Chapter 97 [part 3 of 3]

[How Queen Briolanja greeted Oriana and met Grasinda.]

[The Tower of Lozoya, built in the 14th century in Segovia at San Martín Plaza. Photo by Sue Burke.]
 
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Then Queen Briolanja came on shore, as did all her ladies and damsels and knights, and they brought out the beasts that they had with them: for the Queen, a palfrey with splendid saddlery as was proper for such a lady. And they all mounted and rode to the castle where Oriana was, and who took such great pleasure to learn of her arrival that it was a rare sight to behold. She asked Mabilia and Grasinda and the other princesses to go to the entrance of the garden to receive her, and she remained with Queen Sardamira in the tower. When Queen Sardamira saw the pleasure that they all showed at the news, she said to Oriana:

“My lady, who is this newly arrived woman who has given so much pleasure to everyone?”

Oriana told her:

“She is the most beautiful queen not only in her appearance but in her reputation that I know of in all the world, as ye shall now see.”

When Queen Briolanja arrived at the gate of the garden and saw so many ladies in such fine apparel, she was amazed and felt the greatest pleasure in the world for having come there. And she turned to the knights and told thm:

“My good lords, may ye be commended to God, for upon seeing these ladies I no longer wish your company.”

And laughing very beautifully, she was dismounted and joined them, and then the gate was closed. They all came to her and greeted her with great courtesy, and Grasinda marveled at her beauty and great composure. And if she had not seen Oriana, who had no peer, she would not have believed that any woman in the world looked as beautiful as she did. And so they brought her to the tower where Oriana was, and when they saw each other, they came to each other with their arms outstretched and embraced each other with great love. Oriana took her by the hand and brought her to Queen Sardamira, and told her:

“My lady and Queen, speak with Queen Sardamira, and do her much honor, for she well deserves it.”

And so she did, and they greeted each other with great courtesy as their royal status required of each of them. And with Oriana between them, they sat on the estrado, and all the other ladies around them. Oriana said to Queen Briolanja:

“My good lady, ye have done me a great courtesy by coming to see me from such a distant land, and I thank you deeply for it, because such a trip could not have been made without abundant love.”

“My lady,” the Queen said, “I would be charged with great ignorance and very poor disposition if, given this situation that ye are in, I did not show the entire world desire I have for your honor and the improvement of your estate, especially since the duty falls principally on Amadis of Gaul, whom I love and owe so much, as ye know, my lady. And when I learned from Tantiles that he could be found here, I immediately ordered everything in my kingdom be prepared for whatever he might ask, and it seemed to me that meanwhile I ought to make this trip to accompany you or to see him, whom I very much wish to see, more than anyone else in the world, and to be with you, my lady, until this affair is resolved, which may our Lord be pleased to have come out as ye wish.”

“So may it please Him,” Oriana said, “through His holy mercy, and I hope that Sir Cuadragante and Sir Brian of Monjaste will bring some agreement with my father.”

Briolanja, who knew the truth, that they brought nothing, did not wish to say so. And so they spent some time talking about the things that gave them the most pleasure. And when it was time to eat, the Damsel of Denmark said to Oriana:

“Remember, my lady, that the Queen has been traveling, and she will want to eat and rest, and now is the time that ye might go to your chamber and take her with you, since she is your guest.”

Oriana asked if everything had been prepared. The Damsel told her it was. Then she took Queen Briolanja by the hand and took leave of Queen Sardamira and Grasinda, who went to their chambers, and took her to her chamber showing her great love. And when they arrived, Briolanja asked who was that finally dressed and beautiful lady next to Queen Sardamira. Mabilia told her that she was named Grasinda, and that she was a very noble and rich lady, and explained why she had come to the court of King Lisuarte and the great honor that Amadis had won for her there, and the honor that she had done for him when she did not know who he was. And she told her in great detail everything that had happened with Amadis, whom she loved dearly, when he had called himself the Knight of the Green Sword, and how he had come so close to death when he killed the Endriago, and he was brought to health by a doctor whom Grasinda had given him, the best doctor who could have been found throughout the width and breadth of the Earth. She told her everything and did not leave out a thing.

