Tag: vili

So. How bad is it that I am REALLY looking forward to Dis dying and being reunited with all of her loved ones and seeing her parents and her brothers and her sons and VILI (oh god, Vili, you heartbreaking sod, you, visiting her EVERY DAY) and just being able to let go of all of the emotions she’s held in for so long and – oh god. I just want her to be able to be happy. But also dead. And maybe making fun of Thorin because what else are younger sisters for?

Oooh, Nonnie.

Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her parents. Thrain running his thumb gently across her face, across her cheekbone and stroking the side of her beard. Don’t imagine him smiling at her with trembling lips, telling her that he is so proud, nathith, so proud. Don’t imagine Fris wrapping her arms around her last child and holding her to her heart; don’t imagine Thrain tugging them both close and tight, cocooning them with his body, pressing whiskery kisses to his daughter’s temple. Don’t imagine the words they would say. Don’t imagine the tearing sound of Dis’ sobs.

Don’t imagine her grandfather kissing both her cheeks and her forehead, and then gathering her close. “Sparrow, our little sparrow,” he would murmur, and she would remember what it cost to lose him, what it cost all of them. Her grandmother’s clever hands stroking Dis’ hair, her soothing, no-nonsense voice, calling her “Dis, darling,” as she did, so so long ago. They have the same hands.

Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her (little) big brother. It has been centuries, she can’t even remember him clearly, but at the smell of his hair and the sound of his voice, it comes rushing back, so fast and powerful it is nearly a physical blow. His weight against her is so small, so slight. 

Whatever you do, don’t imagine her reunion with her sons, her madcap bright-eyed darlings. Don’t imagine her crying into their hair. Don’t even entertain the idea that she cannot stop kissing them even for a moment, her grasping hands frantic, her eyes half-blinded by her tears, gripping their clothes so tightly that her arms shake. I’d advise against dwelling on the whiteness of her knuckles, the tenderness in her kisses, how her head bows and her shoulders shudder at the sound of those voices calling her ‘Amad’ again, at long last: Amad, Amad, we missed you Amad.

Whatever you do, don’t think of her pressing her forehead against Dain’s, her cousin, her borrowed-brother, and cursing him for leaving her as well as he throws his arms around her and rocks her back and forth. The last one, she was the last one. Don’t think of Dain gently prying free and wiping her eyes (hopeless, a hopeless task) before turning her around to face the one standing behind her. Don’t picture him giving Dis a little push towards her eldest brother. 

You definitely shouldn’t visualise the look in her eye as she stares at Thorin, stricken. It’s not a good idea to imagine the harsh rasp of her breathing as she curses him and curses him, twice as hard as she ever did Dain, all the while stumbling over to him and throwing herself at him with outstretched arms. Don’t imagine how she clings to him as though he is a tree against a storm, how she buries her head against his shoulder and cries and cries, her whole body wracked with it, and he too smells just the same.

And the last thing you should ever do is imagine her greeting her husband. 

No, you shouldn’t do that at all.

Dis and Vili cutesy moment feat. Sleeping baby Fili.

The cry woke them at around two hours past midnight.

“I’m not getting up again,” Dis mumbled into her pillow. “I’m not. You get him.”

Vili yawned, every single one of his molars showing. Then he slipped from their bed and padded to the bassinet, scratching at his bare stomach.

Cross blue eyes greeted him. 

“Now then, inudoy, my wee lion,” he said gently, and lifted his son out of his blankets. They had been half-kicked off anyway: Fili seemed to object to having his limbs bound against his little body by his shawls. “What’s this about, then?”

A quick sniff gave him his answer. “Ah.”

Fili loved to wriggle on his changing mat, and it was like trying to wrestle an eel when his legs really got going. Vili managed to get him sorted, and then patted him on his newly-changed bottom. “There, that’s got to be more comfortable, eh?”

Fili gnawed on a foot, and peered up at Vili. He blinked tiredly. “Still sleepy, eh? Well, it wasn’t my idea to get us all up at this hour, you’ve nobody else to blame.” Vili picked up the boy and laid him over his shoulder. Fili’s head, soft as down, nestled against his cheek. “Come on, my brave lad.”

Dis was dozing when he made it back to the bed, the baby still cradled against him. She roused a little when the bed dipped as he sat, and her eye cracked open. “He need feeding back down again?” she managed, her words slurring.

“Aye. I’ll put him back in his bassinet after: you stay where you are.”

Dis didn’t answer, but simply rolled over and took the baby from him and opened her gown. 

Vili sat, watching for a moment, as his wife fed their child. They were the picture of peace: the little baby, and the half-asleep Dwarrowdam, and the still, nearly timeless quality of the small hours of the night.

