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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 10 – Jump: 

Rowan and Springbounder have met, and both are determined to help Adriana. Adriana, having survived the burning of the field of blue flowers in the Forbidden Forest, has taken a different path from Springbounder. She has three blue flowers that are all remain from the destroyed field. She was told she needed to pick the right flowers. She hadn’t had time to determine which flowers were right or what they were supposed to be right for. She thought about giving up her quest, but Queen Isolara’s voice inside her head told her to give it time.

————

Destiny – Part 11 (kind)

Adriana had had help when she found her way to Queen Isolara’s palace. The Queen herself gave her directions on how to find the Forbidden Forest. Adriana’s goal had been to find the field of blue flowers. She had marked lots of the trees in her quest to find it.

Now, the field had been destroyed. Having escaped the Burn, Adriana needed to move on. But where to? There were too many paths, and she could not remember where she had come from to backtrack out of the forest.  It was times like this when Adriana could use some help, and Springbounder was nowhere to be seen, for Springbounder had disappeared, and there was no other person in sight. 

Adriana placed her three flowers into her backpack, took out her knife again, and chose a direction to go in. As she passed trees, she again began to mark them. Occasionally, she would come upon a marking that she had already made. Not sure whether it was a new marking or one she had etched before when finding the blue field, she kept taking different routes. 

It seemed that she was getting deeper and deeper into the forest. Was there any way out of it? Slowly, it dawned on her that this might be why the forest was forbidden. Going into it without knowledge of its pathways might lead one to be lost forever. Forever can be very short if you can’t find food, water, or shelter.

As night fell, she approached a large tree with a gaping hole in its base. The hole was large enough that she could fit inside and rest and, at the same time, be hidden from any that may be pursuing her. Queen Isolara had said that Adriana should be cautious. 

Adriana was exhausted from the day’s events. It didn’t take long for her to fall into a restless sleep. Images kept flashing through her mind. A baby in a field, a woman wearing a crown in tears, a man and a woman stopping by the field of blue flowers, Queen Isolara’s face looking distraught, images of her parents, sister, and brother in Glendon, Springbounder, and one of Rowan near the field of blue flowers. 

When she awoke, it was a new day, and she was far from refreshed. She needed to find something to eat and some water, which were essential for her survival. 

She continued on her way through the forest. It wasn’t long before she found another tree similar to the one she had slept in. The hole in this one was not large enough to get into but was large enough to hide something within. A sunbeam, making its way through the upper trees, shone upon the opening, where Adriana could see the small package within. Hesitantly, she put her hand into the opening and retrieved the opened package. 

She discovered a few pieces of stale bread. This hole must have been a cache for food, and this was all that was left. It would not sustain her for any length of time, but it was better than nothing. She was about to eat the bread when she heard a small voice calling, “HELP ME.”

Adriana put the package in her backpack and followed the voice to its origin. It was only a few steps further from where she had been standing. There, across her path, was a fallen tree. Trapped beneath one of its branches was a small bird with black and white stripes on its head, brown wings with white stripes, and a light grayish body. Its legs were tangled up. It looked just like one of the birds that danced on the rock.

“Help me,” it pleaded. 

Adriana didn’t hesitate and used her knife to cut away the vines and twigs that bound the bird. 

“Thank you,” said the bird. “I’ve been here so long, you wouldn’t have any food to share with me?”

Adriana thought hard. She needed to find her way out of this forest. She needed whatever food she had to survive, too. Her mind was in turmoil as to what to do. This bird needed help to survive. Then she remembered what her father had taught her so long ago: “If you are kind to those less fortunate than you, you will receive inner peace.”

She took the meager bread from her backpack and gave it to the bird. 

The bird accepted the offer with gratitude, “Thank you for your kindness. My name is Sparrow-White. If ever you require assistance, I will do what I can to help you.”

Before Sparrow-White could fly off, Adriana said, “Wait, don’t go yet. I could use help finding a way out of this forest.”

To be continued in L – Lake

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 I – Idea: 

Rowan discovered King Yarek planned to kill Adriana, not just to have her dissuaded from her quest. Now, Yarek also had his sights on Rowan. Knowing that Adriana and the chimera had survived the deadly fire Yarek had created, Rowan destroyed the trackable watch that Yarek had given him, hoping he would think all three of them had died in the fire. Rowan uses his knowledge of tracking to follow the chimera. He needs to know whether or not the chimera is working with Yarek before he tracks down Adriana to warn her. 

