And here it is, as promised.

Huge thank you to my reviewers Triss Laterose, and Mirlasse!

Please review too! :D

Thorongil trudged wearily through the woods, back to camp.

He had been hunting, but hadn't had much success.

A loud sobbing brought him back from that elusive deer, to the present.

He tensed.

What could that be? Cautiously, he made for the sound.

A little girl, of about three or so, was curled up in a forlorn heap on the forest floor, sobbing unhopeful calls for help. Thorongil rushed towards her.

"What is the matter little girl, are you lost?"

She stared up at him with big, round, grey eyes.

"I, I fell asleep," she whined brokenly as the Ranger knelt down beside her.

"and, when I woke up someone had left me here..." She sniffled even more, as she relived that horrifying moment, when she had woken, and realized where she was. Thorongil had heard of this kind of thing happening before. The girl's parents had probably been in great peril, such a great peril, that it was safest to leave the child in the woods, in hope of its survival.

"Come on," Thorongil said impulsively, as he offered the child his hand to help her up. She didn't move.

"let us walk back to my camp, I can find help for you there."

There was a pause.

"Could you carry me?"

This surprised the man.

"Why is that? You look old enough to walk on your own."

She shook her head sadly.

For the first time Thorongil noticed her small, slightly bent legs.

"I can, sometimes, but it is very hard, and I can only go a short distance, but I don't need to go with you. My big brothers are gonna come and carry me home." She said with confidence. Thorongil felt it his painful duty to tell the little girl the truth.

"I'm sorry, but you're brother's aren't coming back." That sure went well.

"Why not?"

"They're, at least I think, well," the man paused, unsure how best to break the news. A look of shock passed over Fimil's face.

"No! You can't mean that! You just can't! That's the same way they'd try to tell me about mother!" She sobbed, burying her raven head in Thorongil's cloak. He hoisted her onto his back.

"I'll take care of you, don't worry." He comforted as he made his way through the thick woods back to the camp.

:::::::::::::::::::

"Certainly not!" Exclaimed his captain, as Thorongil expressed his desire, indicating the sleeping girl in the corned of the tent.

"We have enough problems as it is, without adding a lame little girl to them!" He continued, frowning down on her.

"She's not lame, just weak. I can help her."

Captain Rainor snorted. "I'm sorry Thorongil, but you're going to have to find another place for her. You have duties. You can't neglect them now."

"What if I promised that you would never have to worry about her? She would be completely my problem, not yours."

Rainor looked skeptical.

"I'll get her to walk, and turn her into a first-rate Ranger!"

"Wait a second, there was no talk of her becoming a Ranger!"

"Well what else did you expect?" Thorongil could feel this becoming a heated argument. "I'll look after her." He added, in a cooled, calmer tone. "I'll see that she doesn't bother anyone but myself."

Captain Rainor pondered this a moment before he finally nodded. Though he had misgivings, it was obvious that the blood of the Dunedain ran in her veins, and his conscience would be eased knowing the hapless creature was taken care of, considering her bad fortune.

Thorongil warmly smiled his thanks, before bowing and quickly removing the girl to the tent he slept in.

::::::::::::::::::

"What have you got there?" Amathron asked in interest as he observed the little girl.

"I found her in the woods. Abandoned. I reckon most of her family's dead." Thorongil sighed as she awoke, and cuddled fondly in his arms.

"What's her name?" Cullastor the elder asked, as he carefully polished his knife.

"I don't know, what is your name?" Thorongil gently prodded Fimil, as she began to doze off again.
Somehow, she didn't want to tell them her old name. Young as she was, she felt that her old life was behind her, gone forever for better or for worse.

"I don't want to tell you." She said at last, quite sincerely as she stared at the group of Rangers around her in fascination.

"I guess I'll have to give you one then..." Thorongil sighed thoughtfully. He had never been one for names, though he had somehow ended up with so many.

"How would you like Thurin? It means: Secret one."

"Alright." She replied with disinterest.

"Secret one? Why are you naming her that?" One of the men shook his head with indignation.

"I believe that names are not to be chosen lightly, and are of great importance." Aragorn retaliated, patting his new child fondly on the head.

"My big brother once thought that too..." She whispered sadly, as she let herself sink into the large, warm lap of her new caretaker.

"Should have named her 'melancholy one'." One man said casually.

Thorongil shot him the death glare.

"And what was your big brother's name?"

She kept her mouth shut.

"Fits her perfectly!" Amathron laughed, though it didn't quite sound like a laugh, it sounded too sorrowful.

:::::::::::::::

It had been three years since the day he had found Thurin in the forest, and Thorongil had decided to start work on her legs immediately; at the start he would have her walk for around ten minutes straight several times a day, no matter how much she protested.

::::::

I sighed and sank down against a tree. I had walked thirty minutes without faltering, but now I was completely exhausted.

As my adoptive father wandered off to see to other duties, I gazed longingly in the direction of the boys.

