(edited 7.1.20)
Flight
"Everyone alright back there?" Telma called from the driver's bench of the wagon.
"Yes," Zelda responded quickly. Then, as Link's sharp eyes landed on her, she flushed and averted her gaze, hoping to avoid the question he doubtlessly had for her. Despite their situation, Link almost laughed. He decided to spare her for the time being.
The wagon was not built for human cargo, and as a result, the interior contained no benches or furniture of any sort, so Zeric and Zelda ended up sitting against one side with Link across from them.
"So Link," Zeric began, and the young sailor's gaze lifted to meet his. A gash that Zeric had't noticed yet suddenly seemed to stare him in the face. How had he missed it before? Above Link's right eyebrow was a deep cut that must have come from the pommel of a pirate's sword or boot. After a moment of uncertainty, the prince continued. "What actually happened out there at sea?" After a second of silence, the prince attempted to clarify. "You know, since Ghirahim obviously twisted the truth to fit his putrid machinations."
Link nodded slowly, gathering his thoughts. "As you knew originally, the HRNS Divine Beast had been ordered by King Ghirahim himself to go after Volvagia. I decided I would join them because I was, along with the late Captain of the HRNS Loftwing, assigned to protect a precious cargo hidden on Loftwing. Zant had successfully acquired that item, so I felt it was my duty to recover it. Bearing that in mind, I joined them.
"We sailed west and crossed the Norsuthern Current, then we sailed to where Volvagia makes berth, the Forsaken Fortress." At his mention of the legendary stronghold, both royals gasped.
"You mean to say it truly exists?" Zeric asked, bewildered. The sailor nodded grimly.
"I thought it was a myth as well until that voyage. My mind has been forced to change though." Link's eyes gazed intensely through the floor of the wagon as he recalled the events that had transpired. "I told this to Captain Auru and a couple of his sailors on the morning that we set sail from Windfall, and the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it proves the existence of everything we once thought to be legend. On that cursed afternoon when Zant and his crew destroyed Loftwing, I was in the crow's nest. When Volvagia emerged from the fog, I shouted it down to the deck. I looked at the helm through my spyglass and saw Zant. The thing is, he saw me too and I don't mean he incidentally glanced up in my direction; I mean he looked up at me and made eye contact with me. I could feel his awful yellow eyes staring me down. That is nothing if not dark magic. So if that exists, then do all things related to that dark magic exist?
"At any rate, as for the Forsaken Fortress, that… place... is a thing straight out of children's nightmares. It is cursed with eternal night. The sky, although you can still see the sun, is black as night. It's as though the sun were nothing more than a bright star; its light isn't bright enough to reach the surface of the Fortress." The eyes of the two people across from him seemed to grow steadily as he described the evil fortress; all of their childhood nightmares suddenly becoming real. "The occupants of the fortress include bokoblins and moblins, both more foul than in any myth you've ever read or been told of them.
"Anyway, when we were within a mile or two of the fortress, Captain Auru stopped the ship, as none of the sailors aboard wanted to get any nearer. I can't blame them for that of course, so I armed myself and took a dinghy in alone. Long story short, I snuck through the fortress until I reached my destination; Volvagia. I snuck on-board and into Zant's cabin and found the item of interest."
"What is this item you speak of? How could it possibly be so important that you would enter the Forbidden Fortress of legend alone and risk life and limb to retrieve it from the clutches of such foes?" Zelda asked, clearly on the edge of her seat.
"Will you believe me if I tell you?" The two royals exchanged a quick glance then they each nodded to him, so he continued. "It was a map."
"A treasure map?" This time it was Zeric who interrupted. "Sorry," he said quickly when Link sighed.
"It was — is — a map of Hyrule that reveals the location of the Temple of Power. I didn't tell Auru this at the time, but it also contains the one route through the temple itself that is safe, so if one has this map, they can successfully acquire the Triforce of Power itself." When the young sailor finished describing the map, there was an extended silence as he let that foreboding information sink in.
