Dwalin X Reader - Milady
You had never expected to go on an adventure. Ever. But here you were, riding a pony, and humming quietly to yourself. A few paces ahead was your little brother, Bilbo. He was talking to Gandalf and it was most likely about how he didn’t want you to have come as well. The thought made you frown, but you knew you had something to offer the Company. Sure, you had basically no fighting skills, but you knew how to cook and you knew quite a bit about medicine.
“What’s got you frownin’, Lady [y/n]?” Dwalin asked you, jolting you from your thoughts.
“Nothing too important, Master Dwalin. Just dwelling in my mind,” you said. “And how many times, must I tell you, I’m far from a Lady. You don’t need to call me that.”
“You’ll need to remind me again and again, milady. For all I see is a Lady before me.” He bowed his head to you and trotted away on his pony. Your face felt hot and you knew it was bright red. Your mind strayed once more, to the time you first met the Dwarf.
---
You had just finished making your dinner and right when you sat down to eat, the doorbell rang. You and Bilbo looked at each other, confused.
“Were you expecting anyone?” You asked your brother.
“No. Stay here and eat. I’ll answer the door.” He got up and you stayed seated. You heard him open the door and a gruff voice rang out. You couldn’t make out exact words, but you did hear your brother whimper.
“Bilbo? Is everything alright?” You called, getting up from your seat. Walking through the doorway, you ran into a furry wall. You would have fallen, but two big arms caught you around your middle, steadying you.
“Whoa, careful there Lass.” It was the voice you heard earlier and you looked at him with confusion.
“Who are you? Are you a friend of my brother?”
“Dwalin, at your service,” Dwaling said, bowing slightly.
“[Y/n], at yours.” You were so very confused and that confusion only grew when the doorbell rang again.
“Bilbo, why don’t you get that and I’ll start making food for our guest.” You lead Dwalin over to the table. Pulling out a chair, you gestured for him to sit.
“What would you like to eat, Master Dwalin? We have rolls, some fish, and eggs. I could also make something fresh, if you’d like.”
The fish would be great, Lady [y/n].” You blushed and gave him your plate.
“I’m no Lady, Master Dwalin. Here’s some food. I’ll be right back with some ale.” You walked away, skirts swishing about your ankles and your hand on your cheeks.
When you came back from the pantry, another Dwarf was in your home. He apparently knew Dwalin, for one second they were laughing, hands on arms, then they slammed their heads together. Your eyes went wide. They didn’t seem hurt, so you brushed it aside.
“Um, Master Dwalin? I couldn’t remember where the ale was, so I hope these cookies and some tea will do?” You said tentatively. The two Dwarves looked at you.
“Brother, this is Lady [y/n]. She’s the sister of Mr. Bilbo,” Dwalin said.
“Balin, at your service,” the second Dwarf said.
“[Y/n], at yours. Would you like some tea as well?”
“I would love some.” You could hear Bilbo stuttering at you, but you silenced him with a look. You walked the two Dwarves to the dining room, then left for the kitchens.
“[Y/n], what are you doing?” Bilbo whispered.
“I’m being a good host to our guests.”
“But we don’t even know them!”
“I fail to see how that matters. They are in our home and I will make sure that they are taken care of.”
Bilbo tried to argue, but you just brushed past him. When you put the kettle on, Balin poked his head into the room.
“Lady [y/n]? I believe we’ve found the ale. Would it be alright if we had some?”
“Go right ahead, Master Balin. And please, just call me [y/n]. I’m no Lady.”
“Then you must call me Balin. No master needed.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Balin smiled kindly.
“Oh! You’ll need theses I suppose.” Reaching into a cupboard, you pulled out two tankards.
“Thank you, [y/n]. Your hospitality know no bounds.”
“It is my duty as your host,” you said, waving him off. “No go and enjoy the ale.”
