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[Atienza Castle in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. Photo by Cruccone.]
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Trion was brought out and appeared before the Queen with great humility and with such presence that he made it well understood the fine lineage from which he had come. The Queen told him:
“Trion, whether I have reason to pardon you or to order you executed to avenge the wrong that ye did to me, ye already know, and it is also notorious what your father did to me. Yet although those things have happened, knowing the great kinship that I have in this world with you, I am moved not only to have pity for your youth, if ye have the understanding of righteousness that ye ought, but to place you in the rank and honor ye would hold if instead of having been my enemy, ye had been my friend and servant. So I wish ye to tell me your will in front of these knights, and may it be so complete that, good or otherwise, the truth comes from your lips as befits a man of such a high standing as yourself.”
Trion, who had expected worse news, said:
“My lady, in what involves my father, I do not know how to answer, for my tender age at the time excuses me, and as for what involves myself, it is true that by my desire and will and by the wishes of many others who advised me, I tried to put you in such straits and myself in such liberty that I could achieve the state of grandeur that my parentage deserved. But such was contrary fortune, first for my father and brothers and then for me, that there is nothing to offer for my defense except recognizing that ye are the rightful heir of that kingdom that our grandparents left; and, I shall repay the great pity and mercy that ye may voluntarily do with many services for what my heart wished to obtain by force.”
“Then if ye, Trion, do so,” the Queen said, “and ye are my loyal vassal, I shall be not only your cousin but your true sister, and from me ye shall achieve such favors that your honor will be satisfied and your estate content.”
Then Trion knelt and kissed her hands. And from then forward Trion was so loyal to his Queen that he did everything in her kingdom as she commanded.
Great men should take this as an example and be inclined toward pardon and mercy in many cases requiring it for everyone, but especially for their kin, thanking God that being of one blood and lineage, He made them lords over others and those others their vassals, and although sometimes they may err, they should withstand the affront, considering the great lordship they exercise over them.
The Queen told them:
“Then setting aside all my anger and setting you free, I want you to take charge of commanding my men and do whatever Amadis wishes.”
Those knights highly praised what that very beautiful and fine Queen had done, and from there on this knight was very much sought after and honored by them, as shall be told more extensively farther on, and by all he was known for his goodness and great courage.
King Perion took leave of Oriana and those ladies, and he returned to the encampment with those knights. And Queen Briolanja asked Agrajes to introduce her cousin Trion to Amadis and tell him everything that had happened with him, and so he did, and everything was recounted extensively.
When King Perion arrived at the encampment, he found that Balais of Carsante had arrived there with twenty very good and well-armed and prepared knights of his lineage to serve and help Amadis. And I want ye to know that this knight was one of the many whom Amadis had freed from the cruel prison of Arcalaus the Sorcerer, and also the knight who had cut off the head of the damsel who had brought Amadis and his brother Sir Galaor together so they would kill each other. And truly, if he had not done so, one or both of them would have died, as the first book in the story has recounted.
Balais told the King and those knights that King Lisuarte was encamped at Windsor, and that, according to what he had been told, he might have as many as 6,000 men on horseback and additional men on foot, and the Emperor of Rome had arrived at the port with a great fleet, and all his men were disembarking and settling into King Lisuarte’s encampment. And in addition Gasquilan, the King of Suesa, had brought 800 good knights, and King Cildadan was already there with 200 knights, and that he believed that they would not leave there for two weeks because the men had arrived exhausted from the sea. And Balais of Carsante could well know this because he had a very fine castle within the realm of King Lisuarte, and it was located in a place where without much difficulty he could learn the news about those troops.
And so they spent the day resting in the camp, preparing all their arms and horses for the battle, although all the arms were newly made, very fine and bright, as shall be told further on.
The next day early in the morning the doctor Elisabad arrived at the port with the men from Grasinda, 500 knights and archers. And when Amadis learned that, he took Angriote and Sir Bruneo and went to receive him with the goodwill and love that reason obliged him. They had all the men disembark and quartered in the encampment with the others, and Libeo, the doctor’s nephew, served as their captain. With great pleasure, they took the doctor to King Perion, and Amadis told him who he was and what he had done for him when he had killed the Endriago, as the third part of this story has recounted, and how no one could have come at that time whom they needed more.
The King received him well with goodwill, and told him:
“My good friend, the argument should wait until after the battle, if we are alive, over whom my son ought to thank more: me, who after God made him out of nothing, or ye, who brought him back from death.”
The doctor kissed his hands and with great pleasure told him:
“My lord, may it be as ye order, for until more is known I do not wish to give you the advantage as to whom he is most obliged.”
Everyone took pleasure in what the King had said and the reply from the doctor Elisabad. And immediately he said to the King:
“My lord, I bring you two pieces of news which ye should know, and they are that the Emperor of Rome has left with his fleet, in which, as has been verified by people whom I sent there, he has 10,000 knights, and in addition I have received a message from Gastiles, nephew of the Emperor of Constantinople, that he is at sea with 8,000 knights his uncle is sending to aid Amadis, and he believes they will arrive at the port in three days.”
Everyone who heard that news was very happy and encouraged, especially the men of the lowest estate. And so as ye hear, King Perion was with all those companions attending to the men as they arrived, and arranging everything necessary for the battle.
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