After a minute or so he interrupted their thoughts to continue his tale. "Unbeknownst to me, Zant knew I was there all along, and I was trapped aboard Volvagia. When I attempted to escape with the map in tow, I was caught and after a short fight, thrown in Volvagia's brig. Then, with the map in his possession, Zant ordered the— wait, I forgot to mention one thing. When Zant's crew caught me in my attempt to escape, Zant was going to kill me on the spot… but… another man appeared and ordered him to spare me for the time being. This man was immense; massive. Easily over two meters tall, but he—"
"Lady and gentlemen back there! We have more soldiers approaching our tail!" Pipit shouted back to them; their pace accelerating again. Zeric maneuvered himself so he could look out the back of the carriage and parted the two canvas flaps which acted as a curtain. Some distance away but gaining ground quickly were ten more soldiers hunched low over their mounts.
"How will we escape them?!" Zelda asked.
"We can't honey, we're gonna hafta fight 'em off!" Telma shouted from her position at the reins. Preparing for conflict, Pipit snatched one of his flintlocks from his makeshift bandolier and began to reload it.
"Link," he said, and his fellow sailor turned to look at him through the front of the carriage. "Take this. It's loaded." The two young sailors leaned toward one another and the weapon was passed to Link.
"Thanks," he said, turning back to join Zeric at the rear.
Pipit then reloaded his second flintlock. "Zeric." The prince turned around at the sound of his name to see Pipit holding the pistol out to him, offering it to him. "Take this. It's loaded."
"Thank you, Pipit," the young royal replied as he procured the weapon.
"Pipit, lift the seat of our bench," Telma said, standing up precariously on the railing for their feet.
"Wha?"
"Do as I say!" the woman commanded. Pipit obeyed and lifted the seat up, revealing an elongated compartment housing a firearm.
"A blunderbuss?!"
"Pick it up already!"
"Aye," Pipit said, plucking the weapon out of the bench and putting the seat back down. Gazing at it in wonder, he looked at Telma as she sat back down. "Where in the blazes did you get this?!" But the healthy barkeep simply grinned and winked at him. Then she reached into her jacket and procured a small box.
"This has two loads of powder, wad, and shot in it," she said, handing the box to him. "You've got two shots darlin'. Make 'em count."
"Perfect," Pipit almost whispered, and set to loading the firearm.
"They're nearly upon us now!" Zeric shouted. He and Link watched as the ten horsemen drew nearer; Zelda a meter or so behind them peering between their heads. Strangely, Link noticed that two of them had bows slung over their shoulders. Bows took far more practice to excel at than firearms and he wouldn't have expected the Hyrulean army to utilize them much within their ranks. Why would they be brought along in the stead of a gun in this situation? That thought aside, two of the other horsemen were getting dangerously close.
For a bizarre moment, the two horsemen merely maintained a steady five or so meters from their cart. Then they each raised flintlocks and took aim at the fugitives. Before Zeric and Link were able to move however, the pistols reported. One of the lead balls missed them entirely while the other one struck Prince Zeric in the bicep.
The prince cried out, clutching his wound and falling back to a laying position in the wagon.
"Zeric!" Zelda moved to her brother's side immediately, not knowing where he had been struck. Link on the other hand raised his own flintlock and fired. The projectile slammed into the lower portion of one of the riders' helmets, killing him and sending him off the rump of his horse. The second man advanced his horse and drew his rapier, attempting to board the wagon. In a snap-decision, Link decided to actually back off and allow him to almost make it on, then when most of the man's weight was transferred, the sailor lunged forward and shoved him sideways, throwing off his balance and causing him to flail before falling to the grassy field below.
Eight threats remaining.
Two more soldiers broke off from the main bunch and rushed the carriage. This time, however, they split and straddled the wagon, riding up to where Pipit and Telma were seated. The first one rode up next to Pipit and slashed at him with his rapier, but the dark-haired sailor was ready and parried the blow on his cutlass. They exchanged attacks on each other's blades for a few seconds and were engaged fiercely when Pipit heard Telma cry out. Desperately fending off his own attacker however, he could hardly spare a moment to check on her. Back and forth their blades flashed, until finally Pipit gained the upper hand and was able to disarm the man. Capitalizing on his opportunity, the sailor leaned over and stabbed the soldier in the throat.
Turning his attention to Telma, he saw the grand woman gripping her assailant's sword arm around his wrist, trying desperately to hold on and keep his deadly blade tied up.
"Telma, duck!" Pipit shouted, picking up the blunderbuss and pointing it through her and at the soldier. As soon as she was out of the way, he squeezed the trigger. Direct hit, and he was almost sickened by the results. At that distance, he was fairly certain every piece of shot found its target. What was left of the man was dead instantaneously, and slumped sideways off his steed.
