Xyldra was born to a wealthy merchant family in the thriving port town of Luryan, the captial of a small island called Leoran, not far off the northwest coast of Krawk Island. She was raised to be a proper young lady, but was often guilty of throwing off her oppressive clothing to go sport with the peasant boys in her underwear. The playful romps on the beaches and across the harbor were, in her eyes, far more fun than the upper-class parties and fancy dinners her parents forced her to attend.

Try as they might, her parents could not keep her in line. Eventually they relented, giving up their hopes of having a cultured daughter fit to marry a noble. With great reluctance, they let her be herself, simply deciding she would most likely never be wed.

It wasn't because she wasn't beautiful; no, not by any means. As she grew, she became stunning in her looks, with flowing black curls, full lips, alluring eyes and a well-shaped figure. The local boys she had played with as a child all doted upon her as she reached adoslescence, but she never gave them any promises, always finding it exceedingly difficult to pick just one.

When she turned eighteen, the very first thing she did was run to the local tavern to apply for a job. She was readily accepted, as saucy barmaids were always in high demand, and began work at once. It was there that she developed a taste for alcohol and gambling. She used some of the money she earned to buy herself a pirate costume. It was meant as a gag to get a chuckle or two out of her friends, but she soon wore the outfit everywhere.

She spent most of her time at the bar. When she wasn't serving drinks or pleasing the crowd, she was at a table with her feet up, challenging a group of older bargoers to a game of Armada or Krawps. She almost always won. From the day she won her first game, she picked up the pasttime easily. It wasn't long until she was beating even the most practiced of the seasoned regulars.

Yes, life in Luryan was good. She probably would have stayed there gambling, drinking, and carousing forever, if it hadn't been for one fateful day when a ship called The Fortuna sailed into port.

There was a great deal of commotion upon the ship's arrival, as the coal-black vessel plainly bore the telltale Jolly Roger that meant nothing but misfortune for anyone who saw it. However, the pirates on board made no attempt to pillage or disrupt the town, so they were allowed to dock.

Xyldra, who was twenty by now, was among the first to come rushing out of doors to see the ship. As she pushed her way through the crowd, she caught sight of a tall pirate Shoyru conversing with the mayor of Luryan.

She was intrigued at once. The Shoyru was dashingly handsome. He stood what looked to be an impressive 6'3" and carried himself like a king. His calm green eyes and shapely mouth were set off by a striking head of thick brown hair, tied back in a short horsetail. His clothes were those of a well-trained gentleman, and it was clear that this fellow had once been exposed to cultures more sophisticated than piracy.

Xyldra fell for him immediately. She vowed that he would not leave this port without her aboard his ship. Moving closer, she was able to catch a bit of the conversation.

Apparently, the pirate was known as Black John Flint. He was well known and respectble as far as pirates went. He had landed in a dire need of supplies, and agreed to form a bargain with the mayor. In return for a full load of provisions, Black John Flint and his crew would never raid Port Luryan. It sounded more like a threat than a bargain, which Xyldra liked. The Shoyru was a genius, working the mayor to his advantage, but doing it in a way that made him seem fair. She had to meet this man.

The mayor took the bait, predictably, and arranged for the ship to be stocked with the finest of goods. It was in this commotion that Xyldra took the opportunity to confront the captain. She did her best to impress him, and the two hit it off. Flint, impressed with the girl's vivacity, agreed to let Xyldra come aboard on his next journey.

With a brief and not-so-teary goodbye, Xyldra left her parents (who were frankly relieved to see her leaving with any male, even if he was a pirate), and embarked on an epic journey aboard The Fortuna.

Flint ant Xyldra spent most of their time together, enjoying the opportunity for intelligent conversation that each other provided. It was a much-needed solace on a ship full of uneducated pirates.

Xyldra soon learnt that Flint's real name was Anthony Mellington, the son of another well-to-do merchant. He was aged twenty-two, and had given up a cushioned life for the trials of a pirate at the age of seventeen. He had become captain of The Fortuna when he was just nineteen. He was a sensible fellow, with a good deal of respect and dependability not routinely found in a pirate.

It wasn't long until the two grew closer, and their feelings began to grow. They talked endlessly and flirted shamelessly, enjoying the equality of their rational yet fiery relationship. Flint fed Xyldra on the finest foods secured from their raids, and the two shared many a joke and many a secret.

