Brave the elements (7)
I believe the answer is:
weather
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'brave' is the first definition.
(I know that brave can be written as weather)
'elements' is the second definition.
(synonyms)
'the' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for weather that I've seen before include "Meteorological state" , "Conditions outside; survive (crisis)" , "Come safely through; erode" , "Meteorological conditions" , "Climatic conditions" .)