Ⅳ 群鴉的盛宴 Chapter20 布蕾妮
BRIENNE
女泉城東面的丘陵枝繁葉茂磷脯，松樹從四面八方圍攏龙填，仿佛沉默的灰綠色士兵組成的軍團(tuán)。
East of Maidenpool the hills rose wild, and the pines closed in about them like a host of silent grey-green soldiers.
機(jī)靈狄克說(shuō)海邊的路最近，也最好走，因此一路上海灣很少離開視線皆的。隨著前進(jìn)，岸邊的市鎮(zhèn)和村莊變得越來(lái)越小居灯，越來(lái)越稀疏祭务。夜幕降臨時(shí)，他們找到一家客棧怪嫌。克萊勃跟其他旅行者一起睡通鋪柳沙，布蕾妮則為自己和波德瑞克要了一間房岩灭。“我們?nèi)斯蚕硪粡埓哺鼊澦懵咐穑〗阍刖丁！睓C(jī)靈狄克建議数初，“如果你不放心找爱，把劍放中間。老狄克是個(gè)正派人泡孩，他像騎士一樣有風(fēng)度车摄，他的誠(chéng)實(shí)好比白晝的太陽(yáng)÷嘏福”
Nimble Dick said the coast road was the shortest way, and the easiest, so they were seldom out of sight of the bay. The towns and villages along the shore grew smaller as they went, and less frequent. At nightfall they would seek an inn. Crabb would share the common bed with other travelers, whilst Brienne took a room for her and Podrick. “Cheaper if we all shared the same bed, m’lady,” Nimble Dick would say. “You could lay your sword between us. Old Dick’s a harmless fellow. Chivalrous as a knight, and honest as the day is long.”
“白晝正在縮短吮播。”布蕾妮指出眼俊。
“The days are growing shorter,” Brienne pointed out.
“好吧意狠，也許是這樣。如果你不放心疮胖，我睡地板你睡床怎么樣环戈，小姐？”
“Well, that may be. If you don’t trust me in the bed, I could just curl up on the floor, m’lady.”
“不能睡我的地板澎灸≡喝”
“Not on my floor.”
“看來(lái)你一點(diǎn)兒也不信任我』骱ⅲ”
“A man might think you don’t trust me none.”
“信任跟金幣一樣迫悠，要靠行動(dòng)來(lái)掙取」遥”
“Trust is earned. Like gold.”
“隨你怎么說(shuō)创泄，小姐艺玲，”克萊勃說(shuō)，“但到了北邊鞠抑，沒(méi)有路的地方饭聚，你不得不信任狄克。假如我拿劍指著你要金幣搁拙，誰(shuí)會(huì)阻止呢秒梳？”
“As you say, m’lady,” said Crabb, “but up north where the road gives out, you’ll need t’ trust Dick then. If I wanted t’ take your gold at swordpoint, who’s to stop me?”
“你沒(méi)劍。我有箕速±业猓”
“You don’t own a sword. I do.”
她“砰”的一聲關(guān)上門，然后站在原地傾聽盐茎，直到確信他已走開兴垦。不管狄克·克萊勃有多機(jī)靈，他畢竟不是詹姆·蘭尼斯特字柠，不是瘋鼠探越，甚至不是亨佛利·瓦格斯塔夫。他瘦骨嶙岣窑业，食不果腹钦幔，唯一的防具是一頂銹跡斑斑、布滿凹痕的半盔常柄。他沒(méi)劍鲤氢，只有一把帶豁口的舊匕首——所以，只要她保持清醒拐纱，他便構(gòu)不成威脅铜异。“波德瑞克秸架，”她說(shuō)揍庄，“將來(lái)沒(méi)有客棧給我們住，而我不信任我們的向?qū)ФāＫ悦看我盃I(yíng)之后蚂子，當(dāng)我睡覺時(shí)，你能不能留心看著點(diǎn)缭黔？”
She shut the door between them and stood there listening until she was certain he had moved away. However nimble he might be, Dick Crabb was no Jaime Lannister, no Mad Mouse, not even a Humfrey Wagstaff. He was scrawny and ill fed, his only armor a dinted halfhelm spotted with rust. In place of a sword, he carried an old, nicked dagger. So long as she was awake, he posed no danger to her. “Podrick,” she said, “there will come a time when there are no more inns to shelter us. I do not trust our guide. When we make camp, can you watch over me as I sleep?”
“一直不睡食茎，小姐？爵士馏谨？”他想了想别渔，“我有劍，假如克萊勃想傷你，我殺了他便是哎媚±”
“Stay awake, my lady? Ser.” He thought. “I have a sword. If Crabb tries to hurt you, I could kill him.”
“不，”她堅(jiān)決地說(shuō)拨与，“你不要跟他打稻据。我只要你在我睡覺時(shí)監(jiān)視他，假如他有任何可疑行為买喧，立即弄醒我捻悯。放心，我醒得很快的淤毛〗窀浚”
“No,” she said sternly. “You are not to try and fight him. All I ask is that you watch him as I sleep, and wake me if he does anything suspicious. I wake quickly, you will find.”
結(jié)果第二天停下飲馬時(shí)，克萊勃就露出了本色低淡。布蕾妮走到灌木叢后面去方便荚斯，她蹲在那里，聽到波德瑞克說(shuō)查牌，“你干嗎？離遠(yuǎn)點(diǎn)兒滥壕≈窖眨”完事之后，她拉起褲子绎橘，回到路上胁孙，發(fā)現(xiàn)機(jī)靈狄克正在擦去手指上的面粉〕屏郏“鞍囊里沒(méi)有金龍涮较，”她告訴他，“我把金幣放身上了冈止】衿保”一部分金幣放在她腰帶上系的錢袋里，其余的藏在衣服內(nèi)側(cè)縫的兩只口袋中熙暴。鞍囊上鼓鼓的大錢包塞滿了大大小小不同面值的銅幣和銅板闺属，銅星幣與銅麥幣……還有讓包袱顯得更加鼓鼓囊囊的白面粉，那是自暮谷城出發(fā)前的早晨周霉，她特意問(wèn)七劍客棧的廚子買的掂器。
Crabb showed his true colors the next day, when they stopped to water the horses. Brienne had to step behind some bushes to empty her bladder. As she was squatting, she heard Podrick say, “What are you doing? You get away from there.” She finished her business, hiked up her breeches, and returned to the road to find Nimble Dick wiping flour off his fingers. “You won’t find any dragons in my saddlebags,” she told him. “I keep my gold upon my person.” Some of it was in the pouch at her belt, the rest hidden in a pair of pockets sewn inside her clothing. The fat purse inside her saddlebag was filled with coppers large and small, pennies and halfpennies, groats and stars … and fine white flour, to make it fatter still. She had bought the flour from the cook at the Seven Swords the morning she rode out from Duskendale.
