ELPHABA HAD NEVER CONSIDERED HERSELF EXACTLY MOTHERLY. Actually becoming a mother had not altered that self-perception in the slightest. Her sister had been her charge when they were young, had been the focus of all her warm, caretaking feelings, and all of Oz knew how THAT had turned out : With her sweet Nessie a zealot and tyrant, so reviled that Munchkinland had celebrated when a farmhouse crushed her. Liir, then, was already at a natural disadvantage, with her as his mother. Poor, sorrowful creature.
You need to calm down, she almost snaps. But that had never worked when someone said it to her, had it ? It stands to reason, therefore, that the same phrase, which had only ever increased her agitation, would have the same unhelpful impact upon him.
❝ Take a deep breath, ❞ she counsels instead, feeling utterly useless. The ground around her feet trembles with the impact of his magic ( So like hers, really, it's even fucking green, how could she ever have doubted the boy was truly her child ? ), but she holds firm, even kneeling down to his level. ❝ Look at me, Liir. You need to focus, you can't let it control you. Are you listening ? ❞
