York Line's Backstory

        He was seven years old. He was playing with the other kids in his village. It was a game of Archball. It was a smaller sized ball than used for pitchball and instead of a Diamond based field it was a rectangular one. You had to kick the ball with the arch of your foot and try to make it into one of the elevated rings on the other side of the field. The other team would try and stop you from making it in. 

        His team was losing. York didn't want to lose. Every time he was put on the losing team. He was sick of it. All that he wanted was to win at least once. He needed to score to do that. His team was made up of all the younger kids. All of the older kids ganged up against them. He didn't have a chance at winning, but he wasn't about to give up. 

        As he went to take the ball and score, one of the kids shoved him out of the way and to the ground. Something in that moment snapped inside of him. Right as all of their mothers came out to call them in for dinner, he felt a warmth spread through him. His hand reached out towards the boy that pushed him as he fell. A red spiral of flame shot out, engulfing the boy. 

        York was terrified. The boy screamed, gathering the attention of all of the mothers. The parents ran out screaming for help. York's mom ran out with a blanket. She raced past her son and to the other boy, but the fire didn't stop there. While his mom worked to help the poor boy York's panic triggered another burst of fire to shoot out from his hands. It caught onto the dead grass and spread quickly to all of the houses. 

        It all happened faster than anyone could stop it. In a few seconds the fire had started burning all of the nearest houses and was jumping to all of the other ones. His heart pounded as he watched his mother look back at him. Her eyes were wide and her hands were shaking. He knew that he would never forget the look on her face after that. 

        She was terrified of him. He had just doomed their whole village and possibly killed that boy. On top of all of that he would be sent away to be killed for his Aatma. He knew it. His mother and the other boys all backed away from him. He couldn't stop the tears from swelling in his eyes. His own mom was scared of him. She looked at the still boy wrapped in the blanket then back at her son. She stood up carefully and took a step towards him. 

"York," She warned. His eyes darted around him. The men had come in from the fields. All of their eyes were on him and he noticed that they were all stepping towards him. "York, you need to calm down." Her voice was oddly quiet. He didn't know if her eyes darted to the fires around the village or the men, but she was still terrified when she looked back at him. 

"Mom!" He cried. He started running towards her, but she took a step back. She didn't want him. She was scared of him. "Mom?" His voice cracked. 

"York." Slowly she put her hand down and took a cautious step towards him. She kept walking closer and closer with small steps. "Come here,"

        Her eyes darted to the fires again. She could have nodded or it could have been a small twitch. He raced towards her, ready for one of her warm hugs. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and she held onto him as tight as she could. He could remember how shaky her breath was and how he could hear her heart beat. 

"There's my little trooper." She whispered. "It's okay, it's going to be okay baby." 

        He remembered how she ran her hand up and down his spine and how she kissed his cheek before picking him up. He buried his head into her shoulder and started crying. His mom hushed him, swaying gently as she walked. She kept telling him everything would be alright. She kissed his cheek and held him as tight as she could. 

"I love you my little trooper." She whispered. "Promise me you'll stay my little boy." 

        He nodded and held her tighter. He wasn't going to let his mom go and he knew she wouldn't let him go. He took a deep breath, smelling the citrusy smell that came from her. Between her loving hug and the calming smell of her perfume, he started to relax and with it the fires started to disappear. She ran her fingers through his hair always starting at the back and combing up towards the front. 

"That's my little boy." She told him.

        Everything was good again. He wasn't scared of himself anymore and his mom certainly wasn't scared of him. She kissed his neck and stopped walking. York was starting to feel sleepy. He yawned and cuddled closer to his mom. She shifted her arms around him, covering his small body more and turning him away from the footsteps that were coming closer. He picked his head up for a moment. 

"Mom?" He asked. 

She only hushed him. "It's fine little trooper. Just stay calm for me, okay?"

        He nodded and went back to trying to sleep. The footsteps walked forward again, sounding really close and really heavy. Just like Mr.Beedle's footsteps. He picked his head up again, but his mom pushed it down and held him tighter. Almost as if she was scared he would fall out of her arms. She took a step back away from the heavy footsteps. She still managed to hold him tighter even though he didn't believe that she could have possibly squeezed him any tighter. He wrapped his arms around her neck a little bit more. 

"It's okay Mommy. I won't fall." He told her. "You won't let me fall." 

"I know baby. I know." She whispered very quietly. "Just keep holding onto mommy okay?" 

"Okay." He held her even tighter just as she did. 

