Shining steel armor shimmered as the sun rose high over the hilly countryside, bathing anyone who saw the brave Sir Jacen Hillfort in a halcyon glow as his horse trotted along the country road. He was every inch what a paladin of the Order of Light was supposed to be, tall, strong, handsome, with a chiseled jaw and straw-colored hair that caught the light in a way that would make any maiden catch her breath.

The small buzz of wings whizzed past his ear as Alette, his fairy companion, flew ahead of him with a grin, hovering in his way in the obnoxious way she tended to do when she wanted his attention.

“Hey!” She shouted, flicking her blue hair over her ear with a grin, “You haven’t told me where we’re going! Come on, what’s the plan?”

“There is no plan,” Jacen chuckled, glancing down the road. “We search the land for injustice, then root it out.”

Alette huffed, crossing her arms as she hovered over to his shoulder, sitting down on the pauldron of his armor. “I always thought humans were supposed to be more orderly? Like you plan your whole lives out when you turn ten?”

“Some perhaps,” Jacen smiled, “I will simply go where I’m needed, and in the process, I’ll see the world and have a wealth of adventures.”

“True, but I’ve heard a lot of other people have a wealth of… well, wealth,” Alette commented, “haven’t you ever thought about getting more established, like other members of the order? That Lord Tannenberg guy a few towns back had like four guys with trumpets announce him when he went out for drinks.”

Jacen shrugged, “I won’t besmirch Lord Tannenberg’s methods, he’s well spoken of, and I’m sure evildoers fear him, but that’s not the way I wish to live.” He glanced at the fairy with a smirk, “besides, I don’t need men at arms, trumpeters, and a cupbearer, I’ve got a fairy.” He reached over and playfully tapped her head, causing her to scowl and wave his fingertip away.

“Quit it!” she whined.

“But you’re such a cute little fairy!” he taunted.

“I am not! I’m a brave adventurer!” she grumbled, wrestling with his finger. “Seriously, do you know how annoying it is when people are constantly calling you cute!? ”

Jacen stopped, pulling back, but still smiling, “I suppose I don’t. Still, never doubt that I know your bravery Alette, I’d be dead a dozen times over if not for you.”

“Yeah, and don’t forget it!” she grumbled. “You know, I’ll bet if Lord Tannenberg did have a fairy, I would get carried on a cushion by a squire or something!”

“So why don’t you go work for someone like that?” Jacen asked curiously. “You’re capable enough with magic, and other skills, if you truly long for fortune Alette, I can find you someone who will lead you to it.”

Alette looked up at him and blushed, “I uh… I’m just too much of a free spirit!” she lied, “I’d never fit in with an outfit like that!” He nodded, seemingly accepting the answer, and inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly she glanced up at him again, making sure he didn’t notice her staring.

How do you tell a guy like that that you want to be more than adventuring partners? She wondered. She’d done her research, Paladins could be with women, and human-fairy relationships were rare, but not unheard of or particularly scandalous… The truth was she only had her own nervousness to blame, that and the fear that if he didn’t feel the same way, he might not want to take her on his journeys anymore.

I’ve just got to wait for the right moment, she insisted to herself.

…

Allison sighed as she looked out at the tavern’s crowd. They were decent enough folk, with only a few rowdy drunks to mar the lot, but she found herself daydreaming about a real man more and more of late… ever since he came.

Oh Jacen, she sighed dreamily, twirling her hair around her finger, in my dreams you carry me away from this horrible place…

“Oh stop that daydreaming,” her mother chided, pushing a broom. “We’ve got the busiest tavern on this trade route, we eat well and we’re richer than some petty lords.”

“But it’s so boring mother,” Allison grumbled, picking up her serving tray.

“Boring is good,” her mother retorted, “do you remember all the trouble we had when those city scoundrels were trying to steal our secret recipes?”

“And then Sir Jacen foiled them,” Allison swooned, imagining the way he’d looked as he’d dragged the thieves before them.

“A good man that one,” her mother agreed, “Good looking too! If he had a penny to his name I’d see if he wanted to court you.”

“Mother!” Allison squealed.

The door to the inn creaked open, and Allison felt her heart skip a beat as she saw him walking in. Jacen was with his fairy, a cheery smile on his face as the creature buzzed around his head. Allison stood up a little straighter, clearing her throat and quickly brushing her auburn hair back behind her ear.

Across the tavern she’d been spotted, “Heads up, the tavern wench is coming over to flirt again,” Alette whispered.

