

He stumbled and dropped his weapon on the ground but made no move to pick it up. He was so tired... He knelt down and took a few breaths. Something in the back of his mind told him to get going, but there was no need to hurry. It was safe here. He felt light and free, like he'd just shed some great burden. It felt so good... if only he weren't so tired... He inched his way over to the stream and splashed some water on his face. It was so soothing that he scooped some in his hands and drank it. It was the coolest, most delicious thing he'd ever tasted, and he scooped up some more.

Tony, wary of eating or drinking anything in this place, stopped to rest in the shade of a tree. It wasn't that hot – why was he so worn out? He noticed Barton was nowhere in sight, but this only concerned him for a second. They'd be fine. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing was wrong... He closed his eyes and let the cool breeze blow over him, surrounding him with a bouquet of a million different scents, each one sweeter than the last. He inhaled deeply, trying to sort them out – rose, bluebell, honeysuckle, sunflower, gladiola, cherry...

A branch laden with cherries that glowed in the sun like rubies dangled above his head. He watched it for a while, entranced by the beautiful motion as it swayed in the breeze, before standing up and reaching up for one. He closed his lips around and held it on his tongue for a second, savoring the wonderful taste, before biting it off and dropping the stem. Sweet and succulent from beginning to end. He had to have more...


"Show me... oh, I give up! What's the use?" Hans groaned in frustration, slamming the mirror down hard on the table. He sat there, grinding his teeth and pressing his fingers against his forehead, for a bit before he picked it back up. "Show me the Snow Queen." Once again, the icy landscape in the mirror dissolved in the familiar flash of light, quickly fading away to reveal the woman in question standing with her head bent over the frozen surface of the Mirror of Reason. Hans waited until she had sensed that someone (he, specifically) was using one of the pieces of her Mirror and waved her hand, changing the image visible on her end. Now he knew she could see and hear him.

With a smug smile, the Snow Queen said, "I assume from the timing of this visit that you are aware of my latest success."

"I wish I could say I was, but, actually, I'm in the dark," he informed her. "I've asked every way I can think of, but it won't show them to me anymore!"

"Of course not," she said with an annoyed but amused look in her eye, as if he'd just pointed out the most obvious thing in the world. "Not while they're inside."

"Why can't I see inside?" he demanded.

"Because of the time fluctuation – time flows differently behind those walls; you can't watch something occurring at a different rate of time than yours."

I should have thought of that, Hans realized, before he asked, "How big of a difference are we talking here?"

"The girl didn't leave until seven months after I'd seen her enter. I once heard her tell the boy that she couldn't be sure how much time had passed for her inside, but she thought it had been about two weeks. Assuming she's correct, it would seem that for every two days within, a month passes without."

Interesting, but how much would this help them? "How long will it hold them – in our time or theirs?"

"There is no way to predict that exactly." Troubling but true. "How much time do you need?"

Hans thought for a second before he asked her, "How long until you can get more people from the castle on our side?"

"How soon can you break down their loyalty to their beloved queen?"

Hans grinned in anticipation. "We'll find out in a few hours."

"I look forward to it." With that, the Snow Queen waved her arm again and strolled away from the now undoubtedly blank Mirror, the conversation over on her end.

As he could no longer be seen or heard, there was nothing for Hans to do but lay his own mirror face down on the table. "As do I," he whispered with a confident smirk.

Now that those two anomalies were temporarily removed from the equation, he could get back to business. They'd already made excellent progress, turning the vast majority of Elsa's people against her in the past two months, even more than the Snow Queen herself had estimated. It was amazing how easily a few well-timed, well-chosen words could stir up enough fear, doubt, mistrust, envy, and misdirected anger to break through any barrier of love, making them vulnerable to a frozen heart. That was his job, and he'd done it splendidly. He'd even managed to convince many people to join his pending coup against Queen Elsa without the Snow Queen's magic influence, although he had to agree with her that this wasn't advisable. Yes, it was far more fun and satisfying for him, but it was also more risky. A frozen heart – under the influence of the Snow Queen, full of blind hate that made it highly susceptible to any suggestion of a target, incapable of love or loyalty or respect or compassion or concern for justice – or a frozen eye – that could see nothing but evil in everything and do any evil without hesitation – could never have second thoughts, never question their cause, never betray them; a free mind could. So he tried to let the Snow Queen freeze them first, before he invited them to help in his mission to bring down their monster of a ruler. They were only too eager to see things his way and to accept his offer, giving him valuable, helpful allies all over the kingdom to provide him with anything he needed.

But it wasn't enough. Most of those who lived with and worked directly for the queen, who could give him the most help or cause him the most trouble, were too loyal for him to risk talking them out of it, too true for the Snow Queen to freeze them. He had to do something about that, wear them down to give the Snow Queen an opening. They should be vulnerable during the fallout from yesterday's incident. How well was everyone holding up? he wondered.

It was high time he checked in on how things were going at the castle. He turned to glance out the window for a second, noting the late-morning position of the sun, and then picked the mirror back up. "Show me Queen Elsa," he said, gleefully imagining how miserable she'd be on her first day back behind locked gates. No more parties, no more dancing, no more crowds of laughing, cheering supporters, no more impromptu ice skating... nothing to do but blame herself for endangering everyone and ruining the happy home she'd enjoyed for the past few years. She must be devastated, crushed, heartbroken, hopelessly despondent over returning to such a desolate state that evoked so many painful memories, probably unable to function...

His reflection was quickly replaced by the sight of Elsa observing a crew of workmen clearing debris from the courtyard. She looked perfectly calm and collected as she gave orders, answered questions, received news, and comforted worries as one person after another approached her. Hans wasn't surprised that she appeared to be so focused and in control; she was an expert at hiding her emotions, after all. He would have to wait until she was alone to see how badly she was really suffering.

Elsa was just finishing giving directions to the latest crew that had arrived when Princess Anna ran up to her. Judging from the lack of any shock or confusion on her face, he had missed his chance to see her reaction when she first heard the news. They embraced and held each other for a minute before Anna asked how things were going and Elsa updated her on the day's progress so far. When she was finished, Elsa asked, "How's Kristoff?"

