"You're probably right. Let's stop soon," Corrin said to his shoulder.
"Very well. Do you know what to do?" Azura asked. She felt Corrin's shoulder move slightly as he rubbed the back of his head with his other hand.
"I guess? I've seen Xander do it enough times," Corrin said, remembering when he used to sneak away from the castle.
Hearing this reminded Azura that his childhood had been tough, and it was partly her fault. She looked away, a hand to her chest.
"I've never made a campfire either, but I'll try to help however I can."
Corrin nodded, and head off the path and into the trees.
Corrin pushed his way through the tree branches, extra careful not to let anything near his left shoulder. If he lost Azura here, he imagined it would be very difficult to find her again. After some time searching, he found a small clearing near a pond. He chose this as a campsite, mostly because this was the only clear area surrounded by trees. The others were at cliff-sides; he was worried about rolling off into the abyss in his sleep.
"This is a good spot, right Azura?" he asked for his tiny companion's approval.
"Yes, this will do nicely," Azura agreed.
Corrin sat down, grateful for some rest at last. He lifted his right hand to the other shoulder, offering Azura a way down. Standing up, she carefully stepped onto his hand and he lowered her down. It was still strange seeing her so small. Though he had seen many unbelievable things in the past few days, the downsized Azura was in a class all of her own. She stepped off his palm, now standing in the grass. Many of the blades matched her in height, so he had to be careful not to lose sight of the blue-haired woman.
"It's sure nice to get a bit of a rest, right?" Corrin said.
"I suppose so. You have been on your feet a long time," Azura replied. She surprised Corrin when she broke into a twirl, before skipping out of it in a flowing motion. "I've been resting for quite a while now, though."
"Right, you've been on my shoulder. You must be full of energy," Corrin noted.
Azura let out a small giggle. She turned to Corrin. Even sat down, his head was high in the sky above her tiny body. Anyone else and she would be frightened, but she somehow felt at ease around the giant Corrin.
Corrin's expression turned serious. "Hey, Azura, do you know anything about this land?"
"Not much, I'm afraid. It's a bit like the land I know, but there are many differences."
"Hmm. It's just... We've been going for quite a while now, but I don't really feel hungry," Corrin said.
"I see. Neither do I. It must be something about this place..." Azura looked up to the sky, a thoughtful frown on her face, "maybe it's best to get something to eat anyway."
"You're probably right. But I've not seen any animals since we've got here."
"Well, you can eat more than just meat," Azura turned to Corrin and smiled, "I've seen some fruit and berries in this forest."
"Yeah, I guess that will have to do." Timidly, he held out his hand for Azura. She stepped on board calmly while the edge of Corrin's mouth twitched. Her tiny feet were a bit ticklish on his palm. Raising her to his shoulder, he waited for her to settle down before standing. He looked around, trying to remember as much as he could about the clearing.
"I'll remember which way we go," Azura said, as if reading his mind, "so don't worry about getting lost, just get going."
"Thanks, Azura," Corrin said, leaving their temporary home.
A while later, Corrin returned with a stack of wood under one arm. He dropped his collection to the ground; a combination of pieces he'd found on the woodland floor and bits he was able to hack off with his sword. He felt a bit awkward about using the legendary blade for such a purpose, but he had nothing else to cut with. Every piece had been before Azura for approval, though he secretly thought she was just making it all up. Regardless, he had found more than enough for a decent fire. Sitting down, he placed Azura on the ground again. He arranged the wood into a pile of sorts. Now he just needed a couple of rocks. He stood up slowly, always keeping Azura's position in mind. He walked around the edges of the clearing, eventually finding rocks that looked useful. Returning to the campsite, he looked for Azura before settling down.
Corrin wasn't quite sure how to get the fire started, hitting the two rocks against each other. That didn't seem to be working, so he tried rubbing them together instead, but there was still no sign of the sparks he needed.
"Corrin," Azura called up to him, "allow me."
He looked down at the tiny woman, unsure she would be able to start a fire at such a size, but decided to give her a chance. He set one of the rocks down, close to the fire. Azura drew her lance and struck the rock with all of her strength. A small spark flew out, landing in the pile of wood, and it started to burn. Corrin quickly scooped Azura up and away from the flames. The fire burned slowly, not quite the blaze he was expecting, so he felt a bit embarrassed about his unnecessary rescue. His face red, he looked to the songstress in his clutches.
"Ah, sorry Azura," he said.
"It's all right. I suppose that was a little reckless of me," Azura replied, her tiny hands on his finger. He put her back down and admired the fire.
"We'll be warm now," Corrin said, feeling the heat.
"Yes. Just as well, for it might get cold here at night."
Corrin reached for the pouch on his waist, untying it and placing it down near Azura. A wide variety of berries and fruit were revealed. Corrin grabbed a peach, biting into it and enjoying its sweet flavor. Azura grabbed a berry with both hands, deep in thought. Corrin watched her hesitate before taking a big bite into the big fruit. A big smile spread over her juice-covered face. Chewing for some time before swallowing, she went to take another bite but stopped, feeling Corrin's eyes watching her. She looked up at him, a bit embarrassed by the childish display.
Corrin laughed, before offering Azura a napkin.
"Thank you," she said, wiping her face on a corner, "I suppose there are things to enjoy about being so small."
"You're certainly making the most of it! Guess there's much more for you to eat at that size," Corrin said.
"Yes, I suppose it's not all bad," She looked back to the grape in her hands. "I should make the most of it, really." Azura carefully took another bite, though much smaller this time.
Corrin looked back at the collection of fruit. "It's strange how much variety there is here. There's fruit from both Hoshido and Nohr growing here."
"We're somewhere in-between," Azura mumbled through a mouthful of berry.
"Yeah... The best of both worlds, I guess."
Azura swallowed. "Or the worst..."
Without hunger, they didn't know how much to eat, so Corrin guessed roughly how much he'd need to keep going. Azura seemed to have more than her share, to his mind, though he wasn't sure if her portion should be scaled down to match her current size or not. He wondered if she was trying to eat as much as possible, to see what it was all like while tiny. Lying on his back next to the fire, he stared up at the sky. Azura was moving around, appearing to practice some dance moves.
"Another strange thing about this place is the sky," Corrin said, "it's somewhat like Hoshido and Nohr, but different from both of them."
"Indeed. It's... Too different from Hoshido, for my liking," Azura agreed.
Corrin sat up, looking at the tiny dancer. "Nohr's not all bad, though."
Azura stopped. "Oh?"
"Yes. I know it's dark, gloomy and desolate, but there are many kind people there."
Azura nodded. "Would you... Tell me about them?"
"Sure," Corrin flopped onto his back, "there's my family, they all visited me often. And there's Felicia, Jakob, Flora, Gunter... I spent so much time with them. They were like family too, I suppose."
"I see," Azura looked down, feeling a pang of sorrow, "Corrin, I'm so sorry you had to leave them like that."
"It's not your fault," he was quick to reassure her, "it was my choice. I'm doing what is best for all of us, Hoshido and Nohr."
"Yes," Azura laid down beside him, "I know it's difficult now, but this is the only way for both to be at peace."
"I know," Corrin agreed with a yawn. He stared up at the stars, talking to Azura until he drifted off to sleep.
Azura looked over to the slumbering giant beside her. She was glad he was able to get to sleep at last. Lying on her side, she watched his chest rise and fall, a very soothing sight for the tiny girl. He was the only one who could share her burden, and the only one she could trust. Though he had been through much, his face looked at peace. She was glad he was the one to join her in this unfamiliar place. Would she sleep easier with him nearby? Her many secrets and bad experiences often tormented her at night, but perhaps this time..