Annals of the Dúnedain - House Halvarís

[Halasían]

(As compiled by Gilrénna)

History of the Halvarís Family Line:

Here is the family history of Hanasían and of the line of Halvarís as known to date. Records after the sack of Arthedain in TA 1974 are few, and the records of the line before this have for the most part been lost. But for a journal of Elendur, a Captain of the Eastern Watch who became a close friend of one of his seconds, Silvanís. In it were writings of not only he, but were some parchments written of Silvanís by an unknown author who was obviously close to him, some of Silvanis’s own writing, and some accounts of Ladies Rían and Ráinna of House Hollinstad Dúnedain.

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Silvanís was a Dúnedain soldier of the Eastern Watch under King Araphant, and though the name is not spoken of, is the earliest known male ascendent. Born in TA 1918, he entered the service of the King in TA 1939. In TA 1940 he was assigned, as was most of the young soldiers of the day, to the army of the Eastern Watch and spent much time in the Weather hills. Those days were darkening evermore, and the hillmen of Rhûadur were becoming evermore cunning. Formerly a part of Arnor, Rhûadur had long ago fallen under the shadow of Carn Dûm, and the men were now willing captains of the Witch-King. Their orc and warg raids were becoming more and more frequent, though all were driven back. Still, the service that Silvanís gave to his King was long and hard.

Before Silvanis had his assignment, he had met a daughter of Hollinstad, Captain of the King Araphant's Guard. Her name was Rían and she was a fair beauty. It was Midsummers Eve and the Ceremony of Captains had commenced in the evening. Also it served as celebration of Prince Arvedui's marriage to Princess Fíriel, the daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor. At the Celebration of Captains, newly promoted Captains accepted their promotions from the King, and the newly promoted seconds accepted their promotions from the Prince. There was much revelry afterward with a banquet and ball.

Silvanis did not draw favor from Hollinstad. In fact, the whole celebration was a sour taste to him. For Rían, his elder daughter was very much the sparkle in the young Prince Arvedui's eye. But when the Kings Araphant and Ondoher met in Halifirien, it was agreed that their lines needed binding for the sake of all the Dúnedain. It was agreed that Ondoher's daughter Fíriel would wed Araphant's son Arvedui and she would become princess of Arthedain. And so ended Hollinstad's prospect that his daughter Rían would become the princess of Arthedain.

He watched as Silvanís and Rían met at the banquet. A lowly second commander of the Eastern Watch is what he saw... nothing more than a Ranger (Rangers during the time of the Kings were a band of dark, rough and mysterious soldiers, fully loyal to the King. Their watch was that of the North Downs and the steppes between there and the mountains to the east. They would make raids into the dangerous country of the Ettenmoors and would at times be sent on 'special assignment' by the King, bypassing the command and the Kings Guard). Though Silvanís and Rían acted like they only first met at the banquet table (they sat across from each other, they had actually met earlier in the day and Hollinstad knew it. Silvanís passing by on the street, saw Rían at a seamstress's house fitting a new offwhite silken gown. He waited at a nearby armory looking at the weaponry, and stepped out in front of her as she passed. He offered to escort her home, and she agreed. But there across the way from the seamstress's house, in a tavern beer-garden was Kallam, a young officer of the Kings Guard.

Kallam was close to Prince Arvedui for they were the same age and grew up in the Kings house. Though he had assumed Rían to be the desire of his friend Arvedui and he respected that. But with the betrothal and marriage of Prince Arvedui to Fíriel, the Princess of Gondor, all that changed. He saw his friend grow distant to Rían out of necessity. Rían, for her part, fancied the Prince, and accepted Kallam as friend, but little desire did she have for him as husband. Yet he sat beside her at the banquet table.

That afternoon when Silvanís and Rían arrived at the palace, Hollinstad was there waiting, looking darkly at the young soldier who had accompanied his daughter. Hollinstad would very much like to see his daughter wed Kallam, for he was of good lineage whose ancestors served as Kings Guardsman like his, and it would be proper. His view of Silvanís and those of his standing, though of high Dúnedain blood, were not of the Palace Guard, let alone the King's Guardsmen.

