BRAN
布蘭
?? The hunt left at dawn. The king wanted wildboar at the feast tonight. Prince Joffrey rode with his father, so Robb hadbeen allowed to join the hunters as well. Uncle Benjen, Jory, Theon Greyjoy,Ser Rodrik, and even the queen’s funny little brother had all ridden out withthem. It was the last hunt, after all. On the morrow they left for the south.
打獵的隊(duì)伍于黎明啟程鹃栽，國(guó)王希望能為今天的晚宴多添一道野熊大餐垮卓。因?yàn)閱谭鹄锿踝优c國(guó)王同行节槐，所以羅柏也得到允許塘匣，跟著狩獵隊(duì)伍一同前往。班揚(yáng)叔叔、喬里、席恩·葛雷喬伊和羅德利克爵士他們都跟著一道去，就連王后的滑稽小弟也在隊(duì)伍中锣吼。畢竟這是他們?cè)诒狈阶詈蟮拇颢C機(jī)會(huì)，明天蓝厌，國(guó)王的隊(duì)伍就要?jiǎng)由砟舷隆?/p>
?? Bran had been left behind with Jon and thegirls and Rickon. But Rickon was only a baby and the girls were only girls andJon and his wolf were nowhere to be found. Bran did not look for him very hard.He thought Jon was angry at him. Jon seemed to be angry at everyone these days.Bran did not know why. He was going with Uncle Ben to the Wall, to join theNight’s Watch. That was almost as good as going south with the king. Robb wasthe one they were leaving behind, not Jon.
布蘭和瓊恩玄叠、姐姐們以及瑞肯留在城里。瑞肯只是個(gè)小娃娃拓提，女孩子們本來(lái)就不喜歡打獵读恃，而瓊恩和他的小狼則跑得不見(jiàn)蹤影。布蘭也沒(méi)有努力去找他代态，因?yàn)樗X(jué)得瓊恩似乎在生自己的氣寺惫。瓊恩這幾天似乎在生城里每一個(gè)人的氣，布蘭很納悶蹦疑，他要和班揚(yáng)叔叔到長(zhǎng)城去加入守夜人軍團(tuán)西雀，那可不是和跟國(guó)王南下一樣的好事嗎？要留在家里的人是羅柏歉摧，不是瓊恩呀艇肴。
?? For days, Bran could scarcely wait to beoff. He was going to ride the kingsroad on a horse of his own, not a pony but areal horse. His father would be the Hand of the King, and they were going tolive in the red castle at King’s Landing, the castle the Dragonlords had built.Old Nan said there were ghosts there, and dungeons where terrible things hadbeen done, and dragon heads on the walls. It gave Bran a shiver just to thinkof it, but he was not afraid. How could he be afraid? His father would be withhim, and the king with all his knights and sworn swords.
這幾天來(lái)，布蘭興奮得坐立不安判莉。他很快就要在國(guó)王大道上策馬馳騁了豆挽，不是騎小馬喔育谬，而是騎真正的駿馬券盅。父親將成為國(guó)王的首相，他們會(huì)搬進(jìn)君臨膛檀，住進(jìn)龍王建造的“紅堡”锰镀。老奶媽說(shuō)那里鬧鬼，地牢里有不為人知的恐怖酷刑咖刃，墻上還掛著龍頭泳炉。布蘭光想想就渾身打顫，但他卻不害怕嚎杨，有什么好怕的呢花鹅？他有父親保護(hù)，還有國(guó)王和他所有的騎士與宣誓效忠的武士呢枫浙。
?? Bran was going to be a knight himself someday, one of the Kingsguard. Old Nan said they were the finest swords in allthe realm. There were only seven of them, and they wore white armor and had nowives or children, but lived only to serve the king. Bran knew all the stories.Their names were like music to him. Serwyn of the Mirror Shield. Ser RyamRedwyne. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. The twins Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk, whohad died on one another’s swords hundreds of years ago, when brother foughtsister in the war the singers called the Dance of the Dragons. The White Bull,Gerold Hightower. Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Barristan theBold.
有朝一日布蘭自己也要當(dāng)騎士刨肃，加入國(guó)王的御林鐵衛(wèi)古拴。老奶媽說(shuō)他們是全國(guó)最優(yōu)秀的戰(zhàn)士。御林鐵衛(wèi)一共只有七人真友，身穿白衣白甲黄痪，沒(méi)有任何家室牽累，活著的惟一目的就是守護(hù)國(guó)王盔然。關(guān)于他們的故事布蘭早就聽(tīng)得滾瓜爛熟桅打，倒背如流了：“鏡盾”薩文，萊安·雷德溫爵士愈案，龍騎士伊蒙王子挺尾，幾百年前死在對(duì)方劍下的孿生兄弟伊利克爵士和亞歷克爵士——那是一場(chǎng)骨肉相殘，姐弟交戰(zhàn)站绪，被后世吟游詩(shī)人稱為“血龍狂舞”的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)潦嘶，還有“白牛”杰洛·海陶爾崇众，“拂曉神劍”亞瑟·戴恩爵士掂僵，以及“無(wú)畏的”巴利斯坦。
?? Two of the Kingsguard had come north withKing Robert. Bran had watched them with fascination, never quite daring tospeak to them. Ser Boros was a bald man with a jowly face, and Ser Meryn haddroopy eyes and a beard the color of rust. Ser Jaime Lannister looked more likethe knights in the stories, and he was of the Kingsguard too, but Robb said hehad killed the old mad king and shouldn’t count anymore. The greatest livingknight was Ser Barristan Selmy, Barristan the Bold, the Lord Commander of theKingsguard. Father had promised that they would meet Ser Barristan when theyreached King’s Landing, and Bran had been marking the days on his wall, eagerto depart, to see a world he had only dreamed of and begin a life he couldscarcely imagine.
