A pillar was revealed by the flames. It spanned most of the height of the room. Corrin gulped when he was three large blades, spaced out along the length of the pillar.
"I don't like the look of those..." He commented.
A torch atop the pillar suddenly burst into flame. The blades began moving by themselves, turning the room into a deathtrap. Corrin jumped back to the stairs. The blades picked up speed, becoming too fast to be seen clearly. If Corrin went in there, he would doubtlessly be sliced to pieces.
"I'm not going in there!" he whimpered.
"Corrin, leave this to me." Azura said, pulling at his leg.
"You... Have an idea?" Corrin asked the tiny woman.
"Yes. Look at the lowest of the blades." Azura pointed. "It's probably around waist height to you. I'll be able to walk underneath!"
"No way!" Corrin argued. "It's way too dangerous! And besides, even if you do get past, you'll be on your own!"
"There may be a way to disarm the trap." Azura suggested. "I'll go and have a look."
"Azura!" Corrin went to reach out for her, but quickly withdrew his hand as he felt wind from the blades go past. He could only watch his downsized friend as she wandered about underneath the trap. Azura winced at the strong current of air blowing down at her tiny form. She was lucky the wind was blowing this way, however, as otherwise she would be dragged up to her death. The ground was worn, age having taken its toll on the structure, but there were no clues as to how to disarm the contraption. The pillar, then? She looked up to see a protruding stone fragment just below the lowest blade. Raising her lance carefully, she jabbed at the rock. It slid inwards in response, the blades seeming to slow down. Azura hurried back to Corrin, worried that they might fall down on top of her, but the blades merely slowed to a stop.
"You did it, Azura!" Corrin cheered. His arms moved, but he remembered to restrain himself. Azura smiled, bowing slightly as if she had just finished a performance.
"Quite simple, really." She headed off, now leading the two of them deeper into the ruins.
"This place gives me the creeps." Corrin complained, rubbing his shoulders anxiously. He hadn't yet seen much of the outside world, but this was certainly his least favorite location so far.
"Keep it together." his knee-high companion told him. "We have to keep moving."
Corrin looked down at her. She seemed so calm, despite the impossible circumstances she was in. But he was starting to realize there was another layer to her, more than what she showed on the surface.
"So, what's it like?" He asked.
Azura gazed up at him with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"
"Being small, I mean." Corrin clarified. "It is scary?"
"Oh." Azura looked away, peering down their path. "Yes, I suppose it is a bit. Though I don't feel like I'm small."
"Really?" Corrin quizzed.
"Yes. It's more like everything else is big." Azura explained. "It's very strange. Although, there are moments where I feel small."
"Moments?"
Azura looked back up at him. "Yes. Like when I look at you. It's worrying sometimes, everything just seems more dangerous."
"I... see." Corrin said, not really understanding.
"It's strange really." She looked ahead again. "I suppose I'm not used to it. Just when I came to terms with being half my normal height, I shrank down again. It's quite disorienting when that happens."
"That's the thing, Azura." Corrin's tone turned serious for a moment. "I think you should let me take the next dragon vein."
Azura turned to Corrin again, a slightly cross look on her face. "No Corrin, that makes no sense! We'd have no chance in a fight if we're both small!"
Corrin was taken aback by her assertiveness, but argued his case anyway. "But you'll just keep getting smaller and smaller! You can't shoulder this burden on your own, it's not fair!"
"Think logically, Corrin. None of this will matter if we perish here. Until we reach the others again, you must leave all of the dragon veins to me."
"But..."
"Besides." Azura said, her expression softening. "I know you're strong enough to fight for both of us. And I can still help you with my song, so please don't worry."
Corrin sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "All right, you win. Just make sure you don't go too far from my side."
"Absolutely." Azura nodded.
"There's some light ahead." Corrin noted. "Are we nearly there?"
"We'll know in a moment." Azura said.
The lost royals ventured outside to find themselves on a large platform, roughly 20 feet wide. Looking back, Corrin could see it was embedded in the side of a cliff. Azura saw the distinctive mark of a dragon vein in the middle and hurried towards it. Corrin moved close to her, ready to cover the small singer. Corrin's eyes darted about as Azura invoked the land's power. They appeared to be alone, but their mysterious foes could appear at a moment's notice. He heard a small gasp from behind him. Whipping round, he saw Azura's small body trembling.
"Are you all right?" He asked.
"Yes, just... give me a minute." She replied, straining to speak. "It's a bit... more difficult every time."
Corrin was about to protest, but stopped himself. Arguing now was hardly going to be helpful. He instead focused on their surroundings. Another huge island moved through the sky, almost close enough to collide with theirs. Another staircase formed, leading down into the new land. The power used up, Azura fell to the floor.
"Azura!" Corrin yelled, sliding to the floor. He propped the tiny girl's body upright on his thighs. She was breathing heavily, clearly drained from invoking the dragon vein.
"I'm all right..." she wheezed. She started to glow again. Corrin felt his heart sink. Bubbles rose off her once more. Corrin's gaze followed them into the sky. Where were they going? He looked back down to see Azura's body shrink in his hands. She met his gaze and smiled softly, trying to reassure him. She dwindled slower this time, but Corrin thought that might be because there was less of her to lose. The glow soon faded, leaving her under 8 inches tall.
"I'm just... A bit tired..." Azura panted. "These things are hard work."
"You've had to do a lot of walking too, I guess." Corrin said. "It must be hard having such short legs."
"Yes." Azura agreed. "I'm sorry, I've been slowing us down..."
"Well, no more of that." Corrin said. Scooping a hand under her tiny body, he stood up and raised her into the air. Azura yelped, kicking her legs a bit, but quickly relaxed. He smiled down at the tiny woman in his hand. She was the same size as one of Elise's dolls. He thought she was very cute at this size, her slightly worried face gazing into his eyes. Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, he placed her on his left shoulder.
"Hold onto something." He instructed to his tiny passenger. Azura carefully sat down, her legs going over his clavicle, and pulled his giant collar closer, gripping it with both hands. Pulling his collar out of place left it slightly uncomfortable on Corrin's neck, but he decided not to mention it. Nodding, he headed down the new bridge.
Corrin couldn't resist looking over the edge of the bridge, seeing nothing but sky below. He wished he hadn't, striking a conversation with Azura to take his mind off the height.
"How's the ride?" He asked.
"It's good, now that I'm settled in." She responded, shifting herself slightly closer to his neck. Her movement was a bit ticklish to the much larger man.
"You're pretty close to my ear. I guess I'll have no problems hearing your song now!" He joked.
"Indeed." Azura took his remark seriously. "I suppose that could give us an advantage."
"What do you mean?" Corrin looked at her but didn't turn his head, for fear of knocking her off his shoulder.
"My song could energize you without needing to seek me out. We might even be more effective in battle."
"Ha!" Corrin laughed. "You're right. I guess there is an advantage to having you this small. A portable Azura!"
"Yes... I suppose." Azura mumbled slightly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Corrin backtracked. "I guess it's tough being so small."
"No, it's ok." She squeaked. "So long as it's your shoulder I'm on, I know I'll be safe..."
Corrin felt heat flushing through his face. He reached the bottom of the bridge, allowing him to change the subject.
"This forest is nice, right?" he said, breathing in the air.
"Yes, it makes a change from those dark hallways." She agreed. "Although..."
"What is it?" Corrin asked.
"It looks light, but it might get dark soon. Maybe we should find somewhere to rest." Azura suggested.
"You mean make a campfire?"
"Yes. But we can press on if you want, it's up to you." Azura said.
Corrin thought about this for a moment. What would be the best option?
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