"Phew! Thank ya honey. How many of them are left? If we continue this way and crest this up and coming hill, we'll be in—"
"—Hanch," Pipit said quickly, finishing her sentence.
"More soldiers," came Link's calm voice just over the sound of the hoofbeats and the wagon, alerting them that another group was breaking off and making their attack. Looking back toward Ghirahim's men, Pipit saw four more riders begin to close the gap between their compatriots and the fugitives, leaving only two behind. The first two drew their rapiers while the second two produced flintlocks. As quick as he would dare, Link glanced back at the two royals. Tetra — or Princess Zelda as he was now aware — was kneeling by her brother, tending to his arm. "Your Highness, get down!" She obeyed immediately.
One of the gunmen took aim at Link and fired, but was unable to keep his aim true with the jolting of his galloping horse, and his shot whizzed past Link's ear, striking the wooden framing at the top of the wagon. The other firearm wielding attacker wouldn't make the same mistake. He would wait until he was almost at point-blank when the galloping motion of his steed couldn't ruin his aim and he would kill the criminal and bring his rebellious head back to Ghirahim for a reward.
Link watched as the other man brandishing a flintlock drew his horse closer and closer to the wagon, holding the weapon in front of him threateningly and looking Link square in the eyes with a malevolent smile on his features that curled his brown mustache. Link waited anxiously, unsure of what to do, since he had no cover and nowhere to hide. He knew all too well what kind of damage that one tiny lead ball could do, and he wasn't about ready to let that happen to any of the people on this wagon.
He turned back to face the princess. "Your Highness, slide me the pistol please," he said, pointing at the flintlock which Pipit had given Zeric. She obeyed immediately, sliding it across the floorboards of the wagon. Scooping up the weapon, Link turned back around to face their assailant. He brought the gun up to eye level. The soldier looked at the weapon in surprise and fear and tried to duck against his horse's neck, but he was still an easy target. Link peered down the short barrel and pulled the trigger. The cock shot forward with a click, but after the smoke plumed, the pistol had not reported and there was no recoil. After an instant of confusion, Link realized what had occurred and cursed under his breath, discarding the flintlock onto the floor of the wagon.
"What happened?" came Zelda's voice from behind him.
"Flash in the pan," Link shot back.
"What's that?" the royal asked.
"Another time," the sailor said as Ghirahim's guardsman looked back up. When the man realized that the pistol was no longer in Link's hand, his wicked grin returned and he urged his steed onward. Link's mind raced as the horseman closed in on 5 meters. Then an idea sprung into his mind. The hill leading to the village of Hanch was just in front of them now, and he decided to take a risk and wait until they reached it to make his move; that hill would give him a higher chance of success. Any second now, the soldier would take his shot.
Then the wagon tilted and they were on the incline. Link dropped the curtain shut and backed up past Zelda and Zeric to the front of the wagon, then prepared himself to launch back out toward the assailant.
"What are you doing?!" the princess asked him in alarm. He looked at her and tried a grin.
"Taking a leap of faith," he said wryly. Then he bear-crawled as fast as he could and coordinated his gait so his feet would hit the end of the wagon and launched himself into the air, hurtling at the astonished soldier. The man's smirk was gone the instant he saw the sailor flying at him.
"Woah!" he shouted while attempting to haul on the reins, and then Link collided with him, tackling him from his horse to the ground violently. The impact of them on the ground drove the wind out of Link's lungs and in the tumble, something sharp tore at his branded flesh beneath his collar bone. He stifled an agonized outcry and in mere seconds, the other soldiers had ridden by them at full speed. Forcing himself to move, Link recovered like from the fall faster than the soldier, pulled Auru's dagger out of his boot, and jabbed it into the mustachioed man's throat. He then leapt up and procured the dead man's still-loaded flintlock. He stumbled toward the confused horse that had began to trot away and struggled to mount it. Once he was in the saddle, he slapped the reins and set off after his companions.
The wagon reached the apex of the hill when he was roughly halfway up it, and the two of Ghirahim's men hanging back were midway between them. But Link had always been able to garner untold potential out of horses, and it was no different with this one.