這次有兩名御林鐵衛(wèi)和勞勃國(guó)王一同北來(lái)顷歌，布蘭瞠目結(jié)舌地看著他們锰蓬，始終不敢上前攀談。柏洛斯爵士是個(gè)禿了頂眯漩、雙下巴的人芹扭，馬林爵士則兩眼低垂，須如鐵銹赦抖。只有詹姆·蘭尼斯特爵士看起來(lái)比較像故事里的偉大騎士舱卡，他也是七鐵衛(wèi)之一，不過(guò)羅柏說(shuō)他殺了瘋狂的老王队萤，已經(jīng)不能算御林鐵衛(wèi)了轮锥。如今世上最偉大的騎士是巴利斯坦·賽爾彌爵士，人稱“無(wú)畏的”巴利斯坦要尔，他是御林鐵衛(wèi)隊(duì)長(zhǎng)舍杜。父親答應(yīng)過(guò)他們，等抵達(dá)君臨之后赵辕，一定會(huì)讓他們見(jiàn)見(jiàn)巴利斯坦爵士既绩。布蘭每天在墻上畫(huà)記號(hào)數(shù)日子，迫不及待想動(dòng)身出發(fā)还惠，去看看一個(gè)以往只存在于夢(mèng)中的世界饲握，過(guò)另一種從來(lái)無(wú)法想像的生活。
?? Yet now that the last day was at hand,suddenly Bran felt lost. Winterfell had been the only home he had ever known.His father had told him that he ought to say his farewells today, and he hadtried. After the hunt had ridden out, he wandered through the castle with hiswolf at his side, intending to visit the ones who would be left behind, Old Nanand Gage the cook, Mikken in his smithy, Hodor the stableboy who smiled so muchand took care of his pony and never said anything but “Hodor,” the man in theglass gardens who gave him a blackberry when he came to visit?.?.?.?
可現(xiàn)在離出發(fā)只剩一天，布蘭卻突然若有所失起來(lái)救欧。臨冬城是他惟一熟悉的家園歪今，父親叮囑他今天要向大家道別，他也盡力去試颜矿。打獵隊(duì)伍離開(kāi)后寄猩，他帶著小狼在城堡里閑逛，打算和熟人們一個(gè)個(gè)說(shuō)再見(jiàn)骑疆。老奶媽田篇、廚師蓋吉，鐵匠密肯箍铭，還有負(fù)責(zé)幫他照顧小馬泊柬，成天咧著嘴笑，除了“阿多”兩個(gè)字以外诈火，一句話也不會(huì)講的馬夫阿多兽赁。每次布蘭去玻璃花園玩，阿多總會(huì)給他一顆黑莓冷守。
?? But it was no good. He had gone to thestable first, and seen his pony there in its stall, except it wasn’t his ponyanymore, he was getting a real horse and leaving the pony behind, and all of asudden Bran just wanted to sit down and cry. He turned and ran off before Hodorand the other stableboys could see the tears in his eyes. That was the end ofhis farewells. Instead Bran spent the morning alone in the godswood, trying toteach his wolf to fetch a stick, and failing. The wolfling was smarter than anyof the hounds in his father’s kennel and Bran would have sworn he understoodevery word that was said to him, but he showed very little interest in chasingsticks.
但他開(kāi)不了口刀崖。他先去了馬廄，看到自己的小馬拍摇，只是現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)不屬于他了亮钦。他很快便會(huì)擁有一匹真正的馬，而把小馬留在這里充活，突然間布蘭好想坐下來(lái)放聲大哭蜂莉，于是他趕緊跑開(kāi)，以免阿多和其他馬夫見(jiàn)到他眼中的淚水混卵。他總共就說(shuō)了這么一次再見(jiàn)映穗，之后便一早上獨(dú)自躲在神木林里，教他的小狼把丟出去的樹(shù)枝叼回來(lái)幕随，卻徒勞無(wú)功蚁滋。他的小狼比父親獸舍里所有的獵狗都要聰明，他幾乎可以肯定他聽(tīng)得懂他說(shuō)的每一句話合陵。只可惜他對(duì)叼樹(shù)枝似乎沒(méi)多少興趣枢赔。
?? He was still trying to decide on a name.Robb was calling his Grey Wind, because he ran so fast. Sansa had named hersLady, and Arya named hers after some old witch queen in the songs, and littleRickon called his Shaggydog, which Bran thought was a pretty stupid name for adirewolf. Jon’s wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought ofthat first, even though his wolf wasn’t white. He had tried a hundred names inthe last fortnight, but none of them sounded right.
他到現(xiàn)在還無(wú)法決定給它取什么名字。羅柏的狼叫做“灰風(fēng)”拥知，因?yàn)樗芷饋?lái)迅捷如風(fēng)；珊莎的叫做“淑女”碎赢；艾莉亞用歌謠里某個(gè)古老的女巫王為她的狼命名低剔；小瑞肯則把他的狼叫做“毛毛狗”——布蘭覺(jué)得給冰原狼起這種名字實(shí)在很蠢；瓊恩的那只白狼叫白靈。布蘭真希望自己比瓊恩先想到這個(gè)名字襟齿，即使他的狼毛色不是很白姻锁。過(guò)去這兩周以來(lái)，他不知道已經(jīng)想過(guò)多少名字了猜欺，偏偏就是沒(méi)一個(gè)聽(tīng)來(lái)順耳位隶。
?? Finally he got tired of the stick game anddecided to go climbing. He hadn’t been up to the broken tower for weeks witheverything that had happened, and this might be his last chance.
最后他累了，便決定去爬墻开皿。最近發(fā)生了這么多事情涧黄，他已經(jīng)好幾個(gè)星期沒(méi)爬到殘塔上玩了，這說(shuō)不定還是他最后的機(jī)會(huì)呢赋荆。
?? He raced across the godswood, taking thelong way around to avoid the pool where the heart tree grew. The heart tree hadalways frightened him; trees ought not have eyes, Bran thought, or leaves thatlooked like hands. His wolf came sprinting at his heels. “You stay here,” hetold him at the base of the sentinel tree near the armory wall. “Lie down.That’s right. Now stay...”
