In Liir’s memories, as he rose from Southstairs and emerged into the star-filled night, he felt like himself for the first time. Without knowing who his parents were, Liir had always struggled to define himself, but in this moment, he felt his own “Liirness.” He looked down at the city, seeing the Emerald City at the heart of Oz and realizing that at its center was the malignant Palace of the Wizard.

The next day, he returned to Glinda’s home, where a servant told him that Glinda had retired to her country estate with her husband, Lord Chuffrey. The servant demanded that Liir return the borrowed clothes, then said that no one knew when Glinda would return. Once again wearing his tattered rags, Liir attended a unionist service at a nearby church but was soon kicked out by an usher who believed he was a pickpocket.

Liir spent days searching for Nor and hunting for scraps of food or a job, but he had no luck. Eventually, he wandered to the barracks of the Home Guard. For days, he stayed by the field, playing gooseball with soldiers and other children. One day, a soldier told him how to enlist. Liir followed these instructions and soon found himself housed and employed, peeling potatoes and working in the kitchens.

Liir saw Commander Cherrystone again, but the man had no news about Nor. Liir questioned other soldiers about her, spreading a rumor of the “magical” Hogs who escaped Southstairs, but no one knew where the corpses ended up. Winter arrived, and Liir fed the men who were working on a construction project. Because of the rising unrest and the threat of war, Liir assumed that the men were building a barracks, but the building was eventually consecrated as a basilica.

During Lurlinemas, an old pagan holiday, Liir attended services at the new basilica, where the minister railed against pagan beliefs and magic, even mentioning the story of the “magical” Hogs whose corpses were dumped in Pauper’s Field. Liir made plans to visit the field once the weather warmed. When that day came, Liir asked the poor people in the fields if they knew anything of Nor, but no one did. When he returned to the barracks that night, Liir lost faith in finding Nor or helping Princess Nastoya.

Time passed, and Liir spent his days drilling as rumors of possible conflict grew stronger. One day, he was assigned palace duties and accompanied Glinda and her husband to the Palace, where they were to be officially thanked for ruling Oz. Liir was disappointed when Glinda did not recognize him, so he decided not to ask her about Nor. During the ceremony, Liir watched as the new ruler, a drunken Scarecrow was escorted in. (This was not the same Scarecrow who accompanied Dorothy.)

Years passed and Liir grew into a lonely, solitary man. He did not cultivate strong relationships with his fellow soldiers, and he often volunteered for duty during holidays. Eventually, Liir’s company was activated, though they were not told where they would be going. The night before they shipped out, the company had some free time.

Liir went to a tavern, where he encountered the same soldier who told him how to enlist years ago. The soldier introduced himself as Trism bon Cavalish, a Minor Menacier in husbandry for Development of Defense. Liir listened, but when his drinking caught up with him, Trism decided to escort him home. As they stepped out of the tavern, a carriage nearly crashed into them, and Shell jumped out.

Shell recognized Liir and was astonished that he had managed to escape Southstairs. An agitated Liir questioned Shell on Nor’s whereabouts. Shell was unsure, but he suggested that Nor might be in Shiz, the university city, then offered Trism and Liir his carriage. Remembering Shell’s actions in Southstairs, Liir refused. Trism hailed a cab, and while they waited, Liir saw graffiti that read, “ELPHABA LIVES!” He wondered where Shiz might be located.

The next morning, Liir and his company marched out of the city, singing nationalist hymns. Commander Cherrystone refused to tell them where they were going, but it soon became apparent that they were marching towards Quadling Country. During their journey, Liir heard gossip about Trism. Some of the other soldiers believed that he was in charge of breeding and training dragons as a new defense force. The inspiration came from Elphaba’s flying monkeys and a page of the Grimmerie that had been found in the Wizard’s Palace.

As the company moved into the humid, swampy Quadling Country, many soldiers complained. Liir reminded them that Quadlings had lived here until the Wizard had driven them out in his hunt for rubies. Captain Cherrystone finally revealed that they were heading for Qhoyre, the Quadling capital. The Viceroy and his family had disappeared, and this new force was to establish order.

The soldiers moved into the Government House upon arrival. As time went on, some learned the language of the Quadlings and even began relationships with local women. The soldiers reopened a school and helped restore public works. Liir became Commander Cherrystone’s assistant, and when they heard from the Emerald City that they were being too lax with the Quadlings, Commander Cherrystone began plotting a conflict.

He asked Liir to collect information about the settlement of Bengda. It was a town built entirely on a bridge, and its inhabitants would exact a tax from boats crossing under it. Commander Cherrystone assigned Liir to find out how far the Bengdanis could be pushed in increased taxes before they rebelled. When Liir reported that there was no limit, Commander Cherrystone plotted to burn down both the town and the bridge.

Moving quickly, Liir gathered soldiers and set out with buckets of tar as night fell. They floated down the river until they reached Bengda, and while the town settled in for the night, Liir and his team painted the support beams of the bridge with tar and set it on fire. Despite some resistance from soldiers, Liir reminded them that it was their duty to follow orders. They then made a hasty retreat before witnesses of the crime appeared.

However, as flames trapped the Quadlings on the bridge, Liir and his soldiers stopped to watch. One family flung their daughter off the bridge and into the water to save her. Liir saw thatch floating down from the fire and perceived the shape of some unreadable letter in the debris. Overwhelmed, Liir jumped into the river to save the girl, telling his men not to wait for him. He did not find her.

When Liir returned to Government House, the security was tight and the soldiers were celebrating. They invited Liir to join them, but Liir went to his bunk, retrieved the broom and Elphaba’s cape, and fled, making his way north into the Vinkus. One day, when he stopped for a nap, he dreamed that he was sitting in the tree above him, and he saw a strange man appear, holding the Grimmerie.

Two months later, Liir arrived at Kiamo Ko, finding it run down. Chistery greeted him, and Liir also visited Nanny, who was bedridden and losing her senses. She revealed that even Elphaba did not know if Liir was her son. Nanny explained that Elphaba had been in a coma at the mauntery for some time, and when she woke up, Liir had simply been there. Nanny also told him of Elphaba’s family, admitting that she never liked Shell.

Liir stayed at Kiamo Ko for some time, caring for Nanny and repairing the grounds with Chistery. When a Swan arrived, injured after an attack, she informed them of a Conference of Birds. She could not name her attacker, but she assured them that there was a rising threat to everyone in Oz. She was a Princess of the Swans, and before dying, she asked Chistery, who could fly, to take her place at the conference. He told Liir that the Swan was carrying a message stating that all creatures of Oz must unite to resist the growing threat of the newly installed Emperor. Chistery did not intend to go.

Liir visited Elphaba’s old room and found an old pair of Fiyero’s boots. Inside was Fiyero’s rudimentary drawing of Nor, which Liir took. He also found a glass orb that showed him visions when he breathed on it. The first vision was of Elphaba and Fiyero, together in the Emerald City. The second was of Elphaba furiously flipping through her Grimmerie before departing on her broom.

Knowing that Elphaba would want to help the birds, Liir decided to take Chistery’s place and deliver the Swan’s message to them. As he flew, he noticed something flying above him. Under the jackal moon, Liir flew lower in hopes of evading his pursuers, but he was eventually surrounded and attacked by a group of dragons that took his cape and broom, causing him to fall to the earth.