Balin left and you heard Bilbo try to talk to them and get some sense of why they were here. They were in the pantry, looking at the food when Bilbo apologized. You knew that was the only thing they heard when Balin accepted his apology. You giggled and poured yourself some tea. The doorbell rang again and you decided to save your brother.
“I’ll get it!” You yelled, walking to the door.
“Hello.” Two Dwarves were standing there. One was blonde and the other had dark hair.
“Fili,” the blond said.
“And Kili,” the brown haired one said.
“At your service!” They both said in unison with a bow.
“[Y/n], at yours.” You tilted your head and stepped aside. “Come on in.”
“[Y/n]—“ Bilbo said before he was cut off. Fili put his weapons in Bilbo’s hands with a warning of how sharp they were.
“This place is nice. “Kili said. He started to wipe the mud from his boots on your mothers Glory Box.
“Um, Master Kili? If you could please refrain from doing that please, that would be great.” He looked up and saw you standing there.
“Of course. My apologies, Miss [y/n].”
“Fili, Kili. Come give us a hand,” Dwalin said. “And try not to upset Lady [y/n].”
“You’re a Lady? I apologize again, I—“ Kili started.
“I’m not a Lady. Master Dwalin won’t stop calling me that.” You gave him a pointed look, but he just laughed and clapped Kili on the shoulder, leading him away. The four Dwarves walked in to the second dining room when a knock sounded on the door.
“Oh, no. No. No. No. There’s nobody home!” Bilbo yelled. “Go away and bother somebody else. There are far too many Dwarves in my dining room as is! If this is some clot-head’s idea of a joke, I can only say it is in very poor taste.”
Bilbo opened the door and eight Dwarves fell to the floor in a heap. There were lots of groans and you came forward to see if they were okay.
“Are you lot alright? Come in and make yourselves comfortable.”
“Miss [y/n]. How lovely to see you again.”
You squinted up and the tall man, than gasped. “Gandalf?!”
“Glad to know someone recognized me,” he said with a chuckle.
“Gandalf,” Bilbo said with a defeated sigh.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Food was eaten, drinks drank, songs sung. It was fun and lively and you loved every second of it. Your brother, not so much. He looked forlornly at the now barren pantry and tried to save things that the Dwarves touched. You were sat next to Gandalf and Dwalin, giggling as food flew past your head.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Gandalf said to you.
“Oh yes! I love how lively it is. The ruckus is fun. You don’t get a lot of that here in the Shire.”
“I suppose not.” Gandalf muttered something to himself. “Excuse me, but I have to have a word with Balin.”
“You seem very different from your brother, Miss [y/n],” the one named Bofur said. “You’re more gracious and kind.”
“Aye, that she is,” Dwalin said. He raised his tankard. “To Lady [y/n]!”
“Aye!” They all became silent for a minute as they chugged their ale. The liquid spilled from the sides of their cups, but you didn’t find it repulsive in the slightest. The messiness made you giggle and when the belching started, you began to full on laugh. You had covered your face, so you didn’t see the look Dwalin was giving you.
After dinner, you didn’t remember much. After being introduced to Thorin Oakenshield, you were told of a plan to get their home back. You immediately wanted to go, but it took a bit of convincing from you and Gandalf. Gandalf said that you knew about medicine. That loosened them to the idea. But what got them all to agree was your cooking. You had made the food that they ate and when they found that out, they all but begged for you to come with them.
---
And here you were about two weeks later. Dwalin had insisted that you sleep next to him every night.
“To make sure that you’re safe.” Is all he said about it.
You didn’t fight it. There was just something about him that you couldn’t quite place. You knew that it was a good something, because for once your head and heart were telling you the same thing.
When it was time to set up camp, you rolled out your bed roll and took out your notebook. It was Bombur’s turn to cook, so you took this time to write down what you did that day. It wasn’t too exciting, but you wanted to document everything.
“What have you got there, Lass?” Bofur asked you.
