凱特琳
? Catelyn had never liked this godswood.
凱特琳向來不喜歡這座神木林。
? She had been born a Tully, at Riverrun farto the south, on the Red Fork of the Trident. The godswood there was a garden,bright and airy, where tall redwoods spread dappled shadows across tinklingstreams, birds sang from hidden nests, and the air was spicy with the scent offlowers.
她出身南境的徒利家族，自小在紅叉河畔的奔流城長大。紅叉河是三叉戟河的支流，那裏的神木林是座明亮清朗的花園，高大的紅木樹影灑進溪澗，鳥兒在棲隱的林間巢穴裏高唱，空氣中彌漫百花馨香。
? The gods of Winterfell kept a different sortof wood. It was a dark, primal place, three acres of old forest untouched forten thousand years as the gloomy castle rose around it. It smelled of moistearth and decay. No redwoods grew here. This was a wood of stubborn sentineltrees armored in grey-green needles, of mighty oaks, of ironwoods as old as therealm itself. Here thick black trunks crowded close together while twistedbranches wove a dense canopy overhead and misshappen roots wrestled beneath thesoil. This was a place of deep silence and brooding shadows, and the gods wholived here had no names.
臨冬城信仰的則是另壹番氣象。這是個陰暗原始的地方，昏暝古堡巍然獨立其間，萬年古木橫亙周邊，散發出潮濕和腐敗的氣味。此地不生紅木，樹林由披戴灰綠松針的哨兵樹、壯實的橡樹，以及與王國同樣蒼老的鐵樹所組成。在這裏，粗壯厚實的黑色樹幹相互攘擠，扭曲的枝在頭頂織就壹片濃密的參天樹頂，變形的錯節盤根則在地底彼此角力。這是個屬於深沈寂靜和窒郁暗影的地方，而蟄居其間的神連名字也付之闕如。
? But she knew she would find her husband heretonight. Whenever he took a man’s life, afterward he would seek the quiet ofthe godswood.
但她知道今晚可以在這裏找到丈夫。每當他取人性命後，總會來此覓求神木林的寧靜。
? Catelyn had been anointed with the sevenoils and named in the rainbow of light that filled the sept of Riverrun. Shewas of the Faith, like her father and grandfather and his father before him.Her gods had names, and their faces were as familiar as the faces of her parents.Worship was a septon with a censer, the smell of incense, a seven-sided crystalalive with light, voices raised in song. The Tullys kept a godswood, as all thegreat houses did, but it was only a place to walk or read or lie in the sun.Worship was for the sept.
凱特琳身受七種聖油祝福與加持，命名儀式乃是在浸沐於七彩虹光的奔流城聖堂裏舉行的。她和先輩數代壹樣信仰七神。她信奉的神有名有姓，臉龐也如同自己雙親般熟悉。她在香爐冉冉的聖堂裏禱告，燃香氣味彌漫，指引的修士掛著光芒***生的七面水晶，喃喃地低聲吟唱。徒利家族雖如其他大家貴族般擁有自己的神木林，但那只不過是個散步閱讀或在暖陽下休憩的處所，敬拜神明向來是聖堂裏的事。
? For her sake, Ned had built a small septwhere she might sing to the seven faces of god, but the blood of the First Menstill flowed in the veins of the Starks, and his own gods were the old ones,the nameless, faceless gods of the greenwood they shared with the vanishedchildren of the forest.
奈德為她建了座小聖堂，好讓她有個向七面之神誦唱的地方。然而史塔克家族體內依舊流淌著“先民”的血液，他信奉那些既無名號亦無容貌的遠古諸神，那些屬於蒼翠樹林，先民與消失的森林之子***同信仰的神。
? At the center of the grove an ancientweirwood brooded over a small pool where the waters were black and cold. “Theheart tree,” Ned called it. The weirwood’s bark was white as bone, its leavesdark red, like a thousand bloodstained hands. A face had been carved in thetrunk of the great tree, its features long and melancholy, the deep-cut eyesred with dried sap and strangely watchful. They were old, those eyes; olderthan Winterfell itself. They had seen Brandon the Builder set the first stone,if the tales were true; they had watched the castle’s granite walls rise aroundthem. It was said that the children of the forest had carved the faces in thetrees during the dawn centuries before the coming of the First Men across thenarrow sea.
