Far off on the horizon, Corrin could just about see the end of the white land. He hurried ahead, keen to get the miniature Azura to a warmer place before she froze. He could barely feel his legs, but he did not care, anything would be better than their current predicament. As he got closer, he could see more and more of the strange land. The ground was a yellow-brown color, a shade he had never seen before. The snow seemed to abruptly end ahead, an unnaturally neat line between it and the different ground. Corrin wanted to check on Azura, but she was huddled against his neck now. He hoped his body heat would keep her warm enough before he escaped from this frozen place.

After a long run, Corrin staggered over the finishing line. He jumped in the air when his feet left the snow, the new ground scorching hot.
"Ouch! What is this place?" he asked, feeling extremely hot all of a sudden.
"We seem to be in a desert of some sort," Azura said calmly, having revived. She quickly cast off the handkerchief.
"So this is a desert..." Corrin said, hopping from foot to foot. Azura held on as tightly as she could to his collar, his motions jostling her around. Feeling her tiny body flopping into his shoulder, he forced himself to stop, withstanding the heat from the ground.
"Sorry, Azura. It's just so hot here!"
"Yes, it's much warmer. Put me down, then you can jump about as much as you like."
Corrin plucked Azura from his shoulder between two fingers, quickly setting her down on the ground. Azura was startled by the speed, falling down when released, but the sand made for a soft landing. Corrin quickly stepped back, keen to avoid crushing the small singer, before jumping around once again.
"Poor thing. Maybe you should go back on the snow for a while?" Azura suggested.
Corrin took her advice, jumping over the snow-sand boundary, but immediately jumped off the snow.

"Cold! Far too cold!" It felt colder than before, maybe due to the contrast with the sand.
"Oh, my. Maybe you'll feel better if you take a moment to get used to the heat?" Azura said.
"Yeah, you could be right," Corrin replied, forcing himself to stand still on the sand. It still felt like his feet were burning, but it didn't seem so bad after a while.

"Shall we get going?" Azura asked.
"Yeah, no use waiting around here." Corrin said. Crouching down, he offered a hand to Azura. She moved to step on, but suddenly recoiled back.
"Azura? What's wrong?" Corrin asked.
"I'm sorry. It's just... Your hands are sweaty," Azura said, trying to hide her repulsion as she saw the giant hand shining with sweat.
"Oh, err, sorry," Corrin apologized. He quickly wiped his hand on his sleeve, before putting it back down again. Azura didn't think that made much difference but climbed aboard anyway. After transporting her to his shoulder, Corrin grabbed the handkerchief that had fallen during his dance and stuffed it back in his pocket. He stood back up and set off, heading deeper into the desert.

Corrin had traded one bad situation for another. Sand stretched ahead as far as he could see. He had gotten used to the heat, though the sun's rays were harsh. He was worried he might boil alive in his armor. The sand felt odd beneath his feet, he had never been anywhere like this before.
"How are you doing, Azura?" he asked the tiny woman riding on his shoulder.
"Much better now, thank you. A little hot, but I'm in the shade here," she chirped.
"You certainly seem a lot better," Corrin agreed, "meanwhile, I'm burning up!"
"Maybe it's a bit easier for me," Azura wondered aloud.
"How do you mean?"
"Being so small, I probably lose heat quicker," Azura explained, "an advantage in conditions such as these."
"I think that's right. Another advantage of being small!" Corrin said.
"Yes, but I'm worried about you. I hope we find some shade soon."
"So do I. But don't worry, I'll keep going," Corrin reassured her.
"I'm sure you will. If anyone can get through this, you can!" Azura cheered.
Corrin smiled. Though he was stranded in this strange land, at least one small person had faith in him.
"It's so strange. How can it be so hot in one place, and cold right next to it?" Corrin wondered.
"Such a stark line between sand and snow, too. Just what is this place...?" Azura marveled.
"Let's just get out of here before it gets even weirder."

After walking for what seemed like forever, Corrin spied an object far on the horizon.
"What is that?" he asked Azura.
"I'm not sure. It must be big if we can see if from this distance. A tree perhaps?" she suggested.
"Sounds promising. Some... shade I hope..." Corrin's vision was getting blurry, "Azura... I... don't feel too good."
"Stay with me, Corrin!" Azura shouted, "please, just a bit further!"
"I'll try..." he gasped.

Corrin felt like collapsing. His throat was dry, his skin devoid of moisture and dusted with sand. But he knew if he fell here this would be the end of him. Azura probably would be doomed too, lost in the middle of a desert and shrunken down to size. Slouching forward, he pressed on, even though he could hardly see. Azura at least seemed to be alert, she would guide him if he went the wrong way.
"It's an oasis!" she called out from his shoulder, "we're nearly there, just keep going Corrin!"
He sped up slightly with her encouragement. Stumbling forward in a zombie-like state, he could at least see the vague shape of the tree. Azura kept talking to him, but he could barely hear her. He knew he had to keep going, so he continued to walk, now blind. His foot caught on something. He wobbled, trying to stay standing, but overcompensated and fell on his back. The soft sand welcomed him into slumber.

Azura yelped as Corrin spun round, starting to topple over. She jumped from his shoulder as he neared the ground, landing a few inches from his giant body. She immediately turned and ran towards him.
"Corrin!" she shouted. No use. She sprinted over to his ear and called his name again, to no response.
"You were so close..." she lamented, looking to their salvation. The top of his head had landed a mere couple of meters away from the pool. Azura hurried over to the water.

Maybe a drink could revive him. But how will I carry the water? She looked at her tiny hands. They were far too small to provide enough water for someone his size.

I need a container of some sort. She looked around the edge of the water. Part of a coconut lay beside the pool. It was far too big for someone her size to lift, but perhaps she could break a piece off. Azura headed back to Corrin, her destination below his waist. She reached into his trouser pocket, pulling out her lance. As fast as she could manage, the tiny woman hurried back to the coconut. Thrusting her weapon towards the shell, it broke into pieces. Dropping her lance, she picked up a decent sized, dish-shaped piece of the coconut. She filled it by submerging the dish, then lifting it back out. Loaded with water, it was quite heavy for the shrunken songstress, but she mustered all of her strength, sweating with exertion. Reaching Corrin's body, she pushed the container up onto his forehead. She climbed up after it, picking it up and walking over to his mouth. At her limited height, she had to go on tiptoes to create enough of an angle for the water to flow towards his mouth. Much of the water splashed about, but at least some of it seemed to be going in. Corrin coughed a bit but did not rouse.

Does he need more? She made her way back towards the water, stumbling as she ran, her tiny legs getting stuck.