Steve Rogers occasionally wondered why he hadn't been driven mad by all of the highly improbable and incredibly fantastical events which had happened to him in his so far relatively short life – that is if you count the long period of being frozen as his existence being on pause.

He usually came to the conclusion that frequent and prolonged exposure to the insane and the wicked had hardened his mentality. After all, he had been born in July 1918, a few months shy of the armistice of the war that was supposed to have ended all wars, but hadn't of course. Over 16 million people had died during that conflict; life didn't get much madder than that. Or at least it wasn't supposed to.

He had struggled through the Depression into the Second World War and that was when life took a sharp turn into the really weird. With the war came Howard Stark's promise of flying cars (and no one could deny that his demonstration at the Expo had actually worked for a few seconds), Super Solider serum which really did work (at least for Steve), Hydra, Red Skull, and alien technology. There was death, but not actual death, and an unplanned leap seventy years into the future where the world was brighter in some ways, but much, much crazier in others.

It was possible, Steve mused, as he saw Loki (yeah, Loki the Norse god, standing handcuffed next to Thor. Apparently they were real too, along with the robotic aliens) turn into himself just to mock him, that he had always been just as nuts as the rest of the universe but hadn't noticed.

However, what he could take comfort from and latch onto was that although the world had changed on a superficial level, it was still very much the same as the one he had left behind. Underneath all the smart technology and comfy clothes, humans were still humans; bullies were still bullies, and Steve still didn't like them. It didn't make much difference to him if Loki was god or human, from Asgard or Norway. He was just another power hungry villain demanding that people kneel before him. Steve could work with that. Just point him in the direction of the enemy and watch him fly.

It was this laser like focus which allowed Steve to keep a cool head and proiritse which objective was most important, what had to be done, even when truly bizarre things were happening all around him. So even when he had received an urgent message in his ear to return to the lobby of Stark Tower because things were getting out of hand, even when he saw Tony lying on the floor, possibly suffering some kind of heart failure, it was Loki he dove towards because the trickster had somehow managed to get his mitts on the Tesseract without anyone noticing.

Steve had known what Loki would do even without having to think about it. It was instinct which had made him leap through the air grunting, 'Oh, no you don't!' because it was just obvious that Loki would use the Cube to escape and he couldn't let that happen.

Of course, there is that well worn phrase, 'look before you leap', or rather 'think before acting rashly', and if Steve had paused to ponder the situation then, yes, Loki would have gotten away, but at least Steve wouldn't have been dragged through a portal with him.

As he flew into Loki's chest, Steve's hands closed on top of Loki's as they clutched at the Tesseract. The power of the Space Stone was activated and both trickster god and super soldier were sucked into a cloudy blue portal, disappearing in a blink of an eye.

Now, anyone who knew Steve Rogers would not have been at all surprised at the news that he had apparently jumped willingly into a sinister looking portal, with no plan and wearing no protective equipment, but it was still early days for the Avengers and Bucky was not yet around to inform people that this level of recklessness was normal behaviour for the Captain. Without this reassurance Thor and Tony (still a little groggy, admittedly) were frantically trying to work out what to do because from their limited perspective Loki had kidnapped Steve and now had him at his mercy.

They needn't have worried.

As soon as Steve's hands had touched the Tesseract, the limited consciousness of the Space Stone had presided over an invisible battle of wills. Steve wanted to stay put and Loki wanted to leave. They were both stubborn. However, this battle had come to its conclusion faster than the speed of thought as the Stone essentially decided, 'Screw it. I'll send you wherever I like!'

They were flicked across the cosmos as easily as a ruler flicks an eraser across a classroom and with no idea of where or when they would land.

Nothing could have prepared Steve for such a journey. It only lasted a few seconds but he was consumed by a nauseating assortment of contradictory sensations: of being squashed and squeezed and pulled in different directions; of being coated in freezing flames and bitten by ice; of flying and being crushed all at the same time.

Just when he thought that he might scream he realised that he could hear birds tweeting, a sound that was far too pleasant to be of the hellish portal. The unexpected noise provided enough of a jolt to his quieten his panicking mind and allowed him to focus on what else he could sense without opening his eyes. He could feel gentle sunshine warming his neck and back, and that there was a pleasant smelling breeze ruffling his hair.

He opened his eyes.

Loki's bruised face swam into view. He was still muzzled and his eyes had a vague look to them as he gazed drowsily back at Steve. But then he blinked and his cold blue eyes sharpened into a look of pure irritation as he rolled sideways, knocking Steve off his stomach.

The Captain landed on a bed of dark, lush grass. He went up on his knees, breathing heavily as he looked wildly around at the wooded grove they had landed in, doing his best to assess the situation.

'Where are we?' he demanded. It was the first question which came to mind, although he doubted that even Loki would know. The second question was, 'Where's the Tesseract?'

Loki had shrugged airily at the first question, affecting an attitude of being completely unconcerned by their surroundings, as if they had been teleported to the right place all along. But the moment Steve mentioned the Tesseract his face darkened as he was suddenly reminded of why they were there in the first place. He leapt nimbly enough onto his feet, but then suddenly lost his balance, collapsing sideways with a grunt. Steve ignored him, putting it down to a moment of clumsiness caused by his restraints. It was more important to worry about the Tesseract.

A loud coughing caught their attention.

Steve spun around and his mouth instantly fell open as he saw the Tesseract being causally tossed up and down in the hand of a dark haired centaur leaning against an oak tree. The half man, half horse being smiled toothily at Steve, dark eyes glittering wickedly, as if he were taunting the Captain with the impossibility of his own existence.

In response Steve shrugged his shoulders up and down, instinctively trying to loosen up and readying himself to fight. All that mattered was the Tesseract. Although, perhaps the shock of it all was finally proving to be too much even for him as rather thoughtlessly he looked to Loki and blurted out, 'We're in Narnia!' He immediately regretted it.

The expression on Loki's face was one of pure derision; it screamed, 'You're an idiot.'

In Steve's defence, he could just about cope with learning that Thor and Loki existed, but finding out that centaurs were real too...it was a lot to take in all in one week.

He knew that he had lost face, but refused to look apologetic or shamefaced. 'Well, when you know where we are, let me know. Oh, wait, you can't. Because of the muzzle.'

Loki tilted his head to one side, slowly shaking his head. It was a look of, 'You're asking for it!'

The centaur whinnied for attention.

'When you're quite done gazing into each other's eyes...'

Loki climbed cautiously to his feet, watching intensely as the centaur once again threw the Space Cube up into the air. Steve took half a step forward. The creature cackled loudly, delighted by the reactions he had caused.

Swishing his tail he brayed, 'If you want it then come and get it!'

He turned about and with a cheeky kick of his back hooves vanished into the woods.

Cap and Steve glanced at one another, the same thought occurring to them both. Whoever got the Cube first had the power to leave the other behind.

They simultaneously leapt into a sprint.