TYRION
提利昂
?? The north went on forever.
北境漫漫，一望無(wú)涯。
?? Tyrion Lannister knew the maps as well asanyone, but a fortnight on the wild track that passed for the kingsroad up herehad brought home the lesson that the map was one thing and the land quiteanother.
提利昂·蘭尼斯特雖然熟讀地圖，但經(jīng)過(guò)兩周以來(lái)的一徑北行，他深切體會(huì)到地圖上說(shuō)的是一回事，實(shí)際上卻另有蹊蹺。
?? They had left Winterfell on the same day asthe king, amidst all the commotion of the royal departure, riding out to thesound of men shouting and horses snorting, to the rattle of wagons and thegroaning of the queen’s huge wheelhouse, as a light snow flurried about them.The kingsroad was just beyond the sprawl of castle and town. There the bannersand the wagons and the columns of knights and freeriders turned south, takingthe tumult with them, while Tyrion turned north with Benjen Stark and hisnephew.
他們和國(guó)王的隊(duì)伍于同一天離開(kāi)臨冬城，冒著細(xì)雪，穿過(guò)那一片人聲馬嘶、馬車嘎吱和王后輪宮的呻吟。國(guó)王大道緊鄰著主堡和城下市鎮(zhèn)。國(guó)王的旗幟與車隊(duì)，騎士和自由騎手就在該處轉(zhuǎn)向南行，提利昂則與班揚(yáng)·史塔克和瓊恩叔侄二人往北走。
?? It had grown colder after that, and far morequiet.
在那之后，天氣越趨凄冷，四周更顯沉寂。
?? West of the road were flint hills, grey andrugged, with tall watchtowers on their stony summits. To the east the land waslower, the ground flattening to a rolling plain that stretched away as far asthe eye could see. Stone bridges spanned swift, narrow rivers, while smallfarms spread in rings around holdfasts walled in wood and stone. The road waswell trafficked, and at night for their comfort there were rude inns to be found.
國(guó)王大道逐漸變成一條比森林小路大不了多少的小徑。道路西邊是崎嶇的灰?guī)r丘陵，矮丘頂高聳著一座座守望臺(tái)。東邊則地勢(shì)低緩，平坦曠野無(wú)限伸展，直至極目盡頭。石橋跨越?jīng)坝康莫M窄激流，農(nóng)場(chǎng)圍繞石墻木梁的聚落。路上來(lái)往頗為頻繁，日落后極易找到歇腳旅店。
?? Three days ride from Winterfell, however,the farmland gave way to dense wood, and the kingsroad grew lonely. The flinthills rose higher and wilder with each passing mile, until by the fifth daythey had turned into mountains, cold blue-grey giants with jagged promontoriesand snow on their shoulders. When the wind blew from the north, long plumes ofice crystals flew from the high peaks like banners.
然而好景不長(zhǎng)，離開(kāi)臨冬城三日之后，農(nóng)田退去，只見(jiàn)茂密深林，國(guó)王大道也越來(lái)越人跡罕至。丘陵則日益陡峭，到了第五天，已經(jīng)成了山脈，宛如肩負(fù)陳雪和陡峭巖峰的灰藍(lán)巨人。當(dāng)北風(fēng)吹起，長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的冰針像旗幟一般從高聳的峰巒間飛濺而下。
?? With the mountains a wall to the west, theroad veered north by northeast through the wood, a forest of oak and evergreen andblack brier that seemed older and darker than any Tyrion had ever seen. “Thewolfswood,” Benjen Stark called it, and indeed their nights came alive with thehowls of distant packs, and some not so distant. Jon Snow’s albino direwolfpricked up his ears at the nightly howling, but never raised his own voice inreply. There was something very unsettling about that animal, Tyrion thought.
山在西方，路往東北，蜿蜒穿過(guò)樹(shù)林。班揚(yáng)·史塔克稱這座滿是橡樹(shù)、常青樹(shù)和黑荊棘，看起來(lái)比提利昂所見(jiàn)過(guò)任何林子都要古老的森林為“狼林”，每到夜晚，森林里也確實(shí)傳來(lái)遠(yuǎn)方狼群此起彼落的嚎叫，有時(shí)離他們還不甚遠(yuǎn)。雪諾的白子冰原狼聽(tīng)到便會(huì)豎起耳朵，卻從不應(yīng)和。提利昂總覺(jué)得那只東西有種令人極端不安的感覺(jué)。
?? There were eight in the party by then, notcounting the wolf. Tyrion traveled with two of his own men, as befit aLannister. Benjen Stark had only his bastard nephew and some fresh mounts forthe Night’s Watch, but at the edge of the wolfswood they stayed a night behindthe wooden walls of a forest holdfast, and there joined up with another of theblack brothers, one Yoren. Yoren was stooped and sinister, his features hiddenbehind a beard as black as his clothing, but he seemed as tough as an old rootand as hard as stone. With him were a pair of ragged peasant boys from theFingers. “Rapers,” Yoren said with a cold look at his charges. Tyrionunderstood. Life on the Wall was said to be hard, but no doubt it waspreferable to castration.