于是他拔腿跑過(guò)神木林笋妥，還特地繞路避開(kāi)心樹(shù)旁邊的那泓冷泉。布蘭一直很怕心樹(shù)窄潭，他總覺(jué)得樹(shù)不應(yīng)該長(zhǎng)眼睛春宣，葉子也不該生成手掌的模樣。小狼跟在他身邊嫉你≡碌郏“你留在這兒∮奈郏”他在武器庫(kù)墻外哨兵樹(shù)下對(duì)它說(shuō)嫁赏，“乖乖躺下，對(duì)油挥，就這樣潦蝇，留在這兒別動(dòng)——”
?? The wolf did as he was told. Bran scratchedhim behind the ears, then turned away, jumped, grabbed a low branch, and pulledhimself up. He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, whenthe wolf got to his feet and began to howl.
小狼果然乖乖地留在原地，布蘭搔了搔它的耳后根深寥，然后轉(zhuǎn)身一躍攘乒，抓住低垂的枝干，一翻身便上了樹(shù)惋鹅≡蛟停可當(dāng)他爬到一半，正游刃有余地穿梭枝丫時(shí)闰集，小狼卻霍地起身嗥叫開(kāi)來(lái)沽讹。
?? Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent,staring up at him through slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went throughhim. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled. “Quiet,” he yelled.“Sit down. Stay. You’re worse than Mother.” The howling chased him all the wayup the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight.
布蘭低頭一看，小狼便立刻安靜武鲁，睜大那雙亮閃閃的黃色眼珠往上瞧爽雄。布蘭覺(jué)得有股詭異的寒意流貫全身。他繼續(xù)爬沐鼠，小狼又繼續(xù)嗥挚瘟√舅“別叫啦！”他喊乘盖，“乖乖坐好別動(dòng)焰檩，你比媽還煩《┛颍”然而狼嗥卻一直跟隨著他析苫，直到他跳上武器庫(kù)屋頂，消失了蹤影為止穿扳。
?? The rooftops of Winterfell were Bran’ssecond home. His mother often said that Bran could climb before he could walk.Bran could not remember when he first learned to walk, but he could notremember when he started to climb either, so he supposed it must be true.
臨冬城的屋頂幾乎可算是布蘭的第二個(gè)家衩侥，母親總說(shuō)他連走路都還沒(méi)學(xué)會(huì)，就先學(xué)會(huì)爬墻啦纵揍。布蘭既不記得自己什么時(shí)候?qū)W會(huì)走路顿乒，也不知道自己什么時(shí)候?qū)W會(huì)爬墻，所以他猜她說(shuō)得應(yīng)該沒(méi)錯(cuò)泽谨。
?? To a boy, Winterfell was a grey stonelabyrinth of walls and towers and courtyards and tunnels spreading out in alldirections. In the older parts of the castle, the halls slanted up and down sothat you couldn’t even be sure what floor you were on. The place had grown overthe centuries like some monstrous stone tree, Maester Luwin told him once, andits branches were gnarled and thick and twisted, its roots sunk deep into theearth.
對(duì)一個(gè)小男孩而言璧榄，臨冬城的城墻高塔、庭院甬道就像是座灰石砌成的廣袤迷宮吧雹。在城堡比較老舊的部分骨杂，無(wú)數(shù)廳堂四處傾斜，容易讓人產(chǎn)生不知置身何處之感雄卷。魯溫學(xué)士曾說(shuō)搓蚪，幾千年來(lái)，城堡就像一棵不斷蔓生的怪物般的石頭巨樹(shù)丁鹉，枝干扭曲妒潭，盤根錯(cuò)節(jié)。
?? When he got out from under it and scrambledup near the sky, Bran could see all of Winterfell in a glance. He liked the wayit looked, spread out beneath him, only birds wheeling over his head while allthe life of the castle went on below. Bran could perch for hours among theshapeless, rain-worn gargoyles that brooded over the First Keep, watching itall: the men drilling with wood and steel in the yard, the cooks tending theirvegetables in the glass garden, restless dogs running back and forth in thekennels, the silence of the godswood, the girls gossiping beside the washingwell. It made him feel like he was lord of the castle, in a way even Robb wouldnever know.
當(dāng)布蘭穿過(guò)錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的傾頹古城揣钦，爬到接近天空的地方雳灾，全城的景致終于一覽無(wú)遺。他很喜歡臨冬城在他面前展開(kāi)的遼闊樣貌冯凹，城堡里的一切熙來(lái)攘往谎亩、人聲喧嘩都在他腳下，惟有天際飛鳥(niǎo)在頭上盤旋宇姚。布蘭往往就這樣趴在首堡之上匈庭，置身在形狀早已不復(fù)辨識(shí)、被風(fēng)霜雨雪摧殘殆盡的石像鬼間浑劳，俯瞰下方的城間百態(tài)阱持。看著廣場(chǎng)上拖運(yùn)木材和鋼鐵的長(zhǎng)工呀洲，看著玻璃花園里采集菜蔬的廚師紊选，看著犬舍里來(lái)回奔跑啼止、局促不安的獵狗道逗，看著靜默無(wú)語(yǔ)的神木林兵罢，看著深井邊交頭接耳的女侍，仿佛他才是城堡真正的主人滓窍，即使羅柏也無(wú)法體會(huì)這種境界卖词。
?? It taught him Winterfell’s secrets too. Thebuilders had not even leveled the earth; there were hills and valleys behindthe walls of Winterfell. There was a covered bridge that went from the fourthfloor of the bell tower across to the second floor of the rookery. Bran knewabout that. And he knew you could get inside the inner wall by the south gate,climb three floors and run all the way around Winterfell through a narrowtunnel in the stone, and then come out on ground level at the north gate, witha hundred feet of wall looming over you. Even Maester Luwin didn’t know that,Bran was convinced.
他也因此挖掘出臨冬城許多不為人知的秘密，比如當(dāng)初建筑工人并沒(méi)有把城堡附近的地勢(shì)鏟平吏夯，所以城墻外面不但有起伏丘陵此蜈，還有溪澗峽谷。布蘭知道一座密閉的橋道噪生，可以從鐘塔的四樓直接通鴉巢的二層裆赵。他還知道如何從南門進(jìn)入內(nèi)城墻里邊，順著門梯爬三層跺嗽，便能找到一條狹窄的石砌甬道战授，它可以繞行臨冬城，最后抵達(dá)位于百尺高墻陰影下的北門底層桨嫁。布蘭相信就連魯溫師傅也不知道這條捷徑植兰。
?? His mother was terrified that one day Branwould slip off a wall and kill himself. He told her that he wouldn’t, but shenever believed him. Once she made him promise that he would stay on the ground.He had managed to keep that promise for almost a fortnight, miserable everyday, until one night he had gone out the window of his bedroom when hisbrothers were fast asleep.
