Author's Note: Thank you SO much to all of those who have reviewed this story at various stages along the way. As I approach writing the end of this fic I can't help but feel that there could be more to this story if I allow myself to continue writing, so I'm toying with the idea of either turning it into a much longer fic or writing a sequel. I'm leaning towards the sequel option but I haven't quite made my mind up yet.

Chapter Fourteen

Thor bound up the stairs and ducked his head to pass through the doorway at it's top. He found it hard to believe that twelve hours had already passed since Jareth had challenged him to defeat his Labyrinth but then the Goblin King didn't exactly always play by his own rules so who knew how much time had or had not truly passed.

Thor furrowed his brow in confusion as he emerged from the doorway to find another set of stairs heading upwards, but when he turned his head to take in his surroundings he could see that his orientation to his original position had changed. He now appeared to be upside-down but yet he didn't feel as though he was. He could already tell that this room of stairs was going to cause significant confusion and slow him down greatly.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Thor powered onwards, leaping up steps two at a time and plunging through doorways to emerge at another set of stairs, sometimes carrying him upwards and sometimes down. From the floor below it would have appeared quite a sight, the blond God running every which way through the maze of stairs, across the walls and along the roof, suspended in ways that defied both gravity and logic.

Thor's frustration at the esoteric stair room began to show and he paused momentarily in the doorway of yet another set of stairs, venting his frustrations by slamming a powerful fit into the wall. Cracks radiated out through the stone from the force of the impact and Thor stood still, chest heaving with each deep breath he took, his fist embedded in the wall.

Jareth's laughter rang throughout the room and grated on Thor's nerves. Gritting his teeth against the mocking onslaught from the Goblin King Thor slowly pulled his battered and bloody fist from the wall.

"Where is my brother Goblin King!?" Thor bellowed with as much force as he could muster.

He was greeted only by more laughter but then…

"Thor…?"

Thor's head snapped up, he knew that voice! Frantically he tried to work out which direction the voice had come from.

"Loki!?" Thor's voice boomed through the stair room, overwhelming even his own ears.

Silence followed for several moments before Thor shattered it again.

"I will find you brother! I will not lose you to this wretched realm!"

Thor began to sprint up the next set of stairs pausing only long enough to capture the words that floated down from above him somewhere.

"Up here!"

Thor raced down a flight of stairs and then up another, disappearing through a doorway and emerging somewhere unexpected, no longer knowing whether he was proceeding in the right direction. Just as he was about to duck through another doorway a shock of silver blond hair caught his eye and he stopped dead in his tracks to stare down at Jareth, who appeared in a doorway just below the level where Thor stood. A vulpine smirk spread across Jareth's face, which received a look of disdain from Thor in response.

"You're brother will soon be mine Odinson, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Thor growled between clenched teeth as he cast his eyes over the tangled mess of stairs in an attempt to map out a route to the doorway in which Jareth stood.

Jareth laughed mockingly at Thor before narrowing his eyes and allowing his features to fall into a look of stern determination.

"You will not succeed here God of Thunder. Give up this futile quest now and return to Asgard with your dignity still in tact."

Thor held Jareth's gaze and shot him back a look of steeled defiance.

"Thor!"

Loki's voice rang out through the hall again, this time much louder than before. In fact, if Thor wasn't mistaken he was sure that his brother's voice had come from somewhere behind where Jareth stood. That was the door he needed to reach.

Thor was desperate, searching frantically for the route he should take in order to reach the doorway in which Jareth stood and behind which he was certain Loki was being held captive. However, every time he tried to trace a path through the confusing maze of stairs he would lose his way and have to start all over again.

Finally, in an act of sheer desperation Thor held his breath and took a flying leap from the platform he was on across to the landing on which the Goblin King stood. Time seemed to stand still as Thor sailed across the gap between the two stone platforms. As he braced himself for the landing Thor watched with a small sense of satisfaction as Jareth gave him a ferrel look, teeth bared and cold eyes blazing, before he disappeared through the doorway.

Thor landed heavily on the platform and immediately tucked himself into a protective roll. His shoulder hit the stone hard, his body uncurled involuntarily in response to the pain and so he went skidding through the doorway on his back thankful for the thick protective armour he wore beneath his red cloak. He groaned loudly and his knee smashed into a column on the other side of the doorway and his arms quickly wrapped protectively around his injured kneecap as he desperately tried to refill his lungs with the air that had been knocked out of them by the force of the impact.

A long loud groan fell from his lips as Thor opened his eyes and tried to work out where he was. All he could tell immediately was that he was no longer in the room of stairs, which in itself was a small relief as the confusion of stairways had really begun to try his patience.

As his eyes slowly came back into focus Thor gradually took in the scene before him. He was lying on a stone floor; the pink hued light of dusk fell through several arched windows spaced around the large round room and bathed the room in a strange glow. Thor paused as he spotted Loki, looking far more dishevelled then Thor was sure Loki would ever allow himself to intentionally become. He was standing with his back against the stone wall, his hands raised above his head in what Thor could now see were a set of shackles attached to a heavy chain that ran up to a thick, sturdy metal ring high up on the wall. About to call out to his brother Thor pause as he notice Loki's attention was not focused on him but was instead trained intently on something across the room from him. His eyes were narrowed, his stare icy and unforgiving, while his lips were curled upwards in an angry snarl.