扣除小狼不算，他們一行八人。首先提利昂依照蘭尼斯特家的排場(chǎng)，帶了兩個(gè)隨從。班揚(yáng)·史塔克則只帶著他的私生子侄兒，還有守夜人部隊(duì)的一些牲口。但當(dāng)他們?cè)诶橇诌吘壱粭澞驹烨f園過(guò)夜時(shí)，又有一位叫尤倫的黑衣弟兄加入他們。這個(gè)尤倫駝著背，模樣頗為陰狠，五官都躲在他那跟制服一般黑的胡子后面，但不難看出他是條漢子。他帶了兩個(gè)來(lái)自五指半島，衣著破爛的農(nóng)家子弟?！皬?qiáng)奸犯?！庇葌惱淅涞乜粗麄冋f(shuō)。提利昂頓時(shí)領(lǐng)悟，長(zhǎng)城上的日子雖然艱苦，但總比閹刑好得多。
?? Five men, three boys, a direwolf, twentyhorses, and a cage of ravens given over to Benjen Stark by Maester Luwin. Nodoubt they made a curious fellowship for the kingsroad, or any road.
五個(gè)男人，三個(gè)孩子，一只冰原狼，二十匹馬，還有一籠魯溫學(xué)士托班揚(yáng)·史塔克捎帶的大烏鴉，這樣的一支隊(duì)伍，想必是幅相當(dāng)怪異的景象。
?? Tyrion noticed Jon Snow watching Yoren andhis sullen companions, with an odd cast to his face that looked uncomfortablylike dismay. Yoren had a twisted shoulder and a sour smell, his hair and beardwere matted and greasy and full of lice, his clothing old, patched, and seldomwashed. His two young recruits smelled even worse, and seemed as stupid as theywere cruel.
提利昂注意到瓊恩·雪諾一路不住打量尤倫和他那兩名陰郁伙伴，臉上掛著古怪的表情，似乎有些困惱。尤倫不僅駝背，而且渾身酸臭，須發(fā)油膩，虱蚤叢生又衣衫破爛，遍布補(bǔ)丁且甚少清洗。他的兩名手下味道更難聞，人則既愚蠢又殘忍。
?? No doubt the boy had made the mistake ofthinking that the Night’s Watch was made up of men like his uncle. If so, Yorenand his companions were a rude awakening. Tyrion felt sorry for the boy. He hadchosen a hard life?.?.?.?or perhaps he should say that a hard life had beenchosen for him.
看來(lái)那孩子誤以為守夜人軍團(tuán)里全是他叔叔這種人了。倘若他真這么想，那么尤倫一幫人對(duì)他可算是個(gè)錯(cuò)愕的覺(jué)醒。提利昂為那孩子難過(guò)，他選擇的是一條艱難的道路……或者應(yīng)該說(shuō)，別人為他選擇了這條艱難的道路。
?? He had rather less sympathy for the uncle.Benjen Stark seemed to share his brother’s distaste for Lannisters, and he hadnot been pleased when Tyrion had told him of his intentions. “I warn you,Lannister, you’ll find no inns at the Wall,” he had said, looking down on him.
他對(duì)孩子的叔叔可沒(méi)這般好感。班揚(yáng)·史塔克似乎和他哥哥一樣討厭蘭尼斯特家的人，先前當(dāng)提利昂表示想要同行時(shí)，他的反應(yīng)相當(dāng)不悅：“蘭尼斯特，我話說(shuō)在前頭，長(zhǎng)城沒(méi)旅館可住的?！彼吒咴谏系囟⒅?/p>
?? “No doubt you’ll find some place to put me,”Tyrion had replied. “As you might have noticed, I’m small.”
“你總有辦法安頓我罷，”提利昂答道，“你也看到了，我個(gè)子很小?！?/p>
?? One did not say no to the queen’s brother,of course, so that had settled the matter, but Stark had not been happy. “Youwill not like the ride, I promise you that,” he’d said curtly, and since themoment they set out, he had done all he could to live up to that promise.
當(dāng)然，沒(méi)人敢對(duì)王后的弟弟說(shuō)不，所以事情就算這么定了，但班揚(yáng)依舊很不高興?！拔冶ＷC你不會(huì)喜歡這趟旅程?！彼懿豢蜌獾鼗鼐?，而自隊(duì)伍出發(fā)以來(lái)，他也果真盡其所能讓此話成真。
?? By the end of thefirst week, Tyrion’s thighs were raw from hard riding, his legs were crampingbadly, and he was chilled to the bone. He did not complain. He was damned if hewould give Benjen Stark that satisfaction.
?? He took a small revenge in the matter of hisriding fur, a tattered bearskin, old and musty-smelling. Stark had offered itto him in an excess of Night’s Watch gallantry, no doubt expecting him tograciously decline. Tyrion had accepted with a smile. He had brought hiswarmest clothing with him when they rode out of Winterfell, and soon discoveredthat it was nowhere near warm enough. It was cold up here, and growing colder.The nights were well below freezing now, and when the wind blew it was like aknife cutting right through his warmest woolens. By now Stark was no doubtregretting his chivalrous impulse. Perhaps he had learned a lesson. TheLannisters never declined, graciously or otherwise. The Lannisters took whatwas offered.
