The king gave a great feast in honor of the young men. After the feast the queen played chess for a sentence with the eldest. She played twice; won a game and lost one. Next day she played one game with the second son. On the third day, she played with the youngest; won one game and lost one.
On the fourth day, the three were in the queen’s company.
“What sentence do you put on me and my brothers?” asked the eldest.
“I put you and your brothers under sentence not to sleep two nights in the same house, nor to eat twice off the same table, till you bring me the three steeds of King Conal, so that I may ride three times around the kingdom.”
“Will you tell me,” asked the eldest son, “where to find King Conal?”
“There are four quarters in the world; I am sure it is in one of these that he lives,” said the queen.
“I might as well give you sentence now,” said the eldest brother. “I put you under bonds of enchantment to stand on the top of the castle and stay there without coming down, and watch for us till we come back with the horses.”
“Remove from me your sentence; I will remove mine,” said the queen.
“If a young man is relieved of the first sentence put on him, he will never do anything good,” said the king’s son. “We will go for the horses.”