Thor allowed his focus to drift across the room, following Loki's fierce gaze until his eyes fell upon the horned stone throne and the slender blond King draped across it in an almost feline manner. Jareth's gaze was locked with Loki's but instead of anger the Goblin King's eyes danced with wicked amusement and his lips were curled into a cruel smile, white pointed fangs only just visible between pink lips.

Thor scrambled to his feet and braced himself against the stone wall as his injured knee threatened to give way beneath him. Jareth turned his head slowly until he was facing Thor, his expression never wavering. Mismatched blue eyes locked with Thor's and he noticed Jareth flick a crystal ball away with a swift twist of his hand.

"So good of you to join us Thor Odinson."

"Release my brother Goblin King."

Jareth slowly lifted a single eyebrow and cocked his head to one side.

"You presume you have made it here in time to set him free."

Thor stood frozen to the spot for a moment, unsure if Jareth was bluffing. He watched the other man's features for even the slightest indication that Thor was truly incorrect in his presumption.

"Release him."

Thor tightened his grip on Mjölnir and Jareth's eyes flicked momentarily to the hefty weapon before returning to Thor. Jareth's menacing stare hardened and his eyes narrowed. Thor held the Goblin King's gaze and did not allow his attention to be drawn to Loki despite a desire to see how his brother was reacting to the scene playing out before him, the decision of his own fate torn from his hands.

Finally, after endless stretched out moments, Jareth let out a long disappointed sigh and settled back into his throne.

"Very well. You have bested me Thor, son of Odin. I return your brother to your custody." Jareth flicked a wrist loosely in the direction of Loki, who remained chained to the wall.

Thor narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Jareth, hesitating despite Jareth's indication that he had won their game.

Jareth raised both eyebrows and gave Thor a questioning look.

"Did you want me to gift wrap him for you? He's all yours."

Thor shuffled forward slightly towards Loki but immediately returned his attention to the Goblin king, who remained draped seductively across his throne.

Jareth sat up, swinging one leg back over the front of his throne and leant forward.

"If you do not want him God of Thunder I will happily take him off your hands."

Jareth's lips pulled back into a seductive grin, pointed teeth slipping down over his bottom lip.

Loki shot Jareth a filthy look which went unnoticed by him, either that or the Goblin King chose not to react to it.

"This is a trap…isn't it?" Thor questioned as he wearily crossed the floor towards Loki.

Jareth let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, it is no trap. You reached my castle; you have found your brother. You have won my game and thus to you go the spoils."

Thor watched as Jareth's eyes flicked across to Loki as he cursed Jareth under his breath.

"If you are being true to your word then release him from his bindings"

There was not a moment's hesitation as Jareth waved a hand and Loki's arms fell to his sides, now free from the heavy shackles that had held them above his head. Loki rubbed at the red marks that now spoilt the pale flesh of his wrists and cast Jareth an icy look.

Thor finally rushed to his brother's side and took one of Loki's slender, toned arms in his large hand.

"Are you alright brother?"

Loki tore his arm from Thor's grip and surprised his brother with a less than welcoming glare.

"I do not need your help brother" Loki hissed the last word and turned his back on Thor. Thor placed a hand on Loki's shoulder in response.

"It looked to me as though you could use some help. I have won you your freedom Loki you can come home now…"

Loki spun around, cutting Thor off mid sentence; he stepped into the larger man and hissed furiously at him.

"I would have found my own way from this cursed realm, don't think I needed you for anything Thor."

Thor's eyes grew wide and a deep sadness struck him full in the chest for a moment before he realised that deep in Loki's eyes there was no anger, his brother did not mean the hurtful things he had said; it was merely Loki's way of saving face in front of both Thor and the Goblin King.

Thor held his brother's cheek in one rough hand and looked Loki directly in the eye.

"Let's go home brother."

Thor then pulled his younger brother into a hug, squeezing Loki tightly to him, almost fearful that he would be torn from him again. Loki did not resist the hug but he certainly did not return the emotion with the any level of enthusiasm. Thor squeezed his eyes shut as he held his brother, thankful that he was ok and that he had been able to defeat the Labyrinth in order to win him back. What Thor did not see while he was embracing his brother was the look exchanged between Jareth and Loki.

"As touching as this family reunion is, I suppose you want me to return you to Asgard?"

Thor simply nodded at Jareth, who pushed himself up out of his throne and took two slow steps towards the pair. The Goblin King let out a long almost mournful sigh.

"Very well. You both shall be returned to Asgard as I am bound to do by the laws of my crown. Though I suspect I will never find a challenge to match you both again I will continue my existence in the hope that I do."

Then, with a final wave of his long slender fingers Thor and Loki disappeared from his throne room; leaving Jareth alone within the confines of the tower's stone walls, a satisfied smirk gracing his lips and a mischievous sparkle in his eye.