Soon there was no doubting the passion between them. Flint and Xyldra declared their love for each other one balmy summer night at the prow of the ship, and it was not long after, on that very spot, that Flint proposed marriage.

This came as a shock to most of the pirates. The two of them, who had both declared many a time that their hearts would never be stolen, had fallen in love. It was accepted enough, but not without a good deal of head-scratching, empty stares, and frequent shrugs.

The wedding was to be held north of Mystery Island on a little unnamed island that would be relatively private. Not much preparation was made, as pirates are not known for their wedding planning skills. The ceremony was held under an old coconut palm grove on the beach. Predictably, there was much celebrating and drinking, which continued for several days. Flint and Xyldra spent the blissful time alone together on the opposite end of the island.

However, one day when Xyldra was alone bathing in the depths of the island jungle, the unthinkable happened. Black John Flint's longtime rival and most hated enemy, along with his bloodthirsty crew, discovered the joyful crowd by chance and a bloody, vicious battle immediately broke out.

Xyldra heard the noise, but arrived too late, just in time to see the enemy ship pull out of the harbor, leaving Flint's devastated crew to die on the beach.

Xyldra frantically searched the crowd until she found Flint. Cradling him gently, doing everything she could to hold back tears, she comforted him in his last few minutes of life. Before he died, he told her he wanted her to take his place as captain and lead what remained of his crew. Sobbing, she vowed she would do so or die trying, and cried on his shoulder as he took his last breath. It was the last time she ever cried.

There is not much that can break a pirate's heart. However, losing Flint broke Xyldra's. Devastated and empty, she did her best to gather those of the crew that were still alive. They readily accepted her as captain, not once questioning her ability to take the role. A ceremony was held at sea for Flint and the others who had died, and the beleaguered crew set sail to leave this awful place and never come back.

The years passed, and eventually Xyldra's heart hardened again. Though she never showed anyone her pain, it took ages for her to heal. Eventually, though, Flint was forgotten and The Fortuna sailed on.

It was a cold night in a shifty port town on Krawk Island that further altered Xyldra's life. She was visiting a bar when cries and the shots of guns were heard outside. She raced down to the harbor, fending off crazed attackers as she went. A riot had broken out and every soul around was fighting fiercely.

As Xyldra made it to the harbor, she gasped in horror. All five ships docked there were sinking into the water as they cracked and roared in a fury of fire. The Fortuna was already halfway sunken.

With a cry of agony, Xyldra fought her way out of the crowd, desperately pushing through to a quieter area from where she could escape to another town. She knew her crew couldn't have survived. If they had made it off the ship, they most likely would have been killed by the rioters, as none of them were as skilled with a dagger as she. With bitter tears, she let out a cry of utter despair and did not stop running until she had reached the nearest neighboring town.

From there, she as able to hitch a ride on a merchant vessel, using some of the negotiating skills she had learned from Flint, and worked as a deckswabber in exchange for room and board. The months out at sea with no one to talk to her gave her time to think. All her friends were dead now, and the merchants aboard the ship all shunned her for her seemingly plebian character. As a result, she felt very alone.

It was during these hours and days of solitude with no companion but her work that she began to think about why Fate had been so cruel to her. She thought so hard for so long that she began to decide that fate had not been as cruel to her as those she had known, loved, and trusted. It had been her fault that her friends had died.

With that resolution in mind, she quickly adopted a defense, covering her heart once more and adopting the motto "It's bad luck to have a woman aboard", believing that her mere presence caused great misfortune to her friends and enemies.

One day while scrubbing the decks, she saw a ship in the distance. A thunder in her heart and a deep longing in her soul befell her as she saw the ship hoist the Jolly Roger. As she watched the banner flap, silhouetted against the brilliant oranges and pinks of the sunset, she remembered her deep love of piracy and soon after found ways to relive it. In a sense.

And so she began a life of ship-hopping, spending the next ten tears aboard strange and random ships until a newer one suited her fancy. She never stayed long, being booted off because her unruly behavior was often even too much for other pirates to handle. She didn't care, though. She made a living gambling and freeloading, going where her wanderlust guided her next.

It is that that she does to this day. At the still-young age of thirty-four, she has already seen so much of what life has to offer, but that is not enough. So, she searches endlessly, tirelessly, for the thing that will fill the void in her heart that she is still not willing to admit is there.

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