"Sleeping," Anna told her. "Dr. Banner says he'll be okay if he takes it easy for a few days. Good thing we won't be having any more parties or anything for a while."

Elsa smiled weakly at this comment on the current state of affairs. "Just for a while," she repeated for emphasis.

"I know," Anna said before leaning forward and hugging her sister again. "Do what you have to do, Elsa. I'm just glad everyone's all right."

Elsa backed away and looked her little sister in the eye. "When this is over, we'll have the biggest celebration Arendelle's ever seen."

"Not bigger than my wedding?"

"Ten times bigger."

"No way."

"You think I can't do bigger than that?"

"It's impossible."

"Try me."

"Okay, you're on. I'm holding you to that promise."

"On my honor as your queen," Elsa said before they both burst into laughter. That was unexpected. Elsa was keeping it together as remarkably well as Anna had apparently taken the news.

A sudden wind picked up and blew Anna's hat off and her hair right out of its bun, causing them both to laugh even harder as she turned around so Elsa could tie it back up. She sighed as she worked and said, "It seems like only yesterday I was telling you to hold still so I could finish your braids before you would run out to meet Kristoff... You've grown up so much, Anna."

The princess shrugged and tried to say lightly, "I try." The two sisters smiled silently at each other again before Anna said, "Why don't you take a break, Elsa? I can take over out here for a while."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Elsa looked reluctant to abandon her post but more reluctant to imply she didn't think Anna could handle it. Besides, she looked like she could use a rest. "Very well, princess," she finally said with a half-bow. "I leave you in charge."

Anna curtseyed and said in the same mock formality, "Thank you, my Queen." They both laughed again as Elsa walked away, giving a last set of orders to the captain before she left the courtyard.

Now he would see her break down! Hans was perplexed when Elsa did nothing but sigh and shake her head a little once she was back in the castle, walking through the empty halls and corridors with no sign of crumpling under the weight of repressed anguish and anxiety. Was she that afraid of running into a servant? She appeared to be making her way up to the makeshift hospital, but she stopped when she met that doctor in the hall, looking out a window.

He looked up when he heard her coming and smiled. "You just missed your sister," he said with obnoxious familiarity.

To Hans' shock, Elsa ignored the blatant disrespect and said, "I met her outside."

"She seems to be taking things well."

"Yes, you were right," Elsa said with a smile. "As soon as I said I had something to tell her, she guessed what it was – said she and Kristoff had talked about it last night and expected it was coming. She said she hoped I wouldn't take it too hard and not to worry about it too much – it had to be done, I did the right thing, and it wouldn't be for long... I think she knew she stole my entire speech."

"How rude of her," he said with a soft laugh.

"Sometimes I forget how strong she's gotten..." Elsa looked down, taking a short trip down memory lane, before looking up and asking, "How are things going here?"

"I was able to send three more people home this morning. They brought someone new in with severe frostbite, though – said they didn't know where else to go."

Elsa sighed again and stepped right up next to him. "It's my fault for stealing all the nearest doctors."

"Well, we need all the help we can get," the man said as if he was addressing his equal instead of his queen.

Elsa only added to Hans' confusion by saying, "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I..."

"It's my pleasure. And an honor."

"Thank you," Elsa said with a grateful smile, as if she needed to ask for what she had the right to demand! "Did you need anything?"

"Oh, no, I was just..."

"Slacking off?" Elsa said playfully.

"Anna ordered me off-duty. Said I needed a break..." His voice trailed off as they looked quizzically at each other, sensing foul play. They both smiled once they realized they were the victims of a conspiracy.

Elsa, still smiling, mumbled something that sounded like, "Guess she needs something to do now besides worry about Kristoff and me and the gates..." What was that supposed to mean?

"What do we do now?" the doctor as they began walking down the hall... side-by-side!

"Everything's under control for the moment..." was the last thing Hans heard Elsa say.

What was going on here? Sure, Elsa and Anna were far freer with their subjects and visitors than was proper, but this degree of casual intimacy was extreme even for them, especially the introverted Elsa. She didn't act this friendly or comfortable with anyone except Anna and Kristoff. And even if she had, her people were still somewhat aware of their place and knew to treat their queen with more reverence than this foreigner showed her.

Nothing about this picture made sense! Hans tried to recall what he'd seen pass between them two nights ago, but he hadn't paid much attention. He'd been more concerned with watching the two strangers the Snow Queen said were powerful warriors in their homeland, one of whom seemed to be tracking him at the time. The last time he'd been able to check on Elsa that night before he had to find a new hiding place was when she asked him to dance. All he could remember was that they weren't strangers – Elsa had apparently helped him before, and he was not only grateful for whatever past charity she'd given him but obviously admired her. There was nothing unusual in that (what man could resist looking at her that way?), but it didn't explain the liberties she allowed him now. What could she possibly have to gain from it? Unless...

Hans noticed Elsa opening a door. "What's this?" the doctor asked her.

"My study," she answered, leading him in. What was she doing? Didn't she want a moment alone to cry, to break down and collect herself again before she had to return to face everyone?

Her companion instantly turned to the portrait of the old king on the wall. "My father," Elsa informed him.

"This used to be his?" the doctor guessed.

"Yes. The new ruler inherits their predecessor's rooms, along with their crown."

"That's it?" the doctor said sarcastically. Did people show their superiors any respect where he came from?

Elsa continued to bewilder Hans with her own behavior. "Almost," she said with a shrug and a smile. "I also inherited his furniture..." She ran her fingers over the back of a beautifully carved chair. "... and my mother's jewelry box..." She walked over to the table underneath the portrait, picked up the item in question, and handed it to her visitor to admire. "... and her books, although I've added a few of my own over the years..." He put the jewelry box back down before following her over to the bookcase. There surely was no way he would recognize any of them, but he must have found one of the titles interesting because he took a book off the shelf and opened it to the first page. Elsa didn't reprimand him as she should have but simply said, "That's one of mine – good choice," before turning her eyes back to the room. "... and their chess set." She walked over to the table where it sat and picked up one of the black knights.

