Ⅳ 群鴉的盛宴 Chapter5 山姆威爾

SAMWELL

山姆讀著關(guān)于異鬼的書，抬眼看到了那只老鼠。

Sam was reading about the Others when he saw the mouse.

他的眼睛又紅又腫。我不該揉得那么頻繁，他總是一邊揉一邊告訴自己?；覊m弄得眼睛癢癢的，直想流淚，這地下到處都是灰塵。每次翻動書頁，一小簇塵埃就會飄散到空中，而每當他移開一堆書，想看看下面藏著什么時，總會弄出一團灰云。

His eyes were red and raw. I ought not rub them so much, he always told himself as he rubbed them. The dust made them itch and water, and the dust was everywhere down here. Little puffs of it filled the air every time a page was turned, and it rose in grey clouds whenever he shifted a stack of books to see what might be hiding on the bottom.

山姆不知道自己有多久沒睡了，起初，他發(fā)現(xiàn)一捆破破爛爛的散頁，便解開細繩，點燃蠟燭閱讀，結(jié)果一發(fā)不可收拾，到如今那支很粗壯的牛油蠟燭只剩下不到一寸。他累極了，卻無法停止。再看一本我就停下，他告訴自己，再看一頁，一頁而已。再看一頁我就上去休息，吃點東西。但一頁過后總有另一頁，另一頁過后又有新的一頁，而書堆底下還有另一本書在等著。我只瞧一眼，看看這本書講什么，他心想，然而等回過神來，已經(jīng)讀了一半。自打跟派普和葛蘭一起喝過培根豌豆湯之后，他就沒吃東西。噢，不，吃了面包與奶酪，但只有一點點，他邊想邊略略瞥了瞥空盤子，發(fā)現(xiàn)那只老鼠正在享用面包屑。

Sam did not know how long it had been since last he’d slept, but scarce an inch remained of the fat tallow candle he’d lit when starting on the ragged bundle of loose pages that he’d found tied up in twine. He was beastly tired, but it was hard to stop. One more book, he had told himself, then I’ll stop. One more folio, just one more. One more page, then I’ll go up and rest and get a bite to eat. But there was always another page after that one, and another after that, and another book waiting underneath the pile. I’ll just take a quick peek to see what this one is about, he’d think, and before he knew he would be halfway through it. He had not eaten since that bowl of bean-and-bacon soup with Pyp and Grenn. Well, except for the bread and cheese, but that was only a nibble, he thought. That was when he took a quick glance at the empty platter, and spied the mouse feasting on the bread crumbs.

老鼠有他粉紅色的手指頭一半那么長，黑眼睛，軟灰毛。山姆知道自己應(yīng)該殺死它。老鼠偏愛面包奶酪，但它們也啃嚼紙張。他曾在架子和書堆里發(fā)現(xiàn)大量老鼠屎，許多皮革封面呈現(xiàn)出咬嚙的痕跡。

The mouse was half as long as his pinky finger, with black eyes and soft grey fur. Sam knew he ought to kill it. Mice might prefer bread and cheese, but they ate paper too. He had found plenty of mouse droppings amongst the shelves and stacks, and some of the leather covers on the books showed signs of being gnawed.

但它不過是一個饑餓的小東西，他怎能吝嗇一點點面包屑呢？然而，它會吃書本……

It is such a little thing, though. And hungry. How could he begrudge it a few crumbs? It’s eating books, though …

坐椅子坐得太久，山姆的背僵硬如木板，腿則像睡著了一般。他知道自己動作不夠快，逮不住老鼠，但也許可以砸死它。他肘邊躺著一本皮革封面的巨型抄本，《黑色人馬年鑒》，這本書中喬昆修士詳盡敘述了奧勃特·卡斯威擔任守夜人軍團總司令的九年生活，每一頁都對應(yīng)著他任期的一天，基本上都如此開頭，“奧勃特大人清晨起床如廁”——除了最后一頁，那一頁寫道，“奧勃特大人被發(fā)現(xiàn)于夜間亡故?！?/p>

After hours in the chair Sam’s back was stiff as a board, and his legs were half-asleep. He knew he was not quick enough to catch the mouse, but it might be he could squash it. By his elbow rested a massive leather-bound copy of Annals of the Black Centaur, Septon Jorquen’s exhaustively detailed account of the nine years that Orbert Caswell had served as Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. There was a page for each day of his term, every one of which seemed to begin, “Lord Orbert rose at dawn and moved his bowels,” except for the last, which said, “Lord Orbert was found to have died during the night.”

