A/N: This fic will be better enjoyed if you read 'Butchery, Bloodshed, Brotherhood and the Balancing Thereof' first, but this fic can stand alone should you chose not to do so.
Prompt: Sometimes you have to do bad things to get good results
Rating: G (With mentions of canon typical violence)
Setting: somewhere in the Wilds near the foothills of the Misty Mountains
Characters: Elladan, (Elrohir mentioned but does not appear)
Summary: Elladan is angry with his twin after catching Elrohir in a violent act. He ponders and laments over what their promise to avenge their beloved mother is costing them
Elladan stomped off with anger in every step. Elrohir could be utterly maddening at times. Why could he not see that Elladan was only looking out for him - only trying to help him? The elder twin blew out a harsh, frustrated breath and grit his teeth as his anger simmered down into worry as he thought about his tithen gwanûr.
He was truly worried about Elrohir and the bloodlust that took hold of him more and more often on their trips. It was a cold and murderous thing that his twin no longer seem to fight off but instead embrace. There was a twistedness - dark and sadistic - about his brother and it hurt Elladan to watch Elrohir fall further to his pain and grief.
Elladan snatched up a few fallen twigs and sticks and began to lay the foundation for a pyre. Dully he lugged the first body over onto it, all the while his mind on Elrohir and the frankly horrifying scene he had come upon earlier. Elrohir had been consumed; utterly enraged as he had bludgeoned the orc over and over, again and again. He had not even heard Elladan's approach and that both worried and angered the elder twin. What if he had been another orc? Elrohir would not have even heard and would have easily been taken unawares. What then? What would have happened?
Elladan dumped another body on top of the first sighed heavily. Such a thing could not happen again - it was beyond dangerous now. The way they had been so easily separated, the way Elrohir had so easily believed the lies of the orc, the way his twin had been so caught up in his bloodlust that he had been dangerously unaware of his surroundings. It had to end before Elrohir met his death.
But that was easier said than done.
Elrohir acted out of his pain and a genuine desire to do good in ridding Arda of the yrch scum. For that was the promise they had made to themselves and each other - to rid the world of as many orcs as possible. It was a promise that sometimes required them to do bad things to get good results. Twas a fine line to walk, and recently Elladan felt as though their bad deeds were gaining them less a feeling of something good being accomplished and more a sense that they were falling to evil instead. He only had to look at Elrohir's recent behaviour to see that. His brother revelled in death in a way he never had before and his ire was easier to ignite than it had ever been. And Elladan himself was ever colder and caustic and utterly closed off. They were both losing their way. Badly so.
They claimed this promise to rid Arda of orcs was a tribute in memory of their dear Naneth - a way to avenge her and give them a constructive focus for their grief. Yet Elladan was sure their genteel mother would be horrified to see them now, would be saddened to see what they had become and on top of that their grief was just as raw and unabated as it had been in those first few terrible days. This promise was doing nothing for them save stealing their peace and Elladan knew if they gave it a chance it would steal their very souls and quite possibly their lives as well. It had to end.
But how could he make Elrohir see?
It was such a hot topic of contention between them. Elrohir felt picked upon and ostracised whenever Elladan brought it up. His twin always took it so negatively - could never see that Elladan was simply worried for his well-being. He always took it as though Elladan had lied when they made the promise and accused him of not really caring to avenge their Naneth. Of not really caring at all. An accusation that saddened Elladan to his core and often saw him lash out at his twin in retaliation.
They had been unable to have a civilised conversation on the topic in months. It always led to this - one or the other of them storming off until they could cool down enough to be together again and pretend that nothing had happened, burying ever more pain and ill feeling.
It had to end. It had to.
But Elladan was damned if he knew how.
END.
Prompt Credit: Promptaurium
Tithen Gwanûr – Little Brother
Yrch – (Plural of Orch) – Sindarin for Orcs
Naneth – Mother
A/N: So this is the second of my little fics for National Twins Day – do drop me a one liner and let me know what you think - KimicT