“She’s just being friendly,” Jacen insisted.

Nobody wears a shirt cut that low to be friendly, Alette grumbled inwardly. Allison the tavern girl was extremely well endowed, enough so that the fairy had no doubt that the bouncy freckled cleavage coming towards them would swallow her up several times over.

“Sir Jacen!” She gushed, “always a pleasure to have you in our tavern, what can I pour for you?”

“Just spring water for now,” Jacen said with a smile, “and a serving of whatever meat that is being cooked back in the kitchen.”

“Right away,” She giggled, blushing, “So, are you going to be staying in town long?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a man staggering through the door, dirt from the road on his face as he gasped for breath.

“T-The caravan!” he called, “it’s been robbed! Bandits are looting it right now!”

“Cancel that order,” Jacen shouted, “Alette!”

“Coming!” The fairy said eagerly, zipping back to his side.

Allison couldn’t help but swoon, “He’s so dreamy,” she muttered, watching the knight go.

“Allison, drinks to table three!” her mother shouted.

With a huff Allison picked the tray up again, heading to the table.

…

Tanara Boulderbreak laughed as her men chased the last of the merchants into the woods, leaving them to loot the caravan’s wagons in peace. The bandit queen was a formidable sight, while she lacked the bulging muscle of her lackeys, her form was lithe, sinewy, quick, and plenty of men had found that the sword and flintlock pistol on her belt weren’t for show. She unrolled the wanted poster the merchants had been carrying, eager to see what the law abiding citizens of the territory had to say about her now.

“They always make me look like a trollop in these,” Tanara muttered.

The poster had softened her sharp features, and while she did braid her hair the way the artist drew it was immaculate, less like the bandit chieftess she was and more like a high borne lady. With a scowl she scanned further down.

“Five thousand thalers?” she balked at the reward, “This is ridiculous, they used to offer fifty for that fool Brodda before he fled over the border!”

“That’s good!” Bernard, her second in command, called with a grin. “Less chance of someone worth their salt coming after us!”

She rolled her eyes, the man was the ideal minion, large shouldered, strong, friendly enough, and loyal. Still, he wasn’t exactly the most ambitious.

“I don’t want to be robbing coaches forever,” she grumbled, “What I need is some notoriety Bernard, once you’ve become a big time outlaw, a warlord even, then you’ve got some negotiating power! You can get a king or an emperor to pardon you, make you their lead enforcer!”

“Or your name gets too big and they decide to send the army after you,” Bernard muttered, scratching his chin.

“Nonsense,” Tanara said dismissively, “become a legend, and then it doesn’t matter what side of the law you were on, people will be crawling over each other to get on your good side.” She glanced at the caravan, “any sign of what we’ve been looking for yet? It should be a gold box, with some weird silver writing on it.”

“What are we looking for exactly?” Bernard asked uncertainly.

“It’s a kind of magical storage crystal,” Tamara said, “I don’t exactly know how it works, but those royal couriers we robbed last week said it would be in this caravan, I guess some big important magic types in the capital asked for these guys to bring it to them.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Bernard grumbled. “Also, we don’t have a mage in the crew.”

“Ah, how hard could it be to figure it out?” Tamara replied, “I’m sure there’s a book somewhere that will tell me how to use it to throw fireballs or something, worst case scenario we can trade it to a rogue mage.”

“Got it boss!” one of the men shouted, bringing a small gold box to her.

Tamara licked her lips, taking it from the man eagerly as lighted runes sprang to life on the sides. She slowly opened the lid, feeling the warm magical rays wash over her face as she stared at the crystal within.

“I can already tell I’m going to like this thing,” she breathed.

The sound of hoofbeats interrupted their discussion, and Tanara whirled towards the road, snapping the box shut and stuffing it in a bag on her belt. In one smooth motion she drew her sword and pistol, Bernard hefted his axe, and the half dozen other men with her stopped looting the large wagons, readying their own weaponry as they came to her side.

The knight rode up, his horse rearing up with a whinny as he dismounted in a graceful motion, “Halt!” Jacen called. “That caravan is vital to this town’s fortunes, and you’re going to put back everything you’ve stolen!”

Tanara’s brow furrowed, “Is it just you? One knight? I think I’d like to take my chances and just keep the stolen goods, thanks.”

Jacen drew his sword, a magnificently crafted silver blade he’d received from his sword instructor when he’d graduated from the academy. It caught the light in a way that impressed even the group of thieves before him.