不能讓老鼠毀了喬昆修士的辛苦成果。山姆的左手極其緩慢地伸向那本書。書又厚又重，他試圖單手舉起來，結(jié)果卻從他肥胖的指間滑落，“砰”的一聲砸下。老鼠轉(zhuǎn)瞬間便逃竄得不見蹤影。山姆松了口氣。砸死這可憐的小東西會讓他做噩夢的?！暗悴辉摮詴??！彼舐曊f。也許下次下來時，他該多帶些奶酪。

No mouse is a match for Septon Jorquen. Very slowly, Sam took hold of the book with his left hand. It was thick and heavy, and when he tried to lift it one-handed, it slipped from his plump fingers and thumped back down. The mouse was gone in half a heartbeat, skittery-quick. Sam was relieved. Squishing the poor little thing would have given him nightmares. “You shouldn’t eat the books, though,” he said aloud. Maybe he should bring more cheese the next time he came down here.

他很驚訝蠟燭已快燒完了，不曉得喝培根豌豆湯是今天還是昨天的事？昨天。一定是昨天。意識到這點，他打了個哈欠。瓊恩不會明白他的心情，但伊蒙師傅會幫他解釋。學士失明之前，跟山姆威爾·塔利一樣酷愛讀書。他能明白，當你深陷入書本中時，仿佛每一頁都是通往其他世界的通道。

He was surprised at how low the candle had burned. Had the bean-and-bacon soup been today or yesterday? Yesterday. It must have been yesterday. The realization made him yawn. Jon would be wondering what had become of him, though Maester Aemon would no doubt understand. Before he had lost his sight, the maester had loved books as much as Samwell Tarly did. He understood the way that you could sometimes fall right into them, as if each page was a hole into another world.

山姆艱難地站起來，露出痛苦的表情，小腿麻麻的，猶如針刺一般。他坐的椅子十分堅硬，當他彎腰去取書時，會壓得腿部不舒服。我得記著帶墊子。假如能睡在底下就更好了。他在四只裝滿零散書頁（全部來自已經(jīng)失傳的著作）的箱子后面發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個半隱藏的地窖，這是個理想地點，但他不能撇下伊蒙師傅太久。學士最近身體不好，需要照料，此外還有烏鴉呢。伊蒙身邊固然有克萊達斯，但山姆更年輕，鳥兒也更喜歡他。

Pushing himself to his feet, Sam grimaced at the pins and needles in his calves. The chair was very hard and cut into the back of his thighs when he bent over a book. I need to remember to bring a cushion. It would be even better if he could sleep down here, in the cell he’d found half-hidden behind four chests full of loose pages that had gotten separated from the books they belonged to, but he did not want to leave Maester Aemon alone for so long. He had not been strong of late and required help, especially with the ravens. Aemon had Clydas, to be sure, but Sam was younger, and better with the birds.

于是山姆左腋下夾著一堆書籍和卷軸，右手拿著蠟燭，穿過被弟兄們稱為“蟲道”的隧道，返回黑城堡。一束淡淡的光線照亮了通向地表的陡峭石階，因而他知道上面已是白晝。他將蠟燭留在墻上的凹洞里，然后攀登。走到第五步，他喘起粗氣；到了第十步，他停下來把書換到右腋下。

With a stack of books and scrolls under his left arm and the candle in his right hand, Sam made his way through the tunnels the brothers called the wormways. A pale shaft of light illuminated the steep stone steps that led up to the surface, so he knew that day had come up top. He left the candle burning in a wall niche and began the climb. By the fifth step he was puffing. At the tenth he stopped to shift the books to his right arm.

天空是鉛白的顏色?？礃幼右卵侥诽ь^斜睨，心里想。這讓他感到不安。他記得先民拳峰上那個夜晚，記得伴隨漫天大雪而來的尸鬼軍團。不要隨時隨地都像個膽小鬼，他責怪自己，現(xiàn)在你周圍有那么多誓言效命的兄弟，更不用說史坦尼斯·拜拉席恩和他的騎士們了。黑城堡的堡壘和塔樓在他面前聳立，但與碩大無朋的冰墻相比，顯得渺小不堪。一支小隊伍攀附于冰墻四分之一高處，正在修建一段新的之字形樓梯，并與舊梯子相連。鋸子與鐵錘的聲響在冰面上回蕩。瓊恩讓工匠們?nèi)找冠s工，山姆在晚餐時聽見有人抱怨，說莫爾蒙大人決不會如此壓榨勞力。然而要是沒有梯子，除了絞盤鐵籠，別無他法可以上長城，遇有情況會措手不及。雖然山姆威爾·塔利痛恨樓梯，但他更痛恨鐵籠子，乘坐時，他總是閉起眼睛，相信鏈子馬上就要斷掉。每當鐵籠擦刮冰面，他的心跳就會陡然停止。

