While in complete unconsciousness, Harmony rolled over for about the sixth or seventh time in Thor's arms. He, himself, was not at all tired; he didn't even want to sleep, not with his slave tossing and turning the way she was. Behind closed eyelids, her eyes were jerking from side to side and he knew she was dreaming. He had no way of knowing what of, but he was sure it was not a pleasant vision going through her mind. It frustrated him that he could not protect her; he could only hold her, helpless.
She was such a good little thing, despite her recent reckless behaviour, such a good and sweet girl. And while he loved to play his dark games with her, Thor would do whatever it took to keep her from harm. He would kill for her without a thought. She was his. And what belonged to him was protected.
The Thunderer loosened his arms as she wriggled in his hold, shifting from facing him to turning her back on him. He never liked it when she faced away from him and he would have woken her, but a gentle urge deep within stopped him, reminding him constantly how she was not in control of what her mind's eye made her see. When the girl seemed to have settled again, Thor tightened his hold, pulling her as close to him as their bodies would allow.
Occasionally her fingers or feet twitched, some very slight, others almost violent jerks. Bowing his head, Thor laid a kiss on her cheek with warm lips, as his arms subconsciously squeezed her with a little more strength. He continued to watch her through the hours of the night, feeling her heart slow and quicken randomly, never feeling a strain of tiredness, and his thoughts often wandered towards the God's Binding. A while back, they had merely touched upon it, focusing only on physical intimacy, the easiest to cope with. Thor's memories of it were clearer than crystal, how he had held his slave, soothing her to a complete state of tranquillity before learning every feature of just her face, what made her heart race, what made her nuzzle him affectionately.
Even that had been too much for her. The energy from the God's Binding had frightened her too much; she could not cope with being opened up like that. Though Thor hated to admit it, it would be a long time before she could even begin to be ready for the God's Binding. He imagined it would destroy her if they engaged in the emotional and spiritual intimacies.
While that was a long way away, the Thunderer grew hungry for his mortal. Right then, he wished her form could be bare so he could feel her soft, fragile skin against him, see the swells of her breasts and the curves of her waist and hips. And he wanted her to rub against him, reach for him and love him with wild abandon; he wanted to be inside her and for her to beg for it. Only then, it came to his attention that she might not even be strong enough for a fucking, even if he was as gentle as he could be.
Thor's hands wandered up and down her body, feeling again how skinny she was – exactly as he done on that night. Her body would need to be strengthened and prepared before he took her, even if that meant simply adding a little meat to her bony body.
Harmony suddenly stirred, jogging Thor's mind from his train of thought. Her eyes fluttered open, heart beating quickly, and he blamed himself for waking her. Turning sleepily, she looked up at him through hooded eyes but Thor felt her heart leap when she saw he was watching intently instead of being in deep sleep, as she had expected him to be.
Running his fingers through her curls, he whispered, "Go back to sleep, Harmony. It is not yet morning."
Thor expected her to curl back up and close her eyes again, but instead she kept looking at him, telling him something through her eyes, and he had no trouble understanding. Mortals were very easy creatures to read. Their evolution was far more primitive than that of an Asgardian's, their thoughts and emotions more basic, partly due to such short life spans which restricted them from learning what the gods learnt over time. Even then, a mortal's mind was slower and more easily scarred.
Harmony was often unaware of this, but Thor could often tell what she was thinking or feeling through simple gestures, tone of voice, and her eyes spoke far more than her mouth ever had.
"They're just dreams, young one," he whispered. "They cannot hurt you. Rest, little mouse."
Yet her eyes continued to pleadingly defy him.
Her hand found his neck and used the grip to cling to him even tighter, and Thor could feel her breasts being pressed up against him, warm and soft. Silently groaning, he fought the urge to rub her on him and grind back; he battled with his carnal desires, reining them in before he could speak firmly again. "I will not ask again," he warned.
With her shoulders shrugging in defeat, Harmony lowered her eyes, and her whole body, and nodded. She made a move to roll again so her back faced him once more, but he tightened his arms on purpose, rendering her still. Wide brown orbs found him, questioning. "Face me," he ordered in a murmur.
Harmony did so, however hurt she felt inside. She didn't want to sleep again and now she wanted to sulk like a child for being made to do so. He didn't understand it. Though, she was hardly of a status to sulk or whine or complain; she did not have that right. Her dark doe eyes flickered to meet his for a brief moment, her lips a thin line, but she didn't know how petulant her expression actually was, thinking she was hiding her feelings.
"Do not give me that look, Harmony." Apparently she wasn't.