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Destiny – Part 10 (jump)

If someone is not expecting to be followed, they don’t care whether they leave clues about where they are going. Following the chimera was easier than Rowan expected. Its talon footprints, even on hard ground, were easy to see.

Most people who enter the forest for the first time without guidance never find their way out, which is why the Forest was declared Forbidden; too many lives were lost. With guidance and time, one could learn the Forest’s ways. Rowan was such a person, as it would seem the chimera was, too. The chimera’s path led directly to the exit nearest the kingdom of Tirea. 

This concerned Rowan. He didn’t want to jump to any conclusion, but it certainly was strong evidence that the chimera’s allegiance was to King Yarek. 

As Rowan got closer to the forest’s exit, the tracks disappeared. Where could the beast have gone? Rowan became very alert. Unfortunately, not alert enough.

Rowan felt strong vise-like pincers grab him around his neck. Without having enough time to catch his breath, Rowan fell to the ground, unconscious.

 When he awoke, he found himself lying on his back, looking up at the cat-like face of the chimera, and she wasn’t looking very happy. 

“Why were you following me?” Springbounder wordlessly said into Rowan’s mind. “I saw you there at the field just before the fire came. Are you the one that caused it?”

Rowan had hoped that it would have been the other way around, that the chimera would be the one caught, and that he, Rowan, would be doing the questioning.

“I am Rowan,” he said. “And I would ask you the same: Are you the one who created the fire? Who are you, and what is your connection to King Yarek?”

“I am Springbounder, loyal subject to Queen Isolara of Glandisol. I connect to no king, especially not the usurper King of Tirea! I have answered your questions, so now answer mine, Rowan the Rogue, as you are known by most. Why are you following me?” it said quite emphatically.

Rowan was torn as to what to say. Springbounder certainly said the right words; however, was she to be believed? But, Springbounder had recognized who and what Rowan was. Springbounder was capable of knowing whether or not Rowan was telling the truth. And, in Rowan’s position, Springbounder was certainly a danger to his health. He decided to play it safe. 

“I was hired to find Adriana and try to dissuade her from completing her quest. At the time, I had no idea who she was or what her quest was to be.”

Springbounder’s sharp eyes stared deeply into Rowan’s eyes. “Continue.”

Taking a deep breath, Rowan went on. “I found her and helped her on her way. Later on, I discovered more about her birth and followed her here to the Forbidden Forest, hoping to fulfill my task. That’s when I found both of you in the field of blue flowers. Before I could approach her to try and convince her, the fire appeared and destroyed everything. I didn’t know if you both had survived or not.”

Springbounder seemed to accept Rowan’s explanation. However, he still hovered over Rowan with a glaring eye. “That may be well and good,” Springbounder’s voice came in Rowan’s head, “But that doesn’t explain why you followed me, and not her, as she went along a different path. EXPLAIN!”

There was no getting around it. Springbounder held all the cards. With one swipe of its legs, Rowan was a goner. “I have since discovered that the one who hired me intended more than just to have Adriana dissuaded. He meant to kill her, and probably me, too. We all were supposed to be caught in that hellfire that destroyed the field. Having survived, I hoped that if Adriana had survived also, I could warn her of his intent. I may be a rogue, but I’m no murderer. I found both sets of tracks but chose to follow you first because I didn’t know your intent, for if you intended her harm, I might have reconsidered my morals about killing anyone.”

Springbounder smiled for the first time. “It would appear we have the same goal. Having seen you in the distance at the field, I purposely took a different path from Adriana, leaving plenty of trail markings, hoping you would follow me. For you see, I do not have the same morals as you say you have. I would have no hesitation in killing you if you intended to harm her.”

“Then, if we have the same goal, we have both made the mistake of leaving her unprotected. We must get to her before something bad happens,” Rowan said. 

“Agreed.” was Springbounder’s reply.