He emerged beneath a sky the color of white lead. A snow sky, Sam thought, squinting up. The prospect made him uneasy. He remembered that night on the Fist of the First Men when the wights and the snows had come together. Don’t be so craven, he thought. You have your Sworn Brothers all around you, not to mention Stannis Baratheon and all his knights. Castle Black’s keeps and towers rose about him, dwarfed by the icy immensity of the Wall. A small army was crawling over the ice a quarter of the way up, where a new switchback stair was creeping upward to meet the remnants of the old one. The sounds of their saws and hammers echoed off the ice. Jon had the builders working night and day on the task. Sam had heard some of them complaining about it over supper, insisting that Lord Mormont never worked them half so hard. Without the great stair there was no way to reach the top of the Wall except by the chain winch, however. And as much as Samwell Tarly hated steps, he hated the winch cage more. He always closed his eyes when he was riding it, convinced that the chain was about to break. Every time the iron cage scraped against the ice his heart stopped beating for an instant.

兩百年前此處有龍，看著籠子緩緩下降，山姆尋思，它們“嗖”地一下就能飛上城。亞莉珊王后騎著她的龍造訪黑城堡，而她的王夫杰赫里斯稍后也騎著自己的龍趕來。銀翼有沒有留下龍蛋呢？史坦尼斯在龍石島有沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)別的蛋呢？不過，即使有蛋，又該如何孵化？受神祝福的貝勒對著他的蛋祈禱，坦格利安家族的其他人則尋求巫術(shù)的幫助，然而最終，他們只得到嘲笑和災(zāi)禍。

There were dragons here two hundred years ago, Sam found himself thinking, as he watched the cage making a slow descent. They would just have flown to the top of the Wall. Queen Alysanne had visited Castle Black on her dragon, and Jaehaerys, her king, had come after her on his own. Could Silverwing have left an egg behind? Or had Stannis found one egg on Dragonstone? Even if he has an egg, how can he hope to quicken it? Baelor the Blessed had prayed over his eggs, and other Targaryens had sought to hatch theirs with sorcery. All they got for it was farce and tragedy.

“山姆威爾，”一個陰沉的聲音說，“我是來找你的?？偹玖畲笕朔愿牢?guī)闳ヒ娝??！?/p>

“Samwell,” said a glum voice, “I was coming to fetch you. I was told to bring you to the Lord Commander.”

一朵雪花飄落在山姆鼻尖上，“瓊恩想見我？”

A snowflake landed on Sam’s nose. “Jon wants to see me?”

“這個嘛，我可說不準，”憂郁的艾迪·托勒特道，“我不想見的總是來找我，我想見的卻老找不到，愿望和事實基本無瓜葛。但你還是快去吧，雪諾大人跟卡斯特的老婆談完話就跟你談。”

“As to that, I could not say,” said Dolorous Edd Tollett. “I never wanted to see half the things I’ve seen, and I’ve never seen half the things I wanted to. I don’t think wanting comes into it. You’d best go all the same. Lord Snow wishes to speak with you as soon as he is done with Craster’s wife.”

“吉莉？”

“Gilly.”

“是她。假如我奶媽能長得像她，那我現(xiàn)在還叼奶頭呢。知道嗎，我奶媽長胡子的?！?/p>

“That’s the one. If my wet nurse had looked like her, I’d still be on the teat. Mine had whiskers.”

“說明她是頭山羊，”派普叫道，他跟葛蘭從角落里冒出來，手拿長弓，背著箭囊。“你上哪兒去了，殺手？昨天晚餐時缺了你，一整只烤公牛沒人吃?！?/p>

“Most goats do,” called Pyp, as he and Grenn emerged from around the corner, with longbows in hand and quivers of arrows on their backs. “Where have you been, Slayer? We missed you last night at supper. A whole roast ox went uneaten.”

“別叫我殺手?！鄙侥凡焕頃５耐嫘?。派普就是那樣?！拔以诳磿?。有只老鼠……”

“Don’t call me Slayer.” Sam ignored the gibe about the ox. That was just Pyp. “I was reading. There was a mouse …”

“別跟葛蘭提老鼠。他怕老鼠?！?/p>

“Don’t mention mice to Grenn. He’s terrified of mice.”

“我才不怕?！备鹛m憤慨地說。

“I am not,” Grenn declared with indignation.

“但你不敢吃老鼠?！?/p>

“You’d be too scared to eat one.”

“我能吃的老鼠比你多?！?/p>

“I’d eat more mice than you would.”

憂郁的艾迪·托勒特嘆了口氣?！拔倚r候，只有在節(jié)慶日才吃得到老鼠。我排行老幺，所以總是吃尾巴。尾巴上沒肉?！?/p>

Dolorous Edd Tollett gave a sigh. “When I was a lad, we only ate mice on special feast days. I was the youngest, so I always got the tail. There’s no meat on the tail.”

