Fortunately, bravely - though not at first (7)
I believe the answer is:
luckily
'fortunately' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for luckily that I've seen before include "It is fortunate that" , "By chance" , "Fortuitously" , "enjoying good fortune" .)