Damn this is making me want to write an AU for my own story, and it isn't even finished yet. Totally think this post should have gone in writing prompts.
So the best swap I can think of is with two of my main characters. The protagonist would have lived in a town that's relatively normal in that world, then left, only to find the second main character in a town almost completely cut off from magic and the rest of the world. Assuming their personalities didn't swap, only their backstories, the second main character would never have joined the protagonist on his journey, and would have lived a happy, normal life. Then, the protagonist would unwittingly cut off that town's only connection to the outside world and end up alone. Although in this universe his father left, his reason for the journey would still be the same: he wants to see the world. He would definitely die early on in the story, however, as he would be alone and less well-equipped than how the story originally went.
