Sorry for the long wait. I've been very busy with ending Year 10 and going on work experience. Please enjoy and review!

Harmony stared in Thor's eyes for longer than she ever had before. She felt naked and vulnerable under the strong, bold gaze of his eyes; she was sure he was reading her like an open book. He had lived for hundreds, if not thousands of years. He could probably discover her exact thoughts just by looking upon her, and Harmony was not the best at concealing how she felt, as all her life she had felt fear and little else.

Her lips parted and her breaths came out as small gasps, her own timid brown orbs searching his face, which seemed to glow with a raw masculine beauty. She was still rather frightened of the god but she knew he was also her protector and if she was good and behaved, he would never mean to hurt her… mean to hurt her. A gasp, louder than the rest, tumbled from her now quivering lips. Thor could hurt her, kill her with his unmatchable strength without meaning to. She was nothing but helpless and at his mercy, but she found that partly only added the strange new thrill she was experiencing.

There was another fear though, an uncertain fear; she had been declared irrevocably Thor's and there was no turning back. He had taken her as his… what was she? His mistress? Lover? Sexual plaything? Or all of those things? She would never be able to go back on that. Thor would never let her.

Harmony's eyes lowered for a few moments, it suddenly hitting her how long she had been staring the prince in the face, something she'd been trained against.

Thor's hand slid up the side of her face, cupping an unexpectedly fiery cheek and massaged the soft skin with his thumb, soothing the fear stoked in her flinch as he had moved. With a gentle pull, Thor tilted the girl's head towards him before closing the distance himself, taking her in their next kiss. Her breath was stolen from her, only to be replaced with a tiny whimpering sound, her body arching to her master's will as his hand found its way around the back of her head so any hopes of retreat or refusal were swept off the table.

Harmony's own arm hooked around Thor's neck, tugging closer, deeper into the kiss. She wanted it, she wanted him – the last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn't. However now, Thor was quite clear with her anticipation and he wanted nothing but dominance and possession of the tiny mortal. With a growl deep within his chest, Thor pushed Harmony's head into his hand, using his lips, with as much strength as he could allow without snapping her neck, while she whimpered, blood flooding with panic, heart thudding in alarm. Thor heard the sound clear as a bell. He found himself relishing in the sweet, delicate noise, wanting to hear it again.

He knew how to frighten her, and it was one of the most effortless things to achieve. The right touch, the right sound from his body, the right movement, the right look on his face, and he could have her quivering, like the frightened little fawn she was, in his arms.

All his lovers were submissive, many frightened or at least wary of him, but many of them tried to tread on the ground of dominance, trying to fight back against his might. Each one failed, only succeeding in amusing the god. Harmony was different. The timid mortal would always be too shy and too submissive to even dare try and challenge him. No one ever could.

Thor's little challenge was set, oh, and how easy it would be! He merely rolled them slightly, leaving him looming over her, his weight pressing down a little firmer onto her, and he received his prize within seconds. "Nervous, are we?" he breathed huskily, the kiss broken. He knew he was teasing her.

Eyes meek, Harmony nodded. Her body longed to be locked in his warm, powerful embrace, where she would be protected and cared for. A ghost of a smirk turned his mouth upwards before he rolled off her to offer the exact embrace she wanted from him. He held her tightly while she tried to stop shaking. The largest hand Harmony had ever felt cupped her face and tilted her head to look into the eyes of her master so he could silently tell her she was in no deliberate danger from him and he only wished to play with her. "You are rather beautiful when you are frightened," at his words her eyes widened slightly and she started to tremble violently once more. "Calm now, my little one. Shh, shh."

Eyes closed, Harmony basked in the soothing sound of his voice, her senses heightened to the strong, possessive grip he had on her. As her quivering subsided, she gave the impression that she may have been sleeping but Harmony had never felt so wide awake in her life. Thor continued to hush her, only to learn that she loved the sound of his voice, given her constant little nudges every once in a while and the reactions that answered him when he did murmur to her.

So weak, so fragile was the girl, so in need of him that Thor was unwilling to ever release her from his arms ever again. She could so easily lose her life in those arms; one might expect her to wish to be as far away from them as possible but in fact, Harmony felt the opposite. She would willingly give herself into those arms.

