Ⅳ 群鴉的盛宴 Chapter4 布蕾妮
BRIENNE
“我在尋找一位十三歲處女，”她在村子的水井邊對一名灰發(fā)主婦說，“非常美麗的貴族處女，藍眼睛，棗紅色頭發(fā)。她可能跟一位身材肥胖、四十多歲的騎士一起趕路，也可能跟一個小丑在一起。你有沒有見過她？”
I am looking for a maid of three-and-ten,” she told the grey-haired goodwife beside the village well. “A highborn maid and very beautiful, with blue eyes and auburn hair. She may have been traveling with a portly knight of forty years, or perhaps with a fool. Have you seen her?”
“我不見得見過他們，爵士先生，”主婦一邊說，一邊用指節(jié)叩了叩額頭，“但我會留意，我會的。”
“Not as I recall, ser,” the goodwife said, knuckling her forehead. “But I’ll keep my eye out, that I will.”
鐵匠也沒見過，鄉(xiāng)村圣堂的修士、養(yǎng)豬的豬倌、菜園里拔洋蔥的女孩通通都說沒有見過，羅斯比村中到處是木條泥土搭成的小屋，塔斯之女在這里沒有找到一絲線索。然而她堅持不肯放棄。這是到暮谷城的捷徑，布蕾妮告訴自己，假如珊莎去那邊尋求庇護或者坐船，一定會打這兒經過。在城堡門口，她詢問兩個長矛兵，他們的紋章是貂皮上三條“人”字紅杠，屬于羅斯比家族?！斑@年頭，她要是在路上走動，早就不是什么處女了?！蹦觊L的那個說，年輕的則想知道，那女孩兩腿間的毛發(fā)是否也是棗紅色。
The blacksmith had not seen her either, nor the septon in the village sept, the swineherd with his pigs, the girl pulling up onions from her garden, nor any of the other simple folk that the Maid of Tarth found amongst the daub-and-wattle huts of Rosby. Still, she persisted. This is the shortest road to Duskendale, Brienne told herself. If Sansa came this way, someone must have seen her. At the castle gates she posed her question to two spearmen whose badges showed three red chevronels on ermine, the arms of House Rosby. “If she’s on the roads these days she won’t be no maid for long,” said the older man. The younger wanted to know if the girl had that auburn hair between her legs as well.
我在這兒得不到幫助。布蕾妮跨上馬背時，瞥到村子盡頭有個瘦瘦的男孩騎在一匹花斑馬上。我還沒問他話，她心想，但不等過去，那男孩就消失在圣堂背后了。她沒費力去追，多半他知道的也不比其他人多。羅斯比村幾乎只算是大路旁的一片開闊地，珊莎沒理由在此停留，于是布蕾妮重新上路，經過蘋果園和大麥地向東北方前進，很快便將村子和城堡甩在了身后。到暮谷城才見分曉，她告訴自己，假設對方確實是往這個方向走的話。
I will find no help here. As Brienne mounted up again, she glimpsed a skinny boy atop a piebald horse at the far end of the village. I have not talked with that one, she thought, but he vanished behind the sept before she could seek him out. She did not trouble to chase after him. Most like he knew no more than the others had. Rosby was scarce more than a wide place in the road; Sansa would have had no reason to linger here. Returning to the road, Brienne headed north and east past apple orchards and fields of barley, and soon left the village and its castle well behind. It was at Duskendale that she would find her quarry, she told herself. If she came this way at all.
“我會找到那女孩，護得她周全，”在君臨，布蕾妮曾答應詹姆爵士，“為了她母親大人。也為了您?！备呱械难赞o，但說起來容易，做起來難。她在城中逗留得太久，打聽到的消息卻少之又少。我早該動身……但天海茫茫，往哪里去找？珊莎·史塔克在喬佛里國王死去當晚便消失得無影無蹤，即使后來有誰見過她，或者略微知曉她的去向，也沒有說出口。至少沒跟我說。
“I will find the girl and keep her safe,” Brienne had promised Ser Jaime, back at King’s Landing. “For her lady mother’s sake. And for yours.” Noble words, but words were easy. Deeds were hard. She had lingered too long and learned too little in the city. I should have set out earlier … but to where? Sansa Stark had vanished on the night King Joffrey died, and if anyone had seen her since, or had any inkling where she might have gone, they were not talking. Not to me, at least.