To be continued in K – Kind

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 H – Happy: 

We learned a little more about Rowan, the man who helped Adriana climb the mountain in D – Dance. His assignment was to convince Adriana to discontinue her quest. After, hopefully, gaining her trust on the mountain, he planned to confront her in the Forbidden Forest and persuade her to quit. Unfortunately, when a fire destroyed the field of blue flowers, he never got to meet up with her. Now she is gone, as are all the flowers and Springbounder.

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Destiny – Part 9 (idea)

Rowan’s idea to convince Adriana to quit her quest had failed. What had happened to her when the fire destroyed the field of flowers? Was she still alive? If she was, where did she go? These were all questions he could not answer – Yet. 

While pondering these thoughts, Rowan felt a vibration on his wrist. It was a message from Yarek, the one who had hired him.

———–

—- Rowan, You have surpassed my expectations. You did what I would have done and eliminated the girl completely. Granted, my fire blast assisted you, but you led me to where she was, and she has been taken care of. Now return to me, let me know what information she has passed on to you, and you can accept your reward.—-

———–

How was the King able to follow him? Of course, the wristband, a gift from him, must have some magic tracking capability. 

What did the King mean when he texted, “You did what I would have done” 

Adriana was gone, possibly dead. Was that her fate, all along? 

Something was definitely wrong here. Rowan knew of King Yarek’s reputation of getting rid of those opposed to him being self-appointed King of Tirea and of those with knowledge that might bring his reign down. But when he took on this job, Rowan never believed that Adriana’s quest fell under that category. 

He had to find her again, if she was still alive, and warn her. He had more knowledge that might pertain to her birth. He certainly wasn’t going to include King Yarek in sharing this information or go to the king to seek his reward. Once any information about Adriana was shared with the King, Rowan knew his life would be forfeited.

But first things first. Rowan took off his wristband, placed it in the middle of the field of destroyed flowers, and set the wristband ablaze, making it look like he had been killed along with Adriana in the fire. 

Rowan was a tracker; he searched the surrounding woods for any signs of entry or exit. He found two potential paths to take. One was clearly Adriana’s footprints. The other must have been the hoof prints of the chimera she had been conversing with. 

He needed more information about what the two of them had been discussing when the fire blaze hit. Was the chimera another agent of King Yarek? Rowan chose to follow the chimera’s trail to get that information. He could be very persuasive.

To be continued in J – Jump

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 7 – Grow: 

Adriana ventured into the Forbidden Forest to find the field of blue flowers where she had been left as a baby. She finds Springbounder ther, who explains that she needs to pick three flowers for her journey, but only the right ones. A blazing flash of light ignites the field, destroying all of the flowers, but not before Adriana grabs three of the closest flowers to her. Springbound runs away, as does Adriana. Questioning whether or not to continue this quest, she chooses to continue. 

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Destiny – Part 8 (happy)

Rowan thought that he had accomplished his task. He was to find the girl when she arrived and then befriend her. With her trust won, he was to dissuade her from completing her task. He didn’t actually know what her task was or given any specific instructions as to how to convince her not to complete it. He decided that the first thing he would do was to find her and find out what she hoped to accomplish. 

It took him a while to find where she was headed, and once he saw her enter the path going up the mountain, he followed her. Rowan made his move as she reached the end of the path where the mountain became steep and would need expertise to climb. He approached her and said, “Interesting place for you to be. Do you climb these hills often?”

After conversing with her (see D – Dance), he helped her climb up to where she could find some shelter and possible directions. He hoped that she would begin to trust him, allowing him to use that trust at a later time to complete his assignment. 

Rowan was known under another alias in these parts and needed to make a hasty exit, as the villagers here might question why he was with her.  He did not want Adriana to know who he worked for.  He did, however, stay close enough to follow her again. 

The next day, as she wended her way through the paths, it became apparent that Adriana was heading towards Queen Isolara’s palace. He witnessed her meeting the queen, and as they entered the palace, Rowan made his way to the one guard he had used before. With a quick exchange of money and promises, the guard would secure a place to overhear the queen’s conversation with Adriana and report back to Rowan. 

Rowan now knew who she was, at least as much as anyone else, and where she would go. He planned to continue following her, but when she stopped and looked around, Rowan stood still and remained hidden.  When he appeared, he planned to explain to her that the Forbidden Forest was named as such because anyone who entered it never came out, the same, causing all the kingdoms that surrounded the forest to ban anyone from entering it, and that she should give up her quest. It never dawned on Rowan that there was no reasonable explanation for why he was there.  It certainly would not have engendered her trust in him. 