Thor held her, just held her, until the fear that surrounded her like an aura seemed to drain away. He could never do what he intended the way he wanted if she was a shivering frightened wreck… there would be time for that later; Thor had always liked a mix of fear and erotica in his lovers.

Now was not the time though. Thor wanted to learn her body. He had wanted her for so long it felt. Now, he wanted to know her.

This in itself was a very rare occurrence for the God of Thunder. Everyone knew of his regular 'meetings' with the maidens and noblewomen of Asgard – he'd fuck them and be done with it. It had been years and years since he had wanted to know a lover's form so intimately, and then have them learn his. He knew full well that such intimacy could very well petrify her. At such a young, tender age, she probably did not know much at all about her own body, a true maiden, but despite traditional definitions, she would still be a maiden to him for centuries to come. In fact, he was certain that the experience would frighten her as she was so exposed to him but he felt it was his duty to quell any current fears into temporary submission.

Thor would start carefully, in the least intimate of ways that there were in this process – simple little things like running his fingers along her arms, finding where she liked to be kissed the most on her face, and if she became too frightened at that, he knew he would have to stop there and then. Only gods and other high beings, from what Thor had seen over his many years, took part in such closeness, knowing one another's body so well, better than their own, and that was when Thor remembered why.

Mortals could often never handle it; it was always too much for them. They could never quite deal with their bodies being so open and exposed. There was knowing a lover's form, and there was knowing a lover's form.

Nothing was ever forgotten. Ever.

And it was not just physical intimacy; they would become closer emotionally, even spiritually, often around the same time. A mortal was lucky if they could take one or two of those intimacies, but they had never been known to take all three. Thor was determined to change that.

Two mortals could never engage in such a way; they simply couldn't. A god or other kind of powerful being had to be a part of it.

Thor had experienced these intimacies before, long ago. It had taken him many, many years for the connections to fade in his heart, soul, mind and body. It was very rare that the prince found someone he wanted to connect with but when he did, it came over him surprisingly quickly. He had known Harmony for a while, but it was only now that the sudden desire to have her this way dawned upon him.

Before anything happened, they would both have to be comfortable.

Reluctantly, Thor eased the little girl out of his grasp, almost hurt to see her startled expression as her eyes flew open and she thought he was going to leave her. Uncertainly swam in those dark brown orbs, a horrible anxiety of being left alone. "Do not fret, little mouse," he raised a hand and ran his fingers through her dark chestnut curls, brushing the skin of her temple along the way. "I'm here, I'm here."

Harmony's tense body loosened, relaxed, and sank back into the warm sheets of the grand, ornate bed. Her eyes stayed on the prince as he stood up. She watched as he removed all unnecessary clothing, and she felt her stomach start to twist and flip. Swallowing nervously, she anxiously tried to fathom what he might be planning to do with her. Whatever it was, would he be gentle enough? The thought led her to ask in her head if he'd ever been intimate with a mortal before or if she was the first.

Thor removed his shirt and Harmony forgot to breathe. At first she only saw his back, tan skinned and muscular beyond belief. The glow of the fire and surrounding candles cast him in a golden glow, a god's authentic aura. The enormous mass of muscle rippled, stretched and bulged as he lowered his arms down from above his head, his shirt now a rag in his hand. He turned, painfully slowly, a small smirk on his face but Harmony didn't seem to notice it at first for her eyes were now fixated on the ever more impressive muscles of his wide torso. She had seen him shirtless before, she'd even sat in his naked lap in the bath. She'd never studied him so closely before.

Each individual muscle was perfectly defined, as if crafted by a master sculptor and lovingly layered with honey golden silk skin, flawlessly fitted over the top to give each one the utmost image of masculine beauty. They were enormous and prominent but not overly so; each smoothly joined with the next like the strokes of a paintbrush, perfectly proportioned. And within each one lurked a deep power, so strong, so darkly beautiful, so erotic.

