Brom knew this was a bad idea as soon as he left Morzan's mansion with the child in front of him on the saddle. He should turn back and leave the boy behind – there was still time, after all. Brining Morzan's son with him would only cause problems, and if Brom had any sanity left he would turn his horse around. However, his conscience wouldn't allow him. Memories of Selena's heartbroken cries after Morzan had thrown his sword at her son were still crystal clear. Her desperate pleas of help rang clearly in Brom's head, even though it had been months ago. The way she had grabbed his arm, asking him to heal her only son and save him from certain death – there was no way he could forget it.

"Please help him," she had whispered, as Murtagh slowly bled out on the floor.

How could he possibly abandon the boy now? Brom glanced down at the boy, who sat quietly in front of him. He hadn't spoken a word since Brom placed him on the horse, and the former Rider could sense that he was afraid. And why shouldn't he be? The child had known little but fear in his short life, but hopefully he was finally safe. Morzan was gone, and Brom would be damned if he let Galbatorix get his hands on Selena's son. Brom had been too late to save her, but it wasn't too late to save Murtagh.

The decision to kidnap Murtagh before the king had the chance to send for him had been quickly made. After Brom had raced to Morzan's estate only to find his beloved Selena already passed away, he knew the only place she could have left her youngest child – his child – was with her brother. At first he planned to leave alone, but once he overheard from gossiping servants that Morzan's son would soon leave for the capital he turned around and made his way to the child's chambers. Murtagh had already been through hell once. He did not deserve to be left at the mercy of a madman.

Convincing Murtagh to come with him had been easier than anticipated. "You know my mother", the three-year-old had plainly stated. "You helped me when I was hurt."

Brom had nodded. "Yes, and your mother wants you to come with me," he replied, leaving out the part where the boy's mother was no longer breathing. "But you have to hurry."

Murtagh hesitated for a moment, then complied and followed the former Rider. The estate had been in chaos, giving that both the Lord's and the Lady's recent and unexpected passing, and smuggling the child out hadn't been too hard. It didn't take long until they were both seated on Brom's horse and left the estate behind them.

Travelling with a child, Brom discovered, was far more difficult than riding on his own. The pace was slower, as the three-year-old didn't have the stamina for a long and hard gallop. There was also Murtagh's injury to consider. Too much movement still caused him pain, which called for many stops along the way. Brom was anxious, wanting to reach Carvahall and his new born child as soon as possible, but forced himself to lengthen the journey even further by only using small, crooked trails and staying far away from the main roads. News must have reached the king that his would-be ward was missing, and Brom would not take the chance of running into his soldiers.

Few words were spoken between the two companions, Murtagh preferring to ride in silence. Sometimes Brom managed to coax more than a couple words from him, but the boy seemed uncomfortable during these times, not used to being at the centre of attention and afraid of taking up too much space. Brom's heart ached for him, and swore to himself that he would do anything in his power to teach the child how to trust.

The only instance where Murtagh was the one to begin the conversation was a late evening by the camp-fire, where Brom was currently preparing tonight's dinner.

"Where is my mother?" His voice was uncertain, as if he were not entirely sure if he wanted an answer. "You said that you know her. Where is she?"

Brom had dreaded the question, not knowing how to bring up the news of Selena's death. Slowly he walked over to the boy and sat down next to him, ignoring the way Murtagh stiffened. He had gotten used to Brom being close while riding, but still shied away otherwise.

"Your mother has been very ill," Brom began. "She has gone to another place, and won't be coming back." How did you explain death to a three-year-old? Brom could see how the child struggled to take in the words.

"Like my father?" he then asked. "The maid said he was in another place too."

Brom nodded, carefully watching Murtagh's expressions. He seemed confused, sad, and relieved at the same time. Brom had expected a worse reaction, but had to remind himself that Murtagh hardly knew his mother at all.

"Will you be looking after me now?" This was the first time the child had looked directly at Brom, his grey eyes big and expression cautious.

"Of course I will," Brom assured him. "I'm going to take care of you."

The child didn't respond, but a slight smile tugged at his lips and when the night came he no longer seemed scared of Brom's presence.

By the time they reached Carvahall Murtagh had turned four years old. Brom had enough coins to by themselves a small house in the village, and presented himself as a grieving widower who wanted to restart his life together with his young son. Murtagh played along after Brom warned him about how dangerous it was to mention the name of Morzan, the king, or the estate.

"We don't want your father's friends to come looking for us," he said, and Murtagh hurriedly agreed.

Adjusting to the small village was a bit of a challenge, but they made do. Slowly but surely they begun to settle in, and Brom took pleasure in seeing how Murtagh got more at ease every day. He did not enjoy meeting strangers, but Brom knew that the foundation of trust had been established, and that the damage Morzan had caused would lessen in time.

Meeting his own son for the first time was a trial he could never have prepared for. Little Eragon was not hard to track down – after all, only one mysterious sister had returned to Carvahall, given birth and disappeared as quickly. The child was the centre of the village gossip, and Brom soon found himself face to face with his young son. He had decided from the start not to get Eragon involved in his messy life, and once he saw Garrow and Marian fussing over the infant there was no way he could claim the boy as his own. Eragon would grow up in a good, loving family, and hopefully never get involved with rebellions, dragons, or insane kings. Brom's heart was ripped in two as he wished the family good luck and left his son behind, but knowing Murtagh was waiting for him at home eased the pain.