布蕾妮相信那女孩已離開了都城。假如她仍在君臨，無疑會被金袍子們揪出來。她一定得逃……但逃去哪里就很難說了。假設我是個月經初潮的處女，孤獨恐懼，又處于極度危險之中，會怎么辦呢？她捫心自問。我會去哪里？對她來說，答案很簡單——回塔斯找父親。然而珊莎目睹自己的生父被斬首，母親大人也在孿河城遭遇謀害，史塔克家的根據(jù)地臨冬城已被洗劫焚毀，居民屠殺殆盡。她無家可歸，沒有了父親，沒有了母親，沒有了兄弟姐妹。她也許就在下一個鎮(zhèn)子，也許在前往亞夏的船上，一切皆有可能。
Brienne believed the girl had left the city. If she were still in King’s Landing, the gold cloaks would have turned her up. She had to have gone elsewhere … but elsewhere is a big place. If I were a maiden newly flowered, alone and afraid, in desperate danger, what would I do? she had asked herself. Where would I go? For her, the answer came easy. She would make her way back to Tarth, to her father. Sansa’s father had been beheaded whilst she watched, however. Her lady mother was dead too, murdered at the Twins, and Winterfell, the great Stark stronghold, had been sacked and burned, its people put to the sword. She has no home to run to, no father, no mother, no brothers. She might be in the next town, or on a ship to Asshai; one seemed as likely as the other.
退一步說，即使珊莎·史塔克想回家，該怎么走呢？國王大道不安全，這是小孩子都知道的常識：鐵民占據(jù)了橫亙頸澤的卡林灣，孿河城為佛雷家族的地盤，他們是殺害珊莎的哥哥和母親的元兇。假如她有錢，可以走海路，但君臨的港口仍是一片廢墟，黑水河內雜亂無章地塞滿了支離破碎的木堤和焚毀沉沒的戰(zhàn)艦。布蕾妮沿碼頭詢問，沒人記得喬佛里國王死的那天晚上有船離開。少數(shù)幾條商船泊在海灣里，用小舟卸貨，有個人告訴她，更多船只沿著海岸繼續(xù)前進，去往暮谷城，那里的港口從來沒有這么繁忙過。
Even if Sansa Stark had wanted to go home, how would she get there? The kingsroad was not safe; even a child would know that. The ironborn held Moat Cailin athwart the Neck, and at the Twins sat the Freys, who had murdered Sansa’s brother and lady mother. The girl could go by sea if she had the coin, but the harbor at King’s Landing was still in ruins, the river a jumble of broken quays and burned and sunken galleys. Brienne had asked along the docks, but no one could remember a ship leaving on the night King Joffrey died. A few trading ships were anchoring in the bay and off-loading by boat, one man told her, but more were continuing up the coast to Duskendale, where the port was busier than ever.
和詹姆說的不同，布蕾妮的母馬外表其實不賴，并且它的確能保持相當快的步伐。旅人比她預想的多。乞丐幫的人們緩步而行，脖子上用繩索吊著碗。一個年輕修士飛馳而過，他的坐騎可以跟貴族領主的媲美。稍后，她遇到一群靜默姐妹，布蕾妮開口詢問，但她們全都搖頭不知。一隊牛車隆隆南行，滿載著谷物和袋袋羊毛，后來她又經過一個趕豬群的豬倌，還有一個坐馬車的老婦人，由一隊騎馬的衛(wèi)兵護衛(wèi)。她也向他們提問，是否看到一個十三歲的貴族處女，藍眼睛，棗紅色頭發(fā)。沒人看見。她又問了前方的路況?！皬倪@到暮谷城還算安全，”有人告訴她，“但過了暮谷城，林子里就是土匪和殘人的天下了?！?/p>
Brienne’s mare was sweet to look upon and kept a pretty pace. There were more travelers than she would have thought. Begging brothers trundled by with their bowls dangling on thongs about their necks. A young septon galloped past upon a palfrey as fine as any lord’s, and later she met a band of silent sisters who shook their heads when Brienne put her question to them. A train of oxcarts lumbered south with grain and sacks of wool, and later she passed a swineherd driving pigs, and an old woman in a horse litter with an escort of mounted guards. She asked all of them if they had seen a highborn girl of three-and-ten years with blue eyes and auburn hair. None had. She asked about the road ahead as well. “ ’Twixt here and Duskendale is safe enough,” one man told her, “but past Duskendale there’s outlaws, and broken men in the woods.”
