In The Midst of The Lonely Sea of Loneliness (1)

[This is a fanfiction based off the questions, "What if it was Nia who disappeared in castle Rysen with Esben the day it was set ablaze? What if Artham, in the confusion of battle, thought the King and Queen had died and set his heart on saving the rest of the family? What if it was Artham, Wendolyn, and Podo who raised the Jewels of Anniera as orphans in Glipwood?" These questions and others like it set the scenario we find ourselves in. Some core scenarios from the original story may be altered in exploring this idea but as to be expected in a fanfic, I am not Andrew Peterson so none of this serves as any canon. If you know the butterfly effect, keep that in mind for the story.

Without further ado, I present the concept on the first book, "In The Midst of The Lonely Sea of Loneliness".]

It was just passed sunset and Artham P. Igiby was sitting on the porch with a poster in hand, enjoying the sea breeze coming off of the Dark Sea of Darkness and the fireflies awakening in the tall disturbed grass. He was deep in thought as he often was, rewinding the tragedy that befell his family just years prior.

All the things he could have done different, all of the outcomes that could have been changed that fateful day, all the lives lost... It all haunted him like a ghost in the night. Could he have changed anything even if he tried? What if he was wrong about Esben being dead? Perhaps it would have been better if he had died beside the High King rather than retreat when hope seemed lost... but how could he? When Artham looked into the terrified faces of his niece and nephews... He couldn't abandon them all to the death. They were just children... with their whole lives just ahead of them.

"These fangs... Gnag..." Artham thought while gritting his teeth. "They rule like masters now all while the children of a King live in povertis situations. I try to catch what work I can but... It's so hard to resist slinging a shovel at those vile snakes' heads-- Any more infractions can get us all into trouble."

The front door creaked open followed by a thump and a click.

"Aye, what are ya doing up at this hour? The kids are asleep." Podo Helmer said, standing in the doorway. "Ya better not be thinkin' about another tussle with the fangs; even Janner has been showing attitude towards them in town. We don't need any more unwanted attention."

Artham slowly looked over his shoulder at the father-in-law of his former brother with a blank expression on his face before he looked back out over the horizon. "... I know you want to fight too, Podo. It doesn't matter if we remain on the fangs' good side or not- it's only matter of time until the black carriage comes for all of us. Better be ready than not at all."

"Aye, that might be right but I hold back my zeal for the time being. You should too, the children look up to you- especially the boys." Podo restrained himself from lecturing since he learned that losing his temper did very little to convince Artham of his own points. He learned the best way to get Artham on his side was to pull at his heartstrings. "You don't want them charging those... lizards."

With a sigh, Artham nodded. "You're right... I'll be more careful."

"Glad to hear it." Podo started back inside but paused before his pegged leg reached over the threshold. "Remember, tomorrow's Dragon Day. Best not to run off on one of your missions. Kids need a chaperone."

"Right. I'll be inside soon." Artham replied, folding the poster he had been looking at prior to Podo checking on him.

"Lock up when yer done. Goodnight, Artham." Podo bid him a farewell before heading inside.

Artham took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I guess the rebellion will have to wait..." He muttered to himself, stuffing the folded poster back into his pocket.

Suddenly, a rustle in the grass quickly caught Artham's attention and his eyes scanned the area, slowly standing up from his chair.

When the rustle didn't reoccur right away, he started to think it was just a thwap. However, when he spotted a set of eyes staring at him from the brush, he grabbed a broom that was previously leaning against the door trim.

"Who's there?!" He demanded.

Whoever it was the caused the rustling suddenly darted for the forest, only a stringy silhouette made out in the darkness.

"Hey!" Artham started after the stranger, startling them to the point they tripped and left behind a long thin piece of brightly colored fabric.

When Artham came upon this fabric, he knelt down and picked it up to discover it was a polka-dot scarf. The sight of it made him sight, as if he knew who it belonged to. He looked up from this bit of evidence just in time to see that same pair of eyes look back at him from the edge of the forest.

After that, he didn't pursue them further but instead, only started until that set of eyes disappeared into the darkness.

"Nia..." He shook his head as he clutched the scarf in his hand. "It's a wonder what happened to you, Queen of Anniera..."

For years the Igiby's had lived in Glipwood with few disturbances- that is, besides the fangs. However, just a few years after they had moved to Glipwood, a strange woman began to spy on the family's doings. Over time, Artham and Podo found out that this woman was Nia, the mother of Janner, Kalmar, and little Leeli, and tried to make contact with her. Unfortunately, the brother-in-law and her own father quickly realized Nia had lost her marbles in their many attempts to talk with her. Whatever happened back in Castle Rysen, whatever happened between her and Gnag, deemed her too unpredictable to have near the children.

As much as it pained the family, the adults in the household avoided ever talking of their mother.

Instead, they call referred to her by the nickname assigned to her by the Glipfolk: Neet the Scarf Woman.

For the most part, Neet stayed away from Glipwood and the Igiby's household, only watching from a distance to ensure the family's safety. Whether this was a strategy or just out of madness, Artham could never determine, but seeing Neet so close to the house this night made him wonder what had changed.

Still, just seeing Nia in such a state saddened Artham to near tears, seeing it as one of his biggest failures but also one of the family's biggest secrets.

"If they only knew." Artham remarked to himself before heading back to the house to get some rest before the big day tomorrow.

The front door creaked open again as he tip-toed as carefully into the house and up to his room, wary of waking anyone who had previous gone to sleep.

Even though he was careful, some old boards creaked and cracked under his feet as he passed the kids' room.

A small voice could be heard through the cracked open door. "Uncle Artham? Is that you?"

Realizing he had been caught, Artham peeked his head quietly into the room and looked into the face of Janner, that was half-way tucked under his blankets.

"Yeah, it's just me. Go back to sleep, Janner." Artham whispered with a small smile. "You have an exciting day tomorrow. You'll need the energy if you want to keep up with Tink."

Janner's eyes fluttered tiredly but he forced them to stay open. "I know but... I guess I'm just... unnerved by that poem the Blaggus boys were reciting today... About the black carriage..."

The mention of the black carriage made what little smile Artham held fade away in an instant. "Nevermind that carriage, Janner. The Maker knows we'd rather die than let any of those reptiles take any of you."

"I-I know..." Janner stammered, still clearly bothered by the idea of being taken from his home without warning. As a result, he sought hope. "Uncle Artham? Could you... Tell me one more story about the Florid Sword? Maybe then... I can sleep?"

Artham stared at his nephew for a moment before smiling once again and walking over to sit on the edge of his bed. "How could I resist one of my favorite nephews?"

"Uncle Artham, you only have two nephews." Janner laughed quietly.

"And you're both my favorite." Artham laughed as well but quickly quieted down when he heard Tink snore in the bunk above Janner. The two tried to keep themselves from laughing too loud.

"Alright... So this is recent news I heard about the Florid Sword just a week ago..." Artham began, telling Janner a fantastical version of the events that he heard from Torrboro. His storytelling was excellent and offered the comfort Janner needed in that moment. It was this comfort that soon lulled his nephew to sleep.