I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed, it's really kept me going :) Keep the reviews coming!
Half of Harmony's body was warm, while the other half was freezing cold. The wind blew straight at them as they galloped to Odin's palace. If Harmony had not been in discomfort, she would have enjoyed the fast ride, but at least her back was warm. Her little body was pressed up against Thor's wide chest, the power and strength beneath radiating outwards with his body heat. He could destroy her in the blink of an eye with a single hand, and it wouldn't require any effort. Harmony had never felt a desire to anger someone in her life, but she made a note to herself never to even go near risking angering the prince.
One of the results of her beatings was a fear of all men. It was possibly the biggest scar she had been left with, and the one longest to fade. But of all the men she instinctively feared, the giant prince frightened her the most.
Perhaps it was because he was an Asgardian god, the God of Thunder and Strength, no less; perhaps it was because he was so huge, every inch made of pure bulging muscle; or perhaps it was because she was going to be around him every single day for the rest of her life, or until he gave her back to the slave trade, and she could never escape him. Harmony was used to being at other people's mercy; she had always lived like that and didn't know otherwise. That was probably why she didn't try to fight against it. She just accepted it, like every slave.
Meanwhile, Thor was thinking about his new slave as much as she was thinking about him.
He could not work out why his father had simply decided to buy him a slave, a petty, tiny little creature and another responsibility, when he had no need of one. The three gods slowed to a walk as they came closer to the palace, and Thor's brow furrowed as he thought. The girl huddled against him was indeed a pretty little thing, even dare he say beautiful. Her beauty was not boastful or bold; she was not beautiful in perhaps the same way a goddess would be. She was innocently beautiful like a flower, delicate and natural. So at least she was easy on the eyes.
But he could not think of a use of her. There were plenty of servants in Odin's palace that could carry out the same tasks, probably better. She was a mortal adolescent! Though, he did have thoughts about teasing her and how he could have some fun with her. If he had no fun in playing with her, she would just be another burden. That didn't tell him why his father decided to buy her for him though.
Odin, Thor and Loki rode into the courtyard and dismounted. Even still on the horse, Harmony was only a little bit higher than Thor. She was shivering from the cold again; her fingers were red and her lips were painted a tinted purple. Though she never looked him in the eye her eyes were always fixed on him, trying to read what she could from his other features. Thor placed his large hands upon her waist, noticing her squirm once as he made contact with her, and lifted her off his horse, leaving her breathless, shocked.
There was a fifteen inch height difference between Thor and Harmony, but it only really sunk in when they were standing face to face – more accurately face to chest – and the girl only just reached his shoulder! The god could not help but smirk through his irritation as he withdrew his hands to his sides.
Harmony was not taken straight to the prince's chambers and put straight to work as she would have first thought; instead she was met by the head servant and taken to the servants' quarters, through a door and up a spiral staircase. She did not catch their name but they told her that since she was the prince's personal slave she would sleep in his chambers rather than with the rest of the servants. This only succeeded in making Harmony more uneasy. She had a terrible image in her mind of the prince doing all manner of dreadful things to her as she lay sleeping, defenceless and vulnerable, even more so than usual.
The rest Harmony knew pretty much by heart. It had been built into her and was part of her nature. She knew the sort of tasks she would have to complete, the rules of obedience, what was acceptable and what was not, she knew everything and was used to it. However she was not used to the nasty glares a couple of other serving girls sent her when they heard she was Thor's personal slave, and Harmony's brow furrowed slightly as she considered the possibility that they might be jealous of her.
Harmony did feel out of place. She was human. A fragile mortal. What use did she have amongst the Asgardians?
She didn't say a thing as she was spoken to, she only nodded in reply, while her gaze shifted regularly, unable to find something to fix on for more than a few seconds. She only looked directly at the head servant in the eye for about a second before diverting her eye line again. The only person she had spoken freely with was her old mistress, with some exceptions with the other slaves, but Harmony had always been a quiet, shy character.
When finally the head servant had finished, Harmony was taken by another servant to Thor's chambers. This servant introduced himself as William, looking to be in his late thirties by human standards but he was obviously much, much older. He did not give her the 'I'm superior to you mortal' feeling as many of the other Asgardians had. It was the questions he asked her that made her uncomfortable because they couldn't be answered with a nod or head shake.
"What's your name?" was his first question to her.