        The heavy footsteps sounded really close now. York noticed how his mom started shaking. She turned him slightly away from the footsteps. She swallowed and hushed him even though he didn't make any sound. A big man cleared his throat loudly. York thought he heard his mother whimper. Her voice came out a little less than a super small breath. 

"Mr.Beedle," She said. "He didn't do any harm, he's just a good little boy." 

        Oh no! Mr.Beedle! York dug his head into his mother's neck. All of the kids were scared of Mr.Beedle. If he saw you doing something wrong he would yell at you and sometimes even take you away. York felt his mom hug him a little tighter, running her fingers up and down his spine. York didn't want to see Mr.Beedle. 

"Look around Lidi! Look at what that thing did!" Mr.Beedle shouted. His voice was very deep and got really loud. "He destroyed over half the village! And he killed Jane!" 

        York's mom took a step back. All of the kids had now ran back to their mother's. Only Jane-the boy who caught on fire-was still there with his mom holding his hand and crying. She shouted curses at God. 

"He didn't mean to! He's just a little boy. York didn't mean any harm-"

"Any harm? DIDN'T MEAN ANY HARM?" Mr.Beedle shouted. "Look at what he did! The village is burned! MY SON IS DEAD! Are you insane woman! Your child is a monster!" 

"HE IS NOT A MONSTER!" His mother shouted. She stepped away from Mr.Beedle a little more and held York just a little bit tighter. "He is just like any other boy here! He plays around and he likes sweets just like Jane!"

        Mr.Beedle stormed forward. York looked back to see the man's deep red face. He raised his hand as he advanced. York's mom tried to retreat, but she couldn't escape before the loud SMACK! York heard his mom cry. She dropped to the ground, still clutching York to her chest. He kept his arms wrapped around her neck. 

"HE IS A MONSTER! HE KILLED MY SON! Give me that-" Mr.Beedle's rough hands grabbed York by the waist and started pulling on him. York's mother screamed and pulled back, keeping her tightest grip on her son. "LET GO WOMAN! YOU MAD WOMAN!" He shouted at her. 

"Mom!" 

"Let my son go!" She screamed.

        York felt himself being ripped away from her. He held onto his mom as tight as he could. He didn't want to be ripped away from her and he didn't want to go with Mr.Beedle, but he could feel his mom's grip slipping away. She wouldn't let him go. He knew she wouldn't. He shut his eyes and held on with all of his strength that he could. 

        The warm rush from earlier returned. It spread through him for a moment before shooting through his hands. His mom screamed as the fire hit her. Her grip slipped from York. She tried to hold on and York did too, but Mr.Beedle tore him away muttering curses that York knew God wouldn't approve of. York was dragged through the dirt away from his mother. 

"MOM!"  He screamed.

        Mr.Beedle held York around the wrist and jerked him. He watched his mom try to grab for him. She managed to get a hold on his shirt. She held onto it tightly. Her eyes were full of tears and she did everything she could to hold on. She pulled, getting Mr.Beedle's grip to slip a little bit from York's arm. York stared at his mom. He reached out and grabbed the sleeve of her dress.

"Mommy!" Cried little York. 

"York!" 

"Bah! Let go you mad woman!"

        Mr.Beedle pulled on York so hard that it hurt his little arm. York and his mom shouted for him to stop, but Mr.Beedle was not nice. He grabbed York by the waist and tugged on him with all of his might. York's shirt ripped as he was torn away. York screamed as loud as he could and tried to fight back, but Mr.Beedle was too big. He carried York away from the village and towards the woods. 

        Even from there York could hear his mom screaming for him. He kept his eyes on the village, screaming for his mom. She had to come for him. She always did. He waited to see her. Mr.Beedle met two people at the edge of the forest. Mr.Beedle said something that York didn't listen to. He had to see his mom. He needed to see her. Then he saw her. She was running as fast as she could, screaming his name. 

"MOM!" He shouted. He reached out for her. "MOM!"

        Mr.Beedle thrust him towards the people. York watched them hand him back a brown sack that clicked. Then he was pulled backwards into a wagon. He kept his arm reaching out for his mom, calling for her. He could see that she was almost there. She ran past Mr.Beede. York tried to fight the man in the white coat who was trying to get him into the wagon. York wasn't big or strong enough. He was forced into the wagon. 

"Mom!" York shouted.

        He reached out for her as the wagon started moving. He pounded on the glass. She wasn't fast enough to save him and he wasn't strong enough to get back to her. He never saw her after that. The man in the white coat and the woman that sat in the wagon with him told him their names. He only remembered that one was a doctor and that their last name was funny. They said they were the Lions. He never liked them until he met the Empress.