Now her features flashed with guilt and embarrassment. She wanted to turn her back on him more than ever. Her body bristled inside, on the brink of a tantrum. I'm still such a child. He's a full grown man, and so much more than that. But what am I? I'm just a baby to him.
"Face me and go to sleep," Thor ordered, his behaviour in the near future depending entirely on the reaction he got from her.
With a wounded nod, Harmony did as was commanded of her, turning her tiny body and curling into him, nuzzling her face into where his shoulder merged with his chest, and finally closed her eyes. All the while, barely keeping a lid on her infant temper.
Humming his approval, Thor cuddled her tightly as he showered rewarding kisses from her cheek, up over her temple, to her forehead, each and every one sending a tremor through the walls of her chest, his breath almost burning. The god could sense her frustration of not getting her way; her sweetness made him smile. He'd made his little mouse cross.
"Good girl," he purred teasingly in her ear.
For quite a sum of time, Harmony was determined to stay awake, silently defying. She feigned sleep, hopefully convincingly, upset and angry that he didn't understand or listen. Only there was so much time before feigning sleep actually became sleep, and when she next opened her eyes, daylight was streaming into the room and she could see the tiny flecks of dust floating through the air. Groaning inwardly at herself, Harmony lifted her head, resulting in a strain in her neck.
Still blinking in the morning's light, she found no dreams to recall from her sleep that time, though that only put her in an even worse mood. She wanted to get up and start working. She didn't care what chore it was, as long as it occupied her thoughts. Glancing up, Harmony looked to see if her master was still asleep or not; his eyes were closed until she looked at him.
She didn't utter a word, instead waiting for him to give her a command like a good slave.
"You have extraordinary eyes," Thor suddenly murmured, and Harmony was taken completely aback, suddenly able to feel heat clawing at her cheeks. She watched him study her, nervously, but he only smiled. Moments of gentleness, such as this, alerted her to her full guard, just as his dominant and sexual behaviour did.
Thor leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers. It was unlike his usual kisses, which usually aimed to leave her lips red and numb or to pry them open and claim her mouth with his tongue.
"Remember to stoke the fire for the coming night. It will bring bitter coldness with it," he told her, as he broke away.
"Yes, sire," Harmony replied breathlessly.
"And fetch some extra furs," the prince added. "I do not wish for you to be cold tonight."
Harmony nodded, and she forgot to be angry or childishly upset as she was reminded how her master cared for her and was concerned about her. And Thor gave her one last kiss before she rose to face the day.
Harmony retrieved her master's hot breakfast from the kitchens and brought it to him, entering while he finished dressing himself, the warmth of the food creeping through the tray into her hands. Her undefined muscles were starting to strain as she set it down on the long table. She caught Thor's eye and he grinned at her.
Her second self-set task was to collect the extra furs Thor had told her to fetch. By a glimpse of luck, William happened to be present and selected three of the finest furs for her to take. She could only take one at a time because they were rather large and thick, and Thor had disappeared by the time she returned with the second fur. When she had all three furs, she arranged them on the bed until she was satisfied. Wasting no time, she immediately began her next job of preparing the fire, first clearing the ashes from the night just gone before laying down logs and plenty of kindling; she decided many more logs would be needed but she would collect them on a later errand since her mind had already formed a plan of things for her to do before that.
The girl spent a substantial amount of time dusting and cleaning the main chamber, working away until her joints were stiff and her knees and hands were red, and however tempting it was, she never let herself stop. Panting and aching, she drew herself painfully to her feet and moved all her cleaning equipment into the enormous bathroom. In some ways, the pain and tiredness made her glad; it made her long for the comfort of her master's bed that she'd be enjoying later that evening.
The bathtub took the longest to clean, and took the biggest toll on her body. Her bones leant at awkward angles and halfway through the lengthy task, Harmony realised so much skin on her knees had been worn away that bloody welts had be left over, which meant she had to clean the spilt blood as well. A feral hiss tore from her mouth as she stood up, her back bent forwards, gripping her knees and clenched her jaw when she straightened to her full height. She winced as she walked across the deep, empty bath and climbed up the stone steps, and was forced to wipe her knees again when she re-entered the main chamber because more blood had surfaced.
All of a sudden, she stopped; she realised she had no more chores to complete; she had been working so hard and fast that now she'd actually run out of work.
Ignoring her knees, becoming bloodier by the minute, Harmony quickly scanned the room to be sure that everything was in order before swiftly departing, sweeping away like a phantom. She felt like she was floating as she wandered insignificantly down the halls, headed nowhere in particular. Her legs directed her outside, and she glanced up into the sky so she might find out what time of day it was.
"Dusk shall not fall for a number of hours," came the voice of Loki.
