ARYA

22 艾莉亞

Her father had

been fighting with the council again. Arya could see it on his face when he

came to table, late again, as he had been so often. The first course, a thick

sweet soup made with pumpkins, had already been taken away when Ned Stark

strode into the Small Hall. They called it that to set it apart from the Great

Hall, where the king could feast a thousand, but it was a long room with a high

vaulted ceiling and bench space for two hundred at its trestle tables.

那天父親大人又是很晚才來用飯肮柜，艾莉亞看得出他又跟朝廷鬧意見了驮捍。當奈德·史塔克大跨步走進“小廳”的時候，晚餐的第一道菜，那鍋濃稠的南瓜甜湯南吮，早已被撤下桌去。他們把這兒叫做“小廳”检疫，用以區(qū)別國王那足以容納千人的大廳由蘑。話雖如此，這里卻也不小帮碰，這是一間有著高聳圓頂?shù)莫M長房間相味，長凳上坐得下兩百號人。

“My lord,” Jory said when Father entered. He rose to his feet, and

the rest of the guard rose with him. Each man wore a new cloak, heavy grey wool

with a white satin border. A hand of beaten silver clutched the woolen folds of

each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand’s household guard. There

were only fifty of them, so most of the benches were empty.

“大人殉挽》嵘妫”父親進來時拓巧，喬里開口說。他站起來一死，其余的侍衛(wèi)也立即起身肛度，他們個個穿著厚重的灰羊毛滾白緞邊的新斗篷，褶層上繡了一只銀手投慈，標示他們是首相的貼身護衛(wèi)承耿。由于總共才五十人，因此長凳顯得空蕩蕩的伪煤。

“Be seated,” Eddard Stark said. “I see you have started without me. I

am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city.” He signaled

for the meal to resume. The servants began bringing out platters of ribs,

roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs.

“坐下罷加袋。”艾德·史塔克道抱既，“我很高興這城里就你們還有點常識职烧，至少知道先開動》辣茫”他示意大家繼續(xù)用餐蚀之，侍者端出一盤盤用蒜頭和草藥包裹的烤排骨。

“The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord,” Jory said

as he resumed his seat. “They say that knights will come from all over the

realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King.”

“老爺捷泞，外面人人都在傳說要舉辦一場比武大會足删。”喬里坐回位子锁右∈埽“聽說全國各地的騎士都會前來，為您的榮譽而戰(zhàn)骡湖，慶祝您走馬上任贱纠。”

Arya could see

that her father was not very happy about that. “Do they also say this is the

last thing in the world I would have wished?”

艾莉亞看得出父親對此不甚高興响蕴∽缓福“他們怎么不說這是我最不愿見到的事？”

Sansa’s eyes had

grown wide as the plates. “A tourney,” she breathed. She was seated between

Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without

drawing a reproach from Father. “Will we be permitted to go, Father?”

珊莎的眼睛睜得跟盤子一樣大浦夷∠绞裕“比武大會∨”她吸了口氣罐孝。她坐在茉丹修女和珍妮·普爾中間，在不引起父親注意的范圍內(nèi)肥缔，盡可能離艾莉亞遠遠的莲兢。“父親大人，我們可以去嗎改艇？”

“You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert’s games

and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my

daughters to this folly.”

“珊莎收班，你知道我對這件事的看法。這檔蠢事分明是勞勃自己的主意谒兄，我?guī)退I辦也就算了摔桦，還得假裝受寵若驚，但那不代表我必須帶女兒去參加承疲×诟”

“Oh, please,” Sansa said. “I want to see.”

“哎喲，拜托嘛燕鸽⌒质溃”珊莎說，“人家好想去绵咱〉獗”

Septa Mordane

spoke up. “Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady

Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this,

and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not

attend.”

茉丹修女開口：“老爺熙兔，屆時彌賽

公主也會出席悲伶，而她年紀比珊莎小姐還小。遇到這種盛事住涉，宮廷里的仕女們都應(yīng)該出席麸锉。更何況這屆比武大會以您之名舉辦的，您的家人若不到場舆声，可能有些不妥花沉。”

Father looked

pained. “I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa.” He

saw Arya. “For both of you.”

父親神色痛苦媳握〖钇ǎ“我想也是。也罷蛾找，珊莎娩脾，我就幫你安排個席位〈蛎”他看看艾莉亞柿赊。“幫你們兩個都弄個席位幻枉∨錾”

“I don’t care about their stupid tourney,” Arya said. She knew Prince

Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey.

“我才沒興趣參加什么無聊的比武會呢“靖Γ”艾莉亞說胰挑。她知道喬佛里王子到時候一定也在場，而她恨死喬佛里王子了。

Sansa lifted her

head. “It will be a splendid event. You shan’t be wanted.”

珊莎昂頭道：“這會是一場盛況空前的慶祝瞻颂。本來也沒人希望你參加脚粟。”

Anger flashed

across Father’s face. “Enough, Sansa. More of that and you will change my mind.

I am weary unto death of this endless war you two are fighting. You are

sisters. I expect you to behave like sisters, is that understood?”