Silvanís, after accepting his assignment, held to the shadows and the kegs of ale, and watched the people having fun. But for a few grim faces of elder guardsmen, most were caught up in the night. Silvanís found his arm taken by a beautiful Rían and they were soon all about the dance area. Long was their night of joy, but as the hour grew late and after the King retired, Rían's father confronted Silvanís. It didn't go well and Silvanís soon left. Leaving the city's confines to find a place in the tall grass to watch the stars. There he pondered the lovely Rían before he dozed for a time when he awoke to a dream come true in the form of a kiss from Rían...

The sunrise found them bound together in the morning dew, and Silvanis awoke suddenly knowing he had to report. He parted with Rían with a long kiss, and she made for the palace in the shadowy mists of the morning. Silvanís barely made it to rollcall, and their commander, Elendur, gave the young regiment their orders. They would leave in two hours for the Weather hills.

Rían wrapped herself in her cloak, and made her way home. Seemingly managing to get in and to her room without waking or being seen. But her younger sister Ráinna, who was 9, saw her enter her room. Ráinna entered Rían’s room and scared her. Rían jumped over and shut the door quickly, signaling to Ráinna to keep quiet. Their sisterly discussion of whispers took only a short few moments, and Rían knew that to buy Ráinna’s silence, it would cost dear. This Ráinna would keep to herself until it would become useful, and she left the room, shutting it a little harder than the silent latch Rían would have preferred. Rían was soon asleep in blissful dream, with thoughts of waking to seek out Silvanís dancing in her mind. Her disappointment and sadness would wait several more hours.

Silvanis managed to gather his belongings and horse, and on his way back to report to muster, he left a note with the seamstress for Rían.

Silvanis and Rían would not see each other again for a long long time....

[Halasían]

Of Rían and the Coming of Halvarís..


When a sickness took hold of Rían a few weeks later, her heart was recovering from being shattered by Silvanís’s leaving. She wrote some letters to Silvanís in secret, but she never knew if he got them. And she never received a letter from him…. not even the one he left with the seamstress.

For Kallam had seen Silvanis go into the seamstress's house for that moment and he paid her a visit shortly after. By guile, he convinced her that he would deliver the letter to Rían at the Kings palace for he was going to report for duty. In his heart he loved Rían, and her attention given to Silvanis the night before at the ball had bothered him. But after Silvanis and Hollinstad spoke and Silvanis left, Kallam stepped to his side. He then left to follow Silvanis, and saw he went to a field to be alone. He returned to the ball, and reported to Hollinstad, and then politely asked the despairing Rían to dance. Being a friend, she did for awhile, then excused herself to retire. Kallam escorted her back to the palace and bade her goodnight before returning to the ball. It was then he proclaimed to the remaining guests, and Prince Arvedui the betrothal of his daughter Rían to Kallam of the Kings Guard. She would be informed in the morning after she had a full nights rest. Much applause was had and much ale was drank by those who remained. And by the third hour of the morning it finally grew quiet.

Kallam hesitated in his inebriation by the door of Rían, for he wished to see her. But he would not, besides an equally inebriated Hollinstad was coming. Together they opened her door, but she was laying quietly in the dark and they would let her sleep. If they would have been sober they would have easily seen that her bed was stuffed with extra blankets and clothes. The late hours of morning would come soon enough and so would the time of telling Rían of her betrothal.

Kallam went to sleep for a time, being awoken by a faint sound. He left his quarter at the end of the hall where many of the guard slept, and stepped out in the hall. Young Ráinna was standing there in her night shift rubbing her eyes. Kallam instructed her to return to her bed for the sun was just now rising. She did reluctantly, but her looking at Rian’s door drew Kallam’s curiosity. He tapped on her door, and after a pause, a sleepy response was heard. He opened the door and the morning light revealed a bedraggled Rian with her bedcovers clasped to her neck as she half sat up. She had jumped under her covers with her dew-dampened balldress still on. It was ruined by the dew and the grass, and if the light would have been brighter, a stray piece of grass may have been seen in her hair. But satisfied she was safe and wanting to sleep more, he went to the kitchen for water and found Hollinstad there.

