The story reveals that Nessarose may be the child of Turtle Heart, the Quadling glassblower who resided with the Thropps, and that she may have been born without arms as punishment for her mother Melena's infidelity to Frexspar. Frex confesses as much to Elphaba after Nessarose's death, adding that he and his wife Melena loved Turtle Heart equally. The implications of that statement are, however, never fully developed. It is because of the questionable parentage of Nessarose that Frex loves her more than Elphaba, as if the younger daughter had been conceived by the love that both he and his wife shared with Turtle Heart. Nessarose dies not knowing the debate over her parentage, or that her perhaps-father Turtle Heart was viciously sacrificed in a ritual similar to the ones she allowed her people to conduct. However, in "A Lion Among Men", the family trees confirm that Frex is indeed Nessie's father.