提利昂倒是在御寒皮衣上扳回一城，原本史塔克故作殷勤地獻(xiàn)上一件滿溢腥羶，老舊破爛的熊皮，以表現(xiàn)守夜人的濟(jì)弱扶貧，顯然希望他會(huì)礙于禮數(shù)婉拒，但提利昂微笑著收下。離開(kāi)臨冬城的時(shí)候，他帶上了所有最暖和的衣服，隨即卻發(fā)現(xiàn)根本不夠。這里真是冷得嚇人，而且氣溫還在不斷下降。夜里的溫度早已降至冰點(diǎn)以下，每當(dāng)朔風(fēng)吹起，便如尖刀般割進(jìn)他最暖和的羊皮衣。想必史塔克此時(shí)正為自己一時(shí)興起的騎士精神后悔吧。也許他會(huì)從中學(xué)到教訓(xùn)：蘭尼斯特家人來(lái)者不拒，管他什么禮數(shù)，只要?jiǎng)e人給，我就敢拿。
?? Farms and holdfasts grew scarcer and smalleras they pressed northward, ever deeper into the darkness of the wolfswood,until finally there were no more roofs to shelter under, and they were thrownback on their own resources.
越往北行，愈加深入狼林的幽暗國(guó)度，農(nóng)莊田舍便更見(jiàn)疏落，終至人跡絕響，驟然遺世獨(dú)立。
?? Tyrion was never much use in making a campor breaking one. Too small, too hobbled, too in-the-way. So while Stark andYoren and the other men erected rude shelters, tended the horses, and built afire, it became his custom to take his fur and a wineskin and go off by himselfto read.
無(wú)論扎營(yíng)拔營(yíng)，提利昂都幫不上忙。他個(gè)子太小，蹣跚跛行只會(huì)礙手礙腳。于是他便趁史塔克和尤倫等人搭建帳篷居所，照料馬匹，生火取暖之際，裹緊皮衣，揣著酒袋，蹣跚到一邊獨(dú)自讀書，這成了他的習(xí)慣。
?? On the eighteenth night of their journey,the wine was a rare sweet amber from the Summer Isles that he had brought allthe way north from Casterly Rock, and the book a rumination on the history andproperties of dragons. With Lord Eddard Stark’s permission, Tyrion had borroweda few rare volumes from the Winterfell library and packed them for the ridenorth.
旅行的第十八天，他帶著從凱巖城一路攜來(lái)北方，盛夏群島釀產(chǎn)的珍貴琥珀甜酒，以及相關(guān)龍族佚聞事跡的書——這幾冊(cè)珍貴的典籍乃是提利昂求得艾德·史塔克公爵允許，從臨冬城的圖書館拿的——獨(dú)自走開(kāi)。
?? He found a comfortable spot just beyond thenoise of the camp, beside a swift-running stream with waters clear and cold asice. A grotesquely ancient oak provided shelter from the biting wind. Tyrioncurled up in his fur with his back against the trunk, took a sip of the wine,and began to read about the properties of dragonbone. Dragonbone is blackbecause of its high iron content, the book told him. It is strong as steel, yetlighter and far more flexible, and of course utterly impervious to fire.Dragonbone bows are greatly prized by the Dothraki, and small wonder. An archerso armed can outrange any wooden bow.
他走到營(yíng)地的喧囂之外，激流奔涌、水冷如冰的溪邊覓得一方寧?kù)o。一株形體怪誕的老橡樹(shù)恰好為他遮擋寒風(fēng)。提利昂背靠樹(shù)干，扯緊皮毛，啜了一口酒后讀起關(guān)于龍骨的敘述。龍骨含鐵量高，故呈黑色，書上如是說(shuō)，龍骨堅(jiān)硬如鐵，然材質(zhì)極輕且有韌性，自然亦不怕火。無(wú)怪乎多斯拉克人視龍骨弓為稀世珍寶，配上龍骨弓，射手可以輕易超越木制弓箭的射程。
?? Tyrion had a morbid fascination withdragons. When he had first come to King’s Landing for his sister’s wedding toRobert Baratheon, he had made it a point to seek out the dragon skulls that hadhung on the walls of Targaryen’s throne room. King Robert had replaced them withbanners and tapestries, but Tyrion had persisted until he found the skulls inthe dank cellar where they had been stored.
提利昂對(duì)龍有種病態(tài)的迷戀。當(dāng)年他初次造訪君臨，參加姐姐和勞勃·拜拉席恩的婚禮時(shí)，就打定主意一定要瞧瞧那些懸掛在坦格利安王座廳墻上的龍頭。雖然勞勃國(guó)王早已把龍頭換成了旗幟和壁氈，提利昂仍不死心，最后總算在陰濕的地窖內(nèi)找到了它們的收藏處所。
?? He had expected to find them impressive,perhaps even frightening. He had not thought to find them beautiful. Yet theywere. As black as onyx, polished smooth, so the bone seemed to shimmer in thelight of his torch. They liked the fire, he sensed. He’d thrust the torch intothe mouth of one of the larger skulls and made the shadows leap and dance onthe wall behind him. The teeth were long, curving knives of black diamond. Theflame of the torch was nothing to them; they had bathed in the heat of fargreater fires. When he had moved away, Tyrion could have sworn that the beast’sempty eye sockets had watched him go.