"Ya!" he shouted, kicking its sides with his boots and ignoring his burning skin. The horse whinnied and accelerated with a jerk, nearly doubling its original speed. In no time at all, he was catching up to the two riders who happened to be the ones armed with bows. Then he shot between them and over the apex of the hill. To his dismay, as his view of Telma's carriage returned, he could see one rider dueling Pipit on the left side of the wagon, one riding up to Telma's side, and the other attempting to board it from behind with no one to stop him. Where was Zeric? Regardless, he couldn't let that soldier get into the back of the wagon. He bent low over the horse's back and stood in the stirrups, riding it as lightly as possible. He was gaining on the wagon quickly, but not quickly enough. In moments, the soldier was on-board and drew a dagger to kill the occupants. He pushed the canvas curtain aside and Link heard Tetra scream.
"Noo!" he shouted, willing his steed to go faster. Then he whipped out the flintlock and took a wild aim. He was accustomed to shooting in uneven movement because of his time on the sea, but horseback riding consisted of more abrupt movement. Never-the-less, he sighted down the short barrel and squeezed the trigger before he lost his chance. The weapon shouted its CRACK and the lead ball tore through the curtain just as the soldier dropped it behind him.
On the right of the wagon, the man drawing up even with Telma received a vicious strike of her whip across his nose. His hands went to his face immediately and he howled in pain. It almost looked as though he dove off his horse, landing hard on the ground.
Seconds later, Pipit dispatched his enemy successfully, and the soldier crashed to the grassy field.
And then they were rumbling through Hanch.
There were only a few small homesteads in Hanch along with a tavern, and already they were nearly halfway through it. Link was catching back up now, and in moments, they would be riding out the north side of it.
Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the last home they passed was a dark-haired man smoking a pipe. As the wagon blew by with a bare-chested horseman tailing it and two guardsmen following further behind, the man sitting on his porch nearly dropped his pipe in astonishment. Nothing exciting ever happened in Hanch.
Then the wagon and the horsemen were through Hanch, and Link reached the wagon. He transferred back onto the carriage from the horse, and as he opened the canvas curtain, the princess almost screamed again, but caught herself when she recognized him.
"Goddesses!" she exclaimed, her eyes automatically going to the torn and bloody skin around the brand on his chest.
"Sorry for the scare," Link said quietly, moving to Zeric's other side and ignoring her exclamation, which he hoped was in regards to his abrupt appearance and not his brand.
"Never mind that, what happened to your— uhh…" She hesitated. It didn't seem right to say "your brand" seeing as the poor young man didn't deserve it in the slightest. He knew what she was looking at though. He shrugged it off.
"Its just a flesh wound," he answered quietly. The princess was holding a strip of linen against her brother's wound, but the fabric was already saturated with Zeric's blood and the scarlet fluid was seeping through her fingers. Link grimaced at the sight. The prince's face was pale. On that note, so was Princess Zelda's. Their eyes met again and he noticed that tears seemed imminent in hers.
"I've never seen this much blood in my life," the girl whispered suddenly, blinking hard. A single tear streaked down her cheek. "I think the bullet hit his humerus."
Link gave her a confused look. "He doesn't seem very humorous to me," he said entirely seriously. The princess realized that he wouldn't have been educated the way that she had been and rolled her eyes; almost laughing despite their situation.
"Never mind. I think the bullet struck his bone," she said. Link nodded, looking back to the prince's bicep. It was already swelling up badly.
"Telma, Prince Zeric is wounded," Link said, raising his voice.
"How bad?"
"Deep arm by bullet," he replied.
"Exit wound?" This was Pipit.
"Apologies," Link said quietly to the princess as he took her brother's arm out of her grasp. The prince moaned slightly as the sailor inspected the arm. Shortly, he found what he was looking for. "Aye." At Link's response, Pipit sighed audibly. If the lead ball had been in the prince's arm still, they would have needed to extract it, but they definitely did not have the requisite tools for a field surgery like that. Link handed Zeric's arm back to the princess then moved to the rear of the wagon, wiping his bloodied hands on the white canvas. He peered around the flap to check on the last two soldiers of Ghirahim's and saw them falling back a bit. After the rest of their comrades had fallen, it seemed that they were less enthusiastic about catching their quarry.
