(A/N: Once again, I THINK I got everyone but I'm not 100% sure.)
They trained until lunch. Morgan was giving them advice, using magic every once in a while; Kenzie attempted to use daggers, but in the end decided that focusing on her staff was best; Eisso was desperately trying not to hurt anyone or anything; and Lucina thrust with her sword like the tree she was aiming at was the root of all her problems.
Eventually they went back into town for lunch. Since two of the four of them lived at the castle, most of the good eating places insisted on free dining. Lucina and Morgan split the cost anyway, and Eisso felt a bit bad (even though he didn't even have any money, neither with him or at home). Kenzie didn't seem to mind it that much.
While they ate, they discussed ways to pass the time. Lucina was hoping that the adults would be done by the time they finished eating, so the four of them decided to head back to the castle before going back to the small forest to train.
Much to Lucina's relief, it seemed, the doors to the castle were now open. She led them inside; Eisso recognized the others' parents, two dark-skinned Feroxi, Chrom, Robin, Frederick, and Lissa. He didn't know everyone's names besides the last four.
When Robin noticed them, she smiled—it held no genuine joy. "There you four are," she said. "The others are in the strategy room."
"Follow me," Morgan said. "I've been there a few times."
The group followed Morgan into a large room. Everyone else was there; Inigo, Severa, Owain, Cynthia, Noire, Nah, Yarne, Brady, Gerome, Kjelle, and Laurent. They must've been out in town.
"Have a seat," Nah said. "Our parents are almost done. Robin said she'd come and explain what they were talking about."
The four of them sat down in the extra chairs. Eisso wasn't quite sure why him and Kenzie needed to be here—besides emotional support for Morgan and Lucina, Eisso wasn't sure he had much reason to be apart of anything they did, honestly. Kenzie would be more useful to everyone, since she could use a staff, but she barely knew anyone here.
It took several moments of tense silence before Robin and Chrom came in.
"Let's get straight to the point," Robin said. "I believe everyone here was at least told of the assassination attempt on the day of the festival. Later that same day, Chrom, Lucina, and I interrogated the assassin. We learned of who hired her, and their intent. And I'm truly sorry to say this, but…we are now at war with the Grimleal, which you know as the followers of Grima."
Everyone either looked concerned or scared. Eisso, personally, was a good balance of both.
"With the exception of Eisso and Kenzie, me and Chrom have brought your parents and some of our old allies to the castle to discuss strategy," Robin continued. "It was decided that, since we're needed here at the castle, you children…you will fight in the war." She was almost crying, by now. "It feels wrong, but it's what must be done to protect everyone. I'm sorry."
Chrom took over speaking on behalf of Robin. "We know you can do this," he said. "You already have a tactician, and several choices for leader. You're all adept in using your weapon of choice. If no one thought you could do this, trust me, we wouldn't have agreed upon it." He gave his best attempt at a reassuring smile, although like Robin he seemed to be battling some doubts. "You have until the end of the day to decide titles and to prepare, and then you'll be filled in on more details based on who you nominate to what position. If necessary, Robin can share recommendations."
Eisso wanted to question him, but Robin and Chrom left before he could figure out how to nicely say "How the hell do you think I'm even remotely ready for battle when I can't even handle animals dying, let alone people."
The room fell into silence. Then Morgan spoke.
"Seeing as how I'm the only one of us with in-depth tactic studies, I think it's safe to assume I'm the tactician he referenced," Morgan said. "I…will apologize now if I make a mistake in the future that costs one or more of your lives."
"You've been training as a tactician for years," Eisso said, trying to encourage and reassure him. "I'm sure you'll do great."
"Thank you," Morgan replied. There was a short pause. "I believe that most of us would be a decent leader, at least." He stood up, walked over to the shelf in the corner of the room, and grabbed a sheet of paper for each of them. "To determine who should be leader, I think we should do a blind poll. Write down their name on the piece of paper, fold it so nobody else sees, and hand it to me." He distributed the paper and something to write with. "Answer with your own opinions. The leader has to be able to handle stress and lead us into battle, as well as provide support when needed. You may vote for yourself, but only if you genuinely think you can possess that position, and you don't just believe you can do it. Since it's a blind poll, no one will know who voted for who. Feel free to step out of the room for a few moments if you fear it's an unpopular decision or you wish for your answer to remain unbiased."
Everyone started writing down their votes. Morgan quietly excused himself and left the room, leaving them in the almost-unbroken quietness of the quill on paper.