Author's Note:

My apologies for the long delay getting this chapter out. I will try and be a little bit quicker getting the next one done but I can't make any promises. I'm so happy yo hear that there are a few of you who are really enjoying this story, your kind words of encouragement inspire me to write so please continue to review :) If you do I promise I will include more Joki smut in upcoming chapters.

Enjoy!


Chapter Eleven

"The Council have overthrown the Alfather and taken control of Asgard." Thor's rough voice hung in the air as Jareth took a moment to absorb the information.

"Where is Odin?"

"They have taken him prisoner." Thor's voice was steady but Jareth could hear the anger boiling beneath the surface.

"They?"

"The Royal Council. They have seized power, taken father and locked him away. With the guard at their command Asgard is theirs."

"Mother?" Loki asked carefully.

"I made sure she escaped through the tunnels before I went in search of you. We will find her once we too have found our way beyond the city walls."

The three men paused and held their breath in the darkness as they heard the heavy footfalls of armoured guards running past the wall that they were currently hidden behind.

"Your plan is to flee then?" Jareth sounded quizzical, unsure whether Thor was serious about deserting the kingdom to which he was next in line to succeed the throne.

"For now." Thor breathed in deeply and then Jareth felt a firm hand gripping his bicep. "It was my hope that were I to get you out of here you might help us restore order to Asgard."

"I cannot say I am sure of how you plan for me to assist you God of Thunder. I am, after all, powerless in this realm. I would be of no more benefit to you than a commoner from the street."

"He means to take you to the Underground." Loki had barely spoken but he had been observing Thor carefully in the dark. While he could not see his brother all that well he could hear the various changes in the tones of his voice. That and he had known his brother a long time, and in all honesty, Thor was predictable enough for Loki to take a well educated guess at what his adoptive brother was planning.

Thor turned his head to peer at Loki through the darkness but he could barely make out the slender male. He was not sure how Loki had managed to read his mind with such clarity but in that moment he was almost glad for it. Thor wasn't quite sure why but Jareth seemed to trust Loki and Thor needed Jareth on their side right now. He might not harbour particularly fond feelings for the Goblin King, after what he put Loki and himself through, but he could appreciate that the immortal had seen a life in Asgard beyond his inconsequential existence in the Underground and might not want to give that up so quickly.

Jareth sighed heavily. He could guess at what the God of Thunder wanted of him but it meant returning to the Underground and his life as its ruler. He had been so close to giving it up and finally returning to Asgard and a better life, one less privileged perhaps but with less burden and responsibility. Jareth had tired of his life in the Underground and now Thor was asking that he go back. However, with Odin deposed as ruler and the Council replacing him Jareth supposed his life in this Asgard was likely to be short lived were he to be captured.

"I trust you would not be asking this were there an alternative?"

Jareth could not see Thor in the dark but his large shoulders were hunched forward and his teeth were gritted.

"I would not ask this of you were there other options open to me. Believe me, I wish to return to the Underground even less than yourself Goblin King."

"And how do you propose we transport ourselves to the Underground? Provided we are able to found our way out of these tunnels first."

"Our only hope is that Heimdall has not yet been captures by the Council. If he has then our chances are slim." Thor knew their position was dire and it was more than likely that they would reach the Bifrost and find it under heavy guard with no hope of their using it to reach the Underground.

"We best make hast then brother. I'm certain we are already out of time."

Loki took the crook of Jareth's arm in his hand and hurriedly urged him to follow as he pressed firmly against Thor's shoulder blade to signal his brother to move forward.

The three men moved as quickly through the tunnels as they could. Their progress was slowed by the lack of light, not being able to see what was directly in front of them coupled with the fact that neither Thor nor Loki had used the tunnels since they were children meant that they took a couple of wrong turns before finding themselves in a much broader tunnel.

"This is it." Loki whispered and hurried the trio down the long corridor.

"I thought the tunnel to the marshes was further along?" Thor questioned as he planted his feet firmly against the stone floors, effectively bringing the party to a halt.

"But we are not going to the marshes." Loki hissed, hooking his fingers into the top of Thor's chest plate and pulling his face close to his own. "We are heading for the Birfrost so that Heimdall can assist our escape."

Thor smacked his brother's hand aside and growled at him, their faces mere inches apart.

"You are prepared to leave our mother here then!? Alone, to fend for herself against the uprising of the council in the wilderness of Asgard beyond the kingdom walls."

If there had been more light in the tunnel Thor would have seen the brief moment of shame reflected in Loki's eyes but as it were the God of Thunder saw and heard nothing until Loki finally let out a long breath.

"Of course not."