林子中央有棵古老的魚梁木，籠罩著壹泓黑冷池水，奈德稱之為“心樹”。魚梁木的樹皮灰白如骨，葉色深紅，有如千只染血手掌。樹幹上刻了壹張人臉，容貌深長而憂郁，滿是幹涸紅樹汁的深陷眼凹形容怪異、充滿警戒意味。那是壹雙古老的眼睛，比臨冬城本身還要古老，它們曾經目睹“築城者”布蘭登安下第壹塊基石，倘若傳說屬實，它們也見證了城堡的大理石墻在四周逐漸高築。傳說這些臉是在黎明紀元時，在“先民”渡過狹海而來之前，由森林之子刻上去的。
? In the south the last weirwoods had been cutdown or burned out a thousand years ago, except on the Isle of Faces where thegreen men kept their silent watch. Up here it was different. Here every castlehad its godswood, and every godswood had its heart tree, and every heart treeits face.
南方的魚梁木早在千年前便遭砍伐焚燒殆盡，只在千面嶼上還有“綠人”靜靜地看守。然而在北境壹切都迥然不同，這裏每壹座城堡都有自己的神木林，每片神木林都有壹棵心樹，每棵心樹都有壹張人臉。
? Catelyn found her husband beneath theweirwood, seated on a moss-covered stone. The greatsword Ice was across his lap,and he was cleaning the blade in those waters black as night. A thousand yearsof humus lay thick upon the godswood floor, swallowing the sound of her feet,but the red eyes of the weirwood seemed to follow her as she came. “Ned,” shecalled softly.
凱特琳在魚梁木下找到了她的丈夫，他靜坐在苔蘚爬蓋的磐石上。寶劍“寒冰”斜躺於膝，而他正用那漆黑如永夜的池水清洗劍上血汙。千年累積的腐植質厚厚地覆蓋在神木林的土地上，吸走了她的足音，但魚梁木那雙紅眼卻仿佛緊跟不舍。“奈德①。”她輕聲喚道。
? He lifted his head to look at her.“Catelyn,” he said. His voice was distant and formal. “Where are the children?”
他擡起頭看著她。“凱特琳，”他的語調莊重而遙遠。“孩子們呢？”
? He would always ask her that. “In thekitchen, arguing about names for the wolf pups.” She spread her cloak on theforest floor and sat beside the pool, her back to the weirwood. She could feelthe eyes watching her, but she did her best to ignore them. “Arya is already inlove, and Sansa is charmed and gracious, but Rickon is not quite sure.”
他總是會先問這句。“都在廚房裏，為了要幫小狼們取些什麽名字正吵架呢。”她把披風鋪在林地上，然後在池邊坐下，背靠魚梁木。她感覺得到那雙眼睛正盯著自己看，但她竭盡所能去忽略它。“艾莉亞已經愛得發狂，珊莎也很喜歡，瑞肯則還不太確定。”
? “Is he afraid?” Ned asked.
“他害怕嗎？”奈德問。
? “A little,” she admitted. “He is onlythree.”
“有壹點，”她承認，“畢竟他才三歲。”
? Ned frowned. “He must learn to face hisfears. He will not be three forever. And winter is coming.”
奈德皺眉：“他得學著面對自己的恐懼，他不可能永遠都是三歲，更何況凜冬將至。”
? “Yes,” Catelyn agreed. The words gave her achill, as they always did. The Stark words. Every noble house had its words.Family mottoes, touchstones, prayers of sorts, they boasted of honor and glory,promised loyalty and truth, swore faith and courage. All but the Starks. Winteris coming, said the Stark words. Not for the first time, she reflected on whata strange people these northerners were.
“是啊，”凱特琳也同意，最後那句話壹如既往地教她不寒而栗。這是史塔克家族的銘言，每壹個貴族家族都有著自己的箴言警句：或是世代相傳的座右銘，或是待人處事的衡量標準，或是針對困境的禱詞；有的誇耀榮譽，有些講究忠貞誠信，還有的為信仰和勇氣宣誓，惟獨史塔克家族例外。凜冬將至，史塔克家族的銘言如是說。她已經不只壹次在心裏暗忖：這些北方人究竟是什麽樣的壹群怪人。
? “The man died well, I’ll give him that,” Nedsaid. He had a swatch of oiled leather in one hand. He ran it lightly up thegreatsword as he spoke, polishing the metal to a dark glow. “I was glad forBran’s sake. You would have been proud of Bran.”