父親聽了滿臉怒容蘸朋『宋蓿“夠了，珊莎藕坯。再說下去团南，小心我改變主意。我已經(jīng)被你們倆沒完沒了的爭吵給煩死了炼彪。再怎么說你們都是親姐妹吐根，我希望你們像姐妹一樣相親相愛，知道了么辐马？”

Sansa bit her

lip and nodded. Arya lowered her face to stare sullenly at her plate. She could

feel tears stinging her eyes. She rubbed them away angrily, determined not to

cry.

珊莎咬著嘴唇點點頭拷橘，艾莉亞低頭不快地盯著眼前的餐盤，感覺到淚水刺痛眼睛喜爷。她憤怒地抹掉眼淚冗疮，決心不要哭。

The only sound

was the clatter of knives and forks. “Pray excuse me,” her father announced to

the table. “I find I have small appetite tonight.” He walked from the hall.

四周只剩下刀叉碰觸的聲音檩帐∈踽＃“很抱歉，”父親對全桌的人說湃密，“今晚我沒什么胃口诅挑。”說完他便走出小廳泛源。

After he was

gone, Sansa exchanged excited whispers with Jeyne Poole. Down the table Jory

laughed at a joke, and Hullen started in about h orseflesh. “Your warhorse,

now, he may not be the best one for the joust. Not the same thing, oh, no, not

the same at all.” The men had heard it all before; Desmond, Jacks, and Hullen’s

son Harwin shouted him down together, and Porther called for more wine.

他離開之后拔妥，珊莎立刻興奮地和珍妮·普爾竊竊私語起來。坐在長桌彼端的喬里有說有笑达箍，胡倫也開始大談馬經(jīng)没龙。“我說啊幻梯，你那匹戰(zhàn)馬實在不是比武的最佳選擇兜畸，這和平時騎完全是兩碼事，懂嗎碘梢？完全兩碼事咬摇。”這套說詞其他人很早就聽過煞躬，戴斯蒙肛鹏、杰克斯和胡倫的兒子哈爾溫齊聲要他閉嘴逸邦，波瑟則叫人多來點葡萄酒。

No one talked to

Arya. She didn’t care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals

alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did, when Father had to

dine with the king or some lord or the envoys from this place or that place.

The rest of the time, they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That

was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with

baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and

call her “l(fā)ittle sister” and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were

gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn’t even talk to her unless

Father made her.

偏偏沒人跟艾莉亞說話在扰。其實她也不在乎缕减，她還挺喜歡這種情形。若非大人們不準芒珠，她寧愿躲在臥房里吃桥狡。遇到父親和國王、某某爵爺或某某使節(jié)共進晚餐的時候皱卓，她就可以得逞裹芝。不過多半，她跟父親和姐姐三人在首相書房里用餐娜汁。每當這種時候嫂易，艾莉亞最想念哥哥弟弟。她想取笑布蘭掐禁，想跟小瑞肯玩鬧怜械，想讓羅柏含笑看著自己。她想要瓊恩弄亂她的頭發(fā)傅事，叫她“我的小妹”缕允，然后和她異口同聲說出一句話。如今她只有珊莎為伴享完，但除非父親逼迫灼芭，否則珊莎一句話都不和她講有额。

Back at

Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father

used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them.

“Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know

you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.” At Winterfell, he always had an

extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked

to join him. One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers

and bread stores and servants. The next time it would be Mikken, and her father

would listen to him go on about armor and swords and how hot a forge should be

and the best way to temper steel. Another day it might be Hullen with his

endless horse talk, or Septon Chayle from the library, or Jory, or Ser Rodrik,

or even Old Nan with her stories.

從前在臨冬城般又，他們常在城堡大廳用餐。父親總是說巍佑，做領(lǐng)主的必須要和手下一同進食茴迁，如此才能留住他們的心∮┧ィ“你不但要了解自己的部下堕义，”有次她聽父親這么對羅柏說，“還必須讓他們也了解你脆栋。別想叫你的手下為一個他們所不認識的人賣命倦卖。”在臨冬城椿争，他總會在自己的餐桌上特別留出一個座位怕膛，每晚請來不同的人。如果請來維揚·普爾秦踪，談的便是財務(wù)狀況褐捻、糧食補給和仆人們的事掸茅。下次若換成密肯，父親便會聽他分析盔甲寶劍柠逞，解說煉鋼打鐵時風(fēng)爐的熱度昧狮。有時候則是三句不離養(yǎng)馬的胡倫，管理圖書室的柴爾修士板壮，或是喬里逗鸣，羅德利克爵士，甚至是最會說故事的老奶媽绰精。

Arya had loved

nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She

had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as

leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She

used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen.

Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played

monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their

children. Fat Tom used to call her “Arya Underfoot,” because he said that was

where she always was. She’d liked that a lot better than “Arya Horseface.”

艾莉亞最喜歡坐在父親桌邊聽他們說話慕购，她也喜歡聽坐在下方長凳上的人們說話：堅毅粗魯?shù)淖杂沈T手，彬彬有禮的成年騎士茬底，口無遮攔的年輕侍從沪悲，飽經(jīng)風(fēng)霜的沙場老兵。以前她常朝他們丟雪球阱表，或幫他們從廚房里夾帶餡餅殿如。他們的妻子會烤餅給她吃，她則替她們的寶寶起名字最爬，和她們的孩子玩“美女與怪獸”涉馁、比賽尋寶、做城堡游戲爱致。胖湯姆老愛叫她“搗蛋鬼艾莉亞”烤送，因為他說她老是跑來跑去。她喜歡這個綽號遠勝過“馬臉艾莉亞”糠悯。

Only that was

Winterfell, a world away, and now everything was changed. This was the first

time they had supped with the men since arriving in King’s Landing. Arya hated

it. She hated the sounds of their voices now, the way they laughed, the stories

they told. They’d been her friends, she’d felt safe around them, but now she

knew that was a lie. They’d let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough,

but then the Hound found Mycah. Jeyne Poole had told Arya that he’d cut him up

in so many pieces that they’d given him back to the butcher in a bag, and at first the poor man

had thought it was a pig they’d slaughtered. And no one had raised a voice or

drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who

was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her

father.