The doctor followed her, still carrying the book. He picked up the white king and examined it. "Beautiful," was his cliché comment.

"Carved from the finest white marble and onyx in the land," Elsa said in the tone of a saleswoman as she returned the knight to its place.

Her companion put his piece down, too, and asked, "Do you play?"

"My parents played with me all the time. It was my favorite game as a child. Anna and Kristoff aren't too fond of it, though, so I don't get to use it as much." She picked up a white castle and wiped some dust off of it. As the doctor picked up the black king, she asked, "Do you play?"

He shrugged in reply. "Used to, a little. It's a great way to exercise the mind."

"Or calm the mind," Elsa said rather wistfully and she put back the castle. It was the first sign of melancholy Hans had seen in her all morning, and it was related to some distant childhood memory, not the current state of her home!

"Did it work?" the doctor asked, putting back the king.

"Sometimes. Mostly, it helped to pass the time..." Elsa idly slid the white queen's pawn forward two squares.

Hans was sure it was blind instinct that caused the doctor to reach for one of the black pawns. He paused with his fingers on it, however, before he moved it forward one square.

Elsa looked up at him with a mischievous smile. "Play until they need us?"

Her opponent shrugged again, "Whatever you say, Your Highness."

Hans watched dumbfounded as they played, all the troubles of the moment temporarily forgotten as they focused on the game. This couldn't be right. Elsa was obviously upset about locking the gates, but she wasn't completely miserable like he'd counted on. At the moment, she was actually... happy! Was this all that came of his work yesterday?! He pounded the table in frustration. How could this happen? How could he be so wrong? What had he miscalculated?

"Check!" he heard the doctor say.

"That's forbidden!" Elsa declared.

"Says who?"

Elsa lifted up her knight and said, "He does," before sending it in to capture his bishop.

"We'll see about that," her opponent said before capturing the offending knight with his queen. "Now, where was I...? Check."

"I can't believe I fell for that..."

"We always manage to miss the obvious..." The two fell silent and stared at each other as if this statement contained some deeper meaning for both of them.

Elsa didn't look down as she moved her king to safety. After waiting a while, she said, "Your move..."

The doctor shook himself back to his senses and looked at the board. "I pass," he said.

"Why would you do that?"

"It's safest."

"Safe doesn't win games..." Elsa said as she moved her queen through the now-clear path. "Check."

Hans didn't like the way she grinned at him when she did that, or the way he grinned back at her. To his relief, they got called away before they could finish. He shook his head and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He must be imagining things. But, no, he was too good at reading people to give himself the benefit of that doubt. Elsa, the ice queen who had never given any suitor a first glance, whom no king had ever made the slightest impression on, whom no man had any hope of wooing... Another peasant with no bloodline, no title, nothing to offer aspiring to rise to the heights that had narrowly eluded him... Either he was mistaken, or the two of them were falling for each other. It was impossible to decide which option was more unbearable or impossible.

He would definitely need to keep an eye on them.


Someone was screaming – yelling frantically, desperately, somewhere far away. Tony couldn't make out the words, but he didn't care. He didn't listen; he didn't wish it would stop. It didn't matter. The sound was already fading away...

He felt his shoulders shaking as a loud voice screamed in his ear. Why? What was wrong? What did they want? He was too tired to wonder for long. He let the sound drift over him, sighing in weary contentment.

"AAH!" Tony opened his eyes and sat up with a start as a searing pain shot through his hand. Something supporting him disappeared, causing him to fall to one side; as he did so, he saw that the fingers of his right hand were clasped tightly around the stem of a red rose with unusually sharp thorns. He threw it to the ground and pressed his cut and bleeding hand against his shirt as he leaned back against a tree. He then noticed he was surrounded by green grass and flowers that would have put his most luxuriant gardens and greenhouses to shame, which didn't make sense. Where did this come from in a record-breaking cold winter almost as far north as you could go? How did he get here?

His breath stuck in his throat as he remembered. He looked around him again and realized he'd been lying on the ground. He also noticed how hungry and thirsty he was. How long had he been asleep? How could he have fallen asleep? What happened?! He stared helplessly around him, as if looking for answers he knew he wouldn't find, before his eyes fell on the rose. He seized it and jumped to his feet, squeezing it hard in his hand, treasuring every stab of pain. It was the pain that kept his mind clear. He checked his watch, relieved to find it was still working (he guessed it was too low-tech to be affected by the magic here). Over a day a half had passed since he'd spotted this place! He had slept for over a day! How was that possible? Who had woken him up? Who had been screaming? Not Barton...

Barton! He ran, having no idea where he should run, where to look, where he was, or where his companion was. He just ran, shouting, "Barton! Barton!" dreading what condition he'd find him in.

He stopped in his tracks when heard a woman's voice yelling. Tony listened for a second and remembered he had heard it just a few minutes ago. She was speaking fast in Finnish – it sounded like, "Wake up! Get up! Do you hear me? Wake up now!"

He followed the voice until he almost ran right into a stream. He was dizzy and weak, but he managed to stop himself from falling. He turned upstream towards the voice and saw Agent Barton lying on the ground with a figure – dressed in rags, with long, black hair – bending over him. Barton raised his head with a sharp gasp of pain, and Tony ran towards them.

"Hey!" The figure didn't even take the time to turn around and look at him but instantly stood up and took off in the opposite direction, running like the wind. Tony bent down and saw that Barton had been given the same treatment he'd received – a thorny rose stem pressed into his right hand. "You all right?" Tony asked him.

"Ow, what..." It took Hawkeye a few seconds to get his bearings and for the memory of where they were to come back to him. Once the look of recognition and fear came into his eyes, he, too, clutched the rose even tighter as if it were a lifeline. "Obviously not," he finally answered. "What happened?"

