The Killing Sword

by Asotir

rest.

  At midnight Merlyn woke them. ‘Now rise and behold a rare sight,’ he said.

  Balyn and his brother looked through the leaves. They beheld a silver castle that shone in the starlight. Atop its highest battlement stood a lady all in silver, and her dress let the light shine through it so that it seemed woven of starlight and moonbeams.

  ‘This lady, who is she?’ asked Balyn.

  ‘This is the Lady de Vance,’ answered Merlyn, ‘and King Ryons’ paramour.’

  Upon the battlement the weird lady let her wrappings shudder in the wind. And there came down from there the deep rich scent of her, that was such a lure that Balyn started to go to her. But Merlyn gripped his shoulder and held him back.

  ‘Hold still,’ he said, ‘she does not spread that scent for you.’

  The Lady de Vance lifted her arms, and from her long pale throat and lips she made sweet moan. Then they were aware of many men riding toward them.

  ‘Make ready now,’ said Merlyn. ‘For King Ryons is near to hand. He has stolen away from his host with three score horses of his best knights, and one score of them ride ahead to say to the Lady de Vance that the king comes at her calling. For tonight he would lie with her.’

  ‘Which is the king?’ asked Balyn.

  ‘Abide here where the road is narrow, and you shall meet him soon enough,’ said Merlyn. And he pointed out to them the king where he rode.

  Balyn and Balan rode into the king’s way and before he was aware of them, they struck him down fiercely and wounded him, and laid him on the ground. But at that all the king’s knights rode at them, and Balyn and his brother killed on the right hand and the left. The wood rang with their strokes, and upon her battlement Lady de Vance cried out in despair.

  In the shadow of the trees Balyn fought the king’s knights. He turned his horse back and made them chase him among the trees where only one or two might meet him at a time. And he lashed out at them with the Sword of the Naked Damsel.

  At the end the two brothers slew more than forty rebel knights, and the remnant fled. Then in his wrath Balyn leapt down off his horse by the king and would have slain him.

  ‘Nay, harm me no more,’ said King Ryons, ‘I yield me unto your grace. Kill me not, you knights of great prowess, for by my life you may win more, but by my death you shall win nothing but a corpse.’

  Balan turned back his brother and said, ‘Brother, he speaks the truth.’ And Balyn’s anger rose up out of him and left him with the smoke that rose from his armor, and he put back the sword.

  So they laid the king on a horse litter and bound up his wounds. But in the meantime, eastward of that wood, Merlyn came to King Arthur. The king rested that night in his camp not far away on the road to Castle Terrabil.

  ‘I bear you happy tidings, lord Arthur,’ said Merlyn, ‘your greatest enemy is now taken and a prisoner.’

  ‘By whom?’ asked the king.

  ‘By two knights,’ answered Merlyn, ‘that would please your lordship. And tomorrow you shall know what knights they are.’

  Upon the dawn came the Knight of Two Swords and Balan his brother, and they delivered King Ryons of North Wales to the porters at the entrance to the camp. Then they rode on west and chased the night. All that day they rode apace on the highway to Castle Terrabil.

  Meantime King Arthur bade the porters treat King Ryons with courtesy and told him, ‘Sir King you are welcome to my camp. But by what adventure have you come?’

  ‘Sir,’ answered King Ryons, ‘It was a hard adventure that brought me here, and the death of all my hopes.’

  ‘Who won you?’ asked King Arthur.

  ‘The Knight of Two Swords and his brother fought against my best knights, and all alone they won me. They are two marvelous knights of strength of arms.’

  ‘I know them not,’ said King Arthur, ‘but I am much beholden to them.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Merlyn, ‘I shall tell you now that it is Balyn the Wild who won the Sword of the Naked Damsel, and his brother Balan, a good knight. There is not a better knight of prowess and worthiness alive than Balyn, and it shall be the greatest dole of his doom that ever I knew, for he shall not long endure.’

  ‘Alas,’ said King Arthur. ‘That is a great pity, for I am now much beholden to him. And yet I have ill deserved this kindness he has shown me.’

  ‘Nay,’ said Merlyn, ‘he shall do much more for you, and you will know that very soon.’

  So they treated of King Ryons and saw to his wounds, and guarded him under courtesy.

  But Merlyn said, ‘Now sire are you ready? For in two morrows King Nero, that is brother to king Ryons, will set on you ere noon with a great host. Therefore make ready for I must now depart from you.’

