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Ryence
Sir Ryence, king of Wales, Ireland, and many of the isles. When Arthur first mounted the throne, King Ryence, in scorn, sent a messenger to say “he had purfled a mantel with the beards of kings; but the mantel lacked one more beard to complete the lining, and he requested Arthur to send his beard by the messenger, or else he would come and take head and beard too.”
Part of the insolence was in this: Arthur at the time was too young to have a beard at all; and he made answer, “Tell your master, my beard at present is all too young for purfling; but I have an arm quite strong enough to drag him hither, unless he comes without delay to do me homage.”
By the advice of Merlin, the two brothers, Balin and Balan, set upon the insolent king, on his way to Lady De Vauce, overthrew him, slew “more than forty of his men, and the remnant fled.” King Ryence craved for mercy; so “they laid him on a horse-litter, and sent him captive to King Arthur.” Le Morte d'Arthur By Sir Thomas Malory
"And if you be then must you battle to the uttermost. For we owe loyalty to King Ryence who is enemy of King Arthur. Therefore, are we his enemies too, and enemies also of all of King Arthur's subjects. And thus, we flaunt our enmity. We here and now call King Arthur an upstart and if you be of his court you cannot do aught else but fight with us." In The Court of King Arthur By Samuel E. Lowe
"Anon, thereafter, came word to King Arthur that Ryence, King of North Wales, was making war upon King Leodegrance of Camelgard; whereat he was passing wroth, for he loved Leodegrance well, and hated Ryence. So he departed with Kings Ban and Bors and twenty thousand men, and came to Camelgard, and rescued Leodegrance, and slew ten thousand of Ryence’s men and put him to flight. Then Leodegrance made a great festival to the three kings, and treated them with every manner of mirth and pleasure which could be devised. And there had King Arthur the first sight of Guinevere, daughter of Leodegrance, whom in the end he married, as shall be told hereafter." The Legends of King Arthur And His Knights By Sir James Knowles