Suddenly caught in realisation that she had been staring, for god knows how long, Harmony looked up with a shy gasp, the hairs standing on end as she waited anxiously for her master's next move. Her eyes instinctively widened and her body flinched at Thor's movement towards her. He ignored it by reaching out and taking hold of her with speed too quick for her to register straight away. He held her under the arms like a young child, weightless, and settled her between his brawny thighs once he had comfortably settled himself on the bed. Harmony's body leaned into him, before he had even applied any strength, as his arms wound around her form, pressing her into his chest, her head tucked under his chin.

Thor made sure his little girl was as quiet as a lamb, calm as the gentle ocean before beginning the slow process of bearing the whole of her being to him.

He began at her head. With the gentlest touch he was physically capable of, the hulking god stroked down the long side of her young face, noting every little thing: any change in breathing, heart rate, if her body tensed or remained relaxed. She stiffened a tiny little bit at his first touch, so used to flinching at almost anything. It led the god to wonder what exactly had happened to her through her life. What precisely had made her so timid? It wasn't enough for him to hear that it was because 'she was a slave'. He needed to know what had been done to this little flower to make her this way, even if it had been done to every other slave.

The girl was in a state of calmness while Thor stroked her dark curls for a few minutes, as he let her become used to his touch. He could not remember when he had last felt so at peace. Normally he didn't like feeling such a way but with Harmony, he enjoyed it; it allowed him to feel far more control over his monstrous strength. His darker rougher side had been put away for now and would not make an appearance until later.

Thor could feel her little heartbeat against his chest, slow and steady. His strokes gradually moved downwards, closer to her ear. The pads of his fingers brushed over the shell and his acute hearing picked up the sound of her drawing in a sharper breath, while her heart began to pick up its pace. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end, eyes remaining closed. First thing learned. From that simple touch, Thor learned her ears were sensitive to his fingers and would be sensitive to his lips, his teeth, his tongue. He could make her shudder with a simple nip.

His fingers circled her little ear a few times and then felt the contours of her face, seeing how her closed eyelids flickered when he ventured close, and how her hairs stood on end as he grazed her delicate jaw, or how her lips parted by a millimetre as he touched them. All these small details revealed a little more information about her to him. He decided he would focus intimately on her face for now.

Each minute, Harmony's heart was quicker than the one before. Somehow she felt naked. There was a strange energy around her, something totally new, coming from her master. Whatever it was, it was peeling away at her, only physically at this moment. It made her very uneasy. The feelings that Thor's touch brought were a mixture of amazing and utterly terrifying, and it managed to confuse her into not knowing whether to let it happen or pull away from it.

Meanwhile, Thor could feel her anxiety as if it were his own. He returned to stroking her hair to soothe her back to her former tranquil state. He had felt that she had felt the energy he was emitting. It was necessary in this bonding process; it allowed two people to be spiritually joined at its height. And usually it came from both people but in this case, it would only, could only, come from Thor. It was usually what was too much for the mortals to take. The energy opened them, spilled their souls, and it was too much.

Harmony calmed again fairly quickly, almost as if she had simply forgotten the first taste of bonding, no trace of fear or uncertainty left. Thor repeated his actions: slowly tracing his large fingers over the surface of her face, learning and memorizing every inch and every detail. Now a little more familiar with the sensation, Harmony let it happen, reassuring herself in her head that everything was all right. Thor wouldn't let her become hurt in any way. But if ever her heart began to pound, the god would simply pet her hair and hush her softly, the sound in itself sent a wave of shivers through her. Another thing noted.

Harmony opened her eyes, as Thor's fingers brushed over her cheek for probably the seventh time, and she raised her head off his chest to look at his face, a curious glint in her shy eyes. Thor felt a knowing smile tug at the corners of his mouth; the poor little thing had no knowledge of what was happening. It was rather sweet, her innocence.

Reaching behind her head, Thor pulled her towards him, pleased at how easily her body responded to his will. With the bonding energy swirling invisibly around them, Thor reached up and captured her lips, kissing her more deeply than ever before. But then Harmony pulled back, panting and gasping, heart racing, skin starting to cry. "No," she whimpered, trying to detach herself from the circle of his arms while Thor cursed himself for being a fool. She was not ready for this. She was a young mortal. What had he been thinking?