只可惜那都是發(fā)生在臨冬城的事帮坚，仿佛是另一個世界，現(xiàn)在一切都變了互艾。說來今天是他們抵達君臨以來頭一次和下人一同用餐试和，艾莉亞卻恨透了這種安排。她恨透了其他人說話的聲音纫普，恨透了他們開懷大笑的方式阅悍，以及他們所說的故事。他們曾經(jīng)是她的朋友昨稼，與他們?yōu)槲樵屗苡邪踩薪谑樱缃袼肋@全是假的。他們袖手旁觀假栓，讓王后殺了淑女寻行，這本來已經(jīng)夠糟，后來又任“獵狗”逮著了米凱但指。珍妮·普爾告訴艾莉亞寡痰，他把米凱大卸八塊抗楔，人們只好把尸體用袋子裝起來交還屠夫，只可憐那殺豬匠起初還以為里面裝的是剛殺的豬仔拦坠。沒有人對此質(zhì)疑或拔刀相助连躏，什么都沒有，不管是最會吹噓自己勇敢的哈爾溫贞滨，還是立志要當騎士的埃林入热，或是身為侍衛(wèi)隊長的喬里，就連父親也沒有出面阻止晓铆。

“He was my friend,” Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one

could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease

congealing beneath them on the plate. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed

away from the table.

“他是我朋友呀勺良。”艾莉亞對著餐盤低語骄噪，聲音低到無人聽見尚困。她的排骨躺在盤里，動也沒動链蕊，已經(jīng)冷掉了事甜，餐盤和肉塊間凝了一層油。艾莉亞越看越惡心滔韵，便推開椅子站起來逻谦。

“Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?” Septa Mordane

asked.

“等等，小姐陪蜻，你要去哪里鞍盥怼？”茉丹修女問宴卖。

“I’m not hungry.” Arya found it an effort to remember her courtesies.

“May I be excused, please?” she recited stiffly.

“我不餓滋将。”艾莉亞想起要顧及禮節(jié)嘱腥「剩“請問，我可以先告退嗎齿兔？”她生硬地背誦道。

“You may not,” the septa said. “You have scarcely touched your food.

You will sit down and clean your plate.”

“還不行础米，”修女說分苇，“你的東西幾乎都沒吃，請你坐下來先把盤里的食物清干凈屁桑∫绞伲”

“You clean it!” Before anyone could stop her, Arya bolted for the

door as the men laughed and Septa Mordane called loudly after her, her voice

rising higher and higher.

“要清你自己清！”趁人們還沒反應(yīng)過來蘑斧，艾莉亞便往門邊奔去靖秩。其他人哈哈大笑须眷，茉丹修女則跟在后面大聲叫喚，聲音越來越高沟突。

Fat Tom was at

his post, guarding the door to the Tower of the Hand. He blinked when he saw

Arya rushing toward him and heard the septa’s shouts. “Here now, little one,

hold on,” he started to say, reaching, but Arya slid between his legs and then

she was running up the winding tower steps, her feet hammering on the stone

while Fat Tom huffed and puffed behind her.

胖湯姆守在崗位上，負責(zé)把守通往首相塔的門。眼見艾莉亞朝自己沖來录淡，又聽見后面修女的喊叫江滨，他眨了眨眼≈案ǎ“喲呼棒呛，小娃娃，別亂跑呀域携〈孛耄”他才剛開口，準備伸手阻攔秀鞭，艾莉亞便已穿過他胯下宰睡，跑上迂回的高塔樓梯。她的腳步重重地踩在石階上气筋，胖湯姆則氣喘吁吁地跟在后面拆内。

Her bedchamber

was the only place that Arya liked in all of King’s Landing, and the thing she

liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron

bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could

get into her room, not Septa Mordane or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound,

nobody! She slammed it now.

諾大的君臨城，艾莉亞惟一喜歡的地方就是自己的臥室宠默，尤其是那扇用深色橡木做成麸恍，鑲有黑鐵環(huán)的厚重大門。她只要把門一摔搀矫，放下沉重的門閂抹沪，便誰也別想進來。不論茉丹修女瓤球、胖湯姆融欧、珊莎、喬里還是死獵狗卦羡，他們都進不來噪馏，通通都進不來！這會兒她就把門一摔绿饵。

When the bar was

down, Arya finally felt safe enough to cry.

等門閂放好欠肾，艾莉亞終于覺得自己可以盡情地哭了。

She went to the

window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all.

It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and

Jeyne too.

她走到窗邊坐下拟赊，一邊吸著鼻涕刺桃，一邊痛恨著所有的人，尤其恨她自己吸祟。一切都是她的錯瑟慈，所有的事都因她而起桃移。珊莎這么說，珍妮也這么說葛碧。

Fat Tom was

knocking on her door. “Arya girl, what’s wrong?” he called out. “You in there?”