Regardless of his plan, he never had a chance to attempt it. As she arrived at the edge of a field of flowers, he noticed a chimera waiting there. They appeared to know each other. This was an unexpected development.

Adriana seemed to be doing all the talking, as no sound was coming from the chimera, yet the chimera was communicating with her somehow. Rowan debated whether or not to go forward and talk to both of them. He could be very persuasive at times. He hoped to convince them both not to complete her quest. It sounded like a good plan. 

But that was not to be. Before Rowan could step forward, there was a blazing flash of light, and the field of blue flowers burst into flame. The flames were too great and hot to pass and allow Rowan to do anything. When the fire died down, all the flowers were gone, as were the chimera and Adriana. 

Rowan was not happy. His plan had been disrupted.

To be continued in I – Idea

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 6 – Forest: 

The queen revealed the truth about Adriana’s birth. Adriana chooses to find out for herself whether she is a princess or not, starting at the Forbidden Forest. Though offered a royal guard escort, Adriana decides to go alone, concerned about what the queen said: “There are those that still seek your demise. Should they find you, all may not go well.”  

———–

Destiny – Part 7 (grow)

The directions to the Forbidden Forest were not hard to follow. The queen had replenished her supplies and gave her one more piece of advice. 

“Be cautious of those you are willing to trust on your quest to help you. Loyalties can change. There is much deceit in our land,” the queen said.

Once she found the Forbidden Forest, she had to decide her next move. In all the conversation, Adriana neglected to ask the queen why it was named the Forbidden Forest. 

She decided to start by trying to find where she was discovered as a baby – the field of blue flowers. The difficulty this time was that the forest was very dense, with no clear paths to follow. 

Again, she marked trees with arrows pointing in the direction she would go using her carving knife. When she came upon one of her markings, she carved a line through it and chose a different direction to mark and go in. 

This went on for some time. Now and then, she would look around behind her. She had a sense that someone or something was following her. They were very good at it, if they were, for she could spot no one. 

At last, she reached a part of the forest with an open glade. In the middle of the glade was a large patch of blue flowers. 

Standing at the edge of the patch was Springbounder. 

As she approached, he called out, “I see things are going well.”

“You know about me,” Adriana said. “What can you tell me that might help?”

Springbounder replied, “I know pieces of your story; at least, those Queen Isolara chose to share with me. As I said before, I was tasked to start you on your journey to find your destiny. The queen was the one who could plant the seeds in your mind to allow you to move forward. You must have found your way to the queen yourself. Otherwise, you would not be here now. I guessed you might come here to seek guidance, so here is where I waited.”

Adriana accepted Springbounder’s explanation but was still unsure of his trustworthiness. 

“So now I’m here,” she said, “what is it that you advise?”

“I believe the blue flowers are important to your quest,” he said. “Some are believed to have special properties, though I know not what those might be.”

“So what should I do?”

“Pick three,” Springbounder said. “But make sure they are the right ones, for all flowers are not the same.”

She was about to ask how they were different since they all looked identical and how she would know the right ones from the wrong ones when there was a blazing flash of light whereupon the field of blue flowers burst into flames. 

Adriana hastily grabbed the first three flowers near her as Springbounder turned and ran away, shouting, “RUN!” and disappeared back into the woods. 

Without thought, she ran into the woods, clutching the flowers she had picked.

 Springbounder was gone, as was the field of blue flowers, which was totally destroyed. 

Adriana sat alone in the forest, wondering about what just happened. She had flowers that might mean something, but she did not know the meaning or how they should be used. Something caused the field of flowers to be destroyed. Was Springbounder involved? Was she supposed to be in that field when it burned up? Should she have taken the Queen’s guards with her on this quest? Should she just give up her quest?

A familiar voice spoke to her in her mind, “Once the seed is planted, you must wait for it to grow.” It was Queen Isolara’s voice.  

Adriana stood up straight and strong. “So be it,”  she said out loud to whoever might be listening. “I won’t let this stop me. I shall continue on!”

To be continued in H – Happy