When the Queen heard this, she said:

“What a small-minded woman I am, because I did not know it before, and she came to me to speak, and I passed her by quickly. But that will be remedied, for even if she did not deserve it, merely by having done so much honor and given so much help to Amadis I am deeply obliged to honor her and give her pleasure all the days of my life, because after God, I have no other protection in my difficulties, nor anything else to give my heart contentment, besides this knight. After we eat, have her called because I wish to meet her.”

Oriana said:

“Queen, my friend, ye are not the only one who must honor her for that reason, for look at me here. If not for that knight, I would today be the most lost and ill-fated woman who was ever born, because I would be in a foreign land and so lonely that nothing but death would await me, and I would be disinherited from what God made me to reign over. And as ye know, this noble knight who rescues and aids all those in trouble, without any other reason or cause than his noble virtue, has become involved, as ye see, so that justice may be done for me.”

“My lady and friend,” the Queen said, “let us speak no more about Amadis, for he was born to do such things. Just as God made him unique and outstanding from everyone else in the world in his great strength, He also made him outstanding in all the other qualities and virtues.”

Seated at the table, they were served a great variety of delicacies, as is proper for such great princesses, and they spoke of many things that they enjoyed. And after they had eaten, they sent the Damsel of Denmark to go to Grasinda and tell her that the Queen wished to speak to her. The damsel did so, and Grasinda came immediately with her. When she arrived, Queen Briolanja came to embrace her and told her:

“My good friend, forgive me because I did not know who ye were when I arrived, and if I had known, I would have received you with greater love and affection because your virtue deserves it. For the great honor and good service that Amadis received from you, we who are his friends are very much obliged to thank you, and as for me, I tell you that the time shall never be when I fail to repay you for it, because although I give you from what is mine, I give you from what is his, since everything I have is his and by him I have it.”

“My good lady,” Grasinda said, “if I did any honor to this knight as ye say, I am as satisfied and content by it as any person would be who had given him any pleasure, and I give greater thanks to your virtue for what ye said than to the debt that he may owe me. May it please God that since I have received from him more than what I have paid him, I shall have some further opportunity to serve him.”

Then Mabilia told her:

“My good lady, tell us, if ye please, how ye came to meet Amadis, and for what reason he was received so well by you, since ye did not know him or even his name.”

She told him everything that the third part of this story has recounted more fully. And they laughed a lot about Bradandisel, whom Amadis made ride his horse backwards with its tail in his hands. And she told them how she had welcomed him badly injured in her home for some time, and how, before he came to that land, she had heard tell of the great and amazing feats at arms that he had done throughout the islands of Romania and in Germany, and everyone who knew about them were amazed at how a single knight was able to surmount such great dangers, and of the many injuries and great injustices that he had resolved for many ladies and damsels and other people who needed his help and rescue.

And she told how he was recognized by his dwarf and by the green sword that he carried, and how he was called by those names. She also told them everything about the battle he had fought with Sir Garadan, and the one he then had with the other eleven knights, and how by defeating them he saved the King of Bohemia from a very cruel war with the Emperor of Rome, and she spoke of many other things that were known about him in those lands that would be too extensive to write.

And then she told them:

“Because of those things that I had heard of him, and for what I saw of him when he was present, my ladies, I wish you to know what came to happen to me. I was so taken by him and his great deeds that, although I was extraordinarily rich in those lands and a great lady, and he was traveling as a poor knight, and without my knowing anything else about him except what I had been told, I thought it a good idea to marry him, and if I were to have him, no queen in the world would be my equal.

