The Wingfeather Saga Sequel

Return to Glipwood

Janner and Leeli stayed away from each other for the rest of the night. Sara came down and saw that Janner was in a funny mood so she asked, "What's the matter? Did you fight with Leeli?" "How did you know?" Janner asked. "She nearly ran me over on the way upstairs. Is everything okay?" She looked concerned. Janner told her everything. Even the part where Leeli mentioned Esben. "We don't ever talk about him. Ever." Sara thought for a minute and sighed. "You know. Your mother is right. This isn't your place. Maybe you should lay off." She said. Janner was about to say something against it but he stopped. This really wasn't his place. "Fine. But it doesn't mean I have to like it." That took all his willpower to say. Sara smiled and said, "Thank you. Give her time to cool off and then apologize tomorrow." "Alright fine. I guess I will." Janner gave in. "How did I end up with you? You are so beautiful." He asked. Sara smiled. "Alright, alright. We should get to bed." They walked up the stairs and they said good night. Janner kissed her cheek and they went to their rooms. Janner couldn't sleep. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to control her like that. She's old enough now to make her own decisions. It's gonna be hard to except this. Janner thought to himself. Nothing he did worked. He really wanted to sleep but couldn't. He even tried reading to get him tired but not even that worked. He walked over to his window and looked at the sea that lay stretched out before him. He sighed. He remembered what it was like to be on a ship but most of the time, it wasn't so great. He was either recovering from wounds below deck or he was jumping overboard to save his brother from drowning. He realized he still longed to go out to sea but not in danger. He wanted to be free like his father in the drawing he made. That was his dream. It was when he was twelve years old and it still is. Finally Janner went back to bed and he fell asleep. That night, he dreamed of being on a ship. Alone. He felt the water spray his face and the wind flowing through his hair. The water was so blue and the sky matched it. It looked as if Janner was surrounded in blue. He felt so happy. So free. Then a man appeared onboard. They went up to Janner and told them, "You are doing a fine job! I'm so proud of you. My son." Janner looked at this man closely and realized it was Esben. "Father?" He asked. Then he woke up. It was morning and the sun was up shining in the sky. Janner sat there thinking about his dream. It had felt so real. He was kind of disappointed that it had ended. Then he remembered Leeli. I have to go apologize. Janner thought. He jumped out of bed and got dressed as fast as he could. Then he ran down the hall and made it to Leeli's room. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Just a second!" He heard Leeli say. So he waited and then the doorknob wiggled a minute and the door opened. Leeli looked at his dead in the eye. "What do you want now?" She asked. "Good morning to you to." Janner joked. Seeing that there was no reaction from her he cleared his throat and said, "Can I come in?" Leeli thought for a second and opened the door wider. Then she nodded and she walked over to her bed. Janner sat next to her and they were silence. "Leeli, look. I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have said all those things to you. I don't think you are a little baby. Nobody here does. You are probably the strongest person in this family. I'm very sorry." Janner looked at Leeli and waited for a response. She looked up and you could tell she was trying not to cry. Then she nodded and said, "Thanks Janner. I'm so sorry I snapped at you last night. And I'm so sorry I brought Father into it. I know how much that hurts." She said as tears streamed down her face. Janner put his arm around his little sister and they sat there. "You can date Thron if you want to. You are right, I'm not your father but I'm your big brother and I guess the thought of you dating really messed me up. I'll put up with it because it's your life. But I'm not saying I'm going to like it. Will you forgive me?" He said slowly. Leeli smiled and said, "Alright I forgive you." Janner hugged her and said, "Why don't we go down to breakfast before Kal eats all the food. Leeli giggled and she grabbed her crutch. Then she went down with Janner. When Nia saw them she smiled and said, "I see everything is right with the world again." The two smiled and they went to eat breakfast. "Good morning my love." Janner said as he kissed Sara on the head. She smiled. "Good morning." She said cheerfully. Then Kal came into the room and said, "Guys! I just had a good idea!" They all stopped. "Define 'good idea'" Leeli said. Usually when Kal says he has a good idea it ends up not working or someone has an injury. Once Janner broke his leg because of Kal's "good idea." Kal said, "This one is the