- When King Arthur sends his treasurer for a tribute from King Pellam, he tells him there are two strange knights near a fountain in the forest, who are challenging anyone and everyone who shows up.
- Naturally, Arthur rides in search of the men and defeats them both in a fight.
- He sends a servant to fetch them. They reveal that they are Balin—a former Knight of the Round Table who was banished for beating a servant boy senseless—and his brother, Balan.
- Arthur welcomes Balin back joyfully and makes Balan a Knight of the Round Table. Because why not?
- When Arthur’s embassy to Pellam returns, they tell how Pellam now claims to be descended from Joseph of Arimathea and has renounced the world in favor of an ascetic Christian life surrounded by holy objects.
- They also tell how they found the body of one of Arthur’s knights, dead from a spear-wound, and heard rumors of a demon that lurks in the wood.
- Balan volunteers to travel to King Pellam’s land to get rid of that demon for once and for all. Before he leaves, he warns Balin not to let his general moodiness cause any needless violence.
- Balin tries hard to learn the courteous manners of Arthur’s court and takes Lancelot as his example. But he becomes discouraged when Lancelot’s manners seem too far beyond him. We mean, he's Lancelot after all.
- Balin asks Arthur if he can wear the queen’s symbol on his shield, hoping it'll inspire him to good behavior. Arthur and Guinevere give him the ol' "yep."
- One day Balin witnesses the Guinevere and Lancelot meeting in a garden. He overhears Guinevere scolding Lancelot for not greeting her, to which ol' Lance responds that he was lost in a dream about the Virgin Mary and lilies—for purity of course.
- Guinevere says she's more about the many-colored rose, hyacinths, and the blooms of May. She remembers a time when they both frolicked among the flowers.
- When their eyes meet, Guinevere blushes.
- Needless to say, Balin's a wee bit confused by what he's just witnessed go down. Can he even trust his eyes and ears?
- Maybe not. He decides he's not worthy to be a knight, and leaves the court, following Balan's tracks.
- Along the way, Balin meets a guy who tells him that the demon of the wood is maybe—just maybe—King Pellam's son, Garlon. Dun dun dun.
- The man directs Balin to a cave.
- Balin comes to the palace of King Pellam, where everyone asks about the symbol on his shield.
- When Garlon learns that the symbol honors Queen Guinevere, he gives a hint-hint that she hides a secret shame and calls Balin naïve for idolizing her.
- The thought of Guinevere initially inspires Balin to practice courtesy and refrain from attacking Garlon. But when he insults Guinevere again the very next morning, Balin kills him. Because that's just how he rolls.
- Balin uses a long spear he finds in Pellam’s chapel to vault from the window of the castle and escape into the forest. Clever, no?
- Thinking he's probably no longer worthy of wearing Guinevere's symbol because he's gotten all violent again, Balin decides to hang his shield on a tree.
- A woman named Vivien passes by with her squire and asks Balin for his protection for her trip to Arthur’s court.
- Balin responds that he is a savage who allowed the beast of anger to swallow him. Plus he's brought shame to Guinevere. In other words, he's not a good candidate for bodyguard.
- Upon hearing Guinevere’s name, Vivien laughs and recounts how she and her squire once witnessed Lancelot and Guinevere’s love-tryst.
- Although Vivien is lying, Balin recalls the meeting between Lancelot and Guinevere he witnessed in the garden and believes her. Scandal.
- Balin lets out an inhuman scream. Balan, who is not far away and has not yet completed his quest, believes he has found the demon of the woods. He rides in pursuit of the noise.
- When Balan attacks him, Balin stabs him with King Pellam’s holy spear. Then Balin’s horse rolls over on him, crushing him. Oops.
- Vivien believes Balin must be Guinevere’s lover, to go so insane at the mention of a rival. Her squire believes both knights happy to have died for love, and declares he would do the same for Vivien.
- After Vivien and her squire take off their helmets to reveal their faces, they leave the men to die.
- When the two brothers awake and recognize one another, Balin tells Balan about everything that has happened to him.
- Balan tells Balin that Garlon mocked him, too, but that he ignored him. Later, says Balan, he learned that Garlon was just angry about the tribute Arthur had asked of him.
- Balan also heard that a woman who dallies with the devil often hung out with Garlon. He believes this woman to be the same one who stood over them just a few minutes earlier.
- Balan tells Balin that the woman was lying about Guinevere. Their queen is as pure as their own mother.
- Balin laments that his anger issues have always caused trouble for Balan.
- Balin and Balan die in one another’s arms. So there's that.