“But as I saw him so restrained and with such deep thoughts and concerns, knowing the strength of his heart, I suspected that he suffered for no other cause than some woman that he loved. And to be more sure about it, I spoke with Gandalin, who seem to me to be a very wise squire, and I asked him about it. He, knowing what I was thinking, on one hand denied it, and on the other hand gave me to understand that his anguish was not for any other reason than for some lady whom he loved. And I understood well that he said this so I would no longer have such thoughts, for they would not go any further, since they would be fruitless. And I thanked him for that sincerely, and from then on I have ceased to think about it.”

Briolanja, when she heard this, looked at Oriana laughing, and told her:

“My lady, it seems to me he goes more places than I thought sowing that illness. Ye will recall what I told you about this at the castle at Miraflores.”

“I recall it well,” Oriana said.

That happened when Queen Briolanja, coming to see Oriana in that castle at Miraflores, as the second book has said, told her almost the same thing that had occurred to her with Amadis.

And so of that and of other things they spoke until it was time to sleep, and Grasinda took leave of them and returned to her chamber, and they remained in theirs. And a bed had been set up for Queen Briolanja in Oriana’s chamber next to hers, because she and Mabilia slept together, and there they went to sleep, and that night they rested in great comfort.

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Chapter 97 [part 2 of 3]

[How Trion attacked, and how Sir Cuadragante and Brian of Monjaste fought bravely.]

[Illustration of the raising of the siege of Mahdia and the crusaders leaving Africa in 1390, in Chroniques Vol. IV by Jean Froissart, the “Harley Froissart,” made in Bruges between c. 1470 and 1472. At the British Library.]
 
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Since Trion knew where Queen Briolanja was traveling, one afternoon he arrived behind her without arousing suspicion. Soon the men in her ship spotted his two ships, and they told the Queen. Sir Cuadragante and Brian of Monjaste immediately came to the ship’s railing and saw that they were coming right at them. They ordered the Queen’s men to arms and they armed themselves, but made no change in their course, and the two ships came so close that they could hear what each other said.

Then Trion shouted:

“Knights who are traveling in that ship, tell Queen Briolanja that her cousin Trion is here and wishes to speak to her, and have her order her men not to fight, for if they do, none of them shall escape death.”

When the Queen heard this, she felt great fear and terror, and she said:

“My lords, this is the greatest enemy that I have, and he has now dared to do this and has come with a tremendous purpose and a great company of men.”

Sir Cuadragante told her:

“My good lady, fear nothing, for as it pleases God, he will very soon be punished for his madness.”

Then he ordered a knight to tell Trion that if he wished to come alone to see the Queen, he would be willingly received. Trion said:

“If that is so, I shall see her in spite of her and all of you.”

Then he ordered a knight, his father’s servant, to attack the ship on the far side and try to board it. When Sir Brian of Monjaste saw the ships separate, he told Sir Cuadragante to take as many men as he wished and guard the other side, and that he would defend his side, and so they did. Sir Cuadragante went to the side where Trion planned to fight, and Brian of Monjaste to the side the other knight planned to attack. Sir Cuadragante ordered his men to step forward so he could hide as best he could behind them, and told them that if Trion wished to board, not to stop him.

And at this point, the ship was attacked on both sides fiercely because the attackers felt very sure there was no one to defend it and no danger for them, but they knew nothing about those two knights from Firm Island. And when the ships drew near, Trion, with his great arrogance and desire to carry out his deed, jumped on board without any suspicions, and the Queen’s men began to retreat, as they had been ordered.

Sir Cuadragante, when he saw him on board, passed through his men, and as he was a very large man, as this story has told you in the second part, when Trion saw him, he realized that this was not one of the knights he knew about, but he did not lose his courage over this. Instead he charged him bravely, and they gave each other great blows on the tops of their helmets, and sparks flew from the steel and from the swords. But since Sir Cuadragante was stronger and could do as he wished, Trion received so many blows that his sword fell from his hand and he dropped to his knees on the deck.

Sir Cuadragante looked around and saw that their opponents were boarding the ship as fast as they could. He told his men:

“Take this knight.”