"We fell asleep. For over a day."

Hawkeye didn't question this. "Figures. Could have been worse. Who was that?"

"No idea, no time to find out, let's go," Tony said quickly, helping the archer to his feet.

Hawkeye gathered up his weapons before standing up. To his surprise, everything was accounted for – not a single arrow was missing. "Where'd she go?"

Tony pointed. "That way." They ran after her, both thinking that if she was trying to get away, she could lead them to an exit.

Sure enough, they hadn't gone far upstream before the wall and the same gate they'd come in by – now standing wide open – appeared on the horizon. They were halfway to it when Tony stopped as he remembered. "Where's the suit?" He'd needed to remove it just after they'd come to the stream from the gate, so it should have been around here.

Hawkeye glanced all around them but didn't see it, and it was too dangerous to look at the other things in here for very long. He found his coat and gloves exactly where he'd left them on the boulder by the entrance. He hurried to put them on. "Maybe she knows," he said. "Come on!"

"I can't leave without the suit!"

"You can't find the suit if you lose your mind!" Hawkeye didn't take any more time to reason with him but grabbed his arm and ran to the gate; Tony was beside himself with such terror over losing his armor that he couldn't resist.

They both ran through the open gate, out of the warm summer sun into the freezing winter air. Tony, who had relied on his armor for protection from the cold before, shuddered at the rapid change in temperature. In a few more seconds, he was sure he'd freeze to death. Barton grabbed him before he could stumble forward into the snow and said, "Look!"

Tony followed his gaze but almost couldn't believe what he saw lying on the ground just a few feet away. He waded through the snow as fast as he could, turned, and fell on his back. Never had he been so grateful to feel that metal slide and click into place around him!

Tony remained lying on his back in the armor, waiting for the adrenaline rush of the previous panic to wear off, until Barton stood over him, holding a red helmet. "Think you might need this?" he asked.

Tony wordlessly took it from him, stood up, and slipped it on. Once it was firmly in place, he slid the visor open and asked, "Where'd you find it?"

Barton pointed at the ground beside him. "Right next to it. Good thing whoever found it was kind enough to return it to you."

Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, Tony began to wonder who that was. "Yeah... who was that?"

"Whoever she was, I think she saved us."

"Exactly – why? How did she even know we were in there? And why'd she run?" Tony fired the thrusters at a cautious 2% and felt himself lift off from the ground with no trouble. "JARVIS, you there?" Apparently, he wasn't, but at least the suit was working as well as it had right before he'd flown in there. He rose up and hovered in place, scanning the area below. "All right, where'd you go? Who are you?" Whoever it was, he'd find her...

"Stark, do you read me?" he heard Barton ask. Good – the radio was working, too.

"Loud and clear – you see anything?"

Before he could get an answer, Tony spotted the same ragged figure he'd seen in the garden racing through the skeletal remains of the cherry orchard, darting from tree to tree as swiftly and as nimbly as a rabbit. Or a thief. He took off in her direction, determined to get some answers, when he heard Barton tell him, "Stark! Let her go!"

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What, are you crazy?! What's going on here?"

"It doesn't matter. We don't have time for this! Let's just get as far away from here as we can as fast as we can."

"She saved us and ran off – that doesn't seem suspicious to you? What's her angle? What's she up to?"

"If she wanted to tell us, she would have stuck around. You're not gonna get any answers out of her."

"I want to know who saved us!"

"Someone who doesn't want to be found. Leave her alone. It's the least we can do in return."

Tony couldn't deny he was right. Nevertheless, he followed the woman for a few minutes, waiting to see if she would either meet someone or do something that might give him a clue about their mysterious rescuer. She must have heard him flying after her, but she never looked up; she kept her eyes on the ground, never slackening her pace as she ran through the snow. Tony was sure he would have ignored Barton and gone down to confront her if JARVIS hadn't suddenly said, "Full power restored. All systems online."

"JARVIS! Glad to see you again, buddy – where've you been?"

"Connections were temporarily blocked by outside interference, locking me out. History shows that all systems were temporarily disabled by contact with a massive energy field that scrambled all data streams and disrupted communications between components."

"Yeah, I got that..." Tony gave up on tracking down their rescuer and flew back the way he'd come. "Sorry, JARVIS – got to put you on hold again for a minute. Stand by – you'll be back soon."

"As you wish, sir," the AI said before falling silent, shutting off before Tony could get close enough that the magic in the air would do it for him.

Tony landed next to Hawkeye, who was untying one of the reindeer from a tree. "Did you tie them up?" he asked, positive he remembered seeing them wandering around before he closed the gate.

"No, but look," said Barton, gesturing to the ground around them. There were hoof prints all over the snow, as if they had wandered around waiting for their rider to return, and trees everywhere stripped bare of bark – the only thing they had to eat. Tony didn't know much about reindeer (or the nutritional value of tree bark), but he was surprised they could eat so much of it in one day.

"Guess we're lucky they knew to wait for us," Tony observed. He opened the visor and turned to the reindeer. "Sorry about that, guys – thanks for waiting."

It looked almost like the animals smiled at him, glad to see the two men were all right (imagine the possibilities if horses, dogs, or other animals understood humans as well as the animals around here!). Hawkeye now took the sack of feed from among the packs and set it open on the ground. The two beasts buried their noses in it as if they hadn't eaten well for days. Tony turned his attention back to the wall that concealed the prison they'd just been released from. "Check it out," Hawkeye said, pointing at a trail in the snow that led out from the gate.

Tony easily guessed what had made the trail. "So this woman either knows we're trapped in a magic stupor in there, or comes in for some other reason and finds us, drags my armor out first, ties up our mounts at some point (probably thinking they'd wander away if she didn't), then comes back in, forces us to wake up... and runs for it without giving us a single explanation."

"That about sums it up," Hawkeye agreed.