best! And no one will be injured. The Dragon Day Festival is supposed to happen next week. I was thinking, if we leave today we could get to Glipwood the day before and-" "Wait. Glipwood? You want us to go back?" Nia asked. Sara looked at Janner. No one in this family has stepped foot in Glipwood in years. Arundelle have never even seen it before. Artham sat up straight and said, "This sounds like a pretty good idea" "Hear me out guys- wait. You are agreeing with me?" Kal asked in confusion. Artham nodded. Everyone agreed that it would be amazing to see Glipwood again. Except Nia. "I don't know, everyone. It's so far away. I never saw myself going back. What if the Dragon Day Festival doesn't even happen anymore?" "Then we can still walk around town and see if we recognize anyone. I think it will do us some good." Janner said. "Please Momma!" Leeli pleaded. Everyone wanted to go. "Well we might as well alert the officials that the Wingfeather family will out of town for a while." Everyone cheered and Kal said, "No need. I already did! I knew you'd say yes! Eat your breakfast guys! We leave right before lunch!" Everyone ate quickly and ran to their room to pack. Janner couldn't wait to get in the ship! After he packed he went to Sara's room and he walked in. She was sitting on her head with an empty suitcase. "What's the matter?" Janner asked. "Nothing I'm just a little nervous. I know I did not live in Glipwood but, going back to the places of my childhood before I was taken. It scares me." Janner hugged her and she said, "But I think it would be good for me. For us. Just think Janner. To walk those roads without having to worry about a single Fang! How amazing that would be?" She said. "Okay now, out! I need to finish packing." Janner laughed and went downstairs. Leeli and Kal were already there and Leeli looked up at him. "I can't believe this! We are going back! I've wanted to go back for years!" She said cheerfully. "I can't wait!" Kal said. Janner smiled at his younger siblings. "I'm excited to." He said.
*later..*
The whole kingdom came to the dock to say goodbye to the family. It was very nice. Janner walked around the whole deck. He was so happy that his dream had come true! He was finally on a ship and he was having a good time! "It's going to be a long voyage." Artham said. "What is it like?" Maraly asked. "It's wonderful! So many people from so many places come to Glipwood to see the Sea Dragons sing. Remember last time we were there, Kalmar was looking right over the edge of the cliff and when the song ended he ran back because he was afraid of heights!" Leeli said as she laughed. Maraly looked at Kal. "Is that true? Oh Mighty King of Anneria." Kals cheeks turned red. "Well, it was a long time ago so I'm not sure." He answered shyly. "I remember you couldn't even fix the roof because of your fear. One time you kept dropping the hammer and it fell on my head!" Leeli and Janner were laughing so hard. "Alright that's enough. Stop teasing your brother." Nia said. "Did you all pack your best clothes for the day we arrive?" They all nodded and Sara said, "Shouldn't we save the best clothes for the dragon day festival?" Sara asked. They all looked at Nia. "Well, alright. But use then next best thing the day we get there." They all nodded. They were so excited to get there!
The next few days were a blur. It was full of excitement and worry. But mostly excitement. All they wanted was to get there as soon as possible. They couldn't wait! Finally Artham woke everyone up and said, "We will arrive today. The captain told me. Everyone get ready." Everyone was so excited to dock the ship and see Glipwood again. "Children, look at me. If the Dragon Day Festival is not around anymore, don't be disappointed. We can still stay in Glipwood and see old friends. If there are any left." They all nodded. They all knew that was a possibility but they never wanted to talk about it. All they wanted was to hear the dragons sing again and see Glipwood again. They got ready and they all waited on the front of the ship. Then they saw another ship, and another, and another! All from different places with different people. The Dragon Day Festival is still going on! They got closer and they saw it. They saw Glipwood. From there you could see the village a bit. Houses, stores, and eventually, people came into view. When the shop docked there was a huge crowd waiting to see the royal family. Then the crew got the ramp for them to walk on ready and they said, "Your Majesties, you are able to get off." They all told Nia to go first. So , she went down as gracefully and as elegantly as any queen would. Though she wasn't queen anymore, she was still as proper as ever. When the whole family got down, the mayor of Glipwood bowed and said to Kalmar, "Your Majesty, welcome to Glipwood. We were not expecting such a wonderful surprise!" "Thanks. We are happy to be here." Kal said. "Is the festival still going on?" Leeli