Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from Esme and Jenna, the rest of the characters, places etc belong to Tolkien and Jackson.

A/N: I'm still trying to find someone to beta this for me so any grammar or punctuation mistakes are mine and mine alone. I've tried to make sure there aren't any glaringly obvious ones but I've had a really awful week a friend of mine passed away and my children are being tested for covid so my head is mush and I could have easily missed a few. If you do spot any please let me know so that I can fix them. Constructive criticism is always welcome as it helps me to improve my writing. I wasn't sure whether or not "dwarven" was the right word to use when describing their culture, if it's wrong someone please let me know. Once again thanks for the reviews, favs and follows. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Surrender

Dwalin's POV

When Esme eventually stopped crying Dwalin picked her up and took her into the room she had been about to walk into when he had caught up on her. It was a large room with open windows framed with billowing curtains on either side. A large bed was pushed up against the far wall and he carried her over and lay her down on it. As he was straightening up to leave she caught his hand in hers. Looking down at her he was struck by the vulnerability in her eyes.

"Please don't leave me."

He looked away and blushed heavily. "It's not proper for me to stay lass. I should go."

Esme ignored his words though and instead tightened her grip on his hand. "Dwalin please don't. I need you. Please."

Every fiber of Dwalin's being screamed at him that this was wrong. No unmarried lass should be alone in her bedchamber with any male. He should just leave, he knew that, but she needed him right now and he had promised to look after her. He had no idea what was going on in her mind at the moment but he couldn't just walk away when she was so clearly distressed. Sighing, he lowered himself onto the bed beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she clung to him.

He was still warring with himself as he lay there. He worried about what the others would think if they were to find out about this. Balin in particular would be horrified, having spent years trying to drill proper etiquette into his younger brother. This simply wasn't right and he knew it yet he couldn't pretend he didn't enjoy having her in his arms. It was something he had longed for but not like this. He had wanted to tell her how he felt first. Would she still have allowed him to hold her if she knew how he felt about her? Probably not he conceded. He was well past his prime and she was still young and beautiful. She could have her pick of any dwarf in Ered Luin; there was no way she would choose him.

A sudden thought occurred to him then. Perhaps she'd had her pick of men in her old world too. Was she promised to someone already? She hadn't mentioned it but that didn't mean it wasn't the case. He found himself consumed with jealousy at the very thought of it. He couldn't imagine her being in anyone else's arms. The more he thought about it the more he tensed up and Esme must have noticed it.

"What's wrong?" She asked sleepily.

"It's nothing lass, go to sleep."

She nodded and snuggled closer to him. Dwalin wasn't sure if he really wanted to know whether or not she was promised to someone else but just as she was beginning to drift off to sleep he decided it was probably best to know so that he could forget about her if she was. Taking a deep breath and hoping for the best he whispered to her.

"Esme? Were you married in your old world?"

She looked up at him from where her head rested on his chest and smiled sleepily. "No I wasn't. Nobody was ever interested in marrying me, why would they be? I'm nothing special."

With that she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Relief flooded through him and he smiled down at her before he gently moved her off of his chest and back onto the bed, pulling the covers over her. How she could think that of herself he would never know, clearly she didn't see how attractive she was. Kissing her lightly on the forehead, he whispered.

"You're very special to me."

Leaving the room, he closed the door lightly behind him and made his way back to the balcony to the others.

Jenna's POV

After spending the rest of the evening laughing and joking with Nori and Bofur and learning a bit more about them Jenna was in good spirits. Tiredness was beginning to catch up on her though so she excused herself and made her way back towards her bedroom. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see the dwarf that had sat with Lord Elrond at dinner following her; Nori had said his name was Thorin, the leader of their company. Expecting him to be as friendly as the other dwarves she smiled warmly at him. All she received in return however was a deep frown.

"Do not expect us to take you with us when we leave. You are not a dwarf and you have no place among us. You won't be welcome."

She was momentarily stunned by the dwarf's angry outburst but she pulled herself together quickly. If this dwarf thought she was a pushover then he had another thing coming. She wouldn't be spoken down to by anyone. She matched his frown with one of her own.

"Excuse me!? Firstly, I'm quite aware that I'm not a dwarf but thank you for pointing it out in case it had escaped my attention. Secondly, I don't believe I ever asked to come with you in the first place. Personally I think Esme is foolish for even entertaining the idea of going anywhere with a pompous idiot like you! If she has any sense she'll stay here."

Jenna took great pleasure in the fact that the dwarf looked dumbstruck by her retort. Clearly he wasn't used to people standing up to him. He regained his composure swiftly however.

"Well your friend may be spared my idiotic company as I doubt I will be taking her any further either." He spat.

Jenna glared at him angrily. Esme had said he had been kind to her, he had promised to take her to see her father and here he was threatening not to take her any further just because he apparently had a problem with Jenna.

