Brave

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Chapter 1

Ashley's Point Of View

Be brave.

An A-grade warrior , how bizarre it is ? 

No longer an ordinary 16 years old girl , I am now an A-grade warrior  . I have been forced to wander on this heavy-misted pathway which claims to lead me to the future. The unknown , unrevealed , uncertain future.

Now that I have reached this huge milestone, I am feeling happy , excited , but somehow very nervous.

"And that is another five minutes of standing . Do you need me to open this door for you?" John said dryly , he is right , it's been too much waiting , too much hesitating .

"I'll do it myself , still sending you my deepest gratitude." I replied the boy beside me, who happens to be my best friend. Taking a deep breath, I grasped the brass colored door knob. 

"Be brave, Ashley, now or never." 

"Stop being overdramatic.  Relax , it's just a warrior coronation ceremony , You will be alright, " John patted me on the shoulders , as if I am his 6 years-old sister. 

"Now THIS is glamorous ! " The door was shoved opened, and we let out our soft exclaims. Eyes were instantly glued to the expected but still surprising decorations of the hall.

 "I can already see myself breaking everything. I'm never a noble , high-class girl , you know what I mean ?"

John shifted his head towards me, with his gaze lay on my white evening gown.

"You will be," He giggled, "Look at this dress of yours ! "

" I couldn't even recognize myself in the morning, when I looked at the figure in the mirror." I sighed deeply, "This ceremony isn't going to go well."

"But you're beautiful. You know that, don't you?" John shrugged, avoiding any eye contact.  "This dress looks stunning on you."

I smiled , and whispered a thank you to him. 

It is wrong to say that boys and girls can't be best friends, meeting John was one of the most incredible things that had ever happened to me, and I sincerely hope our friendship would live long , never fade away and never change. 

We walked swiftly, step by step, it took us 30 minutes to the center of the hall , where most people are gathering.

I imagine this hall as a palace, an ancient kind which had been extended over centuries. Inside this palace, I am the princess, wearing my usual white gown , and my favorite diamond ring. Tonight,  we are all going to dance like royalty, drink like aristocracy, talk like literati, and it will be just like one of the other nights.

We all know this is not true, after all, it was just a fantasy. But I love fantasizing , as it makes places much more interesting, it makes this world much more worthier to explore.

"This hall is like a palace, you know, the ancient one." By the familiar tone of words , I can immediately tell who the speaker is , Louis Tomlinson. I turn around, and conceivably see him, standing next to Cody Martin.

I don't even bother to hide my excitement and walk straight towards them . It has been way too long since our last gathering, I really really really miss them. 

I met both Cody and Louis during training  in grade B , we shared the same schedule together and has built a strong , concrete friendship.  We have also made some other friends too at that time, but only three of us and a girl named Lucy made it to grade A this year.