The Chosen One

• [ 6 ] •

Rose's POV

I walk onto the training grounds, strangely feeling out of place without my bow and quiver on my back, my sword resting on my hip, and daggers attached to my thighs. I am suddenly lifted off the ground and spun around in the air.

" Привет! Что делаешь? Ты испортишь ей волосы! " I hear a thick Russian voice approaching from the distance, Mrs.Lucia.
[ T : Hey! What are you doing? You will mess up her hair! ]

The person, I'm assuming is Jason, just mumbles a sorry in response and sets me down. I can now get a good look at the person who relieved me of some of my nerves by playfully scaring the jellies out of me.

*AN (If you have never watched Detective Pikachu you won't understand this.)*

Yep, Jason. I am once again pulled away into a tight embrace, but I get a whiff of a honey and cinnamon scent, definitely Stacy.

"Hey Russia, how are you doing?" I ask feeling better already.

"I am doing great honey. I am so proud of you, we all are." She responds. At her last words, I get a good look around and see Mr.Lucia standing next to Jason, and the rest of the seasoned warriors surrounding us. I smile widely, but am once again overcome with nerves.

"Thank you, all of you. But, I must admit I am nervous. I mean, there have only been 10 female magii users amd they were just okay. I want to be the best in what I do, but what if I am not good enough! What if- " Jason cuts off my nervous ramble by pulling me into a brotherly embrace, I instantly relax and take a deep breath. When I pull away I see everyone looking at me with encouraging smiles.

"I am sure you will be great." Mr.Lucia starts. "Even if you do not get chosen, it does not change any of our opinions of you." I hear a chorus of yeahs in the crowd. I take another deep breath.

"Yeah, your right. Just because the odds aren't good doesn't mean I will give up. Also, that means I can stay here with you guys and continue to train if I don't get chosen. I will be okay." I respond, reassuring myself. Everyone looks at me with proud smiles, and just like that, my nerves are relieved. I know deep down that I will be sad if I am not chosen, but with everyone's support, I will be alright.

We spend the next hour and a half just chatting away, telling stories and laughing together. It's a quarter till ten, and I still want to talk to the Wilson's and spend some time with the golden boys. I bid everyone farewell, promising I'll see the Lucia's before the ceremony begins.

I make my way back towards the bakery and immediately, the smell of honey buttermilk bread fills my nostrils. It is a house favorite and is so fluffy and flaky that it practically melts in your mouth. I ring the assistance bell at the counter and wait till Mrs.Wilson and her husband usher me to sit and try their new cake flavors. When Mr.Wilson walks up to the counter still preoccupied with something, he begins to speak.

"Welcome to the best bakery in the village, how may- Hey! It's Rose dear! Sit, sit. It's the first day of the month, you know what that means." Mrs.Wilson now enters in a familiar fashion, greeting me and ushering me to relax while she gets the samples in order. After all is set, we sit down and continue to talk as I try their new recipes and comment my honest feedback, like every other first day of the month. Only a true baker can tell the difference between great and incredible pastries. Mrs.Wilson's voice rings in my head. I too say goodbye to them as 11 o'clock approaches. I meet the golden boys where I said I would. Since we are all 15, we hope to not be separated after the ceremony. But, I think we all know the likelihood of remaining a group after today.

We goof around and hang out with each other until 20 minutes prior to noon. I make them promise to save me a spot in line when the choosing will begin. With that being said, I make my way towards the orphanage to make an early lunch. I make the same sandwiches I made yesterday, but set out leftover cookies on the counter. The main cookies I made are an assortment of sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, red velvet cookies, and dragon shaped snickerdoodle cookies. It became a tradition to bake and give the experienced magii users and dragon riders cookies when I was 9.

I was feeling bad that they had to travel all this way, not able to eat until they return to the Academy. So, I gave the cookies I was planning to give to Colt and his friends to the seasoned magii users. Since then, the rumor at the Academy goes that 'whoever heads the ceremony will receive the tastiest cookies of the century from a fair lookin' girl'.

When finished, I make my way back towards the town center where the grand choosing ceremony will be held. I walk with confidence, my head held high. I can clearly see the massive figures of dragons greeting my sight. One is a beautiful scarlet color, either younger than the rest or a female. Red is smaller in size yet looks quite fearsome. I set my gaze on another dragon, they are the largest. This leads me to believe that he is older than the other two. The way the oceanic blue colored dragon carries himself makes me believe that he is filled with wisdom and his rider is of importance. The lizard green dragon beside Red, is what I would assume is a regular sized dragon. Greenie's scales reflect the sunlight beautifully, but his eyes hold a feeling of curiosity. Greenie is probably a first year Dragon Fest attender, whereas Red looks like they know what is to come.

I look downstage and can clearly depict the magii users from dragon riders. The magic users are each wearing the color and a chosen object of what I am assuming is their element. The one in the middle, who I assume is very important according to the reactions of his peers when he speaks, is wearing two separate colors. A dual wielder. He is wearing both green and blue, a blue colored watch, a chain with a green colored stone attached. He is around 6'2 with hazelnut brown hair and a nice build. The man next to him is a good 6'0 with ashy blond hair. Blonde is wearing lots of red, which means he is probably an advanced fire wielder. He is wearing a red bandanna in his hair, making him appear younger. The one wearing grey colored clothing, on the other side of Two Colors, is wearing a bandanna of grey color around his neck, probably an advanced air wielder. He has dark brown hair, also looking to be 6'0. The four dragon riders are dressed aerodynamic uniforms, all well framed and have a good bit of muscle in comparison to my village's warriors.

The seven are conversing on the stage, without hesitation, I walk up on the stage with a warm smile and hold the wrapped platter of fresh cookies out to the leader of the group. I do my best to ignore the inquiring gazes of the dragons, but this is the closest I have ever been to one. For all past years that I have baked cookies, the dragons would be kept in the clearing out in the woods, but I guess not this year. Two Colors looks at me in confusion until it clicks.

"So the rumors are true then." He raises an eyebrow.

"I mean, the part about giving you all cookies is true, but they taste just alright in my opinion, nothing too extraordinary." I reply humbly.

"Alright then, thank you." He smiles.

"No problem." I say in response. Bidding them a farewell, I turn to the crowd looking for the Lucia's. I see Jason and his father also looking around until their gaze reached me. We wave and meet each other halfway, they both embrace me in hugs.

"Remember, we are so proud of you." Mr.Lucia says, Jason nods his head in agreement. A warning bell is chimed, signaling that ceremony will start in five minutes. With one last glance at the Lucia's, I find my spot in line next to Tony. I look at the rest of the line and call out to Oliver when I recognize his figure. When he sees me, he smiles with excitement, I return one with the same happiness. That is when I realize that we are at the end of the line, and I am last. I'm about to ask Tony why we are towards the end when the dong is rung.

It echoes loudly through the crowd, and all chatter dies out slowly. Everyone soon falls silent, the ceremony has begun.

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