Startled, Harmony sharply turned to see him coming towards her from out of the shadows of the pillars and out onto the courtyard. We often run into each other, she wanted to say.
He joined her side, and they stood in stillness and silence. Harmony looked down, fingers fidgeting as her mind wandered, the Prince's presence breaking down any resistance to the thoughts she was so desperate to keep at bay. "He's really gone," she muttered eventually, her voice laced with sadness.
"I know," Loki whispered.
"He alone," she began.
"He is not alone," the prince interrupted softly. "He is with the healers of Eir. You heard them say yourself that he will be loved and cared for. You both have centuries upon centuries, at least, left to live. In fact, there is no reason why you should not live for eternity, with my brother as your master. He may be a bloody oaf at times," he cracked a grin, also pleased to see the slightest of smiles on the girl's own face, "but I've never once been concerned for his life or well-being; the Nine Realms have never seen such a warrior."
Harmony didn't answer straight away. A small gust of wind blew some of her curls across her face and she let them fall back into place when the breeze died away.
"I just miss him," she whispered.
Placing a large hand on the back of her head, slowly starting to stroke, Loki whispered back, just as softly, "I know." He knew there was nothing he could say that she would want to hear; he knew exactly what she wanted to hear but the words would be empty of any truth. He might have lied but she knew that just as well as he did.
"Is my brother caring for you?" he asked, a deliberate change of subject.
Harmony felt her cheeks grow hot as her mind wandered over the many erotic happenings between them. "He said I have nothing to fear if I do everything he says," she answered naïvely. "He told me not to forget that I'm a slave."
"But does he bring you harm? Is he good to you?" the younger prince inquired.
"Yes," she nodded. "He even lets me share his bed at night," she admitted innocently, a tiny pang in the back of her mind telling her that she maybe shouldn't of said that, unaware of what it might mean. It occurred to her to add something but she remained quiet.
"Tell me, little one, if you had the opportunity to be free, would you take it?" Loki was admittedly curious to hear the answer for he had never really known the mind of one who had never taken a free breath.
Harmony, on the other hand, was totally taken aback by the question; her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. "I have no idea, sire," she gasped, before thinking properly into it.
Recollecting her memories, Harmony recalled that she had often about freedom; not often what it would be like to have, but she more commonly pondered to herself what freedom was in itself. What did it mean to be free? Of course, she had no idea, no one she knew had any idea. To slaves, freedom wasn't seen as a thing they'd been deprived of. Instead it was a myth, a myth that would only bring death, and, over time, slave had begun to turn against the idea of freedom. Why wouldn't they when it would kill them?
Harmony remembered watching the guards and traders going about their business, wondering if they were free or not. They followed commands, just like the slaves; they had the same physical needs of a slave (speaking on the behalf of mortals, which were the most common species of slave). It was a thought she had dwelled on many times in the past, however, she had never reached a judgement. To make that judgement, Harmony would have needed to know what freedom even was, and she had not the faintest idea.
Suddenly aware that she had been silent, thinking, for some time, she sharply turned her head towards the raven haired god, who was watching her with fascination. "I, uh, I don't know, my lord. I mean, if I were free it'd kill me."
"Say if it didn't," Loki prompted.
"Still, I don't know," she shrugged. "I am happy with my life now. The only thing I would change would be to know where the rest of my family are."
Loki took in a deep breath, "Do not forget that the All Father owes you a favour." And with that, the slender god slunk back into the shadow with the grace of a big cat.
Face contorted with deep thought once more, Harmony sat down where she stood, out of anyone's way, and heavily pondered if she'd ever have the courage to request the favour she was owed.
Surely tracking down seven mortal slaves would be an unnecessary bother, a waste of time. The girl was afraid that, if she ever did gain the courage to ask, the All Father would reject her or that his men would refuse to find her family for her. Knowing she'd never be able to decide right then, Harmony got back up to her feet, her mind a muddle, and wandered almost dreamily to the first place she could think of.
There were no horses in this particular stable at the moment. Just as well – she didn't need to fight the temptation to mount one of them and gallop all the way back to the hall of Eir as well. Sighing solemnly, she sunk onto a bale of straw, packed into a cuboid shape, not yet used, and let her body slump tiredly. While her body spiralled into a state of relaxation, her mind ticked painfully.
She imagined she was a bird, a little robin or sparrow, and she was flying around, chirping happily. And she was watching Hunter go about his daily business, passing through the halls, striding down the corridors, passing by the stables to complete his tasks. He would eat, drink and sleep like everyone else. And he would live.
Blinking, large tears rolled down the maiden's cheeks, tearing her away from the vision back to the harsh reality. Wiping her cheeks furiously, Harmony fought them back, sniffing so deeply it was almost painful, but in the end it was too hard to keep herself at bay.