“Oh nothing. Just our travels. I like to keep track. For when I get back home.”
“Can I see?”
“Sure.” You handed him the book. You weren’t paying attention to what he was seeing until he let out a low whistle.
“By my beard. These are amazing! Where’d you learn how to do this, Lass?”
“Hmm? Do what?” You looked over and saw him looking at your drawings of the Company. You flushed when he turned the page and it was a portrait of Dwalin.
“Um, I’ve always been able to draw,” you mumbled.
“They’re beautiful. But I seem to notice you have an eye fro Dwalin.”
“W-What?”
“It’s just that he’s in every single piece. Nobody else is.” You were certain that your face was as red as a tomato.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bofur was laughing at the redness of your cheeks and you grabbed your book back, hitting him over the head with it. He kept laughing and when you went to strike him again, someone took it out of your hands.
“Hey! Give that back!” Looking up, you saw Fili holding it.
“Why are you beating Bofur over the head?”
“That is none of your business!”
“You should look at the back pages,” Bofur said.
“No! Don’t do that!” You went to grab it back, but Fili was too tall for you to reach it. Jumping up and down, you kept trying. It wasn’t until Dwalin appeared that you would get it back. Or so you thought.
“Give the Lady back her book,” Dwalin said gruffly.
“We will, but look at these first,” Fili said. He handed it to Dwalin and you covered your face in embarrassment. He opened your book and stared at the drawings. Slowly flipping through the pages, he found the portrait of himself.
“Lady [y/n], I—“ He stopped. “Where did she go?”
---
You couldn’t stand the embarrassment, so you slipped away un-noticed. You grabbed a bowl of stew and made your way to the lake you were camping by. Taking off your boots and rolling up your trousers, you stuck your feet into the cool water and ate your food in silence.
You were mortified that Dwalin had seen that. It had never crossed your mind that anyone besides yourself would see those pictures. You were s lost in thought, you didn’t see the person approaching you until they sat down heavily next to you.
“Oh my— Master Dwalin! Don’t scare me like that!”
“My apologies, milady. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” You said nothing in reply and the air was so thick and tense that you could cut it with a knife.
“Milady, how much do you know about Dwarvish culture?”
“I can’t say that I know much. Just that hair braids can mean different things. Most of the time, intimate things.”
“What do you know about, ‘Ones’?”
“One’s? What is that?” You asked.
“A beings other half. Their soulmate.” Your heart clenched at his words.
“Oh?”
“Yes. It is said that everyone has a ‘One’. Not everyone finds them, but they have one.”
“Why are you telling me this, Master Dwalin?” You looked at him. There was a little hope in your voice, but you didn’t want it to grow too large. If he didn’t say the words you wanted to hear, you wanted your heart to not be completely shattered.
“Master Dwalin?” You asked again when he did not answer. He looked as if he was having a war with himself. With a sigh, you began to stand up.
“If you are not going to answer me, I’ll take my leave now.”
You didn’t even get halfway up when Dwalin was pulling you down. You fell into his lap and before you could say anything, his lips were on yours. His kiss was soft and loving. His hands were on your waist, thumbs running up and down. You were startled at first, but soon kissed back. Your arms were squished between your bodies, your palms splayed across his chest. His kiss got a bit rougher and you curled your fingers so his tunic was in your fists. He pulled you closer and you let out a small moan.
“Mahal, if you keep making those noises,” Dwalin muttered. You laughed quietly and looked up at him.
“Does this mean what I think it means?” You whispered, afraid of ruining the moment.
“Only if you want it to. I’ll understand if you want nothing to do with me.”
“Dwalin, that is the complete opposite of what I want. I would love to be your One.”
His face lit up and he pulled you in for another kiss. Your arms went around his neck while his roamed your back. After a minute, you broke apart and put your foreheads together.
“Men lananubukhs me,” Dwalin whispered on your lips.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I love you.”
“I love you too,” you said, a wide smile on your face.