Then he charged at the others, and the first man he saw before him he gave such a great blow on the top of his head that no doctor could have saved him. When the others they saw that their lord had been taken prisoner and the other knight had been killed and the great blows that Sir Cuadragante was giving to one knight after another, they tried as fast as they could to return to their ship. But under the attack from Sir Cuadragante and his men, some managed to save themselves but others died in the water, and in very little time they were all defeated and driven off Briolanja’s ship, which Sir Cuadragante now held.

Then he looked at the other side where Brian was fighting, and saw that he was on board the enemy’s ship, wreaking havoc among its men. Sir Cuadragante he sent as many of his men as he could to help, and he stayed with the remaining men to see if their opponents would attack. And with the help that arrived for Sir Brian, and with the men that he had, very soon all his opponents were defeated. The knight who was their captain was killed, and Trion’s other ship was departing in defeat. Then those who were alive begged for mercy, and Sir Brian ordered that none of them be killed, since they could not defend themselves. And so it was done, and they were taken prisoner, and Sir Brian took control of the ship.

During the battle, Queen Briolanja was in her chamber with all her ladies and damsels, on their knees praying to God for Him to protect them from danger and to protect the knights who were aiding and defending her. As they were doing that, one of her men entered and told her:

“My lady, come out, and ye will see that Trion has been taken prisoner and all of his men injured or defeated, for these knights from Firm Island have done great and wonderful feats at arms, which no one else could have done.”

When the Queen heard this, she was as happy as ye might think, and she raised her hands and said:

“Almighty Lord God, blessed be Ye because at this time and moment in fate, Ye brought me these knights, for from Amadis and all his friends nothing can come to me but good fortune.”

She left the chamber and saw that her men held Trion prisoner, and Sir Cuadragante was guarding against any enemies who might come to fight, and Sir Brian of Monjaste had won the ship that her men now controlled. She approached Sir Cuadragante and told him:

“My lord, I owe deep thanks to God and to you for what ye have done for me, for truly both myself and my realm were in great danger.”

He told her:

“My good lady, ye see your enemy here. Order that justice be done.”

When Trion heard this, he knew his life was not secure, and he knelt before the Queen and said:

“My lady, I big mercy for my life, and I look to your great restraint, for I am of your blood. And if I have made ye angry, I will be in your service for it.”

As the Queen was very noble, she took pity on him, and she said:

“Trion, not because ye deserve it, but because it is my duty, I shall assure your life until I can learn more from these knights.”

And she ordered him placed in a chamber and guarded.

At that point Sir Brian of Monjaste came to the Queen and she went to embrace him, and she asked him:

“My good lord, how are things going for you?”

He told her:

“My lady, very well, and I am very happy to have the good fortune to have been able to serve you in some way. I have an injury, but thanks to God, it is not serious.”

Then he showed them his shield, and they saw how an arrow had passed through it at the part where he held it against his forearm. The Queen with her own beautiful hands took the shield from him as gently as she could, and she helped him disarm, and his wounds were treated just as many times other greater wounds had been treated, since his squires, both his own as well as those of all other knights errant, always carried all the supplies that might be urgently needed for wounds. They were all very happy at the great good fortune that had come to them, and although they wished to pursue Trion’s ship, they saw that it was very fast, and they decided against it. They raised their sails and went directly to Firm Island without any other mishap befalling them.

It happened that when they arrived at port, Amadis and all the other lords were riding on their palfreys through a wide meadow below the hill where the castle was, as they often did to relax. And when they saw those ships arrive at the port, they went there to find out whose they were. When they reached the shore, they found the squires from Sir Cuadragante and Sir Brian of Monjaste, who had left in a skiff to notify them of the arrival of the knights and Queen Briolanja so they could come and receive them. And when the squires saw Amadis and the other knights, they told them that message. The knights were very happy, and everyone came to the seashore and greeted those on board the ship amid great laughter and joy.

Sir Brian of Monjaste told him:

“What do ye think of us coming back richer than we were when we left? Ye have not done so, since ye have been locked up here, useless.”