他本以為龍頭必定令人嘆為觀止，甚至叫人望而生畏，卻怎么也想不到它們竟會(huì)是如此美麗的東西。它們的的確確美得讓人目瞪口呆。黑如瑪瑙，光滑潔亮，在他的火把映照下仿佛會(huì)閃閃發(fā)光。他察覺(jué)到它們喜歡火，因而特地把火把插進(jìn)其中一個(gè)較大的龍嘴里，果真火光大盛，影子在他身后的墻上大肆舞躍。龍牙宛如一柄柄黑鉆石制成的長(zhǎng)彎刀，長(zhǎng)年浸滌于熾熱的烈焰里，火把微焰對(duì)它們來(lái)說(shuō)根本算不了什么。當(dāng)他抽身離去時(shí)，他發(fā)誓那頭巨獸空洞的眼窩是目送著自己離開(kāi)的。
?? There were nineteen skulls. The oldest wasmore than three thousand years old; the youngest a mere century and a half. Themost recent were also the smallest; a matched pair no bigger than mastiff’sskulls, and oddly misshapen, all that remained of the last two hatchlings bornon Dragonstone. They were the last of the Targaryen dragons, perhaps the lastdragons anywhere, and they had not lived very long.
巨龍頭骨一共十九個(gè)，最老的壽命已經(jīng)超過(guò)三千年，最幼小的也有一個(gè)半世紀(jì)那么久。幼龍的頭骨也是最小的，那兩個(gè)畸形怪狀，比獵犬的頭骨大不了多少，它們是龍石島上所孵化的最后兩只龍，是坦格利安家族最后的兩只，或許也是這世界上最后的兩只，它們非常短命。
?? From there the skulls ranged upward in sizeto the three great monsters of song and story, the dragons that Aegon Targaryenand his sisters had unleashed on the Seven Kingdoms of old. The singers hadgiven them the names of gods: Balerion, Meraxes, Vhaghar. Tyrion had stoodbetween their gaping jaws, wordless and awed. You could have ridden a horsedown Vhaghar’s gullet, although you would not have ridden it out again. Meraxeswas even bigger. And the greatest of them, Balerion, the Black Dread, couldhave swallowed an aurochs whole, or even one of the hairy mammoths said to roamthe cold wastes beyond the Port of Ibben.
其他的龍頭則一個(gè)比一個(gè)大，最大的三頭便是歌謠和傳說(shuō)里最恐怖的巨獸，即伊耿·坦格利安和他的妹妹們攻打古代七國(guó)時(shí)所騎乘的那三頭龍。吟游詩(shī)人為他們都取了神的名字：貝勒里恩、米拉西斯和瓦格哈爾。提利昂站在他們的血盆大口間，震懾得說(shuō)不出話來(lái)。瓦格哈爾的咽喉之大，大到你可以騎馬進(jìn)去，當(dāng)然別想活著出來(lái)。米拉西斯體型更加驚人。而最碩大無(wú)朋，人稱“黑死神”的貝勒里恩，則可一口吞下整只野牛，或是傳說(shuō)中漫游于伊班港以北冰冷荒原上的長(zhǎng)毛象。
?? Tyrion stood in that dank cellar for a longtime, staring at Balerion’s huge, empty-eyed skull until his torch burned low,trying to grasp the size of the living animal, to imagine how it must havelooked when it spread its great black wings and swept across the skies,breathing fire.
提利昂在陰濕地窖里佇立良久，盯著貝勒里恩空洞而巨大的眼窩，試著想像眼前這只巨獸生前的模樣，想像它開(kāi)展雙翼，橫掃天際，口吐烈焰的景象，直到火把燃盡。
?? His own remote ancestor, King Loren of theRock, had tried to stand against the fire when he joined with King Mern of theReach to oppose the Targaryen conquest. That was close on three hundred yearsago, when the Seven Kingdoms were kingdoms, and not mere provinces of a greaterrealm. Between them, the Two Kings had six hundred banners flying, fivethousand mounted knights, and ten times as many freeriders and men-at-arms.Aegon Dragonlord had perhaps a fifth that number, the chroniclers said, andmost of those were conscripts from the ranks of the last king he had slain,their loyalties uncertain.
他的遠(yuǎn)祖凱巖王羅倫，曾與河灣王孟恩聯(lián)軍抵抗坦格利安的征服。那是約三百年前的事，當(dāng)時(shí)七大王國(guó)真的是各自為政的王國(guó)，而非今日大一統(tǒng)國(guó)度下的屬地。兩軍合計(jì)有六百諸侯，五千騎兵，以及五萬(wàn)以上的雇傭軍和步兵。據(jù)史家記載，“龍王”伊耿的軍力大概只有對(duì)手的五分之一，其中多半是從他之前擊敗的敵手軍隊(duì)中召募而來(lái)，忠誠(chéng)堪憂。
?? The hosts met on the broad plains of theReach, amidst golden fields of wheat ripe for harvest. When the Two Kingscharged, the Targaryen army shivered and shattered and began to run. For a fewmoments, the chroniclers wrote, the conquest was at an end?.?.?.?but only forthose few moments, before Aegon Targaryen and his sisters joined the battle.
兩軍在河灣沿岸的沃野平疇中相遇，在遍地結(jié)實(shí)累累、等待收獲的金黃麥田上交戰(zhàn)。聯(lián)軍發(fā)動(dòng)沖鋒，坦格利安軍立時(shí)四散潰逃。短短幾分鐘內(nèi)，史家又如此寫道，連年的征服似乎就要?jiǎng)澤闲葜狗@只是伊耿·坦格利安和他兩個(gè)妹妹投入戰(zhàn)局之前的那幾分鐘。
?? It was the only time that Vhaghar, Meraxes,and Balerion were all unleashed at once. The singers called it the Field ofFire.