“今天那個人死得很幹脆，這壹點我承認。”奈德說，他手裏握了壹塊上了油的皮革，邊說邊輕拭劍身，金屬被逐漸磨出暗沈的光澤。“我很為布蘭高興，妳要是在場，也會為他驕傲的。”
? “I am always proud of Bran,” Catelynreplied, watching the sword as he stroked it. She could see the rippling deepwithin the steel, where the metal had been folded back on itself a hundredtimes in the forging. Catelyn had no love for swords, but she could not denythat Ice had its own beauty. It had been forged in Valyria, before the Doom hadcome to the old Freehold, when the ironsmiths had worked their metal withspells as well as hammers. Four hundred years old it was, and as sharp as theday it was forged. The name it bore was older still, a legacy from the age ofheroes, when the Starks were Kings in the North.
“我向來都很為他驕傲。”凱特琳邊看他拭劍邊答道，她可以瞧見鋼鐵深處的波紋，那是鍛冶時千錘百煉的印記。凱特琳對刀劍素無好感，但她不能否認“寒冰”確有其獨特的美。它是末日浩劫降臨古自由堡壘以前，在瓦雷利亞鍛造而成，當時的鐵匠不僅用鑿錘冶鐵，更用法術來形塑金屬。寶劍已有四百年歷史，卻仍舊如它鍛冶初成時那般鋒利。它的名字則更源遠流長，乃是襲自古代英雄紀元時的族劍之名，那時史塔克壹族是北境之王。
? “He was the fourth this year,” Ned saidgrimly. “The poor man was half-mad. Something had put a fear in him so deepthat my words could not reach him.” He sighed. “Ben writes that the strength ofthe Night’s Watch is down below a thousand. It’s not only desertions. They arelosing men on rangings as well.”
“這已經是今年第四個逃兵了，”奈德沈著臉說，“那個可憐的家夥已經瘋了壹半，不知什麽東西把他嚇成那副德行，連我說話都起不了作用。”他嘆口氣，“班寫信來說守夜人的兵力只剩不到壹千，不只因為逃兵，他們派出去的巡邏隊也損失慘重。”
? “Is it the wildlings?” she asked.
“是野人的關系嗎？”她問。
? “Who else?” Ned lifted Ice, looked down thecool steel length of it. “And it will only grow worse. The day may come when Iwill have no choice but to call the banners and ride north to deal with thisKing-beyond-the-Wall for good and all.”
“還會有誰呢？”奈德舉起“寒冰”，俯首審視手中冰冷的鋼鐵。“恐怕情況只會越來越糟，也許我真的別無選擇，非得召集封臣，率軍北進，與這個絕境長城以外的國王壹決生死。”
? “Beyond the Wall?” The thought made Catelynshudder.
“絕境長城以外？”凱特琳想到就不禁渾身顫抖。
? Ned saw the dread on her face. “Mance Rayderis nothing for us to fear.”
奈德察覺了她臉上的恐懼。“我們用不著害怕曼斯·雷德。”
? “There are darker things beyond the Wall.”She glanced behind her at the heart tree, the pale bark and red eyes, watching,listening, thinking its long slow thoughts.
“長城之外還有更可怕的東西。”她轉過頭去，看著心樹慘白的樹皮和赭紅的雙眼，凝視、傾聽、考慮著深邃悠遠的思緒。
? His smile was gentle. “You listen to toomany of Old Nan’s stories. The Others are as dead as the children of theforest, gone eight thousand years. Maester Luwin will tell you they never livedat all. No living man has ever seen one.”
他的微笑好溫柔。“老奶媽的故事妳聽太多啦。異鬼和森林之子壹樣，早已經消失了八千多年。魯溫師傅會告訴妳他們根本就沒存在過，沒有活人見過他們。”
? “Until this morning, no living man had everseen a direwolf either,” Catelyn reminded him.
“今天早上之前，不也沒人見過冰原狼？”凱特琳提醒他。
? “I ought to know better than to argue with aTully,” he said with a rueful smile. He slid Ice back into its sheath. “You didnot come here to tell me crib tales. I know how little you like this place.What is it, my lady?”
“我怎麽也說不過徒利家的人，”他嘴角浮起壹抹後悔的微笑，將“寒冰”收回劍鞘。“我猜妳不是跑來跟我聊睡前故事的，何況我知道妳壹點也不喜歡這個地方。究竟是什麽事，我的好夫人？”
? Catelyn took her husband’s hand. “There wasgrievous news today, my lord. I did not wish to trouble you until you hadcleansed yourself.” There was no way to soften the blow, so she told him straight.“I am so sorry, my love. Jon Arryn is dead.”