They all began to laugh, and they told him that if he had returned so proud, he should show them what he had won. That was when a very large boat was placed in the sea and both the knights and the Queen got in it with a crew to take them to shore. And all the knights dismounted and came to kiss the Queen’s hands, but she did not wish to give them. Instead, she embraced them with great love. Amadis came to her and wished to kiss her hands, but when she saw him, she took him into her very beautiful arms and held him for a while and did not let him go. Tears came to her eyes and fell down her very beautiful cheeks from the pleasure she felt to be with him, because she had not seen him since the battle the King Lisuarte had with King Cildadan, when she saw him in Fenusa, the town where King Lisuarte was. And although she no longer thought about marrying him and held no hope of that, he was the knight she loved most in the world and for whom she would rather place her person and realm in danger than lose him. And when she let him go, she could not speak to him because she was so overwhelmed with great joy.

Amadis told her:

“My lady, I give many thanks to God because He brought you here where I could see you, which I very much desired, and now more than at any other time, because your sight will give great pleasure to these knights, and much more to your good friend, Princess Oriana, for I believe that no other person could come to her who would give her as much joy as ye will, my good lady.”

She responded:

“My good lord, this was why I left my kingdom, principally to see you, which was the thing in the world I most desired. God knows how much distress I have had until now to spend so much time without having seen you, my lord, and I could not learn any news, no matter how much I tried. And now when my majordomo told me ye had come and gave me your letter, I immediately thought, leaving everything that ye had ordered well prepared, of coming here to you and to this lady that ye speak of, because now is the time when her friends and servants must show her the desire and love that they have for her. But if it were not for God and for these knights who by great good fortune were with me, great danger could have befallen me during this trip. They can tell you how they remedied it with great courage, but this can wait for when there is more time.”

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Chapter 89

How Amadis sent a messenger to Queen Briolanja. 

 [Portrait of Simon de Varie by Jean Fouquet in a 1455 prayer book at the J. Paul Getty Museum.]
 
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The story says that after Amadis had dispatched the doctor Elisabad and had lodged Grasinda with Princess Oriana, he had Tantiles called, the majordomo of the beautiful Queen Briolanja, and he told him:

“My good friend, I would hope that on my behalf ye would labor is carefully in things for me as I would in things for you, and that is because, considering the extreme in which I have placed my honor, and how much it could be improved with careful preparation, and on the contrary how it could be discredited, I wish you to go to your lady and, since ye have seen everything and can tell her what she needs to know, try hard to have her order all her people and friends to be prepared for when they will be needed. And tell her that she knows that what involves me involves her, since if I were to fail, she would lose my services.”

Tantiles answered him:

“My Lord, I shall immediately do as ye order, and ye may be very sure that nothing would give my lady the Queen such pleasure as to know that the time had come to show you the great love and goodwill that she has to secure for you all ye would wish to ask from her and her entire kingdom. And have no worries about this, for I shall come when it is necessary with everything properly prepared that a great lady such as she is must send to he whom, after God, gave her her entire realm.”

Amadis thanked him sincerely and gave him a letter of credentials that was sufficient for him as a person who governed all her estate. Tantiles immediately went out to sea in the ship he had arrived in and did what shall further on be told.

After this was done, Amadis took Gandalin aside and told him:

“My friend Gandalin, thou hast seen how I need friends and family in this dire situation I could not avoid being placed in, and although I would feel very troubled to see thee depart from me, reason obliges me to do so. Thou hast seen how all these knights have agreed that all our friends be asked and advised so that when the time comes, they can sustain our honor. And although I have great hopes that many of them for whom I have done a great deal will wish to pay the debt they owe me, as thou knowest, I have even greater hopes in my father, King Perion, for he rightly or wrongly ought to provide aid for my concerns.

