Birds of a Feather

      "Dad, please don't tell us we're going to move to a different city in the desert", exclaimed Alamar grumpily to the Royal Boy Acara as they traversed the sandy dunes through a desert caravan.

     "Of course not, dear son", replied Ethan. "Why do you ask such a thing?"

     Alamar rolled his eyes. "Just in case..."

     "We're just going to visit this lovely city, that's all! Moving there would be too expensive... but being a tourist, not as much."

     "Where are we going, Dad?", asked Asriel, eager as usual.

     "To Qasala!"

     "Qasala?", asked Asriel. "The city ruled by King Jazan and Queen Nabile?"

     "Correct, dear."

     "That's awesome! I've seen a lot of pictures of it. It looks fancy. Well, Kheru is also really fancy. I think most cities in the desert I've looked into really enjoy the finer things in life."

     "Who wouldn't?", asked Anna. "I'm a simple person, but I relish wearing things that make me look stylish. That's what these people are into, they know their stuff."

     "Indeed", chuckled Ethan.

     The family of four later walked into the city of Qasala, and left their luggage in a hotel room.

     Qasala was known for its opulent buildings, fountains and luxuries. Being in such a place can overwhelm those not accustomed to these things - as for Ethan and his family, after having lived in many different places and seen all sorts of things... they weren't. There were many things to see and a lot to learn, so the four of them visited all they could, so, by sundown, they were already exhausted. They returned to their room and rested for the night.

     Having decided to stay for five days, they made sure they seized each and every one of them. This second day started off well - they went to eat at Qasalan Delights, and sat down chatting.

     Despite being immersed in the conversation, Asriel couldn't help but notice a young Pirate Eyrie sitting by himself near a fountain, reading a book. This lad looked... familiar, in an uncanny way. But he quickly returned to the conversation with his brother and parents.

     Still, as the day went by, as the family rested from their activities, he saw him again at the same place, this time noticing the sadness in his face. Asriel, being outgoing as he was, approached him. "Hello!", he beamed. "Are you okay?"

     "Who are you?", asked the younger Eyrie.

     "I'm Asriel, what's your name?"

     "I'm Amil. Nice to meet you."

     "Nice to meet you too. Listen, Amil, I can see that something's troubling you, and wanted to see if I could help somehow..."

     Amil blinked, then frowned. "Thank you. You're very kind, but, really, I'm okay. Just having a bad day, but things will be better, I'm sure of it."

     "I'm sorry about that, I hope things look up."

     "Yeah, thanks. I have to go." Amil then left, and Asriel returned to where his family was.

     "Who was that?", asked his twin.

     "A boy who seemed a little sad, I was trying to see if I could help him."

     "Oh, I see." Alamar shrugged. "Seemed shy. It's weird he's not with his parents, though."

     "Yeah. I wonder who he is... I feel like I've seen him before."

     "Well, a lot of people look alike."

     "That's true, but... hmm... I don't know. Gut feeling."

     "I getcha. Who knows, you might be on to something. Maybe you'll find out."

     "I can't tell if you're being supportive or sarcastic, Al", said Asriel, not amused.

     "Neither. But if you're so entertained... just be careful, since, as I said, he's young and should be with an adult, and you and I are less than a year away from becoming ones, and, people can think badly. If you comment this to mom and dad they'll say the same thing."

     "You're right. But I do want to help!"

     "You can't help everybody. Face it. But it's not bad to want to help, though. Just that sometimes you can't. We have three more days, so, maybe you'll be able to find out who this boy is and why he's sad. Or not. Pardon, but I'm just being realistic."

     Asriel sighed - his brother was right. His desire to help, along with his immaturity, often clouded his sense of judgement.

     All he could do was hope things improved for Amil, whomever he was.

     The following day, the third day of their trip, Asriel and Alamar walked together through the marketplace while their parents spent some time together.

     "It's nice to be older and be able to be on our own", commented Alamar. "I admit, I like this place." Asriel gasped teasingly. "Yeah, make fun of me all you want. But it's cool. It's also good to have money to spend on what we want."

     "Well, within a budget", said Asriel.

     "Of course, but we have money to spend. That's a good feeling. I wanna buy this fancy wallet I saw yesterday, I hope it's still on sale... what about you?"

     "I'm not sure yet. I'd want a mug, but those things are prone to breaking. Maybe a keychain or something like that...". As he was saying these things, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance - it was Amil, and he was accompanied by an older, stern-looking Desert Kyrii.

     "Ah, look", said Alamar. "Isn't that the boy from before?"

     "Yes! That must be his mom", said Asriel. "He seems to be in a better mood than yesterday. I'm glad."

     "Good. See? Things worked out for him in the end."

     "Yeah."

     Later, the boys kept walking through the city, and went inside a small cafeteria. While being there, Amil and the Kyrii walked in too, and Amil, at seeing the other Eyrie, waved at him from a distance, to which Asriel waved back. But then Asriel was surprised at seeing the pair approach. "Hi, Asriel!", beamed the younger Eyrie. "It's nice to see you again. Thank you, for yesterday."