凱特琳握住丈夫的手。“今天我們接獲了悲傷的消息，大人，我不想在妳清理寶劍之前打擾妳。”既然無法減輕傷害，她決定實話實說。“親愛的，我很難過，瓊恩·艾林過世了。”
?Hiseyes found hers, and she could see how hard it took him, as she had known itwould. In his youth, Ned had fostered at the Eyrie, and the childless LordArryn had become a second father to him and his fellow ward, Robert Baratheon.When the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen had demanded their heads, the Lord of theEyrie had raised his moon-and-falcon banners in revolt rather than give upthose he had pledged to protect.
他們視線相對，她可以清楚地看見他受的打擊有多大，正如她所預料。奈德年輕時曾在鷹巢城做過養子，而膝下無子的艾林公爵待他和另壹名養子勞勃·拜拉席恩有如生父再世。當瘋王伊裏斯·坦格利安二世要求他交出兩人的項上人頭時，這位鷹巢城公爵揭起他的新月獵鷹旗，寧可興兵發難也不願出賣他誓言守護的人。
? And one day fifteen years ago, this secondfather had become a brother as well, as he and Ned stood together in the septat Riverrun to wed two sisters, the daughters of Lord Hoster Tully.
而就在十五年前的那壹天，這位再世生父又成了奈德的連襟。他們倆並肩站在奔流城的聖堂裏，娶了壹對姐妹，也就是霍斯特·徒利公爵的兩個女兒。
? “Jon?.?.?.?” he said. “Is this newscertain?”
“瓊恩……”他說，“這消息確實麽？”
? “Itwas the king’s seal, and the letter is in Robert’s own hand. I saved it foryou. He said Lord Arryn was taken quickly. Even Maester Pycelle was helpless,but he brought the milk of the poppy, so Jon did not linger long in pain.”
“信上有國王的印鑒，且是勞勃親手書寫。他說艾林公爵走得很倉促，就連派席爾國師也束手無策。不過國師給他喝了罌粟花奶，所以瓊恩並沒受太多折磨。”
? “That is some small mercy, I suppose,” hesaid. She could see the grief on his face, but even then he thought first ofher. “Your sister,” he said. “And Jon’s boy. What word of them?”
“我想這也算是最後的壹點慈悲。”他說，她看見他臉上的悲傷，但他最先想到的還是她。“妳妹妹，”他問，“還有瓊恩的兒子，有他們的消息嗎？”。
? “The message said only that they were well,and had returned to the Eyrie,” Catelyn said. “I wish they had gone to Riverruninstead. The Eyrie is high and lonely, and it was ever her husband’s place, nothers. Lord Jon’s memory will haunt each stone. I know my sister. She needs thecomfort of family and friends around her.”
“信上只說他們安然無恙，並已返回了鷹巢城。”凱特琳說，“我真希望他們回的是奔流城。鷹巢城高聳孤絕，那裏壹直是她丈夫的地盤，並非她的歸宿。瓊恩大人的回憶肯定會縈繞鷹巢城裏每壹塊磚石。我很了解妹妹，她需要的是家人和朋友的支持與陪伴。”
? “Your uncle waits in the Vale, does he not?Jon named him Knight of the Gate, I’d heard.”
“妳叔叔不是正在艾林谷中等著她？我聽說瓊恩任命他做了血門騎士。”
? Catelyn nodded. “Brynden will do what he canfor her, and for the boy. That is some comfort, but still?.?.?.?”
凱特琳點點頭，“布林登當然會盡他所能照顧她和她兒子，可是……”
? “Go toher,” Ned urged. “Take the children. Fill her halls with noise and shouts andlaughter. That boy of hers needs other children about him, and Lysa should notbe alone in her grief.”
“那麽妳去陪她吧，”奈德勸促，“把孩子們也壹起帶去，讓她的居所充滿歡笑和喧鬧。那孩子需要其他同伴的陪伴，妳妹妹更不應該獨自哀悼。”
? “Would that I could,” Catelyn said. “Theletter had other tidings. The king is riding to Winterfell to seek you out.”
“如果我能去就好了。”凱特琳說道：“信上還說到別的事，國王正在前往臨冬城的路上，他要找妳***商國事。”
It took Ned a moment to comprehend her words,but when the understanding came, the darkness left his eyes. “Robert is cominghere?” When she nodded, a smile broke across his face.
