Chapter 9

"No. Absolutely not. That's out of the question."

Nathan and the others had holed up in a local hotel for the night, and Nathan took the opportunity to talk with Chrom about their next move. He stood outside on an empty beach with the Prince as they talked, skipping rocks into the vast blue ocean before them. Nathan had already dispatched Frederick to talk with a Plegian representative at the Plegia-Ferox border, so he knew there was no going back on their move, as the only hope they had for getting to Valm.

The tactician let out a sigh of frustration. "Chrom, no one wants to accept help from the Plegians. They murdered innocent people, good people, for no reason. You of all people know that." He picked up a rock, sending it spinning into the ocean, skipping on the waves. "We have no other options. This is our only chance. Please understand that we're doing what we have to."

Chrom swore loudly in frustration, picking up a large rock on the beach and tossing it into the ocean with all his might, landing in the water with a large splash.

"I hate you when you're right."

"You hate me all the time then? I take offense to that!"

Chrom scoffed at the man with a smile, playfully punching him in the shoulder. He then picked up a smooth rock and skipped it on the water.

"So, I assume when you were talking to Frederick earlier you were sending him to meet with some sort of Plegian representative, so we can discuss business later, is that right?" The Exalt smoothly asked.

Nathan gulped, simply skipping another rock on the water, and Chrom laughed. "It's alright, I'm not mad at you or anything. I think we both know that I couldn't say no asking the Plegians for help, as much as saying that makes me want to vomit."

Nathan nodded. "I know what you mean. This goes against every part of my Tactician's instincts. It feels like we're sleeping with the enemy."

Chrom grunted in response. He then got a bit of a smile, turning back to the brown-haired grandmaster. "Wait a second…did I see Cherche going with Frederick when they left?"

Mockingly, Nathan scratched his head, pretending to not know what Chrom was talking about. "Hmmm…I may have sent her with him, yes…"

The Exalt laughed. "Frederick should be remitting some of his pay back to us for helping him with his girl troubles, he's getting every opportunity to get to know Cherche!" He replied.

Nathan glared at the man. "Hey, you haven't even done anything yet!"

"Well, maybe not yet, but eventually I'll probably, maybe help him out by doing something…" Chrom replied jokingly.

Nathan grinned. Moments to talk to Chrom casually like this were becoming more and more fleeting as they each garnered more responsibilities, and he quite enjoyed his chances to just relax and chat with his best friend.

"Speaking of Frederick, what is it like, not having to worry about the old guy smothering you to death while he tries to 'protect' you?" He asked.

Chrom opened his mouth to answer, before looking up at the stone walk behind them. "I'll respond to that in a bit, the man in question just got back…"

Nathan and Chrom walked off the beach as Frederick trotted back into the town on his horse, with Cherche following right behind him, riding her Wyvern, Minerva. She landed next to them as Frederick got off his horse, nodding to Nathan and Chrom.

"So, what's the word?" The tactician pressed.

"The Plegian leader has agreed to meet in person to further discuss an agreement between our respective forces." Frederick told them. Nathan and Chrom exchanged a look, before Chrom replied to the Great knight.

"Did he have somewhere in mind?"

"Carrion Isle, Milord. As the name suggests, it's a poor venue in case things go sour…"

Nathan nodded. "We'll head out at first light, and meet them there. Send a messenger back to the Plegians; we're going to need all the shepherds in the march. I want a plan for the possibility we could be walking into a trap."

Frederick nodded. "Will do, Milord." The great knight then turned to Cherche, smiling brightly. "Milady?" He quipped as he offered her his hand. Cherche laughed softly as she took his hand and the two walked off towards the hotel, Horse and Dragon in tow.

Nathan did a bit of a double take, staring in shock at Frederick and Cherche. He then looked at Chrom, who was just as confused as he was.

"…What just happened?"

"I…Frederick…yeah, I'm not really sure either."

The two laughed before following the Great Knight and Wyvern Rider back to the hotel.

Upon re-entering the Hotel, the two found Ricken and Donnel playing a game of Chess in the lobby. Lon'qu was there as well, sharpening his sword.

The three greeted Chrom and Nathan as they walked in. Nathan smiled back at them before asking, "How's everything been? Everyone doing alright?"

Ricken nodded. "No damages that I've seen. Lissa, Maribelle and Libra have been taking care of the wounded, but nothing serious this time around. Those Valamese warriors pack quite a punch, though."

"I know," Nathan replied, frowning. "We'll have to get to working double time to make sure we stand a chance when we head over there."

Lon'qu grunted in agreement, brandishing his sword and taking a few practice swings with it. "So, what are we doing next?"

This time, Chrom spoke up. "We're headed to meet with the Plegians." He told them with a sigh. The others turned to him with confused looks.

"We need ships to get to Valm, and in case you haven't noticed, all the ones here have been destroyed by that last skirmish we had…" The Prince explained.

"Things must really be gettin' desperate for y'all to wanna work with them Plegians…" Donnel muttered.

Nathan nodded. "Which is why we need to be ready in case things go south when we meet up with them." He looked about the room at the four others. "If today reminded me of anything, it's that the five of us make a really good team. And if we have to, it may end up being us five who hold back the Plegian forces to buy time for the others to escape. We have to be ready for anything, given the circumstances. The Plegians know we're desperate, and who knows what they may ask in return for their warships. It might be something we're not willing to give."

"So, what are you getting at here?" Lon'qu questioned. "Other than the fact we have to be ready, we already train most of the time together, so what are you trying to say that we don't already know?"

Nathan grinned. "We need a name for ourselves. Something snazzy, like, how we're already a part of the shepherds, but we're almost like a force inside of that, y'know?"

Chrom laughed. "That's…actually a fun idea. Plus, it would be nice to have something to call ourselves when we need each other, other than 'you guys'."

Donnel smiled. "Yeah!" The young Villager then began to scratch at the pot on his head in concentration. "Now then…what's a shiny name for our little team here…"

"Well, what do we do? We fight, right? So maybe like…the Street fighters?" Ricken suggested.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good, but not quite what I think we should go for. I was thinking more about what we stand for, as opposed to what we do…"

"I think I might have an idea…"

Nathan and the others turned around to see Lissa sleepily waltzing down the stairs in her nightgown, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Liss, what are you doing up?" Nathan asked, walking over to the Princess and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"I was looking for you…do you have any idea…what time it is?" Lissa replied, between yawns.

"Late, probably." Nathan sheepishly replied.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I think you said you had an idea for what to name our Partnership?" Chrom eagerly asked his sister. Lissa nodded, turning to her husband.

"Got any paper on you?"

"I have a strategy book, but-"

"That'll do."

The six of them walked over to a table as Lissa ripped a piece of paper out of Nathan's strategy book (Much to the Tactician's chagrin, but he knew better than to argue with his wife when she was already this tired), writing two words down on the paper.

"Huh. I like it!" Ricken declared. He then squinted a bit, pointing at the second word on the paper. "But, uh, what does this word mean?"

"A group of people united in close design, promoting something. I suppose in this case it would refer to the shepherds." Nathan replied. He turned back to his wife. "Where did you find this?"

Lissa shrugged. "I just came up with it off the top of my head. And I got that word out of one of your fancy strategy books, I think."

Nathan grinned. "I have to admit, I'm impressed."

Chrom thanked Lissa before turning to the others. "So, this is it. I guess this makes us…The Justice Cabal."

Hey guys! Hope you get that reference; it'll make more sense how this all connects once the Future kids come into the picture. Until then, as always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave a review of what you thought! -Nate