“狄克沒(méi)惡意，小姐俱箱」停”他晃晃沾著面粉的手指，以示無(wú)辜∧四。“我只想確認(rèn)你到底有沒(méi)有答應(yīng)我的金龍禁漓。這世上騙子多，正派人容易上當(dāng)峡懈。不過(guò)還好璃饱，你不是騙子》究担”
“Dick meant no harm, m’lady.” He wriggled his flour-spotted fingers to show he held no weapon. “I was only looking to see if you had these dragons what you promised me. The world’s full o’ liars, ready to cheat an honest man. Not that you’re one.”
布蕾妮希望他帶路的水平比偷東西強(qiáng)一些磷支∥肀罚“出發(fā)吧廓潜。”她再度翻上馬背善榛。
Brienne hoped he was a better guide than he was a thief. “We had best be going.” She mounted up again.
狄克喜歡邊騎邊唱歌辩蛋，但沒(méi)唱過(guò)一首完整的歌悼院，總是東一節(jié)，西一段的咒循。她懷疑他的目的是討她喜歡颖医，好令她放松警惕。有時(shí)他還試圖讓她和波德瑞克一起唱裆蒸，不過(guò)沒(méi)有成功熔萧。男孩太害羞，舌頭也笨光戈，而布蕾妮從不唱歌哪痰。你會(huì)唱歌給父親聽嗎？在奔流城久妆，史塔克夫人曾經(jīng)問(wèn)過(guò)她晌杰，為藍(lán)禮呢？她沒(méi)有筷弦，從來(lái)沒(méi)有肋演，盡管她心里很想……真的很想……
Dick would oft sing as they rode along together; never a whole song, only a snatch of this and a verse of that. She suspected that he meant to charm her, to put her off her guard. Sometimes he would try to get her and Podrick to sing along with him, to no avail. The boy was too shy and tongue-tied, and Brienne did not sing. Did you sing for your father? Lady Stark had asked her once, at Riverrun. Did you sing for Renly? She had not, not ever, though she had wanted … she had wanted …
機(jī)靈狄克不唱歌時(shí)就說(shuō)話抑诸，給他們講蟹爪半島的故事。他說(shuō)爹殊，每一個(gè)幽暗的山谷都有其領(lǐng)主蜕乡，但只有對(duì)付外人時(shí)才會(huì)聯(lián)合起來(lái)。他們的血管里流著濃濃的先民之血梗夸〔懔幔“安達(dá)爾人試圖奪取蟹爪半島，結(jié)果在山谷中流血反症，在沼澤中淹死辛块，處處碰壁。后來(lái)他們的漂亮女兒靠親吻贏得了他們強(qiáng)壯的兒子用劍無(wú)法獲取的東西——是的铅碍，他們征服不了我們润绵，轉(zhuǎn)而用婚姻來(lái)滲透楷拳∑系粒”
When he was not singing, Nimble Dick would talk, regaling them with tales of Crackclaw Point. Every gloomy valley had its lord, he said, the lot of them united only by their mistrust of outsiders. In their veins the blood of the First Men ran dark and strong. “The Andals tried t’ take Crackclaw, but we bled them in the valleys and drowned them in the bogs. Only what their sons couldn’t win with swords, their pretty daughters won with kisses. They married into the houses they couldn’t conquer, aye.”
暮谷城達(dá)克林家族的國(guó)王們?cè)噲D將領(lǐng)地延伸至蟹爪半島，女泉城的慕頓家族兼吓，包括后來(lái)蟹島的賽提加家族也嘗試過(guò)烦绳。然而蟹爪半島的居民熟悉本地的沼澤與森林卿捎，外人無(wú)法比擬，如果形勢(shì)危急径密，他們還能消失在丘陵中蜂窩般的山洞里娇澎。不跟外敵作戰(zhàn)時(shí)，大家就窩里斗睹晒，家族血仇如同山間的沼澤一般又黑又深。有時(shí)某位英雄會(huì)為蟹爪半島帶來(lái)暫時(shí)的和平括细，但等他死去伪很，一切又恢復(fù)原狀。路西法·哈迪伯爵是偉大的領(lǐng)主奋单，布倫兄弟也一樣锉试，老克萊克波恩比他們更勝一籌，但克萊勃是最強(qiáng)大的览濒。狄克仍然不肯相信布蕾妮從沒(méi)聽說(shuō)過(guò)克萊倫斯·克萊勃爵士的英雄事跡呆盖。
The Darklyn kings of Duskendale had tried to impose their rule on Crackclaw Point; the Mootons of Maidenpool had tried as well, and later the haughty Celtigars of Crab Isle. But the Crackclaws knew their bogs and forests as no outsider could, and if hard pressed would vanish into the caverns that honeycombed their hills. When not fighting would-be conquerors, they fought each other. Their blood feuds were as deep and dark as the bogs between their hills. From time to time some champion would bring peace to the Point, but it never lasted longer than his lifetime. Lord Lucifer Hardy, he was a great one, and the Brothers Brune as well. Old Crackbones even more so, but the Crabbs were the mightiest of all. Dick still refused to believe that Brienne had never heard of Ser Clarence Crabb and his exploits.
“我干嗎撒謊？”她反問(wèn)贷笛，“每個(gè)地方都有當(dāng)?shù)氐挠⑿塾τ帧１热缥易〉牡胤剑枋謧兏桧災(zāi)Χ鞯募永斩鼐羰糠啵昝赖尿T士株扛∮瓤穑”
“Why would I lie?” she asked him. “Every place has its local heroes. Where I come from, the singers sing of Ser Galladon of Morne, the Perfect Knight.”
“加勒什么什么爵士？”他嗤之以鼻洞就，“沒(méi)聽說(shuō)過(guò)盆繁。他哪里完美了？”
“Ser Gallawho of What?” He snorted. “Never heard o’ him. Why was he so bloody perfect?”
