Disclaimer: All I own is Esme, the rest is Tolkien's.
A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, faves and follows. Special thanks to DreamingGalaxies and ro781727 for their help and suggestions.
The Trolls
Esme's POV
Esme woke up in the early hours of the morning. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon and the snores of the company filled the camp around her. Suddenly the previous evenings events came back to her and groaning as she buried her head in her pillow and tried to stop herself from panicking all over again. Panicking wasn't going to help her and she was going to have to pull herself together if she was going to continue on with the dwarves on their journey. If she was honest with herself she wasn't sure if she even wanted to continue on with them but really she was left with little choice. They were in the middle of the wild, she had no idea where exactly they were or how close the nearest town was and even if she did decide to stay somewhere she wouldn't know anyone. Were the towns in this world even safe? If things like orcs and dragons really did exist in this world then what was to stop them from attacking any town that she decided to take refuge in. At least now she was surrounded by warriors, granted she had never seen them fight but judging by the array of weapons they each carried she imagined they were all well used to battles. It was only when her pillow shifted slightly that Esme remembered she hadn't in fact brought a pillow with her at all. Suddenly she remembered the strong arms that had held her as she fell asleep the previous night, the whispered promise one of the dwarves had made to look after her. Just as she was wondering which of the dwarves had been her hero the previous evening her would-be pillow pulled back to look down at her. Concerned blue eyes met hers and she stiffened immediately. Of all the dwarves that could have been holding her he was the one she had least expected to do it.
"Dwalin?"
The burly dwarf remained silent simply shifting slightly and bringing one of his hands up to brush a stray hair back out of her face. His hand lingered in her hair for a moment as he looked down at her lips and back up to catch her gaze again. Esme's heart quickened. Dwalin leaned forward and she pressed herself tighter against him. She was certain he was going to kiss her but just as the thought entered into her head she heard a movement on the other side of camp. Thorin who had been on the last watch of the night began to call them all to get up and start gathering their things. Disappointment and confusion coursed through her as Dwalin let her go, stood up and walked away without even a word or a backwards glance.
"I'm not even going to ask what that was about."
Turning Esme found Nori propped up against a tree a short distance away from her. She was sure she turned redder than she had ever been in that moment. Her first instinct was to deny that it had been anything; after all it hadn't been, not really. Deciding however that she really needed a friend in this world she sighed and shrugged at the pointy haired dwarf.
"Even if you did I couldn't answer you Nori. I don't really know what that was myself. Could you give me a hand getting my things together please?"
Nori rolled his eyes but smiled kindly at her. Rising from his seat at the tree he helped her to roll her bed roll back up and fasten it properly to her pack. Then they sat together for breakfast sharing more stories about each other's worlds. Esme was happy to think she had finally made a friend in this new place but Dwalin didn't seem too pleased about her choice of company.
"I will never understand what you see in him. Is it the brooding frown that you find attractive?" Nori whispered to her as Dwalin glared at them from across the camp. Blushing and slapping his arm lightly Esme smiled at her new found friend. She had to admit that she never would have even entertained the idea of falling for someone like Dwalin before now so she could understand Nori's point of view but there was just something that attracted her to the warrior even if she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly. She wasn't sure she would ever understand Dwalin. One minute the warrior was adamant that she was a burden and he wanted nothing to do with her, the next he was holding her, acting concerned for her and almost kissing her and now he was glaring at her like she had just stolen his best jewels and replaced them with pebbles.
"I never said I was attracted to him but yes now that you mention it I do think the death glare is very attractive, who wouldn't?" Esme joked.
Nori laughed and helped her up to go get their ponies loaded for the day's journey. She liked that she could joke with Nori, it reminded her of the times she had spent with Jenna and the way they would tease each other in school about guys that they each liked. She wondered what Jenna was doing now, how shocked she must have been when Esme disappeared right in front of her eyes. Esme knew all too well what it was like when someone you loved disappeared and her heart broke for her friend thinking of what she must be going through right now. She missed Jenna with every fiber of her being.
