"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear."

~ Mark Twain

"Rayman…I'm scared."

"It's okay, I'll protect you."

The rain poured down as thunder roaring with no light to accompany it. The limbless hero held on tight to the trembling the child of one of 650 of his best friend.

The little pink child shivered against the cold as she held on his scarf while he carried her through the marshes of the awakening. The poor child had been through enough when the pirates had her locked in one of their tiny cages.

They finally came to a sheltered part of the swamp: a cave of some sort that looked ominous. Rayman placed her down but kept a hold of her hand as they walk cautiously inside.

"I've been in here before." Rayman explained, "This is a tunnel. It'll take us directly to the shining door."

"Where will it take us?"

He smiled. "To the Teensie circle; the one right next to your village."

The child's face lit up like a silver lum. "Really? Will my mamma and Daddy be there? And my brothers and sisters?"

"Yep. All of th-"

Rayman was unable to finish his sentence. A pirate donned with black blood red cloth appeared in front of them; the symbol of death engraved upon its metal torso.

The child froze with fear as the hero leapt in front of her, fists clenched before they started to glow silver.

He threw one fist at the metal monster. It grunted mechanically and was forced back a step but it remained standing.

Rayman stared at it with wide eyes.

He had used pure energy against it! How come it still remained in one piece?

He had no time to think when the pirate mercilessly shot at him with its cannon. Rayman cried out as he was hit square in the torso and thrown against a wall behind him.

"Rayman!" The child cried, rushing towards him.

"I'm…" He wheezed before letting out a strangled cough. "I'm o-k-k-kay." He coughed again. A small trickle of blood leaked out the corner of his mouth making him wince.

The child turned as the sound of a footstep and a peg-leg echoed from behind them. The pirate advanced on them, cannon at the ready, aimed towards the limbless being.

The child shook uncontrollably as Rayman tried to get back to his feet, wincing sharply and clutching his chest whilst holding onto the wall.

The pirate didn't even glance at the child despite her trembling. She looked at Rayman helplessly.

He looked at her. "Go on…the door isn't far…you can make it! Go to your family!" He gasped.

All of a sudden, the child stopped trembling. She looked straight at the pirate before a surge of anger.

"No!" She said firmly, her voice echoing around the tunnel.

Both Rayman and the pirate looked at her.

"I'm not afraid of you!"

Before either of them could do anything, the child started to hop from one foot to the other while waving her arms in the air in some sort of pattern. As she did so, a large black rain cloud formed above the pirate. Raindrops spat at it like small liquid bullets. The robot started to jerk uncontrollably as sparks of electricity sprayed out of its joints.

And then it was over.

The pirate collapsed into a heap on the floor, the yellow light fading from its glass eye.

Rayman looked at the child and grinned at her proudly as the raincloud faded away.

"You just saved my life!" He said as she helped him up.

She giggled. "I'm not afraid of the pirates now." She beamed while taking his hand again. "I can protect myself and my friends and family!"

Rayman smiled warmly as they neared the end of the cave. "I'm proud of ya kid. You're the bravest gal I know."