Apologies that this chapter is shorter than the others.

Harmony knew she couldn't lie back on Thor's bed all day, whatever the matter was. She was a slave; slaves had to do their work, willingly or unwillingly. As she got back on her knees, she did all she could to keep Hunter from her mind, but nothing helped. If anything, she only thought about it even more. And every moment she thought of him, she convinced herself a little more that Astrid was involved. That darkness spread to the corners of her mind, plaguing her like a deathly illness.

If something was wrong with Hunter, surely he'd tell her. They were friends, they had much in common, they could talk about things they couldn't talk to about anyone else. Surely, he wouldn't just leave. It didn't seem like something he'd do. He was a slave; they never had the option to run away usually. Harmony would have thought that his upbringing as a slave would limit that option.

But what if he wouldn't tell her. She was basing this on the assumption that she had high value to him. What if she didn't?

Harmony sighed to herself. Well done, she hissed at herself. Just made it worse.

At times like this, she hated being so helpless. The thought of her being the one in trouble didn't bother her at all compared to the thought of Hunter being in trouble. There was no way of knowing if he was going to be all right, no way of knowing if he needed help. At least in her own mind, Harmony would be sure of these things about herself. She wished there was some way she could know where Hunter was and if he was all right.

Stop thinking about it! Harmony cried at herself.

Well we know that's not going to happen, a clever voice replied with an edge of smugness about it, but Harmony knew it was right. There was no way she'd be able to force Hunter out of her mind.

She glanced around the room. It was pretty much all clean, Thor wouldn't miss her; she'd done all her duties, technically. She got to feet and left to find William. He wasn't the easiest man to find and Harmony spent a little time having to search for him. He seemed almost surprised when she approached him.

"You are here to ask to search for Hunter, no doubt, aren't you?" he asked, a sympathetic look in his eyes.

Harmony nodded, "Where can I look?"

"Try the courtyards, the gardens – Hunter often goes there to be alone. If he is not found there, then search the edges of the palace. If still you cannot find him then come back. I shall send someone to scour the town," the Asgardian laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We will find him."

Harmony looked sadly up at him, her own eyes filled with faltering hope and sadness, and she nodded, turning away to begin her search. A horrible part of her was telling her that she'd never find Hunter in the courtyards or the gardens; those were dead end places to look. And each step she took, she lost a little more hope but yet she carried on. She didn't know why.

Harmony found herself spending much longer in the gardens than anywhere else. They were spectacular. She had searched the other two places William had suggested first, since the gardens were so large and so complex, and she knew she'd get distracted.

It'd been a long time since she'd seen a flower up close.

Many of them she hadn't seen before and didn't recognise. In such a tranquil place, Harmony was unable to control the loss of her worries like she was being drugged in some way by the scent of the flowers, however much she knew she should be worried sick. But eventually she accepted that she would never have found Hunter there anyway.

As Harmony wandered, she saw big flowers, little flowers, bright flowers, faded flowers, flowers with big petals, flowers with small petals, tall flowers, short flowers, flowers with every colour possible and all kinds of sweet fragrances.

There were some small trees, all in different beautiful shades of greens, and some blossoming flowers and fruits, again, many of which Harmony had never seen before. There were hedges too, neatly cut and trimmed; some were even fashioned into animals and other sculptures, while others created a little maze, no doubt hidden with wonders.

As well as all the flowers and trees, there were glorious statues, stunning fountains and ornate little benches to sit and talk, or to read quietly. When Harmony was not working, she knew she would have to visit the gardens again.

Too lost in her own little world, she neither noticed or cared that passers by gave her odd, slightly confused looks because she was a slave. Harmony did see a pair of highborn ladies walking arm in arm give her a glance a few moments too long, but strangely, the girl found she didn't care. She couldn't find the will to care about anything while she was in this magical place.

Harmony wanted to explore everywhere. She sometimes found herself where she had been before but she'd always pick a new path from there. A leaf brushed her arm as she passed but it felt like it was made of velvet, not how a leaf would feel. The girl turned. Almost smiling up at her was a single purple flower that closely resembled a rose, perhaps it was a rose. Intrigued, she bent down to inhale its scent.

