When Two Worlds Divide (On Hold)

Chapter 6 - How You Broke Us

Sorry we've left Aragorn for the moment I just thought I'd explore a few other characters so it's not just from one viewpoint. Please VOTE if you enjoy this! I hope you like it and enjoy...

Elladan and Elrohir stood side by side in their Ada's study. Elrond glared at them sternly from under his dark eyebrows and they fidgeted nervously. Elrond sighed. He knew what it was that his sons wanted just as surely as he knew that he would not allow it.
"Ada..." Elladan started hesitantly. Before he had the chance to finish, Elrond raised a hand for silence.
"No, ion-nín. You cannot go after Aragorn. Do not interrupt me." He spoke calmly over the top of the twins' stuttering replies. "You forget, my sons, what Aragorn has done to your sister. You love her, do you not?" The last was said with a hint of accusation.

Both Elladan and Elrohir dropped their heads submissively. "Yes Ada," they murmured.
"Good." Came the stern reply. "You must understand. Aragorn is not your brother anymore. You are not to make contact with him or pursue him. It was his choice to do this to Arwen. He knew the consequences of her giving her love to him. You must see, my sons, that Aragorn is killing your sister. Aragorn-"

"Estel." At the one word silence filled the room and both Elrond and Elladan looked at Elrohir in shocked silence. Elrohir was looking pretty shocked himself, having just interrupted Elrond and all. No one interrupted Elrond. He swallowed guiltily. "His name is Estel." He finished in a whisper.

"Elrond's frown deepened and his eyes flashed in anger. The tentative silence that has fallen was shattered as he slammed a fist into the thick wood of his desk, rising to his feet in one swift motion of rage. "No!" He almost screamed at his son. "No!" He repeated angrily, breathing heavily. "That is not his name." He spat the sentence as if the very idea was like poison that he needed to rid from his system. "He is not muindor-lín." He is not even mellon-lín! He is nobody but a disgusting, mortal MURDERER!" Sinking back down into his seat, Elrond glared at his sons, still standing in silence before him. "Do you understand now, ion-níns? He has caused us all so much pain. We accept him into our midst and this is how he repays us! With cruelty and the breaking of our family!" His voice was cold and deadly, and Elrohir and Elladan exchanged looks of surprise. Elrond hardly ever showed his emotions like this. In fact, they had never seen him this angry. And now all his anger was directed at their little brother.

And so their looks contained more than just surprise. They contained rebellion. Because no matter what their father said, they were going after Estel.

———

That night, two cloaked and hooded figures galloped from the courtyard of Rivendell. Elladan and Elrohir, twin sons of Elrond, were defying their father in order to protect their little brother. The decision to leave had been quick and easy to make; they had not seen Estel when he left, but they could imagine his distress at being exiled from all he had ever known, and cast into the wild with his dooming heritage, which still hung over him, all he had left. Even if they themselves faced exile for standing up to Elrond's rule, it would not matter. They believed that their father had been brought to madness by his grief over Arwen, and, so deeply that even he did not realise it yet, over Aragorn. He had loved his son deeply, and it was slowly breaking his heart that he had been forced to choose between his son and daughter. The choice in favour of Arwen had been one that he had not thought through, and he was now living with the consequences.

Watching coldly from a high window, unseen by the twins, Elrond watched as his sons left. Hatred coursed through him. How could Estel, his hope, do this? He was just a mortal, did he really command so much power and was cruel enough to use it to rip Elrond's family apart in front of his eyes? But no more. Aragorn was not Estel anymore, and he commanded no such power over Elrond. This the elf-lord had vowed to himself: Aragorn would not tear him apart like he had his family. Never.

As Elladan and Elrohir rode out of Rivendell, unknowingly being watched by their suddenly cold-hearted father, each contemplated what would happen next. And even more so, how their normal, perfectly acceptable lived had somehow turned upside down and collapsed upon them. And most of all, how they were going to piece this shattered life back together again.