母親一直很害怕布蘭哪天會(huì)不小心滑下來(lái)，失足摔死璃吧。任他再三保證楣导，她卻怎么也不肯相信。有次她強(qiáng)迫他發(fā)誓不再往高處爬畜挨，結(jié)果這個(gè)諾言只勉強(qiáng)維持了兩個(gè)星期筒繁，他每天都痛苦無(wú)比，最后有一天夜里巴元，趁他兄弟熟睡的時(shí)候毡咏，他還是爬出了臥房窗戶。
?? He confessed his crime the next day in a fitof guilt. Lord Eddard ordered him to the godswood to cleanse himself. Guardswere posted to see that Bran remained there alone all night to reflect on hisdisobedience. The next morning Bran was nowhere to be seen. They finally foundhim fast asleep in the upper branches of the tallest sentinel in the grove.
翌日他滿懷罪惡感地自行招認(rèn)务冕，艾德公爵叫他獨(dú)自去神木林懺悔血当，還派了守衛(wèi)監(jiān)視，以確保他整晚都在林子里反省他不聽(tīng)話的行為禀忆。沒(méi)想到第二天清晨臊旭，布蘭卻不見(jiàn)蹤影，最后眾人是在林間最高的一棵哨兵樹(shù)的上層枝干找到睡得正香甜的他箩退。
?? As angry as he was, his father could nothelp but laugh. “You’re not my son,” he told Bran when they fetched him down,“you’re a squirrel. So be it. If you must climb, then climb, but try not to letyour mother see you.”
盡管父親氣得半死离熏，終于還是忍不住笑道：“你一定不是我兒子，”當(dāng)其他人把布蘭抱下來(lái)時(shí)戴涝，他對(duì)兒子說(shuō)滋戳，“你根本是只松鼠钻蔑。算了，我認(rèn)了奸鸯，如果你真的非爬不可咪笑，那就去爬吧，盡量別讓你母親瞧見(jiàn)就是娄涩〈芭”
?? Bran did his best, although he did not thinkhe ever really fooled her. Since his father would not forbid it, she turned toothers. Old Nan told him a story about a bad little boy who climbed too highand was struck down by lightning, and how afterward the crows came to peck outhis eyes. Bran was not impressed. There were crows’ nests atop the brokentower, where no one ever went but him, and sometimes he filled his pockets withcorn before he climbed up there and the crows ate it right out of his hand. Noneof them had ever shown the slightest bit of interest in pecking out his eyes.
布蘭很努力，雖然他認(rèn)為母親對(duì)他的舉動(dòng)其實(shí)一清二楚蓄拣。既然父親不愿阻止他四處攀爬扬虚，她便轉(zhuǎn)而采取迂回策略。首先來(lái)的是老奶媽球恤，她跟他講了一個(gè)故事辜昵，說(shuō)從前有個(gè)不聽(tīng)話的壞小孩，越爬越高咽斧，最后被雷活活劈死堪置，死后烏鴉還來(lái)啄他眼睛。布蘭聽(tīng)了不為所動(dòng)收厨，因?yàn)闅埶隙嗟氖菫貘f窠巢晋柱，那里除了他沒(méi)人會(huì)去，所以有時(shí)他會(huì)在口袋里裝滿玉米诵叁。一上塔頂雁竞，烏鴉便都開(kāi)開(kāi)心心地聚攏來(lái)從他手心啄食，怎么也不像會(huì)啄他眼睛的模樣拧额。
?? Later, Maester Luwin built a little potteryboy and dressed him in Bran’s clothes and flung him off the wall into the yardbelow, to demonstrate what would happen to Bran if he fell. That had been fun,but afterward Bran just looked at the maester and said, “I’m not made of clay.And anyhow, I never fall.”
眼看這招無(wú)效碑诉，魯溫師傅便用陶土捏了個(gè)小男孩，為它穿上布蘭的衣服侥锦，然后從城墻上丟下去进栽，好讓布蘭了解他若是摔下，會(huì)有多么凄慘的結(jié)果恭垦。那是個(gè)有趣的實(shí)驗(yàn)快毛，但事后布蘭卻只盯著魯溫師傅，面無(wú)表情地說(shuō)：“我不是泥做的番挺，而且我絕對(duì)不會(huì)摔下去唠帝。”
?? Then for a while the guards would chase himwhenever they saw him on the roofs, and try to haul him down. That was the besttime of all. It was like playing a game with his brothers, except that Branalways won. None of the guards could climb half so well as Bran, not even Jory.Most of the time they never saw him anyway. People never looked up. That wasanother thing he liked about climbing; it was almost like being invisible.
在此之后玄柏，輪到了城里的守衛(wèi)襟衰，有一段時(shí)間，只要他們發(fā)現(xiàn)他在屋頂上粪摘，就會(huì)吆喝追趕瀑晒，想把他趕下來(lái)绍坝。那是最緊張刺激的時(shí)刻了，簡(jiǎn)直就像和哥哥弟弟們玩游戲苔悦，只不過(guò)轩褐，這游戲每次都是布蘭獲勝。衛(wèi)兵們誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有布蘭這種本事间坐，連喬里也拿他沒(méi)轍灾挨。不過(guò)多數(shù)時(shí)候他們根本就沒(méi)看見(jiàn)他邑退，人是從來(lái)不往上看的竹宋。這也是他喜歡爬墻的原因之一，仿佛可以因此隱身遁形地技。
?? He liked how it felt too, pulling himself upa wall stone by stone, fingers and toes digging hard into the small crevicesbetween. He always took off his boots and went barefoot when he climbed; itmade him feel as if he had four hands instead of two. He liked the deep, sweetache it left in the muscles afterward. He liked the way the air tasted way uphigh, sweet and cold as a winter peach. He liked the birds: the crows in thebroken tower, the tiny little sparrows that nested in cracks between thestones, the ancient owl that slept in the dusty loft above the old armory. Branknew them all.
