A/N: I AM SORRY. I am legitimately sorry for all of this wait-time. Hooooooly crap.
Anyway, I don't think you guys want to wait any longer, so… Here we go!

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Tied

Chapter 6

"Liar."

I felt my eyes widen at the immediate reaction. I mean, being called a liar was nothing new, but I had barely seen three minutes of this girl.

Which also wasn't uncommon.

"What do you mean?" I asked, shifting my weight to one side.

"You're not Ike. You can't be," she said with an unchanging expression. She straightened her posture and pointed her rapier to the decorated wall without looking.

"That's Ike."

I glanced back at the intricate painting. I had no similarities to the hero on a physical level. And of course there are the glaring differences in character from a thief to a radiant savior of legend. I looked back to the girl, who had lowered her arm and was now accompanied by a small, blue lizard at her feet.

"Call it a sort of honorary," I slid. Her one exposed eye squinted ever the more.

"… So, what are you doing here? What do you want with me?" she inquired, grip tightening on her rapier's hilt.

"I told you already. I didn't know there was anyone here. I just needed a place to…" The realization hit like a ton of bricks. My heart sped as I reached up to my shoulder for a strap that wasn't there. "Oh no. Where is my satchel?! What did you do with it?!"

"I hid it from you. Something that beautiful doesn't deserve to be in your hands," she seethed instantly.

Ow.

"Look, I came across your tower by accident and climbed it. I thought it was uninhibited. Now give me back that satchel." I felt my features tense as I used a more serious tone that I would have liked to. This girl was good.

But apparently, easily distracted.

"Then you… You're not here for my hair?" she asked, suddenly confused about… something.

"Why would I want your hair? I have no use for it."

She paused, eyes darting away for a split second. He bit her mouth closed and returned to her glaring. "Never mind that." She looked at the ground, thinking of something or looking at the small creature by her bare feet, I couldn't tell.

"How much do you value the contents of that bag?" she ordered, straightening up once again.

"Very much so, thank you," I replied dryly.

Not the time, not the time!

She bit the inside of her lip before opening it again. "Then would you be willing to do me a little favor to get it back?"

"Sorry, Miss-" I began, before she interrupted with a curt "Lucina". Clearing my throat, I began again. "Sorry, but I don't do favors."

"I thought you said you valued that satchel," she reminded me bitterly.

My eyes drooped. "… What do you want?"

Her features seemed to light up a tiny bit at my question. She walked past me, leaving the lizard where he was standing. The animal had an oddly human expression of suspicion on his little blue face. I frowned right back, furrowing my brow at it. I heard the girl – Lucina? – climbing on some items behind me. Turning, I saw her on an elevated ledge with a curtain against the wall. She pulled back the fabric to show a beautifully simple painting of a girl, her, on a tree, with the night sky lit by blue orbs floating across it.

"Do you know what these are?" she inquired, pointing at one of the blue specks.

"Well, I'm guessing you'd be referring to the lantern thing they do every summer for the princess of Ylisse." Not yellow, not stars. Lucina mumbled something to herself that went unheard of me. She shook her head and looked to me, still pointing to the art.

"Well, tomorrow evening, the night sky will be lit with these lanterns, as you call them." She lifted the sword in her left hand to point in my direction. "You will take me to see them, acting as a guide, and return me here unharmed. Then, and only then, will you get your precious satchel back. That is my request."

I raised my hands, lowering my head. "Yeah, sorry buttercup, but I can't do that for you. The kingdom and I don't exactly agree on many things at the moment, so I won't be taking anyone anywhere but myself."

Her gaze bore into me, feeding off of the irrational fear that came from it. She leapt from the pedestal, rapier brandished and balanced on her opposite wrist, aimed at my chest.

With a flick of my wrist, my old, steel sword came unsheathed and blocked her thin blade. As she bounced back, trying to keep her grip on the rapier, her little lizard materialized on her shoulder and jumped towards me. It spread out its legs on impact, attaching itself to my face. I dropped my sword at the contact, out of surprise or disgust, I couldn't tell. With my free hand, I ripped the creature from my forehead and cheeks, holding it out in front of me.

"Rude. I don't have a frog to help me," I said, trying to hand the animal – who was not happy about being called a frog – back to the angry girl.

The lizard hopped into her hands, where she held the rapier by a fingertip around the hilt. Her other hand scratched the top of its head whispering "Nice shot, Nagrom". She looked back up to me, proud expression on her face. "He's a chameleon. And if you don't agree, you won't get your satchel and I'll sick Nagrom on you again."

I felt the corners of my mouth sink to the floor. "I'd rather not have that happen."

"So take me to see the lanterns."

How are you so good at this?

"… Fine. I'll take you, but don't think I'm scared of your frog. I'm doing this for my satchel, and that's it," I complied, pointing a finger at the angry chameleon.

"Great," she stood up taller, a gentle, pleasant, yet painfully smug smile on her face. "I'm glad you say it my way." She spun on her heel and walked away, leaving me in the middle of the floor, wondering how I was bested by a girl who didn't even know what the difference between stars and lanterns was.