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\viewkind4\uc1\pard\qc\f0\fs20 "For the Sake of Courage"\par
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Zelda Series\par
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-- Finnis Lavendorf\par
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Note to reader -- This would be my first Fan Fiction and would wish that you have mercy upon it's textbased soul. :-) \par
Oh.. and please no distribution without my permission. But that's not very hard to get just visit my site at http://www.geocities.com/finnis_lavendorf/index.html\par
If this is on any other page without it acredited to me please e-mail me at [email protected]\par
Thnx and I hope you enjoy the story.\par
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\tab Link awoke as usual one morning by his campsite in the woods. Alittle sore but full on energy he is ready to start the day with sword in hand. No, as you may have guessed it he is not a normal person. No... he's alittle more. One distinct sign is the glowing emblem on his hand. His ever constant reminder of who he is. The chosen one. The picture of three triangles, placed together so that an upside-down triangle is created in the center, with one of the three right-side up trianlges glowing extra brightly. A figment of the tri-force. An omnipotent source of power still shrouded in mystery. With his sword, bow, and handfull of... heh... gadgets, he starts his day.\par
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\tab As of now he has been wandering in the lost woods for quite some time now. He occasionally sees a moblin or two and disposes of them quickly but that not what he's looking for. He passes through the forrest looking around at the lovely trees many times bigger than houses and smells the sweet aroma of fresh mushrooms on the side. He finds it incredibly hard to believe that such a beautifull and seemingly pure place can conceal such wicked corruption and evil. He shoos his thoughts on the subject and continues through the forrest.\par
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\tab He comes up to some ruins but suspects nothing important. He's seen many like this so far and inspection seems to be futile. But nevertheless he goes and looks for openings and passeges. Suddenly a disturbed spirit envelopes him. He feels the presence of evil and readies the sword in it's sheath. He knows not what awaits him. He continues to rummage throught the old ruins and stumbles upon a grand passageway. Smiling as he begins to head in, a harsh realitly siezes him. He is struck on the back with the butt of a spear and falls foward narrowly missing a rock that would have split his stomach. He gets up groggy but instantly snaps into awareness and grabs his sword and faces his attacker. He sees a moblin commander and his stomach turns. These creatures seems to be more trained and stronger than the traditional one. Instead of jumping at him he waits and steadies his feet. The moblin, understanding the situation, pulls out a short bow and clumsily nocks an arrow. Poising to fire Link jumps and rolls to the side throwing off the moblins aim. Picking up a rock in the process he hurls it at the commander's bow breaking the top half off.\par
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\tab The moblin, infuriated, grabs his spear and lunges at link. Link prepares to parry but is caught off-guard at the moblins tactic of using it as a quarter staff. Link hasn't had much experience fighting such polearms so takes a defensive attitude. The moblin swings the spear right above Link then brings the butt through the same area causing the bladed end to come at high speed toward Link's knee. Anticipating the final move Link bends his knee sharply and then throws his body into the moblin sending them both rolling. Link thows himself up immediatly and just in time for the the moblin to recover Link begins to try a multiple hit streak starting with hitting the spear right in the center but is surprised when the spear snaps right in half!! "Boy, these guys are not what you'd call expert craftsmen are they?" Link mutters as he recovers and jumps back away from the moblin who is seriously ticked now. The moblin now runs right at Link, who upon seeing the bloodshot green eyes swings the sword at the moblins neck. The moblin however, totally sacrifices it's hand by grabbing the sword and holding it there with amazing strength. At this the moblin then thrusts his other palm upward at Link's ribcage. Winded link pulls away but finds the moblin grip on the sword is at strong as ever. He then, in a rush of adreniline hits the arm that has hold of the sword, in the elbow, breaking the arm in half! Using the recoil Link aims the sword to slash throught the moblins chest causing at fatal blow. The moblin falls on his knees and lets out a defening roar before link sends it's head flying like a baseball. \par
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\tab After shortly recovering, Link continues deeper through the cavern hoping for the best. Link,however, tells from writing and hyroglyphs on the walls that this cavern contains no direct minion of the evil Ganon or artifact to help conquer him. Dismayed, Link heads out of the cavern and is greeted by light. This light is not from the sun however but from another source. Link squintes his eyes as he views an imbodyment of a young girl. \par
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\tab "Help me," she coos in a nice soft voice. "Someone please help me."\par
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\tab "What is it?" says link partly not believing his eyes. "Are you trapped?! Is someone holding you hostage?\par
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\tab "Yes, please enter this cavern. Help me. Save me."\par
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\tab With these rather general requests Link, without second thought, turns around and continues into the cavern. He is determinded to save her. "What could she be in there for though?" he thought, "and how did she talk to me? She must have telepathy like princess Zelda does. But I thought only Zelda had this special power..." Still wondering on the subject he comes to a new room which is rather large but can clearly see another door on the other side. \par