“加勒敦爵士是一位英勇的戰(zhàn)士旬蟋，連天上的處女神都為之傾心油昂。于是她送給他一把魔劍，作為愛的信物倾贰。這把劍被稱為‘正義之淑女’冕碟，沒(méi)有凡間的武器能與她匹敵，也沒(méi)有凡間的盾牌能承受她的親吻躁染。加勒敦爵士終其一生都驕傲地佩帶著‘正義之淑女’鸣哀，但只拔出過(guò)三次。他不愿用‘正義之淑女’對(duì)付凡人吞彤，因?yàn)樗^(guò)強(qiáng)大我衬，會(huì)令戰(zhàn)斗不公平∈嗡。”
“Ser Galladon was a champion of such valor that the Maiden herself lost her heart to him. She gave him an enchanted sword as a token of her love. The Just Maid, it was called. No common sword could check her, nor any shield withstand her kiss. Ser Galladon bore the Just Maid proudly, but only thrice did he unsheathe her. He would not use the Maid against a mortal man, for she was so potent as to make any fight unfair.”
克萊勃認(rèn)為這太可笑了挠羔。“完美的騎士埋嵌？聽起來(lái)是個(gè)完美的傻瓜破加。一把從來(lái)不用的魔劍有什么意義？”
Crabb thought that was hilarious. “The Perfect Knight? The Perfect Fool, he sounds like. What’s the point o’ having some magic sword if you don’t bloody well use it?”
“榮譽(yù)雹嗦，”她說(shuō)范舀，“意義在于榮譽(yù)×俗铮”
“Honor,” she said. “The point is honor.”
這令他笑得更厲害锭环。“克萊倫斯·克萊勃爵士可以拿你們的完美騎士來(lái)擦他毛茸茸的屁股泊藕，小姐辅辩。要我說(shuō)啊，假如教克萊勃爵士遇上娃圆，輕語(yǔ)堡的架子上又得多一顆血淋淋的頭顱了玫锋。‘早知道我該使用那柄魔劍’讼呢，它會(huì)對(duì)其他腦袋抱怨撩鹿，‘早知道我該使用那柄魔劍≡闷粒’”
That only made him laugh the louder. “Ser Clarence Crabb would have wiped his hairy arse with your Perfect Knight, m’lady. If they’d ever have met, there’d be one more bloody head sitting on the shelf at the Whispers, you ask me. ‘I should have used the magic sword,’ it’d be saying to all the other heads. ‘I should have used the bloody sword.’ ”
布蕾妮忍不住微笑三痰“伤拢“也許吧，”她承認(rèn)散劫，“但加勒敦爵士不是傻瓜稚机。面對(duì)一個(gè)身高八尺、騎野牛的對(duì)手获搏，他很可能亮出‘正義之淑女’赖条。他們說(shuō)他曾用她殺死一條龍呢〕Ｎ酰”
Brienne could not help but smile. “Perhaps,” she allowed, “but Ser Galladon was no fool. Against a foe eight feet tall mounted on an aurochs, he might well have unsheathed the Just Maid. He used her once to slay a dragon, they say.”
機(jī)靈狄克不為所動(dòng)：“克萊克波恩也跟龍搏斗過(guò)纬乍，而且不需要什么魔劍。他只不過(guò)將龍的脖子打了個(gè)結(jié)裸卫，這樣它每次噴火都會(huì)燒到自己的屁股仿贬。”
Nimble Dick was unimpressed. “Crackbones fought a dragon too, but he didn’t need no magic sword. He just tied its neck in a knot, so every time it breathed fire it roasted its own arse.”
“那伊耿和他的妹妹們到來(lái)時(shí)克萊克波恩在干什么呢墓贿？”布蕾妮問(wèn)茧泪。
“And what did Crackbones do when Aegon and his sisters came?” Brienne asked him.
“你要知道，那時(shí)候他已經(jīng)死啦聋袋，小姐队伟。”克萊勃橫了她一眼幽勒∈任辏“伊耿派妹妹來(lái)蟹爪半島招安，就是那個(gè)維桑尼亞啥容。領(lǐng)主們聽說(shuō)了赫倫王的下場(chǎng)锈颗，他們可不是傻瓜，因此都屈膝臣服了咪惠。王后收他們作直屬封臣宜猜，承諾他們無(wú)須向女泉城、蟹島或暮谷城效忠硝逢。然而這沒(méi)能阻止可惡的賽提加家族派人來(lái)東岸征稅。哼绅喉，假如他派的人夠多渠鸽，也許有幾個(gè)可以活著回去……從始到終，我們只效忠自己的領(lǐng)主和國(guó)王柴罐。真正的國(guó)王徽缚。不是勞勃一家子「锿溃”他啐了一口凿试，“在三叉戟河排宰，跟雷加王子一起奮戰(zhàn)的有克萊勃、有布倫那婉，也有鮑格斯板甘，御林鐵衛(wèi)里面也有過(guò)我們的人，包括一位哈迪详炬，一位凱佛盐类，一位潘恩，三位克萊勃——克萊蒙特呛谜、盧伯特和七矮個(gè)在跳，克萊倫斯。其實(shí)他有六尺高隐岛，但比真正的克萊倫斯爵士要矮猫妙。總而言之聚凹，我們蟹爪半島人全是巨龍家族的模范臣民割坠。”
“He was dead. M’lady must know that.” Crabb gave her a sideways look. “Aegon sent his sister up to Crackclaw, that Visenya. The lords had heard o’ Harren’s end. Being no fools, they laid their swords at her feet. The queen took them as her own men, and said they’d owe no fealty to Maidenpool, Crab Isle, or Duskendale. Don’t stop them bloody Celtigars from sending men to t’ eastern shore to collect his taxes. If he sends enough, a few come back to him … elsewise, we bow only to our own lords, and the king. The true king, not Robert and his ilk.” He spat. “There was Crabbs and Brunes and Boggses with Prince Rhaegar on the Trident, and in the Kingsguard too. A Hardy, a Cave, a Pyne, and three Crabbs, Clement and Rupert and Clarence the Short. Six foot tall, he was, but short compared to the real Ser Clarence. We’re all good dragon men, up Crackclaw way.”