Tony now noticed where the roses they'd dropped had landed. He walked over and picked them up, shaking off the snow that clung to them. The brightness of the green stem and red petals, the large number of petals, and the sharpness of the long thorns were so unlike any rose he'd ever seen that he wondered if they came from that garden. The thought made him drop them again. They'd served their purpose anyway.

Tony shook his head, getting more confused the more he thought about it. "Whoever she is, if she wants to protect people from that place, why doesn't she destroy it?"

"Probably can't – places like this are never easy to destroy," Hawkeye replied. "I bet if I shot an explosive at that wall right now, it wouldn't even scratch it."

"The house wasn't destruction-proof."

"Maybe she's the one who burned down that house."

"She might have killed that woman we found," Tony realized.

"For all we know, that woman might have tried to kill her," said Hawkeye.

"Or someone else..." Tony got an idea. "Maybe this is her revenge – kill the person who killed someone you love and then prevent her trap from claiming any other victims."

"Then why wasn't she here when we went in?" Hawkeye asked.

"No idea. Why did she run?"

"No idea, but it's none of our business."

"Right. Oh, well, we'll find out eventually," Tony said with complete confidence.

The reindeer seemed to have eaten their fill, and Hawkeye tied the sack up again. "I'm more interested in finding the source of this polar vortex."

"We still don't know if this has anything to do with that."

"I think there is a connection," Hawkeye said as he swung himself into the saddle. "Somebody went to a lot of trouble and set up a pretty clever trap to get us here. Somebody who knew exactly how we think and how to lure us over. Why?"

"To stop us from finding something we shouldn't. And we fell for it."

"Well, the good news is it's a mistake you only make once," Hawkeye said as if he were giving himself an order. He pulled his tablet out from his jacket, an angry, steely look in his eyes. The look soon faded into confusion, however, as he studied the screen.

"What is it?" Tony asked him.

"Nothing, it was just rebooting." He didn't look any less confused, however, as the device powered back up. After it was fully on, he tapped the screen a few times and then completely froze, his face revealing no clue as to why.

"What?" Tony asked again.

Barton continued staring at the screen for a few seconds in silence before he spoke again: "Stark, how long did you say we were asleep in there again?"

"A day and a half – I checked."

"You sure?"

"My watch is sure – why?"

Barton held the tablet out with the screen facing Stark. "What date do you see there?"

Tony stared blankly at it until he realized he was trembling. "That's impossible."

"You do realize they have different standards of impossible out here?"

"No food, no water... we'd be dead by now," Stark insisted. "If not, we would have been too stiff to move."

"Then how do you explain this?" Barton asked, pointing at the screen again.

Stark shook his head. "Let's... let's get away from here before we do anything else." With that, he took to the air and followed the river back to where they'd taken their detour, slow enough to keep pace with the reindeer cantering below him.

Once they'd put some distance between themselves and the magic garden, all of the armor's screens came back online. "Welcome back, JARVIS," Tony said.

"It's good to be back, sir, especially if it's permanent."

"Should be. Listen, JARVIS, what's the date today?" A calendar with the same date Barton's tablet had given them flashed before his eyes. "That's not possible. Check it again."

"Time and date confirmed, sir."

Tony opened and closed his fingers, rotated his ankles, flexed his neck. No way he'd been asleep for three weeks. His watch hadn't stopped; he'd clearly seen the seconds advancing one digit at a time. How could this be true? There was only one way he could think of. "They Rip van Winkled us," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Barton asked in his ear.

"Only a day and a half passed inside that place according to my watch," Stark explained. "According to all the satellites your computer and mine have access to, three weeks passed out here. If they're all right, then that means that the day we spent in there..."

"... took three weeks out here," Hawkeye finished for him. He didn't sound the least bit skeptical. "Classic."

Tony couldn't take it quite as calmly. "Three weeks... three entire weeks gone..."

"Relax, Stark, we got off easy. It could have been something like one day for every..."

"70 years, yeah, I know." That explained why the reindeer had time to eat so much and why they were starving after living for so long on nothing but bark. But wait... "Wait a minute... when the gate was open, we saw..."

"The different rate of time must only kick in when the gate's closed."

"Of course it does," Stark groaned. "Can't wait to tell Cap about this."

"We'd better stop and look for a place to build a fire. I'm starving."

"Yeah, me, too," Tony mumbled, only half-hearing him.

True, three weeks wasn't that long a time if you didn't spend it sleeping on the job! Three weeks wasted while the world continued to freeze! And they still had such a long way to go, and who knew what they would have to face when they got there? How could he have been stupid enough to let this happen? Barton was right – he'd definitely never let himself make a mistake like that again. He wondered how long Fury had expected this vacation to take, how long before they were given up for lost. Pepper must be worried sick – he hadn't prepared her not to hear from him for so long. And Banner... what did he think had happened to them?

He seized the last thought, desperate for a distraction from his guilt. He hoped his friend was all right back in Arendelle. How had Bruce and Queen Elsa spent the past three weeks?


The past few weeks had done nothing to set Hans' mind at ease. Locking the gates again gave Elsa a much greater amount of free time after attending to her queenly duties, and – as Anna had become inexplicably busy lately, and insisted Kristoff was, too, even after he started to heal – she found herself spending more and more of it with Bruce. After Anna managed to avoid eating breakfast, dinner, and supper with her sister and their only guest for the third day in a row, it was Bruce who asked what the princess was up to.

Elsa had to smile as she confessed, "I fear there is a diabolical plot against us underway."

Bruce smiled back. "You think it'll work?"

"My sister can be very stubborn."

An hour later, Anna watched from her window as Bruce left the castle. She squealed with joy when Elsa left ten minutes later, gripping the curtains tightly in her fists to stop herself from crying out. "There they go again. Told you so!"

Kristoff, sitting a few feet away tuning his lute, looked up with an air of defeat. "Okay, fine – three times, not a coincidence. You win."

"I know," Anna squeaked as she closed the curtains and twirled towards her husband.

"Where do you think they go?" he asked.

"I asked Elsa where she'd been yesterday, and she said the ice palace."

"You think she was telling the truth?"