郊外的士卒松和哨兵樹仍有綠意，闊葉樹則已披上褐色與金色的斗篷，甚或脫去了長袍，裸露的褐色枝干像爪子一樣伸向天空。每當有風吹過，壓滿車轍的路面上便激蕩起無數(shù)盤旋的枯葉?？萑~沙沙地從馬蹄底下掠過，這匹大母馬是詹姆·蘭尼斯特贈予她的。在維斯特洛大地上尋找一個失蹤的女孩，猶如在秋風中尋找一片落葉。她不由得懷疑，詹姆給她的任務是不是一個殘酷的玩笑。也許珊莎已因與喬佛里國王之死有染而被悄悄處死，埋在某個無名墓地，然后再派塔斯的大塊頭蠢女人去找她，還有什么更好的方法來掩蓋謀殺呢？
Only the soldier pines and sentinels still showed green; the broadleaf trees had donned mantles of russet and gold, or else uncloaked themselves to scratch against the sky with branches brown and bare. Every gust of wind drove swirling clouds of dead leaves across the rutted road. They made a rustling sound as they scuttled past the hooves of the big bay mare that Jaime Lannister had bestowed on her. As easy to find one leaf in the wind as one girl lost in Westeros. She found herself wondering whether Jaime had given her this task as some cruel jape. Perhaps Sansa Stark was dead, beheaded for her part in King Joffrey’s death, buried in some unmarked grave. How better to conceal her murder than by sending some big stupid wench from Tarth to find her?
不會的，詹姆不會這么做。他是個真誠的男人。他給了我這把寶劍，并將其命名為“守誓劍”。無論如何，這不是決定性因素。關鍵是她向凱特琳夫人發(fā)過誓，要把她的女兒們帶回來，沒什么比對死者的誓言更莊嚴的了。據(jù)詹姆說，那個妹妹老早就死了，蘭尼斯特家送去北方跟盧斯·波頓的私生子結婚的艾莉亞是冒牌貨。這樣就只剩下珊莎。布蕾妮必須找到她。
Jaime would not do that. He was sincere. He gave me the sword, and called it Oathkeeper. Anyway, it made no matter. She had promised Lady Catelyn that she would bring back her daughters, and no promise was as solemn as one sworn to the dead. The younger girl was long dead, Jaime claimed; the Arya the Lannisters sent north to marry Roose Bolton’s bastard was a fraud. That left only Sansa. Brienne had to find her.
黃昏時分，她看到一條小溪邊上燃著篝火。兩個人坐在火堆邊烤鮭魚，他們的武器防具堆在一棵樹下。其中一個是老人，另一個沒那么老，但也不算年輕。相對年輕的那個站起來跟她打招呼。他穿一件斑斑點點的鹿皮上衣，系帶緊緊繃在大肚子上，亂蓬蓬未加修整的胡子覆蓋了臉頰和下巴，顏色猶如陳舊的黃金?！拔覀兊孽q魚足夠三個人吃，爵士。”他大喊。
Near dusk she saw a campfire burning by a brook. Two men sat beside it grilling trout, their arms and armor stacked beneath a tree. One was old and one was somewhat younger, though far from young. The younger rose to greet her. He had a big belly straining at the laces of his spotted doeskin jerkin. A shaggy untrimmed beard covered his cheeks and chin, the color of old gold. “We have trout enough for three, ser,” he called out.
這不是布蕾妮頭一次被錯認為男人。她摘下全盔，讓頭發(fā)墜落下來。她的頭發(fā)是黃色，像骯臟的稻草，而且同樣脆弱干枯。長而稀疏的發(fā)絲在她肩頭飄蕩。“感謝你，爵士。”
It was not the first time Brienne had been mistaken for a man. She pulled off her greathelm, letting her hair spill free. It was yellow, the color of dirty straw, and near as brittle. Long and thin, it blew about her shoulders. “I thank you, ser.”
那雇傭騎士瞇起眼睛仔仔細細地打量她，布蕾妮意識到對方一定是近視眼?！耙晃恍〗?，對嗎？全副武裝的小姐？諸神慈悲，伊利，看看她的個頭?！?/p>
The hedge knight squinted at her so earnestly that she realized he must be nearsighted. “A lady, is it? Armed and armored? Illy, gods be good, the size of her.”
“我也以為她是個騎士?！蹦觊L的騎士一邊說，一邊翻轉鮭魚。
“I took her for a knight as well,” the older knight said, turning the trout.
若布蕾妮是男人，也稱得上大個子；作為女子，她就是個巨人?！肮痔ァ笔撬簧新牭米疃嗟脑~。她肩膀寬，臀部更寬，腿長臂粗，胸肌比乳房發(fā)達，手掌腳掌也大得不像話。除此之外，她還很丑，長了一張布滿雀斑的馬臉，牙齒在嘴里顯得太大。這些，她都無須別人提醒?！熬羰肯壬鷤?，”她說，“你們在路上有沒有看見一個十三歲處女？她有藍眼睛和棗紅色頭發(fā)，她或許跟一位身材肥胖、四十多歲的紅臉男子在一起。”
Had Brienne been a man, she would have been called big; for a woman, she was huge. Freakish was the word she had heard all her life. She was broad in the shoulder and broader in the hips. Her legs were long, her arms thick. Her chest was more muscle than bosom. Her hands were big, her feet enormous. And she was ugly besides, with a freckled, horsey face and teeth that seemed almost too big for her mouth. She did not need to be reminded of any of that. “Sers,” she said, “have you seen a maid of three-and-ten upon the road? She has blue eyes and auburn hair, and may have been in company with a portly red-faced man of forty years.”
