With Merlin's help, Balin and Balan capture King Rience and take him to King Arthur in order to regain their lost honour for Arthur. The brothers succeeded in ambushing Rience en route to sleep with the Lady de Vance and brought the king before Arthur. Rience's capture resulted in the forming of an alliance of twelve rebel kings, including King Rience's brother, King Nero. Nero brings up an army and a great battle takes place beside Castle Terrabil. King Arthur kills Nero while Balin and Balan do great deeds of arms fighting on Arthur's side. At last King Lot of Orkney, who has been prevented until now from joining in the engagement by a prescient Merlin, advances with eleven other rebel kings, thinking that Arthur's forces are now spent. King Lot is killed by King Pellinore and the other rebel kings are killed as well. King Arthur kills twenty knights that day and maims forty, and the battle is won.