“你的長弓呢，山姆？”葛蘭問。艾里沙爵士給他取了“笨?！钡耐馓?，而他現(xiàn)在長得日益名副其實，真的像頭牛。他來到長城時雖然高大，但行動遲緩笨拙，臉紅脖子粗，腰也粗得像桶。如今雖然派普誘騙他出丑時，他的脖子仍然會紅，但長期習武使得肚腩不見了，胳膊變得強硬，胸膛變得寬闊。他極為強壯，而且跟野牛一樣毛發(fā)蓬松?！盀鯛栺R在靶場等你。”

“Where's your longbow, Sam?” asked Grenn. Ser Alliser used to call him Aurochs, and every day he seemed to grow into the name a little more. He had come to the Wall big but slow, thick of neck, thick of waist, red of face, and clumsy. Though his neck still reddened when Pyp twisted him around into some folly, hours of work with sword and shield had flattened his belly, hardened his arms, broadened his chest. He was strong, and shaggy as an aurochs too. “Ulmer was expecting you at the butts.”

“烏爾馬?！鄙侥肪狡鹊刂貜偷?。瓊恩·雪諾當上總司令后做的第一件事，就是讓所有弟兄每天操練箭術(shù)，即使事務(wù)官和廚師也不例外。他認為，從前的守夜人軍團過于強調(diào)劍術(shù)，而不注重弓箭，在每十人就有一個是騎士的時代當然有道理，但在每一百人當中才有一個騎士的目前卻顯得不合時宜了。山姆支持這道命令，但他討厭練習長弓幾乎就跟討厭爬樓梯一樣。他戴上手套便射不中任何目標，脫掉手套指頭就會起泡。弓箭是危險的東西。紗丁曾在弓弦上繃裂了半個拇指甲蓋?！拔彝恕！?/p>

“Ulmer,” Sam said, abashed. Almost the first thing Jon Snow had done as Lord Commander was institute daily archery drill for the entire garrison, even stewards and cooks. The Watch had been placing too much emphasis on the sword and too little on the bow, he had said, a relic of the days when one brother in every ten had been a knight, instead of one in every hundred. Sam saw the sense in the decree, but he hated longbow practice almost as much as he hated climbing steps. When he wore his gloves he could never hit anything, but when he took them off he got blisters on his fingers. Those bows were dangerous. Satin had torn off half his thumbnail on a bowstring. “I forgot.”

“忘了？你好傷野人公主的心啊，殺手，”派普道，最近瓦邇開始從國王塔上她自己的窗前張望他們?！八诘饶隳??！?/p>

“You broke the heart of the wildling princess, Slayer,” said Pyp. Of late, Val had taken to watching them from the window of her chamber in the King’s Tower. “She was looking for you.”

“她才沒有！別這么說！”山姆只跟瓦邇說過兩回話，那還是隨伊蒙學士去探望她，以確保孩子健康的時候。野人公主貌美如花，他在她面前總是結(jié)結(jié)巴巴，漲紅了臉。

“She was not! Don’t say that!” Sam had only spoken to Val twice, when Maester Aemon called upon her to make sure the babes were healthy. The princess was so pretty that he oft found himself stammering and blushing in her presence.

“為什么不呢？”派普反問，“她想要懷你的孩子。也許我們該叫你‘風流浪子’山姆才對?！?/p>

“Why not?” asked Pyp. “She wants to have your children. Maybe we should call you Sam the Seducer.”

山姆漲紅了臉。他知道史坦尼斯國王對瓦邇有安排——她是結(jié)合北方人與自由民，讓他們和睦相處的關(guān)鍵棋子?！拔医裉鞗]時間練習長弓，我得去見瓊恩?！?/p>

Sam reddened. King Stannis had plans for Val, he knew; she was the mortar with which he meant to seal the peace between the northmen and the free folk. “I don’t have time for archery today, I need to go see Jon.”

“瓊恩？瓊恩？我們認識瓊恩嗎，葛蘭？”

“Jon? Jon? Do we know anyone named Jon, Grenn?”

“他是指總司令大人。”

“He means the Lord Commander.”

“喔喔喔——偉大的雪諾大人。當然了。不過，你干嘛跟他約會？他又不會扭耳朵?！迸善张ち伺ぷ约旱亩?，以示能耐。他長著一對凍得通紅的招風耳。“現(xiàn)在他真成了雪諾大人，相對于我們，實在太尊貴了。”

“Ohhh. The Great Lord Snow. To be sure. Why do you want to see him? He can’t even wiggle his ears.” Pyp wiggled his, to show he could. They were large ears, and red from cold. “He’s Lord Snow for true now, too bloody highborn for the likes of us.”

“瓊恩有他的責任，”山姆替朋友辯護，“長城是他的了，他必須統(tǒng)籌全局?！?/p>

“Jon has duties,” Sam said in his defense. “The Wall is his, and all that goes with it.”