Hollinstad was in a serious mind and looked as though the short hours of sleep and the long night of revelry had little effect on him. He signed the day’s orders and had his messengers take them to be delivered. He knew that the regiment that Silvanís was assigned was to leave in three days time. But he signed an emergency order to have them leave this day. He would not have Silvanís seeing his daughter and causing her grief.
She was to marry Kallam.
He gave the regimental order for Commander Elendûr to Kallam to deliver. Kallam acknowledged him, and though delivering messages was well below his rank, he knew the importance of this one to his future.

Delivering it to Elendûr and hearing his *****ing, he was going to have morning roll-call in about a half hour. He would have to give his men to be ready to ride in two hours. Kallam smiled as he left, and on his way back, he detoured to the tavern in town. There he had one shot of some distilled whiskey to kill his headache, and spent some time with his favorite barmaid who was readying the place for the coming day. He would have to stop seeing her now that he was betrothed, and he was readying to leave to get back to the palace. But he saw Silvanis with his horse all ready for journey, and he stopped with a parchment in hand at the seamstress. He knew what it was, and he would not have his communicating with his betrothed. He went to the seamstress after Silvanis left and said he would deliver it to Rian as he was going back to the Palace. On his way back, he visited the blacksmith and fed his fire with the parchment.


The day began late for Rian as she arose near noon. She found her mother and father on the balcony in the high sun, and they told her of her betrothal. She bolted from the room to the sound of a snickering Ráinna inside the balcony door and went in search of Silvanís.
A soldier informed her that his regiment had left hours ago. Rian was devastated and knew that her betrothal was binding, sworn before the Prince by her father. Though she did not admit it to herself, she felt she was taken advantage of by Silvanís. For surely he knew he would be leaving the next day? Her mind was filled with confusing thoughts and shattered dreams, not knowing that Silvanís’s regiment leaving that day was arranged by her father.


So saddened days followed for Rían, and she would not leave her room much. Kallam worried much about her, and would keep watch and tend to her. Slowly she would begin to warm toward his kindness, and she began to look at him and see his love for her. She tried to get past seeing him as Prince Arvedui’s best friend and they being friends in childhood, and though she would still think of Silvanís and Midsummers Eve, they were evermore fading into the shadows of her mind.

Ere three weeks passed, and Rían’s stomach was queasy. She arose in the darkness of the morn and went to the palace balcony. The cool night air caressed her skin and shift, and she closed her eyes. Her stomach eased some, but she was coming to the realization that she was with child. It would be scandalous, and Rían knew her betrothal to Kallam would be ended if he requested it. But it would be still many days before she would know for sure, Yet she knew, as if the life that had begun growing inside her spoke to her. The quiet of the air helped speed her thoughts..
Taken and abandoned in a day by a soldier…
Embroiled in the center of royal politics and intrigue…
Betrothed to a man she liked and was a dear friend, but she did not love…
Knowing that Kallam loved her dearly…
Knowing the feeling she had with her time with Silvanís…
Rían’s mind thought of him much then, and she even considered some schemes of her own. But before she could thing further, two arms snaked around her midriff, followed by a nuzzle in her hair and a kiss on her neck.

Kallam had found her, and feeling his touch sent her mind flying. She in that moment resigned herself to a hastily-made plan a few moments old. She leaned back into Hallam and turned in his arms. He was her betrothed, and she kissed him with passion…

Kallam had to be in his quarters by the seventh hour. He had only left because he could not sleep. Now he was well worn out. Managing to slip out and down the hall seemingly unseen, He made it the Guards quarters. Of course Ráinna watched in hiding as he left Rían’s room and slipped in the Guards quarters, but Kallam didn’t know it. Ráinna went and entered Rían’s room, and jumped on her messy bed. The price of silence had gone up.
The morning rise was a hard one for the tired Kallam, and his fellow guards gave him a bit of a chuckle . It was common knowledge among the guard that one of their number would slip out at times, so it didn’t seem odd that Kallam had done so.

Rían awoke from a deep sleep, with only her worry that her offering to Ráinna would hold her silence. Upon arising she was happy and alight and seemed to dance about the house. Hollinstad and Elrenna smiled at her, and wondered about the sudden change. Rían wished to wed Kallam as soon as possible, for she knew it would happen at the weeks end on Kallam’s birthday. She would wed him, and she would bear him children.