“Thou better than anyone else and without any difficulty canst tell him about everything that has happened to me, and how although there are many famous knights of grand lineage here, they all follow me and only me in their will and thoughts. It would be good if thou wert to leave soon to see him and tell him what thou hast seen and learned about the need in which I find myself. And in addition to these things, tell him that although I do not fear any armed force anywhere in the world in view of our own, it would be a hardship for him if I as his oldest son could not respond to these two princes if they were to attack me in the form and manner that I would be called to do.

“And because I understand that thou art aware of everything, it will not be necessary for me to tell thee more, except that before leaving, go speak with my cousin Mabilia to see if she would send something to her aunt and my sister Melicia, and see how my lady Oriana is, because although she would hide her feelings to others, only to thee would she reveal her true desire and will. And when this is done, leave immediately with these credentials that I have written for thee, which say:

“Thou shalt tell my lord the King that His Highness already knows how, after God wished by his hand that I became a knight, I never aspired to any other thing than to be a knight errant, and to do everything in my power to right the many wrongs and injustices that have been received especially by ladies and damsels, who above all else ought to receive aid. Because of that, I have placed my person in great labor and danger, without any other interest or hope except to serve God and to earn fame and praise. With this desire when I left his kingdom I went to travel to foreign lands, looking for those who needed my protection and defense and seeing new sights, where I had many adventures, as thou canst well tell him if he would wish to know of them.

“After much time had passed, I returned to this island and learned that King Lisuarte, with no fear of God and against the advice both of his own people and of others who were concerned for his honor and wished to serve him, with great cruelty and with a great loss to his reputation, wished to disinherit his daughter, the Princess Oriana, who after his days were done should be the lady of his realm, and instead to make a younger daughter the heir, who had no right to them, and to give Oriana to the Emperor of Rome as his wife. The Princess objected to this to all those who saw her and to others by messenger with great weeping and anguish so that they might have pity for her and not consent to the great injustice that was her disinheritance, and the just Judge, the Emperor of all things, heard her, and by His will and permission many princes and great knights were brought together on this island to give her help, for I, when I came, found them and from them learned of the great violence that was happening.

“Their agreement and advice held that since in things of this kind, more than in any other, knights are most obliged to act, and in this particular one they had to come to her aid. All that we had achieved until then with great personal danger and effort we would otherwise lose to this singular cause, since not merely reason required it but given the size and nature of the cause, our loss would be attributed more to cowardice and a lack of effort. And so it was done. In the battle the Romans were defeated and many of them killed and others taken prisoner, and we rescued the Princess along with all her ladies and damsels. We have agreed to send Sir Cuadragante of Ireland and my cousin Sir Brian of Monjaste to King Lisuarte to ask him on our behalf to be reasonable. If by chance he does not wish to do so, in the face of that danger, first his help and then the help of all our friends will be necessary, so I ask him to be ready with all of the men that he can when he is called for.

“And give my regards to my lady the Queen and ask her to send my sister Melicia here to accompany Oriana, so her nobility and great beauty will become known to all those who shall see her rather than just having heard of her.”

This done, he told him:

“Make preparations to go in any of these ships that thou findest best provisioned, and take someone to guide thee, and speak with my cousin Mabilia first, as I told thee.”

Gandalin said he would do so.

Agrajes spoke with Sir Gandales, Amadis’ foster father, and asked him to go see his father, the King of Scotland. In case the trouble of writing a letter was not necessary, because he had been in his service for such a long time and so trustworthy in all things that he was considered more a family member and advisor than a vassal. So it can be believed that this knight with full affection and diligence would procure with this trip its purpose for his foster son Amadis, who was the thing he most loved in the world. And what he did shall be told of further on.

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Chapter 63 [part 2 of 3]

[How Queen Briolanja arrived at Firm Island, and the wonders she saw there, and how she tested the forbidden chamber.] 