他很喜歡攀爬時(shí)那種一石高過(guò)一石蜈七，手腳并用，聚精會(huì)神的感覺(jué)莫矗。每次他都先把靴子脫掉飒硅，然后光著腳丫爬墻，如此一來(lái)讓他覺(jué)得自己多出兩只手作谚。他喜歡每次事后渾身肌肉那種疲累卻甜絲絲的酸疼三娩；喜歡高處清冽的空氣，冰冷甘美宛如冬雪甜桃妹懒；喜歡各式各樣的鳥(niǎo)類雀监，包括群聚殘塔上的大烏鴉，筑巢亂石間的小麻雀和棲息在舊武器庫(kù)積滿灰塵閣樓里的老夜梟眨唬。布蘭對(duì)這些事物通通了如指掌会前。
?? Most of all, he liked going places that noone else could go, and seeing the grey sprawl of Winterfell in a way that noone else ever saw it. It made the whole castle Bran’s secret place.
不過(guò)他最喜歡的還是登上人跡罕至的地方，看著城堡以一種不曾為他人展示的樣貌匾竿，在眼前灰蒙蒙地呈現(xiàn)出來(lái)瓦宜。整座臨冬城似乎都因此成了布蘭的秘密基地。
?? His favorite haunt was the broken tower.Once it had been a watchtower, the tallest in Winterfell. A long time ago, ahundred years before even his father had been born, a lightning strike had setit afire. The top third of the structure had collapsed inward, and the towerhad never been rebuilt. Sometimes his father sent ratters into the base of thetower, to clean out the nests they always found among the jumble of fallenstones and charred and rotten beams. But no one ever got up to the jagged topof the structure now except for Bran and the crows.
他對(duì)曾是臨冬城最高瞭望臺(tái)的殘塔情有獨(dú)鐘岭妖。很久很久以前临庇，在他父親出生前約一百年，高塔遭暴雷擊中昵慌，起火燃燒假夺，頂端三分之一的建筑朝塔內(nèi)崩塌，自此以后始終沒(méi)有重建废离。父親偶爾會(huì)派人進(jìn)到殘塔底層清理斷垣殘壁間的老鼠窩侄泽，然而除了布蘭和烏鴉，從來(lái)沒(méi)有人登上過(guò)塔頂廢墟蜻韭。
?? He knew two ways to get there. You couldclimb straight up the side of the tower itself, but the stones were loose, themortar that held them together long gone to ash, and Bran never liked to puthis full weight on them.
他知道兩種登上塔頂?shù)耐緩降课玻皇侵苯訌臍埶鈬郎先ナ量郏怯捎诋?dāng)年刷的泥漿早已干燥風(fēng)化，磚石容易松落闺魏，因此布蘭爬的時(shí)候不太敢把重心放在上面未状。
?? The best way was to start from the godswood,shinny up the tall sentinel, and cross over the armory and the guards hall,leaping roof to roof, barefoot so the guards wouldn’t hear you overhead. Thatbrought you up to the blind side of the First Keep, the oldest part of thecastle, a squat round fortress that was taller than it looked. Only rats andspiders lived there now but the old stones still made for good climbing. Youcould go straight up to where the gargoyles leaned out blindly over emptyspace, and swing from gargoyle to gargoyle, hand over hand, around to the northside. From there, if you really stretched, you could reach out and pullyourself over to the broken tower where it leaned close. The last part was thescramble up the blackened stones to the eyrie, no more than ten feet, and thenthe crows would come round to see if you’d brought any corn.
最好的方法還是從神木林出發(fā)，爬上高高的哨兵樹(shù)析桥，從武器庫(kù)的屋頂跳到守衛(wèi)室的屋頂司草，其間光著腳以免守衛(wèi)聽(tīng)見(jiàn)，如此便可順利抵達(dá)城中最古老的首堡后方泡仗。那是座低矮的圓形堡壘埋虹，其實(shí)它比乍看上去要高得多。如今堡內(nèi)雖只有老鼠和蜘蛛娩怎，但當(dāng)年建筑的古老石塊仍舊提供了攀爬的最佳場(chǎng)所搔课。你甚至可以直接爬到眼神空洞的石像鬼雕像駐守的空曠高臺(tái)，兩手勾緊截亦，從這個(gè)石像鬼懸蕩到那個(gè)石像鬼爬泥，隨后抵達(dá)城樓北端。接著崩瓤，只要全力伸展袍啡，便可夠到傾斜的殘塔。最后的部分只是翻越焦黑的亂石堆登上養(yǎng)鷹樓却桶，爬不到十尺境输，烏鴉群便會(huì)競(jìng)相迎接，看你有沒(méi)有帶玉米粒給它們了肾扰。
?? Bran was moving from gargoyle to gargoylewith the ease of long practice when he heard the voices. He was so startled healmost lost his grip. The First Keep had been empty all his life.
這天布蘭一如往常畴嘶，駕輕就熟地在石像鬼雕像間蕩來(lái)蕩去，不料卻聽(tīng)到說(shuō)話的聲音集晚。他嚇得差點(diǎn)松手窗悯，首堡向來(lái)是個(gè)人跡罕至的地方呀！
?? “I do not like it,” a woman was saying.There was a row of windows beneath him, and the voice was drifting out of the lastwindow on this side. “You should be the Hand.”
“我不喜歡這樣偷拔，”有個(gè)女人的聲音說(shuō)蒋院。布蘭下方有一排窗戶，聲音是從最后一扇窗里傳出來(lái)的莲绰，“當(dāng)首相的該是你才對(duì)欺旧。”
?? “Gods forbid,” a man’s voice replied lazily.“It’s not an honor I’d want. There’s far too much work involved.”
“饒了我罷蛤签，”一個(gè)男人的聲音慵懶地回答辞友，“這種苦差我可不想攬，想做的事多著呢〕屏”
?? Bran hung, listening, suddenly afraid to goon. They might glimpse his feet if he tried to swing by.