胖湯姆正在敲門借杰。“艾莉亞小妹吹埠，怎么啦第步？”他叫道，“你在里面嗎缘琅？”

“No!” she shouted. The knocking stopped. A moment later she heard him

going away. Fat Tom was always easy to fool.

“不在粘都！”她吼回去。敲門聲停了刷袍，片刻之后她聽見他走遠的聲音翩隧。胖湯姆向來很好騙。

Arya went to the

chest at the foot of her bed. She knelt, opened the lid, and began pulling her

clothes out with both hands, grabbing handfuls of silk and satin and velvet and

wool and tossing them on the floor. It was there at the bottom of the chest,

where she’d hidden it. Arya lifted it out almost tenderly and drew the slender

blade from its sheath.

艾莉亞拖出放在床腳的箱子呻纹，她跪下來堆生，掀開蓋子，雙手并用雷酪，開始把她的衣服往外丟淑仆，把滿手絲質(zhì)、綢緞哥力、天鵝絨蔗怠、羊毛織的衣物扔到地板上。東西藏在箱底吩跋，艾莉亞輕輕地捧起它寞射，抽出劍鞘。

Needle.

縫衣針锌钮。

She thought of

Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If

she had never asked him to play at swords with her?.?.?.?

她想起米凱桥温，頓時淚水盈眶。是她的錯梁丘，她的錯侵浸，她的錯。如果她沒要他跟自己練劍……

There was a

pounding at her door, louder than before. “Arya Stark, you open this door at

once, do you hear me?”

門上響起更大的敲門聲兰吟⊥ū梗“艾莉亞·史塔克，立刻把門給我打開混蔼，你聽見了沒有？”

Arya spun

around, with Needle in her hand. “You better not come in here!” she warned. She

slashed at the air savagely.

艾莉亞倏地轉(zhuǎn)身珊燎，手中緊握‘縫衣針’惭嚣∽窈“你不要進來！”她出聲警告晚吞，一邊對著空氣瘋狂揮砍延旧。

“The Hand will hear of this!” Septa Mordane raged.

“我會讓首相知道這件事！”茉丹修女怒喝槽地。

“I don’t care,” Arya screamed. “Go away.”

“我不管迁沫。”艾莉亞尖叫捌蚊，“走開集畅。”

“You will rue this insolent behavior, young lady, I promise you

that.” Arya listened at the door until she heard the sound of the septa’s

receding footsteps.

“小姐缅糟，我跟你保證挺智，你一定會為自己粗野的行為而后悔〈盎拢”艾莉亞在門邊側(cè)耳傾聽赦颇，直到聽見修女漸行漸遠的腳步聲。

She went back to

the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only

she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down

the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane

and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take

Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild

woods below the Trident, and together they’d return to Winterfell, or run to

Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then

maybe she wouldn’t feel so alone.

她又回到窗邊赴涵，手里握著‘縫衣針’媒怯，朝下方的庭院望去。要是她能像布蘭一樣爬上爬下就好了髓窜，她心想扇苞，那么她就能爬出窗戶，爬下高塔纱烘，逃離這個爛地方杨拐，遠離珊莎、茉丹修女和喬佛里王子擂啥，遠離所有的人哄陶。順便從廚房偷點吃的，帶上“縫衣針”哺壶，上好的靴子屋吨，外加一件保暖的斗篷。她可以在三叉戟河下游的森林里找到娜梅莉亞山宾，然后她們就可以一起回臨冬城至扰，或跑到長城去找瓊恩了。她發(fā)現(xiàn)自己好希望瓊恩此刻在自己身邊资锰，那樣她就不會覺得這么孤單了敢课。

A soft knock at

the door behind her turned Arya away from the window and her dreams of escape.

“Arya,” her father’s voice called out. “Open the door. We need to talk.”

輕輕的敲門聲將艾莉亞從她的脫逃夢里拉回現(xiàn)實。“艾莉亞直秆，”父親喚道濒募，“開門罷，我們需要談?wù)劵帷瑰剃！?/p>

Arya crossed the

room and lifted the crossbar. Father was alone. He seemed more sad than angry.

That made Arya feel even worse. “May I come in?” Arya nodded, then dropped her

eyes, ashamed. Father closed the door. “Whose sword is that?”

艾莉亞穿過房間，舉起門閂筝野。只見父親獨自一人站在門外晌姚，那樣子與其說是生氣，毋寧說是悲傷歇竟。這卻讓艾莉亞更難過挥唠。“我可以進來嗎途蒋？”艾莉亞點點頭猛遍，羞愧地垂下視線。父親關(guān)上門号坡“每荆“那把劍是誰的？”

“Mine.” Arya had almost forgotten Needle, in her hand.

“我的宽堆‰缃簦”艾莉亞忘了‘縫衣針’還握在自己手里。

“Give it to me.”

“給我畜隶”诶撸”

Reluctantly Arya

surrendered her sword, wondering if she would ever hold it again. Her father

turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point

with his thumb. “A bravo’s blade,” he said. “Yet it seems to me that I know

this maker’s mark. This is Mikken’s work.”