asked. "Yes your Highness. We are all very excited. Please make yourselves at home." The whole family walked into town and when they saw it, they were shocked. Everything was exactly the same as they left it. Well, aside from a few new buildings where the old ones had been before the Fangs. That was another thing. The Fangs of Dang were not there. Not a single Fang hissed at a passerby or demanded they give them their money. Not a single face seemed sad or afraid. "I've never seen it like this." Leeli said speaking everyone's thoughts. "It looks so...so happy." Arundelle was  having a great time. She asked all sorts of questions and were very interested in the answers. Maraly reminded Artham and Sara about the time they spent in Glipwood with Gammon scouting and doing such things. They passed the Only Inn which was now owned my a new couple. They passed the jail which was now a hospital. Then, the Wingfeather's stopped I front of a familiar store. It was the exact same. No one had bought it in all these years. They stopped I front of Books and Crannies. The door was boarded up along with the windows. It looked so sad. Nia put her hand on Janner's shoulder and he walked to the door. He grabbed a board and he pulled. It fell off and he did that for the rest of the door. "Janner, I don't honk that's a good idea." Nia said but he ignored her and he went in. Kal, Leeli, and Sara followed. It was dark and dusty in there. Then they worked on taking off the boards from all the windows. Then the light came in. Sara gasped. "It's like the library back home! Only smaller." She said. Janner smiled and walked up and down the rows of books. It was like walking through his childhood all over again. He found his way to Oskar's desk. The quill was still in the ink, now long dried out. There was still paper in the desk and books in boxes that Oskar had not got around to putting up. They all walked out to where the others were waiting outside. "They need to fix that place up. Oskar would have been so sad to see this place like this." Janner said. They kept walking and Leeli said, "Why don't we go to our house? I know it burnt down but. I want to go see it." Nia thought for a minute and said, "Alright." They back through the village and down the road. Nia, Leeli, Kalmar and Janner were excited to see their old home but they new it would be sad. The whole family followed them and they stopped. Their in the tall grass, was a patch of dirt that was less consumed by grass. They knew that's where their beautiful cottage once stood. "The Igiby Cottage." Kalmar said. "Igiby?" Sara asked. "After my husband died in the war, we fled to my fathers old home. We took the name Igiby that way, Gnag would not find the Jewels of Anneria. Every called it the Igiby Cottage." They stood there in silence standing in the patch of dirt with few pieces of old wood and some broken, burnt furniture. "The barn is still here!" Leeli screamed. "Let's leave them alone for a while." Sara said to the others. They nodded and went back to town. Nia, Leeli, Janner, and Kal walked over to the barn and they looked inside. It was filled with cobwebs and it was full of dust. Janner laughed at himself because he remembered the time he feel into horse poop in that barn. Kal laughed at himself for being afraid to go up on that roof. Leeli walked to where the garden would have been. Now it was a patch full of weeds. Oh how her grandfather was proud of his garden. She could almost see it playing out in front of her. Her grandpa yelling because of the twaps that were stealing his vegetables. She would walk over to him and try to calm him down. She laughed at the thought. She missed her grandpa so much. Then Leeli turned and saw that Nia was standing where the house had been. She was on her knees and she had her hands in the dirt. "Janner. Kalmar." She said. They turned to look at her and she pointed to Nia. The siblings walked over to Nia and Janner said, "Momma? Are you alright?" She picked up the dirt in her hands and she let it fall slowly. She was trembling. "We should leave." Kal said. Nia shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I just, I'm remembering." They stood there in silence. Then Kal looked at Leeli and he nodded. Leeli took a deep breath and she played her whistleharp, which she had brought along. She played a song she had learned right here on this very land. Podo, her grandpa, taught her it. It was Wendolyn, their grandmother's, favorite song. Then when the song ended, Nia started to cry. "Let's go Momma." Janner said as he helped her up. They all walked down the road and back to the village. Somehow, Nia had recovered by the time they met with the rest of the group. "Can we go to my tree house?" Artham asked. "Of course." Nia replied as they went into the forest. "Janner. Is your mother alright? She seems sad." Sara asked. "I think she is. It's just that memories as flowing over us all." Janner replied. "I remember