“一個人對他的朋友也有責任。要不是我們幫忙，當上總司令的也許是杰諾斯·史林特呢，然后史林特大人會派雪諾赤身裸體騎著騾子去巡邏?！s往卡斯特的堡壘’，他會如此下令，‘把熊老的斗篷和靴子給我拿回來。’我們幫他避免了難堪，現(xiàn)在他的責任太多，居然連到壁爐邊喝杯熱酒的工夫都沒有？”

“A man has duties to his friends as well. If not for us, Janos Slynt might be our lord commander. Lord Janos would have sent Snow ranging naked on a mule. ‘Scamper on up to Craster’s Keep,’ he would have said, ‘a(chǎn)nd fetch me back the Old Bear’s cloak and boots.’ We saved him from that, but now he has too many duties to drink a cup of mulled wine by the fire?”

葛蘭表示贊同。“他的責任沒妨礙他下校場?；旧?，他天天都在那兒打斗。”

Grenn agreed. “His duties don’t keep him from the yard. More days than not, he’s out there fighting someone.”

這是事實，山姆不得不承認。有一次，當瓊恩來和伊蒙師傅談話時，山姆問他為何花那么多時間練劍。“熊老作總司令時根本不怎么參加日常訓練?！鄙侥分赋?。作為回答，瓊恩將長爪交到山姆手中，要他感覺這把劍的輕盈與平衡，并讓他旋轉(zhuǎn)劍刃，觀察煙灰色金屬中閃現(xiàn)的波紋?！斑@是瓦雷利亞鋼劍，”他說，“以魔法鍛冶而成，鋒利無比，幾乎堅不可摧。劍士應(yīng)該和他的劍合為一體，山姆，然而長爪是瓦雷利亞鋼，我不是。斷掌要殺我就跟你拍死一只蟲子那么容易?！?/p>

That was true, Sam had to admit. Once, when Jon came to consult with Maester Aemon, Sam had asked him why he spent so much time at swordplay. “The Old Bear never trained much when he was Lord Commander,” he had pointed out. In answer, Jon had pressed Longclaw into Sam’s hand. He let him feel the lightness, the balance, had him turn the blade so that ripples gleamed in the smoke-dark metal. “Valyrian steel,” he said, “spell-forged and razor-sharp, nigh on indestructible. A swordsman should be as good as his sword, Sam. Longclaw is Valyrian steel, but I’m not. The Halfhand could have killed me as easy as you swat a bug.”

山姆把劍遞回去。“我老拍不到蟲子，它們會飛，我經(jīng)常打中胳膊，疼極了?！?/p>

Sam handed back the sword. “When I try to swat a bug, it always flies away. All I do is slap my arm. It stings.”

瓊恩笑了。“好吧?？屏謿⑽揖拖衲愫戎嗄敲纯??！鄙侥废矚g喝粥，尤其是摻了蜂蜜的甜粥。

That made Jon laugh. “As you will. Qhorin could have killed me as easy as you eat a bowl of porridge.” Sam was fond of porridge, especially when it was sweetened with honey.

“我沒時間閑聊?！鄙侥冯x開朋友們，向軍械庫走去，一路把書本緊緊抓在胸前，這讓他聯(lián)想起了誓言：守護王國的堅盾。唉，假如七國的老百姓們意識到守護王國的是葛蘭、派普和憂郁的艾迪·托勒特這號人，真不知會如何評論。

“I don’t have time for this.” Sam left his friends and made his way toward the armory, clutching his books to his chest. I am the shield that guards the realms of men, he remembered. He wondered what those men would say if they realized their realms were being guarded by the likes of Grenn, Pyp, and Dolorous Edd.

司令塔內(nèi)部已被大火焚毀，而史坦尼斯·拜拉席恩占據(jù)國王塔作為居所，因此瓊恩·雪諾住在軍械庫后面，昔日屬于唐納·諾伊的簡陋房間。山姆到達時吉莉剛要離開，她裹著一件舊斗篷，那是他倆逃離卡斯特的堡壘時山姆給她的。她幾乎直接奔了過去，但山姆抓住她的手臂，兩本書因之掉下來?！凹颉！?/p>

The Lord Commander’s Tower had been gutted by fire, and Stannis Baratheon had claimed the King’s Tower for his own residence, so Jon Snow had established himself in Donal Noye’s modest quarters behind the armory. Gilly was leaving as Sam arrived, wrapped up in the old cloak he’d given her when they were fleeing Craster’s Keep. She almost rushed right past him, but Sam caught her arm, spilling two books as he did. “Gilly.”

