(A/N: Another paralogue! Yay! I know the last one wasn't that long ago, but I really wanted to write this.
This paralogue is in Morgan's view, immediately after chapter 8.)
Morgan left the room as everyone started writing down their votes. Out of all his friends and agemates, you would think that he would be the least likely to snoop around without permission. But he was curious. Robin was obviously distressed, and he wanted to know why—and he wanted to help her, if he could.
He mostly guessed what direction they went in; when he got to the library, he heard voices.
"You've said it yourself, Robin; this is the best way to go about this." That was Chrom.
"I…I know. I thought we were finally done with these tough decisions. I thought we had brought peace to everyone. But I…it still feels like we're sentencing them to their deaths." That one was Robin.
"There isn't any other choice. All of their parents acknowledged the danger and yet the idea met next to no opposition."
"Because of them. When everyone voted on the decision, they decided that since they had done well in war meant that these kids will. But they were raised in war, raised in a world were they knew they had to fight. They aren't the same children, Chrom. You can tell, can't you? And we don't even have any guarantees about Eisso and Kenzie. They could very well die in their first battle. All of them could. They could die, and as tactician it would have been my fault. My own strategic failure, resulting in the massacre of teenagers who've just barely began living."
"Maybe you're overreacting. You've seen them train. I know they aren't the same children that came to defeat Grima. But they fight just as good, or better."
"They were raised in peace, Chrom. Believe it or not, that effects their willingness to fight. And I know for a fact that half of them would protest to killing anyone, enemy or not. They'd break if they were driven to kill anyone; hell, they might even be driven to kill—"
Morgan didn't want to hear the end of her sentence, so he knocked on the door. Hopefully they didn't notice him hovering out of sight. "Mother?"
"To be continued," Robin said quietly. She opened the door, seeming much more cheerful than she sounded moments ago. Morgan can tell she had been crying though—at least for a few moments.
"I just…wanted to pick up some strategy books," Morgan said. "And maybe get advice."
"Of course," Robin replied. "You probably need help with more advanced battle tactics, huh?"
Morgan nodded, and followed Robin throughout the library.
When they were in the back of the library, Morgan spoke again.
"Mother," he began, "Who does the blame go to…if an ally falls in battle? The ally, or the tactician?"
Robin sighed. "It can be evenly balanced between both," she said. "But regardless of the strategy, the tactician is normally held responsible. Or, at the very least, the tactician feels responsible. Trust me, Morgan, I had hoped that you would never need to use the tactics I teach you outside of mock combat. It's hard for a tactician to cope after a particularly tough battle, even if no one is killed. Sometimes just the guilt of making your friends fight is enough for you to feel horrible."
"I take it your speaking out of experience?" Morgan said.
"Unfortunately," Robin replied. "You will see and do many things you will regret on the battlefield. You can gain allies, lose allies…lose yourself. Sometimes, a tactician must sacrifice one unit to save another. It's a hard job, but it must be done." She brushed her fingers along the spine of some books, and pulled two out, handing them to Morgan. "Study up on these. You can take them with you, if you want. But you shouldn't come back here just to return them. It could put yourself and your friends in danger."
"Okay," Morgan said. He took the books, but sat them down so he could hug his mother. "I'll see you tonight, Mother." He pulled away, seriously wanting to cry but refusing to. He picked the books back up again.
"Stay safe, Morgan," Robin said.
"You too, Mother," Morgan replied. And with that, he returned to the others.