#ondoher

         After the death of King Calimehtar, the Wainriders once again began to attack Gondor. Calimehtar’s heir Ondoher struggled to repel them, especially as his cousins, the descendants of his ancestor Telumehtar’s second son, began to turn the court against him and advocate a lord of their line replace him as King if he could not defeat this enemy.           Thus Ondoher was eager to ally himself with Araphant of Arnor when he reached out to end the long estrangement between the two sister kingdoms. Together the two kings realized that a single evil power was coordinating the assaults upon their kingdoms, and they formed an alliance against their mutual enemies. Araphant’s wife Laerdil befriended Ondoher’s wife Lelyariel, a merchant’s daughter elevated to Queen when Ondoher fell in love with her, and his daughter Fíriel. With her consent, the queens arranged a marriage between Laerdil’s son Arvedui and Lelyariel’s daughter Fíriel, symbolizing a reunion of the two realms.           Unfortunately, the alliance between Gondor and Arnor proved fruitless, as neither kingdom could spare help for the other. Arthedain was assailed by the Witch-king at the same time Gondor was attacked by both the Wainriders to the East and the Haradrim to the South, and Ondoher was too busy fighting his own battles to send aid to Gondor’s newest ally. However, he was not entirely alone, for Forthwini of the Éothéod had warned him of the Wainriders’ coming and promised his son Marhswinthi would lead the horse-men against their old foe.           Ondoher rallied two armies to face this double threat: one led by himself and his elder son Artamir against the Wainriders, and the other led by Eärnil, one of his political enemies among the descendants of Telumehtar. However, he ensured his younger son Faramir stayed behind in Minas Anor as regent—and as his heir, should both he and Artamir fall in battle.           This grim fate came to pass when the Wainriders moved faster than expected and struck the eastern army before they were ready, killing the king and his son. Leadership then fell to Minohtar, the son of Ondoher’s sister Lúnaduinë and her husband Quildoloro, who attempted to stem the onslaught and sent one of his captains, Adrahil of Dor-en-Ernil, to seek aid from Eärnil’s army. Amid the chaos, Marhswinthi of the Éothéod brought Minohtar the body of Prince Faramir, who had refused to stay behind as ordered and instead disguised himself to fight among them. Disheartened, Minohtar faltered, and was soon slain himself.           In the south, Eärnil had defeated the Haradrim and hearing from Adrahil of the eastern army’s peril, he now rushed to aid his kin, for despite his opposition to Ondoher in court he was a noble man who did not wish for his king’s death. His attack against the Wainriders, complacent and feasting to their victory, pushed them back to the east and avenged the losses of the king’s house. Yet the death of Ondoher and all his heirs led to a succession crisis in Gondor that would leave the nation kingless for a year before Eärnil and his kin finally won the crown as they had long sought.

FULL VIEW: Kings of Gondor - The House of Anarion by enanoakd

          Narmacil II, named for the first King Narmacil who ruled during Gondor’s greatest height of power, was the twenty-ninth King of Gondor. His spouse was Alassindo the Warrior, a dear friend who rode faithfully by his side as a youth. Great love grew between them, and though Gondor had grown more prejudiced in recent years, even going so far as to erase the true gender of Anárion’s spouse Elennúmen, Narmacil supported his friend and lover when he confessed he was truly a man. In the armies, Alassindo was accepted without question so long as he fought valiantly, and thus he earned his place as a warrior rather than a queen. They eloped young after a battlefield victory, not bothering to ask permission of Narmacil’s father, and his mother Elenmirwë was so fond of the couple that they escaped any reprimand from King Telumehtar.           Alassindo bore Narmacil one son, Calimehtar, named for the brother of Rómendacil II. As soon as Calimehtar was grown, Alassindo retreated back into the ranks of the army where he could be himself without the judgement of Gondor’s court. Even after his husband was crowned Narmacil II, he was rarely in the capitol, and during his brief reign Narmacil often rode out with Alassindo and left Calimehtar to govern Minas Anor.           During Narmacil’s reign, a new threat arose in the East. This confederacy of warriors, called the Wainriders, were encouraged by Sauron to suddenly assault Gondor. Narmacil focused on this new peril, allowing the defenses his father Umbardacil had established in the recently re-conquered Umbar to dwindle and allowing the haven to be lost. Narmacil brought a great army to the plains south of Mirkwood, gathering the remnants of the Northmen to fight against the chariot-mounted warriors. However, this threat was greater than he knew, and Narmacil II perished in the Battle of the Plains, Alassindo at his side until the very end. As a result of this defeat, much of the people of the Rhovanion were conquered, and the border of Gondor was withdrawn to the Anduin.          Narmacil’s younger brother, Arcíryas, had long been one of his political enemies, and attempted to use this tragedy to claim the throne for himself. But the court’s favor lay still with their fallen king, and just as his father had, they dismissed Arcíryas’ claim in favor of Calimehtar, the rightful heir.           Determined to avenge his fathers, King Calimehtar prepared for war against the Wainriders. Before he launched his attack, messengers came to him from Marhwini of the Northmen warning him of the enemy’s plans to raid Calenardhon and offering the aid of his people and their allies should he attack the Wainriders, for a revolt against their overlords was being planned. Calimehtar swiftly planned an attack luring the Wainriders to the Dagorlad, where horsemen of Gondor and an éored of mounted Northmen lay waiting. The ambush was an overwhelming victory, freeing Gondor and its allies from the trials of war for forty-five years.           King Calimehtar and his son Ondoher returned home to Minas Anor, reuniting with Calimehtar’s wife, the weaver Nessimë, and his daughter, the architect Lúnaduinë. As peace stretched on, Calimehtar built a great White Tower in his city based on Lúnaduinë’s designs, a building that would far outlast the line of kings.