Anna perched on the arm of his chair and threw her arm around his shoulders. "Sure – she didn't say who she went with."

"And nobody else has noticed they both go missing at the same time?"

"I think everyone has more important things to worry about right now."

"You don't say?" said Kristoff, raising an eyebrow to match his sarcasm.

"This is important!" Anna insisted. "It's what I've been waiting for for years!"

"That's what you said about the King of Andalasia," Kristoff reminded her. "And the Prince of Maldonia. And the Duke of..."

"This is different. I'm not making this up. I didn't try to start anything. Elsa started this on her own."

"Good – then you can stay out of it."

"I am staying out of it," said Anna, crossing her arms. "I'm not doing anything, I'm giving them their privacy..." Kristoff scoffed and smirked at her, which translated to, Exactly, but Anna went on: "I haven't said a word about it to either of them. All I'm doing is hoping – where's the harm in that?"

Kristoff shook his head but couldn't hide his grin of amusement at his wife's attitude. "How do you know what you're hoping for? You don't know the whole story."

"I know he makes her happy."

"She tell you that?"

"I didn't ask – I'm staying out of it, remember?"

"So you're basing this theory on, what, your new ability to read minds?"

Anna tapped his shoulder with the back of her hand for that. "Haven't you seen the way they look at each other?"

"No."

"Well, I have. It's the same way you looked at me the day you first told me you loved me."

Kristoff smiled but didn't take the bait. "It is not."

"If not, it will be soon," Anna said with a confident grin. "Oh, I wish I could see the looks on their faces when that happens! Who do you think will say it first – Elsa or..."

Kristoff put his instrument down and his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Anna, you need to let it go. This is none of our business."

Anna's smile didn't change a fraction. "It's my business to be happy that my sister's finally found true love."

"They're not in love," Kristoff said plainly.

"Of course not – they're still falling, but it won't be long..." Anna rose from her perch and skipped back to the window.

"Anna..."

"I bet he'll fall for her first, but Elsa will be the first to admit it."

"Anna..."

"Probably a month. Six weeks, at the most..."

"Anna!"

"What?" Anna's smile vanished when she turned around and saw the serious look on his face. He started to get up, but she gestured for him to stay seated as she walked back to him (Kristoff feared she'd remain terrified that any movement might kill him as long as these stitches were in his head).

Kristoff hung his head and sighed before looking up at her. "Look, say you're right – your sister is falling for him... you sure that's a good thing?"

Anna laughed at something so silly. "He saved your life. He's helped so many people they've brought here over the past few days. He's kind and strong and honorable and..."

"Yeah, I know he's a great guy. He would be great for her..."

"Would be?"

"... but even if they were in love, what would happen next? Where would it go from there? Think about it."

He could see by the change in her face that this was the first time Anna ever had thought about that part. She finally said, "You and I..." but stopped before she could get any further.

"Elsa's the queen. It's different, and you know it."

Anna sighed in resignation – hadn't her very first thought after the Council shared their objections to the marriage been that she'd never been so happy to be just the spare? "The Queen of Corona married a commoner," she tried to argue.

"A Queen the entire kingdom had mourned for for eighteen years. They were so thrilled to get her back, she could have gotten away with anything, and he was the one who brought her back in the first place. She was popular with everyone; she could do what she wanted. Elsa... well, not everybody trusts her as easily."

Anna knew this was true, too. Even before the horrible change in everyone started this winter, Elsa's powers had put her in a precarious position. Everything she did was under twice as much scrutiny as it would have been for any other ruler. She didn't have the universal respect and popularity necessary to openly violate tradition without fear of consequences. "Okay, so they couldn't get married. That doesn't mean..." She stopped again.

"What, that they couldn't be together?"

"It wouldn't be the first time."

"Only kings can get away with that."

"Not always. They call it 'the Queen's favorite,' right?"

"The Queen's favorite defends her honor; they don't sleep together."

"They're not supposed to, but it still happens – everyone knows that."

"You think Elsa would go for that?" Kristoff asked with complete sarcasm.

Anna's only answer was another bitter sigh. "It's not fair."

"It's not. But that's the way it is." Anna turned back towards the window across the room where she'd watched them leave for their secret rendezvous. "Elsa knows that. He has to know it, too. It would never work out." Kristoff reached up and put his hand on her shoulder. Anna turned around and threw her arms around his neck before she slid down to the floor and nestled her head against his chest.

They didn't speak anymore after that but just held each other, both of them thinking how fortunate they were that it had worked out for them, Kristoff hoping it was all in Anna's imagination and that neither Elsa nor their new friend would get hurt, and Anna just wondering how they would work it out in the end.


Kristoff was right, of course – Elsa knew the Queen of Arendelle loving a foreign commoner could never lead anywhere, even if he weren't suffering from an evil curse that no one would be able to see past if they knew. Bruce knew it even better than she did; he'd accepted that anything of the sort was impossible for him long ago. He would only put her in danger; he would only hurt her – it was inevitable. He was a time bomb that simply exploded much less frequently now. That curse had been in his blood since the day he was born – every day growing up, he had seen what he would become. The accident just took whatever little power of choice he had out of the process. If he'd ever doubted his destiny, the other guy had confirmed what he really was deep down. The only way he could protect those he cared about from the fall out was to keep them as far away as possible. He'd managed to put the monster on a leash, but it was still dangerous to those who came too close. It was safe for him to feel now; it would never be safe to let her in.

They both knew it was hopeless. They were also wise enough in the ways of love to know it didn't matter.

Fortunately, both Bruce and Elsa had too much experience in the detrimental effects of denying your feelings to do it again. Neither of them took the irrational route of trying to protect themselves from suffering by making themselves suffer, to ward off the pain of hopeless love by doing painful things like avoiding each other or refusing to think about it. Forbidding yourself from loving someone or being around them hurt even more than loving someone you knew you could never have, so what was the point of hurting yourself to protect yourself from getting hurt? Resisting or fighting a love that wouldn't work out made no sense to either of them – it was simply trading one genuine misery for another false, unnecessary misery. As the weeks went by, they both acknowledged the change happening in themselves – they each admitted it, accepted it, and despaired of anything ever coming of it. They expected no relief, no satisfaction, nothing; it was just something they would have to bear, like an illness.