"Harmony," she answered, leaving out the 'sir' with a slight risk.
"Harmony," William repeated, rolling the syllables off his tongue. "Harmony. That's quite an unusual name." She didn't reply – there was no need to, so she didn't. "If you don't mind my asking, but have you always been in the slave trade?" he asked carefully, not wanting to upset her. Mortals were so fragile after all.
Harmony nodded, glad it was a question she didn't have to respond verbally to, and she turned her head straight forward after making the gesture. William quickly learned that she did not want to talk much and he didn't want to push her. Luckily for both of them, the tension was eased as they reached the prince's chambers, only between them though; Harmony felt more on edge than ever.
"Prince Thor is currently training but he shall return in little over an hour," William informed her as he opened the door and stepped inside. Harmony let out a sigh of relief. At least she had a little longer until she had to face her master again, and as she entered his chambers, her eyes were met with the sight of the most gorgeous and lavish room she had ever seen. She hadn't even been aware that sleeping quarters could be quite so large, even if it was for such a tall, large man.
Looking around in almost awe, Harmony spotted a small sleeping arrangement in the corner for her on her left hand side, on the right of the massive four-poster bed. While an everyday person may have scoffed in disapproval, Harmony was grateful just to have the blankets and couple of small pillows she had been given. By her 'bed', if one could call it that, was a small table with a washing bowl and jug, and above on the wall was a cupboard.
William went to the cupboard while Harmony stayed where she was and looked further around the room. "This is where your tools and equipment will be kept," William's voice turned her head and she saw, as she expected, he was gesturing to that cupboard lodged on the wall next to her camp bed. Harmony nodded. "It'll be your responsibility to restock everything once it's run out. You can get everything you need from the servant's store room, next door to the servant's quarters." Again Harmony nodded, her curious eyes wandering away from William to search the prince's room.
There was only a certain amount of time that could pass before someone had to speak without it becoming awkward, so Harmony looked back to the Asgardian servant, her curly hair following the swift movement and landed against her cheek. "What would it be best to start with?" she asked in a small voice, feeling the tension in her throat.
William glanced around the room, his trained eyes scanning for jobs to be done. "The woodwork could do with a polish, and then the fireplace needs cleaning, laying and then lighting. You've been in work before, haven't you?"
Harmony nodded.
"And you know everything you're doing?"
Harmony nodded.
"Well, everything you need will be in cupboard. I expect I'll see you soon," William's mouth turned upwards in a pleasant smile, something Harmony very rarely received; she was a slave, not worth a glance, let alone a smile. Nevertheless, she returned the gesture, smiling slightly with her mouth while her eyes projected most of the message. She liked William. He was the only one so far, perhaps maybe asides from Loki, to treat her like a person with value.
Harmony got straight to work without wasting a second of time. She opened the cupboard and scanned its contents for polish and a cloth, and after quickly finding them, she began her first task. She polished high and low, cleaning the woodwork until it was gleaming flawlessly, crouching and standing as high on her tiptoes as she could to reach the taller places.
And while she worked, Harmony rotated between humming and singing in words as she had done since she was a young child and all the other slaves had sung chants and songs. It was a ritual to sing or chant while working; it kept you in a rhythm and distracted you from any… distractions so you could focus solely on your work. Most of the time, Harmony was unaware that she was doing it because all her focus was on her work while the songs had been implanted in her brain. But every now and then, she would slip back into focus and discover which melody she was singing. This time she was humming Mordred's Lullaby, an Earth song sung by Heather Dale. It had always been one of her favourites, and because humans were the most common slaves, she knew many chants and songs from the human world.
This was one of the songs she preferred to hum rather than sing, while the tune and other voices played in her head from memory. She could hear them so clearly it was as if they were in the room with her, and for a second, Harmony stopped, on her knees with her eyes closed and her hands in her lap, and she just remembered. However much longer later, Harmony didn't know, she finally opened her eyes again, blinking in the light though it was not overwhelming. Looking around, she checked to see that she was definitely still alone, as she rose off her heels and placed her weight on her knees. She noted how her body relaxed when she was certain that no one else was in the room, but then she wondered why she'd taken note of it seeing as it was hardly an uncommon thing for her, but she did all the same.