“I don’t care about your numbers,” he declared, “and besides, I’m not alone!”

A blue glow shimmered up his side, stopping and levitating next to him as her wings thrummed in his ear, “That’s right!” Alette called, letting her hands fill with blue magic.

“A knight and a fairy,” Tanara chuckled, “Still taking my chances, I think I’ve got a flyswatter in my pack somewhere!”

“Alette’s bravery far outshines her size,” Jacen retorted, flourishing his blade as he stepped forward.

“Get him!” Tanara shouted, firing her pistol and starting the battle with a loud *bang* and a puff of white smoke.

Alette willed the bullet to stop, coating it in the blue magical glow of fairy magic as it slowed in midair, then eventually stopped. While fairy magic had few offensive uses, stopping projectiles for her human friend was well within her abilities, and she hovered high over the battlefield to watch as the first of the brigands reached Jacen.

“No sense spilling blood this day,” Jacen muttered, turning his blade sideways. He deftly dodged the first blow, bringing the flat of the sword up across the man’s face in a blow that made him grunt with pain, then fall over. “You’ll be bruised, but you’ll live,” Jacen said, stepping over him. He almost casually brought his sword up to parry one strike after another, striking out with his armored fist and the flat side of the sword as openings appeared.

“H-He’s not even taking us seriously!” Tanara whispered, her eyes wide.

“Uh, Tanara?” Bernard shouted, gulping as the gang lay before them, groaning in pain on the ground.

She steeled herself, rushing forward with her sword to the man’s side, “You’ll regret messing with me!” she shouted, bringing her sword around for a strike.

“Doubtful,” Jacen sighed, parrying her sword. His foot shot out, catching Bernard in the stomach, sending the big man sprawling. Alette flew overhead, sending a quick zap of magic into the man’s forhead that would knock him out, leaving Jacen and Tanera alone.

Alette hovered down just behind Jacen’s head, “Oooh, you’re going to get it now!” the fairy taunted.

“Shut up fly!” Tanara howled. She readied her stance, slashing again and again at Jacen, who raised an eyebrow as she managed to force him back.

“You’ve some skill,” he admitted with a smile, “it’s too bad it’s wasted on a life of crime.” He ducked low, sweeping his leg across her ankles, tripping her and sending her into the dirt. His blade came up under her chin, and he smirked down at the outlaw, “Do you surrender?”

“Yes,” Tanara muttered.

“She’s got something in her bag!” Alette called, fluttering down next to the defeated bandit.

Tanara sighed, laying her head back in defeat as Jacen reached into the bag, pulling out the box. With a curious look he brought it up to his face, frowning as he tried to read the runes.

“Where did you get this?” he muttered, “surely the Caravan wasn’t carrying it?”

“Hey, ask them where they got it,” Tanara muttered.

“That’s old elvish,” Alette said nervously, looking at the runes. Jacen slowly opened the lid, exposing the crystal to the air and filling the clearing with an odd blue glow. “Jacen,” Alette said suddenly, “I’m feeling a lot of weird magic coming off of that thing, maybe you should put it-“

The two humans and the fairy screamed in unison as a blinding light filled the clearing. There was a clanging sound as Jacen’s armor hit the ground, and Tanara winced as the sword fell on top of her, startling the bandit as she blinked spots out of her eyes.

“Hey, what the hell?” she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her head. The knight’s gear was scattered around her, “Did he get naked?” wondered aloud.

“Jacen!” Alette shrieked, flying over the armor.

“Oh shit,” Tanara said, stunned, “I think that crystal vaporized him.”

“NO!” Alette wailed, landing on the abandoned breastplate. She looked down, tears welling in her eyes.

Tanara chewed her lip awkwardly, the fairy was an enemy, but she’d never been good in these emotional situations.

“Welp, he was a paladin, so he’s probably in a better place,” she said awkwardly, “Unless he was one of those ones that goes to hell to fight the demons.”

…

Jacen groaned, looking up at the sky. He sat up, looking down at his naked form with a grimace.

Did the bandit girl strip me? he thought angrily. “Alette?” He frowned, looking at the vast dirt covered plane around him. Overhead was some kind of silvery mountain or cliff… He gulped as he recognized the shape of the object, my armor? And up above, sitting atop it like some faraway colossus was-

“ALETTE!”