他們向東北方前進(jìn)元践，行人不斷減少韭脊，直到最后，再也找不著客棧了单旁。海灣旁的道路上野草已經(jīng)多過(guò)車轍沪羔。當(dāng)晚他們?cè)跐O村棲身。布蕾妮付給村民一些銅板象浑，住進(jìn)草棚蔫饰。進(jìn)去之后，她和波德瑞克占據(jù)閣樓愉豺，并把梯子抽掉了篓吁。
The traffic continued to dwindle as they moved north and east, until finally there were no inns to be found. By then the bayside road was more weeds than ruts. That night they took shelter in a fishing village. Brienne paid the villagers a few coppers to allow them to bed down in a hay barn. She claimed the loft for Podrick and herself, and pulled the ladder up after them.
“你留我一個(gè)在下面，我完全可以偷走你們的馬蚪拦，”克萊勃在底下喊道杖剪，“最好把它們也趕上樓梯，小姐驰贷∈⒑伲”她沒(méi)理睬，于是他繼續(xù)說(shuō)括袒，“今晚要下雨的次兆。冰冷難熬的雨。你和波德睡得暖暖和和锹锰，可憐老狄克一個(gè)人在下面瑟瑟發(fā)抖芥炭±炜猓”他搖搖頭，一邊嘀咕园蝠，一邊在干草上鋪好鋪蓋渺蒿，“沒(méi)見過(guò)像你這么疑神疑鬼的處女∨樽粒”
“You leave me down here alone, I could bloody well steal your horses,” Crabb called up from below. “Best you get them up the ladder too, m’lady.” When she ignored him, he went on to say, “It’s going to rain tonight. A cold hard rain. You and Pods will sleep all snug and warm, and poor old Dick will be shivering down here by myself.” He shook his head, muttering, as he made a bed on a pile of hay. “I never knew such a mistrustful maid as you.”
布蕾妮在斗篷底下蜷起身子蘸嘶，波德瑞克則于一旁打哈欠。我并非生來(lái)就這么疑神疑鬼陪汽，她有些想朝下面的克萊勃叫喊训唱，當(dāng)我還是個(gè)小女孩時(shí)，相信所有人都跟父親一樣高尚挚冤。即便他們夸贊她是個(gè)漂亮的女孩况增，夸贊她聰明伶俐，身材高挑训挡，舞蹈優(yōu)美澳骤，她也深信不疑。羅伊拉修女為她揭開了謎底澜薄∥梗“他們只為討你父親大人歡心，”修女說(shuō)肤京，“你要在鏡子里去發(fā)現(xiàn)真相颊艳，而不是在人們的舌尖上⊥郑”這是一個(gè)殘酷的教訓(xùn)棋枕，她每每想起就會(huì)痛哭流涕，但這個(gè)教訓(xùn)也讓她能在高庭忍受海爾爵士及其朋友們的游戲妒峦≈匕撸活在世上，處女必須多一點(diǎn)懷疑肯骇，否則早就不是處女了窥浪，她想著想著，下起雨來(lái)笛丙。
Brienne curled up beneath her cloak, with Podrick yawning at her side. I was not always wary, she might have shouted down at Crabb. When I was a little girl I believed that all men were as noble as my father. Even the men who told her what a pretty girl she was, how tall and bright and clever, how graceful when she danced. It was Septa Roelle who had lifted the scales from her eyes. “They only say those things to win your lord father’s favor,” the woman had said. “You’ll find truth in your looking glass, not on the tongues of men.” It was a harsh lesson, one that left her weeping, but it had stood her in good stead at Harrenhal when Ser Hyle and his friends had played their game. A maid has to be mistrustful in this world, or she will not be a maid for long, she was thinking, as the rain began to fall.
苦橋的團(tuán)體比武中漾脂，她逐個(gè)揪出她所謂的追求者們，依次擊斎粽：法洛、安布羅斯拆融、布希蠢琳、馬克·慕倫道爾啊终、雷蒙德·內(nèi)蘭、“鸛鳥”威爾……她踏過(guò)哈利·索耶的身軀傲须，擊碎羅伯特·波特的頭盔蓝牲，給他留下一道丑陋的傷疤。等他們統(tǒng)統(tǒng)倒下泰讽，圣母又將克林頓送到她面前例衍。羅蘭爵士這回拿的是劍，不是玫瑰已卸，而她給予他的每記痛擊都比親吻更甜蜜佛玄。
In the mêlée at Bitterbridge she had sought out her suitors and battered them one by one, Farrow and Ambrose and Bushy, Mark Mullendore and Raymond Nayland and Will the Stork. She had ridden over Harry Sawyer and broken Robin Potter’s helm, giving him a nasty scar. And when the last of them had fallen, the Mother had delivered Connington to her. This time Ser Ronnet held a sword and not a rose. Every blow she dealt him was sweeter than a kiss.
當(dāng)天最后一個(gè)面對(duì)她怒火的人是洛拉斯·提利爾。他沒(méi)向她獻(xiàn)過(guò)殷勤累澡，甚至根本沒(méi)看過(guò)她一眼梦抢，但那天他的盾牌上有三朵金玫瑰，布蕾妮痛恨玫瑰愧哟，看到它們奥吩，立刻激起了她狂暴的仇恨。睡著之后蕊梧，她夢(mèng)到那場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗霞赫，夢(mèng)到詹姆爵士親手將彩虹披風(fēng)系到她的肩頭。
Loras Tyrell had been the last to face her wroth that day. He’d never courted her, had hardly looked at her at all, but he bore three golden roses on his shield that day, and Brienne hated roses. The sight of them had given her a furious strength. She went to sleep dreaming of the fight they’d had, and of Ser Jaime fastening a rainbow cloak about her shoulders.
第二天早晨肥矢，雨還在下端衰。吃早餐時(shí)，機(jī)靈狄克建議等雨停了再走橄抹。
It was still raining the next morning. As they broke their fast, Nimble Dick suggested that they wait for it to stop.
“那要等到什么時(shí)候靴迫？明天？?jī)尚瞧诼ナ模康鹊较奶熘匦陆蹬R玉锌？不。我們有斗篷疟羹，而路還長(zhǎng)著呢主守。”
“When will that be? On the morrow? In a fortnight? When summer comes again? No. We have cloaks, and leagues to ride.”