Harmony rose from a stiff crouch, her first task of polishing finally complete, and she stretched herself so as not to remain stiff, extending her arms and flexing her tiny fingers as far as she could. She could feel the pull of muscles in her back and how they relaxed satisfyingly as she did. Harmony put away the wood polish and got to work cleaning the fireplace, and in the process covered her hands and clothes in soot. More time went by and the ache slowly building in her knees and in her arms was starting to take its toll, and Harmony had to pause every once in a while to catch her breath. Asgardian stamina would have been handy for cleaning.
And that led her back to why she had been chosen as the prince's personal slave.
The same questions and thoughts repeated in her head. Why had they chosen a human for something an Asgardian would be better for? She had no place there, she didn't fit in. People looked down on her because she was human and her place was not in Asgard. But then again, the hall of Odin was better than the slave trade… hopefully.
Whatever Thor tried, he could not get his new slave out of his head – not enough to lose his battles in training. Of course, he won every time, effortlessly, mercilessly. He wasn't sure why the girl lingered in his thoughts so much and for so long. Seeing as he couldn't banish her from his mind, Thor planned a few things he could perhaps do with her. Compared to him, she was tiny, weak, helpless, pathetic, dust beneath his fingernails, a toy he could play with and break. With the capability of his strength, he could kill her with his little finger and it wouldn't even be an effort, but he also had the capability to hold back his colossal strength to fit the weakness of mortals. Something Thor didn't do often. He knew he would if he ever touched the miniscule girl that belonged to him.
Thor had many ideas on how he could play with her. Of course he was going to toy with her sexually one way or another, and, oh the fun he would have! He had seen the way she behaved; he could certainly give her a fright, and he could boast his unmatchable Asgardian strength to her. Quite a few of the maidens found his power and strength very attractive, and of course that sent his ego through the ceiling. He was unsure how his little slave would react, though probably in fear. Then again, it was common for him to find a mix of fear and lust in his chamber toys. Many women enjoyed fantasizing about how powerful he was. It made them excited. The mere thought made blood begin to rush south.
It would not make a good impression if it made a show on the training grounds, so Thor shook his head once and cleared his mind of the mortal girl. In that moment, he was glad to be sparing with Lady Sif, his dear childhood friend. In their youth, some had called them lovers but they had both agreed that a close friendship would be better for them. Sif was always aggressive, almost merciless in their training, especially against Thor. They both knew he was much, much stronger and more powerful than she and Sif liked to give Thor a fight so his pride didn't reach into space. But really, she admired him greatly, and he her.
Thor was always impressed with the spirit Sif had in her and her courage to fight him so boldly but in the end he always brought her to defeat, and though he didn't admit it to save her pride, he often found it very easy to bring her down. He liked to humour her. In no way did he doubt her skill as a fighter. She was a truly excellent warrior. But he was better. This time, Thor won by lifting the woman effortlessly over his head and throwing her to the ground before stepping of her stomach to declare his victory with a smug chuckle. The frustration could be seen in Sif's eyes but she knew Thor too well to have been surprised by his behaviour. Her glare could sometimes even be considered frightening if she put enough effort into it but it only humoured the giant god even more.
Taking his heavy foot off of her, Thor leaned over and pulled her up to her feet, and he noted the few deep breaths Sif inhaled as she was released from his mercy; he must have been putting a little too much weight down on her. Thor fought once more, this time with Hogun, and of course again he won. After that, Thor returned to his chambers, where he would relax for the rest of the evening and night, before attending to his duties the next day. As usual, Thor walked like the prince he was, chest out, head held high, asserting his power and dominance to all those that saw him.
His arrival into his chambers was anything but subtle. The second she heard the door open, Harmony was startled out of her wits, and she was very grateful she hadn't been holding anything heavy or valuable. Cold, piercing chains wrapped around her fluttering heart and the girl swallowed heavily. Thor's eyes were on her from the second he stepped inside. Harmony lowered her head and bowed the way she had been taught. "My lord," she whispered timidly, her main focus on trying to stop her knees from starting to shake.
"So, the maiden speaks," Thor grinned. His deep voice filled the whole room, and again sent shivers through Harmony's body. He stood like a mountain, impenetrable, looming, powerful, a true prince and a true god. "I was unsure if a creature such as yourself was capable of words."