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\tab He becomes completely disoriented in this new room. He sees switches all over, pads on the ground what can be depressed when weight is applied. He learns this becaue right ahead of him he sees one and carefully steps on it to feel it sink into the floor and a large noise is beheld. He's not sure what it is but he can walk straight across the room and try in every way to open the door but finds it locked. He knows he must solve the puzzle of the switches. He looks around the room and finds 7 switches. One of which he already pressed and is by the door he came in. He sees the last six along the room at all four corners and right in the middle inbetween these four by the wall. Positioned like the pockets of a pool table.\par
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He steps off the narrow path he followed to get to the opposite door and the entire room seems to begin rumbling and the gound falls out beneath him!! All that is left is the narrow path between the 2 doors and a pad or stable ground for each switch. Looking in the area where the ground fell out Link fails to see the bottom. Link finds that with the help of his hook shot he can easily enough make it to one platform in a corner of the room and depresses the button. Following the loud noise however he hears a swing and jumps straight up just in time to hit the post of a large pendelum and grab onto it. The bottom, bladed end of the pendelum is bloody and would have gored Link. Now, however, Link is standing on this pedelum as it swings at a very high speed. Unfortunately it swings parralel with the path so Link can't jump off and there are no more places for his hookshot. Link then has an idea as he hurls his boomerang at the ceiling of the switch the pendelum is swinging to. Luckily a large rock is dislodged and comes flying down on the switch depressing it. As Link suspects a pendelum comes flying out of that ceiling also running parralel with the path. \par
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\tab Timing his jump just right he lands on the second pendelum but then an expression of horror comes upon his face. The pole is slippery and Link comes flying off as the pendelum swings toward the thrid switch. He knows he won't make it to the platform and instantly pulls a bomb out of his bag and throws it below him. Curling forward with his shield facing down the explosion sends him flailing upward as he clumsily lands on the platform just barely. He gets up after recovering and gently presses the button expecting a blade coming out again but is surprised when nothing happens. He sits and starts wondering what to do now when the button suddenly moves a bit lower send out a screeching noise. It finally stops but then our hero sees for him the unimaginable. the ceilinng is slowly lowering at a slow yet constant rate. In the midst of panic Link just about jumps on the unlikely chance of landing on the path. He then comes to reality and collects himself knowing that won't solve the problem. He carefully examines the room. He sees someting new now. In the midst of all of the cracking because of the lowering roof he sees a collection of roots sticking out of the ceiling. Not sticking down but traveling horizantally across in very short sperts. He pulls out his bow and shoots the tip of one root near him and it breaks off swinging down. \par
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\tab He hurridly does the best running jump he can barely grabbing the tip of the root and swinging toward the path. He tucks and lands in a roll but because of the narrowness of the path he can't stop in time so continues to use the momentum and grabs a second root. Unfortunatly this is the last effective root in the room. He continues landing right on the button so jumping up as the pendelum swings beneath him at full swing toward another switch he jumps and sticks his sword into the much lower and crumbly ceiling and swings forward spinning backward with the awkward sword manuver. He lands on another button and immediately rolls to the side just missing the pendelum but falling off the platform. He finds he is holding on with just his fingers and times his recovery so that he gets on top of the newly released pendelum. He makes it onto the post and then, seeing no roots, immediately throws a bomb above him toward the base of the incredibly fragile post. Breaking off, the pendelum flies toward the last switch and Link jumps, doing a front flip, then landing, hitting the button. Across the room the door slams open but Link is left out of momentum and out of ideas. \par
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\tab All he can do is jump and pray for Nayru's mercy upon him. He does the most spectacular running jump he's ever done but he realizes he won't make it. Right then a soft light envelopes him as he goes, pushing him no more than six inches forward, but enough to grab hold of the path with his fingernails. He climbs up and runs out of the room as fast as he can before the cieling finishes moving and slamming on the path he once traveled. "Nayru...?" He thought to himself as slowly walking through the dimly lit and much smaller room. Entering a lighted spot right in the center of the room he stops as he has that familiar feeling of an evil presence. At Link's cardinal directions four Stalfos fall down from the ceiling. They stand there staring grimly at link. Link looked unfeelingly at the one standing in front of him. At seven feet tall the completely bone body with light armour, a sword, and a shield, a Stalfos is not a pleaseant sight to look at.\par
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\tab With quick thinking and hyrulian skill Link thrusts his sword into the ground and pushes off it high into the air. He lands on the Stalfos in front of him with Stalfos's head locked cleanly between Link's knees. Link then throws his body to the side. Instead of toppling the Stalfos and flinging Link towards his sword once again Link unexpectadly rips off the Stalfos' head instead! Caught completely off-balance Link clumsily rolls to the side too far from his sword. As Link jumps up he's sees that his situation includes 3 Stalfos slowly coming toward him and one aimlessly wandering about with no head. His sword is behind them all. As the Stalfos aproach they start swinging their swords and advancing in leaps. Something then clicks in Link's mind. With that he pulls out his hammer. As heavy and long as a two-handed sword this hammer is equiped with a spike at the end too. As the nearest Stalfos swings at Link he thrusts his hammer in the air totally throwing off it's swing. With this Link uses the recoil and continues swinging around. Doing a full turn Link's hammer hits stalfos cleanly in the hip bone and Stalfos falls apart. \par
