I like this tale as much as Chapter 1, and perhaps more, because now we're seeing Estel as nearly a grown man and, of course, with plenty of action and angst. ;) The troll battle was so well done--I can well imagine how hard it would have been on Estel, and his stamina not quite holding up, and his reactions to the entire thing seem spot on. I also like his interactions with Halbarad (of course! Yes, my name is cairistiona and I am a Halbaradaholic...) And I think Elladan's reaction at the end of the troll battle was the most moving part of the whole piece. You can't help but read this and think of Arador, so it makes sense that Elladan would be shattered at seeing Estel alive and whole. This was quite a coming-of-age for him, his first winter out, and you've done a good job at filling in the picture for us. :)