…

“And if you think about it, getting disintegrated like this probably saves on burial costs,” Tanara continued, “so you know, silver linings?”

“Quiet!” Alette snapped, “I just heard him!”

“Fuck me,” Tanara muttered, looking around nervously, “He’s a ghost already!?”

Alette rolled her eyes, fluttering down off the perch of the armor.

…

Jacen felt the wind rush around him, kicking up dust as his formerly diminutive fairy companion hovered overhead. He squinted his eyes as the looming feminine form of the fairy searched for the source of his cries.

“ALETTE I’M DOWN HERE!”

The fairy paused, looking down in surprise. The wind ceased as her feet landed in front of him, causing the ground to shake slightly. Her feet were the size of wagons, and as his eyes traced up her smooth legs he found himself realizing just how much of a woman Alette was. He’d always thought of her as his fairy companion, cute yes, but at this size, looking up at her, it was hard to deny that she was in fact a woman. He found his eyes lingering on her chest, where her low cut green fairy’s dress revealed a pair of house sized orbs that seemed to scream softness to him.

Get ahold of yourself, he scowled, Alette’s the same as she ever was, she’s just the big one now.

“Jacen!” she gasped, smiling, “You’re alive!” She blushed, giggling as she knelt down to take in his naked body, “ Really alive,” she said, pointing between his legs. He looked down, his face crimson as he realized his arousal was on full display to her.

“It must be a side effect of the magic,” he lied, “Clearly I have been… reduced. ”

“Whoah, he’s tiny?” Tanara’s voice boomed. Her massive face blocked out the sun as it came up behind Alette.

Gods above, Jacen gulped, where Alette was a towering colossus to him now, the bandit was a true mountain, an impossibly large almost geographic feature that caused the wind to rush around him with her mere movements.

“I can barely see him,” she chuckled. “Well, since he’s not dead I don’t feel so bad.”

“Alette, can you undo this?” Jacen asked with a sigh.

“Just a minute,” the fairy said, her hands glowing blue as she held them over him. She concentrated for a few moments, but the glow faded, leaving the fairy panting with exhaustion. “No, it’s a really powerful charm, I can’t even budge it.”

“The crystal is supposed to give a desperate person what they need,” Tanara’s voice rumbled, vibrating through the speck sized Jacen’s chest, “I guess it must have shrunk you to save me!”

“Then wish he was big again!” Alette shouted.

“HA!” the bandit laughed, “Fuck that!” She stood up to her full height, fully driving home to Jacen just how small he was. “First, I’m gathering up your gear, this is some nice stuff and I’ll get a pretty penny for it, and then I’m going to go find a jar or something to keep my new pet Paladin in!” She lifted her boot up, letting it hang over the doll sized fairy and the bug sized knight. “Unless you’d prefer I just stomp you two?”

Alette scowled, it wasn’t the first time someone had threatened to step on her, and it wouldn’t be the last. As always the person in said position had balanced themselves on one leg to lift their boot, and she sent a sharp stinging spell at the other ankle.

“Ow!” Tanara yelped, tumbling back over.

Alette’s hand darted down, startling Jacen with its speed as the thick, warm fingers curled around him. His arms and legs were pinned together, and in spite of their situation he couldn’t help but enjoy just how warm the fairy’s palm was.

“I’ll pull your wings off for that!” Tanara howled as Alette buzzed away. The bandit rose as if to give chase, but she was already becoming a small dot as Alette soared above the treetops, taking them back in the direction of town.

“I think we’ve lost her,” Alette sighed, landing on a tall tree branch to rest.

“Good thinking,” Jacen said with a grin, “hitting her ankle like that… my own experience with giant opponents is rather limited, I suppose to you every opponent is a giant?”

“No,” Alette giggled, “I’m just very small.” She opened her palm as she brought him up to her face, letting him sit in the center as she took him in. “You though, you’re smaller than small, you’re positively tiny!”

It’s so strange, seeing her like this, he thought, every feature of her face was magnified, giving him a much more detailed look at her than he’d ever had. He recognized the expression coming over her face too, one that was much harder to hide from a man at his current size. She can’t possibly be… is she?

Gods above he’s a handsome man, Alette thought to herself, taking in the naked form of the man in her palm. She’d seen Jacen naked before of course, he had to change in camp, bathe in rivers occasionally, but this was different, closer, and she could feal his heartbeat as he rested in her hand.

“We should go to town,” Jacen called up at her, “You know, to get help, warn them that the bandits eluded us?”