這是歷史上惟一一次瓦格哈爾、米拉西斯和貝勒里恩同時(shí)出擊，后世的吟游詩(shī)人稱之為“怒火燎原”。
?? Near four thousand men had burned that day,among them King Mern of the Reach. King Loren had escaped, and lived longenough to surrender, pledge his fealty to the Targaryens, and beget a son, forwhich Tyrion was duly grateful.
那天共有將近四千名士兵被燒成灰燼，其中包括河灣王孟恩。羅倫王僥幸逃脫，沒(méi)過(guò)多久便向坦格利安家族投降稱臣，后來(lái)還產(chǎn)下一子，為此提利昂只有感激的份。
?? “Why do you read so much?”
“你讀那么多書干嘛？”
?? Tyrion looked up at the sound of the voice.Jon Snow was standing a few feet away, regarding him curiously. He closed thebook on a finger and said, “Look at me and tell me what you see.”
提利昂聞言抬頭，瓊恩·雪諾正站在幾步以外，好奇地端詳他。他用一根手指夾住正讀的書頁(yè)：“看著我，然后告訴我你看到了什么？”
?? The boy looked at him suspiciously. “Is thissome kind of trick? I see you. Tyrion Lannister.”
男孩狐疑地看著他說(shuō)：“你耍什么把戲？我看到你啊，提利昂·蘭尼斯特。”
?? Tyrion sighed. “You are remarkably politefor a bastard, Snow. What you see is a dwarf. You are what, twelve?”
提利昂嘆道：“雪諾啊，你是個(gè)私生子，卻真是夠客氣。你看到的是個(gè)侏儒。你幾歲了？十二？”
?? “Fourteen,” the boy said.
“十四?！?/p>
?? “Fourteen, and you’re taller than I willever be. My legs are short and twisted, and I walk with difficulty. I require aspecial saddle to keep from falling off my horse. A saddle of my own design,you may be interested to know. It was either that or ride a pony. My arms arestrong enough, but again, too short. I will never make a swordsman. Had I beenborn a peasant, they might have left me out to die, or sold me to some slaver’sgrotesquerie. Alas, I was born a Lannister of Casterly Rock, and thegrotesqueries are all the poorer. Things are expected of me. My father was theHand of the King for twenty years. My brother later killed that very same king,as it turns out, but life is full of these little ironies. My sister marriedthe new king and my repulsive nephew will be king after him. I must do my partfor the honor of my House, wouldn’t you agree? Yet how? Well, my legs may betoo small for my body, but my head is too large, although I prefer to think itis just large enough for my mind. I have a realistic grasp of my own strengthsand weaknesses. My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert hashis warhammer, and I have my mind?.?.?.?and a mind needs books as a sword needsa whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” Tyrion tapped the leather cover of thebook. “That’s why I read so much, Jon Snow.”
“你才十四歲，我卻一輩子長(zhǎng)不到你現(xiàn)在這個(gè)高度。我這雙腳又短又畸形，連走路都成問(wèn)題，騎馬還得配著特殊打造的馬鞍，才不會(huì)摔下去。你有興趣瞧瞧的話，這馬鞍是我自己設(shè)計(jì)的。假如我不用它，就只能騎著孩子的小矮馬。我的手臂還算強(qiáng)壯，但仍舊太短，所以永遠(yuǎn)也成不了好戰(zhàn)士。如果我生在普通農(nóng)家，早被扔在路邊等死，不然就是賣進(jìn)怪物雜耍團(tuán)。唉，誰(shuí)知我偏又生在凱巖城的蘭尼斯特家，怪胎更不受歡迎，只因先前眾人對(duì)我萬(wàn)般期待。你瞧，我爹干了二十年的御前首相，結(jié)果我老哥后來(lái)竟把國(guó)王給宰了，人生就是這樣變幻無(wú)常。如今我老姐嫁給了新任國(guó)王，而我那脾氣暴躁的外甥呢，有朝一日則會(huì)繼任王位，只有我空擔(dān)著家族的名譽(yù)，總得盡點(diǎn)心力，你說(shuō)對(duì)罷？但是要怎么做呢？呵，我的腿太短，頭卻太大，總算這腦袋對(duì)我還算合適，憑著它我很清楚自己能干什么不能干什么，它就是我的武器。老哥有他的寶劍，勞勃國(guó)王有他的戰(zhàn)錘，我則有我的腦袋瓜……不過(guò)人若要保持思路清晰銳利，就得多讀書，就好像寶劍需要磨刀石一樣?！碧崂狠p敲書皮，“瓊恩·雪諾，這就是為什么我讀個(gè)不停啰?！?/p>
?? The boy absorbed that all in silence. He hadthe Stark face if not the name: long, solemn, guarded, a face that gave nothingaway. Whoever his mother had been, she had left little of herself in her son.“What are you reading about?” he asked.
男孩靜靜地聽(tīng)完這番話。他雖然名分上沒(méi)有史塔克這個(gè)姓，卻有張地地道道史塔克家人的臉：臉長(zhǎng)，嚴(yán)肅拘謹(jǐn)，喜怒不形于色。不論他母親是誰(shuí)，想必在他身上沒(méi)留下多少自己的特征?！澳悄阍谧x什么？”他問(wèn)。
?? “Dragons,” Tyrion told him.