Of course, the moment the little men heard from their fathers about a girl, Arda forbid, getting to live with the Rangers, all the other little aspiring sons of the men insisted they get to live in camp too.

This had almost put Captain Rainor over the edge, but somehow Thorongil had wheedled and compromised until the Captain finally made his verdict: the boys could tag around the more permanent camps about half the time, if they did chores and stayed out of the way. The only way Thorongil had been able to convince him was the 'learn 'em young' idea, he assured him that the next generation of Rangers would be even better than the current one, but even with all of Thorongil's support, the boys were always treading on dangerously thin ice, especially when the Captain was around.

Right now they were playing a whole manner of games and appeared to be having the best fun of anyone.

I lay against the tree for a good five minutes, regaining my energy before rising, and calling to my friends.

"Hey guys! Over here!"

All the boys hurried over, they considered me their little sister.

"Wanna play?" Medlithor asked in excitement, as he called the other four resident boys of the encampment over.

"I suppose...what can I do?"

Despite my weaknesses, the boys always tried to find some way I could participate.

"How about you be the 'ready, goer' for our race?" Cullastor invited, pushing a stump to a convenient place by the starting line.

"Alright!" I beamed inwardly as I took up my seat.

The boys positioned themselves.

"Ready...GO!" I cried in delight, waving my arms back and forth as the boys raced away, touched the old elm tree, and in half-a-minute or so came crashing back. "Who won?" Heledhion gasped as he leant against a convenient boulder.

"Cullastor first, then you, then Esgalnoron-"

"And last me!? I don't believe it!" Medlithor growled lightheartedly as he shoved Cullastor into a thick bush.

"I demand a rematch!" Medlithor then declared in a regal tone as he then turned around and helped Cullastor out of said bush.

"Thurin?" Heledhion invited as he searched his pockets for apples.

"No thanks guys, I have other things I really need to do." I sighed as I turned to leave. On my way out I tripped in a shockingly shallow pothole, and would have suffered from a very painful and mortifying face-plant had it not been for Esgalnoron's quick reflexes.

"Got ya!" He grunted as he managed to grab me in the knick of time, stifling the surprised squeal which had already arisen in anticipation of the ground.

Esgalnoron was my best friend, and(resulting from the fact that he was always by my side)had developed some pretty quick reflexes for an eight-year-old(I managed to fall in to or trip over everything, even things that weren't actually there).

And now follows the (not so)short account of how we met and became best friends:

:::

One day, a few months after she had arrived Thurin was sitting against a tree, knotting wildflowers together, and braiding them into long, colorful, chains.

"What are you doing?" Asked Elgalnoron, who had only just been introduced to the camp.

"Would you teach me?" The boy had begged after she told him.

So, after exchanging names they each sat there quietly, making never-ending lengths of flower-rope.

Finally, Esgalnoron tied his like a circlet, and placed it on her head, saying:

"You are Thurin, Queen of Rangers!"

Thurin promptly tied hers similarly, placing it over his head.

"And you are Esgalnoron, King of Rangers!"

She laughed.

He laughed.

They covered each other in flower necklaces and bangles, and began galavanting in the field, looking for more.

As they searched, Thurin began singing an Elven lament under her breath.

"Let's not sing anything like that!" Esgalnoron cried in dismay as he fitted Thurin for a dandelion belt.

"Alright then!" Thurin cried as she broke into a light-hearted song about rabbits and hunters they both knew.

"Thorongil! Those children are going to bring all of darkness upon us!" Captain Rainor complained angrily as their singing wafted to his ears.

Thorongil smiled grimly.

"There are dark days to come, Captain, let them enjoy the light and happiness while they can. We will all need all the allies we can get in the near future, I'm glad she's found a friend."

And so lasting companionship was formed.

::::

"So, what important things do you have to do?" Esgalnoron asked dubiously as Captain Rainor loaded us each up with water skins to fill.

I gazed down at my feet shamefacedly.

"I don't know yet, but something better than being the 'ready...goer'."

Esgalnoron nodded understandingly, though sometimes he had trouble understanding Thurin's pain.

He was able to be sympathetic, helpful, but he doubted he could ever understand just how she felt.

After a few minutes of silence, I asked:

"Have you picked up any more stories?"

"About heroes? Not since this morning." He laughed as he kicked aside the rock waiting to trip me.

"Do you have any more duties this afternoon?"

"No, why?"

"Could you do with a swim?"

I loved swimming. It was the one physically involved thing I could do that set me completely free, nothing hurt when I swam. Yes, it did get a bit tiring after a while, but it was as good as it got.

Within seconds us little Rangers had stripped of everything but our undergarments and where chasing each other around in the cool, refreshing water.

What did you think? Esgalnoron wanted me to re-write it portraying him as a big, muscular, adult Ranger. I am staying true to the facts. Deep apologies.

Thank you to Mirlasse for her wonderful idea! :D

Now I'm upping it: 2 reviews till next chapter! :)