[Alexander the Great fighting a dragon from Le Livre et la vraye hystoire du bon roy Alixandre, on display at Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination at the British Library.]
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At this time one of Queen Briolanja’s damsels arrived with orders to tell Oriana what had happened at Firm Island, which pleased everyone because the Queen was well loved by all. She said to Oriana:

“My lady, I have come to you on behalf of Briolanja to tell you about the wonders she found at Firm Island, for I saw it all and ye can know it from me.”

“May God give her a long life,” Oriana said, “and good fortune to you for the effort ye have undertaken.”

Then everyone came to listen to her story, and the damsel said:

“My lady, know that after Briolanja left here, she arrived with all her company at the Island, where she spent five days. She was immediately asked if she wished to try the test of the chamber or the arch of love, and she said that she wished to leave those two tests for the end. Instead they took her to some beautiful houses a league from the castle, which were abundantly provisioned and which had been some of the famous principal residences of Apolidon.

“When it came time to eat, they brought us to a beautiful great hall, marvelously decorated, and at one end of it was a very deep, large, dark cave, so frightening to look into that none of us dared to go near. At the other end of the grand hall was a splendid tower, and from the windows one could see everything that happened in the hall. They had all us women go up into it, where we found tables and estrados placed next to the windows. There the Queen and ourselves were very well served with many kinds of delicacies by very attentive ladies and damsels.

“Below in the hall, as ye have heard, the knights and our other people ate, and they were served by knights of that land, and after they had put the second course in front of them, they heard loud hissing from the cave and hot smoke came out. Soon a great serpent emerged and stood in the middle of the hall, brave and terrifying, and no one dared look at it. Smoke came from its nostrils and it whipped its tail so hard that the entire hall shook.

“And then behind it two enormous lions came out of the cavern, and they all began to fight so bravely and so fiercely that no man’s heart was not terrified. The knights and other people abandoned their tables and left the hall as fast as they could. Although the windows from which we watched with Briolanja were very high, even still we could not help but be very afraid and terrified.

“The battle lasted a half-hour, and at its end the lions were so tired that they lay on the ground as if they were dead, and the serpent so tired and weary it hardly breathe. But after it had rested a while, it took one of the lions in its mouth and put it in the cave, returned for the other one, threw it inside, and then leapt in after them.

“They did not reappear for the rest of the day, and the men of the island laughed heartily at our terror. When we were sure they would not come back that day, we returned to the tables and finished our meal.

“And so we passed the day, and that night in a good lodging, and the next day they took us to an even more wonderful site, where we passed the day in great pleasure and were provided with all the things we needed. When it was time to sleep, they took us to a fine and beautiful chamber that was amazing to behold, where there was a bed of rich, costly fabric for Briolanja and other beds exceedingly fine for us.

“We were tired and sleepy, but after we had lain down and midnight had passed, the doors opened so loudly that we were all awakened and frightened. We saw a stag enter with lit candles on its horns, and the entire chamber was illuminated as if it were day. Half of it was white as snow, and the neck and head as black as tar, and one horn seemed gilt and the other vermillion.

“Behind it came four dogs of similar appearance, and all of them were harassing it, so it was sorely afflicted. And behind it came a gold and ivory horn that was playing itself and floating in the air as if someone were holding it in their hand. It sounded a hunting call that drove on the dogs.

“They would not let the stag rest, and it ran from one side of the chamber to the other, jumping over our beds, which made them shake, and at times it tripped on the beds and fell. We got up in our nightshirts and with our hair loose, fleeing from the stag, and some of us hid under our beds. But the dogs did not stop pursuing it as hard as they could, and when the stag saw that it had no place to hide in the chamber, it jumped out of the window as fast as it could and the dogs leapt out after it, and so we were very relieved.

“We picked up the bedding, which had been made disorderly, and covered ourselves, and we gave Briolanja, who was very worried, a robe to wear. When we ceased to be afraid, we laughed a lot at the disarray in which we found ourselves. As we were remaking the beds, a lady and two damsels came through the door, with a little girl carrying candles ahead of them, and the lady said to Briolanja:

“ ‘My lady, what happened to you that ye are awake?’