All too quickly though it was time to get on the road again and she had no more time to think about Jenna as she concentrated on the road ahead and trying not to fall off of her pony which she found was a lot more difficult than she had ever anticipated. Apart from a few worried looks, mainly from Thorin, nobody had mentioned the events of the night before for which she was entirely grateful. She felt ignoring her worries and trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong was the best thing she could do for now. There was no time for her to have another meltdown and she hated thinking the dwarves would see her as weak, that Dwalin would see her as weak. Either way, she was stuck on this journey for now, so she had to just get on with it. She rode beside Nori for most of the morning chatting, laughing and enjoying his company as Dwalin continued to frown deeply at them from his pony.
Dwalin's POV
Dwalin was in a foul mood. His head was filled with thoughts of Esme and he really didn't know what to do about it. He needed to do something to get his thoughts back on the quest and away from the lass altogether. That morning he had been so close to kissing her. Watching her now, laughing and smiling with Nori, he realised what a fool he would have made of himself if Thorin had not interrupted them at the exact right time. The lass clearly favoured the thief and would most certainly have denied his advances. Who could blame her? He had insulted her, upset her and left her angry with him. It was his own fault that she wanted nothing to do with him now. The part of his mind which refused to let go of the thoughts of her however decided to remind him that the lass hadn't in fact pulled away as he had leaned towards her. In fact she had pressed herself against him. Perhaps there was a chance after all, but no, the lass was simply like her mother he decided. Thorin had thought her mother had cared deeply for him but her eye had been elsewhere. Esme was simply playing the same game, pretending to care for him and leading him on while all the time having her eye on Nori. He would have to convince himself that he was better off without her whether he liked it or not.
To add to his already horrid mood it then started to rain. It was so heavy that within minutes they were all soaked through and the conversation in the group died down as everyone began to feel thoroughly miserable. To make matters worse one of the ponies got spooked and ended up in the river. The bags it was carrying were washed away before they could get it out again and it was mostly food. By the time they stopped at an old farmhouse for the night they were tired, wet, cold and grumpy and they had very little left for supper. They would have to find somewhere to restock their supplies and soon. As if that weren't enough Gandalf and Thorin took to argue about whether or not the area was safe to camp in and the wizard stormed off leaving Thorin in a mood that rivaled Dwalin's own. Even Esme's usually high spirits were dampened that evening. She spoke little to anyone while sitting by the fire trying to warm up and dry off. She was shivering he noticed. As much as he wanted to be able to not care he couldn't just leave her there while she looked so miserable. Taking two bowls of stew from Bombur he made his way over to her handing her one of the steaming bowls and sitting down beside her.
"Are you alright?"
She looked up at him and gave him a half-hearted smile.
"I'm fine, thank you."
Saying she was fine was one thing but the lass certainly didn't look it. She looked tired, cold and uneasy. Dwalin thought of the evening before and how upset she had been when she had learned about the existence of the dragon and orcs. He had been right when he had said the road was no place for women. She wasn't able for this and they hadn't even run into trouble yet. Mahal only knew how she would react when faced with any real sort of danger and on the road there were plenty of them. If panic set in at the wrong time then she could easily be killed out here. She shouldn't have come with them. He couldn't bare the thoughts of anything happening to her. He had to find a way to keep her safe. Surely now that she knew of the dangers they were facing she would agree with him.
"Lass, about last night, I know you were frightened and honestly you were right to be. I tried to say this back in Hobbiton, the road is no place for ya. We'll be passing by Rivendell soon enough, it would be safe there for you. You could stay there when we leave. If anything were to happen to you I'd..."
He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Esme stood immediately; looking at her now he could see her eyes fill with hurt and anger. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes.
"You want to leave me behind?"
Dwalin sighed. "That's not it lass."
"But it is it! You lied to me! You said you'd look after me but now you want to leave me just like everyone else I've ever had in my life! Why did you even try to help me last night if that's how you felt? You don't care about me at all so why pretend to?"
A tear slipped down her cheek and Dwalin was very aware that the whole camp was watching them now. The only reason he wanted to leave the lass behind was for her own safety. Something could happen to her on the road. He may not be able to save her and he couldn't bear the thoughts of losing her. Surely she could see that. Why was she being so unreasonable? He hated that she thought he didn't care about her.