[Halasían]

Of Halvarís and Sían, daughter of the Chief of the Lossoth

(Comment by Gilrénna: this account was written in Mithlond by Rían, mother of Halvaris. She translated the accounting of Sían,
wife of Halvarís and mother of Halvarís II, and also wrote accounts of this time as told by the sons of Arvedui)


It was the days of winter when the Witch-king of Angmar did come forth from Carn Dûm and contend with King Arvedui of Arthedain. The people of Arnor were never many, and the wars and sickness had eaten away at them, til one winter, the winter of 1974 of the Third Age of Middle Earth, the Witch-king attacked and pushed back our beleagured army of the Eastern Watch and attacked the city of Fornost where we had lived. Though the Eastern Watch was decimated it bought precious time for most to flee. I fled with my sister Ráinna in Queen Fíriel's party, taking little with us.

Long was this battle for the city, but King Arvedui and his men was forced to retreat. He and his guardsmen fought a tough rearguard so the people could reach safety in the west. The sons of Arvedui rode about gathering all who were able to fight, and made sure we got away safe before rejoining their father. But they would never again find him. Instead they met a maurading vanguard of Warg riders, and slaying many and forcing them to retreat, they were not strong enough to pursue them. So they guarded the refugees as they made their way west to the Elven lands of Mithlond.

King Arvedui and his men were forced well north into the Ered Luin and the ancient dwarf caves there. With no food or winter clothing, and little provision, they nearly froze to death. So King Arvedui and his guard in their desperation sought help from an encampment of the Snowmen of Forochel, the Lossoth.

Now Sorel was the eldest son of the Fohel, Chief of the Lossoth Foro Clan, and was the leader of the south camp. He would not offer any help, food or otherwise, to King Arvedui and his men, For they were uneasy with the foes of the Witch-king of Angmar and did not want to anger his cold breath.

But as the King pleaded for help from the unrelenting Sorel, a woman, short and petite, with dark eyes as coal and long dark hair flowing out from her fur cloak, walked up to Sorel. For she was Sían his sister, second eldest of the Chief's kin, and she was curious of the King and his men. As she looked at the King & his men, she saw one guardsmen, Halvarís, who stood at the right end of the line. As she gazed into his bright blue eyes, she became frozen both in movement and in thought. And Halvarís too looked into her dark, glowing eyes and was smitten, forgetting for a time the sorrows of these dark times. As the tall young guardsman gazed into the beautiful dark eyes of Sían it seemed to the King and the other Guardsmen that a cloud was lifted from him. For even though he was starved and weary, and sick also with worry about the fate of his younger sisters and parents. For they were in the retreat from Fornost, And he knew not what had become of them. Kallam was not seen again after the skirmishes in the Twilight Hills, and Rían he only heard left with the Queen. But now the sight of one appearing so beautiful to him as Sían seemed to heal him at that moment in some way.

But Sorel still would not help the King and his Guardsmen and demanded they leave their camp. Sían was shaken by her brother’s loud voice and scolded him for having no mercy or pity on the tired, hungry men. She then agreed with King Arvedui to give them some fish they had caught through holes in the sea ice, and to send a messenger to summon their father, Chief Fohel.

Sorel was angered mightily by his sister's boldness and ready willingness to accept the strangers, of her usurping his leadership at the camp, and especially of her eyeing the strange man so. He struck her hard with the back of his hand with such force that she fell backwards in the snow. Halvarís quickly drew his sword, and some of the other guards near him did likewise.

But King Arvedui shouted to them,

"Men, sheath your swords, for do we treat as enemies ones who would feed us?"

As he said these words he stared coldly at Sorel, who, being terrified at the sight of the mighty blades of war, bowed in submission and moved away from the King & his men. Sían, recovering from the blow, was helped up gently by the hand of Halvarís, and long they stared into each others eyes before she turned to the King and invited them to share their food.

The messenger came to the north camp and before long, Chief Fohel and his two younger sons, Sachel, and Syon, came to see the strange men who had appeared in the south camp. The Chief took council with the King, and agreed to help the King ere the cold arm of Angmar receded, but he would not let the King & his men stay in their encampment. Maybe it was partially out of fear of angering the Witch-King, and partially to appease his sons. Instead Chief Fohel called for his people that were skilled in building snowhuts and sent extra fishermen out for more food.