艾莉亞心不甘情不愿地交出劍，心里嘀咕不知還有沒有機會再握起它籽慢。父親就著光反復(fù)翻轉(zhuǎn)浸遗，審視劍鋒的兩面，然后用拇指測量銳利程度箱亿□诵浚“這是殺手用的劍，”他說届惋，“但我似乎認得鑄劍人的記號髓帽，這是密肯打的∧员”

Arya could not

lie to him. She lowered her eyes.

艾莉亞知道騙不過他郑藏，只好低下頭。

Lord Eddard

Stark sighed. “My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and

I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven

Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you

come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?”

艾德·史塔克公爵嘆氣道：“我九歲大的女兒從我自家的武器爐中拿到武器瘩欺，我卻毫不知情必盖。首相的職責(zé)是管理七大王國拌牲，結(jié)果我連自己家里都管不好。艾莉亞筑悴，你怎么弄到這把劍的们拙？從哪兒弄來的稍途？”

Arya chewed her

lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father.

艾莉亞咬著嘴唇阁吝，不發(fā)一語。她絕不出賣瓊恩械拍，即使是對父親大人也一樣突勇。

After a while,

Father said, “I don’t suppose it matters, truly.” He looked down gravely at the

sword in his hands. “This is no toy for children, least of all for a girl. What

would Septa Mordane say if she knew you were playing with swords?”

過了半晌，父親說：“其實坷虑，你說不說都沒差甲馋。”他低下頭迄损，沉重地看著手中的劍定躏。“這可不是小孩子玩具芹敌，女孩子家尤其不該碰痊远。要是茉丹修女知道你在玩劍，她會怎么說氏捞？”

“I wasn’t playing,” Arya insisted. “I hate Septa Mordane.”

“我才不是玩劍呢碧聪。”艾莉亞堅持液茎，“而且我恨茉丹修女逞姿。”

“That’s enough.” Her father’s voice was curt and hard. “The septa is

doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle

for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task

of making you a lady.”

“夠了捆等，”父親的語氣嚴厲而堅定滞造。“修女只是盡她的職責(zé)本分栋烤，天知道你讓這可憐女人吃了多少苦頭谒养。你母親和我請她教導(dǎo)你成為淑女，這根本就是件不可能完成的任務(wù)班缎『猓”

“I don’t want to be a lady!” Arya flared.

“我又不想變成淑女！”艾莉亞怒道达址。

“I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end

to this nonsense.”

“我真應(yīng)該現(xiàn)在就用膝蓋把這玩意兒折斷蔑祟，終止這場鬧劇〕吝耄”

“Needle wouldn’t break,” Arya said defiantly, but her voice betrayed

her words.

“‘縫衣針’不會斷的疆虚。”艾莉亞不服氣地說，然而她知道自己的口氣頗為心虛径簿。

“It has a name, does it?” Her father sighed. “Ah, Arya. You have a

wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,’ my father used to call it. Lyanna had

a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both

to an early grave.” Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of

his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born.

“Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You

remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.”

“它還有名字罢屈？”父親嘆道，“啊篇亭，艾莉亞缠捌，我的孩子，你有股特別的野性译蒂，你的祖父稱之為‘奔狼之血’曼月。萊安娜有那么一點，我哥哥布蘭登則更多柔昼，結(jié)果兩人都英年早逝哑芹。”艾莉亞從他話音里聽出了哀傷捕透，他鮮少談及自己的父親和兄妹聪姿，他們都在她出生前就過世了∫亦郑“當初若是你祖父答應(yīng)末购，萊安娜大概也會舞刀弄劍。有時候看到你乒躺，我就想起她招盲，你甚至長得都跟她有幾分神似〖蚊埃”

“Lyanna was beautiful,” Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It

was not a thing that was ever said of Arya.

“萊安娜是個大美人曹货。”艾莉亞錯愕地道讳推。每個人都這么說顶籽，但從沒有人拿她來形容艾莉亞。

“She was,” Eddard Stark agreed, “beautiful, and willful, and dead

before her time.” He lifted the sword, held it out between them. “Arya, what

did you think to do with this?.?.?.?Needle? Who did you hope to skewer? Your

sister? Septa Mordane? Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?”

“可不是嗎银觅？”艾德·史塔克同意礼饱，“她既美麗又任性，結(jié)果紅顏薄命究驴∧餍鳎”他舉起劍，隔在兩人之間洒忧『拢“艾莉亞，你要這……‘縫衣針’做什么熙侍？你想拿來對付誰榄鉴？你姐姐履磨？還是茉丹修女？你知道劍道的第一步是什么庆尘？”

All she could

think of was the lesson Jon had given her. “Stick them with the pointy end,”

she blurted out.

她惟一能想到的只是瓊恩教過她的東西剃诅。“用尖的那端去刺敵人驶忌∶”她脫口而出。

Her father

snorted back laughter. “That is the essence of it, I suppose.”

父親忍俊不禁位岔∪缟福“我想這的確是劍術(shù)的精髓∈闾В”

Arya desperately

wanted to explain, to make him see. “I was trying to learn, but?.?.?.?” Her

eyes filled with tears. “I asked Mycah to practice with me.” The grief came on

her all at once. She turned away, shaking. “I asked him,” she cried. “It was my

fault, it was me?.?.?.?”