  And before the king might answer him, Merlyn was gone away to meet King Lot.

  IX. The Battles of Terrabil

  WHILE THE FOGS ABODE YET upon the land the sun was weak and red, foretelling evil to men. Then Merlyn came privily to the pavilion of King Lot of the Isle of Orkney. The king had made camp the upon the seaside on the heights over Castle Terrabil. There he lay in dream. Over the king Merlyn raised his staff and said,

  ‘Awake, King Lot, and hear what I would say.’

  ‘Who are you that comes into my dream?’ asked the king.

  ‘I am one that knows you well, and all of yours. And I know the shame that burns your heart, and the future days of your sons Gawain, Gaheris, Agravain, and Gareth. Would you hear what their deeds will be and what fame they will win when they are grown men and knights?’

  ‘I will hear that gladly,’ answered King Lot. ‘For unless my heart lies, you are Merlyn and a fater born.’

  So Merlyn bent over the king and began to weave for him the riddle of the king’s sons and what they would do, and it made a mighty tale, and held the king spell-bound so that he knew not the passing of the hours, and sent away all the men who came without his pavilion.

  But in the meanwhile King Arthur made ready his host in ten battles and found before him King Nero ready in the field before the castle Terrabil with a great host. Nero also had ten battles he put into the field, and over each of them he set at least one king. And Nero had many more knights and men at arms than Arthur had. Arthur himself led the van of his battles with the greatest host.

  Then Arthur gave command and his knights pricked their horses fiercely and drove against the rebel knights, so that the earth shook with the crash of arms and the cries of men echoed off the clouds.

  In those battles Sir Kay the Seneschal fought valiantly, and it is said he was at his mightiest in this day.

  And King Arthur slew that day a full score knights and maimed two score with his sword Excalibur. But King Nero had ten kings with him, and for all the deeds King Arthur’s knights might do, King Nero drew on his forces and sent more knights and men against them and yet held back men to spare. And Arthur could see no other end to battle on that day but defeat or withdrawal of his armies. Heavier and heavier grew their strokes, so that they might hardly hold their swords and shields before them.

  That was the hour the Knight of Two Swords and his brother Balan entered the fray. For the first hours of battle they sat their horses under the trees upon a hill and watched how the combat went. And they saw to the breaks in their armor and their wounds that they had.

  ‘Well brother,’ said Balyn, ‘you see how the battles go. What do you think is best for us to do?’

  ‘I see nothing better than ride down and fight for Arthur,’ answered Balan.

  ‘We are well agreed,’ said Balyn. And they drove their horses down the hill as fast as they could go and broke into the battles. And they two did so wondrously that the king and all the knights marveled at them, and all that beheld them said they were sent from heaven as angels to redeem them.

  First the brothers rode where King Nero and his knights drove back Arthur’s knights. Balyn himself overthrew the bodyguard of King Nero, and slew the king. And he raced his horse from there unto the Duke of Cambenet, an
d with Balan he cast down the Duke of Cambenet also.

  But the poor knight Sir Brisance, Sir Kay’s spy, saw how Balyn the Wild fought and he quaked with fear. He went to Sir Kay and said,

  ‘I fear lest Balyn might know my face from when I informed on him; and he does so well in this battle that he will have the King’s great love, and he may challenge me. I cannot defend against so worshipful a knight.’

  ‘And so?’ asked Sir Kay. ‘What then, thou fool?’

  ‘I wish that you would grant me your protection, my lord Seneschal, for all I did was in your name and service, and if I was mistaken about Balyn it was an honest mistake, and I can yet be of service to you and the King.’

  ‘Be off with you, knave,’ said Sir Kay. ‘We have battles here to fight more important than your hide.’

  And then the poor knight threw himself full into the battle, with a doom upon him and a fey look. He bethought himself, ‘As much as Balyn wins of praise, I must win as much or more. Then his claim against me will take no force.’ But he was struck in the head by a spear that drove through his helmet and into his ear. Then his brains came out around the spear-shaft and he died.

  Now all the rebel battles were in turmoil, and some were fled already. But even yet eight kings held the rebels fast, and where the Knight of Two Swords did not hold the field, King Arthur’s forces must give back. And though the middle of their battles where King Nero and his men had fought was now broken, yet the two wings of the rebel battles came ahead.

  Balyn turned