Soon, King Arvedui & his men were set in an encampment of their own along the shore of the Bay of Forochel, and a fire was kindled using flint they found in the old dwarf cave, and from clothing, driftwood and animal fat given to them by the Lossoth.

Though the Chief forbade the King and his men from entering their camp, he did not forbid any of his people from mingling with the King's men in the King’s camp. Chief Fohel allowed this for he desired to learn knowledge from the Dúnedain, and those of his people who were of a mind like Sían’s did so freely, and learned much. In this, the Chief’s council was divided between his three sons and his one daughter. Sorel wanted to abandon the King & his men saying,

"Why do we feed these men, who have nothing we value? Surely they are the enemy of the Witch-King, and we only bring his anger down upon us by helping them."

The other two sons agreed with him, with Syon speaking angrily,

"They are trouble, already bringing colder winds from the north, for there is yet no sign of thaw or no sign of the strangers leaving.... for this we will suffer".

But Sían, who was deemed wise by her people and favored by her father, spoke against her brothers,

"Though this winter is long and the winds of the north cold, we go with plenty, as fishing and trapping has been good, and has it not been spoken from the days of our forefathers that the kingdom of the south protected us much from the sickness of far off lands? We owe these people, for their existence alone has kept the wrath of the Witch-King from us, and for their sacrifice, we have given them nothing, yet they have always left us in peace."

Then Sorel breaks in saying,

"You, Sian would not be so eager to help them if you did not have eyes for the one."

Before Sian could reply, the Chief speaks up,

"Is this true? Sian, you keep this from me?"

"Yes father." she whispered, "I did not want to raise the anger Sorel has for the King & his men in you, so I spoke not."

With this, the chief holds his head in his hands and says,

"I must think, please leave me all".


As February waned and March came, Chief Fohel would sit up on a small hill, watching his daughter and the tall stranger together in the King's camp. Soon, the Chief himself came to the King’s camp, and at length would counsel with the King on various matters, but mainly about the love shown between Halvarís and Sían. It was during one of these meetings that Halvarís asked for Sían's hand in marriage, though they only met a little over a fortnight before. Her heart rejoiced in this, and he was glad and unburdened.

Long they sat together that day, and the sun broke through the clouds of snow and fog. The brightness of the sun on the snow outside the King’s snowhut aroused both the King and the Chief, as the sun has not been seen by either of them since before the attack of the Witch-king. They emerged from the hut, flurries of snow were still being blown in the breeze, and wisps of fog lingered, but where Halvarís and Sían sat, the sun shone bright.

As the sunbeam widened around them a cheer started rising from the around the camp from the Lossoth who were there, and soon the King’s Guardsmen joined in...

“Hail Halvarís and Sían! For their love broke the grip of the Witch-King!”

And there was much joy as the sun chased away the remnents of cloud and falling snow. The sun’s warmth felt good and the ice began to melt, and there was much happiness among both peoples.

[Halasían]

Of Halvarís and Sían, daughter of the Chief of the Lossoth
(continued)

Watching from the small hill was the chief’s sons, Sorel and Syon, and they were angered at what they saw. They went back to the south camp of the Lossoth speaking lies and stirring hatred among the people who would not go to the Kings camp. For most of those who liked King Arvedui and his men were in the King’s camp on that day, and there was few to speak against the brothers.

The sun also failed to break through the fog over the camp of the Lossoth for the dark hearts of the brothers held sway. In this way the smoldering dissention among the Lossoth was kindled.

Now the King and the Chief approached Halvarís and Sían where they sat, and they stood and bowed before the King and Chief. And Halvaris asked King Arvedui and Chief Fohel for permission to marry Sían. The Chief spoke first,

“Sían, my daughter, has appeared as a spring flower in bloom, and her eyes are alight as burning coal. All time before this has not been so. Who am I to extinguish her flame by denial of this? Yet I see only darkness in their path ere too short”

And King Arvedui also spoke,

“It is not our doom to remain here, and ere the ice breaks in the sun in the days ahead. A ship of Cirdan awaits afar and has come to bear us back south to our kin. Will you Halvarís then wish to stay here?”