Content that he wouldn't have to worry about them at the moment, he returned to his place next to the two royals. Prince Zeric appeared to be losing consciousness. "Where are we headed?" He called over the rumble of the horses' hooves and the wagon.
"Dangoro Pass," Telma replied, matching his volume.
"Dangoro Pass?! No one has been behind the Dangoro Palisade for a hundred years!" Pipit reminded her loudly.
"That's why it's the perfect place to flee to, honey! Besides," Telma continued, "the Palisade is old and decrepit now; I'm certain we'll be able to get through."
"Telma is right," Link said, "Superstition and fear keep people away from there just as much as the Dangoro Palisade itself these days." Again, the young sailor maneuvered to the rear of the wagon and brushed the canvas flap aside to watch the two remaining horsemen. Those in question were almost out of sight now; it seemed as though they were standing still. "I think we need to finish off those men," he added.
"Why? Hasn't enough blood been spilt today?" Zeric said albeit weakly.
Link looked back at the royal young man, having thought him to be unconscious. "I wish that were so," he said, "but they're going to turn around and go tell Ghirahim where we're headed. More likely than not, Ghirahim will kill them for failing anyway."
"Link is right," Pipit said. "We need to stop them." The blonde sailor peered out the back of the wagon again, but the men were galloping the opposite direction.
"They've turned back already," Link reported.
"Bloody hell; we could never catch them with this wagon," Pipit responded, looking around the side of the canvas enclosure to see for himself.
"We just need to keep going and get to the Pass. We're still a half day's ride from the Palisade," Telma said. "By the time those soldiers get back to Ghirahim, it will almost be dark."
Link leaned out the back of the wagon and looked up at the sky. About an hour of daylight left, he estimated. "Very well," he said, turning back to the interior of the wagon. "With any luck," he added, "They'll wait until dawn to set out after us." He moved back to Zeric's side opposite the princess again. At this point, the prince seemed to be well and truly out. Link cautiously prodded his chest where he had been branded. The area of skin blazed like Din's Fire, but he wouldn't show it. Wincing slightly, he anchored his eyes on the wooden floor of the carriage.
"I'm so sorry…"
Link looked up at the young woman sitting across from him in mild surprise. "It's… fine," he said awkwardly, forcing a smile.
The princess sighed. "When we get to the pass, if there is any foliage there; specifically the Calinduela flower, I'll make a poultice to apply to it."
"Thank you, but His Highness Prince Zeric will need that poultice far more than I," he responded quietly after a brief hesitation. She simply smiled and turned her gaze on her brother's face. Her smile faded quickly as something else came into her mind.
"My uncle…" she murmured. "I never understood how tyrannous he was until I met you." Link's eyes drifted up to meet hers at those words. She continued. "In my childhood, he acted the way a loving uncle would toward Zeric and myself, and as time went by, I failed to see or chose not to believe that he was changing. You see," she continued, "we were raised being told by all of our elders that nobles were born into nobility because they were better in nature than those born common. I was told that commoners' lives didn't matter like nobles' lives. I believed those lies. Zeric caught on quicker than I did that they were lies. Mister Forester— "
"Please," the sailor cut in, his eyes drifting back down to the rough wooden floor of the carriage. "Link is fine."
She hesitated for a moment, then accepted his statement with the slightest nod. "Link, I must tell you: Zeric and I witnessed the demise of HRNS Loftwing from the beach of Ordon." At that revelation, Link's eyes shot back up from the floor to meet hers, widening. "We were there on a short retreat from the castle to find solitude," she explained. "When Volvagia appeared and attacked your ship, my brother viewed it through his spyglass. We watched in horror as Loftwing was crippled." She paused for a moment, remembering how it looked when the navy brig's mast fell. "Minutes later, we both watched in sheer amazement as a zora carried you out of the bay unconscious and laid you on the beach. We were there when the good people of Ordon took you in.
"Link, I realize now that that was the first time I had ever seen true hospitality. Before they even recognized you, they were prepared to take you in and care for you. We saw first-hand the desolation of Volvagia, and so when I overheard Pipit's plea to Ghirahim denied with such contempt, I was finally forced to see the truth. The sentence the king gave Pipit - eighteen hours in the pillory - is a death sentence whether stated explicitly or not, and that isn't even taking into account the fact that Ghirahim's men left poor Pipit for dead. I cannot believe I was unable to see his tyranny before that.