“跟龍有關(guān)的東西?！碧崂焊嬖V他。
?? “What good is that? There are no moredragons,” the boy said with the easy certainty of youth.
“讀這有什么用？世上已經(jīng)沒(méi)有龍了?！蹦泻⒄Z(yǔ)氣里帶著少年獨(dú)有的確信。
?? “So they say,” Tyrion replied. “Sad, isn’tit? When I was your age, used to dream of having a dragon of my own.”
“人們是這樣說(shuō)沒(méi)錯(cuò)，”提利昂答道，“很可惜，不是嗎？我在你這年紀(jì)的時(shí)候，還經(jīng)常夢(mèng)想哪天有自己的龍哪?！?/p>
?? “You did?” the boy said suspiciously.Perhaps he thought Tyrion was making fun of him.
“真的嗎？”男孩難以置信地說(shuō)?；蛟S他認(rèn)為提利昂在尋他開(kāi)心罷。
?? “Oh, yes. Even a stunted, twisted, uglylittle boy can look down over the world when he’s seated on a dragon’s back.”Tyrion pushed the bearskin aside and climbed to his feet. “I used to startfires in the bowels of Casterly Rock and stare at the flames for hours,pretending they were dragonfire. Sometimes I’d imagine my father burning. Atother times, my sister.” Jon Snow was staring at him, a look equal parts horrorand fascination. Tyrion guffawed. “Don’t look at me that way, bastard. I knowyour secret. You’ve dreamt the same kind of dreams.”
“當(dāng)然是真的了，只要能騎在龍背上，即便是發(fā)育不良，畸形扭曲的丑陋小男孩也可以睥睨全世界?！碧崂和崎_(kāi)熊皮，站起身來(lái)。“以前我常躲在凱巖城深處的地道，燃起火堆，望著熊熊烈焰，一望就是好幾個(gè)鐘頭，一邊幻想那是魔龍吐出的烈火。有時(shí)候我會(huì)幻想我老爸被火燒死，有時(shí)候則是我老姐?！杯偠鳌ぱ┲Z一臉既害怕又驚奇的表情，提利昂看了哈哈大笑，“小雜種，別用那種眼光看我，我知道你心里在想什么，你也有過(guò)這樣的夢(mèng)吧?！?/p>
?? “No,” Jon Snow said, horrified. “Iwouldn’t?.?.?.?”
“我才沒(méi)有，”瓊恩·雪諾害怕地說(shuō)，“我不會(huì)……。”
?? “No? Never?” Tyrion raised an eyebrow.“Well, no doubt the Starks have been terribly good to you. I’m certain Lady Starktreats you as if you were one of her own. And your brother Robb, he’s alwaysbeen kind, and why not? He gets Winterfell and you get the Wall. And yourfather?.?.?.?he must have good reasons for packing you off to the Night’sWatch?.?.?.?”
“沒(méi)有？從來(lái)沒(méi)有？”提利昂抬起一邊眉毛，“那想必史塔克一家人待你不薄？想必夫人對(duì)你也視如己出啰？還有你那異母兄弟羅柏，向來(lái)都跟你很親是罷？為什么不呢？他得到臨冬城，你得到的卻是絕境長(zhǎng)城。至于你父親大人嘛……他一定也有正當(dāng)理由，才會(huì)把你送去當(dāng)守夜人……?！?/p>
?? “Stop it,” Jon Snow said, his face dark withanger. “The Night’s Watch is a noble calling!”
“不要再說(shuō)了，”瓊恩·雪諾臉色陰沉地怒道，“加入守夜人是神圣的使命！”
?? Tyrion laughed. “You’re too smart to believethat. The Night’s Watch is a midden heap for all the misfits of the realm. I’veseen you looking at Yoren and his boys. Those are your new brothers, Jon Snow,how do you like them? Sullen peasants, debtors, poachers, rapers, thieves, andbastards like you all wind up on the Wall, watching for grumkins and snarks andall the other monsters your wet nurse warned you about. The good part is thereare no grumkins or snarks, so it’s scarcely dangerous work. The bad part is youfreeze your balls off, but since you’re not allowed to breed anyway, I don’tsuppose that matters.”
提利昂笑笑?！奥斆魅缒?，怎會(huì)相信這種屁話？守夜人軍團(tuán)是個(gè)專門接收全國(guó)各地人渣廢物的垃圾場(chǎng)，我瞧見(jiàn)了你看尤倫和他手下那兩小子的神色，他們就是你的新弟兄，瓊恩·雪諾，你可還喜歡？一臉?biāo)老嗟霓r(nóng)奴、欠債鬼、盜獵者、強(qiáng)奸犯、小偷，還有像你這樣的私生子通通都發(fā)配到長(zhǎng)城上來(lái)，負(fù)責(zé)防范你奶媽小時(shí)候告訴你的各種古靈精怪。往好的方面想嘛，根本就沒(méi)有什么古靈精怪；可是往壞處想呢，那地方冷得連命根子都要凍掉。不過(guò)既然原本就不準(zhǔn)你生育后代，我看也沒(méi)什么關(guān)系?！?/p>
?? “Stop it!” the boy screamed. He took a stepforward, his hands coiling into fists, close to tears.
