[Formendacil]

"And Bergil..." she whispered, "My mama and my papa are there, but they are with Aeron, not with Mithrellas."

Perhaps because Mithrellas gave her strength, or perhaps because she was too young to comprehend the impact of what she said, or perhaps because she was stronger than her years suggested, Bergil knew not which, but Indil remained steady while he felt as though the world had fallen out from beneath him, as sympathy for Indil coursed through him. She was too young and innocent to deserve what had befallen them on the road; to have no family to rejoin was worse.

Embracing the little girl again, for his own support, Bergil rocked slightly, not comforting her so much as he found himself unsteady. No tears fell from his stricken face, for too many years of proud training and hardship held them at bay, but the lack did not disguise the impact of the knowledge on him.

"Do not fear, Indil," he said in a low voice, which was the most he could manage to keep level. "I will be your surety of a home when we return to Minas Tirith."

And how will that be? Bergil could hear the doubt in his mind, expressing itself in the voice of his younger brother, Borlas. Borlas, the steadier of the sons of Beregond, had often been at odds with his more impetuous older brother, and during his time of training with the rangers, Bergil had accustomed himself to thinking as his brother would, whenever he had grappled with a situation he knew he was handling without due thought.

You have no home, and you are a ranger on the borders of Ithilien. You have no place for a child in your life, and no one to promise her care for.

"If I have to leave the Rangers," Bergil looked directly into Indil's eyes, resolute, "I will make sure you are warded." If Indil understood the full meaning of his words, Bergil did not know, but she certainly knew the tone of his speech, and she hugged him back with the gleeful bliss of a child who is loved, and even at her young age, she recognised the rock-solid immovability of Bergil's word.

You'll regret this, Borlas' voice advised him. Being discharged so early in your service is not easy. You know nothing of raising a child. Prince Faramir will disapprove. Father will disapprove. You'll miss the rangers. This cannot end well.

It already has, Bergil thought, as he slowly released Indil from his embrace, standing tall, and hoisting the girl over his shoulders and onto his back. Worries aside, he could not have brought himself to promise any less.