雨下了整整一天榄融，腳下的狹窄小道很快變成泥漿水潭参淫。樹光禿禿的，持續(xù)降雨令落葉變得像浸透水的棕色地毯愧杯。盡管狄克的斗篷有松鼠皮襯里涎才，但他還是濕透了，她看得出他在發(fā)抖，不由得感到片刻同情耍铜。顯然邑闺，他一直吃不飽，她疑惑地想棕兼，不知是否真有走私者的山洞或叫做輕語(yǔ)堡的廢墟陡舅。饑不擇食的人會(huì)孤注一擲。也許一切都是騙局伴挚。她的疑惑越來(lái)越深靶衍。
It rained all that day. The narrow track they followed soon turned to mud beneath them. What trees they saw were naked, and the steady rain had turned their fallen leaves into a sodden brown mat. Despite its squirrel-skin lining, Dick’s cloak soaked through, and she could see him shivering. Brienne felt a moment’s pity for the man. He has not eaten well, that’s plain. She wondered if there truly was a smugglers’ cove, or a ruined castle called the Whispers. Hungry men do desperate things. This all might be some ploy to cozen her. Suspicion soured her stomach.
雨水沖刷仿佛是天地間唯一的聲響。機(jī)靈狄克一個(gè)勁兒只顧著向前跋涉茎芋。于是她多了個(gè)心眼颅眶，發(fā)現(xiàn)他總是弓著背，仿佛低伏在馬鞍上就能保持干燥败徊。這回帚呼，黑暗降臨時(shí)，附近沒(méi)有村落皱蹦，也沒(méi)有可以提供遮蔽的樹林煤杀。他們被迫在潮線上方五十碼處的巖石群中露宿。至少巖石可以擋風(fēng)沪哺∩蜃裕“今晚最好有人守夜，小姐辜妓，”她正努力點(diǎn)燃一堆浮木枯途，克萊勃告訴她，“像這樣的地方也許會(huì)有吧唧腳籍滴±乙模”
For a time it seemed as though the steady wash of rain was the only sound in the world. Nimble Dick plowed on, heedless. She watched closely, noting how he bent his back, as if huddling low in the saddle would keep him dry. This time there was no village close at hand when darkness came upon them. Nor were there any trees to give them shelter. They were forced to camp amongst some rocks, fifty yards above the tideline. The rocks at least would keep the wind off. “Best we keep a watch tonight, m’lady,” Crabb told her, as she was struggling to get a driftwood fire lit. “A place like this, there might be squishers.”
“吧唧腳？”布蕾妮懷疑地看了他一眼孽惰。
“Squishers?” Brienne gave him a suspicious look.
“它們是怪物晚岭，”機(jī)靈狄克津津樂(lè)道地解釋，“看上去很像人勋功，走近觀察才能發(fā)現(xiàn)蹊蹺坦报，它們的腦袋太大，而正常人長(zhǎng)頭發(fā)的地方狂鞋，它們長(zhǎng)的是鱗片片择。它們的皮膚像魚肚子一樣白，手指之間有蹼骚揍，身體濕乎乎的字管，散發(fā)出魚腥味，肥厚的嘴唇包著一排排針尖般鋒利的綠牙齒。有人說(shuō)先民已將它們趕盡殺絕嘲叔，這可不是真的脐供，它們還會(huì)在夜里出沒(méi)，偷走壞小孩借跪，長(zhǎng)蹼的腳走路時(shí)發(fā)出‘吧唧吧唧’的輕微聲響。它們把女孩留著繁衍后代酌壕，吃掉男孩掏愁，用尖利的綠牙齒撕咬人肉÷央梗”他沖波德瑞克咧嘴一笑果港。“它們會(huì)吃了你哦糊昙，小子辛掠，它們會(huì)把你活活吃掉∈臀”
“Monsters,” Nimble Dick said, with relish. “They look like men till you get close, but their heads is too big, and they got scales where a proper man’s got hair. Fish-belly white they are, with webs between their fingers. They’re always damp and fishy-smelling, but behind these blubbery lips they got rows of green teeth sharp as needles. Some say the First Men killed them all, but don’t you believe it. They come by night and steal bad little children, padding along on them webbed feet with a little squish-squish sound. The girls they keep to breed with, but the boys they eat, tearing at them with those sharp green teeth.” He grinned at Podrick. “They’d eat you, boy. They’d eat you raw.”
“假如它們想試試看的話萝衩，我就殺了它們∶涣”波德瑞克摸摸自己的劍猩谊。
“If they try, I’ll kill them.” Podrick touched his sword.
“哦，你去殺吧祭刚，你去殺吧牌捷。吧唧腳可不容易對(duì)付∥型裕”他又沖布蕾妮眨眨眼暗甥，“你不是不乖的小女孩吧，小姐捉捅？”
“You try that. You just try. Squishers don’t die easy.” He winked at Brienne. “You a bad little girl, m’lady?”
“不撤防。”我只是個(gè)傻子锯梁。木頭太濕即碗，不管布蕾妮用鋼鐵和燧石怎么打，都無(wú)法點(diǎn)燃陌凳。木柴冒出一點(diǎn)煙剥懒，僅此而已。最后她厭煩了合敦，往巖石上一靠初橘，拉起斗篷蓋住自己，準(zhǔn)備挨一個(gè)寒冷潮濕的夜晚。她啃著硬邦邦的腌牛肉保檐，一邊夢(mèng)想熱餐耕蝉，而機(jī)靈狄克唾沫橫飛地講述克萊倫斯·克萊勃爵士大戰(zhàn)吧唧腳之王。他講故事十分生動(dòng)夜只，她不得不承認(rèn)垒在，但帶著小猴子的馬克·慕倫道爾也很有趣。
“No.” Just a fool. The wood was too damp to light, no matter how many sparks Brienne struck off her flint and steel. The kindling sent up some smoke, but that was all. Disgusted, she settled down with her back to a rock, pulled her cloak over herself, and resigned herself to a cold, wet night. Dreaming of a hot meal, she gnawed on a strip of hard salt beef whilst Nimble Dick talked about the time Ser Clarence Crabb had fought the squisher king. He tells a lively tale, she had to admit, but Mark Mullendore was amusing too, with his little monkey.
