I wrote this chapter in my spare time, so I'm sorry if it rambles a bit. Thanks to all of the readers of the first chapter, and now here is the second.

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Strangely enough, when Legolas next opened his eyes, he wasn't laying on the cold, hard ground just outside of Rivendell. Instead, he found himself in a room that was very familiar, though as hard as he tried, he could not place where he was. It was definite that this was not Mirkwood, as this place had more light filtering through the curtains. Mirkwood had become dark and clouded by the Shadow.

Legolas sat up, rubbing his eyes. Where was he? Footsteps echoed down the hall outside of his room. Legolas searched for his knives, thinking he may have been stripped of them when he was brought to...wherever he was. To his confusion, he found that his knives still remained sheathed to the belt strapped tightly around his waist. Either the people that were holding him captive were extremely unintelligent, or they did not see him as a threat.

There was a knock on the door, and a cheerful, familiar voice called out, "Legolas?"

How did they know his name? Legolas drew his knife, pressing his back against the wall just beside the door. These kidnappers were going to pay for leaving him armed, and he prepared to take down as many of the enemy as possible.

The doorknob jiggled, and Legolas aimed his knife. The door slowly creaked open, sunlight filling more of the room quickly and blinding Legolas. When his eyes adjusted to the light, Aragorn, his old friend, was standing in the doorway with a big smile on his face. "It is nice to see you, mellon nin! When did you arrive to Rivendell? It must have been late last night for my father to not have received word of your arrival."

It was only then that Aragorn looked down and noticed the tip of the knife aimed at him. Legolas realized he still had it out and quickly sheathed it once more. "I'm sorry, Estel," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I thought you were...someone else..."

A frown marred Aragorn's face. His friend was acting peculiar. Not only did he look confused and bedraggled, but he also was wearing his belt and quiver of arrows, as if he were about to go out on a hunting trip. Squinting at Legolas, he asked, "Are you okay, Legolas?"

Legolas nodded, like Aragorn knew he would. "I am fine," he responded, suddenly composing himself. Aragorn resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at the elf, and instead pointed to his weapons. "You need not arm yourself here, Legolas. You are safe here."

As if just noticing that his weapons were indeed strapped securely to his body, Legolas' face took on a look of puzzlement. Before Aragorn could ask, Legolas quickly said, "I should bathe, as I got here very late last night. I am sorry to have worried you, Estel. I will be out shortly."

Pushing Aragorn gently out of the door, ignoring his friend's protests, he said, "Tell your father that I arrived safely and was not harmed."

Aragorn couldn't mask a sneer. "For once," he teased, but it went unheard by the elven ears as the door shut behind him. Legolas leaned heavily against the door. Had he dreamed it all? Yes, that had to be. He had arrived in Rivendell late the night before, had retired to his room, and didn't remember any of it because he had been exhausted. That was also why he was still wearing his weapons. Satisfied with this explanation, Legolas grabbed some fresh clothing from the dresser in his room. He was such a regular visitor to Rivendell that Elrond had given him his own room in the castle.

Legolas was brushing his hair after his bath when suddenly, he felt like he was being watched once again. A shiver ran down his spine, but this time he ignored it. Estel was right; he was safe in Rivendell. The palace was protected by guards all day and all night. There was no way nothing could get in or out without the guards knowing.

This realization made Legolas freeze. Wouldn't the palace guards have noticed someone walking from the woods into the palace last night? They definitely would have stopped him and asked him who he was. Surely the guards would've seen to it that the word got to Lord Elrond earlier that midday, he thought as he looked out at the position of the sun in the sky.

Legolas shook his head. He was being too paranoid, yet again. He chastised himself and finished combing his hair. Suddenly, he froze yet again when he heard the cackling. It was the same cackle he had heard in his dream the night before, he was sure of it. "Who's there?" he called, looking around him for the source of the noise.

Then, a voice, like a whisper in the wind, said , "Kill him, child."

Legolas searched for the source, but then realized with a shock that it was coming from his own mind. Shaking, Legolas whispered, "Kill who? I'm not a murderer. Who are you?"

Another cackle, and then the voice whispered, "I am the voice of Svaren. You may not be a killer now, but you will be soon, child. You will soon."

Legolas banged the palms of his hands against his ears. "Go away! I do not want to kill anyone!"

The voice whispered, "Immortal soul, I will torment you all of your days, plague your thoughts and spawn your nightmares until you kill him."

Legolas' voice trembled as he asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know, "Kill who?"

A pause.

"You must kill the ranger, the one they call 'Estel.'

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Thank you for reading this chapter. I will post a third within the next few days, depending on my schedule. Enjoy! :)