近視眼的雇傭騎士撓撓頭?！拔也挥浀糜羞@樣的處女。此外，什么樣的顏色算是棗紅？”
The nearsighted hedge knight scratched his head. “I recall no such maid. What sort of hair is auburn?”
“紅棕色吧，”老人道，“不，我們沒看到她。”
“Browny red,” said the older man. “No, we saw her not.”
“我們沒看到她，小姐，”較年輕的人確認，“來吧，下馬來，魚快好了。你餓不餓？”
“We saw her not, m’lady,” the younger told her. “Come, dismount, the fish is almost done. Are you hungry?”
她確實肚餓，但不敢放松警惕。雇傭騎士名聲不佳。人們常說：“雇傭騎士和強盜騎士乃是同一把劍的兩面。”這兩個人看起來不太危險?！皩Σ黄?，該怎么稱呼，爵士先生們？”
She was, as it happened, but she was wary as well. Hedge knights had an unsavory reputation. “A hedge knight and a robber knight are two sides of the same sword,” it was said. These two do not look too dangerous. “Might I know your names, sers?”
“我是有幸被歌手們傳唱的克雷頓·朗勃爵士，”大肚子道，“也許你曉得我在黑水河上的事跡。我的伙伴是‘窮鬼’伊利佛爵士?！?/p>
“I have the honor to be Ser Creighton Longbough, of whom the singers sing,” said the big-bellied one. “You will have heard of my deeds on the Blackwater, mayhaps. My companion is Ser Illifer the Penniless.”
即使真有關于克雷頓·朗勃的歌謠，布蕾妮也沒聽過。對她來說，他們的名字跟他們的紋章一樣陌生?？死最D爵士的綠盾頂部有一道棕色橫幅，上面還有戰(zhàn)斧劈出的深深裂痕；伊利佛爵士的盾牌上則畫著黃金與白貂，然而看他的樣子，估計不曾擁有過真正的金子或者貂皮。他少說有六十歲，臉又瘦又窄，頭戴兜帽，連著一件打補丁的粗布斗篷，身穿的鎖甲上斑斑點點的銹跡就像雀斑。布蕾妮比他倆都高一頭，坐騎與裝備也比他們精良。要我怕這樣的人，除非長劍換成縫衣針。
If there was a song about Creighton Longbough, it was not one Brienne had heard. Their names meant no more to her than did their arms. Ser Creighton’s green shield showed only a brown chief, and a deep gouge made by some battle-axe. Ser Illifer bore gold and ermine gyronny, though everything about him suggested that painted gold and painted ermine were the only sorts he’d ever known. He was sixty if he was a day, his face pinched and narrow beneath the hood of a patched roughspun mantle. Mail-clad he went, but flecks of rust spotted the iron like freckles. Brienne stood a head taller than either of them, and was better mounted and better armed in the bargain. If I fear the likes of these, I had as well swap my longsword for a pair of knitting needles.
“非常感謝你們，尊敬的爵士，”她說，“我很樂意分享鮭魚?！辈祭倌菟ν认埋R。她先將鞍配從母馬背上卸下，然后喂它喝水，再拴好繩索放它吃草。她把武器、盾牌和鞍囊堆在一棵榆樹下。此刻，鮭魚已烤得松松脆脆。克雷頓爵士遞給她一條魚，她盤腿坐在地上大啖。
“I thank you, good sers,” she said. “I will gladly share your trout.” Swinging down, Brienne unsaddled her mare and watered her before hobbling her to graze. She stacked her arms and shield and saddlebags beneath an elm. By then the trout was crisply done. Ser Creighton brought her a fish, and she sat cross-legged on the ground to eat it.
“我們去暮谷城，小姐，”朗勃一邊說，一邊用手指撕開自己的鮭魚，“你跟我們同行比較好。路上很危險。”
“We are bound for Duskendale, m’lady,” Longbough told her, as he pulled apart his own trout with his fingers. “You would do well to ride with us. The roads are perilous.”
關于路上有多危險，布蕾妮可以告訴他更多詳情，而且他聽了決不會喜歡?！爸x謝你們的好意，爵士先生，但我不需要你們的保護?！?/p>
Brienne could have told him more about the perils of the roads than he might have cared to know. “I thank you, ser, but I have no need of your protection.”