“山姆?！彼曇羯硢?。吉莉長著黑頭發(fā)，身材苗條，棕色的大眼睛猶如母鹿。她完全被山姆的舊斗篷淹沒，然而她的臉雖然半隱藏于兜帽中，但還是能看出在發(fā)抖，神色蒼白而驚恐。

“Sam.” Her voice sounded raw. Gilly was dark-haired and slim, with the big brown eyes of a doe. She was swallowed by the folds of Sam’s old cloak, her face half-hidden by its hood, but shivering all the same. Her face looked wan and frightened.

“出什么事了？”山姆問她，“孩子們怎么樣？”

“What’s wrong?” Sam asked her. “How are the babes?”

吉莉掙脫開來，“他們很好，山姆。很好?！?/p>

Gilly pulled loose from him. “They’re good, Sam. Good.”

“在他倆之間你還能睡覺，真是個奇跡?！鄙侥酚淇斓卣f，“昨晚我聽見哭聲的是哪一個？他似乎怎么都哭不完?！?/p>

“Between the two of them it’s a wonder you can sleep,” Sam said pleasantly. “Which one was it that I heard crying last night? I thought he’d never stop.”

“是妲娜的兒子。他想喝奶時就會哭。我的……我的孩子從不亂哭。有時候他會咯咯地叫喚，但……”她眼中盈滿淚水?！拔业米吡?，去給他們喂奶。要是不快去，奶水會漏到自己身上。”她跑過庭院，留下困惑不解的山姆。

“Dalla’s boy. He cries when he wants the teat. Mine … mine hardly ever cries. Sometimes he gurgles, but …” Her eyes filled with tears. “I have to go. It’s past time that I fed them. I’ll be leaking all over myself if I don’t go.” She rushed across the yard, leaving Sam perplexed behind her.

他必須蹲下才能撿起掉落的書籍。我不該帶這么多書，他一邊告訴自己，一邊掃去書上的泥塵，那是柯洛庫·弗塔的《玉海概述》，厚厚一大卷來自東方的故事與傳奇，伊蒙師傅命令他必須找到這本書，幸好，它看起來完好無損；托馬克斯學士的《龍王們：坦格利安家族從流浪到神化的歷程，兼論巨龍之生死》就沒那么幸運了。它掉落時被翻了開來，有幾頁紙沾上爛泥，其中一頁有一幅相當漂亮的彩圖，畫的是“黑死神”貝勒里恩。山姆一邊咒罵自己是個笨手笨腳的呆瓜，一邊擦拭書頁，將泥巴刮掉。在吉莉面前，他總是很狼狽，而且下面還會硬……好吧，每次都會硬。誓言效命的守夜人弟兄不該有這樣的感覺，可是當吉莉談及自己的乳房……

He had to get down on his knees to gather up the books he’d dropped. I should not have brought so many, he told himself as he brushed the dirt off Colloquo Votar’s Jade Compendium, a thick volume of tales and legends from the east that Maester Aemon had commanded him to find. The book appeared undamaged. Maester Thomax’s Dragonkin, Being a History of House Targaryen from Exile to Apotheosis, with a Consideration of the Life and Death of Dragons had not been so fortunate. It had come open as it fell, and a few pages had gotten muddy, including one with a rather nice picture of Balerion the Black Dread done in colored inks. Sam cursed himself for a clumsy oaf as he smoothed the pages down and brushed them off. Gilly’s presence always flustered him and gave rise to … well, risings. A Sworn Brother of the Night’s Watch should not be feeling the sorts of things that Gilly made him feel, especially when she would talk about her breasts and …

“雪諾大人正等著呢?！眱蓚€穿黑斗篷、戴鐵半盔的守衛(wèi)站在軍械庫門口，斜倚著長矛。說話的是“毛人”哈爾，穆利則幫助山姆站起來。他反射性地謝過之后，快速走了進去，經(jīng)過有砧板與風箱的鍛爐時，不由得拼命抓緊書。一件鎖甲半成品放在工作臺上。白靈在砧板底下伸展著身子，啃一根牛骨，要喝里面的骨髓。山姆走過時，大白狼抬頭看了看他，但沒有發(fā)出聲響。

“Lord Snow is waiting.” Two guards in black cloaks and iron halfhelms stood by the doors of the armory, leaning on their spears. Hairy Hal was the one who’d spoken. Mully helped Sam back to his feet. He blurted out thanks and hurried past them, clutching desperately at the stack of books as he made his way past the forge with its anvil and bellows. A shirt of ringmail rested on his workbench, half-completed. Ghost was stretched out beneath the anvil, gnawing on the bone of an ox to get at the marrow. The big white direwolf looked up when Sam went by, but made no sound.