There was a long pause that hung in the darkness between them while both pondered their next move.

"We're running out of time." Jareth posed softly, not wanting to come between the two brothers who were not far off launching a verbal assault on one another.

"He's right." Thor cursed under his breath and pulled his face away from Loki's. "Loki, you shall take Jareth to the Bifrost and ensure that he is safely transported to the Underground."

"What of you and Frigga?" Loki's question was asked more for the benefit of his own curiosity than anything else. Though genuinely concerned for his mother's welfare he couldn't say that he cared too much for what his brother chose to do with the life gifted to him.

"I will find mother and then together we will find you. If neither of us makes it to the Underground then all hope is lost. If, at the very least, you and Jareth can make it there then together you can return and set Asgard free once again."

Were it not for the inky blackness between them, Loki and Jareth would possibly have exchanged a questioning look but were instead left with their own thoughts as to the validity of Thor's plan.

"If Heimdall has not yet been captured by the time mother and I reach him then we will have him send us to the Underground to join you. If he has… then I will find a way to keep mother safe until you can return with a plan to overthrow the Council and take back Asgard."

Loki did not necessarily disagree with Thor's plan, he simply had his doubts that Thor would be able to find their mother and reach Heimdall in time. And if he could not, then it would be Loki and Jareth against the Council of Asgard; and the Council really did not care for either of them.

"You will not allow me to prevent you from selecting this course of action will you?"

"No brother." Thor placed a hand gently on his adopted brother's shoulder. "You will not. I have chosen my course, now you must follow yours."

"We shall meet again in the Underground God of Thunder." Jareth smirked at Thor in the Darkness, pointed teeth flashing from between thin pink lips.

Thor wasn't sure he liked the Goblin King's tone but he had little choice other than to trust him as well as Loki at this point. He only hoped that Loki could convince Jareth to join forces with them to save Asgard. To do that though… Loki would have to want to save Asgard. Thor hoped he could trust and rely on his brother. Despite the numerous times Loki had let him down and betrayed him in the past Thor knew that deep down in there somewhere was the same boy who he grew up with, played with, shared secrets with and trusted his life to. He needed Loki to come through for him now, and not just him but the whole of Asgard. If he could not make it to the Birforst in time with Frigga then the future of Asgard would rest squarely on Loki's shoulders.

Silence hung in the stagnant air as the true gravity of their situation settled upon their shoulders. It was not something any of them had been prepared for and yet all three somehow felt, each for their own reasons, that it was their duty to take the Council on and regain control of Asgard. Thor was about to leave to meet up with his mother when he suddenly felt strong arms wrap around his torso and Loki's lithe frame pressed against his powerful chest. Thor was so stunned by the unprovoked embrace from his adopted brother that he almost didn't have time to return the affection and envelope the smaller man in a crushing hug. Thor lifted Loki briefly from the ground and if he could have seem Loki's expression from over his shoulder in the dark he would have know that Loki was rather unimpressed by the over zealous return of his spontaneous mild display of affection, and Thor would not have cared.

"Be safe brother" Thor lowered Loki back down until his feet were once again firmly planted upon the stone beneath them.

"Time is of the essence Thor. Do not waste it. Find mother and make haste for the Bifrost."

Thor nodded and quickly disappeared into the darkness. His footfalls echoed softly until their thud no longer fell upon Loki and Jareth's ears. A heavy silence hung in the air after all audible sounds of Thor's presence had disappeared. Jareth then reached for Loki in the dark and gripped the other man tightly by the crook of his arm.

"You cannot expect me to bear the entire weight of this burden Loki. My powers are unmatched in the Underground, however as soon as I return to your realm I am of little use to you."

Loki placed a slender, delicate hand over Jareth's and pulled himself up against him.

"But on Midgard your powers are equalled to that whilst in the Underground are they not?"

Jareth was not entirely certain where Loki's train of thought was travelling at that moment in time but he spoke the truth and if Loki had a plan then that was better than his contribution of barely gained comprehension as to the extent of their plight at that point.

"The plan is for us to travel to Earth then?"

"Not yet….. but yes. The Earth may play a part yet… I cannot be entirely certain."

Jareth raised an eyebrow in the dark but when he received no further comment or response from Loki he recalled that it was unlikely that the other man would have even been able to see the gesture in the darkness of the narrow corridor.

"We best be going then" Jareth finally added.

"Indeed."

Loki took a firm grip of Jareth's hand in his own and quickly tugged the King of the Goblins behind him as he made his way further into the labyrinth of corridors that run behind the walls of the palace, heading forever deeper into the earth until Jareth was certain they were travelling entirely beneath the city.