Var was a stonemason, and his wife Tillís was a scaffolder and mine-shorer. They both died fairly young, unfortunately – malnutrition and disease carried them off, as it did so many poorer people during the years of want. Vili was brought up by his aunt Vilia, a cheerful and absentminded Dwarrow who was loving, if totally scatterbrained and unprepared to raise a child.
Var and Tillís watched their boy with absolute astonishment when he bumped into, and subsequently fell boots over beard for, the displaced princess Dis. They’d thought their boy was a good lad, but not the sort to catch the eye of royalty.
During the ensuing scandal, Var gloomily predicted that Dis would give up her common sweetheart. Tillís just worried about it all, really. She grew fond of Dis quickly, and didn’t want to see anybody hurt.
When Dis defied all convention by marrying Vili and removing herself from the line of succession, Var had to eat a certain amount of humble pie. Tillís was over the moon – particularly after Fili was born. Tillís is absolutely the kind of grandmother who will sit you down and make you look at all her grandchildren’s pictures for hours and hours on end. 😀
Aw Yiss 