布蘭懸在半空留拾，靜靜地聽(tīng)著，突然心生恐懼鲫尊，不敢再往前蕩痴柔，生怕經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)自己的雙腳會(huì)被他們發(fā)現(xiàn)。
?? “Don’t you see the danger this puts us in?”the woman said. “Robert loves the man like a brother.”
“你難道看不出背后隱藏的危險(xiǎn)疫向？”女人接著說(shuō)咳蔚，“勞勃把那家伙當(dāng)親兄弟一樣∩ν眨”
?? “Robert can barely stomach his brothers. Notthat I blame him. Stannis would be enough to give anyone indigestion.”
“勞勃最受不了他兩個(gè)弟弟谈火。我也不怪他，有史坦尼斯那樣的老弟匙奴，任誰(shuí)都要反胃堆巧。”
?? “Don’t play the fool. Stannis and Renly areone thing, and Eddard Stark is quite another. Robert will listen to Stark. Damnthem both. I should have insisted that he name you, but I was certain Starkwould refuse him.”
“別傻了泼菌，史坦尼斯和藍(lán)禮是一回事，艾德·史塔克又是另一回事啦租。勞勃對(duì)史塔克會(huì)言聽(tīng)計(jì)從哗伯。這兩人都該下地獄，早知道我就堅(jiān)持要他選你當(dāng)首相篷角。我一直以為史塔克會(huì)拒絕他焊刹。”
?? “We ought to count ourselves fortunate,” theman said. “The king might as easily have named one of his brothers, or evenLittlefinger, gods help us. Give me honorable enemies rather than ambitiousones, and I’ll sleep more easily by night.”
“我們這樣已經(jīng)算走運(yùn)啦恳蹲，”男人道虐块，“諸神在上，誰(shuí)知道國(guó)王會(huì)不會(huì)叫他弟弟或那個(gè)小指頭來(lái)當(dāng)首相。比起野心勃勃的對(duì)手，讓我面對(duì)講究榮譽(yù)的敵人毫炉，可能還會(huì)睡得安穩(wěn)些懦趋。”
?? They were talking about Father, Branrealized. He wanted to hear more. A few more feet?.?.?.?but they would see himif he swung out in front of the window.
布蘭這才會(huì)意毫别，他們談?wù)摰恼歉赣H！他想多聽(tīng)一些，再靠近幾尺……可他如果蕩過(guò)那扇窗戶儿普，他們一定會(huì)看到他的腳。
?? “We will have to watch him carefully,” thewoman said.
“我們得好好監(jiān)視他才行掷倔∶己ⅲ”女人說(shuō)。
?? “I would sooner watch you,” the man said. Hesounded bored. “Come back here.”
“我寧愿好好看看你，”男人說(shuō)浪汪，他的語(yǔ)氣聽(tīng)起來(lái)很無(wú)趣障贸，“過(guò)來(lái)吧∫骰拢”
?? “Lord Eddard has never taken any interest inanything that happened south of the Neck,” the woman said. “Never. I tell you,he means to move against us. Why else would he leave the seat of his power?”
“艾德公爵從沒(méi)插手過(guò)南方的事務(wù)篮洁，”女人道，“從來(lái)沒(méi)有殃姓。我告訴你袁波，他明明就是要對(duì)付我們，不然何必離開(kāi)他的勢(shì)力中心蜗侈？”
?? “A hundred reasons. Duty. Honor. He yearnsto write his name large across the book of history, to get away from his wife,or both. Perhaps he just wants to be warm for once in his life.”
“理由多的是篷牌，責(zé)任心、榮譽(yù)感都有可能踏幻，或者他想名垂青史枷颊，或者他們夫妻不和，甚至兩者皆有该面，也或許他只想找個(gè)溫暖的地方住住而已夭苗。”
?? “His wife is Lady Arryn’s sister. It’s awonder Lysa was not here to greet us with her accusations.”
“他太太是艾林夫人的姐姐隔缀，萊莎竟然沒(méi)有跑到這里题造，用她的指控歡迎我們，已經(jīng)很難得了猾瘸〗缗猓”
?? Bran looked down. There was a narrow ledgebeneath the window, only a few inches wide. He tried to lower himself towardit. Too far. He would never reach.
布蘭往下看去，窗子下方只有個(gè)幾寸寬的窗欞牵触，他試著放低身子淮悼，但是距離太遠(yuǎn)，夠不到揽思。
?? “You fret too much. Lysa Arryn is afrightened cow.”
“你想太多啦袜腥，艾林夫人不過(guò)是頭嚇壞的母牛嘛〈赂”
?? “That frightened cow shared Jon Arryn’sbed.”
“這頭母徘萍罚可是和瓊恩·艾林同床共枕的±芡澹”
?? “If she knew anything, she would have goneto Robert before she fled King’s Landing.”
“假如她知道特恬，早在離開(kāi)君臨之前就去找勞勃告狀了⌒炷疲”
?? “When he had already agreed to foster thatweakling son of hers at Casterly Rock? I think not. She knew the boy’s lifewould be hostage to her silence. She may grow bolder now that he’s safe atopthe Eyrie.”
“在他剛剛決定要把她那沒(méi)用的兒子送去凱巖城作養(yǎng)子的時(shí)候癌刽？我想不會(huì)。她自己也明白如此一來(lái)她兒子會(huì)成為人質(zhì)，威脅她不準(zhǔn)說(shuō)出實(shí)情∠园荩現(xiàn)在回到了鷹巢城衡奥，只怕她膽子會(huì)大起來(lái)≡盾”
?? “Mothers.” The man made the word sound likea curse. “I think birthing does something to your minds. You are all mad.” Helaughed. It was a bitter sound. “Let Lady Arryn grow as bold as she likes.Whatever she knows, whatever she thinks she knows, she has no proof.” He pauseda moment. “Or does she?”
“作母親的都一個(gè)樣矮固，”男人把“母親”一詞說(shuō)得仿佛是個(gè)詛咒，“我總認(rèn)為生產(chǎn)會(huì)燒壞腦子譬淳，你們?nèi)集偭说抵贰！彼酀匦πα诎穑安还芩烤怪朗裁词厣欤蜃砸詾橹蓝嗌伲凑龥](méi)有證據(jù)浦妄∧崮。”他停了一會(huì)兒，“她有么剂娄？”
?? “Do you think the king will require proof?”the woman said. “I tell you, he loves me not.”