“不要說(shuō)了！”男孩尖叫著前跨一步，雙手握拳，眼看就要掉下淚來(lái)。
?? Suddenly, absurdly, Tyrion felt guilty. Hetook a step forward, intending to give the boy a reassuring pat on the shoulderor mutter some word of apology.
提利昂突然很荒謬地有股罪惡感，他也朝前走了一步，想拍拍男孩肩膀安慰他，或是道聲歉。
?? He never saw the wolf, where it was or howit came at him. One moment he was walking toward Snow and the next he was flaton his back on the hard rocky ground, the book spinning away from him as hefell, the breath going out of him at the sudden impact, his mouth full of dirtand blood and rotting leaves. As he tried to get up, his back spasmedpainfully. He must have wrenched it in the fall. He ground his teeth infrustration, grabbed a root, and pulled himself back to a sitting position.“Help me,” he said to the boy, reaching up a hand.
那只狼究竟是從什么地方出現(xiàn)的，他自始至終沒(méi)有瞧見(jiàn)。前一刻他正朝雪諾走去，下一刻已被迎面撲倒在堅(jiān)石地上，手中的書飛出老遠(yuǎn)。他被撞得喘不過(guò)氣來(lái)，滿嘴都是泥土血腥和枯枝腐葉。等他掙扎著想起身，背部卻又劇烈地痙攣，一定是摔倒的時(shí)候扭了。他氣惱地咬緊牙根，勾著一節(jié)樹(shù)根，勉強(qiáng)坐住?！皫蛶臀伊T?！彼泻⑸斐鍪帧?/p>
?? And suddenly the wolf was between them. Hedid not growl. The damned thing never made a sound. He only looked at him withthose bright red eyes, and showed him his teeth, and that was more than enough.Tyrion sagged back to the ground with a grunt. “Don’t help me, then. I’ll sit right here until you
leave.”
突然，狼又出現(xiàn)在兩人之間，它沒(méi)有吼叫——這只該死的東西從不發(fā)出半點(diǎn)聲音——只是用那雙燦亮的紅眼打量他，露出滿口尖牙，這就夠嚇人的了。提利昂咕噥一聲縮回地上。“不幫就算了，我就在這里，等你走了再說(shuō)。”
?? Jon Snow stroked Ghost’s thick white fur,smiling now. “Ask me nicely.”
瓊恩·雪諾搓搓白靈厚重的白毛，卻笑了。“求我，我就幫你。”
?? Tyrion Lannister felt the anger coilinginside him, and crushed it out with a will. It was not the first time in hislife he had been humiliated, and it would not be the last. Perhaps he evendeserved this. “I should be very grateful for your kind assistance, Jon,” hesaid mildly.
提利昂·蘭尼斯特只覺(jué)體內(nèi)一股怒氣逐漸醞釀，只好強(qiáng)自按捺。這不是他這輩子頭一次遭人羞辱，肯定也不是最后一次，何況這次還是他自討苦吃?！碍偠鳎绻憧铣鍪窒嘀?，我將非常感激?！彼麥睾偷卣f(shuō)。
?? “Down, Ghost,” the boy said. The direwolfsat on his haunches. Those red eyes never left Tyrion. Jon came around behindhim, slid his hands under his arms, and lifted him easily to his feet. Then hepicked up the book and handed it back.
“白靈，坐下。”男孩命令，冰原狼聽(tīng)罷蹲坐下來(lái)，那對(duì)紅眼卻始終不曾離開(kāi)提利昂。瓊恩繞到他身后，把手伸到他腋下，輕松地扶他起來(lái)，然后撿書遞給他。
?? “Why did he attack me?” Tyrion asked with asidelong glance at the direwolf. He wiped blood and dirt from his mouth withthe back of his hand.
“剛才它為什么攻擊我？”提利昂?jiǎn)?，他斜眼瞟了冰原狼一眼，用手背揩了揩嘴里的血污和泥巴?/p>
?? “Maybe he thought you were a grumkin.”
“說(shuō)不定他以為你就是古靈精怪喲。”
?? Tyrion glanced at him sharply. Then helaughed, a raw snort of amusement that came bursting out through his noseentirely without his permission. “Oh, gods,” he said, choking on his laughterand shaking his head, “I suppose I do rather look like a grumkin. What does hedo to snarks?”
提利昂瞪了他一眼，接著放聲大笑，那是一股他全然沒(méi)有預(yù)期的原始笑意。“噢，諸神在上，”他笑得差點(diǎn)岔了氣，不住搖頭，“我想我看起來(lái)確實(shí)蠻像的嘛！那要是他遇上真的古靈精怪會(huì)有何反應(yīng)?。俊?/p>
?? “You don’t want to know.” Jon picked up thewineskin and handed it to Tyrion.
“你不會(huì)想知道的?！杯偠魇捌鹁拼?，交還提利昂。
?? Tyrion pulled out the stopper, tilted hishead, and squeezed a long stream into his mouth. The wine was cool fire as ittrickled down his throat and warmed his belly. He held out the skin to JonSnow. “Want some?”
提利昂拉開(kāi)塞子，側(cè)著頭喝了一大口，葡萄酒宛如一泓冷火，流過(guò)他的喉嚨，溫暖他的脾胃。他把皮囊傳給瓊恩·雪諾。“你來(lái)點(diǎn)？”
?? The boy took the skin and tried a cautiousswallow. “It’s true, isn’t it?” he said when he was done. “What you said aboutthe Night’s Watch.”