"Anyhow, when I snuck out later that week and met you at the pillory and you insisted on doing the right thing regardless of the consequences… I understood then and there what true nobility is. Finally, when you went willingly with the HRNS Divine Beast and were beat by the pirates but survived their torment only to return to an unfair trial and a death sentence… It was the last straw for me." After a moment's pause, she broke eye contact and gazed at Zeric's arm. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "Sometimes I go on and on."
"I don't mind," Link said quietly.
Silence fell between them with only the sounds of the horses' hooves and the cart's wheels filling their ears. The blonde sailor scratched at his sparse golden facial hair. "Your Highness," he began slowly. Her bright blue eyes regarded him with sincerity, waiting for him to continue. "Begging your pardon, but… Why Tetra?"
The princess's cheeks flushed and she looked down at the hem of her now-dirty pink dress. She had known this question was inevitable. "I… I once promised myself to never give my real name in the case it was ever asked of me on one of my outings. I hesitated when you asked me because I wanted to give you my true name. I wasn't brave enough though. I knew I could trust you after what you had done for Pipit, but… I just couldn't bring myself to say it."
"I understand," Link said with the barest hint of an amused grin. The princess was visibly relieved.
"Pardon the interruption," said Pipit, leaning through the opening at the front of the canvas enclosure. The eyes of both the princess and his fellow sailor snapped to him. "Being so close, I couldn't help but overhear you. On the subject of the pillory… Link, I never got the chance to thank you for what you did. So, thank you."
Link nodded briefly. "You're welcome."
"Your Highness," Pipit looked to the young woman sitting next to her wounded brother. "Thank you for freeing me."
"I couldn't possibly have done it alone," she replied humbly, looking from Pipit back to Link. Link's cheeks turned red. Pipit chuckled.
"Why do you think I thanked him first?" he asked playfully, smirking at her as she turned back around, her mouth agape. She quickly realized that he was jesting, and her look of incredulity morphed into a genuine laugh. Despite the divine beauty of her laughter, Link was caught off guard because of its carefree tone in light of the circumstances.
Pipit turned back around and the princess royal sighed, returning her gaze to her brother's wound. It was beginning to bleed again. Then she noticed that Link had pulled a dagger from his boot and was cutting a strip off the bottom hem of his canvas pants. He cut it in a spiral as he worked up his leg, creating one continuous strip of fabric that was roughly ten centimeters wide. He stopped just beneath his knee. She expected him to attempt to apply it to his wound and was about to offer to help because of the difficult angle at which he would be working, but then he scooted a little closer to Zeric and began to wrap it around her brother's wounded bicep. Perhaps by now she should have expected that sort of behavior from Link, but she was still blown away at his display of altruism.
"Link," the princess began, keeping her voice low. She didn't quite know how to verbalize her thoughts though. "Thank you for doing that." She tried to smile encouragingly.
"It's the least I can do," he responded. "Thank you for rescuing me from the gallows."
"Oh, I barely had anything to do with that," she said modestly.
"Nonsense. You know that I saw you during the trial. I know that you risked a lot to get to Telma and alert her of my execution, so thank you."
She saw the sincerity in his eyes in the fading light. "You're welcome."
"By the way," he said with a slight grin, "a 'flash in the pan' is when you pull the trigger on a flintlock and the spark ignites the primer - err - the small amount of powder in the pan but the burning of the powder in the pan doesn't get through the vent hole to ignite the main powder charge within the barrel."
"Oh," she said, then laughed quietly. "I'm glad you didn't try to explain that while fighting." The sailor nodded, his grin fading a little.
"Well," he looked out the back of the wagon, "it looks like its getting dark now. You should get some rest, Your Highness."
She nodded, yawning as if on queue. She looked around briefly, perhaps looking for an ideal place to rest her head. She settled on leaning her head on her brother's good shoulder. Link moved to the rear of the wagon and sat with his knees up and his elbows resting on them. He held aside the canvas flap and gazed out the direction they had come.
As Princess Zelda dozed off, she vaguely mused that a week ago, she would have been disgusted at the idea of sleeping sitting up in a rough wagon surrounded by commoners. Now that she was here however, there were no other people in all of Hyrule that she'd feel safer with than her new allies. No; her new friends.
\-][- /...to be continued...\ -][-/