They felt it during their long talks in Elsa's ice palace. Despite her reason for using that remote location as their meeting place, they never talked about his powers or his experiences with them – Bruce never brought it up again because he didn't want the other guy to come between them, and Elsa wouldn't talk about it unless he wanted to. They ended up sticking to more pleasant subjects. Bruce told her all about life in the outside world, the incredible things they'd invented there and what they could do. Elsa told him all about the kingdoms in her world and the exciting stories she'd heard about them, like the princess who had hair that was 70 feet long with the power to heal. They talked about his teammates and her sister and the crazy things they did together. The talked about their passions for science, and Elsa impressed Bruce with her talent for geometry and architecture.

They felt it when she told him about her dreams of turning into a whirlwind of snow, flying through the sky as light as air and as fast as a blizzard. She'd wondered so many times if she could really do it, if her dreams were trying to tell her that she still had power she hadn't unlocked yet. He believed she could do anything and told her so, and she realized no one else's praise had ever made her so happy.

They felt it when Elsa marveled at how well he spoke her language and he admitted that he began studying it again after he met her. "Would you teach me some of your language?" she asked him. This worked out so well that she asked him to teach her a little about how to fight, too. This confused him, at first, as it seemed that any soldier in her kingdom could have taught her, but she said she'd never wanted to learn anything from them. There was only so much he could show her without getting his heart rate up, but it was enough.

They felt it whenever he worried about his friends, wondered why they were taking so long, and started to berate himself for not going with them. He became more anxious the more days went by that they didn't return. She was always there to put a supportive hand on his shoulder and assure him they would be all right – she had seen what they could do, they could handle anything, but the minute he decided they'd been gone too long, she would lead a rescue party to find them. He knew her early life had given her too much contempt for dishonesty and secrecy for her to lie to him about anything, and her honesty and confidence not only cheered him up but made him admire her all the more.

They felt it when she showed him the hall of royal portraits and told him all the best stories of her ancestors, ending with her parents. He put his arm around her as she talked about how much she missed them, how she never got to show them that she could not only control her powers but use them to make and do such wonderful things. He assured her they knew. She asked him what his parents were like. He flinched and his hand instinctively shot to his neck, as if he could still feel the blows. He didn't answer, and she never asked again.

They felt it as they worked to protect her kingdom. Victims of the cold continued coming to him, and he continued to help everyone who came. The doctors who weren't affected were eager to learn the skills he'd brought from the outside, and she couldn't thank him enough for teaching them and taking care of her people.

They felt it when they heard the cruel things people whispered – and shouted – about her in the streets, when he put an arm protectively around her no matter where they were and she squeezed his hand, assuring him she was all right and it wasn't worth getting angry about. It was easy to be always angry here.

They felt it when they played chess in her study. She was always white, he was always black, sometimes she won, sometimes he won. One day, she ordered him to be white. He had no idea why, but he certainly didn't intend to argue.

She grinned almost evilly at him as they took their seats. "First move's yours."

He studied her for a long time before moving a knight first instead of a pawn. "Strong beginning," she observed.

"But a risky, foolish one."

"Then why'd you do it?"

"Because I can't stand hiding – that never does any good..." He played his best, but that knight was the first valuable piece she took. "... But moving forward too fast is more dangerous."

"There's a lot at risk here," she said as she lost pawn after pawn.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked as a bishop moved to threaten her castle.

"I can't lose it," she answered as she moved her queen to protect the castle.

"I wouldn't want to take it," he said as he moved his own queen to safety.

"Too bad – I was hoping you would." She moved her own bishop that was now no longer necessary to protect her queen.

"We don't every time get what we want," he said as he captured yet another pawn.

She immediately took one of his. "But we take what we can get."

"Not very much – won't do you much good."

She twirled it between her fingers. "Even the humblest player can rise above its narrow sphere and break its limited bounds."

"I know." He smiled as he moved a pawn to the back row, earning a promotion. "This one's become a knight."

"Not as powerful as a queen but freer," she said with a sigh of longing.

"Doesn't stand a chance with a queen," he said as her queen captured his other knight.

"It would under the right circumstances. Check."

"You won't get me that easily," he laughed as he moved his king to safety.

"Isn't victory all the sweeter when it's not easy? Check."

He moved the king again. "If you win. The harder the game is, the more likely it'll just end in a draw or a stalemate –both sides destroy each other, both lose."

"Or both win. Check." He stared at the board for a while, so she added, "We'll keep going around in circles like this forever unless you go on the offensive."

"I pass."

Matching his sarcasm, she said, "Too bad you can't – it's against the rules to remain checked. You have to try as long as there's a chance."

He moved the king in retreat again. "Is there any other way?"

"Check. I hope there is."

He moved a castle between his king and her queen, sure she wouldn't use the queen against it. To his amazement, she did, even though it put her queen in the perfect position to be taken by his knight. "Check," she said again.

He stared at the field in deep concentration without moving a muscle. "Well, is the knight going to take the queen?" she asked.

He finally raised his head and looked at her. Take it, her eyes told him. You know you want to. "That move gives me no chance of winning," he said, not looking at her. He moved the knight back instead, in a better position to protect his king.

"Neither will that. Checkmate." He gasped as he realized the trap he'd fallen into. "Next time, I suggest you go ahead and take the queen."

"It's too dangerous."

"It's a dangerous game no matter what."

"Then we never should have started playing."

"But we did..."

They felt it when they stood a few feet away from each other in moments like that and resisted the impulse to lean forward until their lips met.

They felt it when they finally began to talk not only of pleasant topics but painful topics. She recalled growing up in seclusion and fear, learning to hate herself and wishing she would just die and free her family from the burden of her. He told her about his father up to a point, but since he didn't answer when she asked what happened to his parents, he guessed by the way she threw her arms around him and clung to his neck that she figured out the rest. One more similar sorrow to bind them together.