艾莉亞拚命想解釋，好讓他了解晤柄〔两＃“我想好好學(xué)，可是……”她眼里溢滿淚水芥颈』堇眨“我要米凱陪我練∨揽樱”所有的悲慟這時一齊涌上心頭纠屋，她顫抖著別過頭去《芗疲“是我找他的售担。”她哭著說署辉，“都是我的錯族铆，是我……”

Suddenly her

father’s arms were around her. He held her gently as she turned to him and

sobbed against his chest. “No, sweet one,” he murmured. “Grieve for your

friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butcher’s boy. That

murder lies at the Hound’s door, him and the cruel woman he serves.”

突然間，父親的雙臂抱住了她哭尝，她轉(zhuǎn)過頭哥攘，埋在他胸口啜泣，他則溫柔地擁著她材鹦∈叛停“別這樣，我親愛的孩子桶唐≌て希”他低語道，“為你的朋友哀悼吧莽红，但不要自責(zé)妥畏。屠夫小弟不是你害的邦邦，該為這樁血案負責(zé)的是獵狗和他殘酷的女主人∽硪希”

“I hate them,” Arya confided, red-faced, sniffling. “The Hound and

the queen and the king and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it

wasn’t the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember, she just lied so

Joffrey would like her.”

“我恨他們燃辖。”艾莉亞一邊吸鼻子网棍，一邊紅著臉說出心里話黔龟。“我恨獵狗滥玷、恨王后氏身、恨國王還有喬佛里王子。我恨死他們了惑畴。喬佛里騙人蛋欣，事情根本就不是他講的那樣。我也恨珊莎如贷，她明明就記得陷虎，她故意說謊話好讓喬佛里喜歡她「芨ぃ”

“We all lie,” her father said. “Or did you truly think I’d believe

that Nymeria ran off?”

“誰沒有說過謊呢尚猿，”父親道，“難道你以為我相信娜梅莉亞真的會跑掉楣富？”

Arya blushed

guiltily. “Jory promised not to tell.”

艾莉亞心虛地臉紅了凿掂。“喬里答應(yīng)我不說出去的纹蝴∽”

“Jory kept his word,” her father said with a smile. “There are some

things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would

never have left you willingly.”

“喬里很守信用∑睿”父親微笑道惨恭，“有些事不用別人說我也知道，連瞎子都看得出來小狼不會自動離開你耙旦⊥严郏”

“We had to throw rocks,” she said miserably. “I told her to run, to

go be free, that I didn’t want her anymore. There were other wolves for her to

play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, so

she’d have deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw

rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ’shamed, but

it was right, wasn’t it? The queen would have killed her.”

“我們丟了好多石頭才趕走她∶舛迹”她一臉悲苦地說锉罐，“我叫她走绕娘，放她自由，說我不要她了险领。她該去找其他狼玩秒紧，我們聽見好多狼在叫挨下，喬里說森林里獵物很多，她可以去追捕野鹿叙淌，可她偏偏要跟著我們愁铺，最后我們才不得不丟石頭趕她鹰霍。我打中她兩次，她邊哀嚎邊看著我茵乱，我覺得好羞恥茂洒，但這樣做是正確的對不對？不然王后會殺她的似将』袂”

“It was right,” her father said. “And even the lie was?.?.?.?not

without honor.” He’d put Needle aside when he went to Arya to embrace her. Now

he took the blade up again and walked to the window, where he stood for a

moment, looking out across the courtyard. When he turned back, his eyes were

thoughtful. He seated himself on the window seat, Needle across his lap. “Arya,

sit down. I need to try and explain some things to you.”

“你做得沒錯，”父親說在验，“有時謊言也能……不失榮譽《挛矗”方才他趨身擁抱艾莉亞時把“縫衣針”放在一邊腋舌，這會兒他又拾起短劍，踱至窗邊渗蟹。他在那里駐足片刻块饺，視線穿過廣場，望向遠方雌芽。等他回過頭來授艰，眼里滿是思緒。他在窗邊坐下世落，把“縫衣針”平放膝上淮腾。“艾莉亞屉佳，坐下來谷朝。有些事我要試著跟你解釋清楚∥浠ǎ”

She perched

anxiously on the edge of her bed. “You are too young to be burdened with all my

cares,” he told her, “but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our

words.”

她不安地在床邊坐下圆凰。“你年紀還太小专钉，本不該讓你分擔(dān)我所有的憂慮跃须』亓”他告訴她玉雾，“但你是臨冬城史塔克家族的一份子复旬，你也知道我們的族語壁涎≌颍”

“Winter is coming,” Arya whispered.

“凜冬將至竟坛〉Ｌ溃”艾莉亞輕聲說崭歧。

“The hard cruel times,” her father said. “We tasted them on the

Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet

one, you’ve never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember

the sigil of our House, Arya.”

“是的，艱苦而殘酷的時代即將來臨普泡，”父親說歧匈，“我們在三叉戟河上嘗到了這種滋味件炉，孩子，布蘭墜樓時也是口糕。你生于漫長的盛夏時節(jié)景描，我親愛的好孩子，至今還未經(jīng)歷其他季節(jié)呵燕，然而現(xiàn)在冬天真的要來了氧苍。艾莉亞让虐，不論何時何地澄干，我要你牢牢記住我們的家徽【宓眩”

“The direwolf,” she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees

against her chest, suddenly afraid.

