Jung-ho took in a deep breath, holding it as he tiptoed across the hallway, he knew that he he tried to fly out his mother would hear him. Curse how loud flying was...

He had his saddleback on, inside of it was small religious figures, a moth plushie that was given to him as a grub, and whatever won he could scrap up from his room.

His father was waiting in the fields, as he made the excuse of needing to check for the Giant Hornet nest. Stonefly believed it without second thought, as she probably just didn’t feel like looking at him anymore.

Once he managed to get to the front door, he stopped. He couldn’t help but think, ‘are we really coming back? Do I want to come back?’ He looked around the room, it was the kitchen...

So many sweet memories, cooking with his father, drawing with his older cousins on the ground as his father sung in their native language...

He knew that they were probably never coming back, and it hurt so much that they couldn’t.

Before he could change his mind, he quietly opened the door and sped out, leaving second thoughts behind. Running through the fields and whisper-yelling for his father, who ran towards him and pulled him into a protective hug.

“Let’s go,” he whispered, picking up Jung-ho and placing him on his back.

“Where are we going?” His son asked, burying his face in Netwing’s mane.

Netwing didn’t respond, starting to run down the trail, not going to fast to make sure his son stayed on his back. Eventually though, he gave an answer, “somewhere I should have taken you years ago.”

Then he quietly asked for Jung-ho to try and sleep, as he wasn’t sure how long it was going to take getting to their destination on hoof. Jung-ho yawned and mumbled, “ok papa...” and closed his eyes, somehow managing to drift off into sleep.

“Son, wake up, we’re here.”

Jung-ho woke up with a snort, rubbing his eyes as he squinted through the sunlight. How long had his father been running? The sun was starting to rise!

He was about to question this when his father gently set him on the floor, gesturing towards a small house. It looked simple but to be completely honest, it was in much better shape than Jung-ho’s family home.

He raised an eyebrow, “can we go inside?” Netwing looked around, hesitating before saying, “technically we can, but we’re not supposed to. But this is important to we have to, this is for your sake.”

“We’re breaking the law?!”

“I wouldn’t call it breaking the law, it only matters if we’re caught. In fact, you have a right to this place, now come on, nymph!”

Netwing led him inside, glancing behind him to see his son taking a few steps inside before asking, “are you sure we won’t get in trouble?”

“I’m positive, son! Now come in here,” he pointed at a room, it appeared to be a bedroom. Jung-ho peeked his head in, feeling more confused as he observed the abandoned room.

It was average sized, with a bed in the corner, a few religious figures were set on a dusty vanity. Though the thing that stuck out to him was the sketchbook that sat on the mattress, next to it was a dull pencil that had tape on it, as if it was snapped in half.

Netwing whispered for him to look at it, and curiosity got the best of him so he immediately fluttered over and opened the book. He was startled by just how intricate and detailed it was, the type of paint appeared to be water color, Jung-ho’s favorite type.

The first few pages were drawings of flowers, before eventually being beautiful portraits of changelings that Jung-ho didn’t recognize. That is until he saw a very familiar face, “is that...?”

“Empress Tsubaki? Indeed.”

“B-but, she looks so different in this. I mean compared to the portraits in the temples!” He wasn’t wrong, he specifically remembered seeing her paintings with pale grey skin, bright and shiny sapphire blue hair, and having thin ears.

Meanwhile in this drawing, she was a bit darker and her mane wasn’t as lustrous as it was rumored to be, but she was still beautiful! Just... not what the public thought of her.

It took him a moment to notice that her mane had holes in it, appearing as cobwebby as any peasants. It was weird to say the least, seeing someone who was held to the standard of a Goddess, look so much like him.

Then he saw there was writing on the side, he realized it was Ancient Changeling Runes, something he could speak but not read very well. So he asked his father to read it for him, who translated, “‘Tea Flower’, that’s what he called her since he couldn’t properly translate it in Thaydonese!” He let out a soft giggle as he saw what his son missed in the portrait, the little green kiss marks that were all over her.

“He?” Jung-ho repeated, looking away from the portrait.

Netwing replied with, “Park Seo-jun, also known as—”

“Mothball,” he interrupted with an unamused expression.

His father nodded, “this belonged to him, this house used to be his before Empress Tsubaki practically dragged him into her palace. Her poor wife was said to be furious about it but, what can you do?”

Jung-ho blinked a few times, rapidly looking around the room, as if piecing things together. “Do... I have to do with him?” Netwing frowned as he reminded him, “please know that I love you dearly, okay?”

“Okay...”

With a sharp inhale, Netwing confessed, “you’re not my biological son, or even your mothers..” silence filled the room, Jung-ho broke it with a laugh, confusing Netwing.

Then he waved him off saying, “very funny papa, I really thought you were serious for a second.”

He expected his father to also smile and laugh with him, but the serious look on his face said otherwise. “You’re... not joking?”

Netwing shook his head, “I’m sorry, son...”

Jung-ho didn’t know how to respond, he knew there were times where he thought of this possibility, even knew that it was impossible for him to not resemble his parents in the slightest but... he never wanted to hear it out loud.

After an even longer pause between them, Jung-ho whispered, “then... who are my parents?”

“Be honest with me, do you really want to know?”

“Yes! Tell me!” Jung-ho shouted, throwing the sketchbook at his false father.

Netwing sighed and opened the book, stopping at a specific page and turning it to face it towards him. Jung-ho felt his stomach drop as he saw who it was, Mothball and Empress Tsubaki.

“No... no no! You can’t be serious, they can’t be my—”

“I’m telling the truth, Jung-ho. Seo-jun never met you but Tsubaki saved your life, she gave you to us.”

Jung-ho slid off the bed and began backing away from him, “no!” Netwing continued speaking, “you’re the twin to Prince Hibiscus, your mother had to make a choice for who would take the throne after her. She chose him, but secretly sent you to us in a basket that was meant for rice seeds... she kept your survival secret from the public and Queen Ambrosia, her mother.”

“Stop talking!” Jung-ho snapped, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“She knew that if rice farmers raised you and not nobles or someone of higher power, her mother would never find out.”

Without another thought, Jung-ho bolted out the room and the house, ignoring Netwing’s protest for him to stop. He couldn’t stay here, he didn’t want to be here. His father was a Vietrotnese concubine and his mother was the Neighonese Empress, meaning he was born a bastard to two different changelings.

He was the definition of dishonor.

Author's Note

Here are the portraits!