This story was written for the 2025 April A to Z Blog Challenge. Twenty-six words, one for each letter of the alphabet, were pre-selected by a random word generator (MacChatGPT) and were included for each section of the appropriate letter in the Challenge. The chosen word is highlighted within the text. To start the story from the beginning, go to https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=4443.
When last we met in Part 4 – Dance:
Adriana had followed the clues that Springbinder had given her. She found a mountain climber named Rowan, who helped her climb partway up the mountain, where villagers helped her find the place to get the next clue. Seven birds flew down from the sky onto a rock with seven sides, each facing a path that could be taken. The birds seemed to be dancing. Were they sending her a message?
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Destiny – Part 5 (elegant)
The birds’ dance followed a pattern. Adriana sketched out the pattern they were making in the notebook from her backpack. She sketched a picture of the top of the rock, numbering the sides from 1 to 7, with 1 being the side from which all the birds started their dance. She then sketched the seven paths that could be taken, labeling them A – G, with A being the path she had just come from.
The sketch looked like this:
She knew the pattern involved the paths and paired each number with its respective path.
When completed, she followed the map and went to the path she had come from at A1; the first place the birds signaled after that was C3. She headed to C3 and looked at the path. There was nothing special about it. From C3, she went to the next marker, G7. Again, there was nothing special about it. The third marker on her map was back to A1. Continuing to the rest of the paths in order, she went back to C3, then E5, and back to G7. Seeing nothing special on those paths, she checked out the birds’ paths corresponding to the ones where they fell off the rock – B2, D4, and F6. Nothing stood out; all paths looked the same.
The next thought to her was that once you were on a path, the dance signaled the following path to take at the next juncture. Using A1 as the starting point again, she went to path C3 and began walking. The path was well defined; it went through some woods, over a wooden bridge, and finally ended up at a large, circular, open field. There was no rock in the middle of this field, but there were six other optional paths, spread out along the circumference of the field, similar to the one where she had started. Here, she had to make a choice. “Do I count where I’m standing as A1 again, or label it C3?” she thought aloud. Logic dictated to keep the numbers and their positions the same as the original ones; otherwise, her fourth move would have to return to the path she had just come from. She decided that where she was standing was position C3 and proceeded to the fourth path from where she was standing. This continued for the rest of her journey; she would find a field with seven paths and take the next one based on her original map. After six choices, she emerged from a wooded area, where an enormous palace stood before her.
Cobblestones led up to a grand arched door made of rich, dark wood. The palace itself had seven spires, all of different shades of gold. Lush gardens were displayed on either side of the palace, and fountains spouting crystal-clear water reflected the sunlight within each one.
Adriana approached the doors, reveling in the majesty of it all. Before she could reach them, the doors opened. Four guards dressed in full uniform stepped out in pairs, turned toward each other, stepped back, and held a salute. From inside came a tall woman, wearing a crown and carrying a scepter. This had to be the Queen.
The Queen was wearing an elegant silk dress, embellished with intricate embroidery. She looked down at Adriana with deep, piercing blue eyes. Slowly, the queen’s lips began to turn up into a smile.
“Welcome, Adriana,” the queen spoke. “We all have awaited your return. Come join us, for we have much to discuss.”
How did the queen know her name, and what did she mean by “her return?” Adriana had never been there before. Not knowing what to say, she bowed her head to the queen and followed her into the palace, where the royal guards followed close behind.
To be continued in F – Forest