[i]“Nay Master.” replied Halvaris, “For I am sworn to you, and I will not take leave of you in time of war, lest I be struck down in battle, or in time of peace lest you grant it.”

Turning to Sian, the King said to her,

“You have removed a vast burden from Halvarís, for he has suffered much for a man of the Dúnedain whose years only now reach for 34. He now has the spirit of a young man again. But dark times lay still ahead, though I cannot see them clearly."

For though King Arvedui had use of the Palantiri, their visions were murky and strange and could not be understood. It had only told him of the Elven ship that comes.

"Hard will be the days and unknown the dangers, for now we stand in the warmth of the sun, surely the night will see the return of the cold.”

And the marriage between Halvaris and Sian took place that hour, and they were the light that caused the fading of much burden and weariness, and the day seemed longer, and the sun was loath to set, and its heat broke the ice on the bay.

When night fell the cold fog blew in once again from the north, and the fire on the beach almost failed, but was kindled anew by the spirits of Halvarís and Sían as they lay together, and Sian conceived.


The early morning light was gray with cloud, but the fog was gone, and a great ship was seen out on the bay. The King signaled the mariners by reflecting firelight from a shined shield, and King Arvedui and his men made ready to cross the sea ice to board. Last to leave was Halvarís, as he begged Sían to come with him. But the Chief felt a doom on the ship, and counseled the King to stay ere the season warms and days lengthen, for the Witch-kings breath was still strong. But King Arvedui did not heed his counsel. He instead thanked him for his kindness, and gave as bounty his ring, the Ring of Barahir. Sían wanted to go with Halvarís, but her fear for her father’s vision and her heart told only spoke of death. Halvarís kissed Sían long and he begged again for her to come. But her fear of the great ship, her fathers prophesy, and her feeling of death she would not go. She instead begged him to stay with her, but he would not break his sworn duty to his King. For as glad it was the day before, the sorrow of the hearts of Halvarís and Sían weighed heavily on all there, Lossoth and Dúnedain.

“I will come for you ere summer comes.”

Halvarís cried to Sían as he boarded, but Sían wept and would smile no more.


The ship was filled and all were aboard save one, Sían. The Elven mariners made sail toward open waters while Halvarís stood and watched the shore until their watch fire faded and he could see no more. And after a days sail navigating the broken ice, the counsel of Chief Fohel came to fruit when a great wind came out of the north. Fog and snow filled the dark skies before they could break into open waters, and the ship perished with all aboard as it was tossed into the ice. Chief Fohel sensed this, and he gave the Ring of Barahir to Sían to keep ere the return of the Dúnedain. But in her heart Sían knew she would see Halvarís not ever again.

The grief of Sían was deep, and sickness took her in the days ahead. It began the night her father gave her the ring, and grew the next day when word from the fishermen brought news of the shipwreck. The broken ice, hard seas, and heavy snow and fog would not allow them to get close to help, and all aboard perished. As spring thaws came Sian spoke with the Clan's man of lore, and he spoke of much of days of grief ahead. Sian was with the child of Halvarís, and her father had taken ill. Though he vowed to live to see his grandchild, it was not to be, for his sons conspired to kill him and Sían, saying their acceptance of the Dúnedain led to their sickness. Sorel became chief of the Foro clan and Sían fled south in hopes of finding Halvarís's kin.

[Halasían]

Sorel caught Sian as she fled and imprisoned her. Accused of being with an accursed child, he threatened to kill her. Her brothers, though loyal to Sorel, did not wish their sister killed and so for a time she was spared. Sorel took the Ring of Barahir and put it on his finger.

"This will be sign that I dealt the ill wind that took the evil ship! The tall men will come again, and I will demand much for this. Also, since my brothers deemed our sister's life should be spared, it will be so. But when the baby is born, it will be sacraficed to the Ice-Gods!"

So it was that Sian was held. But many still favored her, and those who were friends withthe Dúnedain tended to her and kept quiet. Slowly they stowed goods, and in a night of swirling snow, they sent her away south unseen.