     "Uh... hi!", said the other Eyrie, a little startled. "No problem."

     "This is my mom, I told her about you, she said she wanted to meet you."

     "Oh, hello", said Asriel. "Nice to meet you, um..."

     "Nida", said the Kyrii drily.

     "Mrs. Nida. Th-this is my brother, Alamar."

     "Nice to meet you both. Are you tourists? I've never seen you around before."

     "Yes. We live in Kheru. We came here with our parents", explained Alamar.

     "I see. Very well. And where are they?"

     "They're spending some time together, they allowed us to be on our own, as long as we don't lose track of each other", said Asriel.

     "And they allow that so easily?", asked the Kyrii. "You appear to be young."

     "We're 17."

     "Oh, I see. You're old enough to venture on your own. Alright, take good care of yourselves then. Enjoy your trip", Nida said before leaving with Amil.

     The twins remained silent for a bit, until the golden Xweetok asked his younger twin, "Um... yeah. That happened. What do you make of it?"

     Asriel blinked. "You think she's mad or something?"

     "No. She's just being a mother who's concerned about her son. You know how mum was when we were little. She still kinda is like that."

     Asriel chuckled. "Yeah."

     "She seems to be a stern, yet loving parent", commented Alamar.

     "She's also the King's mother", whispered the waitress that went to give him the bill, who had seen and listened to the last bit of their conversation.

     "Seriously?", asked Asriel, surprised.

     "Well, she definitely looks a lot like him", said Alamar. "I didn't think she'd be alive, however."

     "Oh, she very much is, as you could see", said the Peophin waitress. "She's fiercely protective of Amil and his younger sister."

     "But then why was Amil alone in the city square yesterday?", asked Asriel.

     The Peophin explained, "Hmm, boy does that when he's had a bad day, Lady Nida is aware, but concerned, about that, don't you think being a member of nobility is easy... despite his youth he's pressured a lot, but not by Lady Nida or the King, rather, by some of the court, I know how those can be because of what my husband tells me... He came here yesterday and we spent some time talking. I find it sweet he confides in me."

     Asriel frowned. "Oh. But at least he has you, that's good."

     "Yes. At least he looks better than yesterday, and he has a good relationship with his mum too."

     "That's good", said Alamar. "Well, Ace", he said after looking at the time on his phone, "We gotta go, Dad said to be back at 4."

     Evening came over the land, and Nida was now sitting on her bedroom's desk, reading a book. When her husband, a Silver Eyrie, walked in, she exclaimed, "Idan! I was waiting for you. We need to talk."

     "Of course, dear", he said, and sat down beside her. "Tell me, what's troubling you?"

     "When we met and you told me your story, I remember you said you had two children you never saw again because their mother left you."

     "Yes...? Why are you bringing that up, of all things?"

     "What were their names again?"

     "Asriel and Alamar..."

     "I think they were the ones I met today. Were they a white Eyrie and a Golden Xweetok?" Idan sighed, and nodded. "17 years old?"

     "Yes. That's the age they'd be now", he assured, sadness in his voice. "I assume they're well."

     "Asriel met Amil yesterday. When Amil told me that, the name sounded familiar, but thought it was just a coincidence. But today, at seeing them together... I thought I'd ask. I know you don't want to talk about this, but, wouldn't you want to reconnect with your sons?"

     Idan sighed. "Nida, I tried to find them. I searched high and low. But when I finally did, I found out they'd been adopted. A-and I figured, that if their mother had decided to leave me because of who I was... they'd be better off without me. And I still think they might be."

     "But you're not that person anymore", said Nida. "You've changed. Who knows? Maybe they'd want to meet you."

     "I don't think they know I exist at all. They've called "dad" somebody else for years now", cried Idan. "And that hurts, but that's reality."

     "Why don't you give it a try?", asked Nida.

     The fourth day of the family's trip, the family of four had lunch in the little Qasalan cafeteria. They were chatting happily, but then...

     Idan walked in with Nida and sat on a table far from the family, but where the latter was visible. Idan was incredibly antsy, and his wife asked, "Are they your sons?"

     "Yes. I'm sure of it." He sighed sadly, and added, "I'm glad they've grown up well and healthy... They look so happy." Nida placed her hand over his, and smiled at him comfortingly. Then, they ordered some coffee.

     Asriel, however, sensitive as he was, could feel the older Eyrie staring at him from across the room. His parents were distracted talking to each other, but Alamar, his twin, could notice his expression changed. He signalled to Asriel, asking what happened.

     "That Eyrie over there? I feel like I know him from somewhere...", he whispered to him.

     "Every Eyrie seems familiar to you now?", asked Alamar sarcastically, but then his own face changed. "Wait, I feel like I know him too. But who knows from where." He brushed it off, "Well, likely someone we saw once and his face stuck with us...".

     Their parents then talked to the twins. "Something wrong?", asked Anna, to which the twins shook their heads. Then, they kept on chattering and finished their meals.