Harmony had had worse, much, much worse. She looked away, her fingers fidgeting at her sides. Even after of feeling helpless and afraid for pretty much all of her life, never before had she felt more vulnerable and helpless. She wasn't entirely sure whether to do nothing and wait for him to speak or just get back to her work, but as she contemplated, she was simply standing there. Thor moved into the room, undressing himself from his armour, and Harmony flinched involuntarily at his first movement. She couldn't help it. By now it was instinct.
"Remind me of your name," Thor demanded.
"Harmony, my lord," she replied in a small voice.
The prince nodded once and turned his attention away from her, and Harmony resumed cleaning up the fireplace after she had lit it. The warm golden light cast a shine in her hair and a glint on her skin, the heat washing over her form, as she knelt down before the flames. With surprising grace for a giant, when he was clad in casual attire for the evening, Thor moved to the long sofa, his blazing sapphire eyes fixed on the tiny mortal. She was just finishing off her work by the time he settled into the firm but soft cushions of his sofa. A smirk found its way onto his lips and his pupils dilated slightly. Harmony was standing on her very tip toes to reach a high spot for her that she had missed earlier. Her flimsy tunic had lifted with her, exposing the flesh of her lower thigh to him.
Her skin was smoother than Thor would have originally thought. She was pale and hairless, smooth as marble but soft as silk. The little show didn't last long as Harmony let herself drop to her usual tiny height. Thor sat back, a self-satisfied expression still etched upon his handsome, masculine features.
Just sitting there, watching her, Thor felt so powerful, a hunter watching its prey. He dominated everything, and everyone. And he was mildly consumed by a desire to bring the petty tiny slave into his arms just so he could show her his power and strength first hand, make sure she knew forevermore whom it was she belonged to. But he didn't, not just yet.
The evening passed, and at the end of her chores, Harmony shyly asked her master if he needed anything else. Glad to hear that she was done for the night, Harmony went straight to her bundle of blankets, curled up with her back to the room, and her master, and slipped in and out of sleep for the next couple of hours. It was only until the very early time of the morning that she was fully engulfed by sleep.
Thor stayed awake for some time longer after she went to bed, first lounging on his sofa and then later his bed. His gaze would often flicker over the tiny sleeping creature. He felt like he could pick her up in his palm when she was curled up and such a tight ball. If he stepped on her he would crush her like a beetle, and at that thought, Thor wondered why she was able to dominate his thoughts so. She was just a tiny, petty creature, he reminded himself, while he was the mighty Thor. But he couldn't seem to rid his mind of her, like a stone carving, she was just… there.
The next morning, Thor awoke to find his new slave already up and about, doing her first tasks of the day, and he wondered how long she had been awake. Harmony was alerted to the Prince's consciousness through the sound of a low groan, which she jumped at. She stood straight, attempting to root her feet firmly to the floor so she didn't start shaking. When he seemed fully awake and looked at her, she bowed and whispered 'my lord'. After that, Thor turned his attention from her and she got back to her current job of re-laying the fire.
She had been awake for a few hours, having stirred naturally in the early morning. She had washed very quietly and gone to find William, having shyly asked him if there was a schedule she should follow, and William was kind enough to write one out for her to keep with her so she always knew what to do and when. Harmony liked William but she had still felt very nervous going to him, especially with the other servants around. Her insides cringed whenever one of the Asgardians gave her an unpleasant look. She really didn't like it.
After laying the fire, Harmony would have to change the sheets of Thor's bed and then make it, and then a large amount of time would be spent cleaning the floor of the even larger bedroom. But first, she was waiting to be ordered to get him his breakfast, and the order was growled out to her less than a minute later. Harmony scampered off to the kitchens to fetch it. She returned a couple of minutes later carrying a plate of food, which was heavy enough to cause a slight strain in Harmony's weak arms but she managed all right. Her own stomach rumbled and her mouth salivated at the sight of the food but she knew she'd never be able to eat even a third of what was there. She had been used to small portions of food all her life and she had adapted to that. Her master was sat at the small dining table, big enough to fit possibly four, when she entered his chambers, and she placed his breakfast in front of him. She received no 'thank you', not that she was expecting one, and returned to her duties.
But while she worked, her stomach churned and her heart thumped in a sickening fashion. She felt like she was a lamb trapped in a tiny arena with a huge, hungry lion watching her, ready to strike when she was most vulnerable. Harmony felt almost afraid to turn her back to the prince. "Tell me, tiny one," Thor's deep voice rumbled, scaring Harmony out of her wits, as her body jerked without order in his direction. "Is the realm of Asgard anything like what you thought?"