“冰原狼患整「餮瑁”她邊說邊想起娜梅莉亞，不由得縮起膝蓋憔四、靠著胸膛，害怕了起來甸赃。

“Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall

and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is

the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other

warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would

truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa?.?.?.?Sansa is your

sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood

flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you?.?.?.?and I need

both of you, gods help me.”

“孩子，讓我來說說關(guān)于狼的軼事裁替。當大雪降下稍计，冷風(fēng)吹起臣嚣，獨行狼死硅则，群聚狼生怎虫。夏天時可以爭吵大审，但一到冬天，我們便必須保衛(wèi)彼此根穷，相互溫暖圈澈，共享力量康栈。所以假如你真要恨谅将，艾莉亞逊躁，就恨那些會真正傷害我們的人稽煤。茉丹修女是個好女人酵熙，而珊莎……珊莎她再怎么說也是你姐姐匾二。你們倆或許有天壤之別，但體內(nèi)終究流著相同的血液舟扎。你需要她譬猫，她也同樣需要你……而我則需要你們兩個染服，老天保佑肌索。”

He sounded so

tired that it made Arya sad. “I don’t hate Sansa,” she told him. “Not truly.”

It was only half a lie.

他的話聽起來好疲倦午乓，聽得艾莉亞好心酸益愈∶羰停“我不恨珊莎钥顽，”她告訴他蜂大，“不是真的恨她“牟妫”這起碼是半句實話成洗。

“I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We

have come to a dark dangerous place, child. This is not Winterfell. We have

enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This

willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the

disobedience?.?.?.?at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here

and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to

begin growing up.”

“我并非有意嚇你泌枪，然而我也不想騙你。孩子继薛，我們來到了一個黑暗危險的地方慈鸠，這里不是臨冬城青团。有太多敵人想置我們于死地督笆，我們不能自相殘殺娃肿。你在老家時的任性胡為凭豪、種種撒氣嫂伞、亂跑和不聽話……都是夏天里小孩子的把戲末早。此時此地然磷，冬天馬上就要來到姿搜，斷不能與從前相提并論。如今致份，該是你長大的時候了氮块√喜酰”

“I will,” Arya vowed. She had never loved him so much as she did in

that instant. “I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb.”

“我會的蝠引。”艾莉亞發(fā)誓鸽疾。她從沒有像此刻這么愛他∨螅“我也會變強壯拘领，變得跟羅柏一樣強壯届良∈亢”

He held Needle

out to her, hilt first. “Here.”

他把“縫衣針”遞給她慢显，劍柄在前荚藻。“拿去罷”祠丝。

She looked at

the sword with wonder in her eyes. For a moment she was afraid to touch it,

afraid that if she reached for it it would be snatched away again, but then her

father said, “Go on, it’s yours,” and she took it in her hand.

她驚訝地盯著劍罐韩，半晌都不敢碰散吵，生怕自己一伸手劍又被拿走矾睦。只聽父親說：“拿啊，這是你的了赁温。”她這才伸手接過袜匿。

“I can keep it?” she said. “For true?”

“我可以留著嗎居灯？”她問×常“真的嗎偎行？”

“For true.” He smiled. “If I took it away, no doubt I’d find a

morningstar hidden under your pillow within the fortnight. Try not to stab your

sister, whatever the provocation.”

“真的熄云〗稍剩”他微笑著說练般”×希“我要是把它給拿走了摄职，只怕沒兩個星期就會在你枕頭下找到流星錘罷谷市。算啦迫悠，無論你多生氣艺玲，別拿劍刺你姐姐就好板驳。”

“I won’t. I promise.” Arya clutched Needle tightly to her chest as

her father took his leave.

“我不會感混，我保證不會〈税荆”艾莉亞緊緊地把“縫衣針”抱在胸前募谎，目送父親離去数冬。

The next

morning, as they broke their fast, she apologized to Septa Mordane and asked

for her pardon. The septa peered at her suspiciously, but Father nodded.

隔天吃早飯時拐纱，她向茉丹修女道歉秸架，并請求原諒东抹。修女狐疑地看著她，但父親點了點頭试浙。

Three days

later, at midday, her father’s steward Vayon Poole sent Arya to the Small Hall.

The trestle tables had been dismantled and the benches shoved against the

walls. The hall seemed empty, until an unfamiliar voice said, “You are late,

boy.” A slight man with a bald head and a great beak of a nose stepped out of

the shadows, holding a pair of slender wooden swords. “Tomorrow you will be

here at midday.” He had an accent, the lilt of the Free Cities, Bravos perhaps,

or Myr.

三天后的中午田巴，父親的管家維揚·普爾把艾莉亞帶去小廳壹哺。餐桌業(yè)已拆除管宵，長凳也推至墻邊岗喉，小廳里空蕩蕩的钱床。突然，有個陌生的聲音說：“小子滥壕，你遲到了懂衩∽嵌矗”然后一個身形清癯，生著鷹鉤大鼻的光頭男子從陰影里走出來苫亦，手里握著一對細細的木劍∈＃“從明天起你正午就必須到巍膘。”他說話帶著口音，像是自由貿(mào)易城邦的腔調(diào)沟优，可能是布拉佛斯，或是密爾。

“Who are you?” Arya asked.

“你是誰？”艾莉亞問裆甩。

“I am your dancing master.” He tossed her one of the wooden blades.

