Chapter 3: A Deal, A Stranger and A Kid

Ezra watched his father disappear from the cove, waving goodbye as Maul disappeared into the other side before putting his hood up. As soon as Ezra was home free, he quickly took the chair from the wardrobe and hid behind it with his frying pan out. Taking his blonde hair, Ezra yanked the door opened when Kanan fell onto the floor. The boy was worried that he killed the guy. However, the man started mumbling and Ezra could tell he was awake. So, he had to think fast on how to find out what this man wanted.

Without asking Caleb to watch, Ezra moved Kanan to the chair that he was previously using as a shield and tied him up with his hair.

Kanan woke up an hour later, slightly confused as to where he was at. However, the last thing he remembered was someone knocking him out. When Kanan tried to reach his temples, he found his hands and feet were bound by a strange yellow rope Kanan saw. However, he realized it was wrapped around his whole body. And that was not the strangest. He could have sworn it was hair.

"Who are you?" said a voice Kanan did not recognize. "How'd you find me?"

"Who are you?" Kanan hissed back. From what he could tell, that strange figure sounded like a kid. And Kanan was right. He blinked, looking at Ezra up and down. "Explain why you have long hair and why you're a guy and not a girl.

"You're dodging the question, thief," Ezra hissed. "Why have you come here?"

Kanan shook his head.

"Step into the light, then I will answer."

Ezra glared at Kanan with one eye squinted and the other left completely alone.

"Come on, I won't care about any strange things about you," Kanan began, "Well besides the hair."

Ezra sighed., Stepping into the light, Kanan gasped when he saw the boy. Honestly, h was not expecting a little kid to outsmart him by knocking him out. But, when Kanan and Ezra looked at each other in the eyes, they nearly recognized each other.

"Who are you and how did you find this place?"

Kanan blinked and quickly got out of his trance. "Oh, my Jedi," Kanan finally said. "You, you're a kid."

"Yeah, yeah, good observation, pal," Ezra hissed. "That carpet's purple." He pointed at the rug and then at his cat. "And that's a cat. Got anything else to add?"

"Not really, kid, but I got to say," he cleared his throat, and decided to go with the innocent kids' tone. "How are you?"

Ezra glared.

"I'm Kanan Jarrus." The man gulped. He felt the need to ask him his name because, maybe knowing the Kid's name would help him understand the child better. "And uh, your name?"

"It does not matter," Ezra said quickly, bringing his pan up.

"Come on, kid. You don't have to be scared of me. I'm tied to a chair. Just tell me your name."

Ezra hesitated before answer, "Ezra."

"Ezra, huh?" Kanan said. "You know, you have the same name as the lost prince. Why is that?"

"I don't know who that is," Ezra hissed. "Just like I don't know what you're doing here. And last I saw I'm the one asking the questions. Not you. " Ezra got suspicious quickly, and Kanan would give him that. "Now, who else knows my location?"

"All right, um Ezra," Kanan began. "Look I was just being chased by the guards when I came here with..." He searched for his bag but couldn't find it. The kid must have taken it. "Hey, where's my bag."

Ezra crossed his arms with a mischievous smirk growing on his face. "Somewhere you're never going to find it."

Kanan looked behind Ezra and saw a flower pot nearby before looking up to the boy.

"It's right there, isn't it?"

Ezra looked down at the crown before taking his frying pan and knocking Kanan out cold again. One hour later, Ezra flicked water on the stranger's face, causing the man to wake up.

"Will you stop knocking me out with that thing?!" Kanan shouted. The pain was running through the back of his head.

"Sorry. It's just precaution." Ezra admitted. however, he was heavily annoyed. "but if you don't remember you're the one who broke into my home. "

Kanan looked down and saw Caleb glaring and hissing at him. Kanan looked closely at Ezra, but most importantly, at his eyes. Instantly, Kanan saw it. Ezra's blue eyes. He could have sworn he had seen something close to it. However, the thief just shook it off. Mostly because the kid glaring at him told Kanan to stop it.

"Now your crown is hidden where you'll never find it." Ezra began circling around Kanan, his frying pan up to the man's goatee. "So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it and sell it for your own evil purposes?"