Meanwhile, Thor was on his way back to the palace from the training grounds, by mere chance taking a route which passed the stables. Those around him all took complete notice of him, bowing, curtsying, whispering his many titles, some even shrunk away and cowered, not feeling worthy enough to be in his presence, or just plain afraid.
He was more than used to this sort of reaction from his people and it always caused the corners of his mouth to tug into a grin or smirk. Eagerly hoping to be with his mortal again soon, the prince's strides were long and brisk. Loose tresses of his rugged golden hair bounced around his eyes, in rhythm with his steps. But then, the sound of crying reached his acute ears; it was a young female, unmistakable, and it was very close by. Thor might have just ignored it, but at a turn of the head at the right time, he caught a glimpse of red chestnut hair through the splintered and cracked wood.
He sharply rounded the corner, marching through the empty stables to reach the dark haired beauty. His movements were neither subtle nor quiet, and Harmony looked up with a startled gasp as he approached. Her eyes were watery and red-rimmed, her eyelashes clumped together and her cheeks flushed. The god could see her contemplating with panic whether there was any point in trying to mask her tears. "What has harmed you?" he asked, advancing forward with menacing strides.
"Nothing, sire," Harmony whispered with a little hiccup.
Crouching, Thor knelt in front of her, "Then why do you weep?" Though the answer had already sprung to mind.
Harmony shook her head childishly, feeling silly and would feel sillier still for telling him.
"The mortal boy," Thor said more quietly. "Your friend."
The girl nodded, as her lip trembled and her eyes filled with a fresh pool of tears. She still had to look up at her master, even though he was kneeling down, to meet his eyes. Thor carefully stroked her hair behind her ear, the pads of his burly fingers surprisingly gentle against her skull, successfully taking her aback. Such tender treatment was not what she had been expecting to receive, especially when he wiped away the tears on her cheeks, and hushed her softly if she sniffled or whimpered.
"Grief is natural," he told her. "I have fought wars for over a thousand years and have seen many good people fall, so I have felt what you feel now. And I will tell you, it doesn't last forever." Leaning forward, the Thunderer pressed his lips to Harmony's.
He meant to be gentle but her head was still pushed back from the force of his kiss, and he quickly cupped the back of her head, then using that grip to pull her closer into him. Harmony could feel the water swell warmly around her eyes as they closed. Their lips moved slowly together, but passionately. Thor pulled away when he felt her start to draw back for air, and as she took in a deep breath, he laid a kiss to her brow.
To tell her tears would help nothing would be wrong. Thor did not feel grief as strongly anymore, but that didn't mean he never had felt it strongly in the past. Weeping was an expression of grief and sadness, and to bottle it up would never help. It was never a pleasant part of life but it had to happen, and it was best to simply let it happen in its own way. He, himself, had thought back to when he used to feel the pain of loss, when the battle was a battleground instead of a playground, a very long time ago. Revisiting old memories had helped him understand again what she was feeling.
Then, Harmony reached for him, initiating their next kiss; her weak arms wrapped around him, clinging on so delicately. Mouths inches apart, she looked into his sapphire orbs with her own watery doe eyes. So close, she could feel his drumming heartbeat, steady and controlled. She wanted him to have her, so that he could make her forget again like he had done before. She would prefer to serve his body or expose hers than to continue feeling the sorrow in her hollow chest, even fear of her master was better.
She pushed herself into him eagerly, kissing him with all the strength she could muster, hoping she would awaken her master's darker, more playful side and he would play his games with her. However, Thor knew exactly what she was doing, well, trying to do. He would let himself kiss her, and only kiss her. He knew how much it scared her to even think of bearing her body to him or to let him be very intimate with her; she would not willingly initiate such acts, yet.
The maiden pressed her breasts up against him, her gentle fingers now curling into claws, digging into him, though they may have been made of satin for all the effect they had. And when she started to tug at her own clothes, Thor knew a line had been crossed.
"No," he spoke firmly, suddenly hard and unyielding.
Harmony was the image of confusion as she gaped at him.
"This is reckless," the god told her, his voice like iron. "And will do you no good. You will wait and then you will understand."
It took a little while, but soon, her expression melted away and her eyes filled with tears again.
Thor opened his arms and she fell into them, quietly sobbing.
"Live it and feel it, my love" he whispered. "And it will pass."
Please review!
P.s. As you may know my shipping name for Thor and Harmony is Thormony, I would like some help in deciding what I should call my Loki/Erica ship. I was thinking between Lorica or Eriki. Which one?
Love and hugs xxx