He still reached out and hauled her back with enough strength to unleash the fears he had earlier softened in her. Any bonding energy had faded. "Do not flee," Thor's voice came out in a growl, his own perfect calmness sinking back into the depths of his mind. "You may never flee."

In a split second, the Thunderer had sat up, taking the girl with him. Her arms fastened around his neck for support, clinging in desperate need of comfort.

"You are mine," Thor breathed out. "You must forgive me for overwhelming you, it was not my intention to do so. But you are not ready for that."

"What was it?" Harmony dared to ask in a quiet whimper.

"It matters not," Thor dismissed. "Only that it was too much for you. Do not dwell on it, little one."

Harmony nodded, obedient, unquestioning. Besides, her main focus was now the dangerous god that had her trapped in his clutches. The idea of her master having a dual personality entered her mind for a brief moment, only to be banished as he kissed her. On one part, Harmony was grateful that it was unlike the previous one, but then it was the roughest kiss she had ever endured.

Thor's muscles pressed into her torso, gently crushing her young breasts, the burning hot flesh pulsing into her own skin, scorching her like flames. His hands and arms secured her like shackles, binding her to serve any and every need of her master. Her own wiry arms tightened around his neck as she fought not to have her head tilted so far back that it hurt her, what with there being no support for her head as there was before.

The prince's tongue plundered into her mouth, not wasting any time by asking when she would have let him in anyway. Hands, huge and possessive, roamed down her back. They stopped briefly at her narrow waist, almost able to encircle her completely before lowering to cup her hind. He felt even her lips tense at his grip. A few seconds later Harmony pulled back to breathe, creating a tiny distance between their lips. Harmony was barely allowed one breath before Thor greedily stole her mouth once more, starting to grind her small body into his.

He guided her hips in a slow rhythm and was able to feel when part of the movements became her own. She moved so easily, like water and silk in his hands, moulding perfectly into his form. Her breasts were compressed each time she rocked forward into him, and he loved it. So much so that he flipped them with no sign of warning.

Harmony let out a squeak, all of a sudden finding herself looking up at the prince, eyes widened with shock. Smirking broadly, Thor chuckled, a playful twinkle in his sapphire orbs. "Pull me to you," he told her.

It may have sounded like a strange request but Thor had every reason behind it. A warm, empowered feeling washed over him as Harmony's delicate hands softly tugged on his shoulders to fulfil his command. He felt needed, pulled so sweetly down on top of the maiden, but he also wanted to teach her that she was allowed to do such things and didn't need to wait for him. Thor was careful as he placed his weight onto her. In the back of his mind, he was almost expecting to hear the brutal snap of her bones. The girl seemed to be in no pain though, in fact, she was daring to be brave enough to initiate their next kiss, in an attempt to please him.

It almost amazed Thor at how gentle and tender she was, so very different to him; it was an effort to be gentle; for her it was the most natural thing. Not a single thought came to her mind about controlling herself when it came to strength. That thought dwelled in his mind for only a few seconds before the prince took control of the kiss, showing her the way. Smoothly, Thor's hand ran down her side, landing on her hip and it was only then that he really felt how bony she was.

It made him angry. It showed in his kiss, frightening the poor girl. She was sure she'd done something wrong and had upset him. In a blind moment, Harmony jerked back, braced for whatever kind of punishment she would endure. Upon seeing her like that, Thor instantly softened, pulling her back close to him, while she whimpered at his tight grip. "Shh, shh," he murmured. It had not been his intention to scare her. It was so easy though. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Edging back, he created the smallest of distances between them in order to examine her unhealthy state of body again. With one arm around her shoulders, Thor's fingers ventured under her baggy shirt, intentions no longer sexual, but unfortunately Harmony wasn't quite aware of that. Every nerve in her body froze. Her breath hitched.

First, Thor felt her hip. The bone was unhealthily prominent, so small and breakable under his fingers. He had never noticed before, properly; her clothes were always a little oversized for her so it her skinny body had never been actually revealed. He knew he shouldn't be surprised. She had spent her whole life treated without worth. She was hardly going to have a healthy figure.