由于下雨的關(guān)系扔亥，看不到日落场躯，而天色陰郁，也看不到月亮升起旅挤。漆黑的夜晚沒(méi)有星光踢关，克萊勃講完故事便睡著了，波德瑞克也很快打起鼾來(lái)粘茄。布蕾妮背靠巖石坐著签舞，聆聽海浪。你也在海邊嗎柒瓣，珊莎儒搭？她心想，你在輕語(yǔ)堡等待永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)來(lái)的船嗎芙贫？你跟誰(shuí)在一起师妙？有人出錢讓三個(gè)人搭船，是小惡魔加入了你和唐托斯的隊(duì)伍屹培，還是你找到了自己的小妹默穴？
It was too wet to see the sun go down, too grey to see the moon come up. The night was black and starless. Crabb ran out of tales and went to sleep. Podrick was soon snoring too. Brienne sat with her back to the rock, listening to the waves. Are you near the sea, Sansa? she wondered. Are you waiting at the Whispers for a ship that will never come? Who do you have with you? Passage for three, he said. Has the Imp joined you and Ser Dontos, or did you find your little sister?
那是一個(gè)漫長(zhǎng)的夜晚，布蕾妮萬(wàn)分疲倦褪秀。背靠巖石蓄诽，任憑雨水輕輕拍打全身，眼瞼越來(lái)越沉媒吗。她一共打了兩次盹仑氛，第二次是突然醒來(lái)的，心怦怦直跳闸英，確信有個(gè)人正俯視著自己锯岖。她四肢僵硬，斗篷纏繞在腳踝上甫何，慌忙踢開它站起來(lái)出吹。狄克蜷在一塊巖石邊，半埋于沉甸甸的潮濕沙土中辙喂，沉睡捶牢。一個(gè)夢(mèng)鸠珠。只是夢(mèng)。
The day had been a long one, and Brienne was tired. Even sitting up against the rock, with rain pattering softly all around her, she found her eyelids growing heavy. Twice she dozed. The second time she woke all at once, heart pounding, convinced that someone was looming over her. Her limbs were stiff, and her cloak had gotten tangled round her ankles. She kicked free of it and stood. Nimble Dick was curled against a rock, half-buried in wet, heavy sand, asleep. A dream. It was a dream.
也許拋下克雷頓爵士和伊利佛爵士是個(gè)錯(cuò)誤秋麸，他們看上去是正派人渐排。假如詹姆跟我在一起，她心想……但他是御林鐵衛(wèi)的騎士灸蟆，理應(yīng)留在國(guó)王身邊驯耻，而且我想要的是藍(lán)禮。我發(fā)誓保護(hù)他炒考，失敗了吓歇；我發(fā)誓替他復(fù)仇，也失敗了票腰；我跟隨凱特琳夫人出走，結(jié)果又辜負(fù)了她女气。風(fēng)向變化杏慰，雨水順著臉頰流淌，匯成小溪炼鞠。
Perhaps she had made a mistake in abandoning Ser Creighton and Ser Illifer. They had seemed like honest men. Would that Jaime had come with me, she thought … but he was a knight of the Kingsguard, his rightful place was with his king. Besides, it was Renly that she wanted. I swore I would protect him, and I failed. Then I swore I would avenge him, and I failed at that as well. I ran off with Lady Catelyn instead, and failed her too. The wind had shifted, and the rain was running down her face.
次日缘滥，路面縮減成一條鵝卵石窄道，到最后僅剩下一絲痕跡谒主，接近正午時(shí)分朝扼，突然在一堵風(fēng)蝕的懸崖下終止。懸崖上方霎肯，一個(gè)小城堡突兀地俯瞰著海浪擎颖，鉛灰色天空映襯出三座歪歪扭扭的塔樓」塾危“這就是輕語(yǔ)堡搂捧？”波德瑞克問(wèn)。
The next day the road dwindled to a pebbled thread, and finally to a mere suggestion. Near midday, it came to an abrupt end at the foot of a wind-carved cliff. Above, a small castle stood frowning over the waves, its three crooked towers outlined against a leaden sky. “Is that the Whispers?” Podrick asked.
“這他媽的像廢墟嗎懂缕？”克萊勃啐了一口允跑。“那是恐穴堡搪柑，老布倫大人的居城聋丝。但是路到此為止，從這兒往前只有松樹與我們做伴工碾∪跄溃”
“That look a bloody ruin t’ you?” Crabb spat. “That’s the Dyre Den, where old Lord Brune keeps his seat. Road ends here, though. It’s the pines for us from here on.”
布蕾妮仔細(xì)觀察懸崖，“怎么上去渊额？”
Brienne studied the cliff. “How do we get up there?”
“簡(jiǎn)單每篷，”機(jī)靈狄克撥轉(zhuǎn)馬頭瓣戚，“跟緊狄克就好。吧唧腳專抓掉隊(duì)的人焦读∽涌猓”
“Easy.” Nimble Dick turned his horse. “Stay close t’ Dick. The squishers are apt t’ take the laggards.”
上坡的路原來(lái)隱藏在石縫之間，乃是一條陡峭嶙岣的石頭小徑矗晃，大部分是天然形成的仑嗅，但時(shí)不時(shí)有鑿刻出來(lái)的階梯，使得攀登可以容易一點(diǎn)张症。周圍盡是千百年來(lái)風(fēng)化雨蝕的峻峭石壁仓技，有些地方，巖石呈現(xiàn)出稀奇古怪的形狀俗他，很是奇妙——攀緣途中脖捻，機(jī)靈狄克依次指點(diǎn)≌仔疲“那是食人魔的腦袋地沮，看到?jīng)]？”他說(shuō)羡亩，布蕾妮露出微笑摩疑，“那是一條石頭龍，一邊翅膀在我父親小時(shí)候就掉了畏铆。那是它的乳房雷袋，好像老太婆下垂的奶子。”他瞥了一眼她的胸口。
The way up proved to be a steep stony path hidden within a cleft in the rock. Most of it was natural, but here and there steps had been carved to ease the climb. Sheer walls of rock, eaten away by centuries of wind and spray, hemmed them in to either side. In some places they had assumed fantastic shapes. Nimble Dick pointed out a few as they climbed. “There’s an ogre’s head, see?” he said, and Brienne smiled when she saw it. “And that there’s a stone dragon. T’other wing fell off when my father was a boy. Above it, that’s the dugs drooping down, like some hag’s teats.” He glanced back at her own chest.
“爵士奏纪？小姐窘面？”波德瑞克說(shuō)，“有一個(gè)騎馬的人。”
“Ser? My lady?” said Podrick. “There’s a rider.”