“我堅持意見。真正的騎士會保護柔弱的女生。”
“I insist. A true knight must defend the gentler sex.”
她摸摸劍帶?！斑@個可以保護我，爵士。”
She touched her sword hilt. “This will defend me, ser.”
“劍的作用取決于揮它的人?！?/p>
“A sword is only as good as the man who wields it.”
“我的劍術相當不錯?！?/p>
“I wield it well enough.”
“你想怎么說就怎么說吧——跟女士爭執(zhí)是很無禮的。我們會把你安全地送到暮谷城，三人同行比獨自一人更安全?！?/p>
“As you will. It would not be courteous to argue with a lady. We will see you safe to Duskendale. Three together may ride more safely than one alone.”
我們從奔流城出發(fā)時也是三人，然而詹姆失去一只手，克里奧·佛雷丟了性命?！澳銈兊淖T跟不上我?！笨死最D爵士的棕色騸馬衰老羸弱，眼神迷離；伊利佛爵士的馬則看上去骨瘦如柴，一副沒吃飽的模樣。
We were three when we set out from Riverrun, yet Jaime lost his hand and Cleos Frey his life. “Your mounts could not keep up with mine.” Ser Creighton’s brown gelding was an old swaybacked creature with rheumy eyes, and Ser Illifer’s horse looked weedy and half-starved.
“在黑水河，我的戰(zhàn)馬表現(xiàn)得相當出色，”克雷頓爵士堅持，“我在那兒大開殺戒，還賺了十幾個人的贖金。赫伯特·波林爵士你熟不熟，小姐？你再也見不到他了，因為我把他當場擊斃。記住，當?shù)秳ο嘟恢畷r，克雷頓·朗勃爵士決不會躲在后方?！?/p>
“My steed served me well enough on the Blackwater,” Ser Creighton insisted. “Why, I did great carnage there and won a dozen ransoms. Was m’lady familiar with Ser Herbert Bolling? You shall never meet him now. I slew him where he stood. When swords clash, you shall ne’er find Ser Creighton Longbough to the rear.”
他的同伴咯咯干笑?！翱死?，算了吧。她這種人不需要我們作伴?！?/p>
His companion gave a dry chuckle. “Creigh, leave off. The likes o’ her has no need for the likes o’ us.”
“我這種人？”布蕾妮不大確定他是什么意思。
“The likes of me?” Brienne was uncertain what he meant.
伊利佛爵士彎起一根瘦骨嶙岣的手指頭，指了指她的盾牌。盡管盾牌的涂料碎裂剝落，圖案還是很清楚：金銀對角斜分的底面上一只大黑蝙蝠?！澳隳弥f謊者的盾牌，它不屬于你。我祖父的祖父幫忙擊殺了最后一個羅斯坦家的人，此后沒人再敢亮出那只蝙蝠，因為他們家族所干的事跟那蝙蝠一般漆黑?！?/p>
Ser Illifer crooked a bony finger at her shield. Though its paint was cracked and peeling, the device it bore showed plain: a black bat on a field divided bendwise, silver and gold. “You bear a liar’s shield, to which you have no right. My grandfather’s grandfather helped kill the last o’ Lothston. None since has dared to show that bat, black as the deeds of them that bore it.”
這面盾牌是詹姆爵士從赫倫堡的軍械庫挖出來的。布蕾妮在馬廄里發(fā)現(xiàn)它跟那匹母馬在一起，外加許多裝備；馬鞍，轡頭，鎖甲，帶護面的全盔，兩袋金銀幣，還有一張比金銀更珍貴的羊皮紙?！拔襾G失了自己的盾?！彼忉尅?/p>
The shield was the one Ser Jaime had taken from the armory at Harrenhal. Brienne had found it in the stables with her mare, along with much else; saddle and bridle, chain mail hauberk and visored greathelm, purses of gold and silver and a parchment more valuable than either. “I lost mine own shield,” she explained.
“真正的騎士就是女士的護盾?！笨死最D爵士頑固地說。
“A true knight is the only shield a maiden needs,” declared Ser Creighton stoutly.