What Thor didn't know was that in her first time as a possessed slave, the mistress of the household had slowly, very slowly, been able to nourish her to a more healthy weight and appearance than what she was before, though not really entirely healthy – much like the models of Midgard. Harmony was a naturally petite and slim girl but before she had been nastily underweight and she had liked being healthy for once. Only when she was taken back to S.O.A.K, she drifted back to malnourishment and had never gained back the weight she needed since then.

Harmony quickly realised that Thor was focusing on her protruding bones, not sexually advancing on her. Her body couldn't contain a shiver as his hand ran up, through the dip of her waist, and next felt her ribs, one at a time, brow furrowed with concern and anger, eyes dark, lips tight. She stayed completely still and completely silent.

When finished with her ribs, the god cleared her curly hair away from her neck, out of the way, now wanting to feel her spine and shoulder blades. It almost made his gut wrench to feel each single bump of her vertebrae, like tiny little hills. How can they have let her become so bony? He was nearly dreading feeling her shoulder blades but he did anyway; no worthy warrior or king shrunk back at a challenge, whatever the kind.

"How long have you been this way?" Thor asked after a painful period of silence.

"Um, a few months," Harmony found herself struggling to speak, "a year maybe."

"Only a year?"

"Well, only when I was in the slave trade and the first few years of my first possession. Ten years altogether," she spoke meekly. "The first nine years of my life and then the year I was back at S.O.A.K."

The prince nodded, taking in each word, a break of silence before he next spoke, "I shall return you to health. As I say, you belong to me and I care and protect what belongs to me. I shall look after you when you cannot look after yourself. Even then, I always shall until you order me not to do so."

Harmony pressed her cheek to his chest, her eyes squeezed shut, hugging him in the tightest embrace she could manage. "Thank you." And in that warm nest of Thor's arms, Harmony's eyes softened and she drifted to sleep, while Thor watched her like a predator, guarding, protecting her.

Unfortunately, the following day, Thor had a short session of training and then a council meeting, along with his father, step-brother and other generals and advisors. If he could have his way, he would have spent it all with Harmony but seeing as it was out of his reach to change, there was little point in sorrowing himself. To his mild surprise, Harmony was still asleep in his huge arms; she was usually awake before him and at work. He did not want to wake the sleeping mortal as he untangled her from his arms but she did end up waking.

"Thor?" she croaked weakly, voice hoarse.

"Hush, little one," he spoke softly, "Go back to sleep. I shall return to you this afternoon. Forgive me, I have business to attend to."

She tilted her head ever so slightly, bewildered as to why he was apologizing for something like that. She didn't want to go back to sleep though if she was going to be alone; she would rather get up and start her work. Thor leaned down and kissed her on the lips, slow and strong, yet still tender. She watched, curled up, as the god dressed and prepared himself. "Farewell, sweet one," he said as he held the door to his chambers open and left for the training arena.

Harmony remained still for a few moments before getting ready herself. She did not like being idle, especially when she knew there was work to be done. Now alone, worries of Hunter began to worm their way back into her mind, striking so deeply that she ground herself to a halt and firmly told herself to get on with her duties and not think of him. Curling a strand of hair behind her ear, Harmony scanned the room, looking for what needed to be done first. The bed would need changing and then she would go through her round of dusting.

She stripped the bed and piled the unclean sheets into her basket. It was a little heavy for her to lift but she could manage. The clean sheets would be waiting for her to go and collect in the washing room, cleaned by another servant or slave.

On her way back with the clean sheets, a pillow case slipped off the pile in the basket. Harmony snatched out and was able to snatch it before it hit the floor. Something else had fallen out too. An envelope, with something inside it, given the small thudding sound it made as it hit the floor. Curious, Harmony set her basket to the floor and picked up the envelope. Inside was a letter and a green gemstone unlike she had ever seen before. She opened the folded letter. If it was addressed to her – highly unlikely – she would read it. If not, she would simply pass it on.

It was addressed to her!

Harmony Lockehart,

If you ever wish to see your precious Hunter alive again you will come to me in the Tower of Shadows. Hold the stone in your hand and utter where you wish to be taken. Make sure you are entirely alone. I shall know if you do otherwise. I look forward to meeting you again, little mortal.

Your nightmare,

Astrid

The letter fell to the floor.

"The Tower of Shadows."

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