"You promised her you'd take her to see her father!"

The dwarf looked at her like she was the lowest form of life he had ever come across. "That was before I knew she was reckless and would endanger herself needlessly."

"Needlessly?" Jenna replied incredulously. "It wasn't needless and you know it! She was trying to save your sorry asses!"

His eyes narrowed at her reply. He knew she was right, she could see it in his face, but he wouldn't admit it. Instead he rolled his eyes at her as if she were a bothersome child.

"My men don't need distractions on this quest!"

Jenna frowned at him and was about to reply when she heard a gruff voice from behind her answer him instead.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Jenna spun around to find Dwalin standing behind her. The frown on his face was even scarier looking than the other dwarf's. His large tattooed arms were crossed and he looked extremely intimidating. It didn't stop the other dwarf from continuing his rant however.

"I am not blind! I see how you look at her!" he all but shouted at Dwalin.

"How I look at her is none of your concern Thorin." Dwalin replied more calmly than Jenna expected.

"Are you that blind!? I heard her words when the wizard wanted to take her with him. She said she wanted to stay with you but how long will it last? How long before someone else catches her eye and she leaves you? She is just like her mother!"

The larger dwarf sighed at Thorin's outburst and shook his head. "Esme is not her mother and I am not you Thorin."

With that, the balding dwarf stomped off down the corridor in the opposite direction leaving Thorin standing there fuming. Jenna looked at him closely now and could see the hurt in his eyes behind the anger. There was more to this than there had seemed to be at first but it didn't excuse his behaviour.

"He's right you know." Thorin spun towards her glaring at her once again but she continued nonetheless. "I don't know what happened with you and Cadence but Esme is nothing like her."

Thorin looked down his nose at her. "What would you know of it!?"

"A lot actually! I knew Cadence. Esme may remember her mother through rose-tinted glasses but I don't. She was cold, calculating and manipulative. Esme is none of those things."

The dwarf looked taken aback by her assessment of Cadence's character. She expected him to call her out on it, to insist she was a lovely person like so many others had before him, but instead he seemed to deflate a little. For a moment she thought he was going to agree with her but then his face hardened once again.

"Stay out of things that do not concern you!" he spat angrily before turning to leave.

Jenna bristled; she wasn't finished with him yet. Catching him by the arm she spun him around to face her again.

"I'm not done speaking to you and you'll wait until I am! Anything to do with Esme does concern me! You don't have to take me along with you, in fact I would very much prefer if you didn't, but she deserves to meet her father and you promised her you'd take her, so the very least you can do is honour that promise."

With that she stormed past him and down the corridor leaving him standing there with his mouth open in shock. Nori stepped out from the shadows then, where he had been standing watching their altercation.

"Well, she's certainly a force to be reckoned with, eh?"

Thorin simply huffed angrily and walked away.

Esme's POV

Esme woke up when the sun rose. She had enjoyed having a bed for the night instead of lying on the cold ground and she had slept soundly. Looking around the room, she smiled. Dwalin must have left some time in the night and Jenna had come back. Right now her friend was asleep sitting up in the armchair beside the bed. Sliding out from under the covers she gave her friend's shoulder a light shake. Jenna yawned and stretched, opening her eyes to look at her.

"Morning." She said tiredly.

Esme smiled down at her. "Morning Jen. Why did you sleep on the chair? You could have lain down beside me."

Jenna laughed. "The way you toss and turn when you're asleep I'd have ended up black and blue. That, or you'd have mistaken me for Dwalin and I'd have ended up getting an unwanted smooch."

Esme rolled her eyes at her friend and threw a pillow at her. "Not funny Jen! I told you we're just friends."

"Right, ok. I believe you. Thousands wouldn't but I do. You know where I am when you eventually decide to admit your feelings. That said we will need to have a serious discussion about your taste in men." That earned Jenna another pillow to the head and a death glare from Esme.

Laughing at her friend, Jenna helped her to make the bed then. Esme thought about the night before and everything that had happened. She wondered if Dwalin had still been here when her friend had arrived back. No she decided, if he had have been then Jenna would surely have teased her about it endlessly. She remembered begging him to stay with her when he was clearly uncomfortable doing so. Then she had clung to him like a child and fallen asleep on his chest. She blushed as she thought about it. What must he think of her? She made a mental note to find him this morning and apologise for her behaviour.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Esme looked up at Jenna and shrugged. "I was thinking I need to apologise to someone for something, that's all."

Jenna raised an eyebrow at that but chose not to comment. "Come on let's go get some breakfast. You have to be famished. You didn't eat a whole lot last night. Are you ok Ez?"