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\tab Link uses the Stalfos's crumpling body as a step stool and pushing off it he jumps as high as he can, over 2 of the Stalfos' heads bringing the hammer to the ground barely missing one of the Stalfos. The hammer's powerfull hit sends the gound shaking and topples the headless Stalfos. Then, having landed right by his sword, Link rips his sword out of the ground. "Now it's time to show them what a swordfight really is." With that Link sees the headless creature across the room now completely disoriented and uses his chance. Link runs over to it and with some good use of his shield, for the Stalfos is swinging like mad, and some well-aimed hits to the spine Link dominates the Stalfos only to turn around to see the other two coming. Link pulls out his bow and begins launcing arrows. One... two... three hits to the nearest Stalfos actually taking out ribs in the process. Link shoots a few more arrows snapping off ribs one at a time. The Stalfos shows little signs of slowing down however. Link then puts up his bow and runs at the two skeletons. The first Stalfos being at his left, Link cuts at his spine bringing his sword up and right. He spins coming down with is sword and lands a hit on the other's back dodging the Stalfos' swings.\par
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\tab Figuring the lower constitution due to the lack of ribs Link smothly and squarely kicks the first Stalfos, as it was turning around, right where the rib cage used to be, totaly decimating it's spine. With one skeleton left to deal with he readies his sword and shield expecting the first hit. The Stalfos comes down on Link hitting right into the shield with amazing power. Link's shield flys off Link's right hand leaving Link only with his sword. The Stalfos swings over and over in a rage while Link jumps and ducks to avoid the hits. Link lands a few right on Stalfos's rib cage but has little effect. Link, trying again to hit the Stalfos again, is caught defenceless for a moment and hit in the shoulder. Link grits his teeth with pain but does not waver. Stalfos comes again from over head but Link backflips back completely avoiding the blow then puts all his strength into a jump attack forward landing the blade right inbetween the skeleton's eye holes. This crushing blow sends Stalfos backwards but soon right towards Link again but this time with a vengeance. \par
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\tab Link walks right into Stalfos avoiding the attack by Stalfos's long arms and grabs Stalfos by his spine hoping to chop it with his sword. But the spines sharp broken fragments gashes Links hand leaving a bloody spot on the Stalfos making it seem even more ominous and evil. Link jumps back and in a fit just pushes Stalfos as hard as he can. The skeleton, stunned for a moment at the odd tactic, soon recovers heading for Link once again. Link sees it coming but is paralyzed. Soon a light opens in his mind. He refuses to give up. With a glow in his eye. He holds his sword back in a ready position as his whole body begins to glow. He holds it as his sword turns a flaming red. The Stalfos jumps at Link in a fury with it's sword coming right a Link's chest. But right at the last moment Link unleashes his energy and spinning at an amazing speed. The energy envelops Link in a circle of light. His sword seems almost lengthened as he spins with courage in his eyes. \par
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\tab The Stalfos lifts his head and moans with the repeated sword strikes and burnings of the light. The Stalfos comes apart bone by bone and clutters on the ground as Link ceases his move and falls to the ground also. Exhausted, Link knows he must continue. No matter what awaits him. He reaches the opposite door and finds an assortment of signs and hyroglyphs. He reads them but finds nothing particularly interesting. Finding a switch he opens the door and walks in the small room. Mildly decorated all he finds are a series of candles and a pedistal at the end of the room. On the ground next to it he finds what seems to be a broken.... urn. He walks up to the pedistal and looks at the pictures and carvings. He sees a girl in most of them. She seems to have died from a disease but not one that anyone knows of. She was buried here. Link bends down and slowly brings the broken urn to it's rightful place. The ashes have long been swept away but he feels it's right to put it there just because. As he does so the door slams down behind him.\par
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\tab He quickly draws his sword and assumes a fighter's stance. Quietly and meekly a voice says in his head, "Put away your weapon." Link turns around to see the girl. He sheaths his sword.\par
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\tab "Thank you, Link. I can never repay you."\par
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\tab "Why? What did I do? and how can you talk to me?"\par
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\tab "I am the girl buried here Link. You set me free. Did you know that not only I am buried here. My parents are too. But not intentionally." The girl bowed her head. "They came here every day to mourn for me. They wept and layed flowers. But one day..." She faultered. "One day, the evil came. A dark lord rose and his minions stumbled upon this place. They killed my parents while they were here and have been guarding this place ever since. You set my parents free. You set me free too, Link. Thank you." \par
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\tab "What do I do now?"\par
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\tab "You know what you have to do Link. You must defeat the evil Lord. Ganon. You have courage Link. The courage to go into places unknown. The courage to take a leap of fate. The courage to face evil in it's purest form."\par
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\tab "YOU helped me. You helped me make that jump."\par
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\tab "No, Link. You helped yourself. You have the courage required to do your task so continue on your way and let this stand as a testiment of your courage. Let me heal your wounds before you continue on. Good Bye Link. And, for the sake of courage, go on."\par
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\tab With this Link felt an exhilirating burst on energy and light. Link removed his self-made bandages and found only scars. Link looked around only to find the bleak gray walls. He then took that first step he tried so hard to make and continued out of the cavern. With bow in one hand, and sword in other, he left the tomb for another adventure, never the same.\par
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