"Lass, that's not it, listen to me. I do care about..."
Just then Fili and Kili came bursting through the trees and into the camp.
"TROLLS!"
Esme's POV
"TROLLS!"
Esme froze. Did they really just say trolls? They couldn't possibly have real live trolls here too. Panic started to well up inside her instantly but before she had time to think much about it Thorin had her caught by the arm and they were all running into the forest towards a campfire in the distance. Her heart was pounding and her legs hurt from running and trying to keep up with Thorin. Her chest hurt and she was sure that she couldn't keep up the pace much longer. As they drew closer to the camp site however Thorin slowed their pace and pulled her to one side behind a large tree.
"I need you to climb. Now! You stay quiet and don't come out of this tree no matter what happens do you hear me?"
Esme simply nodded. She really wasn't sure how she was going to climb into the tree though given that her legs were like jelly after all the running and the fright of hearing about the trolls. Dwalin must have noticed as he grabbed her and lifted her into the lowest branches.
"Climb lass and stay hidden. Please."
Somehow she found the strength to climb up higher into the tree where the leaves were thick and she was well concealed. Hidden in the branches she watched the horrifying scene below her. Three of the largest, most hideous creatures she had ever seen were currently fighting the dwarves around a large campfire while Bilbo dodged between their legs. How the hobbit hadn't been squashed yet Esme couldn't understand. These things were massive; they towered above the dwarves, their legs and arms as thick as tree trunks. The worst thing was the smell. Esme was heaving from the stench of them and she was a good distance away. How the dwarves were managing to fight without vomiting she couldn't understand. Fight they did though. They were amazing to watch; they moved so quickly and wielded their weapons so well that the trolls were having a hard time trying to defend themselves. Just as she was beginning to think that the dwarves had everything under control and that they would all end up safe after all, two of the trolls grabbed Bilbo and held him up by his arms and legs.
"Lay down your arms! Or we'll rip his off!"
Esme felt sick as one by one the dwarves dropped their weapons and were swiftly captured by the vile beasts. As she watched them tie Dwalin, Bofur, Dori, Ori and Nori to a spit she began to really panic. She couldn't bear the thoughts of losing any of the dwarves but certainly not Nori or Dwalin. She had to do something to help but she didn't know how. It wasn't like she could fight them, they would capture her instantly. Dwalin was looking towards her tree in desperation. He was probably thinking the same thing she was. What would she do if the trolls ate them? She didn't even know where she was or how to get help. She would be utterly alone if something were to happen to the dwarves. That decided her; she couldn't just sit there while her friends were captured. Thinking quickly she climbed down out of the tree as silently as she could, there were pebbles lying around on the ground and she stuffed as many as she could into her pockets. Dwalin was shaking his head at her his eyes full of panic but she had to try to help them. The trolls were at this point discussing how they should eat the dwarves and the hobbit and what the best seasoning to use was. Frightened as she was she knew she had to do something to distract them. All she needed to do was confuse them long enough for one of the dwarves to get themselves free or for Gandalf to arrive back. Hopefully she would be able to manage it.
Summoning up all her courage she took a deep breath and began to throw stones at the trolls from the bushes. As soon as she let one go she ran to another bush and threw another as quickly as possible. Thankfully the trolls, while strong, were rather dim-witted.
"Tom? Bert? What was that? Something 'it me."
The other trolls looked around the clearing but seeing nothing they rolled their eyes at their companion and continued to discuss the seasoning. Scratching his head the troll scanned the trees for any sign of another intruder but seeing nothing he then returned to his discussion with the other two.
Esme crept towards another bush as quietly as she could and let another stone fly towards the troll. This time it hit him in the back of his head and he jumped to his feet almost knocking over the spit with the dwarves tied to it.
"William, what are ya playin' at?" bellowed one of other trolls.
"I'm tellin' ya Bert something 'it me. There must be another one of these ere dwarves lurkin' about in the bushes."
That was enough for the trolls; they were on their feet instantly. Esme was smart enough to know she needed to get out of the bushes and fast. She climbed into the nearest tree just as the trolls reached the bushes she had been hiding in. It didn't have as many leaves as the tree she had originally been in and all she could do was hope that they wouldn't spot her. Holding her breath she prayed that they would move away without searching too much for her.