Was she ok? She had made a decision the night before that she didn't want to let Dwalin walk out of her life but what did that mean? Was there any chance they could be more than just friends? Would he even entertain the idea of being with her? She thought again about the night before and suddenly remembered Dwalin's question. Why had he wanted to know if she was married? Perhaps he was interested in her after all. With a sudden feeling of hope swelling in her chest she smiled widely at Jenna.

"I'm great Jen, absolutely great."

Jenna smiled back at her and the two of them set off in search of the kitchens to grab some breakfast.

Dwalin's POV

Dwalin sat in the kitchens nursing a large cup of coffee; he didn't usually bother with it but he had slept little and required all the help he could get to motivate himself for the day. Thorin's words from the night before had angered him and left him tossing and turning all night. Thorin was his oldest friend and he loved him dearly but he had a way of getting under his skin at times. He certainly didn't need Thorin's advice when it came to Esme. Yet he'd be lying if he said Thorin's words hadn't made him doubt whether or not she could feel the same about him as he did about her. Was he really good enough for her? Or would she run off with another dwarf as soon as the opportunity arose like Thorin had warned? Maybe the easiest way to find out the answers to all his questions was to simply tell her how he felt about her. It was a daunting thought but it wasn't something he could avoid forever and he would like to know where he stood with her before they left Rivendell. Would she come with them? He had thought it would be best to leave her here but now that it came to it he didn't like the thoughts of her staying behind. Someone clearing their throat snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Thorin leaning against the doorjamb.

"It's not the coffee's fault." Dwalin looked at Thorin in confusion, his friend pointing to the half full cup in front of him. "The coffee; you were frowning at it like you were going to murder it."

Dwalin huffed and looked back down at his drink. "Better than murdering the king I suppose."

Thorin at least had the decency to look regretful as he slid into the seat across from him and poured himself a cup of coffee. He didn't look like he had slept much himself, the ghosts of the past no doubt keeping him awake.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said what I did."

Dwalin raised an eyebrow, in all the years he'd known Thorin he could count on one hand the amount of times he had heard the stubborn dwarf apologise for anything. It was completely out of character for him.

"Are you actually apologising? What's got into you?"

Thorin gave him a small smile. "Someone may have pointed out to me that I was wrong to make assumptions and even if I don't like it, I can at least admit that I misspoke. You're my friend Dwalin, I don't have very many of them. Anything I said was out of concern for you. Though I see now I was wrong to assume your situation was the same as mine. I just don't want you to get hurt but you deserve to be happy and if she makes you happy then I won't stand in the way."

Dwalin shoved a scone into his mouth as he looked across the table at Thorin. Whatever had been said after he had left the night before had really gotten to his friend. Thinking back on the sadness in Thorin's voice when he had spoken of Esme's mother in the hobbit's home, Dwalin couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He knew Thorin wouldn't say something to deliberately hurt him. His friend had genuinely cared for Esme's mother but she had left him heartbroken. He deliberated asking Thorin if he was ok but decided against it. Thorin wasn't one for discussing his feelings. It was one of the reasons he and Dwalin were such good friends, they were much the same in that respect. Instead he grinned across the table at the other dwarf.

"Lass got under your skin then, did she?"

Thorin rolled his eyes. "That woman is the most stubborn, rude, arrogant woman I have ever had the displeasure of coming across. She's insufferable!"

Dwalin laughed at his friend. "Oh she got under your skin alright. Won't do you any harm. It's about time you listened to someone. Apology accepted by the way."

Thorin looked relieved that Dwalin had accepted his apology and was about to reply when the sound of Esme and Jenna chatting was heard from outside the door. Rolling his eyes again, Thorin stood to leave, pointing towards the door as he did so.

"Esme is one thing but she is not coming with us."

Dwalin laughed at his friend. It was rare to see Thorin so ruffled by someone and he wondered again what had happened after he left them the night before. Just at that moment Esme and Jenna walked into the kitchen, the latter narrowing her eyes the moment she saw Thorin. His friend cleared his throat, muttered a good morning ladies and excused himself. Dwalin found he hoped the lass did accompany them on their journey regardless of Thorin's wishes, if only for the fact that it amused him greatly to see Thorin so bothered by someone.

Esme's POV

When Esme and Jenna reached the kitchens they found Dwalin and Thorin already there. Just looking at the tattooed dwarf made Esme's heart beat a little faster. Shaking herself out of it for now though, she smiled at the two dwarves. Thorin mumbled a good morning to herself and Jenna and then left immediately. He didn't seem himself this morning. She looked toward Dwalin.

"Is he ok?"

Dwalin simply shrugged his shoulders and continued drinking his coffee. Jenna slid into the seat across from him and helped herself to some fruit and a scone.

"Who cares?" She muttered.