瓊恩的會客間就在那些放滿長矛與盾牌的架子后面。山姆進去時，他正在讀一卷羊皮紙，莫爾蒙大人的烏鴉站在他肩頭向下張望，仿佛也在讀羊皮紙，但當它見到山姆，便展開翅膀，一邊向他飛來，一邊喊叫，“玉米，玉米！”

Jon’s solar was back beyond the racks of spears and shields. He was reading a parchment when Sam entered. Lord Commander Mormont’s raven was on his shoulder, peering down as if it were reading too, but when the bird spied Sam it spread its wings and flapped toward him crying, “Corn, corn!”

山姆將書換到一邊手上，用另一只手去門背后的袋子里抓出一把玉米粒。烏鴉落在他手腕上，從掌心里啄起一粒，它啄得如此之重，山姆不由得叫了一聲，抽回手來。烏鴉飛回空中，黃色紅色的玉米粒撒得到處都是。

Shifting the books, Sam thrust his arm into the sack beside the door and came out with a handful of kernels. The raven landed on his wrist and took one from his palm, pecking so hard that Sam yelped and snatched his hand back. The raven took to the air again, and yellow and red kernels went everywhere.

“關(guān)門，山姆?！杯偠髂樕先杂械陌毯郏恢机椩噲D挖他的眼睛?！澳羌一镉袥]有弄破你的皮？”

“Close the door, Sam.” Faint scars still marked Jon’s cheek, where an eagle had once tried to rip his eye out. “Did that wretch break the skin?”

山姆輕輕放下書，脫掉手套?！坝邪??！彼械揭魂嚂炑＃拔以诹餮??！?/p>

Sam eased the books down and peeled off his glove. “He did.” He felt faint. “I’m bleeding.”

“我們都會為守夜人軍團流血。戴上厚點的手套?！杯偠饔媚_把一張椅子推到他面前。“坐下，看看這個?！彼麑⒀蚱ぜ堖f給山姆。

“We all shed our blood for the Watch. Wear thicker gloves.” Jon shoved a chair toward him with a foot. “Sit, and have a look at this.” He handed him the parchment.

“這是什么？”山姆問。烏鴉開始在草席里搜尋玉米粒。

“What is it?” asked Sam. The raven began to hunt out corn kernels amongst the rushes.

“一面紙糊的盾牌?！?/p>

“A paper shield.”

山姆邊看邊吮手掌上的血。他一眼就認出伊蒙師傅的筆跡，老人的字體纖細而精準，但由于看不到化開的墨漬，有時會留下難看的污斑。“給托曼國王的信？”

Sam sucked at the blood on his palm as he read. He knew Maester Aemon’s hand on sight. His writing was small and precise, but the old man could not see where the ink had blotted, and sometimes he left unsightly smears. “A letter to King Tommen?”

“在臨冬城，托曼曾跟我弟弟布蘭用木劍打斗。他穿著那么多襯墊，看上去就像一只填鵝。后來，布蘭將他擊倒在地?！杯偠髯叩酱斑??！艾F(xiàn)在布蘭死了，白白胖胖的托曼坐上了鐵王座，他的黃金鬈發(fā)上頂著王冠?！?/p>

“At Winterfell Tommen fought my brother Bran with wooden swords. He wore so much padding he looked like a stuffed goose. Bran knocked him to the ground.” Jon went to the window. “Yet Bran’s dead, and pudgy pink-faced Tommen is sitting on the Iron Throne, with a crown nestled amongst his golden curls.”

布蘭沒死，山姆幾乎說出口，他隨“冷手”去了長城外。話語卡在他喉嚨。我發(fā)誓守秘?！澳氵€沒在信上簽名呢。”

Bran’s not dead, Sam wanted to say. He’s gone beyond the Wall with Coldhands. The words caught in his throat. I swore I would not tell. “You haven’t signed the letter.”

“熊老上百次地向君臨求助，他們送來的卻是杰諾斯·史林特。一旦蘭尼斯特聽說我們收留了史坦尼斯，只怕再謙卑的信件也無法獲取同情。”

“The Old Bear begged the Iron Throne for help a hundred times. They sent him Janos Slynt. No letter will make the Lannisters love us better. Not once they hear that we’ve been helping Stannis.”

“我們收留他是為了防守長城，又不是幫他進行戰(zhàn)爭。”山姆把信快速地重讀一遍?！斑@里面說得很清楚?！?/p>

“Only to defend the Wall, not in his rebellion.” Sam read the letter quickly once again. “That’s what it says here.”

“泰溫公爵會在意其中差別嗎？”瓊恩把信拿回來?！八麨槭裁匆獛臀覀儯克麖膩頉]有付出過?！?/p>

“The distinction may escape Lord Tywin.” Jon took the letter back. “Why would he help us now? He never did before.”

“嗯，”山姆說，“也許他不愿聽人們議論說當史坦尼斯保衛(wèi)王國時，托曼國王卻在玩玩具。那會讓蘭尼斯特家族蒙羞的?！?/p>

“Well,” said Sam, “he will not want it said that Stannis rode to the defense of the realm whilst King Tommen was playing with his toys. That would bring scorn down upon House Lannister.”