Finally the baby’s rhythmic jaw motions stopped, and he unlatched himself and lolled back onto the bed. Vili scooped him up and held him against his heartbeat. The sound would finish the job of lulling him back to sleep.

“Th’k you, sweetheart,” Dis mumbled, already mostly asleep.

He kissed her head. “No need.”

Fili was too drowsy to protest being laid back in his cot and re-wrapped in his shawls. With one tiny pink-mouthed yawn, his head fell to one side and he was asleep again.

“That’s all that was needed, wasn’t it,” Vili whispered, and dared to reach out and stroke that impossibly soft, velvety cheek. Fili didn’t stir.

After one last look (would he ever be able to gaze his fill? Vili didn’t think so), Vili crept back to bed.

So I was going through old stuff and got the impression that Thorin and Dwalin have exchanged Dark-names but Thorin and Dis haven’t?

Oh, Thorin and Dis did… eventually. But it took until Ered Luin, and some semblance of stability. Dis was expecting Fili at that time, and she was clinging to her brother quite hard. There was a lot of drama going on (because of her relinquishing her place in the succession, and now expecting… what would happen to the baby?) and everyone was very tense and unhappy. 

But Thorin cared for her, reassured her – was the best Big Bro ever, in essence. And she pressed her head against his and finally told him what she was made of. And he smiled and received that name with love, and gave his in return. 

There were a few tears, that night.

I’ve been questioning my gender a lot lately, mostly leaning towards being a boy, but I had run into this one rather big problem. I love my initials, like seriously adore because they do this special thing and I could not come up with a SINGLE FREAKING NAME that resonated with me but stared with a V. Not one. I am not kidding you not a single one sounded right to me. Until I read Sansûkh. I have checked, and checked and CHECKED elven names (a, because I’m a huge Tolkien dork and b, because my-)

II – second name is elvish already (yes my parents are also huge Tolkien dorks). I couldn’t find one. Not one felt quite right. Then I read Sansûkh. Admittedly it took me a few months before I realized there was one staring me in the freakin’ face this whole time! Silly me, I hadn’t even considered looking among the other races of Middle Earth. And that is the story of how you helped me discover the name I am now trying out, Víli. Thanks, really. Even if Víli didn’t have that particular name-
III – Sansûkh alone probably would have made me think to look among the dwarven daylight names. Ah, and this is a lot longer than I intended it to be. Anyway, thank you so much and sorry if you got this part already, my computer’s bugging.

*hugs* Glad I could help in any way, Nonnie. I wish you everything wonderful in the world! You’re awesome, Vili.

What were the company’s families thinking, watching the quest? Were Fundin and Groin arguing over whose sons were better at killing goblins? Zhori wishing she could knock Dori and Nori’s heads together? I imagine it could have been a very frustrating experience, watching that journey.

Yes, VERY frustrating, Nonnie! It’d take too long to cover absolutely everything – there are a lot of moments during the quest that would affect different parents more than others, for example, and to detail them all would be exhausting. So here’s some brief overviews of how they acted for the majority of the time.

Fundin and Groin TOTALLY argued. Fundin and Groin ALWAYS argue. Unless someone attacks them/their loved ones. Then they turn it all onto that person like a spotlight, hahaha! BETTER RUN, THE SONS OF FARIN ARE COMING.

(aaaaand Fundin won that particular time. Well, it’s Dwalin. Awesome as Oin and Gloin are, Dwalin is sorta a one-Dwarf army!)

Dweris and Haban watched their boys with approval. And their husbands with exasperation. Who were the children here? URGH.

Zhori watched with annoyance, mostly, her lips pursed. Silly boys. And who is doing Ori’s hair these days, tcch. He looks like a mushroom!

Genna and Bomfur were very proud. Their lads were doing a good thing. (though Genna worries a bit). And they passed the time by commenting on everything and making off-colour jokes.

Nain and Daeris were tense. Oh dear Mahal, no. Not another battle, not another bloody summons. Family reunions are not exactly that family’s forte.

Bomris was quiet and worried, her hands wringing. Kifur was hopeful, and tried to reassure her.

Vili watched with a mixture of pride, irritation, and desperate concern. Pair of little terrors. Good shot, that’s my boy! OH, you pair of ragamuffins. Oooh, nice move. Your mother would skin you for that! No – no, pay attention to – oh, now you’ve done it. Stop being so much like me and keep your mind on the job, are you trying to get yourself killed?

Thrain and Fris, of course, worried constantly. But under that worry lay a tiny thread of desperate hope: will Thorin succeed where we all failed?