Balyn parts from Merlin and rides grieving through the Wasteland. When he has passed out of it he comes upon a knight who grieves because his lady has missed her assignation. Balyn helps the knight find the lady — sleeping in an ugly knight's arms. In a rage, the jealous lover strikes off their heads as they sleep, then mourns worse than before, for he has killed what he loved best; then he kills himself. Again Balyn is to blame.
Miserable, Balyn rides on and comes to a castle where he is told he must fight a knight who guards an island of ladies. One of the knights of the castle lends Balyn a shield better than his own. Balyn fights the guardian of the island in order to pass, and because Balyn does not have his usual shield, the island guardian — Balyn's brother — does not recognize him. They wound each other mortally, but before he dies, Balyn learns that if he had won and lived, it would have been little better. Because Balan killed the earlier keeper of the island, he has been bound to take over his position, which would now have fallen to Balyn.
The brothers are buried in a single grave, and around the tomb, partly with the doomed brothers' relics — their swords and scabbards — Merlin sets up events of the future. He sets a new pommel on Balyn's cursed sword, and now no man can handle it but Launcelot or Galahad, and with this sword Launcelot will kill his dearest friend, Gawain. He leaves Balyn's scabbard for Galahad to find, and he puts Balyn's sword into a floating stone to be attained by Galahad.