“She told her:

“ ‘My friend, such a commotion that it would be hard to recount.’

The lady laughed a lot, and said:

“ ‘Well, my lady, lay down and sleep, for tonight nothing more will happen for you to fear.’

“With that assurance we straightened our beds and slept the rest of the night. The next day, early in the morning, we left and went to a forest where there were many tall pine trees and beautiful gardens, and we rested in tents alongside a river. There we found a round house of twelve marble pillars and a strangely constructed roof. Between the pillars were glass panels locked in place and made in such a subtle way that everyone outside could see what was inside. It had two doors worked with sheets of gold and silver that were amazingly valuable.

“On top of each post inside the house was a copper statue made to resemble a giant that held a powerful bow whose arrows had red-hot iron tips as bright as if they had just come out of a fire. They said that nothing can enter there without being immediately turned into ashes by the fire on those arrows, because the statues instantly shoot their bows and never miss their target.

“As we watched with Briolanja, they put two fallow deer and a buck inside, and immediately arrows were shot into them, then the arrows flew back to the archers and the animals were reduced to ashes. On the doors of the palace, an inscription said:

“ ‘Let no man or woman dare to enter this house if they do not love each other as much and as loyally as Grimanesa and Apolidon, who made this enchantment, and they must enter together the first time, for if each one were to do it alone, they would suffer the most cruel death ever seen. This enchantment will last until a man and woman come who due to their great loyalty in love and the great skill at arms of the knight, shall enter in the beautiful enchanted chamber and lie together as one. And when they are wed, then all the enchantments of Firm Island shall be undone.’

“We stayed there that day, and Briolanja sent for Isanjo and Enil and told them that we no longer wished to see anything more besides the arch of love and the forbidden chamber. She asked Isanjo about the serpent and lions, and the stag and dogs.

“ ‘My lady,’ he said, ‘we know only that the serpent and lions come out each day at the time that ye saw them and fight that way, and of the buck and dogs I tell you they come to that chamber every night at the hour in which ye saw them, and they turn to leave by the window, with the dogs behind the buck, and they all enter a lake nearby that we think leads to the sea. I do not know what more to tell you, my lady, except that it would take you more than a year to see all the great marvels that are on this island.’

“The next morning, we mounted our palfreys and returned to the castle. Immediately Briolanja went to the arch of the loyal lovers and entered through its forbidden pillars as she who had never erred in her love for even a moment. The statue played a very sweet song with its trumpet, so sweet that it made us faint. And when Briolanja entered inside, where the images of Apolidon and Grimanesa were, the song stopped with sweet final notes that were wonderful to hear. There she saw the statues as beautiful and new as if they were alive, so that although she was alone, she felt as if they were with her. Immediately she saw freshly carved letters in the jasper that said:

“ ‘This is the name of Briolanja, daughter of Tagadan, King of Sobradisa. This is the third damsel who has entered here.’

“Immediately she thought to leave, for she was very afraid to be alone, since no one in her company could enter. She left and went to her lodging. On the fifth day she went to test the forbidden chamber, and she was dressed so richly it was astonishing. She wore nothing on her hair besides a beautiful golden headband set with precious gems, and all those who saw her said that if she did not enter the chamber, then no one in the world could, and that when she did, all the enchantments would end.

“She commended herself to God and entered the forbidden site and passed the copper pillar and reached the marble one, and read the words that were written on it. When she was three steps away from the door of the chamber, three hands grabbed her by her beautiful, precious hair and tossed her away without pity. And like the rest, they threw her outside of the protected site, and she was left so battered that we could not revive her.”

Oriana, whose heart had felt faint and sad as she listened, became very happy. She looked at Mabilia and the Damsel of Denmark, and they at her, and they were all pleased.

The damsel said:

“We spent the rest of the day there, and the next day Briolanja left for her kingdom.”

After the news had been told, the damsel left to go to her lady, and she carried messages from Queen Brisena and Oriana and the other ladies and damsels for her.
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