伊利佛爵士渾不理會。“赤腳的人找靴子，受凍的人尋斗篷，但誰會甘愿讓自己蒙羞？‘皮條客’盧卡斯伯爵的徽紋是這只蝙蝠，還有他兒子‘黑帽’曼佛利。我不由得捫心自問，為什么你要佩戴它？除非你的罪行更加丑惡……只怕就是新近的事?！彼纬鲐笆?，那是一柄難看的廉價鐵家伙。“一個高大強壯的怪女人，又掩藏自己的真實身份?？死祝坪昧?，此乃割開藍禮殿下喉嚨的‘塔斯之女’。”
Ser Illifer paid him no mind. “A barefoot man looks for a boot, a chilly man a cloak. But who would cloak themselves in shame? Lord Lucas bore that bat, the Pander, and Manfryd o’ the Black Hood, his son. Why wear such arms, I ask myself, unless your own sin is fouler still … and fresher.” He unsheathed his dagger, an ugly piece of cheap iron. “A woman freakish big and freakish strong who hides her own true colors. Creigh, behold the Maid o’ Tarth, who opened Renly’s royal throat for him.”
“那是謊言！”藍禮·拜拉席恩對她來說不只是國王。當這位悠閑從容的公爵為履行成年儀式，第一次來到塔斯時，她就愛上了他。她父親舉辦歡迎宴會，并命令她參加，要不然她會像受傷的動物一樣躲在房里。當時她跟珊莎差不多年紀，害怕竊笑更甚于刀劍。他們會知道玫瑰的事，她告訴塞爾溫大人，他們會嘲笑我。但“暮之星”不肯讓步。
“That is a lie.” Renly Baratheon had been more than a king to her. She had loved him since first he came to Tarth on his leisurely lord’s progress, to mark his coming of age. Her father welcomed him with a feast and commanded her to attend; elsewise she would have hidden in her room like some wounded beast. She had been no older than Sansa, more afraid of sniggers than of swords. They will know about the rose, she told Lord Selwyn, they will laugh at me. But the Evenstar would not relent.
藍禮·拜拉席恩對她彬彬有禮，當她是個正常的美麗處女，他甚至與她共舞，在他臂彎中，她感覺優(yōu)雅高貴，雙腳踏出流暢的舞步。由于公爵的榜樣，其他人也紛紛前來邀請她。自那天起，她便只想待在藍禮大人身邊，為他效力，保護他的安全。但到頭來，她仍然辜負了他。藍禮死在我懷中，但他不是我殺的，她心想，這些雇傭騎士永遠不會明白?！拔以笧樗{禮國王獻出生命，愉快赴死，”她說，“我沒有傷害他。我憑自己的寶劍起誓。”
And Renly Baratheon had shown her every courtesy, as if she were a proper maid, and pretty. He even danced with her, and in his arms she’d felt graceful, and her feet had floated across the floor. Later others begged a dance of her, because of his example. From that day forth, she wanted only to be close to Lord Renly, to serve him and protect him. But in the end she failed him. Renly died in my arms, but I did not kill him, she thought, but these hedge knights would never understand. “I would have given my life for King Renly, and died happy,” she said. “I did no harm to him. I swear it by my sword.”
“騎士才憑寶劍起誓?！笨死最D爵士說。
“A knight swears by his sword,” Ser Creighton said.
“以七神的名義起誓?！薄案F鬼”伊利佛爵士催促。
“Swear it by the Seven,” urged Ser Illifer the Penniless.
“那好，我以七神的名義起誓，并未傷害藍禮國王。以圣母之名，倘若我口吐謊言，便永遠無法獲得她的仁慈；以天父之名，請求他給予我公正的裁判；以處女與老嫗之名，以鐵匠與戰(zhàn)士之名，也以陌客之名——倘若我所言有假，愿即刻被他掠走?！?/p>
“By the Seven, then. I did no harm to King Renly. I swear it by the Mother. May I never know her mercy if I lie. I swear it by the Father, and ask that he might judge me justly. I swear it by the Maiden and Crone, by the Smith and the Warrior. And I swear it by the Stranger, may he take me now if I am false.”
“就一個女孩來說，她發(fā)起誓來倒有模有樣的?！笨死最D爵士承認。
“She swears well, for a maid,” Ser Creighton allowed.
“對?！薄案F鬼”伊利佛爵士聳聳肩?！班牛偃缢鲋e，諸神自會處理。”他將匕首收回去?！暗谝簧跉w你?！?/p>
“Aye.” Ser Illifer the Penniless gave a shrug. “Well, if she’s lied, the gods will sort her out.” He slipped his dagger back away. “The first watch is yours.”
雇傭騎士們睡覺時，布蕾妮不安地繞著小營地轉圈，聽著火堆的噼啪聲。我應該盡快趕路。這兩個人她不熟悉，然而在他們毫無防備的情況下，她無法撇下他們不管。因為在漆黑的夜晚，路上也有騎馬的人，樹林里也有各種動靜，或許是貓頭鷹，或許是游蕩的狐貍，或許都不是。因此，布蕾妮來回踱步，保持長劍能隨時出鞘。
As the hedge knights slept, Brienne paced restlessly around the little camp, listening to the crackle of the fire. I should ride on whilst I can. She did not know these men, yet she could not bring herself to leave them undefended. Even in the black of night, there were riders on the road, and noises in the woods that might or might not have been owls and prowling foxes. So Brienne paced, and kept her blade loose in its scabbard.
