Let us leave Guimarães under siege and go back to relating where King Fernando was while the aforementioned events took place. You should now be made aware that King Fernando, after leaving La Coruña and reaching Oporto, then headed immediately for the city of Coimbra, where he managed to take his ease. It was there that he received the message that Braga had been surrounded and learned for certain that King Enrique was laying siege to Guimarães. He set about assembling his troops, to make haste in aid of that area and to wage war against the King of Castile. He at once dispatched letters to the city of Oporto to order the rapid construction of a bridge of barges across the River Douro, so that he and all his army could cross over in the space of one day, because he was fully intent on fighting against King Enrique and anxious that the inhabitants of Oporto should get ready to accompany him.

The city dwellers were greatly pleased at these instructions, and all made great haste to carry out their task, some of them bringing barges, some fetching timber, others anchoring the barges and mooring them with cables. The result was that there was very swiftly constructed a large and spacious bridge, strewn with earth and sand, which was wide enough for six mounted men to pass over it abreast with ease. When all this had been completed, all the men-at-arms and foot soldiers, as well as crossbowmen bearing the city's banner, made ready to accompany their king into battle.

King Fernando left Coimbra with all his men. It is said that he reached Oporto and that King Enrique received reports of his arrival. Some even state that King Fernando sent letters to King Enrique, challenging him to await his advance. The latter, however, realizing that he could not capture Guimarães, headed at once for [the furthest inland part of] that region, capturing Vinhais, Bragança, Cedovim and the heights of Miranda do Douro in just a few days. Some of these places were taken by guile, others because they had no means of defending themselves. Thus, in the capture of Miranda, before King Enrique arrived there, a number of his men changed their clothing and pretended they were Portuguese muleteers and that they needed food from the town for which they were ready to pay.