“Right,” Alette blushed, “of course!” She curled her fingers around him again, giggling at the hardness between his legs that poked her soft palm slightly.

…

Tanara’s gang were all groaning and rubbing their heads as they tended to their wounds. The bandit leader herself was staring at the crystal, slowly rotating it in her hand and wishing as hard as she could.

“Any luck?” Bernard asked.

“I want to be the most famous bandit in the world,” she grumbled. She looked around, “Then again, how would I know if that one worked?”

“I guess we could go to town and see?” Bernard offered. “The last time you tried to terrify the innkeeper she didn’t recognize you.”

Tanara sighed, that had been a particularly humiliating endeavor, the old woman had even asked her if she had a reservation.

“Okay, listen up everyone!” she called, standing up, “We’re going to go intimidate the villagers, like the most famous bandit in the world would!”

…

Allison heard a tapping at the tavern’s glass, and frowned as she saw the fairy hovering outside of it, “Alette?” She moved to the door, pulling it open, allowing the fairy to flutter inside.

“There’s been a disaster!” Alette shouted.

Allison gasped, “Is Jacen okay!?”

Alette sighed, hovering up to the barmaid’s face. She extended her hand, letting girl’s eyes focus on the tiny knight in her clenched fingers.

Allison gulped, “I-Is that-“

“Jacen,” Alette sighed, “hold on.” Her hand glowed for a moment as she cast the magnification spell.

“Allison,” Jacen said, finally audible to the full sized girl, “You need to tell your mother to call up the town’s militia! The bandits defeated us, and they could be headed this way!”

Allison’s face paled, “If they beat the two of you, we’ll have no chance! They must have been the most cunning and powerful brigands to ever live!”

“Uh, kinda,” Alette muttered.

“Believe me when I say that your mother and the village men can take this lot,” Jacen replied tersely, “We just got… unlucky.” He sighed, “Alette? Can you put me down on the table over there? I need a minute to think.”

The fairy hovered down to the table, placing him on the vast wooden plain, the grains themselves valley that could trap him if he wasn’t careful. With a sigh he sat down, crossing his legs as he began to meditate.

“What’s he doing?” Allison whispered.

“Paladins are more in touch with the gods,” Alette explained, “he’s probably seeing if he can undo the curse… if that’s what it is, truth be told I’ve never seen an enchantment quite like this one.” She gently tapped his back with her toe, getting no response. “He could be like that for a while, I’m going to go find your mom and the militia commander!” She lifted off, buzzing away towards the tavern’s back room. A moment later her mother stormed out, the fairy resting on her shoulder.

“It seems we might have a fight on our hands,” she said grimly, “Allison, watch things here while I round the lads up.”

Allison glanced at the bug sized man on her table, then around at the tavern. At this time of day there wasn’t anyone else in the common room, and there likely wouldn’t be until closer to dinner. With a nervous expression, she slowly got down on her knees, peering over the table’s edge at the tiny naked paladin. She felt herself flush as she looked over his body.

He’s small, but he’s still so hot…

“Nothing,” Jacen growled, standing up. “Okay Alette, divine aid is out, we-“ he turned around, startled to see the castle sized face of the barmaid grinning down at him. “Oh, Allison!” he quickly covered his crotch with his hands.

“Too late,” she giggled, “I saw it!” He was certainly less intimidating at this size, and she felt bold.

Jacen smirked, putting his hands on his hips, “Is that so?”

“I’ve been dreaming about it for a long time,” she growled, blushing at how lewd she suddenly felt. She grinned as she realized the knight was taken aback too.

He tried to put on a confident grin. Despite the puritanical reputation the Order of Light’s members carried, fraternizing with the opposite sex was far from forbidden, one could only rescue so many maidens from monster dens before the inevitable happened after all, and while he’d had many of the same experiences any other man his age might have, he’d never had any of them at the size of an ant.

“W-Well, your face has been in my thoughts while on the road,” he stammered.

Allison squealed, “Really? I knew it!” She leaned over the table, giving him a good look at the valley sized cleavage that waited between her breasts. “You’ve saved our town so many times,” she giggled, “and now you’ve gotten yourself like this ,” she sighed dramatically, “it only makes sense that one of our town’s fair maidens should reward you!”

“Oh no,” he insisted as the titanic girl’s hand came towards him, “that’s not-“

He was cut off as she delicately pinched him up, the soft pads of her fingers molding around him as she lifted him high into the air. He looked down, fighting a mixture of apprehension and excitement as he realized what she intended.