總的來說，守夜還算容易，等伊利佛爵士醒過來替換她之后，才是最困難的。布蕾妮將毯子鋪在地上，蜷起身子，閉上眼睛。盡管已疲倦到骨子里，她仍告訴自己，我不能睡。有男人的地方，她從來不能安心睡覺。即使在藍禮公爵的營地，也總有被強暴的危險。這是她在高庭城下學到的教訓，和詹姆一起落入“勇士團”手中時又學了一次。
Her watch was easy, all in all. It was after that was hard, when Ser Illifer woke and said he would relieve her. Brienne spread a blanket on the ground, and curled up to close her eyes. I will not sleep, she told herself, bone weary though she was. She had never slept easily in the presence of men. Even in Lord Renly’s camps, the risk of rape was always there. It was a lesson she had learned beneath the walls of Highgarden, and again when she and Jaime had fallen into the hands of the Brave Companions.
泥地的寒氣透過毯子滲入布蕾妮的骨頭。沒過多久，上至下巴，下至腳趾，每塊肌肉都繃得緊緊的。她心想，不知珊莎·史塔克身在何處，是否也感覺到冷。凱特琳夫人說過，珊莎是個小淑女，隨時隨地都有禮貌，喜愛檸檬蛋糕、絲綢長裙和歌頌騎士精神的歌謠，然而這女孩目睹父親的頭顱被砍下，之后又被迫嫁給兇手之一。假如傳說有一半屬實，這個侏儒就是蘭尼斯特家族中最最殘酷的人。如果她真的向喬佛里國王下毒，一定受到小惡魔的脅迫。畢竟她在宮中孤身一人，無依無靠。在君臨城，她追查到一個名叫貝蕾娜的女子，珊莎的侍女之一。那女人告訴她，珊莎跟侏儒之間毫無感情可言?；蛟S她逃跑既是因為喬佛里的謀殺案，也是為了逃離他。
The cold in the earth seeped through Brienne’s blankets to soak into her bones. Before long every muscle felt clenched and cramped, from her jaw down to her toes. She wondered whether Sansa Stark was cold as well, wherever she might be. Lady Catelyn had said that Sansa was a gentle soul who loved lemon cakes, silken gowns, and songs of chivalry, yet the girl had seen her father’s head lopped off and been forced to marry one of his killers afterward. If half the tales were true, the dwarf was the cruelest Lannister of all. If she did poison King Joffrey, the Imp surely forced her hand. She was alone and friendless at that court. In King’s Landing, Brienne had hunted down a certain Brella, who had been one of Sansa’s maids. The woman told her that there was little warmth between Sansa and the dwarf. Perhaps she had been fleeing him as well as Joffrey’s murder.
黎明將布蕾妮喚醒，她做過夢，但夢境都不記得了。她的腿被冰冷的地面凍得像木頭一樣僵硬，但人沒受騷擾，物品也沒被動過。雇傭騎士們已經起床，伊利佛爵士在宰殺一只松鼠當早餐，克雷頓爵士則面朝大樹撒一泡長尿。雇傭騎士，她心想，盡管一個年邁而自負，一個肥胖又近視，但他們是好人。發(fā)現(xiàn)世上仍有好人，讓她感到欣慰。
Whatever dreams Brienne dreamed were gone when dawn awoke her. Her legs were stiff as wood from the cold ground, but no one had molested her, and her goods remained untouched. The hedge knights were up and about. Ser Illifer was cutting up a squirrel for breakfast, while Ser Creighton stood facing a tree, having himself a good long piss. Hedge knights, she thought, old and vain and plump and nearsighted, yet decent men for all that. It cheered her to know that there were still decent men in the world.
他們早餐吃烤松鼠、橡果面餅和腌菜，與此同時，克雷頓爵士喋喋不休地向她介紹自己在黑水河的英勇事跡，他殺死了十來個布蕾妮從沒聽說過的可怕騎士?！芭叮鞘菆龊币姷拇髴?zhàn)，小姐，”他說，“一場罕見而血腥的廝殺?！彼姓J伊利佛爵士也在此役中英勇奮戰(zhàn)。伊利佛本人什么也沒說。
They broke their fast on roast squirrel, acorn paste, and pickles, whilst Ser Creighton regaled her with his exploits on the Blackwater, where he had slain a dozen fearsome knights that she had never heard of. “Oh, it was a rare fight, m’lady,” he said, “a rare and bloody fray.” He allowed that Ser Illifer had fought nobly in the battle as well. Illifer himself said little.
