My sincerest apologies if this chapter is not terribly good but I've had quite a lot going on recently and my focus has been all over the place.

I hope you enjoy :)

Sat atop her horse, on the way back to the palace, Harmony found herself totally numb, her heart a grey limbo. She thought she might have been sick with heartache, or perhaps her spirits maybe lifted by the hope given to her from the healer from the Hall of Eir. But she felt nothing.

At least nothing inside. The air around them had grown chilly with the waning twilight, and the pair knew they would not reach home until beyond nightfall. Goosebumps rose on Harmony's skin, even under her sleeves though they were rather flimsy things, and she longed to rub her skinny arms but doing so would mean letting go of the reins she so stiffly clutched. An aching pain struck if ever she tried to flex her fingers so she had to keep them entirely still if she was to avoid it. She often felt her body grow tense without thinking about it and every now and then she had to remind herself to relax, though it made her feel the cold more.

They were currently walking over ground too dangerous to risk a faster gait. Harmony longed to be able to canter or gallop, she wasn't sure, but whichever was the fastest they could go, get her heart racing, her muscles working. Her horse rode close behind Loki's. He hardly looked back at her anymore as he had done on the way there, while the slave girl kept her eyes straight ahead; even at their distance, she could see the light of Odin's palace against the darkening blanket of the sky.

A little more time passed and the two riders broke onto flat, softer ground. Loki glanced behind him, silently signalling to her that they would now be able to change gaits, before putting on his leg and spurring his mount into a thundering gallop. Harmony's body leaned forward as her own horse eagerly followed its leader, the wind howling in her ears, chilling the skin of her face until she thought it could be coated in a thin layer of ice. But the rest of her was rapidly heating up as they galloped on and on.

The fast ride was over far too soon for Harmony's liking; she wanted to gallop on forever and never even dream of stopping.

Her forehead was coated in a light sheen of perspiration by the time they slowed and it quickly turned cold on her skin, causing her to start shivering violently. Her bones felt like they were rattling. She exhaled shakily, the air rising like dragon smoke from her lips.

"It's not far now," Loki said in an even voice, not turning around.

Harmony said nothing, just biting her lip and nervously shifting her eyes. By now her body was starting to really feel the effect of the long ride on her frail body; she would be happy to curl up in bed in her master's arms and sleep soundly in his protection and care. Now at a brisk walk, she wondered if maybe Hunter was still in his slumber or if maybe he had woken… to find himself without her and surrounded by strangers, kind as they may be, but they were strangers all the same.

No, no, she practically begged herself, please don't think about him. Anything but him.

Immediately, her thoughts resorted to her beautiful master. She prayed he would not be angry for leaving like that and not telling him about any of it, but then she wondered if he would even have returned from battle yet; he had told her he'd be back before she knew it but that didn't tell her anything. He had also warned her not to do anything rash. Would he consider her choice rash? She shuddered to think what he might say or do if he thought her choice was wrong.

Then again, she would prefer that to spending the night in his chambers all alone. Now was the time she needed someone most of all. She couldn't be alone. And if the Thunderer was not yet home, she wasn't sure what she'd do, how she'd even cope. Night terrors were lurking inside, waiting for the perfect time to arise.

Harmony decided she preferred feeling numb and empty to almost fainting with overflowing anxiety as she and Loki drew close to the palace gates, and just when she thought she couldn't feel any more nervous, she caught sight of Thor striding across the courtyard in their direction. She might have been relieved if his expression didn't match his title; she found herself clutching the reins so tightly her knuckles turned paler than snow, if that was even possible, and her horse didn't like it either.

"Loki," Thor growled loudly, closer and closer.

The raven haired god halted his horse – Harmony's horse also obediently halting – and dismounted gracefully, while Harmony just sat there in the saddle, too anxious and shy to know what to do next. Two stable boys scurried across the yard to collect the horses, even though one was still mounted. Harmony quickly tried to recall how Loki had gotten off his horse so she wouldn't do it wrong and make a fool of herself, biting her lip as second after second ticked on.

"Where have you been, brother?" Thor demanded, trying to keep himself calm. He had returned from battle his old self and that along with his slave's disappearance was not a wise concoction. Sending a quick dark glance in the direction of the mortal, Thor felt satisfaction briefly wash over him when she looked away, frightened.