She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. “Tomorrow you

will catch it. Now pick it up.”

“我是你的舞蹈老師∑胨簦”他丟給她一柄木劍。她伸手去接冻河，卻沒有夠著箍邮，它咔啦一聲掉落在地∵缎穑“從明天起我一丟你就要接住∥吨停現(xiàn)在撿起來蚁署∷煸”

It was not just

a stick, but a true wooden sword complete with grip and guard and pommel. Arya

picked it up and clutched it nervously with both hands, holding it out in front

of her. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than Needle.

那不只是根棍子送讲，而真的是一把木劍，有劍柄、護手，還有裝飾劍柄的圓球士嚎。艾莉亞拾起來笨蚁，緊張兮兮地雙手交握在前奋单。這把劍比看起來要重絮短，比“縫衣針”重多了。

The bald man

clicked his teeth together. “That is not the way, boy. This is not a greatsword

that is needing two hands to swing it. You will take the blade in one hand.”

光頭男子齜牙咧嘴道：“不對不對奖磁，小子鸣哀。這不是雙手揮的巨劍。你只準用單手握”糕档。

“It’s too heavy,” Arya said.

“太重了”捶惜。艾莉亞說。

“It is heavy as it needs to be to make you strong, and for the

balancing. A hollow inside is filled with lead, just so. One hand now is all

that is needing.”

“這樣才能鍛煉你的手臂肌肉，還有整體的協(xié)調(diào)性幕帆。里面空心部分灌滿了鉛，就是這樣募壕。你要單手持劍”干毅。

Arya took her

right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the

sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. “The left is good. All is reversed,

it will make your enemies more awkward. Now you are standing wrong. Turn your

body sideface, yes, so. You are skinny as the shaft of a spear, do you know.

That is good too, the target is smaller. Now the grip. Let me see.” He moved

closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them.

“Just so, yes. Do not squeeze it so tight, no, the grip must be deft,

delicate.”

艾莉亞把握劍的右手放下拱绑，在褲子上擦了擦掌心的汗吧恃，換用左手持劍。而他對此似乎相當滿意韭脊∪诩恚“左手最好饱苟。左右顛倒，你的敵人會很不習(xí)慣陪汽。但你的站姿錯了，不要正對著我蟆沫，身體側(cè)一點累盗，對挪凑，就是這樣咬最。你瘦得跟長矛一樣，知道嗎玉锌？這也挺好，因為目標縮小了∥沸希現(xiàn)在讓我看看你是怎么握的败徊。”他靠過來，盯著她的手，扳開手指疏咐，重新調(diào)整」耍“對，就是這樣宜鸯。別太用力，對合敦，但要靈活，優(yōu)雅驹闰∷懈兀”

“What if I drop it?” Arya said.

“劍掉了怎么辦屹培？”艾莉亞問。

“The steel must be part of your arm,” the bald man told her. “Can you

drop part of your arm? No. Nine years Syrio Forel was first sword to the

Sealord of Braavos, he knows these things. Listen to him, boy.”

“劍必須和你的手合為一體怔檩⊥市悖”光頭男子告訴她，“你的手會掉嗎薛训？當然不會溜歪。西利歐·佛瑞爾在布拉佛斯海王手下干了九年的首席劍士，他懂得這些東西许蓖。聽他的話蝴猪，小子〔沧Γ”

It was the third

time he had called her “boy.” “I’m a girl,” Arya objected.

這已經(jīng)是他第三次叫她“小子”了自阱。“我是女生米酬∨嫱悖”艾莉亞抗議。

“Boy, girl,” Syrio Forel said. “You are a sword, that is all.” He

clicked his teeth together. “Just so, that is the grip. You are not holding a

battle-axe, you are holding a...”

“管他男的女的，”西利歐·佛瑞爾說加派，“你是一把劍叫确，這樣就夠了∩纸酰”他又齜牙咧嘴道竹勉，“好，就是這樣娄琉，保持這個握姿次乓。記住，你握的不是戰(zhàn)斧孽水，你握的是——”

“...needle,” Arya finished for him, fiercely.

“——縫衣針票腰。”艾莉亞兇狠地替他說完女气。

“Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not

the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight’s dance, hacking and

hammering, no. This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden.

All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water

leaks out and they die.” He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade.

“Now you will try to strike me.”

“就是這樣⌒游浚現(xiàn)在我們開始跳舞。記住炼鞠，孩子逃默，我們學(xué)的不是維斯特洛的鋼鐵之舞，騎士之舞簇搅，揮來砍去完域，不是的。這是殺手之舞瘩将，水之舞吟税，行動敏捷，出其不意姿现。人都是水做的肠仪，你知道嗎？當你刺中人體备典，水流外泄异旧，人就會死√嵊叮”他向后退開一步吮蛹，舉起木劍“杵粒“現(xiàn)在你來打我試試潮针。”

Arya tried to

strike him. She tried for four hours, until every muscle in her body was sore

and aching, while Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together and told her what to

do.

于是艾莉亞嘗試攻擊他倚喂。她一共試了四個小時每篷，直到最后每寸肌肉都酸痛不已，而西利歐·佛瑞爾只是一邊齜牙咧嘴，一邊糾正個不停焦读。

The next day

their real work began.

到了第二天子库，好戲才剛剛上演。