From The Immortal Gazette Studio ⚜️
Forgotten Tales, Twisted Truths & Legends told by Alice, Rumple, and their ever-growing cast of troublemakers.
Loki and the Theft of Idunn’s Apples: The Trickster Who Gambled With Immortality
The Immortal Gazette studio had a strict rule.
Nobody was allowed to bring cursed objects, suspicious artifacts, or anything described as "probably harmless" without first informing Alice.
Naturally, this rule existed because nobody followed it.
Alice stood at the main table, staring at a small golden apple resting inside an open wooden box.
Her expression said everything.
"Tell me," she said slowly, "why is there an enchanted apple sitting in my studio?"
Rumplestiltskin, who was leaning against a bookshelf with the unmistakable expression of someone who already knew he was guilty of something, looked offended.
"First of all, I didn't steal it."
Thorn, lounging across a nearby chair with a book covering half his face, lowered it slightly.
"That answer usually means you absolutely stole it."
"I borrowed it."
Alice looked at him.
"From where?"
Rumple paused.
"That is a complicated question."
Thorn closed the book. "Ah. So the answer is yes."
Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Today, we discuss Idunn's apples."
Alice glanced at the golden fruit again.
"The ones that keep the gods young?"
"Exactly."
"And you thought bringing one here was a good idea?"
"I thought bringing one here would make the story more interesting."
"That is not the same thing."
Rumple ignored her and continued. "In the halls of Asgard, the gods possessed something more valuable than gold, weapons, or kingdoms. They possessed youth itself."
Thorn nodded. "A rather useful advantage when you're planning to live for centuries."
"The source of that gift belonged to Idunn," Rumple explained. "Keeper of the magical apples that preserved the gods' vitality."
Alice leaned back against the table.
"Which means everyone in Asgard depended on her."
"Precisely."
Rumple picked up the golden apple carefully, turning it between his fingers.
"Now, when you have something everyone depends on, you create something very dangerous."
"A target," Alice said.
"Exactly."
Thorn smirked. "And because this is a story involving Loki, I assume everything immediately becomes worse."
"Naturally."
Rumplestiltskin moved toward the large map hanging on the studio wall.
"Loki had always been a complicated figure. A companion to the gods, a troublemaker, a clever survivor, and occasionally the reason everyone needed to hold an emergency meeting."
Alice nodded. "That description could apply to several people in this room."
Thorn looked innocent.
"No idea who you mean."
"Of course you don't."
Rumple continued. "The trouble began when Loki found himself in a dangerous situation. While traveling with Odin and another god, he became involved in a dispute with a powerful giant named Thjazi."
"The giant who wanted Idunn's apples," Alice said.
Rumple smiled. "Exactly."
Thjazi knew the secret of Asgard's strength. He knew that without Idunn's apples, the gods would eventually weaken and age.
"So he needed someone inside Asgard," Thorn said.
"And Loki was the perfect choice."
Alice frowned.
"Because everyone trusted him?"
Rumple tilted his head.
"Trusted may be a generous word."
Thorn laughed. "More like everyone knew he was dangerous but kept inviting him anyway."
"A surprisingly accurate description of Loki's relationship with Asgard," Rumple admitted.
The giant forced Loki into a bargain. To save himself, Loki promised to lure Idunn away from Asgard and bring her magical apples with her.
Alice sighed.
"Let me guess. Loki agreed."
"Immediately."
"Of course he did."
Rumple continued. "Loki returned to Asgard and convinced Idunn that he had discovered a grove with apples even more powerful than hers."
Thorn shook his head.
"That is such a Loki plan."
"A lie wrapped in curiosity," Alice said. "The oldest trick in the book."
"And one of his favorites."
Idunn followed Loki beyond the safety of Asgard's walls.
That was when Thjazi struck.
The giant transformed into an eagle, seized Idunn, and carried her away to his realm.
Along with the apples.
Rumple placed the golden apple back into the box.
"And suddenly, Asgard had a problem."
"The gods started aging," Alice said.
"Yes."
The immortals who had once seemed untouchable began to weaken. Their strength faded. Their appearance changed. The magic that protected them was disappearing.
Thorn folded his arms.
"So everyone immediately realized Loki had something to do with it."
"Naturally."
Alice smiled slightly.
"That must have been a fun meeting."
Rumple grinned.
"Oh, it was."
The gods confronted Loki. They knew he had been involved. They knew he had caused the disaster.
And they gave him one choice.
Fix it.
Or suffer the consequences.
Alice shook her head.
"Classic Loki situation. Create the disaster, then become the person everyone needs to clean it up."
"Exactly."
Loki borrowed Freyja's falcon cloak and flew to Thjazi's fortress. There, he found Idunn and transformed her into a nut so he could carry her safely back to Asgard.
"The giant followed," Thorn said.
"Of course he did."
The chase ended when Loki returned with Idunn and the gods set the giant's feathers on fire as he crossed into Asgard.
Alice raised an eyebrow.
"That escalated quickly."
"Ancient mythology rarely believes in simple solutions."
Thorn looked amused.
"So Loki saves everyone after nearly destroying everything."
"Yes."
"Again."
"Yes."
Alice picked up the manuscript.
"You know what fascinates me?"
Rumple looked over.
"Loki isn't remembered because he was simply evil. He was clever. He was useful. He was dangerous. He could create chaos and then solve the chaos he created."
Rumple nodded.
"The trickster is often the one who breaks the world apart and the one who finds the strange path toward putting it back together."
Thorn smiled.
"Which is probably why nobody ever truly trusted him..."
Alice finished the thought.
"...but nobody could afford to lose him either."
The golden apple on the table shimmered faintly before Rumple quickly covered it with the cloth.
Alice noticed.
"You're not keeping that, are you?"
Rumple looked offended.
"I would never."
Thorn stared at him.
A long silence followed.
"Fine," Rumple admitted. "I was considering it."
Alice shook her head, returning to her manuscripts.
"Some things never change."
And somewhere in the endless halls of legend, another trickster was already making a questionable decision that would eventually require everyone else to fix it.
Because when Loki entered the story, there were always three possibilities.
A disaster.
A miracle.
Or, most likely...
Both.
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