“哪里？”沒(méi)有哪塊巖石讓她覺得像是騎馬的人冶共。
“Where?” None of the rocks suggested a rider to her.
“在路上。不是石頭騎手每界。是真的騎手捅僵。跟在我們后面。在下面眨层∶沓”他指著說(shuō)。
“On the road. Not a rock rider. A real rider. Following us. Down there.” He pointed.
布蕾妮在馬鞍上扭轉(zhuǎn)身趴樱。他們已經(jīng)爬得相當(dāng)高馒闷，可以看到沿岸方圓好幾里格的情況酪捡。那個(gè)人騎馬順著他們的來(lái)路前進(jìn)，只落后兩三里纳账。真的是陷阱逛薇？她懷疑地瞥向機(jī)靈狄克。
Brienne twisted in her saddle. They had climbed high enough to see for leagues along the shore. The horse was coming up the same road they had taken, two or three miles behind them. Again? She glanced at Nimble Dick suspiciously.
“別斜眼看我疏虫∮婪＃”克萊勃說(shuō)，“不管他是誰(shuí)卧秘，跟機(jī)靈老狄克一點(diǎn)關(guān)系也沒(méi)有呢袱。很可能是布倫的人，打仗回來(lái)翅敌⌒吒＃或許是個(gè)四處游蕩的歌手◎卿蹋”他扭頭啐了一口治专。“我能肯定他不是吧唧腳恋昼。那種東西不騎馬「洗伲”
“Don’t squint at me,” Crabb said. “He’s naught t’ do with old Nimble Dick, whoever he is. Some man o’ Brune’s, most like, come back from the wars. Or one o’ them singers, wandering from place to place.” He turned his head and spat. “He’s no squisher, that’s bloody certain. Their sort don’t ride horses.”
“是的液肌，”布蕾妮說(shuō)。至少這一點(diǎn)大家都認(rèn)同鸥滨。
“No,” said Brienne. On that, at least, they could agree.
最后幾百尺的攀登最為陡峭兇險(xiǎn)嗦哆。松動(dòng)的鵝卵石在馬蹄底下滾動(dòng)，稀里嘩啦沿著身后的石道墜落婿滓。當(dāng)他們從石縫中鉆出來(lái)時(shí)老速，已經(jīng)位于城堡底下。一張臉湊在胸墻上探視凸主，然后消失了橘券。布蕾妮覺得那是個(gè)女人，她把想法告訴了機(jī)靈狄克卿吐。
The last hundred feet of the climb proved the steepest and most treacherous. Loose pebbles rolled beneath their horse’s hooves and went rattling down the stony path behind them. When they emerged from the cleft in the rock, they found themselves under the castle walls. On a parapet above, a face peered down at them, then vanished. Brienne thought it might have been a woman, and said as much to Nimble Dick.
他也同意旁舰。“布倫太老嗡官，爬不上城墻走道箭窜，而他的兒孫們參戰(zhàn)去了。剩下的全是女人衍腥，外加個(gè)把流鼻涕的小孩磺樱∧擅ǎ”
He agreed. “Brune’s too old to go climbing wallwalks, and his sons and grandsons went off to the wars. No one left in there but wenches, and a snot-nosed babe or three.”
她差點(diǎn)開口追問(wèn)向?qū)В紓惔笕酥С帜膫€(gè)國(guó)王竹捉，但這已經(jīng)不重要了芜辕。布倫的兒子們不在，其中有些或許不會(huì)再回來(lái)活孩。我們今晚得不到款待物遇。一座滿是老人、婦女和兒童的城堡幾乎不可能為全副武裝的陌生人打開大門憾儒⊙耍“你是不是認(rèn)識(shí)布倫大人？”她問(wèn)機(jī)靈狄克起趾。
It was on her lips to ask her guide which king Lord Brune had espoused, but it made no matter any longer. Brune’s sons were gone; some might not be coming back. We will have no hospitality here tonight. A castle full of old men, women, and children was not like to open its doors to armed strangers. “You speak of Lord Brune as if you know him,” she said to Nimble Dick.
“以前認(rèn)識(shí)诗舰，或許認(rèn)識(shí)⊙雕桑”
“Might be I did, once.”
她瞥了一眼他上衣的胸口：松散的線頭眶根，有片參差不齊的區(qū)域布料顏色比較深，顯然原本有個(gè)紋章边琉，后來(lái)被撕了下來(lái)属百。她頓時(shí)明白自己的向?qū)莻€(gè)逃兵。那名騎手會(huì)不會(huì)是他的袍澤呢变姨？
She glanced at the breast of his doublet. Loose threads and a ragged patch of darker fabric showed where some badge had been torn away. Her guide was a deserter, she did not doubt. Could the rider behind them be one of his brothers-in-arms?
“我們繼續(xù)前進(jìn)族扰，”他催促，“否則布倫就會(huì)不放心了定欧。你知道渔呵，女人也會(huì)用十字弓】仇”克萊勃指指聳立在城堡后面的石灰?guī)r山嶺扩氢，山坡上是一片樹林∫瑁“從這里開始沒(méi)有路录豺，只能跟隨溪流和獵物小徑行進(jìn)，但小姐你不用擔(dān)心饭弓，機(jī)靈狄克熟悉這地方巩检。”
“We should ride on,” he urged, “before Brune starts to wonder why we’re here beneath his walls. Even a wench can wind a bloody crossbow.” Dick gestured toward the limestone hills that rose beyond the castle, with their wooded slopes. “No more roads from here on, only streams and game trails, but m’lady need not fear. Nimble Dick knows these parts.”
這正是布蕾妮所擔(dān)心的示启。風(fēng)沿懸崖頂端一陣陣吹過(guò)兢哭，她嗅到陷阱的味道》蛏ぃ“那騎手怎么辦迟螺？”除非那匹馬會(huì)在海浪中行走冲秽，否則他就是沖著懸崖而來(lái)的。
That was what Brienne was afraid of. The wind was gusting along the top of the cliff, but all she could smell was a trap. “What about that rider?” Unless his horse could walk on waves, he would soon be coming up the cliff.
“騎手怎么辦矩父？媽的锉桑，假如他是打女泉城來(lái)的笨蛋，絕不可能找到我們上山的小路窍株。再說(shuō)民轴，即使給盯上了，我們也能在森林里甩掉他球订。明白嗎后裸？從這里開始，沒(méi)有路了冒滩∥⑹唬”
“What about him? If he’s some fool from Maidenpool, he might not even find the bloody path. And if he does, we’ll lose him in the woods. He won’t have no road to follow there.”
