Trapped inside the bag once more, Azura could see nothing of the outside world. But she could hear a lot of shouting, and the clanging of weapons in the distance. She curled up, bracing herself for another turbulent journey.

At the center of the commotion was a single man. Surrounded on all sides by tents and armed bandits, things didn't look good for the prince. However not one of his enemies moved, seized by fear. They could see half a dozen of their comrades, their defeated bodies strewn about the ground.
"Just answer my question!" Corrin demanded.
"We're not telling you anything!" one of them jeered, lunging forward. Corrin dodged the swing of his axe, before striking him on the head with the blunt end of his sword. The man fell down, joining his friends in slumber.
"Anyone feeling more reasonable?" Corrin asked. Their shrouded faces could not hide their fear. Even with an overwhelming advantage in numbers, they had a very real sense that this single man would take them all down.

"What is the meaning of this?" Corrin glanced up to see two more robed figures joining the circle, the others parting to allow them through.
"Are you in charge?" Corrin asked the new arrivals.
"None of us are. We merely work together," answered one in a woman's voice, "why have you come here? What right do you have to slaughter us?"
"I haven't slaughtered anyone," Corrin replied, "I used non-lethal force on all of these people. I was attacked, unprovoked."
"And why are you here?" the other growled.
"I am looking for someone. A woman with blue hair and yellow eyes," Corrin stated.
The bandits eyes widened upon hearing his request. Though neither spoke, they had given away too much.
"I take it you know who I'm talking about. Where is she?"

Azura perked up when she heard the voice of someone she knew, though muffled through the bag. She stood up and shouted as loud as she could.
"Corrin! I'm here!"
The bag opened, light spilling through the hole briefly before it was blocked by a giant hand. Azura had no room to avoid being grabbed and was lifted outside. The fingers unfurled, leaving her sitting in the woman's giant palm.
"Is this the woman you speak of?" she asked.
It took Azura a moment to register her surroundings. Huge tents stood either side of the woman. But she cared little for them, instead turning round searching for her companion.
"Azura!" Corrin called out when he saw the distinctive hair of the tiny princess.
"Corrin! It's me..." Azura started to say something but stopped. It was obviously the Corrin she knew standing before her, but there was something very different about him. His armor was very worn, his hair long and disheveled and his face was dirty. And was he a bit taller than she remembered? She could hardly believe the pile of bandits at his feet was his doing.
"Finally, after all this time..." Corrin breathed.
The woman turned to the man standing next to her. "You were followed?"
"No, I was not." The man snapped at her.
"Obviously you were. What did I tell you about the time dilation?" she growled back.

"Ugh, I… I didn't see anyone else…" the man grumbled.
"What are you talking about?" Azura asked, staring up at the quarreling giants.
"You," The woman said, nodding at Corrin, "how long have you been looking for this tiny woman?"
Confused by her question, he answered regardless. "About a month, maybe a bit more."
"But that's not possible..." Azura said, bewildered by his answer, "I've only been here for a few hours, at most."
"He's been chasing us through the Deeprealms," The woman explained, "time can move much faster out there than it does here."
"You mean... It hasn't been so long for you?" Corrin asked.
"Well, yes, but... How can that be?" Azura asked.
"None of us know how it works," The woman said, "but it makes taking from other worlds much harder. If someone sees you leave, they can have months, even years to follow you, getting ready to take you down while we only have minutes."
"So all those people on the ground... That was you?" Azura asked Corrin.
"I've been attacked by those creatures so many times while we've been apart," Corrin explained, "I guess I got plenty of practice."
"I was careless..." the man mumbled.
"Fine. You can have her back," The woman said.
Azura felt hope welling up inside her. Corrin smiled, overjoyed that he would finally be reunited with his friend again.
"On one condition. There's something I need her to do first." She motioned for Corrin to follow her, turning away. He gripped his sword. Not trusting his present company, he wasn't going to let go of his weapon any time soon.

Corrin was led up a set of steps. As he climbed, he could feel a dragon vein nearby.

