David prophesies the punishment that will fall upon him, stating "the sword shall never depart from your house." When David acknowledges that he has sinned, Nathan advises him that his sin is forgiven and he will not die, but the child will. In fulfillment of Nathan's words, David's son Absalom, fueled by vengeance and lust for power, rebels. Absalom's forces are routed at the battle of the Wood of Ephraim, and he is caught by his long hair in the branches of a tree where, contrary to David's order, he is killed by Joab, the commander of David's army. David laments
Son of a Witch thinks is dead but revives under his care. Holding the baby up to the rain to wash away the birth blood, she "cleans up green." Liir: The protagonist of the story, Liir is not a conventional storybook hero, being filled with self-doubt. Although the facts of his parentage are obscure (even to himself), it becomes clear that he is the son of Elphaba and Fiyero. One piece of evidence of this is that he can fly Elphaba's broom, which others (like Trism) cannot. Liir is described as handsome, tall with black hair and pale skin. He is fourteen at the