? Catelyn wished she could share his joy. Butshe had heard the talk in the yards; a direwolf dead in the snow, a brokenantler in its throat. Dread coiled within her like a snake, but she forcedherself to smile at this man she loved, this man who put no faith in signs. “Iknew that would please you,” she said. “We should send word to your brother onthe Wall.”
凱特琳真希望自己能分享他此刻的喜悅，但她在庭院裏聽到了傳聞，說是有只冰原狼死在雪地裏，喉嚨中有根斷裂的鹿角。恐懼如同毒蛇般在她心裏蜷曲，但她迫使自己在這個她所深愛的男人面前強顏歡笑，這個不相信任何預兆的男人。“我就知道妳聽了會高興，”她說，“我們應該通知妳在長城的弟弟。”
?“Yes, of course,” he agreed. “Ben will want to be here. I shall tellMaester Luwin to send his swiftest bird.” Ned rose and pulled her to her feet.“Damnation, how many years has it been? And he gives us no more notice thanthis? How many in his party, did the message say?”
“對，對，當然，”他同意，“班壹定想來。我請魯溫師傅派他最快的鳥兒送信去。”奈德直起身，也拉她起來。“該死，我們有多少年沒見面了？他居然沒有
特意通知我。信上有否註明大約有多少人會來？”
? “I should think a hundred knights, at theleast, with all their retainers, and half again as many freeriders. Cersei andthe children travel with them.”
“我想至少有壹百位騎士罷，加上他們的隨從，還有這個數目壹半的自由騎手。瑟曦和她的孩子們也都來了。”
? “Robert will keep an easy pace for theirsakes,” he said. “It is just as well. That will give us more time to prepare.”
“那麽為他們著想，勞勃不會走太快的。”他說：“也好，這樣壹來我們才多點時間準備。”
? “The queen’s brothers are also in theparty,” she told him.
“王後的哥哥也在隊伍裏。”她告訴他。
? Ned grimaced at that. There was small lovebetween him and the queen’s family, Catelyn knew. The Lannisters of CasterlyRock had come late to Robert’s cause, when victory was all but certain, and hehad never forgiven them. “Well, if the price for Robert’s company is an infestationof Lannisters, so be it. It sounds as though Robert is bringing half hiscourt.”
奈德聽後臉色立刻壹沈。凱特琳很清楚他對王後的家族素無好感，凱巖城的蘭尼斯特家族當年是最晚加入勞勃勢力的大貴族，直等到勝敗情勢明朗化後方才表態，而奈德始終沒有原諒他們。“也罷，如果勞勃來訪的代價是這些蘭尼斯特家的討厭鬼，那就認了罷。只是，聽起來勞勃好像把他半個宮廷的人都帶來了。”
? “Where the king goes, the realm follows,”she said.
“國王走到哪兒，王國就跟到哪兒嘛。”她答道。
? “It will be good to see the children. Theyoungest was still sucking at the Lannister woman’s teat the last time I sawhim. He must be, what, five by now?”
“看看那些孩子倒也不錯。上次見到那個蘭尼斯特女人，勞勃最小的兒子還在喝她的奶水。壹轉眼都幾年了？他現在應該已經……多少……五歲了吧？”
? “Prince Tommen is seven,” she told him. “Thesame age as Bran. Please, Ned, guard your tongue. The Lannister woman is ourqueen, and her pride is said to grow with every passing year.”
“托曼王子七歲了，”她告訴他，“和布蘭同年。奈德，請妳小心措辭，那蘭尼斯特女人好歹是我們的王後，而且據說她壹年比壹年傲慢。”
? Ned squeezed her hand. “There must be afeast, of course, with singers, and Robert will want to hunt. I shall send Jorysouth with an honor guard to meet them on the kingsroad and escort them back.Gods, how are we going to feed them all? On his way already, you said? Damn theman. Damn his royal hide.”
奈德捏捏她的手，“我們得辦場晚宴，當然還要請樂師和歌手，嗯，勞勃鐵定會去外面打獵。我這就派喬裏帶上壹名榮譽護衛南下國王大道去迎接，把他們護送回來吧。諸神在上，我們要怎麽餵飽這些人啊？妳說他已經在路上了？這家夥真該死，他這做國王的家夥真是該死。”
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[if !supportLists]①?[endif]德是艾德的小名。