     They spent the rest of the day in the plaza, and, given that some of the locals had a dance event going on, Ethan took his wife to that, while their children boredly watched them. But then something caught the twins' attention - it was this familiar Eyrie man and his wife again. They had come to this event to participate, but, at seeing his lost sons, Idan froze in place.

     The three Neopets stared at each other for a long while. "Um, hi", said Alamar. "Do we know you? Do you know us?".

     Idan frowned. "I do... but... I don't know if you remember me."

     "We both do", stated Asriel, "But we don't know exactly from where." The silver Eyrie swallowed. How was he to tell them? However, Asriel was observant enough to interpret the look on the man's face, and asked, "Are you our father?"

     "Wha... I- How did you-"

     "It was a wild guess, only that", explained the Eyrie. His brother was so dumbfounded that this usually dry and indifferent Golden Xweetok couldn't come up with a witty statement. That's why he seemed so familiar to both of them...

     Idan sat down near them, tears in his eyes, not being able to utter any word because of how overwhelmed he felt. Yet, Asriel empathised with him. "Hey... Dad... we know what happened."

     "H-how?", asked the Eyrie.

     Asriel continued, "It's a bit of a long story, but to make it short: a prince of Kheru said our markings resembled those of the Pyre tribe. Mum, a detective, investigated what those are. We found out about our biological mother - she was a princess who fell in love with a man from outside his tribe, a union never blessed by her father, and they had twin children... us... Mother fled from her tribe to be with you, but, her whereabouts were found by the guards and she was forcibly taken in by them with us. You were never seen again."

     "I tried to go after her... but... I could never get into the palace, and they didn't want me there. They hated me because I had "sullied" the royal family's descendants and your mother's reputation." Idan sighed, "Then... I heard news she had escaped, and I searched for you high and low, but... when I found you, you had already been adopted, and she had died of a terrible disease. I'm sorry... I know you probably hate me."

     "Hate you? No, Dad, please. What happened with our mother wasn't your fault."

     "I wasn't a good man back then. She had reasons to leave."

     "She was forced to leave you. She was desperate to save us. If things had worked out differently, well... but they didn't. But you're here - we're here. Isn't that important?" Idan begin tearing up, to which Asriel hugged him, tearing up himself.

     Ethan and Anna noticed this whole scene, and approached. They asked to Alamar, "What's going on?"

     "...that, that's our biological father, and Ace was telling him what you had investigated, mum", uttered the Xweetok, still in disbelief of everything. The Acara and Zafara stood there for a bit and watched without saying a word. "Oh, and his wife is also the King's mother, how about that?", continued Alamar, chortling weakly. Nida only raised an eyebrow at that last comment, and also watched the two Eyries cry their hearts out, her arms crossed, without saying a word.

     When they stopped, they noticed everyone's stares. Asriel began, "Um... mum, dad, I can explain-"

     "Alamar told us, don't worry", said Ethan, who extended his hand to the silver Eyrie. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ethan, and this is my wife Anna. What's your name?".

     "Idan. My, um, wife, um, is Nida."

     "We know. We've met her. She's quite lovely." The Kyrii only smirked coyly. "But we didn't know you were the King's mother - although now I can see the resemblance."

     "That's really unimportant to this whole situation", commented Nida. "Don't get me wrong - I love being the King's mother, as I'm proud of my eldest son, but I've grown to love not being the centre of attention, or... a trophy, as the King's father made of me... what's important is that these two boys have found their father. And that makes me happy." She smiled at seeing Idan caress the faces his two children kindly. "Say, since it's getting late, why don't you come with us to the palace so they can spend some more time together?"

     Ethan asked, "Us? Oh, no... it's alright."

     "Please, I insist. I like having guests and cooking for them."

     She insisted so much the couple ended up accepting her kind offer.

     The fifth and final day of the family's trip, they woke up early so as to pack their bags.

     "Ethan, you've been awfully quiet since yesterday", commented Anna to the Acara, who was organizing his suitcase. "Something on your mind?"

     "I...". He sighed. "Yes. You know me so well, darling. I'm happy Asriel and Alamar have found their birth dad. Found out they have other siblings. But..."

     "... you feel a little worried they won't treat you the same, since they know their biological father now?"

     "Is that selfish?"

     "It is, a tad, but it's also something that won't happen - they're not children anymore, you know. They're turning 18 in a couple of weeks, and are mature. So don't worry."

     Ethan sighed again, and nodded. "You're right, Anna."

     "Besides, you've been there for them - and isn't that what a real father does? Not that Idan wasn't there for them intentionally -poor man went through something, admittedly-, but you decided to adopt them. It was your decision I agreed with... Family is not necessarily blood relations. It's sometimes our own choice. I know that well since I don't get along with my biological family. My family is you and my friends."

     "Mum? Dad?"

     That was Asriel, who called - he and Alamar had been eavesdropping the whole conversation. "Everything okay?"

     Ethan sighed. "It is. Are you okay?"

     The Eyrie smiled. "Of course, why wouldn't we be? We're with our family, after all."

     This response made the Acara tear up. The boys came in and joined their parents in a warm embrace.

     And, later that day, the family of four made their way back home.

     The End.