True heroes are born out of tragedy. A man you failed to stop kills your grandpa and forces you to become more than you are. Your parents are gunned down in an alley and you have to rise up as a hero. Your planet blows up and you are forced to be the savior of a new one. You get the idea. Out of tragedy, a hero is born. Sadly, Ezra King has never come up against any tragedies . Ezra has lived in Reddington his entire life without suffering so much as a scratch. No broken bones. No injuries of any kind. Born into a plain family, Ezra managed to do all of the normal things that society expected of him. He graduated high school and moved on to graduate college. He worked in his field until he lost all motivation to move forward and pursue the life he had envisioned for himself. 

The thought was sudden. He remembered going to race go-karts with his family. Victor, the loving father and devoted husband, lead them in the fray. Madeline, the mother of the year, followed close behind being ever supportful. Chance, the eldest brother, drove fast. Always trying to catch up to and surpass Victor. Sarah, the middle sister, drove at her own pace. Then there was Ezra, and out of nowhere his go-kart stopped. No matter how hard he pushed on the pedal he didn't get anywhere. He remained stagnate as he watched his family get further and further away from him. They didn't seem to notice him, to busy focused on there own agenda. By the time they did notice he was missing it was to late. The race was over. 

That was how he always felt about his life. One moment he would be moving forward with all the fury of a hurricane. Every life he entered into was changed in a dramatic way. He had a way of inspiring the best in people. The next, he wasn't moving at all. 

At this very moment Ezra is lying on the floor of his bar, bleeding out.  It was partially his fault that he was stabbed. Nothing reminds you that your choices have consequences like a 6 inch blade in your shoulder. I could tell you who stabbed him. I could tell you exactly why Ezra King found himself in the situation he is in now. However, Ezra had to suffer through the pain of figuring everything out so you get to as well. A month ago Ezra was a bartender. He was working at the Broken Arrow, a place that he pasted by every day growing up in Reddington.

Reddington is a small town in the middle of Maryland. Its key features consist of a college, a river, and old money. Ezra had plans of leaving the farm surrounded sleepy town for the bright lights of New York. Or maybe the swamp parties of Louisiana. The sunrises of California. Even the abysmal heat of Texas would have been acceptable. Instead, he ended up spending the entire 24 years of his life trapped in a town that resembled something off of the Gilmore Girls. Everyone knew everyone. He couldn't do anything without someone telling his parents and siblings. Siblings who were doing very well for themselves. 

Chance managed to get the Chief of police spot he always wanted. Victor was a cop but could never quite get there. This move was one one-up of many on Chance's part. He had a car like his father's, only newer. He had a house like his father's, only better. He even managed to marry someone who was somehow more supportive than Madeline herself. For a 29 year old Chance was on top of the world. Sarah on the other hand had managed to escape to the vibrant greens of New Orleans, Louisiana. Once she was there she finished college and started a fashion & culture magazine. Not only did her ideas make her one of the youngest influencers of millennial fashion, but it also made her a treasure to the city. Somehow she made the already tourist trap of a city even more of a tourist trap. 

Because of Reddington's incessant need to gossip Ezra figured he could get ahead of the curve by being a bartender. Everyone manages to say something they shouldn't every now and again. And that chance raises when alcohol is added into the mixture. After only a year of being a bartender Ezra now had so much dirt on enough people he could burn this town to the ground if he wanted to. This knowledge also came with an added bonus, no one talked about him anymore. To many people were afraid of what he knew to test the waters, so they left him completely alone. In a way, this is what he wanted. A quiet existence with no one to bother him. That is when Alice entered his life.

Alice Sanders was a reporter from New Orleans who was looking for her big break. She finally got a story under her belt that would make her famous. She was going to interview the King Family. After months of rubbing elbows with anyone she could she finally got to meet Sarah King. After some light ass kissing, minor begging, and major persistence Alice was able to convince Sarah that a full expose on her and her family would be just the thing to help her fans connect with her more. That is how Alice found herself sitting in the Broken Arrow.

 "Rum and Coke." Alice said as she stared at emails.

"I'm sorry." Ezra replied as he cleaned a glass in the most stereotypical way. 

"Excuse me." She said.

"I don't even know who you are and you are trying to boss me around. I don't know where you think you are but Reddington doesn't work that way. I think you missed something."

"Rum and Coke. Now."

"Oooo, so close."

"Seriously, Ezra." She said as she stared at his name tag. "Are you always this annoying?"

"Only when I have to be." He replied as he sat the glass down. "So, we are going to do this one more time. 

"Rum and Coke," She replied while rolling her eyes. "Please."

"There we go miss..."

"Alice. My name is Alice."

"Nice to meet you Alice."

"Asshole." She whispered under her breath.