“His father had often said that you had to build the entire boat in your imagination before picking up the first piece of timber.”

Edgar remembers advice from his father. Pa had the same level of intuition as Edgar. He could visualize the shape, abilities, and weight of his boats long before starting the builds. This ability continues in Edgar, and each time he needs to make a decision, he begins with a plan.

“He had found buried treasure, something worth more than all the gold in the world, and then he had lost it. Life stretched ahead of him, empty.”

After the Viking raid, Edgar contemplates his life without Sungifu and his father. His entire future revolved around his life with Sungifu. Now that his livelihood is gone and his love interest is dead, he feels empty. However, without attachments, his future is also filled with new opportunities. Thus, Follett foreshadows the adventures to come for Edgar.

“Edgar grieved for what he would never have. He would never marry Sunni, or raise children with her, or wake up in the night for middle-aged sex; there would never be time for him and Sunni to grow accustomed to each other, to take each other for granted; and he felt so sad he could hardly bear it.”

Edgar talks with his mother about her loss of Pa and his loss of Sungifu. In his quiet moments, he torments himself over the loss of his potential future with her. He will never experience the good or the bad of a marriage to her.