“蒙羞？說心里話，我想帶給蘭尼斯特家族毀滅與死亡?！杯偠髂闷鹦??！笆匾谷塑妶F決不參與七大王國的戰(zhàn)爭，”他念道，“我們立誓守護整個國度，而今國家已危于累卵。史坦尼斯·拜拉席恩協(xié)助我們對抗長城外的敵人，但我們并未支持他……”

“It’s death and destruction I want to bring down upon House Lannister, not scorn.” Jon lifted up the letter. “The Night’s Watch takes no part in the wars of the Seven Kingdoms,” he read. “Our oaths are sworn to the realm, and the realm now stands in dire peril. Stannis Baratheon aids us against our foes from beyond the Wall, though we are not his men …”

“嗯，”山姆扭動著身子，“我們并未支持他。是嗎？”

“Well,” said Sam, squirming, “we’re not. Are we?”

“我提供食宿給史坦尼斯的人，把長夜堡劃給他們支配，再允許部分自由民在新贈地定居。僅此而已?！?/p>

“I gave Stannis food, shelter, and the Nightfort, plus leave to settle some free folk in the Gift. That’s all.”

“泰溫公爵會說你給的太多了?！?/p>

“Lord Tywin will say it was too much.”

“而史坦尼斯認為還遠遠不夠。對國王而言，你付出越多，他就索要得更多。我們正如履薄冰，腳底是萬丈深淵。與一個國王相謀已經(jīng)夠難，同時滿足兩個根本不可能。”

“Stannis says it’s not enough. The more you give a king the more he wants. We are walking on a bridge of ice with an abyss on either side. Pleasing one king is difficult enough. Pleasing two is hardly possible.”

“是的，但……若蘭尼斯特家大獲全勝之后，泰溫公爵認定我們背叛真正的國王，那也許意味著守夜人的災(zāi)難。他背后有提利爾家族的支持，整個高庭的力量，而且他在黑水河上確實擊敗了史坦尼斯大人?！鄙侥坊蛟S見不得血，但他了解貴族戰(zhàn)爭的法則——全拜父親從小的耳濡目染所賜。

“Yes, but … if the Lannisters should prevail and Lord Tywin decides that we betrayed the king by aiding Stannis, it could mean the end of the Night’s Watch. He has the Tyrells behind him, with all the strength of Highgarden. And he did defeat Lord Stannis on the Blackwater.” The sight of blood might make Sam faint, but he knew how wars were won. His own father had seen to that.

“黑水河之戰(zhàn)只是一場戰(zhàn)役。羅柏贏得過所有戰(zhàn)役，最終卻掉了腦袋。假如史坦尼斯能喚起北境……”

“The Blackwater was one battle. Robb won all his battles and still lost his head. If Stannis can raise the north …”

瓊恩企圖說服自己，山姆意識到，但并不成功。這也難怪，近來，渡鴉川流不息地飛出黑城堡，猶如一場黑翼風暴，前去號召北境的領(lǐng)主們起兵擁護史坦尼斯·拜拉席恩。這些烏兒大部分是山姆親手送出的，但迄今為止只有去卡霍城的那只回來了，其余是一片異樣的沉默。

He’s trying to convince himself, Sam realized, but he can’t. The ravens had gone forth from Castle Black in a storm of black wings, summoning the lords of the north to declare for Stannis Baratheon and join their strength to his. Sam had sent out most of them himself. Thusfar only one bird had returned, the one they’d sent to Karhold. Elsewise the silence had been thunderous.

即使史坦尼斯能把北方人爭取過來，山姆也不知道他如何匹敵凱巖城、高庭和孿河城的聯(lián)軍；然而若沒有北境的支持，他完蛋得更快。假如泰溫公爵因之把我們定性為叛徒，守夜人也會跟著完蛋?！疤m尼斯特在北境有自己的代理人。波頓公爵和他的私生子?！?/p>

Even if he should somehow win the northmen to his side, Sam did not see how Stannis could hope to match the combined powers of Casterly Rock, Highgarden, and the Twins. Yet without the north, his cause was surely doomed. As doomed as the Night’s Watch, if Lord Tywin marks us down as traitors. “The Lannisters have northmen of their own. Lord Bolton and his bastard.”

“史坦尼斯似乎能取得卡史塔克的支持，若能進一步贏得白港……”

“Stannis has the Karstarks. If he can win White Harbor …”

“若能，”山姆強調(diào)，“若不能呢……大人，紙糊的盾牌總比沒盾牌強?！?/p>

“If,” Sam stressed. “If not … my lord, even a paper shield is better than none.”