繼續(xù)上路時，兩個騎士分別走在她兩側，就像衛(wèi)士保護貴婦人……只是這位貴婦人的個頭比兩個衛(wèi)士更高，武器與盔甲也比他們的好?！澳銈兪匾箷r有人經過嗎？”布蕾妮問。
When time came to resume their journey, the knights fell in on either side of her, like guards protecting some great lady … though this lady dwarfed both of her protectors and was better armed and armored in the nonce. “Did anyone pass by during your watches?” Brienne asked them.
“比方說十三歲、棗紅色頭發(fā)的處女？”“窮鬼”伊利佛道，“不，小姐。沒有?！?/p>
“Such as a maid of three-and-ten, with auburn hair?” said Ser Illifer the Penniless. “No, my lady. No one.”
“我守夜時有一些，”克雷頓插話，“有個農家小子騎匹花斑馬經過，一小時后，又有六七個步行的男子，拿著棍棒和鐮刀。他們看到了我們的火堆，停下來盯著我們的馬打量許久，我稍稍亮了亮鐵家伙，叫他們繼續(xù)趕路。看樣子是群野漢子，亡命徒，但沒有野到小看我克雷頓·朗勃爵士的地步?！?/p>
“I had a few,” Ser Creighton put in. “Some farm boy on a piebald horse went by, and an hour later half a dozen men afoot with staves and scythes. They caught sight of our fire, and stopped for a long look at our horses, but I showed them a glimpse of my steel and told them to be along their way. Rough fellows, by the look o’ them, and desperate too, but ne’er so desperate as to trifle with Ser Creighton Longbough.”
是啊，布蕾妮心想，沒到那種地步。她側過頭，以遮掩微笑。幸虧克雷頓爵士太專注于敘述他與紅雞騎士之間史詩般的戰(zhàn)斗，因而沒留意到她的笑容。路上有人結伴同行感覺很好，即使是這樣兩個家伙。
No, Brienne thought, not so desperate as that. She turned away to hide her smile. Thankfully, Ser Creighton was too intent on the tale of his epic battle with the Knight of the Red Chicken to make note of the maiden’s mirth. It felt good to have companions on the road, even such companions as these two.
正午時分，布蕾妮聽見光禿禿的棕色樹叢中飄來唱誦?！笆裁绰曇?？”克雷頓爵士問。
It was midday when Brienne heard chanting drifting through the bare brown trees. “What is that sound?” Ser Creighton asked.
“人，有人在高聲祈禱?！辈祭倌菔煜み@些頌詞。他們祈求戰(zhàn)士保護，懇請老嫗照亮前路。
“Voices, raised in prayer.” Brienne knew the chant. They are beseeching the Warrior for protection, asking the Crone to light their way.
“窮鬼”伊利佛爵士亮出他那把傷痕累累的劍，勒馬等待?！八麄兛拷??！?/p>
Ser Illifer the Penniless bared his battered blade and reined in his horse to wait their coming. “They are close now.”
虔誠的唱誦聲逐漸充斥樹林，如同悶雷。突然間，聲音的源頭出現(xiàn)在道路前方。一群骯臟邋遢的乞丐幫兄弟當先領頭，他們留大胡子，穿粗布長袍，有的赤腳，有的趿便鞋。后面走著大約六十個衣衫襤褸的男人、女人和小孩，還有一頭花斑大母豬，幾只綿羊。有幾個男人拿著斧子，更多的拿粗糙的木頭棍棒。他們中間有一輛用灰色碎木頭做的雙輪拖車，上面高高地堆滿骷髏頭和零零星星的斷骨?？吹焦蛡蝌T士，乞丐幫兄弟們停下來，唱誦聲漸漸平息?！白鹁吹尿T士，”其中一個乞丐說，“愿圣母愛憐你們?！?/p>
The chanting filled the woods like pious thunder. And suddenly the source of the sound appeared in the road ahead. A group of begging brothers led the way, scruffy bearded men in roughspun robes, some barefoot and some in sandals. Behind them marched threescore ragged men, women, and children, a spotted sow, and several sheep. Several of the men had axes, and more had crude wooden clubs and cudgels. In their midst there rolled a two-wheeled wayn of grey and splintered wood, piled high with skulls and broken bits of bone. When they saw the hedge knights, the begging brothers halted, and the chanting died away. “Good knights,” one said, “the Mother loves you.”