“Just rest and recuperate,” Allison giggled, opening her fingers, letting him flail through the air.

Jacen grunted as he felt himself make contact with the cushiony surface of her chest, bouncing off her right breast and tumbling down it as if it were a hill made out of soft pillows. He didn’t resist as the heat of her flesh washed over him, providing a calming warmth as he found himself wedged between the tender mountains, rising and falling with each of the barmaid’s breaths.

The soft smell of lavender emanated all around him, the rich soap Allison used lingering on her skin throughout the day. It was all too much comfort for a man used to traveling on the roads, and he sighed contentedly.

“You seem like you like it there,” Allison giggled, hovering her finger over him. “Bye bye!” her fingertip made contact with his body, driving him down below the surface of the tender embrace of her cleavage. Jacen’s world went dark, and as he moved slightly against his confinement, he realized he would be trapped in the murky world of her breasts for the time being.

He decided to relax, Alette will inform the villagers, and then we’ll fix this, he decided. Until then, there wasn’t much to do but simply enjoy himself. The soft up and down motion of Allison’s breathing was soothing, and the steady beat of her heart rumbled around him, causing his eyes to flutter as the tiredness of the day began to hit him. Soon he was fighting to stay awake as the massive pair of tits pressed in on him like an avalanche, and when sleep finally took him, he was ready for it.

Maybe after spending some time in there he’ll notice me a little more when he’s big again, Allison giggled, walking through the tavern with a confident strut. I should probably just keep him between my tits as much as possible until the fairy can fix him, who knows how long that could take though? She blushed at the thought of keeping the tiny knight tucked away in her cleavage as she went about her day, serving drinks, hanging laundry, preparing dinner, all while he struggled and succumbed to her charms. And it wouldn’t stop there, she thought, nearly groaning at how the thought excited her, I could keep him in other places, perhaps a day in my panties would be enjoyable?

Allison took a place behind the bar, smirking to herself as she imagined how impactful his time tiny would be on Jacen. If everything went the way she wanted it to, he’d practically be worshiping her as a goddess by the time he was able to look her eye to eye again.

And if they can’t fix him? It was a far flung thought, but she entertained it a moment, I think I could still enjoy him, she thought with a grin. She glanced down at her cleavage, feeling Jacen go still as he fell asleep. Yes, he would really be all mine then…

The door to the inn burst open, and Allison leapt up with a start. A woman in leather armor, leading a gang of ruffians, was storming into the tavern, looking around with excited grins. She gulped as she saw that the woman held Jacen’s sword.

“You there,” the woman called, leveling the sword at her, “Do you know who I am?”

“U-Uh, no? Do you have a reservation?” Allison squeaked.

The air seemed to go out of all of them as they groaned, “Damnit,” the woman muttered, holding a blue crystal in her hand, “I’m not any more famous than I was before! Nobody in town recognized me!”

“You could tell me your name?” Allison offered, “so I might next time?”

The bandit woman grumbled a few swears under her breath, then stood up, “I am the bandit queen Tanara the tenacious!”

“Bandit Queen?” Allison asked hesitantly, “do you have more men somewhere else?”

“No,” Bernard said, “we’re it.”

Allison pursed her lips, “M-Maybe bandit chieftess is more appropriate? Bandit captain ?”

“Oh, go to hell,” Tanara snapped, storming over to the bar, “So long as I’m here, give me every last coin you’ve got!” She thrust a bag across the counter at the barmaid.

Allison nodded, reaching beneath the counter to where her mother kept a few sacks of coin for making change. She brought them up to the counter, glancing at the back kitchen and wondering if she should run for it.

“They went in there!” someone outside shouted.

Tanara turned towards the tavern’s front windows, stained glass patterned things that didn’t let you see out, but the shadows of the approaching militiamen were plainly visible, as were the spears and swords in their hands.

“Out the back!” Tanara snapped, pointing over Allison’s shoulder. She reached for the bags of coins, but Allison gritted her teeth, swinging them as hard as she could at the other woman.

“AH!” Tanara stumbled back, dropping Jacen’s sword. She shot Allison a hateful glance, and for a moment the barkeep worried the bandit would be on her, but the doorknob at the front was already beginning to turn. “When I’m the world’s most famous bandit, I’ll come back for you!” she hissed, scurrying after her men.