Is this what they need from Azura? At the top was a small stone altar, surrounded by crumbling stone archways. Azura in hand, the woman walked to the other side of the altar.
"We've been trapped here for some time," she explained, "we need food to survive in this world, but the only other connections to this place lead to inhospitable realms with no life."

She gestured to the strange mark on the altar. "We found out through reading the books of this world that this is a dragon vein, usable only by those with royal blood. Like your friend here," She held out the tiny Azura for emphasis.
"Let me guess, you want her to use the dragon vein?" Corrin asked.
"Some of the smarter ones among us think this place houses portals to other Outrealms. They also think that this dragon vein will open said portals," She replied.
"That makes sense," Corrin said.
"We'll give you your friend back, but she has to use the dragon vein for us," the woman proposed.
"But..." Corrin began, but Azura interjected.
"It's all right, Corrin," she looked to the woman, "if I do this, will you leave us alone?"
"You'll never see us again," The woman confirmed.
"Very well. Please place me upon the symbol," Azura agreed.
"No sudden moves," The man warned, "do it, or neither of you get out alive."

Atop the altar, Azura began to channel the power of the dragon vein. The unfamiliar giants surrounding her made this one much scarier than the previous times, but she looked to Corrin. He looked conflicted, like part of him wanted to intervene, but he did not move. She nodded to him before closing her eyes, focusing on her task. Immense power surged into her tiny body, and she struggled to control it. Taking more and more of her power to control it, she channeled it back into the land. It took a while longer than usual, but she could feel the power moving to her will. The power dissipated, her job done. She didn't have time to open her eyes before she collapsed.

Three huge ovals swirling with energy appeared moments before Azura fell down. The bandits gasped in awe at the strange blue portals that had appeared before them, but Corrin had something more important on his mind.
"Azura!" he cried out, dashing forward. He picked up the tiny woman, cradling her in a single hand.
"It worked..." one of the men said, admiring their new way out.
"Fantastic," the woman said, "now we'll take the one on the left out of here. You take either of the other ones. Deal?"
"Yeah," Corrin nodded.
"Gather what we need and the wounded," one of them commanded, "we're getting out of here!"
"Give your friend our thanks," the woman said, heading off down the steps after her comrades.

"Azura! Wake up!" Corrin shouted. He smiled when he saw the tiny dancer open her eyes.
"Corrin...? Oh, it is you..." she weakly smiled at him as she started to glow.
"It's happening yet again..." Corrin said sadly.
"Yes, there's no stopping it," Azura was already resigned to shrinking once again.
She dwindled in his hand, her already tiny form getting even smaller. With hardly any height left, she didn't shrink for long. The glow faded when she was a single inch tall.
"Just when I'd gotten used to my previous size..." Azura sighed, looking at her tiny hands. The already giant world was now twice as large. She wondered how many more times she would need to shrink before they got back home.
She noticed Corrin had been a bit quiet. She looked up to see his huge face, barely holding back tears.
"Corrin…?" she asked, confused.
"Oh, Azura!" he shouted, bringing his hand to his face. Azura gasped, startled as she was pressed against his cheek. She pushed back against his skin, not wanting to be crushed.
"It's been so long..." he said, nearly sobbing, "I thought I might never see you again!"
Azura sighed. "Oh, Corrin... I'm happy to see you too. Even though it hasn't been nearly so long for me!" She spread out her arms, hugging as much of his skin as she could. She ignored the pain she felt from the bruises she'd suffered while confined in the bag, wanting to enjoy this moment for as long as she could. Noticing a gigantic tear flowing down his face, she had to shuffle to the side to avoid being caught in the river.

Corrin eventually lowered her from his face, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his other hand.
"Better, Corrin?" she asked.
"Absolutely," He nodded. He looked to the portals. "So, we'd better go through one of those things, right?"
"Yes. I don't think it matters which one. I don't sense anything different between them," Azura said, peering over his hand at the two potential paths they had been allocated.
"I hope we get home soon," Corrin said, "but we'll be fine, so long as we're together."
"Yes." Azura smiled up at him. Corrin took a deep breath, then moved towards one of the portals, wondering where he would end up this time.