“告訴我蠢涝，你覺(jué)得國(guó)王會(huì)需要什么證據(jù)？”女人回答宜咒，“他根本就不愛(ài)我惠赫！”
?? “And whose fault is that, sweet sister?”
“好姐姐，這是誰(shuí)的錯(cuò)肮屎凇？”
?? Bran studied the ledge. He could drop down.It was too narrow to land on, but if he could catch hold as he fell past, pullhimself up?.?.?.?except that might make a noise, draw them to the window. Hewas not sure what he was hearing, but he knew it was not meant for his ears.
布蘭仔細(xì)看看窗欞庭砍，他應(yīng)該可以跳下去场晶，雖然窗欞太窄，沒(méi)法站穩(wěn)怠缸，但他可以在墜落的時(shí)候鉤住诗轻，然后再攀上去……怕只怕會(huì)弄出聲音，引來(lái)他們的注意揭北。他不太了解所聽(tīng)到的事情扳炬，只是很確定這些話不是說(shuō)給他聽(tīng)的。
?? “You are as blind as Robert,” the woman wassaying.
“你和勞勃一樣都瞎了眼搔体『拚粒”女人說(shuō)。
?? “If you mean I see the same thing, yes,” theman said. “I see a man who would sooner die than betray his king.”
“如果你的意思是我和他看法一致疚俱，沒(méi)有錯(cuò)劝术，”男人答道，“我眼中的艾德·史塔克是個(gè)寧死也不愿背叛國(guó)王的人⊙”
?? “He betrayed one already, or have youforgotten?” the woman said. “Oh, I don’t deny he’s loyal to Robert, that’sobvious. What happens when Robert dies and Joff takes the throne? And thesooner that comes to pass, the safer we’ll all be. My husband grows morerestless every day. Having Stark beside him will only make him worse. He’s stillin love with the sister, the insipid little dead sixteen-year-old. How longtill he decides to put me aside for some new Lyanna?”
“他已經(jīng)背叛過(guò)一個(gè)國(guó)王衬吆，你難道忘了嗎？”女人道绳泉，“噢逊抡，我不否認(rèn)他對(duì)勞勃忠心耿耿，這毋庸置疑零酪，但要是勞勃死了冒嫡，小喬繼承王位呢？而勞勃越早死蛾娶，我們便越安全灯谣。我丈夫近來(lái)愈加焦躁不安，讓史塔克隨侍他身旁只會(huì)讓情況惡化蛔琅。他到現(xiàn)在還愛(ài)著那個(gè)死了的十六歲小妹胎许，誰(shuí)知道哪天他會(huì)為了新的萊安娜，把我丟到一邊罗售？”
?? Bran was suddenly very frightened. He wantednothing so much as to go back the way he had come, to find his brothers. Onlywhat would he tell them? He had to get closer, Bran realized. He had to see whowas talking.
布蘭突然覺(jué)得害怕極了辜窑，此時(shí)的他只想趕快循原路回去，去找他的兄弟尋求協(xié)助寨躁。然而他要告訴他們些什么呢穆碎？布蘭明白自己非再靠近一點(diǎn)不可，他得看看說(shuō)話的人是誰(shuí)职恳。
?? The man sighed. “You should think less aboutthe future and more about the pleasures at hand.”
男人嘆道：“你別老擔(dān)心未來(lái)的事所禀，多想想眼前的幸福罷》徘眨”
?? “Stop that!” the woman said. Bran heard thesudden slap of flesh on flesh, then the man’s laughter.
“少說(shuō)這種話色徘！”女人斥道。布蘭聽(tīng)到突如其來(lái)的皮肉拍打操禀，接著又聽(tīng)見(jiàn)男人的笑聲褂策。
?? Bran pulled himself up, climbed over thegargoyle, crawled out onto the roof. This was the easy way. He moved across theroof to the next gargoyle, right above the window of the room where they weretalking.
布蘭決定往上攀，翻過(guò)石像鬼颓屑，爬到屋頂上斤寂。這是比較容易的路徑，他跑到下一只石像鬼雕像旁揪惦，恰好在傳出說(shuō)話聲的房間正上方遍搞。
?? “All this talk is getting very tiresome,sister,” the man said. “Come here and be quiet.”
“好姐姐，盡說(shuō)些這種事丹擎，說(shuō)得我都累了尾抑⌒福”男人說(shuō)，“閉上嘴巴過(guò)來(lái)吧再愈“裆唬”
?? Bran sat astride the gargoyle, tightened hislegs around it, and swung himself around, upside down. He hung by his legs andslowly stretched his head down toward the window. The world looked strangeupside down. A courtyard swam dizzily below him, its stones still wet withmelted snow.
布蘭跨坐在石像鬼雕像上，兩腿夾緊翎冲，然后整個(gè)人頭朝下倒轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)去垂睬。他兩腳緊勾住石像，緩緩地把頭靠近窗邊抗悍。上下顛倒的世界感覺(jué)非常怪異驹饺，庭院在他下方天旋地轉(zhuǎn)地晃動(dòng)，磚石上還留有未化的殘雪缴渊。
?? Bran looked in the window.
布蘭從窗外向里看去赏壹。
?? Inside the room, a man and a woman werewrestling. They were both naked. Bran could not tell who they were. The man’sback was to him, and his body screened the woman from view as he pushed her upagainst a wall.
房間內(nèi)一男一女正扭成一團(tuán)，兩人都沒(méi)穿衣服衔沼。布蘭認(rèn)不出他們是誰(shuí)蝌借，男人背對(duì)著他，不斷地將女人往墻邊推擠指蚁，他的身體恰好擋住了女人的臉菩佑。
?? There were soft, wet sounds. Bran realizedthey were kissing. He watched, wide-eyed and frightened, his breath tight inhis throat. The man had a hand down between her legs, and he must have beenhurting her there, because the woman started to moan, low in her throat. “Stopit,” she said, “stop it, stop it. Oh, please?.?.?.?” But her voice was low andweak, and she did not push him away. Her hands buried themselves in his hair,his tangled golden hair, and pulled his face down to her breast.