只有我們的足跡。布蕾妮疑惑地盤算开睡，是不是應(yīng)該拿起武器因苹，就在這里跟騎手決斗。如果他是流浪歌手或布倫大人的兒子呢篇恒？那我就成了個(gè)十足的傻瓜扶檐。她覺得克萊勃說(shuō)的有些道理。如果到明天他仍跟在后面胁艰，我再對(duì)付他好了款筑。“隨便吧蝗茁〈茁玻”她一邊說(shuō)寻咒，一邊撥轉(zhuǎn)馬頭朝樹林行去哮翘。
Only our tracks. Brienne wondered if it wouldn’t be better to meet the rider here, with her blade in hand. I’ll look an utter fool if it is a wandering singer or one of Lord Brune’s sons. Crabb had the right of it, she supposed. If he is still behind us on the morrow, I can deal with him then. “As you will,” she said, turning her mare toward the trees.
布倫大人的城堡在背后漸漸縮小，很快消失在視野中毛秘。哨兵樹和士卒松聳立四周饭寺，仿佛高大的綠色長(zhǎng)矛直刺天空。森林地面上鋪著一層掉落的針葉叫挟，有城墻那么厚艰匙，點(diǎn)綴著松果，淹沒(méi)了馬蹄抹恳。雨下了又停员凝，停了又下，但在松林里奋献，幾乎感覺不到雨點(diǎn)健霹。
Lord Brune’s castle dwindled at their backs, and soon was lost to sight. Sentinels and soldier pines rose all around them, towering green-clad spears thrusting toward the sky. The forest floor was a bed of fallen needles as thick as a castle wall, littered with pinecones. The hooves of their horses seemed to make no sound. It rained a bit, stopped for a time, then started once again, but amongst the pines they scarce felt a drop.
森林里前進(jìn)的速度也比較緩慢旺上。布蕾妮催馬在綠色幽影中穿行，撥開無(wú)數(shù)伸展的枝條糖埋。這里很容易迷路宣吱，她意識(shí)到，每個(gè)方向看上去都一樣瞳别。連空氣仿佛也是灰綠色的征候，寂靜無(wú)聲。松枝劃過(guò)手臂祟敛，刺耳地刮擦著新漆的盾牌疤坝。隨著時(shí)間推移，詭異的氣氛讓她越來(lái)越不安垒棋。
The going was much slower in the woods. Brienne prodded her mare through the green gloom, weaving in and out amongst the trees. It would be very easy to get lost here, she realized. Every way she looked appeared the same. The very air seemed grey and green and still. Pine boughs scratched against her arms and scraped noisily against her newly painted shield. The eerie stillness grated on her more with every passing hour.
機(jī)靈狄克似乎也有同樣的困擾卒煞。眼看著夜幕逐漸逼近，他唱起歌來(lái)：“這只狗熊叼架，狗熊畔裕，狗熊！全身黑棕乖订，罩著毛絨……”他的嗓音像扎人的羊毛褲扮饶。松林吸走了歌聲，猶如吸掉風(fēng)和雨乍构。不一會(huì)兒甜无，他停下來(lái)。
It bothered Nimble Dick as well. Late that day, as dusk was coming on, he tried to sing. “A bear there was, a bear, a bear, all black and brown, and covered with hair,” he sang, his voice as scratchy as a pair of woolen breeches. The pines drank his song, as they drank the wind and rain. After a little while he stopped.
“這里不好哥遮，”波德瑞克說(shuō)岂丘，“不是個(gè)好地方∶咭”
“It’s bad here,” Podrick said. “This is a bad place.”
布蕾妮不愿意再加重旁人的負(fù)擔(dān)奥帘，“松林陰森森的，但說(shuō)到底也只是樹林子罷了仪召。沒(méi)什么好怕的寨蹋。”
Brienne felt the same, but it would not serve to admit it. “A pine wood is a gloomy place, but in the end it’s just a wood. There’s naught here that we need fear.”
“那吧唧腳呢扔茅？還有那些腦袋已旧？”
“What about the squishers? And the heads?”
“真是個(gè)聰明孩子≌倌龋”機(jī)靈狄克笑道运褪。
“There’s a clever lad,” said Nimble Dick, laughing.
布蕾妮惱火地看了他一眼。“沒(méi)有吧唧腳秸讹，”她告訴波德瑞克胁后，“更沒(méi)有什么腦袋∴率啵”
Brienne gave him a look of annoyance. “There are no squishers,” she told Podrick, “and no heads.”
山嶺高低起伏攀芯。布蕾妮發(fā)現(xiàn)自己在祈禱機(jī)靈狄克的誠(chéng)實(shí)，祈禱他真的知曉目的地文虏。如果單憑她自己侣诺，甚至不定能再回到海邊。無(wú)論白天黑夜氧秘，天空都布滿濃密的灰色陰云年鸳，沒(méi)有太陽(yáng)和星星助她辨認(rèn)方向。
The hills went up, the hills went down. Brienne found herself praying that Nimble Dick was honest, and knew where he was taking them. By herself, she was not even certain she could have found the sea again. Day or night, the sky was solid grey and overcast, with neither sun nor stars to help her find her way.
當(dāng)晚丸相，他們?cè)缭缭鸂I(yíng)搔确，營(yíng)地位于一座山嶺之下，閃著綠光的沼澤邊緣灭忠。在灰綠色反光中膳算，前方的地面看起來(lái)相當(dāng)堅(jiān)實(shí)，但等騎過(guò)去弛作，泥巴一直沒(méi)到馬肩涕蜂。他們費(fèi)盡九牛二虎之力才折回比較堅(jiān)實(shí)的地方立足∮沉眨“沒(méi)關(guān)系机隙，”克萊勃保證，“我們待會(huì)兒回山上去萨西，然后換一個(gè)方向下來(lái)有鹿。”
They made camp early that night, after they came down a hill and found themselves on the edge of a glistening green bog. In the grey-green light, the ground ahead looked solid enough, but when they’d ridden out it had swallowed their horses up to their withers. They had to turn and fight their way back onto more solid footing. “It’s no matter,” Crabb assured them. “We’ll go back up the hill and come down another way.”