"We took Hunter to the Hall of Eir," Loki replied, as he approached Harmony's horse from the left and lifted her out of the saddle, his emerald eyes never leaving the larger god. "It is where he will fare best."

"Very well," Thor nodded, seeming satisfied with his brother's answer. "Come away now, Harmony."

The girl sent a quick glance of silent thanks to Loki before she lowered her head and trotted obediently towards her master, nerves swirling in the core of her chest. Her eyes were level with his belly, and she didn't dare look up, in case his eyes would chill her blood.

"We shall speak later," his voice made her flinch, even though the words were directed at his younger brother and he did not seem angry either.

Loki did not reply and all Harmony heard were his fading footsteps as he disappeared somewhere. She was half tempted to look over her shoulder to see where he might have gone, she didn't though. Now, Thor turned his full attention on her, and he might have put his thick arm around her shoulders, only they were out in the open; he could not be seen doing such a thing. Looking down at her, the prince found it almost amusing how she was too shy to meet his eyes.

A ghost of a smirk on his face, Thor turned himself, striding across the courtyard in long steps. Harmony followed without thought, shoulders hunched, head kept down. Several times she had to break into a jog to keep up with him.

When they reached his chambers, Thor held the door open for the young girl and she scurried in like a little mouse, her joints tense and stiff. She stood, shaking without any control or hope of stopping, in the middle of the room, waiting for Thor to approach from behind her, loom over her. Her body flinched again, responding to the loud bang of the door slamming into the frame.

"I thought I warned you not to do anything rash," Thor's voice was deep and even. "Especially while I was gone."

Harmony said nothing. The slave's silence had been imprinted so deep into her; she did not argue back.

Her skeleton seemed to rattle with each step Thor took, closer and closer.

"It was unwise of you to leave the palace. I would not have been able to protect you," he continued. "And a creature as fragile as yourself would have no means of defence." His words sent a shiver through her entire body, and as the hairs on her arms and neck stood on end, the god's body ghosted hers.

"Loki was there," she whispered weakly.

"While my brother has his talents, he could not have protected you from everything alone, and with the boy to protect also. Chances are, you would have been outnumbered," Thor told her, matter-of-factly. He walked around her until he was directly in front of her, but she kept her eyes to his chest, without needing to lower her head at all.

Harmony's knees were shaking beneath her, just about holding her meagre weight up. "And you would have no hope of protecting yourself, tiny one," Thor continued.

The girl felt yet another shiver go through her, most likely it was the millionth one. He was right though. She really had no way of protecting herself, aside from finding protection from powerful others. Neither of them spoke for a few seconds, before Thor reached out and lifted his slave up into his arms, holding her like an adult would hold a toddler or a young child. Harmony's heart quivered as he took her in his unbreakable embrace; she felt the warmth from his chest and arms, a snug prison.

"You were almost killed by Frost Giants; you were nearly killed by the sorceress. What if you had encountered any manner of monster or beast? I was able to save you before by a twist of fate and good fortune, but what if I am unable to save you? Well?" the god demanded, starting to grow impatient when she didn't answer. "Well?"

"I don't know," Harmony spoke faintly, never meeting his eyes.

"You need me to protect you," he murmured, his voice dropping in pitch. "And you shall not leave the palace without my company, not ever."

"Yes, my lord," the girl squeaked, while her heart began to sink.

Leaning forward, Thor's lips grazed her ear and his chest swelled at the sound of her innocent gasp. He had no reason to even think of doubting her answer; the girl would never cross a direct order like that. So knowing that she was safe and she would never put herself in that kind of danger again, put him in a playful mood. He sometimes missed the way he used to play with her, and the battle had darkened his blood, back into the shadow of his old ways. "You've been a naughty little maiden," he growled softly into her ear, earning the tiniest of whimpers. "You were reckless and you disobeyed me."

Harmony's grip tightened in fear. She was no longer sure if she was safe from harm. Disobedience meant a punishment. And punishments hurt.

Thor began to step towards his large bed, his eyes trained on his slave, watching how her lip trembled. He longed to feel her soft skin under his fingers, longed to hear her whimper and cry out, longed to crush her into him. Now at the bedside, he extended his thick arms and laid her down on the mattress, with no idea of her perception of his words.