屋內(nèi)有種細(xì)小而濡濕的聲音，布蘭發(fā)覺(jué)他們正在親嘴凝化。他張大眼睛稍坯，呼吸急促，驚恐地看著房里發(fā)生的這一切搓劫。男人伸手到女人兩腿間瞧哟，他一定弄痛了她，因?yàn)榕碎_(kāi)始低聲呻吟：“別……別這樣枪向，”她說(shuō)绢涡，“住手，住手遣疯，噢，求求你……”可她的聲音細(xì)小微弱凿傅，又始終沒(méi)有把他推開(kāi)缠犀。她反而把雙手埋進(jìn)他凌亂的亮金色頭發(fā)里，把他的臉往自己胸前拉聪舒。
?? Bran saw her face. Her eyes were closed andher mouth was open, moaning. Her golden hair swung from side to side as herhead moved back and forth, but still he recognized the queen.
布蘭這才見(jiàn)著她的臉辨液。雖然她緊閉雙眼，張嘴呻吟箱残，金發(fā)隨著頭部動(dòng)作而劇烈晃動(dòng)滔迈，他仍然認(rèn)出她是王后止吁。
?? He must have made a noise. Suddenly her eyesopened, and she was staring right at him. She screamed.
此時(shí)他一定是不小心發(fā)出了什么聲音，只見(jiàn)她突然睜開(kāi)眼睛燎悍，視線直直地盯著他敬惦，然后驚聲尖叫起來(lái)。
?? Everything happened at once then. ‘ Thewoman pushed the man away wildly, shouting and pointing. Bran tried to pullhimself up, bending double as he reached for the gargoyle. He was in too muchof a hurry. His hand scraped uselessly across smooth stone, and in his panic hislegs slipped, and suddenly he was failing. There was an instant of vertigo, asickening lurch as the window flashed past. He shot out a hand, grabbed for theledge, lost it, caught it again with his other hand. He swung against thebuilding, hard. The impact took the breath out of him. Bran dangled,one-handed, panting.
所有的事情都發(fā)生得好快谈山。女人狂亂地推開(kāi)男人俄删，一邊指指點(diǎn)點(diǎn)，一邊大聲叫嚷奏路。布蘭想把自己翻上去畴椰，使盡腰力鉤住石像鬼雕像，然而他使力太急鸽粉，雙手只是擦過(guò)平滑的石像表面斜脂，隨后他心里一怕，雙腿松開(kāi)触机，立刻就往下掉帚戳。他感到一陣暈眩，窗欞從他身邊疾速閃失威兜，一種不舒服的惡心感由胃里升起销斟。他慌忙伸出一只手想抓住窗欞，卻立刻滑開(kāi)椒舵，趕緊又用另一只手牢牢抓緊蚂踊。他狠狠地撞上了墻壁，猛烈的沖擊力道痛得他幾乎無(wú)法呼吸笔宿。布蘭單手抓住窗欞犁钟，在半空中懸晃，喘不過(guò)氣來(lái)泼橘。
?? Faces appeared in the window above him.
兩個(gè)人的臉同時(shí)出現(xiàn)在他上方的窗邊涝动。
?? The queen. And now Bran recognized the manbeside her. They looked as much alike as reflections in a mirror.
的確是王后。這時(shí)布蘭也認(rèn)出了她旁邊的男人炬灭，他們相貌神似醋粟，站在一起宛如鏡子里的倒影。
?? “He saw us,” the woman said shrilly.
“他瞧見(jiàn)我們了重归∶自福”女人尖聲道。
?? “So he did,” the man said.
“他是瞧見(jiàn)我們了鼻吮∮叮”男人說(shuō)。
?? Bran’s fingers started to slip. He grabbedthe ledge with his other hand. Fingernails dug into unyielding stone. The manreached down. “Take my hand,” he said. “Before you fall.”
布蘭的手指開(kāi)始松脫椎木，他換用另一只手勾窗欞违柏，指甲深深地陷進(jìn)堅(jiān)硬的巖壁博烂。男人向下伸手∈“來(lái)禽篱，”他說(shuō)，“快抓住我闲孤，別要掉下去谆级。”
?? Bran seized his arm and held on tight withall his strength. The man yanked him up to the ledge. “What are you doing?” thewoman demanded.
布蘭使出渾身力氣抓住他的手讼积，男人把他拉上窗臺(tái)肥照。“你想做什么勤众？”女人質(zhì)問(wèn)舆绎。
?? The man ignored her. He was very strong. Hestood Bran up on the sill. “How old are you, boy?”
男人沒(méi)有理會(huì)她，他用健壯有力的手们颜，把布蘭扶到窗臺(tái)上站穩(wěn)吕朵。“小鬼窥突，你幾歲啦努溃？”
?? “Seven,” Bran said, shaking with relief. Hisfingers had dug deep gouges in the man’s forearm. He let go sheepishly.
“七歲∽栉剩”布蘭聽(tīng)了如釋重負(fù)梧税，但仍舊不免發(fā)抖。他的指頭深深摳進(jìn)男人的手臂称近，這時(shí)連忙慚愧地放開(kāi)第队。
?? The man looked over at the woman. “Thethings I do for love,” he said with loathing. He gave Bran a shove.
男人轉(zhuǎn)頭去看著女人∨俑眩“好好想一想凳谦，我為愛(ài)情做了些什么『馕矗”他極不情愿地說(shuō)尸执，接著便用力把布蘭朝外一推。
?? Screaming, Bran went backward out the windowinto empty air. There was nothing to grab on to. The courtyard rushed up tomeet him.
布蘭尖叫著飛出窗外缓醋，落進(jìn)半空剔交。這次沒(méi)有任何東西可以讓他抓握，庭院以瘋狂的速度朝他襲來(lái)改衩。
?? Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf washowling. Crows circled the broken tower, waiting for corn.
邈遠(yuǎn)處，孤狼長(zhǎng)吼驯镊；殘塔上葫督，烏鴉盤旋竭鞍，猶然等待玉米之賜。
