Prologue
John Silver and his mates let out a mighty cry as they jumped off of their airship, swords aloft. The town sprawled before them lie in ruins now, billowing black smoke rising into the dusky orange sky. Debris was scattered everywhere, and bodies littered the broken streets. The pirates flooded the walkways, shouting and pillaging. It had been a relatively good day. There may not have been as much loot as they'd originally thought, but they didn't take any casualties themselves and all rebellion was more than easily squashed. It wasn't long before night had come and gone, and morning was taking its hold in the sky again.
While his men pillaged a couple of houses, Silver made his own way towards another, a little further down the street. This one was half collapsed, and more debris was sliding against it's roof. He stepped over the fallen, crushed door into the dilapidated living room. Some of the furniture was overturned and ruined, the drapes torn down from their perches in the windows. Pots were smashed and upholstery was torn up. The pirate frowned at the house; something else had attacked this house, and not just his own mates. Even his boys weren't this messy. Had someone been in here looking for something? He shifted his weight off of his peg leg, surveying the damage with his golden cyborg eye. It looked like an animal had been let loose in this room while it's masters looked for whatever it as that they were searching for.
A sound caught his attention and he whirled, pistol drawn in his mechanical hand. A large supporting beam blocked the source of the noise from his field of vision. Frowning, he edged closer, carefully. It sounded like a soft, muffled animal whine, like it was hurt. He set a hand on the beam, ready to shove it forward if anything moved, and he peeked carefully over the charred wood. A woman lay on her side, her hair mangled over her face, her dress torn and bloody. Silver wasn't particularly startled or surprised to see the body; some people died in raids. She had a bundle under one arm, covered by a half-charred, blood-smeared apron. Something moved under it, but slowly, like it had little energy. The soft whine came again, slightly louder this time. Old Silver rounded the beam and knelt awkwardly next to the woman's body, watching the moving bundle. He reached a beefy hand down and grabbed the apron, pulling it back from the source of his curiosity.
A pair of huge, bright blue eyes stared back up at him, framed by small, soft locks of thin black hair and pale skin. For a moment, the old pirate was stunned. He frowned a bit as he looked down at the tiny being, scooping it up in his large, meaty hand. The baby returned his intrigued stare, flabbering its lips together at him. After a moment, the baby seemed to make up its mind and it reached out its tiny hands for him. It grasped at his huge nose, babbling. Silver had never been good with babies, nor had he ever had to handle one. He returned his bionic hand its former state and poked the child's slender belly gently. The baby let out an unhappy burble. The baby was unusually thin, and as he looked down at the woman, he realized she was incredibly slim as well. Had they been malnourished? As he regarded the child, he saw her bulbous eyes drift closed, letting off a soft mutter as she curled up in his hand, sucking on her knuckle.
Regarding her sleeping form, old Silver found himself unable to leave her. Not even raise his hand to extinguish her tiny light. What was he to do? He couldn't take care of a baby, most especially amongst a group of rowdy pirates. He didn't even know how to. But as he looked down on her tiny, sleeping face, he just couldn't leave her, not even with a different couple. She was orphaned now, and he felt responsible for the miniscule being in his hand. If he was indeed responsible for her parents' end, then he should be responsible for her upbringing. He brought her close to his chest, covering her with the lapel of his huge coat. Her soft snores were muffled by the thick, coarse fabric, but she didn't seem to mind as the pirate limped his way out of the house.
The return to the ship was a quiet one for Silver, a protective hand over the bulging breast of his coat. His men regarded him in silent curiosity, but decided not to ask, not yet. They boarded the ship and then the noise really broke out. They rejoiced loudly, hooting and whooping, throwing hats into the air in celebration. Silver smiled a bit, trying to relax, but then his heart skipped a beat when a soft wail emitted from under his coat. The nearest crew mates turned, confused, their eyes trained on the hand covering the large lump under his coat. He shifted uncomfortably as more eyes turned to him. He peeled the heavy fabric back to reveal the small human child and the crew gaped at him. He snarled at them.
"What? It ain't any business of yers what I do." He said, cradling the wailing child in his meaty arm, "Now, can ye keep it down? She be tryin' to sleep!"
He turned and headed into his cabin, leaving a stunned crew behind. He made a small nest of course blankets for the child and sat her in it. Eventually, she settled as he talked to her, trying to soothe her. She took to trying to wrap her tiny hands around his little finger. Silver couldn't help the smile that touched his drooping lips.
"Ah, don't ye worry about them, lassy. Old Silver here's gonna take care a' ye," the pirate soothed as she kicked at his palm playfully, "But we needin' to be findin' a name for ye…" he rubbed his chin with his mechanical hand, racking his brain for a name. Then his face brightened, "How 'bout Leanne? Yea, I rather like that. Leanne. Leanne Chardonnay Silver. No, not Chardonnay…too fancy…and I don't think many name babies after drinks. Serena? Nah…you know what, lass?" He asked the baby, "You'll just be Leanne Silver."
