Elladan glanced at Elrohir before turning his eyes back to the fire. The small group of rangers had begun settling into their bedrolls, the idle chatter fading as one after another dropped off to sleep, both exhausted and encouraged by the day�s successful hunt.
Elladan subjected the elf-knight to a more searching gaze. Most often, his brother was snoring at his side long before he himself closed his eyes, but the tension in Elrohir�s body and the thin line of his lips did not bode well for the night�s sleeping. �Lie down and rest, �Roh,� he said quietly, squeezing his twin�s arm. �There will be ample time for brooding tomorrow.�
�I am not brooding. I am keeping watch.�
�Your eyes have not left the fire for almost an hour,� Elladan retorted mildly, a bit stung by his brother�s testy tone, �and the watch has been set for the night.�
Elrohir did not answer, and Elladan immediately regretted the rebuke. �Will you tell me what is wrong?� he asked, moving behind Elrohir to rub the knotted muscles of his brother�s shoulders.
�I am tired,� Elrohir answered irritably. �Tired of the hunt. Tired of life. Tired of orcs and steel and blood and charnel fires and...� His voice trailed off for a moment. �There is nothing else left. Nothing. Only killing and burning and resting just enough to start over again.�
Elladan�s fingers paused in their rhythmic kneading as he struggled to manage the dual rush of guilt and anger that Elrohir�s words provoked.
How could he not have known his twin was so burdened? And how could Elrohir dismiss their bond...dismiss Elladan...as �nothing�?
�Nothing else?� he prodded gently, rubbing his cheek against Elrohir�s hair in an expression of affection that went back to their childhood.
�Nothing.�
The loss of contact was so sudden and so complete as to startle the elf-knight out of his black mood. Elrohir watched, momentarily bewildered, as Elladan rolled himself into one of their blankets, turning his back to the fire. As he pondered his brother�s odd behavior, the implications of his own terse outburst became excruciatingly clear and Elrohir buried his face in his hands, unsure whether to be amused or annoyed by Elladan�s knee-jerk reaction.
It seemed he was not the only one short on patience and understanding tonight.
Elladan stared unseeingly into the darkness, pointedly ignoring the tug and shifting of the ground cloth as Elrohir settled in behind him with a heavy sigh.
��Dan?�
There was no answer, but Elrohir refused to be ignored, draping one arm over his brother and snuggling closer, drawing their shared blankets around Elladan. �I know you are awake, t�ren.�
�How very insightful of you.�
�I was wrong,� Elrohir said, choosing not to respond to his twin�s snide comment. Elladan did not answer, but Elrohir felt his brother�s stiffly held body relax slightly. �There can never be nothing, �Dan.�
�There will always be you.