"Look, kid," Kanan hissed, emphasizing on the last word to agitate him. It caused Ezra to glare, "I don't want you or your hair. I want to get out of it." He looked down at the hair. "Literally!"

Ezra began to rebut but stopped in his tracks. His suspicious look turning into a more understanding one.

"Wait, you don't want my hair?"

"No," Kanan answered through gritted teeth. "Why on earth would I want your hair? Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it, end of story."

"Oh," Ezra said. He looked down at his cat then at Kanan. "Excuse me one moment."

He grabbed his cat and rushed away from Kanan and began to speak to Caleb.

"I know, but he's someone that can take me. I think he's telling the truth. Nothing I think, but what choice do I have?" Kanan raised his eyebrow. Why was the kid talking to a cat for advice? Quickly, Ezra regained his composure. "Okay, Kanan Jarrus. How do you say we become, well, partners in a deal."?

"Well, fire away," Kanan answered with a smirk.

"Okay," Ezra said slowly. "Come look over here." Ezra yanked his hair and turned the chair around causing it to fall and smash into Kanan's face. He turned him to the painting of him near the floating lights. "Do you know what these are?"

"You mean the lantern thing they do for Prince Ezra?" Kanan said slowly.

"SO that's what they are, huh?" Ezra said with a smirk. He knew his father was wrong about them. "Yeah, well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky, with these lanterns. I want you to act as my guide around the city. After the lanterns are lit, you return me home and then, I return your satchel to you. That's the deal."

Kanan looked at Ezra suspiciously. First the child has the same name as Prince Ezra. Then, he has blue eyes Kanan recognized. Then he had the same birthday as the Prince? However, Kanan shook his head. This peasant boy, a Prince? No chance. He was wearing a silly orange jumpsuit that looked almost tattered. Kanan might not have children, but he knew when kids needed to be disciplined.

"Sorry, kid, but I don't do well with the kingdom."

Ezra's face fell before it turned into a glare. He looked down at Caleb, and the cat hissed, pounding his fist into his other paw. Now, Ezra had to lay out the law.

"Look, Kanan Jarrus," Ezra snapped. He tugged on his hair, causing the chair Kanan was in to be lifted back up. "I won't go down with this road, whether you like it or not. Now if you want your stupid bag back," Ezra hissed, coming closer and closer. He yanked his hair, causing the chair to lunge foreward before catching it. "You will listen to me. But you'll never find the crown without my help. Even if you try to break it piece by piece. Know that I promise you, if you help me do this, I will give you what you want."

"Really?" Kanan said, smirking. "You will? Okay, look, I'm the adult here so technically, I have a better authority over you."

"So," Ezra hissed. "You're not my father!"

"I know I'm not, but I can't just go around the kingdom and take you to the lanterns. I'm wanted by the guards!"

Ezra glared. "Well, trust me when I say, I never break a promise. EVER!"

Kanan glared back. "Guess I have to give you no choice but the 'look' I give Sabine." He then glared at Ezra with 'the look' he gave this girl, Sabine. However, Ezra remained unfazed by it. His father gave better glares than Kanan, so he did not find Kanan's intimidating. Finally, Kanan gave it.

"Alright fine, I'll take you to see the lanterns," Kanan finally caved.

"YES!" Ezra cried. However, he accidentally let go of Kanan's chair and had him land on his face.

"Ow," Kanan said. "Sorry kid, but I think you added more insult to injury than anyone."

"Sorry," Ezra apologized before going to release Kanan. The boy let Kanan climb down on his hair, but Ezra hesitated. He never was afraid of heights, but now, it was not the heights Kanan was worried about. Ezra couldn't believe he was doing this. Now, he was going to see the outside world. However, in doing so, he would be disobeying his father.

"Kid, you coming down or not?" Kanan asked. Ezra woke from his dazed state and nodded. Meanwhile, ezra made sure Caleb was secured in the long line of hair as the cat laid on Ezra's shoulder. Without one word, Ezra slid down the rope of hair before suddenly hovering over the ground. Then, Ezra placed his feet down, feeling the rich grounds of earth's soil