In the back of her head, Harmony cursed that it was not a closed question, one she could answer silently or with a word or two, but she had to answer the prince. "I don't think I thought about it much," she answered in a weak voice.
"What did you think about?" he asked, leaning back in his chair with a smirking expression worn across his face. "If anything at all?" he added more quietly, his smirk broadening.
"I thought about what I heard from other people. I often imagined places they described," she murmured, at the same time looking away from him, as her mind wandered back to her most vivid memories of her cage and surroundings. "Asgard was rarely spoken of," she added with a shrug.
"I should not be surprised," the prince drawled lazily. "It is the home of the noble and mighty."
Harmony did not reply. Teeth sunk into her bottom lip, she tore herself away from him, and they did not speak until Thor returned in the evening after a day of completing his duties and his regular training. His blood sang for war, his hands longed to crush and destroy, his body buzzed with power. He was in a particularly good mood after such a good day's training. He was eager to begin his games with his slave.
Striding through the doors in his usual manner, Thor noticed the tiny girl standing by the window, gazing out over Asgard with her innocent doe eyes while she leaned her petite frame against the wall but she automatically jumped at Thor's arrival. "My lord," she whispered, feeling almost guilty for not working when he arrived.
Thor stripped himself of his second skin armour with no need of assistance, not uttering a word to her but he was perfectly content, if not a little excited to play with his newest toy for the first time. Thor sat down on his sofa and leaned back, making his shoulders seem even wider and his legs lay opened, completing his masculine, dominant appearance. He kicked off his boots, "I should like a foot massage, little tiny one," he growled, though he was grinning darkly at the same time.
Harmony looked at him in surprise, her big eyes growing slightly bigger, and her body seemed to shut down. This was something she'd never been asked to do anything like that before; she'd been a domestic slave all her life. This was not something she thought she'd ever get asked to do. But here she had been asked, and she could not disobey. Shyly curling a lock of hair behind her ear, Harmony came forward and knelt before her master. For a second, she caught the glimpse of mirth in his swirling blue orbs and swallowed nervously, as she could make a guess of what he was trying to do. Not like there was anything she could do.
His feet were large, like the rest of him, and they were rather heavy as he laid them in her lap. His feet were actually very well kept and clean and they were softer than Harmony would have first thought as she pressed the pads of her thumbs into the skin, while her fingers held and supported the heavy limbs. She moved in big (for her) circular motions, pressing as hard as she could before her fingers started to hurt. Thor let his head fall back, his gaze now directed up at the ceiling. For such a lowly creature, her touch was that of an angel's, smooth and soft skinned, the pressure not too soft, nor too hard; not too fast, not too slow. Just perfect.
He let out a deep hum of content, like a purring beast, his muscles tightening then relaxing in blissful release. His body found the girl's touch almost erotic, even though he knew she was as innocent and harmless as a newborn lamb. He would definitely be ordering her to do this again.
Harmony fidgeted slightly, the weight of Thor's feet managing to cut off some of her blood flow. It reassured her to see him relax and respond in the way he did; at least it meant she was doing something right. She massaged down all the way of one of his big feet before switching to the other one, which was foreign to her touch, and Thor let out another hum. As he did so, his massaged foot extended and nudged Harmony in the stomach. By instinct, she drew back slightly and sucked in her already flat belly, and then she heard the prince's baritone chuckle.
As Thor lay back, he decided he wanted to test her even further. Just how obedient was she? How far would he be able to control her? For a moment he pondered what he could ask of her, and when he thought of it, his eyes glinted like a child's but his smirk contradicted the playful gleam. Sitting back up, with the feel of the pull of his thick muscles, Thor looked down on the little mortal, slowly pulling his feet out of her useless grasp.
"I should also like some company in my bed tonight also," he grinned wolfishly down at her.
Ooooh, naughty Thor! haha!
Again, thank you to the people who reviewed and I need to admit that I've got a bit of writer's block...still -_- ugh, anyway if anyone could suggest any ideas that'd be great. I do have a few from some lovely friends of mine but I think I could use some more, so please review if you can think of anything or anything you'd like to happen.
Love and hugs xxx