Having never smelt a rose before, she couldn't identify what this flower was, if it was a rose or not. Regardless of what flower it was, it smelled divine, sweet and delicate, and Harmony found herself greedily inhaling as deeply as she could. With her own dainty little fingers, she stroked the petals, discovering them to be softer than the leaves. They then trailed down the stem and found there were no thorns. That made it all the sweeter. Harmless, like her.

She found herself reluctant to leave this flower behind, but settled with herself that she'd return to see it again. Her fingers stroked the petals one last time and she took in its scent once more before straightening her back and stepped to walk on. She returned to William and gave her news that she'd not found Hunter anywhere. Now away from the fairy-tale gardens, she felt her worries and doubts return to her, and at the same time guessed where she could go to soothe herself.

The girl wandered back the gardens, in search of the purple rose. This time, she noticed more glances from Asgardians, and she lowered her head. Luckily for her, she found her flower in short time. She sat down in front of it and, like she had before, stroked its velvety petals with her delicate fingers. With a sigh, she slowly started to drift into a trance.

Hunter's body felt sore all over.

He was only a mortal, he'd only just been strong enough to take it and survive. He'd hated the way his body had responded, so against his will. She'd made him lose himself, his mind, his thoughts. It must have been a spell or an Asgardian power, or something. Hunter didn't know.

His hips were bruised the most and he was sure the bones had been cracked. But the bruises didn't stop there; they marred his young body all the way up his torso, down his arms where she'd grabbed him so harshly. The boy had nearly screamed when he'd looked down at his body when he awoke. As well as the bruises, red marks were scattered across his skin.

For hours at least, Hunter was conscious but not quite awake, and he struggled to remember everything that had happened. The first thing to come back to him was the sound of a purring female voice in his ear, telling him how he'd love it and that it was a privilege, and then how she was going to enjoy breaking him.

He was broken.

She, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

The boy wanted to cry and scream for help. He didn't dare though; it might bring her to him, if she was not there already, lurking like a panther. What an idiot he had been, so easily led and tempted, and then paid the price of losing himself so easily. But then it occurred to him that she would have had her way if he came willingly or not.

He remembered more now. He remembered her movements, so graceful yet so powerful, the ease in which she handled him, the way she reduced him. Against another mortal he might have a chance, perhaps a decent one but never ever against an Asgardian.

Hunter lifted his head, only to drop it back with a groan of agony. He was on a bed, the room was dark and silent, he knew that much. Hunter wasn't usually so easily frightened, but now, he was no more than a lost little mouse, and that led his thoughts to Harmony. Is this how she felt all the time?

He'd always blocked out his fears. After so many years of being a terrified slave, he didn't want to feel like that anymore so he'd taught himself how to banish his fear and keep it away. And he often tried not to let the fact that he was a fragile, breakable human bother him too much in a world of gods and goddesses and Asgardians. Now, it may be the end of him.

If she intended to do it again, he would surely die.

"Harmony?"

Broken from her blissful trance, Harmony turned, blinking, and looked up, instantly knowing who the voice belonged to. She scrambled to her feet and looked shyly up at her master. Even now, his magnificent height managed to take her breath away. She stumbled to find her words, an excuse as to why she wasn't in his chambers. "My lord," was all she could come out with.

"I was assuming to find you in my chambers," he said, blue eyes staring intently down at her.

"I'm sorry. I was told one of the other servants was missing and I went to look for him after my work was done. Forgive me, sire," she said a little too quickly for her liking. She was in trouble, she knew it. Her teeth nibbled at the insides of her bottom lip nervously.

"Do not worry," Thor said. "I bear you no anger; I was merely expecting to find you in my chambers."

Harmony nodded, eyes flickering and fluttering. She tried to read his face, especially his eyes, without looking for too long or capturing his gaze for more than a few seconds.

"There is something we must speak about. Walk with me," Thor ordered quietly. It made her chest tighten and her heart pick up pace. Either way, she nodded silently and obeyed him.