Sympathy, admiration, gratitude, and friendship – they had gathered all the ingredients of love, but they didn't mix them together in the recipe for love right away. The length of time it takes is different for everyone, but it always takes a while after that initial spark of attraction is ignited for a bond to grow to until you reach the point where you feel the other person is necessary to your happiness, and even longer to discover you've reached that point, and longer still to find the courage to confess it aloud. Rarely do lovers travel at the exact same pace, and they were no exception. Being a woman, Elsa reached that point first, but when he got there, Bruce, having more experience, recognized the feeling for what it was before she did. Neither of them had the usual human luxury of ignoring their feelings or repressing their pain. They had to feel it. They had to face it. They had to let it go.

But as long as there was no hope, they didn't have to act on it. They could admit it to themselves without speaking of it to each other. It was a pain worth feeling, unlike the ugly, deceitful pain of resistance and denial. As long as they could continue spending time together as friends, they could be happy in spite of knowing their hunger for more could never be satisfied. The hard part was resisting the temptation to take just a little more, knowing it would only whet their appetite and make the deprivation harder to bear.

One night, they stayed at the ice palace much longer than usual, until they could count every star in the night sky. Elsa did some quick remodeling so that they could view them comfortably, and they learned the different shapes their worlds saw in the stars and the different names they gave these different constellations as they lay next to each other in the dark. The circumstances seemed irresistible – if they were ever going to break and take that fatal next step, it would surely happen tonight, but it didn't. Bruce was the one who pointed out it was getting late and they should be getting back. Elsa lowered them safely down to the ground and told him to follow her lead when they got back, as she knew all the servants' routines and how to get through without being spotted.

"We're not doing anything wrong, are we?" he asked her.

"Of course not, but how would it look?" They laughed with no effort because they both knew they were now safe. Why? Because the image they had inadvertently brought to mind with that exchange made them both too shy to even think about taking advantage of the ideal conditions tonight. The moonlight could do its worst – they had no desire to say anything more on the subject after that.

When they reached the castle, they sneaked through Elsa's carefully plotted path of back doors, rarely used corridors, and hallways when they were sure to be empty without a word. The path a guard would be taking required them to detour up a flight of stairs so that they reached Elsa's floor first. She gave Bruce the directions to take back to his room below.

"Good night," she whispered when she finished, still holding his hand.

He bowed to her and whispered back, "Good night, my Queen," then raised her hand and kissed it – nothing they hadn't done before. He indulged in a few seconds of imagining her with her beautiful hair down before she winked at him and walked away. They'd survived another day. They were strong enough to bear the pain without giving in. If they could withstand tonight, they could withstand anything.

Alas, nothing puts one in more danger than a firm belief that one is safe. Convinced they were safe, they grew careless and dropped their guard, leaving themselves defenseless the next day, facing an attack under the most unlikely of circumstances.

He had tended to all of his patients at the hospital (fortunately, a steadily shrinking population at the time), and she had finished reviewing and signing all the documents brought to her that morning, so they had some free time on their hands earlier than usual. Elsa asked Anna if she wanted to go for a walk around the fjords, and, of course, she declined, so they ended up going alone. Within sight of town, he walked respectfully behind her like any escort, but once they crossed the bridge, they walked side-by-side and chatted and laughed as they pleased.

Elsa drew some beautiful snow and ice designs in the air as they hiked while Bruce asked if they didn't have enough snow already. She blew a stream of snow in his direction that snaked all around him. He exclaimed, "Hey!" in fake indignation and jogged away. She followed him, constantly wrapping more ribbons of snow around him, prompting him to change direction. They kept this up until he'd turned completely around and headed towards her.

Elsa dropped the snow and backed away from him, stopping at tree after tree until he almost reached it and then sliding away again. The slow chase continued until she tripped on a tree root. Bruce tried to grab her arm but only ended up getting pulled down with her. They rolled over twice before coming to a stop, landing with their arms still wrapped around each other.

Still laughing, Elsa brushed her braid out of her face as she looked up at her would-be rescuer. "Are you okay?" they asked at the same time, then answered, "I'm fine," causing them both to laugh even harder.

Elsa was the first one to collect herself enough to speak intelligibly. "Sorry about that."

"You just beat me to that one," Bruce said in mock disappointment.

"You sure you're all right?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the snow isn't as comfortable for you as it is for me," Elsa said nonchalantly as she lay in the snow. "I could lie here forever."

"So could I..."

Their laughter faded away as they looked at each other, neither of them making a single move to get up. Bruce thought she'd never looked more beautiful than she did right now, surrounded by her element, so alive and full of joy. He never wanted this moment to end.

But end it would. The question was, how? He knew how she wanted it to end. He wanted it, too; he always had – he admitted it. But years of training and conditioning and exiling the very idea of love from his mind held him back. He had locked and bolted that door and thrown away the keys long ago – how could he open it now, knowing what was on the other side? He actually trembled with fear for her, but she gave his arms a reassuring squeeze. She wasn't afraid. Was he strong enough not to give in? Or was he brave enough to make this move? He held her close beneath him in the snow, torn between fear and longing.

For him, there was only one option: Let it go, he told himself. Just let it go.

He fell beside her, leaned forward, and, right there in the snow, he kissed her – slowly, deeply, longingly, hungrily; every second, every breath not quenching the thirst of his soul but increasing it; the feel of her body pressed against his, of her arms encircled around his neck, of her hair under his fingers assuring him this was real. They had left the ledge behind them and were gliding down the cliff, and all his fears of the past and for the future vanished in the ecstasy of the present moment.

He started it; he had made the first move, just as she wanted. But after they slowly drew apart, Elsa, her eyes closed, her forehead pressed against his, her hand on his shoulder, was the first to say it: "I love you."

"I..." He took one deep breath and embraced her again. Let it go. "I love you... I love you."