Then he looked carefully at his armor and saw that it was all in good condition and that his shield and spear were in good trim, and then, blessing himself, he mounted his horse.  Out of the castle there now came riding toward him a knight on a powerful charger.  Red was the armor of the knight, red his shield, without any arms or device, and red were the trappings on his horse.  Now this knight in red was Balan, and when he saw coming toward him a knight with two swords he thought it must be his brother Balin, but when he looked at the shield it was strange, and thus, neither brother knowing the other, they levelled their spears and dashed together at full speed.

The spear of each struck fair in the center of the shield of the other, and their spears were so strong and their charge so fierce that both horses were thrown to the ground and the men lay on the ground unconscious.  Balin was sadly bruised by the fall of his horse, and besides he was weary of travel, so that Balan was the first to get up and draw his sword.  Balin, however, was little behind him, and was ready with his weapon to meet the onset.  Balan was first to strike, and though Balin put up his shield the sword passed through it and cut through his helm.  Balin returned the blow with that unhappy sword that carried so much misery with it, and well-nigh killed his brother, but both recovered themselves and fought together, charging back and forth until their breath failed them.

As they rested for a moment Balin looked up to the castle walls and saw that the towers were filled with ladies.  Inspired by the sight, both went into battle again, and both were wounded many times.  Often they rested and often renewed the combat, until the ground around them was red with blood.  Both had been wounded seven times or more, and each wound so serious that it would have been the death of any less mighty man.  Both were weary and weak from their exertions, but still they fought on.  Their helmets were hewed off and their armor fell to pieces till they were almost naked and defenseless.

At last Balan withdrew a little and lay down in utter exhaustion.

“What knight art thou?” said Balin le Savage.  “Never have I found a knight that so well matched me.”

“My name,” he said, “is Balan, brother of the great knight Balin.”

“Alas,” said Balin, “that ever I should see this day.”  And with these words he fell back unconscious.

Balan, on his hands and knees, crept to his brother and took the helm from off his head, but even then he did not know him, so bloody and wounded was his face.

When a few minutes later Balin recovered consciousness, he cried, “Oh Balan, my brother, thou hast slain me and I thee.  On this account all the world shall speak of us.”

“Alas,” said Balan, “that I ever saw this day, and shame on me that I knew you not, for I saw your two swords; but because you had a strange shield I thought you were some strange knight.”