The god slowed his steps so she could keep up at a steady pace. He walked fairly close to her so that they may speak in low voices. Many would consider it a strange sight to see the mighty God of Thunder walking side by side with a puny mortal slave.

"What occurred between us this early morning," Harmony knew this would probably pop up. Thor paused for a moment. "Should not have done."

Harmony's heart sank in her chest; feelings of being unwanted gnawed at her bones. Her chest seemed to compress as the pillars of her heart and ribcage collapsed. From glancing up at him, her eyes fell to the floor and stayed there, as she dreaded each following word.

"I am a prince; you are a slave. I, a god; you, a mortal. Such possible feelings and affections would not be proper, neither wise," he went on. Harmony could actually understand where he was coming from. It didn't mean she wanted to hear it though. "You are held by law to be a slave and you know that if you become anything otherwise, you will die. And I will not have the blood of a child on my hands."

"But I'm not a child," Harmony couldn't help but say, annoyingly her voice sounding so soft and innocently, like a child's.

Thor chuckled, the sound so rich and deep. It succeeded in signalling a shiver to pass through her spine. "To Asgardians, mortals are born children, live as children and die as children. Your lives are so short, perhaps too short."

"But won't I live as long as you?" she asked quietly.

"Aye, you will," the god nodded. "But you are still a child now, and will be for many, many years, even if your body has matured. And I will not stand by and see a child die, whatever that may cost." Harmony supposed she should be grateful for the fact that he didn't want her harmed or dead for whatever would or could rise between them, and that he had stopped it now before anything could happen. "Someday I shall marry a highborn lady or goddess, perhaps for love, perhaps for the good of the realm. A courtship between a prince and a slave could never happen."

Harmony nodded glumly in defeat. She had never been sure of what she'd felt for the God of Thunder; she'd wanted it, and now that it'd been taken away, a part of her felt empty. A kind of emptiness she'd never experienced before. It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Thor left her in the gardens, telling her he had duties he must attend to. She didn't question him. Alone, she walked, holding in tears that she couldn't quite explain, until she found a quiet, secluded corner where no one would find her or accidently stumbled across her. The girl curled up into the ball of the ground, leaning against the trunk of a small tree, bottom lip trembling while her eyes swam with salty water. Burying her face in her knees, Harmony let out a shuddering sob. She cried for a little while with her eyes closed, and found when she opened them again, she was rocking slightly.

Most would think her a madwoman if they saw her but really rocking oneself was a subconscious cry for comfort; it simulated being rocked by a mother as a baby. She choked up another bitter sob.

Everything seemed to be falling apart.

Half the things she wasn't even sure of and that made it all the harder. She had experienced many feelings with Thor – fear, safety, comfort, vulnerability, trust, protection, even possibly attachment. Now, she wasn't sure about anything. Nothing made sense any more. She'd wanted to tell him about Astrid; she didn't know if she could anymore. She wasn't sure what to do anymore.

As the day started to wane, and Harmony had no more tears left to spill for now, she picked herself up and dawdled back to Thor's chambers. It was like she was trying to carry Mjolnir in her heart. Her fingers fidgeted at her sides, her head was low, as it should be. Along the corridors, her footsteps were barely audible as she tiptoed like a mouse back to her master.

With each corner she turned, Harmony hoped that, by a change of luck, Hunter would be there. Like that was going to happen and she told herself off for raising her hopes, only to have them crushed a little more each time.

She didn't know what to do.

Quietly and carefully, she opened the large and heavy doors to Thor's chambers and slipped inside through the smallest gap possible. At a glance, the room appeared empty. Harmony didn't turn around to close the door behind her. She stepped timidly into the room, automatically expecting to be started. But she wasn't expecting what happened next. Everything was so fast.

She didn't know what to do.

Please review!

A little note to anyone who is an HP fan, like myself, I have a new story called

the Vampire's Persephone and if you're interested, please check it out andtell me what you think of it. It's Draco/OC and is has Elves and Vampires included ,but actual good Vampires, nothing like Twilight.

It'd really mean a lot to me if you could read it and report back to me about what you think of it :)