Esme wasn't sure what to make of her friend's reply. It wasn't like Jenna to have an issue with someone without good reason. She was, generally speaking, a good judge of character but Esme could see no reason she could have not to like Thorin. Sure he was aloof at times and frowned far more than was necessary but he was nice enough at the back of it all. Dwalin was grinning at her friend's response though and she felt like she had definitely missed something. What had happened after she had left last night? She was snapped out of her musings by Jenna who decided to strike up a conversation with Dwalin.

"So you must be Dwalin. I've heard a lot about you."

Esme slid into the seat beside Dwalin and glared across at her friend. She knew Jenna well enough to know what she was up to and the last thing she wanted was for her friend to try to play match-maker with herself and Dwalin. Deliberating how she could get Jenna to shut her mouth, she wondered if she could reach far enough to kick her in the shin from where she was sitting.

"Oh?" Dwalin answered, clearly amused.

Jenna smiled widely, completely ignoring the looks Esme was shooting in her direction. "Oh yes, Esme hasn't stopped talking about you and how brave you are, isn't that right Ez? Ouch!"

Turned out that yes, she could reach far enough to kick her friend from where she was sitting. Dwalin was looking between the two of them in amusement. Esme was sure she was red as a beet as she tried to explain away her friend's statement.

"I erm... I was just telling Jen about all of you fighting the trolls and the orcs and stuff. That's all." She muttered as she lowered her gaze to her plate and picked at the scone she had placed on it. She hoped that Dwalin wouldn't read any more into Jenna's statement. There was silence for a moment as he observed her. Esme found herself wishing that the ground would open up and swallow her. She was going to kill Jenna for this. Jenna was still rubbing her shin and frowning at her friend from across the table.

"Would you take a walk with me lass?"

Esme looked up at Dwalin then. Suddenly she remembered that she owed him an apology for the night before. Is that why he wanted her to go for a walk with him? Was he going to chide her for being so forward? She didn't know much about dwarven culture, but from what she did know of the dwarves and how they behaved towards women, she assumed sharing a bed with a woman one was not married to was probably not a common occurrence. Blushing, she nodded.

"Of course I will."

Rising from his seat, he smiled down at her and offered her his hand to help her out of hers. Taking the offered hand, Esme turned to Jenna who was now beaming at her and looking rather smug.

"You don't mind Jen do you? I'll catch up with you a bit later."

"Not at all, enjoy your walk you two." Jenna winked at them before returning her attention to her breakfast.

Dwalin offered her his arm and she held onto it as they left the kitchen and walked back through the winding corridors to a small garden Esme had seen the previous evening on her way to Jenna's room. Dwalin had remained silent on the way here. Occasionally he looked as though he was about to say something but when she looked at him he would sigh and look away. Perhaps he was embarrassed about last night and didn't know how to broach the subject with her. She wasn't really sure how she was meant to go about apologising to him either, it was an awkward subject to approach, so she had kept quiet herself simply enjoying his company and waiting for him to say something first.

"Will you be continuing on our quest with us lass?"

The question caught her off guard. It wasn't at all what she had been expecting. Since she had arrived in Rivendell she hadn't really had time to think about what she was going to do when it was time for the dwarves to leave. She still wanted to find her mother and maybe even meet the father she had only just found out she had but now that she knew the dangers that waited outside of this safe house she was unsure if she would be able for such a journey. That being said she didn't want to say goodbye to her new friends either and she certainly couldn't imagine saying goodbye to Dwalin. He had come to mean so much to her in such a short time. He had wanted her to stay here though; he had said so before the troll incident. Was this why he brought her for a walk? Did he think that he could convince her to remain behind? Deciding honesty was the best policy Esme replied.

"I hadn't really thought much about it but I think I'd like to go with you if I'm still welcome to."

Dwalin nodded but remained silent. Esme took a moment to admire their surroundings. The garden's here were beautiful. The whole place was like something out of a fairy tale. There were plants that she had never seen before and some that she was familiar with from her old world. Esme was admiring a beautiful red rose bush when Dwalin picked a bloom from the plant and handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise. She had been expecting him to try to convince her to stay behind, to scold her for being foolish enough to entertain the idea of continuing on with them but this gesture was entirely unexpected. Carefully she took the proffered flower and smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you. They're beautiful aren't they?"

Dwalin turned to face her then and brushed a stray hair back from her face, his hand lingering in her hair for a moment.

"It's not nearly as beautiful as you."

With that he suddenly leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Esme's head was whirling as he pulled back. Had he really just kissed her? Was this real? The tingling in her lips and her increased heartbeat told her that yes it was very much real. He was still standing close to her, watching her face intently but made no move to kiss her again. Her eyes lowered to his lips then back up to his eyes again and she reached a hand out slowly to touch his bearded cheek. His face lit up in a brilliant smile before he pulled her into his arms and their lips met once more.

TBC