this place. I remember when I first met you. You were stuttering and acting all goofy. It was so cute." She laughed. Janner took her hand and smiled. "Well let's just say it was love at first sight." He said. He kissed her and then Kal said, "Hey will you hurry up, lovebirds?" They laughed and caught up to them. Artham and Arundelle weee at the front Leeli, Maraly, and Kal were behind them, Janner and Sara behind them, and Nia in the back. Janner said, "Why don't you catch up with my siblings and Maraly. I'm going to talk to my mom." Sara nodded and ran to meet the others. Janner slowed down and soon he and Nia were side by side. "I always wanted to come back but never thought I'd actually do it. All this time. Well, I always wanted to come and see the town again. The cottage. I wanted to come back and rebuild it. With, with Papa." Then Janner knew. She wasn't sad because the house was gone or because she missed the town, although those were a few minor reasons. She was sad because her father, his grandfather, Podo wasn't here to help her through. She had lost so much on her life. She was strong but being here again made the memories flow back like a wave crashing over her. "I'm sorry Momma. I wish I could help you. You've been through so much. I wish I could take all the pain away." Janner said. "No. It's okay. If Gang had not invaded the lands, we would not have fled here, we would not have lived at Chimney Hill in the Green Hollows, and you would never had met Sara. Though it hurts, if you really think about it, we have had a good life." Janner agreed and then they heard, "We are here!" Nia and Janner sped up and they saw a normal looking tree. They knew that Artham had found it though. After all, he lived here for years. "Come here Leeli. I'll help you up." He said. "I'm good." She said as she pushed pass him and gave him her crutch. She climbed up the tree using one foot. When she reached the top she looked down and said, "Well? Are you coming?" They smiled and climbed up. Artham gave her her the crutch back and they followed him on his bridges and branches. Leeli did need help a few times, even though she did not like it. Finally they made it to his house in the trees. He climbed up and he stood there. They all followed him and they saw that the tree house was more tree than house now. Artham ran around trying to see if anything was spared. Any journal that had not been eaten by insects amo we the years. He found none. He slumped to his knees and sat there. Arundelle walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder and he hugged her. They were all silent when Maraly started to walk around. She moved some leaves and said said, "I found a book! It isn't eaten!" Artham ran over to her and she handed him the book. He gasped. "This was my childhood journal." He said he flipped through the pages and laughed. "Look what I put here!" Esben won't leave me alone! He keeps taking my journals and my quills! He's so annoying. Why can't my little brother leave me alone for five minutes! All I want is some peace and quiet! Nia laughed and she looked at the book herself. Then she stopped. "This isn't like the rest of the handwriting." She said as she pointed to a page. It read, I know you are going to kill me. I know I shouldn't be writing on your journal but I locked myself in my room so I could write this. I just wanted to say that you are so cool. You are such an amazing big brother! I want to be just like you Artham. I'm so glad that you will be Throne Warden. I will feel safe having you there with me always. You are so amazing. I love you, brother. Sorry for stealing your book. Hopefully you don't kill me!
Your little brother,
Esben Wingfeather.

Artham stood there for a minute. "I've never seen that. I guess I must have missed it." He said. Nia looked at him. "He loved you so much, Artham. So much." After they looked around a bit more they went back to town to see if there were any rooms left at the Only Inn. There wasn't but a few nice families gave their rooms to them. "No please! You keep them!" Nia said but they insisted so the whole family had a place to sleep. At dinner, the family talked about how excited they were for the Festival tomorrow. Afterwards, they all went to their rooms. Maraly, Sara, and Nia had to share a room. There were two beds so someone had to sleep on the couch while Kal, Leeli, and Janner, shared another. Janner would sleep on the couch. Artham and Arundelle had plans to sleep in the tree house. "Are you sure?" Nia asked. "Yes. After all, I have a good share of experience with trees." Arundelle said. "Until tomorrow." Artham said. Before the rest of them went to bed, Nia said, "Goodnight everyone. See you on Dragon Day!"

Wow! Sorry that was soooo long. Once I start writing, it takes a lot to get me to stop. Lol. Hope you like it! Tell me what you think! Part 4 coming soon! Don't forget to check out my Outsiders Sequels! Thanks! God bless!
Stay Gold!