"I 'ate dwarves. If there's another one 'ere I'm gonna eat it without cookin' it. Nothin' like a bit of fresh dwarf."
William licked his lips as he searched through the bushes that Esme had been hiding in just moments before. She was beginning to panic now as they drew nearer to her. What would happen if they found her? Her hands were shaky and sweaty and she tried her hardest not to lose her grip on the branch she was clinging to. Just as they reached the tree she had climbed into however she heard a voice shouting from the other side of the camp.
"Wait! You're making a terrible mistake."
Bilbo! Bless him; the hobbit was trying to help her. Startled by the sudden outburst the trolls moved away from where she was hiding and back towards the campfire. Forgetting their search for now the trolls engaged in yet another discussion about spices with Bilbo insisting they'd need something stronger than sage if they were going to plate the dwarves up. At any other time she would have laughed. The dwarves wouldn't take too kindly to Bilbo's words even if he was trying to stop them from being eaten. Unfortunately that was still a very real possibility and Esme realised that she was going to have to do something else to get the trolls away from the dwarves. Just when she had decided to climb back down from the tree however, Gandalf appeared on a rock in the clearing with his staff in hand.
"The dawn will take you all."
Just like magic the three horrible trolls turned to stone in the clearing. It seemed wizards were good for something after all. The dwarves cheered and Esme lowered herself out of the tree running to help get them down from the spit quickly. As soon as they were all safely on the ground again she made her way over to Dwalin. She really wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Some thanks maybe? It would have been nice for her efforts to keep them safe to have been acknowledged at the least. Dwalin however had other ideas. He turned on her immediately, not even giving her a chance to speak.
"You foolish girl! What were you thinking? They might have seen you! You could have gotten yourself hurt or killed! What part of stay in the tree did you not understand!?"
Taken aback by his outburst, Esme simply stood there unable to answer him. Even after all she had done for them he still thought her useless. He probably always would. What had he expected her to do? Sit silently in the tree until the trolls had eaten them all? What would she have done then? Left alone in a world she knew nothing about. It wouldn't have been long before she had run into trolls or something worse and gotten herself killed anyway. At least she had tried to help them. She felt utterly defeated again. Nothing she did would ever be good enough for him. Deciding it was time she stopped trying to gain his approval, she simply turned her back on him and walked away.
Dwalin's POV
As soon as Dwalin had the words out of his mouth he regretted them. The last thing he had wanted to do was upset her again. Having her hate him was never what he had planned for. He had just been so frightened he would lose her when he saw her climb down from the tree to help them. When the trolls had approached her hiding place his heart had been in his mouth. The lass didn't seem to realise how close she had come to being a troll's dinner herself. She had a total disregard for her own safety and that troubled him more than anything ever had. He needed to keep her safe. He had snapped at her without thinking. If he had of given himself a moment to think it through it would have occurred to him that if they had died she certainly wouldn't have been safe alone out here. That was probably what had driven her to try to help them in the first place he decided.
Just as he was about to reach for her and say sorry for his words her eyes hardened and she turned and walked away. He seemed to have a knack for making her despise him but this time he was determined to fix it. It was time he told her how he felt, even if she rejected him at least she would understand that he didn't hate her. Maybe if she knew that he cared for her and that he just wanted her to be safe then she might listen to him. Just as he made to follow her however, Thorin stopped him.
"Leave it. She needs to learn. It was a foolish move. There must be a cave nearby. We need provisions, let's hope they have some unspoiled food in it."
Dwalin looked over to where Esme was talking quietly with Nori. He really wanted to talk to her and straighten everything out but it would have to wait until later. They needed food and then they would have to move on from this place. Gandalf had insisted they make for the valley of Rivendell and for once the idea of being surrounded by elves didn't bother Dwalin. He would just be glad to be off the road and out of harm's way for a bit. With any luck he would be able to convince Esme to remain in Rivendell where she would be safe instead of continuing on this quest with them. Shouldering his axes, he followed their leader away from the stone trolls and into the woods towards the hills.
TBC