Slowly and teasingly, Thor climbed atop her, crouching over the tiny form beneath him to hold his weight off her, for now. Harmony kept her gaze fixed on the floor, her breast rapidly rising and falling with each laboured breath, but she could see Thor's hand by her head from the corner of her eye. Arching his back inwardly, the prince lowered his head to level with her upper chest, the warm breath from his lips tickling her pale skin. Taking his time, Thor placed a single kiss on her chest, and Harmony wondered if the path of his mouth would trail up or down. Either way made her nervous beyond relief.

But he didn't kiss her; instead his skilled tongue slipped out and wetly caressed her skin, the one simple touch enough to almost send her mad. Closing her eyes, Harmony felt the world fall away around her. All that mattered was each present second, nothing more, nothing less.

His tongue slithered up her chest, to her collar, as his weight began its descent upon her fragile form; at the first contact, Harmony let out a beautiful whimper, and she then shuddered as her neck was kissed painfully slowly, then licked and sucked, then gently bitten at. Without even needing to think, she turned her head to the side, clearly exposing her throat to him, submissive and obedient.

Lifting one knee, Thor hungrily nudged her little legs apart, until she could feel a pull on the muscles in the inside of her thighs. Thor nipped a little harder into her flesh as his enormous titan body moulded into the contours of the other's, and if their hips had been pressed together, she would have felt his throbbing manhood against the heat of her core. Subconsciously, Thor ground himself into the furs in a desperate need to be sated, a soft growl coming from deep inside his chest, and Harmony's eyes flew open in response.

Then, as if he knew, the god looked up, held her eyes for a moment or two, before pushing forward and claiming her lips in a rough kiss. With no warning, his tongue pried her mouth apart and began to mate with hers. Harmony's little hands found his biceps, then his shoulders, then finally his neck, where they stayed.

Thor could feel her little breasts pressing into his lower collar and ground into the furs again. One arm moved to wrap around her, her bodying arching to allow him access, their lips never leaving one another. But the pressure on his cock was becoming too much for him to bear; he broke away, allowing the mortal to suck in deep breaths of air, and rolled off her. Harmony found herself glancing at his hips, just for a moment, before she quickly looked away, blushing shyly.

Thor had seen the whole thing, but she didn't know he'd seen. A smirk tugged at his facial features. With the arm still under her, Thor pulled her effortlessly on top of him, sitting her above his mountain of a manhood. Its heat pulsed into her and it was almost too much for the lustful god. Hands clamped firmly on her hips, Thor began to grind the girl into him and, being so obedient, Harmony took it upon herself to guide herself and give him what he wanted. She found that it pleased him more when she used more of her weight as she rubbed her core against him; his moans became louder and deeper. Even with her mostly riding him herself, Thor still liked to keep an iron grip on her.

But as he seemed to grow hungrier, more aggressive, Harmony's fear began to return to her, and it was only then that she realised she had forgotten about being afraid. She feared he would lose control. This level of erotica was just about as much as she could manage without shying away, just about as much as she was ready for. She couldn't imagine how shy she'd be if any part of her body was exposed to him, or if his hands wandered to certain places. Those thoughts frightened her.

At the same time, she was mildly relieved. If this was her reprimand then she would be very grateful, especially when her master had all manner of punishments at his disposal, darker and far more brutal. She'd seen slaves whipped, branded, beaten, almost drowned, their skin singed, bones cracked, muscles torn, crushed to a bloody pulp. The girl shivered at the memories, willing to give almost anything to erase them from her mind.

"Harmony," Thor's hoarse voice startled her back to reality, and, with a gasp, she looked him straight in the face. "Why have you stopped?" he demanded, not giving her time to answer. "Did I say you could stop?"

"No, sire," she whispered, immediately averting her eyes.

Suddenly Thor sat up. Once again, his height dominated hers, as his arm came to wrap around the small of her back, while the other held her groin to his. His hot breath tickled her face, blowing a few tiny stray strands of hair back each time he exhaled. Harmony bit her lip to try and stop it from quivering.

"You are starting to forget where you belong," Thor growled softly, close to her ear. "I may care for and protect you, I may hold feelings for you, I may open my arms to you and offer you my affections but you are still my slave. I own every fibre in your body, and if I tell you to do something, whether it be to stoke my fire or to bear your body to me, you will do it without a second thought, do you understand?"

"Yes, master," Harmony nodded timidly. "Forgive me. It's just I…," she trailed off.

"What?" Thor asked, voice low; he unwrapped the arm from around her back and caught her chin with his forefinger, bringing her gaze to meet his.

