Fire Emblem: High School Years (High School AU) Freshman Year

Interlude

Anna

Life is a lot like learning how to play the guitar.

You take this fragile thing into your arms but you don't really know what to do with it. You play around with it for a bit until you have a basic concept of how it works. You feel confident.

Then, you actually learn how to play the thing. All that you thought you knew is thrown out the window as a world of chords and notes are thrown at you and you have to know which one is which in order for it to be right. Which ones go together and which ones don't.

You like playing a certain chord progression. You like it because it sounds like your favorite song. But, it turns out the real chord is a lot different, so you have to leave a few notes behind and pick up new ones.

It's hard to memorize the notes, the progressions, the patterns. Sometimes you just feel like giving up and you want to move onto an easier piece. But, something inside of you tells you to keep trying.

You try your very best, but it still comes out like a mess. You wonder how professionals can do this so easily, how your teacher can play all these songs without breaking a sweat. It frustrates you. You want to be as good as them. You want your skills to improve instantly.

A voice in the back of your mind beats you up and tells you that you can't do it. You'll never accomplish what you want. And you start to listen to that voice. It eats away at you. It won't stop.

But...you keep going. You don't really know why, but you just do.

So, you keep trying. Keep playing. Practice makes perfect, right? It'll get easier as you go.

Sometimes things go wrong. A string breaks, the guitar seems like it'll never get back in tune, or your equipment gets lost. Those things can easily be fixed, it's just a minor inconvenience. However, sometimes the guitar itself breaks. Getting it fixed is time-consuming and expensive. You feel absolutely awful. You feel like you're nothing; that this will happen again. Everything is falling apart.

But then you get your guitar back, and you're going to work harder than ever. And you do. Despite the pain and hardships and experience, you keep playing. Eventually, you learn the song you've been dying to play forever. You feel great. And now, it's time for the next challenge.

You go through all of this again, but you grow from each experience. Some of the notes are hard to reach, and you're frustrated, and you want to give up. You don't. You do your very best and you work something out.

In the end, you're playing guitar. You're trying something new. You don't give up.

And as you're strumming your favorite tune, you remember what it took to get to where you are. You're proud of yourself, and you should be.

This philosophy doesn't just apply to guitar; it can fit into many different things. Everyone is different and so are their challenges.

So, you just have to wait and see how things play out. In the end, you're going to create something beautiful.

*****

So this was different. Honestly, I just wanted to get some inspirational stuff out in the world. This applies to each and every one of you. Life is hard, there's no denying that. But remember that no matter what hardships there are, you're going to be alright. Everything happens for a reason. Everyone means something to someone. Like me. All of you have a special place in my heart. I would be nothing without you all. So, thank you. You are all the reason I love writing. I guess fictional Anna wasn't the only one speaking in this chapter. Thank you all so so much for reading and look forward to reading more!