Forced to be a Hero - Chapter 1

Instructions

“You did a good job today, Alex.” “Thanks.” I replied, taking a sip of water. “I think you have the potential to become a great knight.” “I guess.” “Something wrong?” Owen frowned as he looked at me. “Of course not.” I answered, giving him a look. He taught me sword fighting and was close with my parents, so he didn’t think anything of it. “Something with Nayla?” Nayla was my younger sister. “She’s fine.” Owen let out a chuckle. “She still won’t let you get a girlfriend?” He likes to make that joke since she can be a bit clingy. I think it’s a little annoying. “There’s no girl here I’m interested in.” I sighed (which was true, and he knew it). Owen laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I didn’t answer. He crossed his arms. “Okay, what’s up?” “Nothing.” I muttered. “I just… feel like something’s… wrong?” “Everything’s fine, Alex.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t touch me.” “Sorry.” We stood there for a second before going to our homes. I took my time getting home under the orange sky. Having done these sword fighting lessons for years at this point, I had memorized the way home. The dirt path was pretty smooth, but still had a few rocks. Leaves in the trees blew in the cool breeze. I tried to get my bangs out of my face, but it didn’t work well. Honestly, after I gave up with my bangs, I became lost in thought. A voice pulled me back into reality. “ALEX!” A short girl was waving to me, her long blond hair blowing in the wind. It was Nayla. I waved my hand once. “They want to talk to you.” Nayla informed me, sounding a bit annoyed. “About what?” I narrowed my eyes. “You know what.” She gave me an eye roll. I groaned. “Seriously?” “I know this may blow your mind but,” Nayla dropped her voice to a whisper, “they want you to get a girlfriend.” She was joking. They had been bringing up the subject ever since Owen pointed out that I didn’t have one. “Why aren’t they on your back?” I asked, despite knowing the answer. “You haven’t had a boyfriend.” “Uh, because I’m 15 and you’re 17.” Nayla answered, as if it were obvious. It wasn’t the only reason, but she likes to pretend they don’t pity her at all. They treat us extremely differently, which I personally don’t find very fair, but it was what it was. Nayla pulled on her sleeves, which she did when she was either nervous or felt like she was in an awkward situation. She didn’t say anything else though, she just went inside. I followed her, grudgingly. My parents were sitting at the table, as if they had something important to talk about. “Alex.” My father said. “I still don’t have a girlfriend.” “Not that.” He sighed. “Something else.” I glared at Nayla. She shrugged, as if she actually had no idea what was going on. My mother clasped her hands. “It’s a bit related. We’re worried about your lack of friends.” Oh. It was this again. “I have three friends.” I reminded them. “You have TWO friends.” My father corrected me. “Nayla doesn’t count.” Nayla, who clearly wasn’t involved in this conversation, took that as her cue to leave. “And your friends have other friends.” He told me, as if I wasn’t already aware. I rolled my eyes. “Owen said his nephew would be in town tomorrow, and he’s about your age.” My mother informed me, not at all being subtle about what she wanted. I groaned. “I’ll talk to him, but Owen didn’t mention anything.” I left before they could say anything else.