"Something in my head," she spoke barely above a whisper.

"You are not to dwell on such things. You have a life here now, and if you are good and obedient, you have nothing in the world to fear," Thor told her, as if he knew exactly what was going through her head.

Harmony nodded her head again shakily, a feeling of utter helplessness washing over her. "Yes, sire."

Seeming pleased, Thor ran his fingers through her dark curls. They traced across her scalp before pulling her head in towards his for a kiss. Oddly, this kiss was very gentle, extremely gentle. One might almost say too gentle. It was certainly not shy, not from Thor's end. His lips had touched dozens upon dozens upon dozens of other women's but Harmony had never ever been kissed on her lips before her master.

Her own sweet, soft lips mimicked the movements that his made, steadily becoming more confident. Only when she was lulled into a sense of safety and comfort did Thor strike, biting hard on her lip. She jerked away instinctively, her lip burning in pain; she curled it inwards. Instead of scolding her sharply, Thor had begun his assault on her neck, nipping, sucking, biting, harder than before. He pulled her head back by her hair, his blood singing at the whimpers and gasps she emitted as she was caught in the haze of pain and pleasure.

The hand that had held her by the hips now wandered up her dainty body, and as his fingertips brushed against the underside of her breast, Harmony felt herself jump and grip tighter. She remained helpless, half her mind focusing on the attack on her neck and the other half panicking about his hand. Thor progressed further in his advances, cupping the swell of flesh in his hand, a groan passing through him. A single squeeze, combined with a perfectly placed bite and Harmony almost lost herself.

Thor lowered himself onto his back, pulling the girl with him, before he carefully rolled them onto their sides, with his lips still fastened to her neck, but before long, he drew away. Harmony couldn't see for herself but her neck was littered with bruises and bite marks, and in some places, blood had nearly been drawn. Thor admired his work briefly. He could feel Harmony's chest rising and falling deeply against him, but he expected no less; such a response was more than normal, even after a few mere seconds of his godly attentions.

Thor settled himself a little further up on the bed, so that his lips were brushing against her forehead, and Harmony watched his every move carefully, her guard on full alert. She had fallen prey to his attack and allowed herself to believe she might have been out of the woods for her punishment. She had been right before: it had hurt.

"That'll be enough," Thor murmured into her hair, "For now."

Harmony closed her eyes and pressed herself closer into him, glad to feel his arms tighten. She was more than willing to be quiet and submissive. It was her nature, her purpose.

Silent, meek and waiting, Harmony opened her eyes again to watch her master, and perhaps she could anticipate what he might want to do next. Her gaze flickered up and down his titan body, never to his face. She saw he was still aroused, and the sight triggered another maiden blush.

"You'll be a good girl now won't you, little one?" Thor purred.

"Yes, my lord," Harmony responded very quietly. "I'll be good."

Humming deeply, Thor pulled her to him and then loosened his grip, starting to grind her body against his in a slow, constant rhythm. Each time she was pulled into him, Harmony had tingles awaken all over her body and felt the clenching of lower muscles, a feeling she now seemed to know too well.

"You will never know how delicate you feel, young one," Thor said, low and soft, now that they lay still. "Sometimes I feel that you will shatter in my arms. And you will never truly know what I am capable of."

How strong are you? Harmony wanted to ask but any courage failed her.

However, Thor could see a question ticking through her mind by her face, and first he said, "You may look at me, if you wish." Taking it as an order, Harmony did look up at him, but still only held his eyes for a few seconds at most. "Do not be afraid to ask."

Harmony shook her head shyly, making Thor chuckle. "Speak," he prompted.

"H-How strong are you?" she finally managed to ask. "My lord," she quickly added, eyes fluttering nervously.

The Prince grinned proudly. He curled a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. He almost adored her innocence and naivety.

"Stronger than you'll ever know," he said. "It might frighten you to know. Just think of the strength you have seen me demonstrate, remember how that terrified you?" She nodded, remembering – even that stoked fear in her. "I'll leave you wonder," Thor smirked playfully. "But I will tell you that what you saw is nothing compared to what I can do."

Harmony brought her eyes to meet his piercing sapphire orbs, her lips parted in disbelief and yet she knew that he had not spoken a word of a lie. Don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me, her thoughts whimpered, pleading through the windows to her soul.

Don't hurt me, Thor.

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Love and hugs xxx