The golden apple

For once, Loki seemed lost for words, though he didn't release Asta.

"Greetings, Lady Alexandra," the woman said, still holding the apple out. "I am Idun."

The name meant something to Asta, though she couldn't quite remember why. Idun was obviously from Asgard, judging by her clothing, and Loki knew her. Loki did not like her—whether that made her friend or foe remained to be seen.

The apple, though. The apple meant something else entirely.

"He gave me a red apple…before," she said.

"When you lost, yes," Idun confirmed. "The magic inside it took your memories. You've passed your test, Alexandra. This will return to you what was taken."

"But she failed her test," said Loki in confusion.

"She failed the original, but passed another, one I am satisfied means she has earned this right."

"I don't think the Allfather will be happy with you making these kind of decisions," Loki said, his voice suddenly dripping with delight that someone else would be in trouble for a change.

Idun scowled. "I set the tests and I keep the apples. I've already taken issue with the Allfather on this before, and I will again if he disagrees."

"Does he even know you're here?"

"I am sure Heimdall has informed him, but it will be some time before he could follow, and he knows he has no right to interfere in this."

Thor and Romanoff came pounding it sight, and Thor dropped to his knees before Idun. "Is that..?" he said, when he raised his head from a bow.

Idun nodded. "She is worthy."

Loki's hand had slid from Asta's mouth down to curl in her hair, so she could speak. "I don't understand. Why do people keep talking about a test? What test?"

Thor rose to his full height, but when he tried to approach, Loki tightened his grip, pulling them backwards another inch. Thor paused, throwing Loki an exasperated stare. "I know you remember very little, my lady, but you have something of a history with my—"

"She overheard us," Loki interrupted. "She only pretended to slumber while we spoke earlier."

"What?" Asta and Thor said in unison.

"A pretence is just another kind of lie, and I always know when someone is lying, my sweet," Loki replied. "And why else did you think my tongue was so loose with you, brother?"

"Then she knows she was already tested."

"But why?" Asta asked.

It was Idun who answered. "To be permitted life on Asgard with your suitor, you first had to prove your worth. You, especially so, since it was a prince of the realm who sought your hand. The first time, I told Odin you must face fear in the labyrinth. However, the test was meant to be adjusted to give you some hope of passing, and I only discovered later that Odin left it unfit for a mortal. Inevitably, you failed."

"Father did that?" Thor asked, staring at Loki with open sorrow.

"What, no denial that he would do such a thing?" Loki mocked. "You know he's capable of it."

"I do. But I also know everything he does has a purpose to it."

"I'm aware of that, just as I'm aware that purpose benefited me in no way."

That reminded Asta of his words from when she pretended to sleep. His disapproval stemmed from what I was. Had Odin seen the darkness that lay within Loki even then, and taken steps to protect her from him?

"Your memories were only hidden from you," Idun continued. "I created the magic in the apples and after the Allfather went against the rules I'd set, I changed the normal spell. Everything you knew about Loki and Asgard should have been destroyed, rendered irretrievable, as they would be for anyone else who had failed the test. Instead, this apple will reverse that spell, returning them to you."

"And I don't have to do anything else?"

"No, my lady. Just eat."

Loki finally loosened his grip, though he didn't let go completely, his fingers twined in Asta's hair. "You'll be rewarded for this, one day," he said to Idun. "My gratitude will be boundless."

"I didn't do this for you, my prince. I did this for Lady Alexandra." She spoke to Asta. "Please, will you take the apple?"

"Take it," Loki murmured, bending so his breath ghosted along her jaw and neck as he spoke. She shivered at the feeling, stepping as far away as he would allow.

"But you said I was tested again and passed—how? When?"

"When you held the Tesseract," Idun explained. "It offered you everything you wanted and you resisted. Few would have the strength to do that."

"So the apple undoes the spell and proves me worthy?"

"Worthy to be my wife," said Loki. Idun cast him a look that would have made a lesser man crumble, but Asta was sure nothing could ever dent Loki's ego.

"This means no such thing, Odinson."

"I am no Odinson, as well you know—" Asta stilled at the words, which made no sense, but Idun hit back at Loki.

"It is you who needs to prove your worth to your intended, not the other way round. Her accepting this is no agreement to bind herself to you."

"Listen, wench—"

"Loki!" Thor warned, stepping between them.

Coulson had been silent throughout the whole discussion, and Asta looked at him for the first time since Loki had snatched her on the helicarrier. He met her eyes and gave a small nod of greeting. She couldn't imagine he was understanding much of what was happening, but he was as unruffled as ever, his gun at his side but still gripped in his hand, ready to use if he needed to. To defend her. For months, he'd been the only person who gave a damn about her. Right now, his gaze said do what you need to.

"I want the apple," Asta said, stepping away from Loki. He let her go, and she paused when she was almost level with Idun to look back at him. "But this is for me. I don't want to be your wife."

Hurt flickered across Loki's face, barely noticeable, before smug confidence replaced it. "By all means, do this for yourself. When you are fully able to remember what we were, you'll come to me."

The apple was cool to her touch, its flesh promising knowledge, and the symbolism of that wasn't lost on her. Odin—God-in-chief—had once given her Snow White's poisoned apple and she'd lost everything because of it. No wonder she didn't like apples.

She was too aware of everyone staring at her. "I don't want an audience."

"The bedroom's still vacant," said Romanoff, and Asta nodded, slipping past the group.

"I'll wait awhile, my lady," Idun said as she passed. "This isn't something that's ever happened before, and I will remain here in case you need my assistance."

"Thank you," Asta replied. "For everything."

The cocking of several guns behind her and Thor's "Stay where you are, brother," informed her Loki wouldn't be following her, and when she reached the room she shut the door and leaned against it, giving Loki chance to turn up if he was going to glamour the group she'd left behind. When it was clear he'd had the good sense to give her space, she crossed to the chair beside the bed and slumped into it, staring at her reflection in the polished skin of the apple. It wasn't golden really, just a very light yellow, and if it weren't for the perfect symmetry of its shape she'd have never known there was something out of the ordinary about it. It seemed a shame to ruin it by eating it, but it sounded like Idun had more. She was also fully aware that her ruminating was a diversion, a delay in the inevitable. If she was going to do it—and she'd decided she would—then she needed to get on with it.

She took a bite.

At last, the big reveal (or a proper explanation of what's been dropped in over the last few chapters). The concept of people being tested by Odun and having their memories wiped comes from the Marvel comics, though since I don't read them it was something I kept seeing mentioned in other fics. In fact, the idea for this story came from wondering what would happen if you did lose and got sent back to Earth with a big hole in your life...hence, Asta's story was born. The use of Idun's apples is something I think fits, considering her place in mythology (she kept the apples that kept the Norse gods young).

There are, of course, still missing pieces to discover, and we're probably not even at the halfway mark of the story yet.

Also, thank you to a) my pre-readers for encouraging what was supposed to a 5 chapter, 10000 word thing to balloon into whatever size this reaches in the end and b) the not-quite-handful of regular readers and reviewers. Your feedback is much appreciated!