男孩接過(guò)酒袋，謹(jǐn)慎地啜了一口?！皠偛拍阏f(shuō)的那些關(guān)于守夜人的事，”喝完之后他問(wèn)，“都是真的？”
?? Tyrion nodded.
提利昂點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭。
?? Jon Snow set his mouth in a grim line. “Ifthat’s what it is, that’s what it is.”
瓊恩·雪諾神情肅穆地抿抿嘴?！澳俏揖图葋?lái)之則安之?！?/p>
?? Tyrion grinned at him. “That’s good,bastard. Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.”
提利昂朝他嘿嘿一笑。“私生子，真有你的。大部分的人寧可否認(rèn)事實(shí)，也不愿面對(duì)真相?！?/p>
?? “Most men,” the boy said. “But not you.”
“那是大部分的人，”男孩道，“但不是你。”
?? “No,” Tyrion admitted, “not me. I seldomeven dream of dragons anymore. There are no dragons.” He scooped up the fallenbearskin. “Come, we had better return to camp before your uncle calls thebanners.”
“你說(shuō)得對(duì)，”提利昂同意，“不是我?，F(xiàn)在我連龍都很少去想了，這世上沒(méi)有龍了?！彼麚炱鸬袈湓诘氐男芷??！白?，我們還是趁你叔叔沒(méi)出來(lái)找人之前回營(yíng)去罷?！?/p>
?? The walk was short, but the ground was roughunderfoot and his legs were cramping badly by the time they got back. Jon Snowoffered a hand to help him over a thick tangle of roots, but Tyrion shook himoff. He would make his own way, as he had all his life. Still, the camp was awelcome sight. The shelters had been thrown up against the tumbledown wall of along-abandoned holdfast, a shield against the wind. The horses had been fed anda fire had been laid. Yoren sat on a stone, skinning a squirrel. The savorysmell of stew filled Tyrion’s nostrils. He dragged himself over to where hisman Morrec was tending the stewpot. Wordlessly, Morrec handed him the ladle.Tyrion tasted and handed it back. “More pepper,” he said.
回營(yíng)的路雖然不長(zhǎng)，但地面崎嶇不平，等到趕回營(yíng)區(qū)，他的雙腿已經(jīng)抽筋得厲害。瓊恩·雪諾伸手準(zhǔn)備幫他跨越一叢糾結(jié)繁密的樹(shù)根，但提利昂卻揮手拒絕了。他要自己走自己的路，一如他這一生。營(yíng)地是一副令人欣喜的景象：人們圍著一座早已廢棄的莊舍傾頹的墻壁，搭起擋風(fēng)的遮蔽，馬兒都已喂飽，營(yíng)火也生起來(lái)了，尤倫坐在一塊石頭上剝松鼠的皮。濃湯的香味溢滿提利昂的鼻腔。他一跛一拐地拖著腳，走到正在攪拌熱湯的仆人莫里斯身旁。莫里斯一言不發(fā)地把長(zhǎng)柄杓遞給他，提利昂嘗了一口后交回去?！霸俣嗉狱c(diǎn)胡椒。”他說(shuō)。
?? Benjen Stark emerged from the shelter heshared with his nephew. “There you are. Jon, damn it, don’t go off like that byyourself. I thought the Others had gotten you.”
班揚(yáng)·史塔克從他和侄子共用的帳篷里冒出來(lái)：“瓊恩，你總算回來(lái)了。媽的，別一個(gè)人到處亂跑，我還以為你給異鬼抓走了。”
?? “It was the grumkins,” Tyrion told him,laughing. Jon Snow smiled. Stark shot a baffled look at Yoren. The old mangrunted, shrugged, and went back to his bloody work.
“他是被古靈精怪抓走的。”提利昂笑著告訴他，瓊恩·雪諾也微微一笑。史塔克困惑地朝尤倫望去，那老頭只聳聳肩，咕噥了一聲，便又低頭專心剝皮。
?? The squirrel gave some body to the stew, andthey ate it with black bread and hard cheese that night around their fire.Tyrion shared around his skin of wine until even Yoren grew mellow. One by onethe company drifted off to their shelters and to sleep, all but Jon Snow, whohad drawn the night’s first watch.
那只松鼠為肉湯添了點(diǎn)美味，當(dāng)晚他們就圍坐在營(yíng)火邊，配著黑面包和硬乳酪吃。提利昂讓大家分享他的美酒，直喝到連尤倫都滿臉通紅。接著，大伙便一個(gè)個(gè)起身回帳篷去睡了，只剩下抽到頭班守夜的瓊恩·雪諾。
?? Tyrion was the last to retire, as always. Ashe stepped into the shelter his men had built for him, he paused and lookedback at Jon Snow. The boy stood near the fire, his face still and hard, lookingdeep into the flames.
提利昂照例是最后去睡的人，當(dāng)踏進(jìn)手下為他搭建的營(yíng)房時(shí)，他停下腳步，轉(zhuǎn)頭回望。只見(jiàn)男孩站在營(yíng)火邊，面色堅(jiān)毅凝重，深深望進(jìn)跳躍的熊熊火焰。
?? Tyrion Lannister smiled sadly and went tobed.
提利昂·蘭尼斯特哀傷地笑了笑，返身進(jìn)入營(yíng)帳就寢。