The militia burst in a split second after they left, Allison’s mother at the forefront with an ancient blunderbuss in her hands and a pot for a helmet on her head. The other men were slightly better armed, and they fanned out, looking for the intruders.

“Mother!” Allison called, “they’re gone, they didn’t have time to take anything!”

“Good,” her mother grunted, “from the way the fairy described that lot it would be damned embarrassing to let them get away with so much as a penny.”

As if summoned by the mention, Alette fluttered over the two, glancing around, “Hey, where’s Jacen?”

Allison blushed deeply, “He’s safe,” she said.

Alette’s eyes narrowed, “That doesn’t answer my question!”

Allison cleared her throat, “You know, Jacen is so small right now, it would really be better if he stayed here, at the tavern, just until you figure out a way to fix him!”

“Allison come on,” Alette said, crossing her arms as she hovered in front of the girl’s face, “What did you do with Jacen? Is he in your shoe or something?”

“Not my shoe,” Allison muttered, her face growing ever more crimson.

“Girl, where’s Jacen?” Her mother barked.

With a shaking hand, Allison dove her fingers into her cleavage, fishing around for a moment until they pinched around the tiny man. With a weak smile she pulled him out, displaying him to the stunned fairy, her mother, and the village militia.

“It was the safest place for him!” she insisted again.

…

“A bandit attack on the tavern and I slept right through it,” Jacen grumbled, watching the sun set.

“Don’t feel too bad,” Alette chuckled, reaching down to stroke his hair. “You’d have been lucky to give Tanara a hangnail at your size.”

The pair were sitting up on the rooftop of the tavern, where Alette had flown them for privacy. He was sitting in her lap now, doll sized even to a fairy. The perspective of the now giant village was bringing home just how small he was, and he found it daunting. Still, the tender embrace of the fairy’s fingers around his waist reminded him that, if nothing else, he wasn’t alone.

“That woman… she still has the crystal, that’s the key to this, but we don’t know much about it,” Jacen said. “Tomorrow we should go to find Lorelei, she’ll know what it is at the very least.”

“I don’t care for witches,” Alette growled. “They’re always pulling fairy wings off for their weird potions.”

“They grow back, don’t they?” Jacen smirked.

“Your hair grows back, but I’ll bet you wouldn’t like me to pull it out,” Alette retorted.

“Fair point,” Jacen grimaced, “but Lorelei doesn’t brew any unethical potions!”

“At least not in front of you,” Alette muttered under her breath.

Of course the real reason she didn’t trust Lorelei had nothing to do with a fear of having her wings plucked off. The ample bosomed witch had always been a little too friendly with Jacen, and after seeing what Allison had been up to with the tiny knight, she was feeling more territorial than usual.

To make matters worse she was fairly certain Lorelei had other tastes, she’d caught the witch occasionally observing her , ending the stares with a flirty wink, and tucked away in the corner of the witch’s bookshelf was a volume titled “Intimate Relations With Smallfolk: Pixies, Fairies, Gnomes, and More.”

Still, she was a talented witch, and this problem was beyond her simple fairy magic.

“We’ll go tomorrow,” Alette sighed.

…

Tanara shook the crystal angrily as her men turned a roasting pig over her campfire, “Damnit, you granted me one wish and it was just to save me from one lousy knight?” She scowled, “I should chuck this thing down the latrine!”

“Maybe it doesn’t do big wishes,” Bernard offered. “I mean think about it, if it could make everyone rich and famous, we’d have rich and famous people everywhere!”

Tanara gripped the crystal, “Huh, let’s try it!” She grinned at Bernard and pointed the crystal at him, “Crystal, shrink Bernard!”

Nothing happened, and her henchman crossed his arms angrily, “Really?”

“I’d have grown you back,” Tanara said defensively, “it was just a test!” She scowled at his impassive face, “We just need to find out how it works, we’ll start asking around for mages tomorrow.”

“There’s a witch that lives in the woods a few miles from here,” Bernard offered. “She sells potions and removes curses and such,” he scratched his chin. “Leslie? No, Lorelei! That’s her name. She’d probably be willing to tell us what that thing is and how it works.”

Tanara nodded, “We’ll start with her then, and we’ll rob her blind while we’re there! We need to start spreading news of our infamy, robbing a witch sounds like the kind of thing that impresses people.”

The men nodded in agreement, and Tanara chuckled, pocketing the crystal again.

Soon I’ll be the most famous outlaw in the world! She vowed.